Chicken Picatta

This week I turned to my favorite TV Chef, Giada De Laurentiis, and made some yummy Chicken Picatta. This recipe was super easy and super good. I may make this a staple in our home.

Ingredients

• 2 skinless and boneless chicken breasts, butterflied and then cut in half
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• All-purpose flour, for dredging
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
  
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1/4 cup brined capers, rinsed
• 1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Directions

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour and shake off excess.

In a large skillet over medium high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter with 3 tablespoons olive oil. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add 2 pieces of chicken and cook for 3 minutes. When chicken is browned, flip and cook other side for 3 minutes. Remove and transfer to plate. Melt 2 more tablespoons butter and add another 2 tablespoons olive oil. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add the other 2 pieces of chicken and brown both sides in same manner. Remove pan from heat and add chicken to the plate.

Into the pan add the lemon juice, stock and capers. Return to stove and bring to boil, scraping up brown bits from the pan for extra flavor. Check for seasoning. Return all the chicken to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove chicken to platter. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter to sauce and whisk vigorously. Pour sauce over chicken and garnish with parsley.

Cupcakes and Keepsakes

Cupcakes! Yum. Keepsakes. Lovely.

I'm giving a Shout Out to some girlfriends. They started a business, Cupcakes and Keepsakes. Which sounds like it is. They sell yummy cupcakes that they make themselves. And they also make keepsakes out of repurposing old things.

I got this charm, made from an old scrabble piece with a dictionary cut out of the word Honeybee, which is what my name means! I think I may add some of my own charms to it as well.



Check them out!

Going Green

Lights on. Lights off. CFL's in. Incandescent out.

It's time to change your light bulbs! CFL's (Compact Fluorescent) are a better choice for lighting your room than the Incandescent. They may cost more per bulb, but in the long run, they will last longer and will help you save money on your energy bill.



So, go ahead and change your light bulbs!

Retrospect

This weekend was super busy. For the past 2.5 months, Jason has been at practice for our Church Play, called Retrospect. It was about the story of an old building throughout the last Century. And the whole week prior I was working on the make-up during the dress rehearsels. Here are just a few pics from the play.

Thrifty Finds

When my husband first met me I was a surfer girl without a care in the world. I was most comfortable in a bathing suit, board shorts and tank top with my reefs. I worked and went to school Monday through Thursday and would hit the beach for the weekend for the best waves. Well, 2 years of dating and 5 years of marriage later, my tastes and desires have become a little more...expensive. Unfortunately for him. But, unfortunately for me, I don't have deep pockets (especially since becoming a stay at home mom). And lately I have become a little more -concerned - about my appearance. So, after happening upon some other blogs and seeing how some girls have become quite successful at the neighborhood thrift store, I have decided for myself to become thrifty as well.

Today I had to run by the Salvation Army to pick up an item for my husbands costume for the play tonight. Then I decided to browse through the shoe department to see what I could find. And look what I found....


...I realize they may not be "in" totally right now...but I'm looking to develop my own style. Somewhat Trendy. Somewhat Vintage. We'll see what happens. But I'd say, for the first time out, I like my purchase.

Pacific Rim Stir-Fry

This week I was craving a little something Asian inspired. So, I started with my Better Homes and Garden Cook Book and began to turn pages until something jumped out at me....and something that I could make fast. This week has been crazy busy. My husband is in the church play that is going on this weekend and I'm doing make-up for it. So, we haven't had a bunch of time to sit down and really eat. So, as I was saying before my tangent, I found a recipe and decided to make Pacific Rim Stir-Fry.

Ingredients

• 3 ounces rice sticks (also called rice noodles) or thin vermicelli, broken
• 12 ounces skinless, boneless chicken thighs or breasts
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons snipped fresh basil or 2 teaspoons dried basil, crushed
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon chili oil or 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 tablespoon cooking oil
• 2 medium carrots, cut into julienne strips
• 2 cups broccoli flowerets
• 1 red or green sweet pepper, cut into 1-inch strips (1/2 cup)
• 1/4 cup cashew halves or peanuts

Directions

1. In a saucepan cook rice sticks in boiling water for 3 minutes. (Or, cook vermicelli according to package directions.) Drain. Set aside; keep warm.

2. Meanwhile, cut chicken thighs or breasts into thin, bite-sized strips; set aside.

3. For sauce, combine chicken broth, soy sauce, basil, cornstarch, chili oil or crushed red pepper, and turmeric; set aside.

4. Add cooking oil to wok or 12-inch skillet. Preheat over medium-high heat (add more oil if necessary during cooking). Stir-fry carrot strips in hot oil for 1 minute. Add broccoli flowerets; stir-fry for 2 minutes more. Add red or green sweet pepper strips; stir-fry for 1-1/2 to 3 minutes more or until crisp-tender. Remove vegetables from wok. Add chicken to wok; stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes or until no longer pink. Push chicken from center of wok.

5. Stir sauce; add to center of wok. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Return vegetables to wok. Stir to coat. Cook and stir 2 minutes more or until heated through. Serve immediately over hot rice sticks or vermicelli. Top with cashews or peanuts. Makes 4 servings.

Going Green

We have all heard the term "Going Green" or "Green Living". There are people that make every effort to be as Green as possible and there are those who don't care at all or feel they can't go green because they cant afford it. But our pockets don't need to be deep, and whether were are Hunter Green or Sage Green, we all can make small changes that can go a long way.

And this week, it's Paper vs. Plastic? Actually it's neither. We have all seen the reusable bags that the grocery stores are now carrying. They only cost $1.00 and are a better option than paper or plastic.


We use 92 billion plastic bags and 5 billion paper bags a year. Though these two products are 100% Recyclable and often made from Recycled products, majority of them end up in landfills. Besides that, the amount of fossil fuels and energy used to make these products are extreme.

So, I encourage you to buy reusable cloth bags and make them your only bagging choice.

Play Dates

Today, Cohen and I met up with Hobson and his Mommy, Breck. We went to the Splash Park, not THE Splash Park, but a Splash Park and played in the cold, but lovely water. It was Cohen's first time. I'm not sure he knew what to think of it all, but I know he at least enjoyed watching the other kids play around. After our water time we walked a little around Downtown Winter Park where they were having the Arts Festival. The weather today was absolutely beautiful!

It's Spring!!

Today is the first official day of Spring!!! We dont get much of a spring here in Florida. At least, it doesnt last that long. But all the same I enjoy knowing it is no longer Winter. So, Happy Spring to you All.

Here is a photo from our Vacation to the Upper Northwest. To be specific, Victoria, Canada.

Chicken Tacos

Today I was craving some Mexican (which is not uncommon). I was surfing the food network website like usual and came across a Chicken Taco Recipe. I've never made tacos before, so I figured why not?. This Recipe is definitely something I will be making again.

Ingredients

For the Chicken:
1/2 Cup extra virgin olive oil
10 garlic cloves, minced
5 yellow onions minced
4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, diced into 1/2-inch chunks
Salt and Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 Cup all purpose Flour
2 serrano chiles, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons sweet paprika
2 tablespoons smoked paprika
2 tablespoons cumin seeds, toasted
2 tablespoons dried oregano
4 to 5 cups chicken stock or water

For the tacos:
2 red onions, sliced thin
1 head iceberg lettuce, sliced thin
12 radishes, sliced thin
6 small tomatoes, diced
1 pint sour cream
2 bunches cilantro, leaves roughly chopped
1 (15-ounce) can pinto or black beans, drained and rinsed
1 to 2 packages corn or flour tortillas (enough for 6 to 8 medium size tacos)

Heat a large saute pan over medium heat and pour in enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the garlic and onions and cook until soft and nicely caramelized, about 10 to 12 minutes. In the meantime, season the chicken with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the flour over the chicken and toss to coat. Heat another large saute pan over medium-high heat and add 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Cook the chicken until it is lightly browned, about 6 to 8 minutes.Once the onion mixture is caramelized and softened, add the serranos, paprikas, cumin, and oregano. When the chicken is done, transfer it to the pan with the onions. Pour in the broth or water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the sauce is thick and delicious, approximately 20 minutes. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.



I also cut the recipe in half because it's just the husband and I and there was still plenty of left overs.

Play Dates

This week none of the moms were able to come out and play. But that was okay. It gave me a chance to check out this Splash Park that I found online. I was hoping it would be open, but despite the 83 degree weather, it was closed until Spring.



We've been to other Splash Parks, but they are nothing like this. The other ones were those fountain like sprayers that come out of the ground. This park had that also, but it also had this big structure that also sprayed water around. It costs $2 per person, but with the lovely hot summers we have here, I think I can handle it. The park also has a modern play ground, one like I have never seen before. It looks pretty cool. So,once Spring is officially here, were putting on our bathing suits and hitting this park. I'll let you know how it is!

Glazed Chicken and Vegetables

It's Tuesday! Already!! This week I pulled out my good ol' Better Homes and Garden Cook Book and pulled out the Recipe Glazed Chicken and Vegetables. It turned out pretty good. Some bites got us sipping some water, but we liked it.

Ingredients

• 1 2 1/2- to 3-pound whole broiler-fryer chicken
• Cooking oil
• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
• 6 carrots, bias cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 cup prepared mustard
• 2 tablespoons margarine or butter
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 medium apples, cored and cut into wedges

Directions

1. Skewer chicken's neck skin to back. Tie legs to tail. Twist wing tips under back. Place chicken, breast side up, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan; brush with cooking oil.

2. Insert an oven-going meat thermometer into center of an inside thigh muscle, making sure bulb does not touch bone. Roast, uncovered, in a 375 degree F oven for 1 hour.

3. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan cook potatoes and carrots in a large amount of boiling water for 20 to 25 minutes or until nearly tender; drain.

4. For glaze, in a small saucepan combine honey, mustard, margarine or butter, onion, curry powder, garlic salt, crushed red pepper, and ginger. Bring to boiling, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; set glaze aside.

5. Discard fat in roasting pan. Arrange potatoes, carrots, and apples around chicken in pan. Spoon glaze over chicken, vegetables, and apples. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes more or until meat thermometer registers 180 degree F. At this time, drumsticks move easily in their sockets and chicken is no longer pink. Remove chicken from oven; cover and let stand 10 minutes before carving. Makes 6 servings.

Play Dates

For the past nine months I have been staying home with the most cutest baby in the world, my son. And I love it!! But just recently I have been needing some more adult interaction. I talk like baby all the time, cant carry on a conversation and forget words on a daily basis. So, I finally e-mailed my girlfriends with babies and babies to come and said let's get together and have some fun. Yay!! And Friday we met for the first time. We are going to try to do this on a regular basis. But for our first meeting we went to the park and let the kiddos take charge.

Veggie Loaf

My husband Jason came up with the wonderful idea to have Tuesday be the night we try a new recipe. Why Tuesday? Because that seems to be the only night we are consistently home. And whenever we have people come over for dinner I always make something new. Which can be a good thing or a bad thing. They are my guinea pigs. But I think that my husband gets a wee bit jealous that I don't typically cook anything knew or special for him...unless it's his birthday or a holiday.

So, today we tried a wonderful recipe from Giada from the Food Network Channel. She by far is probably my favorite out of all of them. We tried the Veggie Loaf.


Sounds kind of gross, but it was so good. I've been wanting to try it for some time and I finally made it. It will definitely be something that I will make again in the future. Maybe if I keep making more vegetarian meals, Jay will be more likely to go vegetarian with me....partly...but I doubt it.