Chicken and Broccoli Bake

Okay, this has fast become a family favorite. Each time I make it, I do not measure anything...so this time I measured it all out! Disclosure: I am aware that this is not a novelty type meal. I know versions of this exist...this is just what I do for my family.

Ingredients:

2 Chicken Breasts
2 cups frozen broccoli (16 ounce bag of chopped broccoli is what I used)
2 cups Pepperidge Farms Herb Seasoned Stuffing (or your choice)
2 cups cheese
2 servings Cream of X Soup (or 2 cans Cream of Chicken...I like making mine though)

Instructions:

First dice the chicken breasts and season with salt and pepper

Then toss into a preheated and oiled pan

While the chicken is cooking, take a sauce pan and begin making your Cream of X Soup

Start the roux by melting 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) of butter

Once the butter is melted and starts bubbling, add 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) of flour

Whisk together and allow to brown slightly

Add your milk and chicken broth - 1 cup of each 

Tip have this prepared before you start the roux...it can go from browned to burned really quickly...

...not that I know that from experience or anything

Stir together until it reaches boiling and then set aside off of heat (I just move it to the back burner)

If the mixture is not thick enough, you can add a little more flour....like a teaspoon of flour at a time...whisk together well and bring the mixture to a boil again....if it is too thick (it won't be) just add some more butter, again, a teaspoon at a time.

Next, in a casserole dish, pour out the bag of frozen broccoli

Okay...so I wrapped my dish in foil so that clean up would be easier, and the bottom ripped while stirring my ingredients, so I would NOT recommend the foil...unless you like fishing out bits of aluminum out of your meal...yuck

Then add your diced chicken. FYI: if you want to add some of your cream of X soup to the chicken while cooking, that is also a good idea...I did that last time and liked how it kept the chicken moist.

 Take your Stuffing Mix of choice:

This is seriously the best.

And add half (1 cup) to dish

Then add half (1 cup) of the cheese. FYI you CAN add more cheese...I almost always do.

and your soup mix

and stir together until combined

Next take the remaining cheese (1 cup...or more) and sprinkle on top, followed by the remaining breadcrumbs (one cup) and sprinkle those on top. 

Then put dabs of butter over the top of your casserole (about 4 tablespoons)

Cook in oven preheated to 375 degrees F for 30-45 minutes (until cheese is bubbly/center is hot)

Serve with corn and enjoy....well, that's how we do it.

Okay, so I have a confession...I was actually worried sharing this recipe with you because when I made it turned out dry........then I realized what happened. For some reason I only added 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of flour for my roux! I'm so glad THAT riddle is solved. Believe it or not, that extra 2 tablespoons makes a HUGE difference. Now that I know, I am going to stick by this recipe for sure! 

Also, I'm sure you could skip the "cook the diced chicken" part, but then you would want to bake it for about an hour so that all the chicken gets cooked through properly....I do it this way because I like dealing with cooked chicken better...

ALSO you could just add frozen diced chicken (Tyson has this) and skip the cooking part and the raw part! 

Well, that's all for today. I don't have pictures of the kiddos because we haven't had any photo sessions lately. Maybe tomorrow :)

Back to Basics

I have decided something...I want to start making my own bread.

That's right...I said MAKE MY OWN BREAD.

Just looking at this picture makes me want to go grab a slice of the crap I just bought at the store sitting on top of my refrigerator, slather it with some delicious (homemade!) butter and chow down.

But I can't do that. I made the choice to consume a concrete from Freddy's Frozen Custard...I've pretty much ruined my day. As in: I-really-shouldn't-eat-anything-else-the-rest-of-the-day-because-one-food-item-took-up-my-entire-calorie-content kind of ruined day....but we all know I'm really going to eat......back to the buttered bread again. *mmmmm*

Why would I want to make my own bread?

Well, first of all it smells HEAVENLY when it's (almost done) baking.
Second, I know all the ingredients that go into the bread...
Third, it is actually a lot more cost efficient.

Look, I have the time. I'm at home. I love that little fact of life; I'm a stay-at-home mom. I totally fail at my daily responsibilities, but, hey, I have goals (thank you Mrs. Dorrell for your TOTS talk Thursday) and I plan on accomplishing them. Just because I have like three four days of laundry piling up that needs to be folded and put away doesn't mean that I won't have time for bread-making next week!

So I made my own butter (super easy and super fun) and now I need some homemade bread to go with it...I have an entire board devoted to Bread on PINTEREST!

But for now I'll finish the rest of the store bought loaf resting atop my fridge...perhaps this will be my last store-bought loaf ever.........

but somehow I HIGHLY doubt that

<I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. John 6:51>

Homemade Baby Rice Cereal

Okay, something I have always done is make my own baby food. I do buy some baby food from the store, just for those moments of necessity, but most of the time I enjoy the process of steaming and pureeing on my own. One thing I have almost always purchased, however, is the baby rice cereal.

Let me preface this: I HAVE made baby rice cereal by powderizing (I think this is a made-up word, but I'm going with it!) organic brown rice grains in a coffee grinder. However, it does not whip up in a few short seconds...it takes quite a while, actually, because it has to cook all the way through.

With baby #3, however, I had a random (and rare) "ah-ha!" moment. I had purchased some Brown Minute Rice because I thought "how nice to make rice so quickly if I forget to make a carbohydrate for the meal one day" (yeah right...like that could happen with this carb lover *points to self*) and as I was looking in my pantry I suddenly thought..."why not just powderize the minute brown rice?"

What you need (or a variation of seen objects *UPDATE* I actually use my blender first and then finish the grains off in the coffee grinder until it reaches a powdered stage...I burned out my coffee grinder only using it, plus it takes less time and it's really not too bad to clean up):

I set my coffee grinder at "Fine" and I keep holding it "on" until it reaches a fine powdered end.

I tried to show how powdered I meant...think flour consistency...mine is not that fine, but the finer you make it, the better...but it will still work if it isn't that fine, so don't worry.

I tried making the rice cereal three different ways to see what would work out the best.

1) Add cold water to the rice.......that was a major fail. It doesn't get a chance to cook that way...obviously, so it is crunchy and grainy...blech!

2) Added hot (boiling) water to rice (plus an ice cube to cool it down after letting it sit a bit). This worked great, however, it still had probably too much texture for a baby who is just starting out on solids.

3) Put water on stove to boil, added rice, mixed, brought to a boil again, and voila! Perfect consistency for a beginner baby. I added an ice cube to this after I was finished as well. All-in-all this only took like 2 minutes...

Now, I don't really measure things out. I put like a 1/4 cup of water in the pot...so it literally takes a minute to boil...then I just keep adding rice until it thickens up. I'm not too worried about how thick it will get since I add the ice cubes.

It was a huge hit! Plus, it didn't take me 20 minutes to make like the rice cereal I used to make. Now what I want to try to do is parboil my OWN rice...then I can do organic brown Basmati rice (which just happens to be my favorite and can be found in bulk at Whole Foods...whoop!)

Parboiling is very easy, actually, and it will save me money to parboil it at home instead. I am planning on just getting a canister to store the rice in once it is finished drying after I parboil it. Well, if you DO make your own baby food, or have always wanted to give it a try, then I hope this helps you.

Also, sorry that it has been SO long. I actually had planned on writing this a few days ago and I didn't...but, better late then never. I have a couple of recipes I want to put on here that were HUGE HUGE hits with my family (finally......) but I didn't take pictures. I got way too caught up in the cooking process to remember to take pictures! But I will make them again and post pictures then...meanwhile, I hope you all are having a wonderful day!

< Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. Mark 11:24 >

Writer's Block

Well, here I am again...with so much to say and no formulation of thought to appropriate it. I watched a movie and it dredged up some old memories of mine. Funny how memories have a way of surfacing at the most inconvenient times...like right before bed. Umm, hello brain activity, I would like to go to sleep now! Oh wait, I can't because you are having a party in my head!

So I made a dinner tonight...and it turned out all wrong. I do not know WHAT I did wrong, but I was very sad. It is one of my favorite meals. Apricot Chicken. A recipe from my Mother-in-Law. All you need is:

Chicken
Apricot Preserves/Jelly
French Dressing
Lipton Onion Soup Mix

You can roast it or throw it all in the Crock Pot....it's really soooo simple and for whatever reason tonight it just had no flavor.

So sad.

All I wanted was Apricot Chicken and what I got was just...wrong!

At least that is all I have to complain about today (well, that and the sinus pressure...thank you, Lord, that the antibiotics have kicked in and my ears no longer hurt....that's right, I have had an ear infection...I'm an adult for Pete's sake!)

No pictures of my cooking disaster. I will get better one day. Once it becomes habit. And I will start blogging again more frequently (she said again...does anyone believe her???) But I do have this picture of Leah trying on my pajama pants.

I know it's hard to tell, but that is Stewie on my pj's and a quote "How dare you disobey me!" HAHA I thought it was funny anyway. I'm not a huge fan of Family Guy but I thought the pants were quite fitting!

People can't help but compare themselves to others...and quite honestly, I am often ashamed and my level of thoughtlessness. My mind is filled with day-to-day life and not more important matters (like eternal life!) I was reading my sweet friend's blog and could not help but be humbled by the thoughts she has in her heart...and I can't help but realize how infrequently I think that way.

Maybe I should change my blog to Sordidly Sub-Average! ha! But perhaps where I am really is the average. Maybe I need to stop being just average and be more AMAZINGLY average in the areas of life that really count!

<I know they works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art luekwarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Revelation 3:15-16>

Dear Santa

 
I know you've been watching me all day today and I just want to take this moment to ask: Can I do anything to make it back on the "Nice" list?

I've been a really big failure today...mixed in with a couple of "Eh, she'll pass" moments.

Things I did well today:

• Got the bedsheets stripped and replaced, washed said sheets, and am currently waiting on them to finish drying (*listens for dryer*....hmmm...I don't think they are dry enough yet...) Oliver told me, "Thank you for making my bed, Mommy!" (I <3 my kids.)

• Made some chocolate covered peanuts and haystacks.

Once again, I did not take pictures during the prep...sorry. I will make them again just so I can...but it is super easy...melt things, add things, scoop things out and let them harden, refrigerate...That's why I don't mind making them again!

But that's it (on what I did well today)! I was pretty much yelling/raging/trying not to cry the rest of the day. I got off on the wrong foot...the time I normally get up to go work out (which I couldn't do today since my hunk had to leave for actual work early) my little *grits teeth into a fake smile* "princess" came into the room and woke me up. She did that a couple more times between 5:45am and 8:00am...so much for sleeping in! Then, before breakfast, Oliver said his stomach hurt and proceeded to throw up part of breakfast (sorry, no one wants to hear that...) which meant I would be dealing with a sick kiddo today...

Thank you, Anthony...that's exactly what I was feeling: "Seriously?"

Instead of just looking at my kids and rolling with the punches I decided to fight back and wound up with a doozy of a bruise. I injured the part of day I had with my kids by moping and being ridiculous.

I am a firm believer in moderation...extremism is unattractive and sometimes fairly comical (because the extremists are completely ridiculous). Most people do NOT have it all together (even though they like to pretend that they do) definitely not everyday. Today was definitely an extreme day for me...and I feel as unattractive and ridiculous as possible. 

I am thankful that I have a Father who is willing to forgive me when I come to him in sorrow and repentance! I DO want to be a better mother, wife, child of God, etc...but sometimes (okay, most of the times) I end up failing miserably. I am not great at what I do, I am not even good at it...I'm definitely very average...and the way I wear my many hats of life is evident of that!

I'm glad I'm not the only one!
<Turn thee unto me, and have mercy upon me; for I am desolate and afflicted. The troubles of my heart are enlarged: O bring thou me out of my distresses. Look upon mine affliction and my pain; and forgive all my sins. Psalm 25:16-18>

Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la!

Christmas is getting closer. We still have not purchased any Christmas gifts whatsoever.

I know, that is a complete shock to some of you. But, that is just how we operate. So tomorrow we will embark on our gift-getting journey. We are exceptionally excited about the main gift we are getting for the kids. But it's a surprise! I will have pictures up after Christmas!

This is my hunk-a-hunk-a-burnin'-love's favorite time of the year...however, due to the unseasonably warm weather (which I am LOVING) he has been mumbling about it not feeling quite Christmas-y.

Anthony did his part in helping with reign in the Christmas spirit. Personally, I think he did a fantastic job! He's such a cutie pie!

We have been sick at our house the last couple weeks. Leah had a fever last week, hunk-a-hunk had a fever this week, Oliver had a runny nose, and Leah has an ear infection this week.

I'm trying something new this time with the ear infection...I'll let you know the results later...but I am VERY confident that they delivered what they said!

Poor little puddin'!

But Anthony and I have been quite well...despite teething issues!

Such a cutie.

I would write more, but I'm really in a slump with what to write about...so this is it for today. Just trying to get into my routine again!

And no, I will not be talking about Sandy Hook Elementary...it makes me cry.

<A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth up the bones. Proverbs 17:22>

And Here We Go Again...

So sorry to be away for so long. I have been home, so there is no excuse...I just got out of the habit! BUT what you don't know is I currently have washer, dryer and laundry baskets EMPTY.

*gasp*

Yes, that's right. I have finally accomplished something. It feels good...it feels really good. Better than eating Christmas cookies, because (unfortunately) there are always follow up feelings of guilt and regret....*sigh.* Tis' the season! It only comes once a year and I am actively fighting my bad habits (obviously I'm on the losing side)!

My other problem is I keep making biscuits...and I finally got them right! The first time my hunk commented on how scone-like they were. He may or may not have had something thrown at him (and by something, I mean a dirty look...this time.) But, sadly, he nailed it right on the biscuit. They were dense and borderline hard. Back to the kneading board - less is more - and they were better...still not amazing, but better.

Then, last night happened. And my biscuits were amazing. Of course, they had to be. I was making them for someone else.They did not all fit into my container...so I might have eaten one or two. mmmm...amazing.

...Food failure seems to be really big for me lately.

THIS was not my fault...it was roux gone too much flour and too little butter...I was following directions!

This WAS my fault...the pan was too hot so everything burned...so sad.

This was my attempt at a Pinterest recipe...but my family did not like it...they ate it, but they did not like it. Average cook.

But I did try my hand at homemade cream of something soup...

A couple tablespoons butter...

A couple tablespoons flour...

 Make a roux...aka, mix the two items together until it starts browning...

Add half a cup of milk and a half a cup of chicken broth...plus anything else you want (celery, mushrooms, bits of chicken...whatever)

Ta-Da! Use in place of Cream of X soups for crock pot meals, etc.

Besides bad food, this week has been pleasant and relaxing...

I mean, I've been doing the laundry and (some of) the cleaning, but I've been enjoying just letting Leah play in her room instead of traipsing behind me or wandering the house aimlessly, as she is prone to do...which leads her into heaps and heaps (and heaps) of trouble. Needless to say, my hunk and I have talked about getting a lock for the pantry door...

The latest thing...I had Anthony in the kitchen hanging out while I was getting dinner together and then I turned around and he was gone...I could hear him, but he was just not there anymore...

*ahem* "LEAH! Bring Anthony BACK!"

She thought it would be funny to tote him around everywhere. Her own personal play thing.

She also likes dressing him up in her things.

Like her sunglasses...

...and her cowboy hat...

She's also been dressing up a lot herself lately.

 

A little creepy there Leah...that looks takes all kinds of confidence. I know it's a little excessive with the pictures, as she is wearing the same thing in each one, but I just love all the different faces she was giving me!

I love my kids...they make me smile...even when I'm pulling my hair out over their antics...Oliver keeps telling me how much he loves me...He told me, "I love you. I really love you. I said it again because I just really love you." *heartbreaker*

 My little pirate.

So that's it for today. Just a wide splash of catch up!

<Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. Psalm 127:3>