Cooking Tonight -- Pecan Crusted Chicken

I could write about the Oscars; I could tell you what I think about Brad Womack's quest for love; I could share what we had for dinner.

 Looks like food it is. This was pretty easy and not very time consuming. I didn't toast my pecans (maybe that would help with them becoming a crunchier crust). I used panko instead of bread crumbs and Tobasco mustard instead of honey mustard. They came out great. Well, the flavor was great. I would have liked a crunchier crust, but I might have over-honeyed and added too much EVOO. I don't have any food porn pics. 

 Pecan Crusted Chicken

Ingredients:

• 1 cup pecans. toasted
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds total)
• 1/4 cup honey mustard

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°. Using a food processor, grind the pecans into fine crumbs. Transfer to a wide, shallow bowl and stir in the bread crumbs and basil. Season with salt and pepper. Rub each chicken breast with honey mustard, then coat with the pecan mixture. Place on a nonstick baking sheet and drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Bake until the juices run clear, 15 to 20 minutes.

Sunday Fun

Thanks again to  My Life in the Men's Room for this blog idea. 

TODAY:

Outside my window... it's windy!

I can't wait to ...see my pitos on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. It's been way too long since I've seen my girls and their petites!

I am listening to... Eminem's "I Need a Doctor." Oh, and I discovered I love Pandora's Kid's Radio channel. I can't wait for The Sheriff to sing and dance along with me.

I am wearing... workout clothes. I will run today. I will run today.

I am loving... anything to do with hummus. I could probably eat it with a spoon at this point. I should start making my own; that stuff isn't cheap!

I appreciate... cereal boxes! The Sheriff loves playing with them.

From the kitchen...Doing simple Oscar appetizers for dinner tonight, and by simple, I mean SIMPLE! We will probably have some cocktail shrimp (thank you HEB), cheese, bread, and maybe some salsa for good measure. One of these things is not like the other! Maybe I'll try some bruschetta instead!

I am proud... of my patience lately. I haven't been perfect, but much improved. 

One of my favorite things (this weekend) ...the Dollar Store! AND the way The Sheriff laughs at me when I dance around second-line style with a towel to "Carnival Time" to wipe his face after eating.

I am grateful...that God loves us even when we fail. 

I am thinking about... packing for our LA trip.

What I dreamed this week ... last night was about feeding Wyatt. I was having a mild panic attack before bed that he wasn't getting enough or the right stuff or a variety of foods fast enough.

I am praying...for the good fight. Still.

Shrimp... got a B- for his Church performance today. It wasn't until the Consecration that he went all Chatty Charlie on us.

What I realized... I am a micromanaging Momma! (Sorry Cowboy)


Planning for the weekend.. It's almost over! So let's recap then. My weekend started Wednesday night with our first book club meeting, and by meeting I mean party. Appetizers were abundant and the wine, well, we all brought some! BUT, we did discuss the book The Surrendered. It wasn't my favorite read, but interesting, and made for some good discussion about one's past and how that affects the present.  Thursday night I went with the neighborhood ladies to a pajama party charity event.  This is the first year we've gone and didn't know what to expect, but with our matching leopard bottoms and hot pink shirts, we pranced on in there, enjoyed some good company and good wine, and a few indulgences along the way. I wish I had pics!

Thankfully Cowboy took on the babysitting trifecta with style as I continued my social escapade Friday night and met some LA girls for dinner and chocolate. Can't beat it! We didn't take any pictures there either. What's wrong with us?

A picture thought I am sharing...

Hoping this saves my dry lips!

GIVE-AWAY

Nope it's not on my blog, folks. I don't have enough readers for that. But for the readers that I do have--check this out!

I know you are crafty. Could you use a tool to help you flawlessly cut materials for your projects? Check out this Silhouette and the give-away.

I want to win it for my M<3M!

Sewing Grandmothers Rock!

 I love my mom. She's a real life Wonder Woman, and I'm loving learning more about her as a grandmother. Check out The Sheriff with his Mamie Jewels!

Not only is she just so loving and fun with him, but she seems to LOVE sewing for him and his cousin. She's got two little grandsons (so far) but it's not keeping her from making fun things.

Which is WHY I'd love to help her win this!  She's a hard worker, plays (and prays!) with the best of them, and is so deserving of this cutting machine bundle. Come on Mamie Jewels! Win! Win! Win!

I'm in this for two reason:
A) The Sheriff will get some great stuff out the deal!)
B) But mostly, I want her to have great fun playing with her new sewing toy!

It's One of Those Days

Just busy....

On the agenda:

Early morning blood work for change in insurance policy. Are you seriously going to ask me all the questions that my husband probably filled out when applying AND that I could have done much faster on my own?
I have the biggest veins on the planet and have had to give blood many times. Are you really that bad at sticking people?

Enough complaining about that. It's done.
The Sheriff is cutting more teeth, so he's a bit more clingy that usual.  But that's not stopping me today. Making his apples and pears to freeze AND

Oreo Truffles!

Tonight is our first book club courtesy of Tales from Chenoland. We read The Surrendered, and KC proposed we bring a memory dish to coincide with themes from the book. Thank the Lord none of us have experienced the devastating events in the novel and our dishes will have a much lighter tone.

My memory dish------------------ NEVER SAY DIE OREO TRUFFLE SHUFFLES!



This next link won't embed. BUT, if you need some inspiration today, if you need to know that it's our time, click me!

Las Vegas Cake Pops

I did a little bit of looking back at ye ole pictures this weekend, and first, could not believe how many pictures of food I have. Dear Sheriff, when we pass away and you look back at our lives in photographs, please do not think we are that weird.

Anyway, I came across my Las Vegas Dice Cake Pops and realized that I never blogged about these gems. I think they came out really cute, and of course, always really tasty, so they must be shared.

If you need instructions, visit Bakerella, or check my Lady Bugs out here.  But I just made squares instead of balls, and I actually liked forming the squares better, but it was somewhat harder to keep the shape when coating with the chocolate. My decorating tools weren't the best. The red decorating gel smeared and sort of "melted" at some point. They came out really cute for the pics, but making these again, I'd find the right tools for the trade to decorate.

And here are the sweet friends that helped us a) lose our money b) celebrate Cowboy's 30th and c) party it up Vegas Style!

The girls--sorry guys. We are cuter anyway!

If you are interested in purchasing cake pops/balls for any events you have in the future, let me know. They are super easy to make, but if you don't trust your own culinary instincts, give me a holler.

NY Res--Setting 'Em Up and Knocking 'Em Down

I told myself I'd learn something new about technology this year, and I should have said some things about technology because looky-looky here--I've got some blog updates. Cowboy showed me how to add the Twitter widget. TO BE FAIR (that's for you Cowboy), it's not that hard to figure out, but he's the gentle push I need to get these things done. Maybe it's not just about learning but exploring. My, I mean our, next project will be update the template with my own picture.

I'm really proud of myself for it being February and me actually still having my goals in mind. If I make resolutions, I've usually forgotten them by now. I'm watching Cowboy look up html. Hmmm, I think I'll go get some ice cream instead. ;)