Spinach Sausage Rolls

It's been a while since I have made these, but they were so yummy that I just had to share! Enjoy!

Spinach Sausage Rolls:

1/4 cup butter
3 shallots, minced
1 box chopped spinach
1 pkg. puff pastry, defrosted
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
8 Italian sausages, cooked
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp water
Salt & pepper

In medium frying pan, melt butter. Sauté shallots. Add spinach & continue to cook until spinach is hot. Season with salt & pepper. Open both puff pastry sheets & unfold, smooth fold lines. Cut each pastry square into 4 equal pieces. Spread each square with mustard. Divide spinach mix among the 8 squares & top with sausage. In a small cup, whisk together egg & water. Brush the dough edges with egg mix. Carefully roll pastry around sausage, pinching seam together to seal. Place seam down on greased cookie sheet. Bake in preheated 325 degree oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool 5 minutes before cutting into 1 inch slices.

No, I won't back down!

Well, I have tried. I refused to admit defeat & have made it so far with this cold. I think it's finally claimed me though. Can't breathe, got the shakes. Really, I'm on my last day of this super antibiotic with the giant horse pills that make me gag. Heck, I even got a steroid shot.
I had a friend come over yesterday & I felt perfectly fine. I guess I really wanted to see her! After she left, it crept back in. My wonderful husband went & got me tissues & medicine last night so I should be feeling right as rain.
I am hoping that it will just be a "you need to finish waking up thing." That's not too much to ask right? I'm supposed to see my moms club finally today! It's been months! I have had to cancel or they cancelled & the Dr assured me it's safe with being on antibiotics.
I'm beginning to worry that I may have to give in & actually rest instead. We'll see. I haven't given up completely yet! Onward to work with cup of coffee in my hand, tissues on my desk & armed with medicine that may or may not induce drowsiness. Love to live on the wild side, baby! Happy Friday all!

Lemon Almond Pound Cake

This pound cake exceeded my expectations since I've been hesitant to bake with sour cream in the past. This pound cake was so fluffy that sometimes in innards actually reminded me of angel food cake. Yum!

1 cup butter
3 cups of sugar
6 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp lemon extract
1 tsp almond extract
3 cups all purpose flour
1 (8 oz) container sour cream

Beat butter with mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar until light & fluffy. Add eggs one at a time until yolk disappears. Add extracts. Add flour to butter mixture alternating with sour cream. Beat batter on low until well blended. Pour batter into a greased & floured 12 cup tube pan. (bundt pan)
Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour & 40 minutes or until cake comes out clean on cake tester. Cool in pan for 10-15, then remove from pan & let cool completely.

All you need is love & Cheerios

I woke up this morning & my ear hurt so bad! It was really that whole side of my face. Crap! Just what I need, an ear infection. Over the weekend I had started to get really dizzy & my eye started twitching, I guess I know why now. Boo.
I went to the Dr. this morning to find out that I indeed have an ear infection AND an upper respiratory infection. Yay.
Ash was a perfect angel while at the Drs & picking up my prescriptions. He even went down for a nap when we got home so I could make up my time for work.
When he got up I felt so tired & crappy that I wasn't sure how I was going to make it through the day. Because I have the most amazing baby, he just wanted hugs, kisses & his bucket of Cheerios! How did I get so lucky to have the most perfect baby for us?

Green Bean and Tomato Salad

This makes a great side dish!

1 bag of frozen green beans that you can steam
1 container of grape or cherry tomatoes
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp dehydrated garlic flakes
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
black pepper to taste

Steam your bag of frozen green beans. Place cooked green beans into a medium dish. Add the rest of the ingredients and toss until tomatoes and green beans are coated well.

Almond Granola

Thanks to a friend of mine for sharing this yummy recipe! My 1st attempt at this didn't come out exactly as stated below. I don't have chunks of granola & Ash was running around so I forgot to turn the pan. Ha! Even a little burnt its still super delicious!

1/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
5 cups old fashioned rolled oats
2 cups raw almonds, chopped coarse
2 cups raisins or other dried fruit, chopped

Adjust oven rack to upper middle position & heat oven to 325 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Whisk maple syrup, brown sugar, vanilla & salt in large bowl. Whisk in oil. Fold in oats & almonds until thoroughly coated.
Transfer oat mix to prepared baking sheet & spread across sheet into thin, even layer. Compress oat mix until it is very compact.
Bake until lightly browned, 40-45 minutes, rotating pan once about 1/2 way through baking. Remove granola from oven & cool on wire rack to room temperature, about an hour. Break cooled granola into pieces of desired size. Stir in dried fruit. Granola can be stored in airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Happy Birthday Eddie!

Ash got to go to his 1st birthday party this past weekend & had so much fun!
A friend of the family has a sweet baby boy that just turned 2, but they live an hour away so we don't get to see them very often.
Well Eddies momma outdid herself again! I know she's crafty, but wow. I honestly don't know how she had time to do all the decorations for the Crayon party, make food, etc.
There were a lot of people that came to celebrate & a lot of kids at all different ages. Ash was a little intimidated by it, but warmed up after a while.


There was a piñata & we decided that Ash needed a turn too after the other kids so Chris brought him up there. He loved it! Once they finally got it open his Aunt Lisa ran in there to grab him a few things that had dropped.

We all then sang Happy Birthday to Eddie with his cake. It was adorable that he was singing happy birthday too! Ash enjoyed a cupcake with his daddy & then Aunt Lisa took him to play for a bit.
After a fun filled morning of piñata, food, coloring & new people, our baby boy was pretty tired & passed out on the way home. Haha
I'm glad he had a good time & we got to celebrate baby Eddie turning 2. He sure had a great party!

Weight loss challenge Week 4

Well, I'm feeling pretty discouraged. I really did good this week. I stuck to a pretty good diet and though I did have a couple of goodies, I ate a minimal amount. I was a lot more active. I even went running 3 times this week. How is it possible that I still gained?!
I was pretty upset about it this morning and chose poorly to eat popcorn at the movies, but I'm back on tracking my calories and I plan to get back to running tomorrow.
A friend told me that the scale is evil and I should just not even look at it. I'm seriously considering it, since my clothes are fitting better and I feel better. Maybe I gained muscle or something.
I just need to keep calm and run! Hopefully, next week will have better results.

3AM

Soooo the other morning Ash had a nightmare and was awake at 3 am. I went in there and tried to calm him down in hopes he'd go back to sleep rather quickly. HA! I should have known better!
Poor Chris had to get up to help take care of Ash since he was so obviously laughing at the very suggestion of going back to bed.
He ran around the house for 3 hours playing with the dogs and eating Cheerios! Ahhhh! Bless him, he's so cute about it, you couldn't possibly be mad about it. Haha
In the end, he did finally go back to sleep only to wake up just a little after his normal time and still only take one nap. Gotta love my boy!

1,000 views

Cozy house just hit 1,000 views! Thank you all so much for your support. This blog just started as a way for me to have an outlet. I wanted to tell people about Scentsy, Ash and my life. It became a lot more food along the way, but it's still an outlet. I love being in the kitchen! It makes me happy to hear that people enjoy it and when they ask me questions about it. I never expected to have so many readers. Especially not in so many countries!
Thank you all again for your support! Keep reading! :)

Oven Fried Chicken

I love fried chicken, but it's ridiculous how many calories it is. I decided to use a "shake and bake" kind of recipe instead. I will no longer be going to Church's chicken!

1 12 pkg of chicken. You can use legs, thighs, boneless skinless chicken breasts, etc

2 cups of Italian breadcrumbs

1 container of plain non fat yogurt

2 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp Creole seasoning

1 tsp Mrs Dash Garlic and Herb seasoning

1/2 tsp ground red pepper

1 tsp Cajun seasoning

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp thyme

1 tsp basil

1 tsp oregano

black pepper to taste

cooking spray or mist olive oil

1 Gallon size Ziploc bag

Mix all of your dry ingredients together and place in the Ziploc bag. Brush chicken with yogurt and throw it in the bag. Shake it up until it is breaded well. Place chicken in dish coated with cooking spray or misted olive oil. Bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour or until juices run clear.

Where have all the nap times gone?

Ah nap time. For most parents it's a most wonderful thing. It's a chance to rest or catch up on what we need to. For me it's usually the only chance I get to rest after a full day of work. I regain my sanity playing video games or working out. Ash used to be so great at nap times. Two a day no problem. After his 1st birthday that all changed.
I took it pretty hard. haha What do parents do without nap time? It's integral to our well being. Ash still needs it though he doesn't seem to think so. I tried to fight him on it, but recently he put me in my place by staying up until 5pm before he would finally nap. He woke up with hair sticking up all over the place, ate, and was so grouchy. When I tried to put him to bed, he then stayed up another hour singing in there before he would finally fall asleep. He was tired enough to just go off, but I'm positive he stayed awake just to prove a point.
I will miss that 2nd nap time. It's just a sign that my baby boy is growing up and I really am not ready to cope with that!

York Peppermint Patty Crack Pots

This is just a variation of the PB cup cookie brownie that I have now named Crack pots. These things are ridiculous. It shouldn't be allowed they are so good.

York Peppermint Patty Crack Pots:

1 package of chocolate break and bake cookies

1 bag of York Peppermint Patties

1 box of brownie mix

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Grease a muffin pan. Place cookie in muffin pan and spread out to fill cup. Place peppermint patty on top of cookie. Spoon brownie batter over top until cup is just about full. Bake for 28-30 minutes.

Weight loss challenge week 3

We won't discuss what happened this week. Haha my shame is too great. Between donuts & my discovery of the PB cup crack pots...suffice it to say that I'm on the treadmill this morning.

Peanut Butter Cup Cookie Brownie

I really went against my better judgement with this one. I actually used, gulp, a box of brownie mix and break and bake cookies. GASP! My sweet tooth soul mate buddy actually gave me this recipe and it just sounded too good to not try. Since we've all be sick I opted for the shortcut route as the recipe asked. It did not disappoint.

Peanut Butter Cup Cookie Brownie = Unnecessary Deliciousness:

1 package of chocolate break and bake cookies

1 bag of Reese's peanut butter cups

1 box of brownie mix

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Grease a muffin pan. Place cookie in muffin pan and spread out to fill cup. Place peanut butter cup on top of cookie. Spoon brownie batter over top until cup is just about full. Bake for 28-30 minutes.

Chocolate Truffle Cake

This is a Southern Living Cake Recipe that I made a few years back for the holidays. My brother in law was quick to nickname it the Bonfire cake. It is very rich, but such a delicious treat!  Enjoy!

 

Chocolate Truffle Cake:

 

Cake Ingredients

• 8 (1 ounce) semisweet chocolate baking squares
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1¾ cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 2⅔ cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1¾ cups buttermilk
• unsweetened cocoa
• Chocolate Truffle Filling
• Ganache
• 2 (14 ounce) containers of Pepperidge Farm Pirouline hazelnut rolled wafer cookies

Microwave chocolate in medium glass bowl for 1 minute or until melted. Set aside. Beat butter and sugar together at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, and then chocolate and vanilla and mix until blended. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt; add to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat just until blended after each addition. Pour batter in 3 greased 9-inch cake pans dusted with cocoa. Bake at 350 for 22 minutes or until wooden toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes and then transfer to cooking racks to cool completely.

Chocolate Truffle Filling

• 4 (1 ounce) semisweet chocolate baking squares, chopped
• 6 TBS. butter
• 6 TBS. whipping cream
• 2½ cups powdered sugar

Microwave chocolate and butter for 1 minute or until melted. Stir in whipping cream. Gradually add powdered sugar, stirring until blended and smooth. On cake stand, place first cake and then spread truffle filling between each layer as you stack.

Ganache

• 10 (1 ounce) semisweet chocolate baking squares, chopped
• ½ cup whipping cream

Microwave chocolate for 1 minute or until melted. Add whipping cream and stir until smooth. Spread ganache on sides and top of cake. Break cookies into long pieces and and line the sides of the cake with them. Decorate with thick ribbon and tie or hold in place with a long pin.

Confessions of a video gaming momma

I love video games. My sister and I shared my fathers old Intellivision/Atari when we were kids while the other kids had their new Nintendos. We were only allowed to play when we weren't grounded or if we convinced my father to play. I still have that Intellivision/Atari and I wish all the games still worked. They were awesome! I'm excited to see how many of them are actually being brought back into updated formats. Sadly, some will never be though like our beloved Burger Time will never be because of rights issues.
When we bought our very 1st brand new home computer, my parents let me pick out one game. I couldn't have possibly picked a better game. I had no idea that I was actually picking a series game that is still one of the best I've played. Quest for Glory: Shadows of Darkness. I still adore this game and wish that someone would update it. If they can get Myst as an iPhone app, surely they can get the Quest for Glory series on there.
I have played hundreds of games since then and kept every single one of my systems. There's a history there that I can't seem to get rid of. I want to share that with Ash as he gets older. I'm not sure why it's so important to me, but even if the graphics weren't that great in Oregon Trail as they are in something like God of War, both are fantastic games and I hope that he will want to share in that. haha Of course, he has quite some time before he is ready for anything like God of War.....maybe when he's 25.
I love Rock Band and World of Warcraft and have recently introduced Ash to these. He's very interested in World of Warcraft and of course loves music so he sings and dances with me as we play. I love being able to share not only what he loves, but what I love as well with him.

Lime Cilantro Beef

The nice thing about this recipe is that you can use whatever kind of beef you like or find on sale. Flank steak, a roast, etc.
5 tbsp minced garlic
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
1/4 cup lime juice
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp coriander
1 large piece of beef of your choice.

Pour lime juice & olive oil over beef. Cover beef with garlic & spices. Flip the beef on your platter to get juice, garlic & spices on bottom & flip beef back. Cover with plastic wrap & let marinate in fridge for about 3 hours or so. When you're ready you can either grill this or place in oven. I prefer grilling. You can serve this up as a beef taco with fixings or you can serve with salad & roasted potatoes!

Honey Apple Cake

I'd like to not think about how many calories this cake is, but oh my, it is so worth it!

1 cup chopped pecans, divided
2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey
3 large eggs
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups chopped apple
Honey Sauce

Grease and flour a bundt pan. Sprinkle bottom of pan with 1/4 cup pecans.
In a large mixing bowl, beat sugar, oil, and honey until well blended. Add eggs until just blended.
Combine flour and next 4 ingredients. Gradually add it to the sugar mix until blended. Stir in vanilla, rest of pecans and apples. Spoon in over pecans in pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. After cooling remove from pan and pour honey sauce over cake.

Honey Sauce:
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup honey
1/4 milk
Bring all ingredients to a boil in medium saucepan over med-high heat, stirring constantly; about 2 minutes.

Taco Chicken & Potatoes

Who doesn't love tacos? They're delicious! They can also be pretty unhealthy. I came up with this recipe in a desperate attempt to not have to give up my tacos while still being healthy. Yay! It came out better than expected and my husband also loved it!

Taco Chicken & Potatoes:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced
6 large red potatoes, peeled and sliced
1 pkg. reduced sodium taco seasoning
1/2 cup salsa
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Peel and slice your potatoes. Layer them in a round casserole dish. Place chicken on top of the potatoes. Add taco seasoning, then salsa and top with the cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour until potatoes are fork tender.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Who doesn't love chocolate chip cookies?! For a lot of us, it's our first cookie. I know I've sure created a cookie monster with Ash with these.

Chocolate Chip Cookies:
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, beat shortening & butter on medium for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar, granulated sugar, & baking soda. Beat until combined. Beat in eggs, vanilla, & flour. Then fold in chocolate chips. Drop teaspoonfuls on a baking sheet & bake for 8-10 minutes until edges are lightly browned.

We didn't start the fire

Yesterday was exciting in a not good way. Poor Ash had his fever come back so we were already trying to battle that. We put Ash down for his nap and I heard what sounded like raindrops hitting the window, but it wasn't raining. I looked out the window to try to solve the mystery. Holy mother! My neighbors tree was on fire!!!!
"There's a fire next door," I yelled to Chris. I called 911 and he ran outside and started hosing down the fire. Thankfully, another neighbor joined in and they were able to get the flames out before the fire dept. got here. The wind had picked up and the fire had been spreading across the grass and would have torched our house right at Ashs' room. Very scary thought! I thank God that we were home and I noticed it when I did. I'm so grateful that Chris was able to get out there and stop it in time. I couldn't imagine what would have happened other wise.
It turned out that the gas in the neighbors lawn mower must have ignited since it's so hot out. They lost most of their shed, fence, tree and some grass. Thankfully, no one was hurt and there wasn't more damage than that.

Weight loss challenge week 2

I lost a pound this week! I am a little surprised. I really thought I would lose more since I've been sick this week. I really did eat healthier, but I only got one workout in before I got sick.
I just have to try not to be discouraged & keep trying. Hopefully I will be feeling up to it & I can get back on the treadmill at least this week.

You have to fight...for your right...to party

We had 2 parties this weekend to go to. That's right, 2. A family party and Ashs' friend, Logan, birthday party. We had already agreed to go to Logans' party a few weeks before we got the family party invite so we had to decline that one. I was so excited to be there and see Logan eat his 1st birthday cake! Unfortunately, it's just natural for things to happen when you have plans. Ash and I both got sick this week. My poor baby has had a fever and has a cough. My sore throat, dizziness, chills and all other kinds of fun stuff made me have to cancel on this party too. Boo. I'd hoped we'd be able to kick this stuff before the party. Maybe since Logan missed Ashs' party, I should just make a cake for the 2 of them to share!

Crock Pot Lime Chicken and Rice

I love crock pot meals. I love that I can just dump stuff in there and it'll be ok. Lazy cooking is good cooking! Since I work ridiculously crazy hours to keep Ash home with me, I finish up early enough to be able to start dinner. It still gives me plenty of time to be able to do whatever else I need to do or want to cook. I have a friend that has had some health issues lately and has been eating lots and lots and lots of salads to eat healthier. With my own diet under way I thought of her with this recipe. I do like salad, but I still love food & we all deserve that variety.

Crock Pot Lime Chicken and Rice:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 limes
2 cloves garlic, minced
Mrs Dash Fiesta lime seasoning
Mrs Dash Caribbean citrus seasoning
1 1/2 cups of reduced sodium chicken broth
2 cups uncooked brown or white rice

Cut your limes and squeeze as much of the juice as possible into the crock pot. Place your chicken breasts in pot. Pour in chicken broth. Put garlic on top of the chicken & add as much of the seasoning as you like. Cook on low for 7 hours until juices of chicken run clear. Add the rice during the last 15 minutes. Stir it up and it's ready to serve!

Chocolate Lollipops

I found my love of making chocolate pieces nearly 2 years ago when making a Spongebob Squarepants cake for my sisters birthday. On top of the crabby patty cake was a giant chocolate Spongebob. It was rather intimidating, but I was excited for the challenge.
Though I have not done a big piece like this since, I have made quite a few smaller ones for baby showers and such. A friend of mine really loved the baby shower chocolates and asked me about making chocolate lollipops for her wedding. Of course I am all too happy to do it! Congratulations Sharmaine & Michael!
Chocolate is not hard to work with, but it is very time consuming. Start by making sure all of your molds are scrubbed clean and completely dry. Just a little droplet of water can cause indents in your chocolate. Sometimes, it can still happen, but it reduces your chance.
Melt your chocolate & add to mold until about 1/2 full. If you are doing lollipops then add chocolate to the top portion of the stick portion of the mold. Place the lollipop stick in the mold making sure that a good part of it will go through the backing of the lollipop for good support. Completely cover the stick and finish filling the mold. Smooth out the back as much as possible with a mini spatula.
Let chocolate sit until completely cooled and mold is set. Then you can pop out the piece onto wax paper. You'll be able to use a paring knife to cut off some of the excess chocolate & give it a more finished look.

Once that is done then your chocolate pieces are ready for delivery! I prefer to use bags with a string of ribbon for a better look. I am so glad that Sharmaine, Michael & family are pleased with these chocolate wedding cakes!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Everyone loves chocolate chip cookies & it's always a go to favorite. Sometimes, though, the oatmeal cookie gets overlooked. It's so delicious, I'm not sure how that's possible!

Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies:
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup chocolate chip cookies

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large mixing bowl beat butter until creamy. Add brown sugar, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, & cinnamon. Beat until combined. Beat in eggs & vanilla. Beat in flour. Stir in oats & chocolate chips.
Drop teaspoonfuls of dough onto cookie sheets. Bake 8-10 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Let cool & serve.

The death of an appliance

My bread maker committed suicide today. Sob. It just took that leap of faith right off my counter & died on my kitchen floor. Sob.
I received my bread maker as a wedding gift 8 years ago. It was there for me when I really didn't know how to make anything unless it came from a box. It helped me to explore my skills as a baker. Gave me confidence to push myself to try more challenging breads while helping me still bake my favorites.
I just wanted to write a small piece about one of my favorite appliances. Breadman Bread Maker...you will be so missed! Sob.

Judgers

I love food & like to eat. I don't think that's so bad. I don't think it's nice to look at someone, whether skinny or overweight & judge them for what they like to eat or how much. It's rude. I'm sure that there are many things that you do that you would not want someone commenting on or laughing at.
A lot of times, it does end up being cheaper to buy things in bulk or get the larger size of something. However, it does not necessarily mean I intend to eat it all in one sitting.
My husband & I went to the movies over the weekend & opted to just get 2 large popcorns. I love movie theater popcorn the next day. So what if it was 10am! The girl sure had a look when we ordered them. Maybe I'm just being silly. As we took our order, she called out as we were walking away, "you know you get free refills of popcorn when you finish that", with a smirk on her face. Wow. Why not just sing baby beluga?
This is not the 1st time this has happened. Since delivery charges are going up, I like to order several meals at one time & have them for a lazy week. Plenty of things reheat well!
A pizza place once delivered a large order when I still lived in a apartment. This teenager showed up, peeked into my apartment & told me he was sure I was having a party & was surprised to find me alone. Really?!
A deli delivered once saying that he thought he wouldn't find any parking at my house for all the food I ordered & laughed. In my embarrassment, I explained why I order so much. The delivery charge is the same as 1 meal! He said, "if you say so." Just call me a cow, why don't you.
Bless the Chinese food people though, they don't care. They just bring the food & take the money. No verbal judgement. No look that says "Hey fatty, here's your food." Sure they may be thinking it. Who cares? Just bring me the food, keep your pie hole shut & we'll be fine.
Please don't judge others. There could be a ton of reasons why they are ordering all that food or even if they just had a bad day, that's their business.

Tuscan Chicken

This is a little indulgence that is completely worth it. It is just divine.

Tuscan Chicken:

1/2 cup chicken broth

10 cloves garlic cloves, peeled

1 box of whatever pasta you prefer. I like mini pastas

1 1/4 lbs. of boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 package of sliced mushrooms. Portabellos just this a lot more flavor.

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp all purpose flour

2 cups half and half or heavy cream. Half and half if you're looking for a lighter dish

1/2 cup diced, drained sun dried tomatoes packed in oil

2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

In a small saucepan over high heat, bring broth and garlic to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and let simmer until garlic is softened. Cook pasta according to the directions on box. Slice chicken horizontally to make 2 chicken breasts. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Grill or broil chicken until juices run clear. In a nonstick skillet over medium heat, cook mushrooms in olive oil for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Gradually add flour, stirring until mix resembles a paste. Slowly whisk in half and half or heavy cream and broth; cook until mix thickens. Stir in sun dried tomatoes, parmesan, chicken and pasta. Heat through, stirring frequently. Serve it up with some garlic bread if desired.

Weight loss challenge week 1

Well, I suppose I should have known that with my husband on vacation that it wasn't the best decision to start the weight loss challenge. At least we both did the same this week. Gained a pound. Womp. Womp.
Now this week, my husband is back to work too so I don't have anyone to place the blame on, much to my dismay. I only have myself to blame.
It doesn't help when I try to rationalize my choices. Popcorn. It's corn! Completely healthy. The butter is technically just another way to add dairy to our diets. Brown sugar. That's like brown rice, right? Chocolate comes from a tree, right? Totally makes it like a fruit or a nut.
Maybe I need one of the things to put a cupcake on the end of it so I can run! Sad, I know.

You've got furniture on your face!

Sigh. My son. My son is teething. I just love when new teeth are coming in. My poor baby is just in pain & all I can do is sit back & hope he feels better soon after teething tabs or tylenol.
He, like many kids, will find anything & everything to chew on. Some of my favorites have been a plastic toy boat captain head, a dog toy, & the couch. My very favorite is now his crib. Ugh. The 1st time I noticed marks in his crib I wondered how the dogs got up there or we had a monster in the room. Little did I know, Ash was the monster!
I went to get him after a nap one day & saw brown flecks on his face. What the heck? It took me a minute to figure it out. I stupidly said, "OMG! You've got furniture all over your face!" he just smiled at me. I have since caught him on the camera gnawing away. I need to figure out some solution to this.
How much wood could a woodchuck chuck?

There's what in my candles?!

  Hi folks. I just wanted to share a few more reasons why I love Scentsy so much....aside from just the fabulous scents.

A Scentsy Bar is a small block of fragrant wax that comes in eight break-apart sections. Using a high-quality, custom paraffin wax blend selected for its superior scent loading capability; melting point and firmness, Scentsy Bars produce some of the most vibrant fragrances possible.
  The type of wax used allows Scentsy Bars to hold more fragrance oils, resulting in a better fragrance “throw.” The amount of fragrance load for Scentsy wickless candles is about 15% oil compared with 5% for regular wicked candles. Additionally, Scentsy Bars are safer than wicked candles because no flame is required for the wax to melt or to release the fragrance. It's just a simple system. No smoke, no soot, no flame. Just pure goodness!

  Burning candles or incense can create soot. Any soot can be damaging to the environment.  Soot is created from the impure carbon particles that are left after the incomplete combustion of the wax. This soot can gather on furniture, carpets, walls and it can be inhaled. Soot is made up of very fine particles and when inhaled they penetrate into the deepest part of the lungs. This means that the particles cannot be easily discharged.
  The amount of soot generated when burning a candle will depend on how cleanly the candle burns. This will depend on the length of the wick, disturbance to the flame such as from a draught, and any scent that may have been added. Paraffin wax candles tend to produce more soot than natural wax candles.

  Trace amounts of chemical pollutants are emitted when paraffin wax burns. The amount of pollutants will depend on any scent or colour that may be added to the wax. Emissions can include acetaldehyde, formaldehyde, acrolein, naphthalene, polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PHAs) such as benzo (a) pyrene, dioxins and furans. One study shows that by burning several candles at once, the emissions result in levels of acetaldehyde, formaldehyde and acroletin that exceed United States recommended levels and present a cancer risk.
  With Scentsy, we warm our wax, not burn it. It's safe to smell and won't burn you if you touch it. It's safe for the kids, pets and you. Practice safe scents people! https://nikkicaposello.scentsy.us

Moroccan Chicken with Olives & Lemon

I was looking for something a little different & love green olives so I was excited to come across this. Enjoy!

Moroccan Chicken with Olives & Lemons:

1/2 cup cilantro
1 tbsp ground cumin
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground red pepper
1/4 tsp salt
4 garlic cloves, minced
8 chicken thighs, skinned
Cooking spray
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 14 oz can reduced sodium chicken broth
24 pimento stuffed olives, chopped.
8 lemon wedges

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine first 8 ingredients in large bowl; stir well. Add chicken; toss to coat. Arrange in a single layer in a 13X9 inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
Combine flour. Juice, broth, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Sprinkle flour mix over chicken to coat. Top chicken with olives & lemons. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour or until thermometer registers 180 degrees.