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More Yummy Food

I really wanted to make this lasagna, but it had no meat in it and being the Texas girl I am, I don't consider a meal without meat a real meal.  So to go with it I made some baked chicken.  When my daughter saw me making the plates, she asked, "Why did you make two meals?", lol.  It ended up being a pretty filling dinner and next time maybe I'll just put some meat in the lasagna to complete it. :)

Fresh Vegetable Lasagna with Baked Chicken & a Roll

New Orleans Style Shrimp Po Boy & Fresh Cut Fries

This was amazing!  I battered the shrimp with creole seasoned flour and bread crumbs and they turned out sooo good!

Best Chicken & Dumplings! And EASY!!!

  I combined two different recipes plus my mother's recipe and came up with my own version of chicken and dumplings and man is it good!

• 1  rotisserie chicken, meat shredded or shred 4 baked chicken breasts
• 1  large bag of frozen mixed vegetables
• 1  can cream-of-mushroom soup
• 1  can cream-of-celery soup
• 6  cups of chicken broth 
•  freshly ground black pepper & salt to taste
• 1  10-count tube refrigerated biscuits

1. Stir together first 5 ingredients in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to med; simmer, stirring occasionally, and add salt & pepper as it simmers.  Simmer till it begins to reduce about a 1/2inch less in the pot.  About 30min.

2. Meanwhile, place biscuits on a lightly floured surface. Roll or pat each biscuit to 1/8-inch thickness; cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips (or squares for smaller dumplings).

3. Return broth mixture to a low boil over medium-high heat. Drop strips, 1 at a time, into boiling broth. Reduce heat to low; simmer 10 minutes, gently stirring occasionally to prevent dumplings from sticking.

4. Serve topped with a little extra fresh ground black pepper on top.

Busy Day

Well today was a busy day!  The girls and I had dentist appointments, the girls were scheduled to go at the same time and I was to follow leaving them in charge of Brenden while I got my teeth cleaned.  This was our first time at the dentist in Vermont so I was unsure if the stroller was going to be a option (being able to have Brenden strapped down rather then running loose).  Well we arrived and sure enough the entrance is up steps so strapping Brenden down to assure better control during our appointments was no longer a option.  Things went well through the girls appointments but this was not my concern, now it was my turn and the girls were going to have to tame their brother in the waiting room.  As I sat in the dentist chair I clinched every time Brenden would start fussing wondering if I was going to have him in my lap before my appointment was over.  Then between the noise of the cleaning I would hear nothing and wonder why there was no sound, I thought, "they had either left or, great!  someone else took him and is having to take care of my baby I left with my other children", what a awful parent I probably look like.  Then one of the ladies that worked there came back and said, "shh sleeping baby"  I thought, surely not my baby he would never just fall asleep especially with so much going on.  Sure enough he had passed out in the waiting room on the couch.  I still cant believe it, it was nap time but since when does he just pass out on schedule.  The lady at the front desk complemented me on how well behaved my children were and said she didnt know how they were at home but atleast they had the public presentation down, lol.  Well after the dentist we still had to go to the grocery store and things went pretty smooth and fast probably cause I stuck to my list, I had actually made.  And after our busy day I made a amazing dinner,  Double-Crust Chicken Pot Pie!  mmmm! mmmm!

 

Chicken Scaloppine With Spinach & Angel Hair Pasta

1  (9-oz.) package fresh spinach, thoroughly washed

3/4  cup  all-purpose flour

2  teaspoons  salt, divided

1 1/2  teaspoons  pepper

16oz angel hair pasta

6  chicken cutlets (about 1 1/2 lb.)

2  tablespoons  butter

2  tablespoons  olive oil

2  tablespoons  all-purpose flour

2 1/2  cups  chicken broth

2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped

1 tomato sliced

Grated Parmesan cheese

Italian seasoning

vegetable seasoning

5 dried mushrooms

2 tablespoons minced garlic

3/4 cups of seasoned bread crumbs

(season all tomatoes with itailian seaning and vegtable seasoning and place in oven on warm until needed)

1. Cook pasta according to package, add dried mushrooms to boiling water w/ pasta. Drain; return to pan. Stir in spinach, 1T olive oil, 1T garlic & 1T butter cover and keep warm over low heat.

2. Combine 3/4 cup flour, 3/4 cup bread crumbs, 1 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1 tsp. pepper in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add chicken cutlets; seal bag, and shake to lightly coat.

3. Melt 1 Tbsp. butter with 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook 3 cutlets in skillet 2 to 3 minutes; turn and cook 2 to 3 minutes or until lightly browned and done. Remove from skillet. Repeat procedure with remaining 1 Tbsp. butter, 1 Tbsp. oil, and 3 cutlets. (Chicken may be kept warm in a 250° oven on a wire rack.)

4. Whisk 2 Tbsp. flour into skillet, and cook 30 seconds. Whisk in chicken broth, next 3 ingredients, and remaining 1/2 tsp. salt and pepper. Cook over medium-high heat 6 to 8 minutes or until slightly thickened, whisking to loosen particles from bottom of skillet. Pour over warm pasta mixture; toss to combine.

5. Transfer to a serving dish, place chicken on bed of noodles and sprinkle with chopped tomatoes, garnish with sliced tomatoes and sprinkle Parmesan cheese over everything..

Another New Hobby

  I have always been interested in photography and what better time to start then while I'm in Vermont!  Thanks to my Aunt Caron (a pro photographer) I got allot of good advice on buying the perfect camera for me.   I'm excited to start experimenting with my new camera, this beautiful state as my backdrop and the cutest model/sidekick (Brenden) to help me out.  We are taking a family trip to the Adirondacks this weekend and I cant wait to take pictures! 

Mastering My Seared Tuna Recipe

  My husband and I loved the seared tuna with the spinach salad I made so much I already had to make it again!  But I had to change it some how, I just could resist trying a new spin on a already fabulous recipe.  So looking through my fridge I had a jar of red curry paste left over from another recipe and thought maybe this could add a special new flavor. 
  I marinated the tuna steaks in soy sauce, sesame seeds, and crushed red pepper.      

While I let that sit, I simmered together olive oil, soy sauce, crushed red pepper, sesame seeds & the red curry paste on low for about 20min.  This was so pretty, the red curry paste really added allot of color. 

Then I turned the heat up to med, (so it would be hot enough to give the tuna steaks a quick crisp sear) placed my tuna steaks into my simmering concoction and cooked each side just long enough to give each side a grey coloring meeting in the middle on the sides (the middle should stay raw but warmed, it should still be as red as before cooking).

 I served it again on a bed of fresh spinach tossed in pomegranate & blood orange vinaigrette.

  

New Recipes

 So I've tried a couple more new recipes: Spicy Beer Battered Catfish w/ Spicy Purple Cabbage Slaw & Fresh Cut Fries;  Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breast & Pork Loin Chops w/ Pear & Onion Pan Gravy- I can never stick to a recipe, I always end up adding something extra to give it more flavor or just altering it a bit.  I think of a recipe as more of a guidance not a strict guide.   

I Love Paying Our Babysitter!

  My husband and I have a date tonight!  We are going to have sushi for dinner, grab some drinks and see True Grit.  Now that we found a babysitter we can have more date nights!  It's so great paying someone to watch our children cause we don't have to feel guilty about taking advantage of someone doing us a favor for free.  I highly recommend finding yourself a great babysitter cause it makes all the difference just to be able to take that kid free time every once in a while.

The Most Dependable & Predictable Thing In My Life

  In this crazy, always changing life I'm living it's hard to find the predictable or dependable in each day.  I was sitting around the house realizing everything was clean, dinner was already prepared, the girls and Roger were at school and Brenden was down for a nap.  So I was bored thinking I had nothing to do and then I remembered I had a load of laundry in the washer and dryer!  Laundry, it is always there for me.  It's everlasting flow is predictable and dependable!  Seriously have you ever thought about it?  For the most part it never changes, something always needs to be washed.  If you ever think your completely finished you soon remind yourself of the comforting dependability it has by changing into your PJ's and tossing your dirty clothes in the hamper.