Fall and Roman Style Chicken

If you feel overwhelmingly busy and slightly anxious, I highly recommend that you have another child.  (smiley face).  Thank goodness for Brooke!!  We had a nice slow wonderful day on Wednesday - full of fresh air, laughter, lingering, playing, running... and every bit of it was wonderful!  The beauty of a young child is their innocence and desire to explore and experience - and every little thing is an experience - things that bore the boys like collecting leaves or doing front flips in the grass or looking at our neighbor's bunny rabbit - they amuse and delight her every sense.  I just love that and want to hang onto that forever! 

Fall is here - hooray!!  Now if the grocery store would start stocking the pumpkin spice creamer, that would just make it official for me.  I think I blogged about that last year. 

On Wednesday, Brooke and I hit several stores, one of which was Hobby Lobby.  My, oh my.  That was only the second time I have been and we loved every second.  It's like Michaels... only bigger.... and it's absolutely wonderful!  I could spend hours in there - it makes you feel crafty even if you aren't.  Between our Hobby Lobby visit and Home Depot, we took care of decorating our front steps:

While Brooke was eating lunch, I cleaned out our refrigerator. You see, I am one of those people who really likes to be organized but when it comes down to it, I tend to let things go a bit.  My fridge is the perfect example.  I clean and organize it often, but in between cleaning and organizing, I get busy and I throw stuff in there with no regard to neatness - sometimes... most of the time, I'm in a hurry!  It ends up looking like this:

 

So, I wiped it all down and organized the contents...

I feel like MTV Cribs could pay me a visit!!

So, after cleaning out my fridge, I decided to pay the freezer a visit and it's just too much in disarray for me to snap a photo of that, BUT seeing it prompted me to do a freezer clean out.  We have been taking something frozen out of the freezer every evening for dinner.  Last night, we enjoyed that wonderful Drip Beef I blogged about a few months ago.  It was every bit as good!  I tell you what... make a little extra each time you cook and freeze the leftovers - to be able to pull that out when I've had a busy day or just don't want to cook is just great.

Speaking of leftovers, I made a delicious chicken dish last year (while living with Mimi and Papa) that everyone loved - and the leftovers were better than the original dish!  I followed one of Giada's recipes word for word and it came out beautifully tasty.  (Not all recipes that I follow turn out to be very good.... but it's all about trial and error - it takes the not so good to make you really appreciate the good). 

It's called Roman Style Chicken and it goes a little something like this.

After seasoning the chicken with salt and pepper, you cook the chicken (3 big breasts and 3 thighs - bone in, skin on) in a little olive oil until the chicken is browned.  Put the chicken on a dish and set aside.

 

 

While that is cooking, slice your yellow and red bell peppers into thin strips, and chop the prosciutto.

 

 

Cook these in the same pan as you cooked the chicken - then add some garlic, canned tomatoes, white wine (mm mmm) and herbs. 

 

 

Scrape the yummy bits of chicken goodness off the bottom and sides of the pan and stir it all together - then add your chicken to the mixture and add some chicken broth.  Bring that to a boil, reduce and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. 

 

 

Your kitchen will smell so good and have everyone asking you, "Mom?  What's for dinner?"  Their mouths will be watering at this point. 

 

Your work is mostly done at this point - and totally worth the time.

 

Just before serving, you can add capers and fresh parsley. 

 

Mmm mmm - my mouth is watering just writing about this!  I haven't made it since that very first time, but I am going to make this next week.  I'll probably serve it with plain rice (the rice can soak up some of the yummy sauce) and a salad or steamed broccoli. 

Click here for the recipe.  Make it next week.  You'll be the hero in your family.

 

 

 

 



Friday Favorite 9/21/2012 - Custom Men's Clothing

Happy Friday! 

As you know, we moved into our current house back in February - right when baseball season was starting, basketball was ending, Spring Break was upon us, boys in two different schools - I was toying with the idea of going back to work full time... it was a busy season for the Davis family.  Fast forward a few months and we are settled and absolutely loving our neighborhood (and I decided not to go back full time).  Everything from the location to living on a culde sac to the tons of kids in the neighborhood to our great neighbors has made us just fall in love with where we are. 

I have really enjoyed getting to know my neighbor, Kyle, who lives just two doors over.  She has two girls and our kids get along really well!  In fact, her youngest is just a few months older than Brooke and I'm excited and thankful that Brooke can grow up with her daughter being that Brooke's siblings are so much older.  It'll be nice for her to have someone around who is close to her own age! 

Kyle mentioned to me several months ago that she sells custom men's clothing.  I'm always a little hesitant about buying anything that a friend/family member sells because the last thing I want to feel is pressured to buy something, especially when I see the person often.  Never once asking us if she could come over and give us her spiel, it was actually me who sought her out and asked her if she could come over and show us her product because Matt was in the market for a new pair of pants and shirt. 

Let me tell you a little bit about how different our consumer habits are - me and my husband.  They say opposites attract and let's just say that Matt and I are on different ends of the spectrum.  I could happily shop the rest of my life at my two favorite stores (TJ and M) and be perfectly happy, but Matt is a higher end kind of a guy.  He likes nice things (which can be pretty pricy!)!  He has found that it's financially better, in some cases, to buy custom dress clothes because by the time he buys something off the rack and alters it, his expenditures are about the same. 

I'm getting long winded here - sorry.  (must be the wine talking).  One evening, Kyle came over and told Matt all about her line, J. Hilburn.  She took a few measurements and Matt ended up buying a pair of pants and a dress shirt.  He has been buying custom clothing for a few years and was really impressed with the quality of the fabric, seams, cuts, feel, etc. of THIS line.  And the part that I like the best??  Now, when I need to buy him a gift for his birthday or Christmas, I can just give her a call and pick something out!  She already has his measurements so the ordering is so easy!   

That said, Fall is here (officially today!) and J. Hilburn, a 5 year old men's custom clothing company,  is offering some really great pre-season pricing for the month of September (which is almost gone!).  This clothing line uses high, high quality fabrics from the same mills that Burberry, Armani and Zanela use.  How cool is that?  J. Hilburn has even been voted #1 custom shirt by Esquire Magazine!

So, Kyle is offering FREE SHIPPING and $20.00 off of your first order (order must be over $100).  You can email Kyle Kurtz directly at kyle.kurtz@jhilburnpartner.com or call her on her cell, 404-625-5524. 

Call her - she'll work with your/your husband's schedule - she will come to your house - take a few measurements and then you can order ONE shirt or you can order one of everything.  C'mon ladies - you know how good you feel when you put on a snazzy new outfit - treat your man to a pair of pants that fit him perfectly and a nice shirt that is all his own!  I encourage you to reach out to her - she's really professional, knows everything there is to know about the line, and she won't pressure you in the least. 

 

After school snacks

Do you ever struggle with after school snacks?  I get into a rut where I feel like my snacks are boring.  My boys always get off the bus hungry.  In fact, last week, I thought Matthew might have passed out after I picked him up.  He kept telling me to HURRY HOME because he was dying to eat.  And then there is Champ who eats lunch at the breakfast hour (10:45) so he is always ravenous when he gets home.  What to feed these growing kiddos?

I always have a good supply of nuts on hand. The kids love pistachios and you can buy a huge bag of them for under $10.00 at Costco.  I keep them in a bowl on the kitchen counter as they are a great source of protein, fiber and are an antioxidant "power house." 

 

Every few days at the store, I buy bananas, and the kids love a banana cut up with a little drizzled honey on top.  I bought a nice jar of local honey from Lucy's Market which we all enjoy very much (and I've heard that eating local honey can help your "local" allergies - we'll see...) 

 

My kids (all three of them) love turkey pepperoni.  We eat it straight out of the bag!  Sometimes my kids want me to make an "appetizer plate" which includes crackers, sliced cheese, turkey pepperoni and olives. 

 

 

 

Super Pretzels have been a part of our family for years.  It takes 30 seconds to heat them up in the microwave and my kids love dipping them in either mustard or Ranch dressing.  They usually eat two at a time.

 

 

 

 

Yogurt is always a great after school snack because it's easy and full of protein.  I've tried all of the different Greek varieties with not much success as far as the boys are concerned.  They like Dannon Light Vanilla flavor.  And they like to sprinkle either wheat germ or granola on top.  This is a very common go-to snack for us. 

 

 

I like to occasionally bake some chocolate chip cookies or rice crispy treats for a special after school treat.  And recently, I took a stab at making some peanut butter bread!  It was delicious and super easy.

 

First, I whisked together flour, baking powder and salt.  Then I beat the butter and sugars until combined, mixed in some natural peanut butter, 1 egg and vanilla extract. 

 

 

Then I added the flour mixture and beat until incorporated.  The mixture was very crumbly. 

 

 

 

I added one cup of low fat milk and combined it all until it became a wonderful peanut buttery batter (that tasted amazing, I might add.  I almost stopped right here in the recipe to just grab a spoon, sit on the floor and eat the batter one spoonful at a time - but I didn't.).  Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan.

 

Bake it for an hour or a little longer (bake until a knife comes out clean), and it comes out looking like this:

YUM!  I let it cool completely (after I had a bite of a corner piece, of course).  Then I took a slice, popped it into the toaster and smeared some Smart Balance butter on top and just about cried it was so good.  You could also put jelly which would taste great on this bread, too - or honey!  Cream cheese!  You could put anything on this bread! 

The recipe is below.  What are your go-to snacks in the afternoons for your kids?  Please go to www.christabdavis.blogspot.com and comment on this post to share what your kids enjoy eating after school.  I need some ideas!

 

 

 

Peanut Butter Bread

 

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

¼ cup butter, room temperature

½ cup sugar

¼ cup packed brown sugar

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1 egg

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup milk

 

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease a 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan and set it aside.

2. In a small bowl whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together.

3. In a separate large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugars until combined. Mix in peanut butter. Mix in egg and vanilla, scraping down sides of bowl. Add flour mixture and beat on low until combined, the batter will be crumbly. Pour in milk and beat on low until batter is smooth.

4. Add batter to loaf pan and evenly spread it out. Bake for one hour minutes or until your knife comes out clean.  Cool completely, slice, toast, and butter.... Have a glass of milk nearby!

 



Time to Start Your Holiday Shopping!

It's never too early to start buying Christmas and birthday gifts for family members, teachers, girlfriends, etc.  I am super excited to share the following items with you which are available for purchase.  If they are gifts, I will bag them in a cute little burlap sack ($1.00 charge per bag - see picture below) for you!  All you need to do is put a cute little card with it and you're all set for birthday, holidays, whatever the occasion may be!  These are good for all ages.  I'm not the trendiest girl on the block because I just don't have the energy to keep up with the latest fashion trends - so I tend to gravitate towards more timeless pieces - in fashion and jewelry. 

 



$45.00:  21" Cultured Freshwater Pearl Wrap Bracelet.  This bracelet looks fabulous with a cream colored or white shirt, jeans and boots.  It gets better looking each time you wear it as the leather softens a bit.  It wraps around your wrist three times. 

 

$40.00:  21" Hematite Wrap Bracelet.  The toggle style sterling silver clasp is inscribed with "Forever Love".  I love this bracelet and have given to friends several times (even though it says, "Forever Love" on the clasp, you can't really see it).  This bracelet is super cool - on casual days with jeans or with a dressier wrap dress or nice blouse and pencil skirt. 



$20.00/1 or $50.00/set of 3 (can mix and match):  7" Leather and Magnesite Bracelet.  I have a set of these bracelets - two turquoise and one brown crystal and I get compliments every time I have them on.  Sometimes I wear just one and other times, I wear all three.  It's a great accessory to any outfit!

The bracelet above comes in leather with red, leather with light brown/clear crystals, leather with blue and leather with light pink.  Please email me if you'd like to see these colors. 

  

 

$20.00/1 or $50.00/set of 3 (can mix and match):  Adjustable Macrame Bracelet with Howlite and Crystal Beads.  This is the first thing I sold on my blog and I continue to sell it even now.  It looks great when paired with one or two other like bracelets. You can mix and match (I like this one paired with 2 just like it but with black or brown beads).  It adds pizazz to my otherwise pretty plain wardrobe. 

$20.00/1 or $50.00/set of 3 (can mix and match):  Adjustable Macrame and Hematite Bead Bracelet. 

The bracelet above comes in blue (see below), yellow, and green. 

 

 

 

$10.00:  Adjustable Macrame Multistone Bracelet.  I love this for adults...and for kids!  I put three together and wear them with a plain colored t-shirt - looks so fun!  It's playful enough to give to your teenage daughter or niece, and you can't beat that price! 


Email me if you'd like additional information or if you'd like to place an order.  I accept cash or checks!  Don't delay - start making your holiday list, order some jewelry, and then mark it off!! 

 

 

 

 

Friday Favorites 9/14/2012

Happy Friday!  At some point this weekend, I hope to enjoy a beverage outside on a patio - be it my own or at a restaurant - and soak up this beautiful weather!  Here are my favorites this week:


Nut Thins

I was intrigued when I saw these on the shelf at the grocery store.  You know me - I like rich, nutty flavors, so I picked up a box.

I really liked them!  One serving is 16 crackers (that's a lot!) and only 130 calories, 3.5 grams fat, 23 grams carbohydrates, and 2 grams of protein.  I like to eat them alongside a salad.  I love salads, but I like to have something crunchy to accompany them - these crackers were perfect!  They are also durable and would hold up well to a well flavored cheese spread.  They come in pecan, almond and hazelnut flavors.


Mountain Khaki's

I just love this brand of clothing...for Matt.  I've never bought anything for myself from this company, but Matt has a few items and they are very durable, manly and just cool looking.  If you're starting to think about Christmas and want to find something cool for the man in your life, look no further than Mountain Khaki's!  Although somewhat pricey, you're getting good value for your money.  Matt has purchased shoes, pants and shirts from this company. 


Nutmeg grinder

I love my nutmeg grinder!  Given to me years and years ago by my dear friend, Irmela, I use this ALL the time.  Irmela is my "cooking mentor."  It is from Irmela where I learned how to love the process of combining foods and spices and turning them into something really special.  I think I have mentioned my German friend, Irmela, before.  Her son went to high school with Matt and me. I began working for a German company after college that was in the same building she worked.  We became fast friends and spent many hours together cooking and talking about food.  She told me to never use anything other than freshly ground nutmeg whenever a recipe calls for nutmeg.  And, by golly, I have never used anything other than freshly ground nutmeg!  It's flavorful and wonderful.  You can purchase a nutmeg grinder from almost anywhere - Bed, Bath and Beyond, Container Store, any kitchen store like Williams Sonomoa or Sur la Table.  And you can buy fresh nutmeg in any grocery store.  I recently bought a bag of three from Kroger where they keep the Mexican spices and foods - super cheap - totally worth it. 

I use nutmeg when making spinach, in certain baked goods recipes, and also when making a white bechamel sauce (key sauce that Irmela taught me how to make that I use in my chicken/spinach lasagna and regular lasagna).  So, even though I don't use it daily, I'm very glad I have it and highly recommend that you purchase one!

Muenster Cheese

I love this creamy yummy cheese.  I picked up a package of sliced Muenster not too long ago at the grocery store and I've been using it to make sandwhiches for the kids.  Mmm mmm. 

My kids (and Matt) like a hot sandwich with say... turkey and cheese or ham and cheese - more than they like a regular cold sandwich, and I've learned a few tricks along the way.  All in, it takes about 5 minutes to whip up a delicious warm sandwich. 

I take two slices of whole wheat bread and add mustard, Virginia or Honey Maple ham and muenster cheese (why I break the cheese up like this, I cannot say - I've just always done that). 

Then I put some mayonnaise on the outside of both pieces.  Stay with me here.  I use mayonnaise instead of butter because it's easier to spread on the soft bread and cooking with it gives the sandwich a beautiful brown yummy crust. 

I take it out of the pan when the cheese has melted, cut it in half and serve it with fruit.  For myself, I simply wrap a few pieces of ham around some of the cheese.  Delicious!

 

 

Here is Brooke with her cut up sandwich and sliced grapes.  That's one delicious lunch (and baby)!  

Long Days = Short Years

My blog has taken a back seat this past week.  My apologies!  Work was more than usual last week in that I had to go into the office every day.  In my free time (of which I had very little), I was busy planning Brooke's 2nd birthday party.  On Sunday, she turned 2.  After a great pregnancy (here I am two years ago with my beautiful friends!!),

she came into this world so easily.  I can't believe how fast time has flown by.  She was a beautiful little sweet bundle of pink joy - and my boys were so little!!  (amazing how quickly they change into older looking kids in such a short time).

Two years later, we feel like she just gets cuter and cuter everyday.  Her little sayings and her big personality provide our family with A LOT of daily entertainment.  She is one tough little cookie!  For her birthday this year, we enjoyed a party with a bouncy castle.  Brooke had a ball!  She jumped til she couldn't jump anymore and worked up quite a sweat.

 



And on Sunday, we tried a day at the football field as we forewent her nap. 

 

 

 

She had a great time out there - and then decided to rest for a few minutes (yes, moms out there, she was covered in sunscreen.  Mama, however, did not put one little tiny droplet on herself because after making sure all three kids were properly covered, she forgot about herself.  She is presently the color of Matt's shirt in the picture below - and experiencing mild discomfort).

 

Marist is the Alma mater for both myself and Matt, and it was funny in an interesting and nostalgic kind of way to see our boys in their Marist shirts on the sidelines. 

I put dinner on the table every night last week and one afternoon, I even spent several hours making a chicken/spinach lasagna.  It was excellent - my best one yet, but it is slightly labor intensive so I hesitate to share it with you (I prefer to share the recipes that are super tasty and pretty quick and easy).  It is my sister, Karen's, FAVORITE dish of mine.  If you want me to share with you the recipe, go to my actual blog site, www.christabdavis.blogspot.com and in the "comments" section beneath this post, let me know!

I shall leave you with something that resonated with me this morning after church.  The sermon today was on parenting and I was reminded of how perfect God's timing is as this sermon was one I really needed.  I've been feeling a little overwhelmed lately - you see, when your kids are young, it's tiring, but it's all relatively easy - it's about meeting their needs and their needs are so simple.  Then they get older, and all of their needs still need to be met, but there's all this other stuff like academics, social issues, logistics of getting to this activity and that, my own job, keeping the house clean, putting a meal on the table (which falls into the meeting their needs category).... and well, I've felt every night when I've gone to bed lately that I've not parented to my full potential - that I've been more reactive and too busy than thoughtful. 

This morning's sermon came at the perfect time for me.  I thought that it was so good that ANYONE who is a parent or might become a parent can benefit from it.  But what has stuck in my brain all day is this:  the days are long but the years are short.  That's just it!  Our days sometimes may seem so long - especially the days that require a huge outpouring of ourselves into our children - be it logistically with daily activities or emotionally... but even the long days, when strung together, create a season and the seasons join together to form years and before we know it a decade has come and gone!  So while the days seem long sometimes, they go by so quickly.  Before the days turn into years, let's invest in our kids - take the time and SLOW DOWN (this is what I must remind myself on an almost minute and by minute basis) and really listen to them, look them in the eyes, talk, share, laugh, teach...

I feel renewed and convicted to being a better parent and strongly urge you to listen to today's message.  You can go to www.futurefamily.org and watch the whole multi-part series OR just listen to today's (9/9/12) message.  It will be 40 minutes of time WELL SPENT, I promise! 

Free Play and Mustard Chicken

Happy Labor Day weekend to you!!  It has come at the perfect time, hasn't it?  Our kids (and us parents, too!) need a break after going back to sitting at a desk all day, doing homework in the afternoons, afternoon/evening sports commitments... that's hard to go back to after a Summer off and it's nice to have a little breathing room to catch up.  And Labor Day always kicks off the holiday season with Fall Break, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas!  It's my FAVORITE time of year.

I must say that I am particularly enjoying my boys' relaxed sports schedule - with flag football only on Sundays, we (I) have definitely enjoyed being able to come home in the afternoons, focus on homework, and just play outside.  When I was a kid, I played soccer and softball, but 90% of my life was playing outside - climbing trees, jumping on the trampoline, playing massive games of hide-n-seek, exploring in the creek, running, running, running.... it was awesome!  And where were my parents?  My dad was at work and my mom was cleaning our house or cooking our meals.  We had a big red bell in our front yard that my parents would ring when it was dinner time and my brother and I would come running home.  I wish our kids, in this day and age, could grow up like that.  It seems that we're all slaves to rigorous sports schedules, harder academics, and then there's that whole digital thing that we didn't have when we were little. 

Oh well - it is what it is - so there's no sense in fighting it, BUT... we can put effort towards finding time for our kids to be kids and experience the great outdoors. And it is a great way of teaching responsibility and safety to our kids.  My boys know the boundaries (that's not to say that they ALWAYS follow the rules, but it's a learning process).  They know what parts of the creek they need permission to enter - what parts are okay anytime - what shoes to wear if they want to explore the creek - they know to call when they arrive at their friends' houses - and to call to let me know they're on their way home - they have learned to pay attention to the time and to be back when they say they're going to be back (or they lose the privilege of going out on their own for a period of time).  And they get to have time away from me and be just with kids - where they learn life lessons.  I do feel like there is WAY much more oversight from parents these days, and it has taken away the freedom to just be a kid, to some degree. 

So, here's to giving our kids some freedom to just be kids!!

Last week, I stumbled across an old recipe that I tweaked just a bit and it was DELICIOUS!  Easy enough to cook for a weeknight dinner and delicious enough to serve company, it's a great main dish - definitely one for your recipe box. 

Two big chicken breasts fed my entire family and I had leftovers which I brought to work and thoroughly enjoyed at my desk the next day!  The recipe calls for 4 chicken breasts, so if you have a larger family or one with bigger appetites, I suggest using 4 chicken breasts.

First, you pound with a mallet two chicken breasts.  I put the two chicken breasts into a large gallon size Ziploc bag, zipped it closed and then pounded them until they were really thin (this way, the chicken juices are contained as you are beating them).

Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and put them in a hot skillet with melted butter over medium high heat.  You should hear the chicken sizzle when you first lay it in your skillet (this seals in the juices), so make sure it's good and hot - but don't burn the butter!  Cook the chicken in the butter for 5-6 minutes a side until both sides are golden brown.

While the chicken is browning, chop half of a small onion (or a quarter of a large onion) into very tiny pieces.

 

Remove the chicken from the skillet and set it aside.  In the same skillet, add your chopped onion and one or two cloves of chopped garlic.  Saute until the onion is clear. 

If you have a toddler, make sure she is okay.

She looks a little guilty, ey?  She was enjoying shaking salt and pepper all over the table.  :)

When the onion is translucent, add 1/2 cup Dijon mustard and 1 cup heavy cream.  You could use half and half (which has less calories and fat), but let's remember that I have no problem with calories as long as they're not carb filled.  This was just about a carb free meal for me. 

 

Stir until smooth and cook for 5 minutes or until thick and velvety. 

Remove from heat and then stir in 8 ounces of sour cream. 

 

Pour this mixture over the chicken and bake 20-25 minutes in a 350 degree oven until the sauce is thick and bubbly. 

I served this with some brown rice and vegetables (oh, and those yummy rolls I told you about).  Everyone in my family loved this... except for Matthew, who disagreed with my decision to use onions.  Some people are so  picky.... (and no, I did not make another meal for him as I am not a short order cook).

Here is my plate.  Isn't it pretty?

There is a little mustard chicken, roasted cauliflower, mixed greens salad with goat cheese, strawberries and toasted almonds and a roll.  These are the rolls I told you about a couple of weeks ago.  Mmm mmm. 

Here is the recipe:

Mustard Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 TBS butter or margarine
1-2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup dijon mustard
1 cup heavy cream or half n half
1 container (8 ounces) sour cream
salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Pound chicken breasts to 1/2 inch even thickness.  Heat butter in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper.  Cook chicken in butter 5-6 minutes per side until golden brown.  Remove chicken to a 9x13 inch baking dish.

Add onion and garlic into the same skillet and saute until clear.  Stir in mustard and cream until smooth.  Cook 5 minutes until thick and velvety.  Remove from heat and stir in sour cream.

Coat chicken generously with the mustard sauce and bake 20-25 minutes until sauce is thick, bubbly and chicken is cooked through.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!