Herb Butter

This recipe is one of Mr. Right's, but we live in a community property state so I will share it with you here! No picture on this one either though as we were STARVING and couldn't wait to dig in!

1/2 Cup softened Butter (the real stuff)
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dill weed
1/2 parsley

In a small dish, soften butter (Mr. Right used the microwave in small increments) Be careful you don't want to melt the butter! Mix in herbs... slather on a piece of french bread and enjoy! AMAZEBALLS!

Chipotle Ranch Dressing

Sorry no picture for this one, yet. 

1 Cup Ken's Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
2 Tbls Louisana Hot sauce
1 tsp Cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika

Mix ingredients and enjoy with a tasty piece of french bread or also delicious served with the Insalata Di Pollo! 

Insalata Di Pollo

Before we moved to the DFW area, I lived in Albuquerque for 11 years. Besides the beautiful weather, Sandia Mountains, and our family, I have been missing the most delicious salad ever from a local restaurant. The Insalata Di Pollo from Scarpas was/is the only thing I ever order from there... not that there was anything wrong with the rest of the food, but I just couldn't get enough of the tasty combination of oak wood grilled chicken, roasted red peppers, caramelized walnuts, grape tomatoes, balsamic vinaigrette and some romaine lettuce. (Salivating yet?) 

How about now? Great! Now get your grocery list and start working on this!

Now, this isn't a quick salad to make, but I promise that it will be worth every last step! 

Chicken
2 Chicken Breasts
1/2 Cup Newman's Own Balsamic Vinaigrette Lite
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar

Place all the ingredients in a zip top bag and roll around in your hands to disperse the yummy flavors. Place in the refrigerator to marinate for at least an hour. 

When ready, grill the chicken until the juices run clear. Slice and place to the side.

Balsamic Vinaigrette
1 Cup Newman's Own Balsamic Vinaigrette Lite
1/4 Cup Balsamic Vinager 
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar

In small sauce pan, combine ingredients and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Allow to cool before pouring into a container suitable for pouring/drizzling. I used these decorating squeeze bottles by Wilton. 

Caramelized Walnuts
I used the recipe that I found here on food.com and they were earth shatteringly delicious!

1 Cup Walnut halves
1 Tbl honey
1 Tbl water
1 tsp vegetable oil
1/4 Cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 325° F. Place walnuts on a baking sheet and toast 10 to 15 minutes or until golden. Combine honey, water and oil in a skillet and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium and stir in walnuts. Cook, stirring frequently until all liquid has evaporated, about 1 minute. Transfer nuts to a bowl. Combine sugar and salt and toss with nuts. I tossed them back in the oven for 10 minutes to ensure that the sugar all melted. Spread nuts on a cookie sheet to cool and dry. Try not to eat them all before you serve the salad. (MOST IMPORTANT STEP!)

Insalata Di Pollo
2 (heads? What do you call 1 unit) Romaine Lettuce
1 Jar Roasted Red Peppers cut into 1/2" strips
1 Jar Kalamata Olives
1 Pint grape tomatoes cut in half
Asiago Cheese
Chicken
Caramelized Walnuts
Balsamic Vinaigrette

Tear up washed lettuce into bite sized pieces and put on plate. Alternating tomatoes and olives make a circle around the lettuce on the plate. Over the top of the lettuce, lay slices of red peppers making a starbust in the center. Placed still warm slices of chicken over the red peppers. Sprinkle with caramelized walnuts and asiago cheese. Drizzle the balsamic vinaigrette over the top. TA-DA!

So if you have ever been to Scarpas, you'd know they serve their entrees with a delicious french bread already buttered with a tasty herb butter. It is divine to dip into their chipotle ranch dressing and seeing as I am pregnant, I was unwilling to give up there. 

1 Million other things

When I thought I won the war!

This is a post that I never got around to proofing until now. Enjoy!

Why is it that my child stages what seems to be the world's largest Anti-sleep protest on the days that I have a million other things to do? The dishes will go undone. Dinner will not be prepped or prepared before we go to school today. Lesson plans will not be written for today, let alone the week, month, or next two months like I had dreamed of accomplishing. I will not have clean and dry jeans to wear to work today because they are sitting in the washing machine waiting to be moved to the drier while I lay on the floor in PeeWee's bedroom in a contorted mess. I lie here only after I thought I won the war on this Anti-sleep protest by strapping her wiggly little tushie into her car seat and driving around until she fell asleep (5 minutes into the car ride). I was doing the internal equivalent to an Irish Jig for my victory as I climbed the stairs to put her in bed. I came back down to analyze my mess and decide my best plan of action to attack the million other things I had to do before work when I heard, "Oh no!" Like she realized she had lost the battle. She clambered out of bed to the top of the stairs and it was ten that I realized, my child can play a great opossum and I lost.

So in my true fashion of making a short story long, I ask you oh dearest readers, what do you do when your child is refusing to sleep? Do you waive your white flag and let your  child run amuck? Or do you bear down and keep trying. (Please keep in mind in your replies, I have not written a parenting book nor have I even done this before... Also that I would just try her nap again later had we not had to go to school/work in less than an hour)

P.S. Thank you God in heaven for an amazingly supportive husband, a great group of welcoming ladies and the Mommy's Night out we are having tonight!

How do you do it?

A 2 year old who sits on the couch watching Caillou on her iPad for an hour and a half clearly is not feeling well! Had she been in the laying down position, I am confident she would have fallen asleep. She's not running a fever so I am torn whether we should call into school today or not.

Either way, mama needs to shower. This is how I entertain my under the weather PeeWee while I shower.

How do you do it?

Lightened Up Chicken Piccata

I absolutely love the flavors from capers and have fallen head over heels for Chicken Piccata. My all time favorite was from Zio's Restaurant. But as Mr. Right and I have resolved to counting our calories, we have had to figure out a way to lighten up this tasty dinner. We loved it and we hope you will too! 

Ingredients
2 Chicken breasts(Filleted)
1 egg 

1/2 cup AP Flour
1 Cup Seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried parsley

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup brined capers
1 T Olive Oil
2 T brine from Capers

Preheat oven to 375. Fillet chicken breasts. While still on cutting board, place plastic wrap over chicken and hammer with a meat tenderizer. (I love my Pampered Chef Meat Tenderizer) Set up 3 bowls that will fit the chicken breasts (1. flour, 2. beaten egg, and 3. breadcrumb and spices) Dredge chicken breasts in flour, then beaten egg, then breadcrumb and spice mixture. Lay on a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with canola cooking spray and spray more cooking spray on top of chicken.

Bake in oven about 8 minutes each side. (may vary depending on thickness of chicken)

While baking, prepare 4 servings of Angel Hair Whole Wheat Pasta and Piccata sauce.

In a saucepan by combining lemon juice, Olive Oil, caper brine and chicken stock. Allow to reduce for 7 minutes. Add Capers and allow them to come to temperature.

Plate pasta and chicken, pour Picatta sauce over the top and garnish with Parmesan cheese. 

Pretty satisfying meal for about 540 calories!

Call me crazy, but I am a Caillou Fan!

Have you ever taken a shower with peering eyes on the other side of the glass? How about once you make a motion to turn of the water and your helpful little angel pulls your towel onto the floor picking up any dust bunnies that have congregated there since the last time you vacuumed the floor (three weeks ago). So you wrestle the towel from the kid and attempt to dry off and as fast as possible before they try give you kisses on anything he or she may perceive as "owies". You reach for your lotion and of course, they want some too. To avoid a fight, you give them the smallest squirt and all of a sudden, "It's ok Mommy! I put some cream on you!" If only cream could fix the cottage cheese that was once my butt. Sigh.

But you know what is great? Having your 2 year old want to stay downstairs to watch Caillou so that you can sneak away and take a shower without a tiny audience! Now, I know some mommies have come out with their deep seeded hatred of the whiny little tyke that graces Sprout's airwaves. I get it, the kid is constantly whining, has the world's least inventive theme song, but yet, my sweet little PeeWee schedules her whole day around him. And for now, I am thankful!

I am equally thankful that my little PeeWee is so very sweet and wants to make sure that anything that ails me is taken care of.