Projects

I have been very busy staying home. I have been reorganizing the kitchen...in doing so, I had a lot of plain vases and no room to store them. I went and bought some vines and sunflowers and decorated the kitchen with the 3...here's how it turned out!

Also, I had these end tables mom bought me a LONG time ago. They were just plain white. I sponged painted them green in high school for my bedroom. They are no longer needed in the bedroom, so I re-painted them to match the living room. They turned out great! I love them, and LOVE painting!

Before:

After!

I found these cute star lamps for $5 each and had to get them for the tables...they came the day I finished the tables! Perfect timing! (If you can't tell, I have an Americana living room!)

"Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without"
-Elder Hales

Sorry...

I am not very good keeping up with things! I did great the first week taken pictures and posting. And I used a wonderful cookbook, but then I kept forgetting to take pictures, and wasn't as excited about the cookbooks. So I am posting two recipes from the first week to make up for my slacking! I hope you all forgive me! :)

Thai Basil Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Peanut Sauce
2 tbsp dry-roasted peanuts
1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup poppy seed dressing
2 tsp Asian Seasoning Mix
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp water

Salad

1 small cucumber
1/2 medium red bell pepper
1 1/2 cups shredded cooker chicken
4 large Boston or bibb lettuce leaves
Additional chopped peanuts and basil (optional)

1. For sauce, chop peanuts and basil. Combine peanuts, basil, dressing, seasoning mix, vinegar and water in a small bowl and set aside.

2. For salad, peel cucumber, slice into julienne strips, avoiding seeds. Slice bell pepper into thin strips. Shred chicken; toss with half of the sauce. Set remaining sauce aside for dipping.

3. To serve, divide cucumber among lettuce leaves. Spoon chicken mixture over cucumber. Top with bell pepper. Garnish wraps with additional peanuts and basil, if desired. Serve with remaining peanut sauce.

Yield: 2 servings

Glazed Chicken with Apple Salad

Dressing and Apple Salad
2 tbsp cider vinegar
2 tbsp apple jelly
1/3 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
1 Granny Smith apple
1 red apple such as Jonathan, McIntosh, or Gala
1/2 cup lightly packed watercress
plus additional for serving
(I use shredded lettuce and sometimes mix with watercress)

Chicken and Glaze
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp coarsely ground pepper
2 tbsp apple jelly
1 tsp stone-ground mustard
1 tbsp brown sugar

1. For dressing, mix together vinegar, jelly and mayo; set aside. For salad, slice apples into julienne strips. Remove leaves from watercress stems (discard stems); coarsely chop watercress leaves. Combine apples and watercress in a bowl and set aside.

2. For chicken, heat a grill pan over medium-high heat 5 minutes. Meanwhile, flatten chicken to an even thickness using a tenderizer. Brush with oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook chicken 4-6 minutes or until grill marks appear. Turn chicken over; cook 4-6 minutes or until center of chicken is no longer pink.

3. While chicken is cooking, prepare glaze. Combine jelly, mustard and brown sugar in a bowl. Brush chicken with glaze during last minute of cooking. (WARNING...it burns really easy! I learned the hard way!)

4. To serve, arrange additional watercress on serving plates, if desired. Pour dressing over salad just before serving; toss gently to coat. Top watercress with salad and chicken.

Yield: 4 servings

Hope you all enjoy! Let me know what you think. Also, these pictures and recipes are in the 29 Minutes to Dinner, from the pampered chef...BEST COOKBOOK EVER!

Dinner's Served!

This weeks dinner came out of 29 minutes to dinner, from The Pampered Chef. (Best cookbook ever!) I made Monday night's dinner again on Saturday and was able to take a picture. It was my first dinner without following a recipe! (Not original though, I got the idea from Noodles)

Monday: Parmesan breaded chicken with buttered noodles

Tuesday: Thai Basil Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Wednesday: Brown Butter Tortellini with Spinach and Ham
Thursday: Glazed Chicken with Apple Salad

Friday: Korean-Style Beef Bowl

We enjoyed them all! And I am finding that I am not a bad cook! :) We always love the chicken with the apple salad. And the lettuce wraps were AWESOME! I should have taken a picture with it opened...sorry! Which ever is most asked about, I will post the recipe. Hope you all enjoy! :)

Coming soon

Since I have not been working, I have been a great house wife. Especially when it comes to dinner. Every weekend I plan our meals for the next week. I have MANY cookbooks and use a different cookbook each week. I have decided to take pictures of every meal and then once a week I will post the pictures. Then, if you leave a note on there, the one most asked about, I will post the recipe. Now, if you really want a different one then the winning one, I am sure I can give it to you! :) Hope you all enjoy...pictures coming Saturday...minus Monday, because I thought of this idea on Tuesday night.