Foil Pack Fancy Chicken

Allow me to apologize in advance if those post sounds all sorts of jumpy and excited. It's a bit of my state of mind right now as The Sheriff has napped long enough for me to take a cat nap, shower, blow dry and straighten my hair, and prepare dinner to the point of throwing it in the oven later.  He typically naps well but I wasn't expecting this as he slept later than usual this morning. I'm all fairy certain I just jinxed myself.

So I'm all sorts of happy to share a new recipe (cue the waking toddler...) which I am endearingly naming Foil Pack Fancy Chicken because it doesn't taste so run-of-the-mill chicken breast. To give credit where it's due, the recipe is from the Well Done Cooking Class I mentioned a while back, and it's name is Chicken Breast Baked in a Bag with Cannellini Beans, Leeks, Cream, and Oregano. That's a mouthful. I will consider the title designed to help you remember when grocery shopping!

Foil Pack Fancy Chicken

Ingredients (serves 1, yes ONE, so prepare ingredients accordingly for multiple packs)

1 Leek, white only finely sliced or 2 green onions diced)
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
1/2 14 oz. can of Cannellini Beans, drained
1 Clove of garlic, peeled and finely sliced
1 tsp Fresh oregano, leaves picked (OR 1/4 tsp dried oregano)
1 tbsp chicken stock
1 oz. Heavy Cream OR Half and Half
salt and pepper
1 handful of fresh baby spinach
1/2 lemon
1 tbsp EVOO

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Prepare aluminum foil packs by rolling out a sheet about 1.5 feet. Fold the foil in half and roll all the sides but one, about a 1/2 inch, TWICE. You now have a bag with one side open.

3. (Salt and pepper chicken!)
Place leeks (or green onions) and chicken in bag. Open can of bean, drain and smash some of the beans against the side of the can (bowl). Add them to the bag along with other ingredients.

(Note--see my chopped leeks? I think I chopped them incorrectly. Since I can't recall how they looked at our class, I'll catch an online tutorial on how to chop them next time.) So basically you just put all of that "stuff" into the bag.

4. Close up the final side, making sure there are no leaks. Place the bag on a roasting pan to catch any leaks that may happen. Cook in oven for 25-30 minutes (or until chicken reaches 165 degrees.)

5. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes.
6. Mix lemon juice and olive oil for vinaigrette. Place spinach on plate and drizzle vinaigrette over it. Add salt and pepper.
7. Open bag (watch out for the steam!) and place chicken and beans on top of spinach. Pour sauce over top and enjoy!

My own presentation is terrible! The food was delicious. Just a few notes:

-I used thinly sliced chicken breasts, and I think a larger piece would work better.
-I did not have fresh oregano and used the dried alternative. With a smaller chicken breast, it was a bit overpowering. I also needed to spread it out a bit more as it seasoned, well over-seasoned, just one hal of the chicken breast.
-You can also make this dish with tilapia or salmon. (I believe both suggested cooking times are about 15 minutes.)
-This dish is easy to prepare, healthy, and can be made ahead of time, maybe during nap time or before work, and cooked later which is always a plus. 

Hey That's Pin-tastic Monday -- Halloween Style

I must have joined Pinterest in the Fall because this feels like one of my very first pins, and I couldn't swing it in time last year and made a mental note to make it happen this Halloween. I did. There is little time to spare, but I did it and am happy to link up again this week with AP!






My inspiration:

Source: craftaholicsanonymous.net via Jennifer on Pinterest

I'm not big on Halloween decor and basically have "Fall" decorations that I can leave up until Christmas comes out, but I love this craft. I went with a basic black and orange color scheme because the Halloween decorations that I do have are traditional, and also decided that I want a picture inside each year instead of just a Halloween printable.

Materials:
Wooden craft frame (4x6, 5x7 -- I wouldn't go larger. Googly eye hell at that point!)
Spray paint
2-3 packs of googly eyes (various sizes)
Ribbon
Letters (BOO, EEK) or Halloween wooden accent

I spray painted my frame, hot-glued on the eyeballs, and finished with a ribbon glued across the bottom, and B-O-O letters that I bought already painted black. J even walked in and said, "That's going to be cool when you are done," a crafting comment not heard often around here!

The hardest part was using a small enough dab of hot glue under the tiny eyes and not spreading it everywhere. I am looking forward to using a picture from the previous year when we decorate each October to see how big everyone's gotten.

Happy Halloween week!

From the Kitchen

Our tastebuds have been on a culinary adventure this past week, and after a freezer meal workshop courtesy of a sweet host and WildTree, there are more tasty dinners headed our way.

Let's have dessert on the docket first, why don't we. I think I posted the recipe (or at least link) for these before but Fall is not complete until these cookies from Bakerella come out of the kitchen. This year, they've made an appearance, but Fall has not. Small details. That just means when it cools off I can make them again. They are and will be on any Fall "Bucket" list our family has! Seriously, so good.

To balance the need for dessert every night (thanks to those beauties above), I decided a nice chopped salad would be fitting. By chopped, I mean chopped. This is bagged lettuce. Not.Small.Enough.

That lettuce pile turned into this spicy creation courtesy of Pinterest. I left out the corn purposefully but totally forgot the black beans in putting it together. The dressing for this salad does not mess around with its kick, so spice-sensitive palates, be warned. 

My pregnant self loves Italian, particularly red sauce, so of course this pepperoni roll from AP's Hey That's Pintastic Link-Up caught my eye. The original recipe didn't call for pizza sauce, but come on, if Momma can't hit the sauce, Momma's gotta eat the sauce! This meal was a huge hit, so easy, and will probably make the rotation. 

On Sunday I spent a little over an hour preparing 10 meals (courtesy of a WildTree party) that would be stored in the freezer for easy use. Sounds awesome right? It was. Totally convenient? No. Completely price-saavy? No.

I spent over an hour on trips to two different stores on Saturday to pick up the meats required for the workshop.  On Sunday morning I spent at least an hour prepping the meats by peeling shrimp and chopping up chicken breasts. 

That being said, I had a great afternoon with friends. It was a wonderful set-up, and you take products home to recreate the meals possibly one more time. 

The process itself was easy. Dump ingredients in bag according to a given list. So simple. 

I have no idea where the Skittles come in! 

I'm pretty excited to try our dishes, and my only qualm is that I can't save these in the freezer until Baby  #2 is born. There is a three month freezer life and we will slightly miss that. I think I have some ideas to prep my own food for those months though.

And then there's this, which technically isn't from the kitchen, but when your Aunt Ali sends Halloween goodies and you check the mail at 10:00 a.m., a certain two somebodies are sharing a Twix bright and early. 

Happy Eating, y'all!

Semi-Wordless Wednesday

Pumpkin Patch -- TX Allergies Edition

We did three pumpkin patches in two weeks. I think we are done! To be fair, the kid loves them. He couldn't care less about posing on a pile of pumpkins but is quite satisfied with pushing wagons and wheelbarrows all afternoon.

Our "Two" Truths

Our Sheriff,

Without monthly updates, it can be easy to take for granted the little nuggets that make you who you are at certain moments in your two-year-old life.

Your shining light is your innocent and kind-hearted personality. I know these days are fleeting, and I pray you maintain your gentle heart. I also pray you always recognize your own worth and the worth of others as children of God and stand up for it. 

You sure can be silly, and you are definitely so much fun to be around. From your love of trains and helicopters to your fascination with gloves, be they oven mitts or outdoor work gloves, the only "accessory" you really find appealing, you make us smile as your imagination grows.

We love listening to all you have say even if it involves the same question/answer conversation over and over again. Your sweet voice makes me smile as you pronounce "po-pice cars," and "ano ter" one  or "o ter" one.  And you continue to surprise us with the amount of songs you can sing and phrases you manage to pick up, my favorite being "pistons are pumping" which must have come from a Thomas episode.

You are such a blessing, so full of little bits of warmth, and I am thankful God let us as parents borrow you.

Pinned There, DID That with AP's Pin-tastic Mondays

Why hello Monday. You aren't quite my favorite day of the week by any means, but waking up knowing that I have a few pin-tastic posts to check out throughout the day (ok, honestly, this happens sometime by Wednesday afternoon), makes things a bit easier.



This week I'm sharing a project a long time in the making. Let's just say that some of y'all are great with spray paint. I, my friends, am not.

I've pinned several ideas for displaying The Sheriff's masterpieces in our breakfast room/creative space.
The inspiration I chose:

Source: littlenannygoat.blogspot.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

I love the simplicity of these frames and their versatility. I could easily hang pictures instead of insert-letter-of-the-week projects.

Creating these little guys proved a bit more difficult. The process itself is not, but I could not settle on a paint color and a few cans of spray paint later, I'm finally finished. I am sure these won't last forever, but I like them in the now and am thankful for a place to hang out artwork instead of simply taping it to the wall haphazardly.

Exhibit A:

That color looks nothing like the can. Ok, maybe a little but it's a lot of orange and on our yellow walls, three frames that color would look like Halloween threw up all over it. 

Here's what you'll need:

*Frames to paint (I used three cheap ones from Walmart. When checking out the cashier asked, "You gonna put pictures of yourself in these?" I kindly explained that I was not displaying 3 large pictures of myself in 11 x14  frames (I think they are that big) but instead would be crafting. She really didn't care so I shut up quickly. Then she opened my shampoo, smelled it, and commented on it. Not ok.)

*1/2-1 yard of burlap (depends on how large your frames are). I can see these are big wall displays or as smaller picture display frames as well.

*Tiny clothespins (or magnetic clips as seen on the original)

*Spray paint (which I've resorted to buying at Walmart. Hobby Lobby's spray paint security routine is overkill. Seriously, what teenager with a mischievous agenda is going to look to Hobby Lobby for his spray painting needs?) 

*Hot glue gun (and I'm only putting parentheses here because all of the other materials listed have them and it would feel out of place not to!) 

 And here's what you do:

1. Spray paint your frames, maybe with 3 different colors. Do what it takes. I didn't take pictures of this step but was instead too busy trying to keep my grits! Apparently TX heat also causes spray paint to web upon contact.

2. Cut the burlap to wrap around the backing of your frame. Fold around and hot glue down.

3. Hot glue the covered backing to the back of the picture frame. With the burlap the cardboard would not fit back into the slots so I just hot glued the mess out of it around the sides. (You can see the various spray paint colors of the back of my frame.)

4. Glue your clip to the center of the frames. Again, no pic.

5. Bug someone to help you hang your creation. I hadn't considered the L-shape that we ended up with, but rolled with J's idea. I actually wish I had one more frame for this arrangement.

Like I mentioned, the worst part of this project was choosing a paint color, and I blame that on our bright walls. I'd consider making these again to use as photo holders in a bedroom with neutral walls, and I could play a bit more with the frame color which was my original intention.

Thanks for a great link-up AP!

DIY Toddler Ghost Banner

While I once mentioned September creeping by, October seems to be soaring. Halloween is less than two weeks away! It's practically Christmas Eve. Ok, not that dramatic, but we have been having a bit of Halloween prep fun here and there.

The Sheriff is quite interested in ghosts this year, cute ones of course, not the cryptic, give you bad dreams kind. I had all of these materials lying around (come on, who doesn't keep 20 t.p. rolls "just in case?"), so one all-too-hot afternoon, our ghost banner was born. 

You'll need:

Toilet paper rolls

Coffee filters

Black marker

Hot glue gun (You can use regular glue but would take a while to dry)

Ribbon to hang (optional)

Directions:
1. Draw ghost faces with your little person on the filters. I helped with most of them but let W have a free for all with the marker too.

2. Cut t.p. rolls in half so your filters will fit over them.

3. Put a ring of glue around the tube and stick down onto the center (ish) of the coffee filter. I let the toddler help, but of course taking a picture, wielding a glue gun, and keeping a toddler's fingers burn free weren't going to happen simultaneously.

Add a bit of extra glue around the sides.

Stick everything down!

We had made at least 10 ghost when I decided to grab some black ribbon and hang up our new friends.

Easy right? Whether you are stuck down South inside because it's still so stinking hot, or up North and needing a break from fabulous Fall weather at pumpkin patches (yea, I'm jealous!), grab your tp roll stash and get to ghosting.

Behind the Camera at the County Fair

By now most of us have read the Huffington Post article about staying in the picture with our little ones. I feel so blessed to have a husband who not only is interested in photography but who also has always seemed to include me in photos.  I certainly could have a better attitude about it most of the time and appreciate the moment instead of analyzing my hair, smile, outfit. I appreciate that reflection in the article most of all.

On our recent Fall adventure to the County Fair, I chose to hold onto the camera and practice a bit. I've got so far to go with photography, so please don't analyze my pictures too closely. I'm so thankful to have that day captured in the archives and captured just as I remember it.

To The Sheriff, the mention of the fair meant "see the animals," and the petting zoo greets fair visitors near the entrance (makes for quite the welcoming smell!)

On our first go-round, there was no mention of getting down from Daddy's arms, but the sight of these furry friends was enough to light up that smile.

I don't blame him for not wanting to get down. These little guys were ruthless, going after shirt tails, shorts, and camera straps.

This was our first County Fair experience, and we stumbled upon the Stick Horse Rodeo as it was beginning, and I'd definitely make a point to attend next year on the same day. Note to self--dress your child in cowboy gear, not Football Saturday threads.

We signed up our little bronco, received some cowboy swag, and prepped for the ride. Well, attempted I suppose. This child is not a fan of accessories (which includes costumes, so Halloween will be interesting).

While I didn't have the camera in these two shots I remember the look of a little boy standing in front of two large boxes of stick horses with his Momma and two kind rodeo "officials" asking, "Which one do you want?"

What you can't see in the picture above is our Sheriff's horse.  With two boxes of brown horses and a sole purple pony hanging out on the edge, I knew right away that my little cowboy was going to step away with this one:

We deemed it his LSU horse.
The stick horse riding line was long, so Daddy had plenty of time to talk technique.

I wasn't sure that he'd do it, but this cowboy came to the fair to play. The gates opened, and after one panicked look searching for his parents, he rode that purple horse all the way to Daddy scoring a whopping 91 points.

The whole event was super cute as the ride was followed by barrel racing and one other event. After his ride, the number on the back of his shirt became the obsession. (See the no accessories for this child mentioned above.)

Number removed, purple horse put away, we ventured over to the agriculture activity tent where baby chicks were the hit.

 When your pregnant wife mentions, "Hey, they have fried cheese" when you head off for lemonades, you come back with fried cheese. It was decent. We could have saved the calories for something more delicious like funnel cakes!

And the end of the first fair trip? These pictures need no words.