Valentine's Day 2013

Our kids woke up on Valentine's Day to these....

Daddy and Mommy 'heart-attacked' their door in the night. Each heart has something we love about them.
I could have easily made 5,873 more hearts. There's just too much to love about my kids!


Other than the necessities, it's very rare that we buy our kids 'stuff' when we're out. (That's what grandparents are for, right?!?!?!?) So, when holidays come around, they get fun,
not-necessarily-needed treats from Mommy and Daddy.

This year's Valentine's included, shovels (for snow playing), cups, forks, spoons, candy, note pads, new shoes and their current favorite thing to play with, Playmobile.

Hand made notes for Daddy from the kids....
And I do mean hand-made. They painted their hands to form heart shapes!

A little love goes a long way....
So does a tooth pick and red nail polish!

Dinner was Peppered Chicken that I posted about {HERE}, served with a sweet pea risotto.
And OH MY! I forgot how good this chicken tastes! (This time, I added grated lemon peel to the pepper mixture to rub the outside of the chicken.)
It's been about a year since I made it, but I won't be waiting that long to make it again!

And for dessert....
Magic Mousse Jello (recipe found HERE) and Strawberry Brownies cut into hearts.

The Magic Mousse was easy and delicious. I even made mine sugar-free!
And the Strawberry Brownies couldn't have been easier either!

{Mix a box of strawberry cake mix with 2 eggs and 1/3 cup of oil. Spread it in a 9x13 pan and bake at *350 for about 15 minutes. Top warm brownies with a glaze by mixing 1 cup of powdered sugar and 1 1/2 Tablespoons of milk. Cool, cut and enjoy!}

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My Recent Pinterest Recipe Successes!

There are sooooooooooo many recipes on Pinterest.
I have been a faithful Pinterest Recipe Tryer for months!!!

If I'm honest, most of the ones I have pinned under 'Recipes' are dessert. But, in hopes of helping you plan a few great meals this week, I'm listing below some of the recipes we have tried and LOVED!

{Just click on the Recipe Title to view the entire recipe.}


Crescent Chicken 
Delicious! There were no left overs this night. I served it over rice and everyone got seconds! After reading the 'soggy' comments, I baked the crescents 20 minutes and then poured the soup over and continued baking another 10 minutes.

Crockpot Italian Chicken
I serve this dish over noodles too! I only use one can of cream of chicken soup. Yum! And an easy crock pot meal.

Chicken Pot Pie Soup
I have made this several times and each time I think, ' This REALLY does taste like Chicken Pot Pie! You can even taste the crust!'

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
This was by far the #1 soup I have made from Pinterest. I love the wild rice in it! I used 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts and it was plenty of meat!
( I shredded my carrots rather than dicing them.)

Pizza Pasta Casserole
This is a yummy and super easy weeknight meal! And the best part? The recipe calls to make two 9x13 dishes, so one gets to go in the freezer for an even EASIER weeknight dinner later!
( I only use 1 pound of meat for these casseroles and I add a can of Italian diced tomatoes to make my jar of sauce go farther. )

Homemade Spaghettio's
We aren't a huge fan of Spaghettio's (the canned kind). So I can't vouch if these really taste like Spaghettio's, BUT... they were really good! I was a little skeptical because this recipe is really easy. It made a nice big bowl of pasta. Served with salad and garlic bread, it's a meal that will show up around here more! And not from a can!
(Don't omit the red paper flakes. I think they added a lot without it being spicy.)

Breakfast Casserole
This is the casserole I made Christmas morning. It was the perfect size for our family.
(I baked mine in a 7x11 sized dish.)

To Die For Blueberry Muffins
The title is literally true! If you like fresh blueberries, you must make these!!! I think I've made these about 4 times since they were first pinned on my recipe board. It is my #1 go-to recipe for blubbery muffins. You WILL NOT be disappointed!

Follow my Recipes Board {HERE}.

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Joel's Birthday Peppered Chicken

Here is the promised "Happy Birthday to Joel" chicken recipe...

Joel's Birthday Peppered Chicken
source: Joel asking for 'Chicken with pepper' for his birthday and me wanting to try to cook a whole chicken for the first time....

What You'll Need:
1 Whole Chicken
1 Lemon
1 Onion
3 Whole Cloves of Garlic
1 Tbsp. Salt
1/2 Tbsp. Ground White Pepper
1/4 Tbsp. Ground Black Pepper
Freshly Crushed Black Peppercorns
2 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil

Here's How:
1. Rinse your chicken, inside and out. By doing this, you'll remove the 'innerds' without having to fish your hand around in the hind region of the bird. (At this point, I'm thinking I will continue to buy already-made rotisserie chicken from now on and singing 'Happy Birthday To You...' as I go for motivation.)

2. Pat your chicken DRY. When I say dry, I mean dry. If it's not dry, you won't get that yummy crust you know you're craving.

3. Cut up the onion, lemon and smash the garlic cloves a little. Then stuff them in. Don't worry, it'll all fit. You can't hurt the chicken...

4. Mix your peppers, salt and oil in a small bowl.
5. Pour over the chicken and start the rub down. Getting all the places.....

(I cut a little slit for the wing tips to go into. That way, they didn't burn while cooking.)

6. Place the coated, stuffed chicken into a 9x13 baking dish.
7. Bake at 450* for an hour and 15 minutes. Let the chicken rest for 25 minutes after cooking to allow juices to rest and stay absorbed into the meat.

Slice, serve, enjoy.
The salty, peppered, crunchy crust is worth the whole hand-in-raw-chicken-thing after all!!!!!!

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Valentine Recipes

Chicken Bruschetta Skillet

This was the first time I made this, but certainly not the last!
It's an easy, delicious meal that is sure to become a great, go-to, weekday meal!

What You'll Need:
1 can diced, Italian tomatoes, drained
1/2 cup shredded Italian cheese, plus more for topping
3-4 boneless chicken breasts
1 can (8oz.) tomato sauce
1 clove garlic, minced

Here's How:
1. Pound chicken until even in thickness. Slightly brown over medium heat in a buttered, hot skillet.
2. Remove chicken and add tomato sauce and garlic to the pan. Return chicken to the skillet. Top the chicken with the can of drained, diced tomatoes and the cheese.

3. Bring to a boil. Simmer, covered for 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. 

I topped mine with more cheese and served it with hot buttered noodles.

 The original recipe called for crushed croutons at the end. I had intentions of this, but honestly forgot. You can see the original recipe here.


Old-Fashioned Chocolate Cake

Here's What You'll Need:
Cake:
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 cups hot water
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 Tbs. distilled white vinegar
1 Tbs. instant coffee granules
1 Tbs. vanilla extract
Icing:
1 stick butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tsp. instant coffee granules
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Here's How:
Cake:
1. Pre-heat oven to 350* with the rack in the center. Spray two 8x2 inch round cake pans with nonstick spray.

2. Whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.

3. Combine water, coffee, oil, vinegar and vanilla in a large measuring cup.

4. Add coffee liquid to the dry ingredients and whisk until just combined. Divide batter between pans, then bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 35-40 minutes.

5. Cool cakes on a rack for 15 minutes, then invert them onto the rack. Leave the cakes upside down to cool completely.

Icing:

1. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.

2. Stir in sugar and cocoa. Mixture will be thick and grainy.

3. Combine heavy cream, sour cream, and coffee into a large measuring cup. Mix until smooth.

4. Gradually add cream mixture to chocolate until blended and smooth. Cook until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is smooth and hot to the touch, 6-8 minutes. Do not boil.

5. Off the heat, add vanilla. Cool icing at room temperature until spreadable, 2-3 hours.

Ice your cake and eat it too!

(And yes, I need not let you know how D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S this was. Just look at the picture.)


I pretty much followed the recipe step-by-step but the original recipe is found here. I spotted it in a free Cuisine At Home magazine I received in the mail.

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Freezer Stocking- Cranberry Chicken

I purchased 3 packages of Bone-In Chicken Thighs for $1 a pound. I decided to make my Cranberry Chicken for dinner and also freeze two bags of Cranberry Chicken to have on hand for two other meals down the road.

Here's How:
1. I started with 12 bone-in chicken thighs. After skinning them, I divided them up. (4 thighs into a baking dish- for dinner, and 4 thighs each in the 2 re-sealable freezer bags- for future dinners.)

2. I made the cranberry mixture (this is a double version of the original)

2 packages onion soup mix
1 large bottle of Catalina dressing
2 cans whole berry cranberry sauce

3. After mixing the cranberry sauce, I divided it up between the 3 chicken dinners. (It ended up being 1 1/2 cups for each dinner.)

The Cost Breakdown:
Chicken- about $7
Cranberry Sauce- less than $2 for 2 cans (I found them in the dented clearance section. Not to self: Stock up on cranberry sauce during the Holiday Seasons!)
Onion Soup- $0 (they were in my pantry)
Catalina Dressing- $1.50 (I found the store brand equivalent to Catalina Dressing so I saved some money there)

So, less than $11 for 3 main courses. ($3.67 each)
Not to mention the time I saved by preparing meals ahead of time!

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Swiss Chicken

Easy and delicious, this Swiss Chicken is sure to satisfy!
(I'm not usually a fan of Swiss cheese so don't let that scare you off if you are like me!)


Swiss Chicken:

What You'll Need:
4 Skinless, boneless chicken breasts
s & p
8 slices of Swiss cheese
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1/4 cup chicken stock
1 cup stuffing
4 Tb melted butter

Here's How:
1.  Pre-heat oven to 350*. Place chicken in a 9x13 dish. Season with salt and pepper.

(The recipe calls for 4 pieces of chicken, but I only had three. It turned out just fine!)

2. Layer 2 slices of cheese on each piece of chicken.

3. In a bowl mix the soup and stock. Pour over chicken.

4. Sprinkle stuffing on top and pour melted butter over all.

5. Bake 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

I serve mine over colored pasta that is cooked and buttered.
Enjoy!

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Merry Christmas Chicken Salad

Merry Christmas Chicken Salad:

What You'll Need:

2 cups cooked, cold chicken (I use left over rotisserie)

1 cup grapes (red and green, of course!)

1/2 cup mayo

1 tablespoon honey

salt and pepper

Here's How:

1. Combine mayo and honey.

2. In a bowl, combine chicken, grapes and mayo mixture. Salt and pepper to taste. 

I serve mine on croissants!

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Cranberry Chicken and A Movie Night

We love watching the Christmas kid movies that come on t.v. during the Holiday Season.
(I especially like the shorter movies that Graham has the patience to sit through!)

This year the kids have been patiently waiting to see the new 'Prep and Landing'.

Before you start a fun family movie night, you need to have a great dinner first.
Enter, Cranberry Chicken. Easy and D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S.....

It even sounds like Christmas, doesn't it???

Cranberry Chicken
(Read closely because this will go super fast and I don't want you to miss it!)
1. Start with bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed. Place them in a 9 x 13 baking dish.

2. Mix one 8oz. bottle of Catalina dressing, one envelope of onion soup mix and one can of whole cranberry sauce in a bowl.

3. Pour the sauce over the chicken.

4. Are you getting this? Because, you're almost done!

Bake, covered with foil, @ 350* for 1 1/2 hours.

Remove the foil and cook 15 minutes more. 

And ta-da! A delicious, easy and affordable (did I mention DELICIOUS?) meal!!!!

When your husband says, "This chicken is really good", you know it's good.

But when your husband says that THREE times in one dinner????

You've made something REALLY good!

I served my chicken with mashed potatoes and honey cornbread.

I know for a fact that this meal will be in Heaven waiting for me one day!

Now for our little movie night...

Must have pop-corn!

(And Mommy put a little something extra in- Christmas Peanut M&M's)

And can you guess what Little Mister picked out first????

Don't forget the pillows and blankies....

Enjoy this sweet time.... it doesn't last long enough!

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