Penne with Chicken, Asparagus and Lemon Alfredo Sauce

Our family loves this recipe!

Ingredients:
1 lb penne pasta
1 lb thin asparagus, ends trimmed, spears cut in 1 1/2 inch long pieces

Sauce:
12 oz chicken tenders, cut diagonally in 1/2 inch wide strips
1/2 t salt
1/2 c flour
1 1/2 T olive oil
1 jar (16 oz) Alfredo sauce
1 T grated lemon peel
3 T fresh lemon juice
1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese
1 large tomato, halved, seeded and diced
1/4 c snipped fresh chives
Freshly ground balck pepper to taste

Garnish: finely shredded lemon peel

1. Cook pasta in a large pot of lightly salted boiling water as package directs, adding asparagus 3 minutes before pasta is done.
2. Meanwhile sprinkle chicken with salt, then toss with flour to lightly coat.
3. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add chicken; saute 3 minutes until golden and just barely cooked through. Add Alfredo sauce, peel, juice and cheese. Bring to a simmer and cook 1-2 minutes until chicken is done.
4. Drain pasta and asparagus; return to pot. Immediately add sauce, tomato, chives and pepper. Toss to mix and coat.

Black Bean Brownies

These actually taste pretty good when they have cooled off. When they were warm, I tasted the black beans a bit.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 (15.5 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 3 eggs
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon instant coffee (optional-I didn't add this)
• 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease an 8x8 square baking dish.
2. Combine the black beans, eggs, oil, cocoa powder, salt, vanilla extract, sugar, and instant coffee in a blender; blend until smooth; pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top of the mixture.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until the top is dry and the edges start to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 30 minutes.

Chicken tortilla stew

This is a fun and different mexican style soup. We really enjoyed it, if you add the right jalapeno peppers it can be a bit spicy! It is a Rachael Ray recipe...

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 8 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and chopped
• 1 tablespoon coriander
• 1/2 tablespoon cumin
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 jar good quality roasted tomatillo salsa (16 ounces), (such as Desert Pepper Trading Company or Frontera brand)
• 2 quarts chicken stock
• 1 can hominy (28 ounces), drained and rinsed
• 1 13.5-ounce bag of yellow or white corn tortilla chips
• 1 rotisserie chicken, skin removed, meat removed from the bones and chopped
• 1 bunch cilantro, chopped
• Juice of 2 limes
• 3/4 cup sour cream, for garnish
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Preparation

Place a large pot over medium heat, add EVOO. Add the onions, garlic and jalapeño, and season with coriander, cumin, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook until softened, about 8-10 minutes.

Add the tomatillo salsa, chicken stock and hominy to the pot and bring to a bubble.

While the mixture is coming to a bubble, place the tortilla chips (reserving a handful for garnish) in a food processor and pulse to grind, or in a resealable plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin or empty wine bottle. You should have about 2 cups of ground chips. Add the ground chips to the mixture and cook for 10 minutes.

When ready to serve, add the chopped chicken to the pot along with 1/2-3/4 cup of cilantro and the lime juice, and cook 2-3 more minutes, until the chicken is heated through.

To serve, ladle the tortilla chicken stew into a bowl and garnish with some of the reserved tortilla chips, a dollop of sour cream and some cheddar cheese.

Hula Joes

This is a great recipe from Rachael Ray!

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 1/4 pound smoked ham or bacon, diced
• 1 1/2 pounds ground pork
• 1 sweet onion, such as Maui or Vidalia, finely chopped
• 2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar (we didn't have this, so I didn't add it)
  
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 1 cup fresh pineapple, chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 Kaiser rolls
• 1 cup shredded yellow cheddar cheese

Preparation

Pre-heat the broiler.

Place a large skillet over medium-high heat with one turn of the pan of EVOO, about 1 tablespoon. Cook the bacon in the pan until crispy, about 3-4 minutes, and remove it to a small bowl.

Return the pan with the bacon drippings back over the heat. Add the ground pork and cook until golden brown and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Add the onion and garlic to the pan and cook until soft, about 5-6 minutes.

While the pork and onion are cooking, in a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar, red wine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and tomato sauce. Pour into the skillet with the pork and onion, cook about a minute, then stir in the pineapple. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

While the filling is cooking, split open the rolls and toast them under the broiler. Be careful not to burn them!

To serve, place a bun bottom on a plate with a scoop of Hula Joe mixture and a sprinkling of cheese. Top with the bun cap and serve with Pacific Rim Potatoes alongside.

Chicken enchiladas

These echiladas are divine.

Ingredients:

2 cans condensed cream of chicken
1/2 c sour cream
1/2 t salt
1(4oz) can green chilies
2cups longhorn or cheddar cheese
1/2 c chopped onions
12 flour tortillas
3 lb chicken breasts, baked and diced

In saucepan, heat until smooth...the soup, sour cream, salt and chilies. Mix cheese, onions and chicken in a bowl. Dip tortillas in sauce; add chicken, cheese mixture and roll tortillas. Place in casserole dish. Pour remaining sauce and cheese over top. Bake 20 to 30 minutes at 350.

Oven Baked Pancakes

These are a lot of fun and a good way to use eggs if you have lots of them in your fridge.

6 eggs
1 c flour
1 c milk
1/4 t salt

Blend ingredients in a blender, melt a cube of butter in a casserole pan (we use 1/2 a cube and it is still a bit much), pour mixture into pan. Cook at 400 for 20 minutes.

It gets nice and puffy on the sides, kind of fun. Cut it up and serve with syrup over the top.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

These are heavenly and are great for this holiday season.

Ingredients:

4 eggs
2 c sugar
2 c pumpkin (from the can, I haven't tried fresh)
1 1/2 c oil
Beat these items til smooth

3 c all purpose flour
2 t baking soda
2 t baking powder
1 t cinnamon
1 t salt
Combine these dry ingredients then mix it into the wet ingredients

Lastly add 2 c chocolate chips (or more if you would like)

Bake at 400 for 16-20 minutes

Chicken Salad Sandwich

This sandwich is sooooo yummy! Here's what you need:

waterchestnuts (chopped)
sunflower seeds
avodaco
mayo
chicken-cooked, then cubed or shredded
green onions
salt
pepper
crescent rolls

I don't know the ratio of these ingredients, just play with it. I do know it was like 1 T of mayo and then the avocado was what held it together. So just mix all these things together and put it on a crescent roll and enjoy! DELICIOUS!

Bacon-Wrapped Chicken

This is one of my favorite dishes! I make it for dinner all the time. It is so easy and very delicious. Enjoy!

1/2 c. Flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. Pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic
1 egg
1 c. milk
1-2 c. Bread crumbs
Bacon strips
Chicken tenders

Combine flour, salt, paprika, pepper and garlic powder in shallow dish or ziplock bag. Beat egg and milk together in small bowl. Toss chicken tenders in flour mixture until well coated, shake off excess. Dip into egg mixture then coat with bread crumbs, covering completely. Wrap bacon strip around the chicken tender. Place on cookie sheet with sides. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake about 20-25 minutes. These go well with a side of rice.

Change of Pace

So, since I've changed this blog to private setting and have just invited authors, the traffic has gone way down. I think there was a better response when I just had family members contributing and public access. No offense to anyone, but I think I'll switch it back to what I had originally if you have any input to the blog, then you can leave it as a comment. I think everyone is just super busy trying to keep up their own blog, let alone another one. It's been fun to hear from everyone, though, so please visit often. Thanks!

Frugal

My friend introduced me to this "Being Frugal Is Fabulous" web site and I love it. I especially love the Red Box code that is given out every Monday for a free movie rental. Have fun saving money!

Welcome

I am so glad you have all accepted the invite to be an author of this blog! Please feel free to post as often as you'd like- the theme is sharing your talents and anything that inspires you (hobbies, recipes, quotes, family activity ideas, tips on motherhood, etc.) will inspire us too. I am excited to learn from all of you amazing women!

PS- Let me know if there are any friends you would like to invite to this blog too. Just send me their email address and I will add them as an author. This blog is blocked for your safety. :)

Art

Drawing is an art form that I have not practiced for years. I had recently found my old drawings while cleaning out a closet and am remembering how relaxing it was to draw. I loved art class!

Elementary work:

Jr. High:

High School:

College (this is where art just got weird and when I decided I wasn't that serious about it):

Mike's family members might recognize this one (I cut Craig out of the pic, though):

And what's an artist without a self-portrait? I know I look a little ornery, but you try sitting in front of the mirror for hours with a smile, it's just not possible:

Peanut Butter Bars

So, I thought since I was making these this weekend and I talked to Sharolyn who doesn't have this recipe that it is something I can blog!

1/4 cup + 2 tsp. butter
1/2 cup + 2 tsp. brown sugar
2 eggs
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup + 2 tsp. peanut butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
2 cups oatmeal

Add all ingredients down to vanilla and cream with mixer. Add dry ingredients and blend well. Spread into 11x15 jelly roll pan (1g. cookie sheet with sides). Bake @ 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

While still warm, spread a thin layer of peanut butter over the top. When totally cool spread chocolate frosting on top of peanut butter.

He Wouldn’t Let Go

Some years ago, on a hot summer day in south Florida, a little boy decided to go for a swim in the old swimming hole behind his house. In a hurry to dive into the cool water, he ran out the back door, leaving behind shoes, socks, and shirt as he went. He flew into the water, not realizing that as he swam toward the middle of the lake, an alligator was swimming toward the shore.His father working in the yard saw the two as they got closer and closer together. In utter fear, he ran toward the water, yelling to his son as loudly as he could.Hearing his voice, the little boy became alarmed and made a U-turn to swim to his father. It was too late. Just as he reached his father, the alligator reached him. From the dock, the father grabbed his little boy by the arms just as the alligator snatched his legs. That began an incredible tug-of-war between the two. The alligator was much stronger than the father, but the father was much too passionate to let go. A farmer happened to drive by, heard his screams, grabbed his gun, raced from his truck, took aim and shot the alligator.Remarkably, after weeks and weeks in the hospital, the little boy survived. His legs were extremely scarred by the vicious attack of the animal. And, on his arms, were deep scratches where his father's fingernails dug into his flesh in his effort to hang on to the son he loved.The newspaper reporter who interviewed the boy after the trauma, asked if he would show him his scars. The boy lifted his pant legs. And then, with obvious pride, he said to the reporter, "But look at my arms. I have great scars on my arms,too. I have them because my Dad wouldn't let go!"You and I can identify with that little boy. We have scars, too. No, not from an alligator, but the scars of a painful past. Some of those scars are unsightly and have caused us deep regret. But, some wounds, my friend, are because God has refused to let go. In the midst of your struggle, He's been there holding on to you.The Scripture teaches that God loves you. You are a child of God. He wants to protect you and provide for you in every way, but sometimes we foolishly wade into dangerous situations, not knowing what lies ahead. The swimming hole of life is filled with peril - and we forget that the enemy is waiting to attack. That's when the tug-of-war begins and if you have the scars of His love on your arms, be very, very grateful. He did not and will not ever let you go.You just never know where a person is in his/her life and what they are going through. Never Judge another persons scars, because you don't know how they got them.

Sausage Stars

Yummy party food! My friend served it at a play group we had today. So good!

25 count pkg won ton wrappers

1 1/2 c. sharp cheddar cheese, grated

1 c. Ranch-style salad dressing

1 lb. sausage, cooked and crumbled

1 1/2 c. monterey jack cheese, grated

2 1/4 oz. can sliced black olives

Press won ton wrapper in each cup of a muffin tin. Bake at 350 for 5 mins. Remove won tons and place on a baking sheet. Combine remaining ingredients well and fill baked wrappers. Bake at 350 for an additional 5 min or until bubbly.

Spaghetti Spaghetti Squash

So, my sister told me about this style of eating spaghetti squash- like it's real spaghetti. I was very doubtful at first, but had to try it. I served it to the rest of the family before I even tried it, that's how reserved I was about this idea. But as I watched them all dig in, I decided to help myself. It was just like eating spaghetti- amazingly.

So these are the instructions, simply: Bake spaghetti squash until done, remove seeds, scrape out insides and top with your favorite spaghetti sauce. It's great for cutting down on pastas.

FHE Ideas

Hurray for the new Nursery manual! It also works great for FHE (especially for husbands who have a hard time paying attention...;)
http://www.lds.org/library/display/0,4945,8184-1-4470-1,00.html

Fun With Photoshop

The Divine Institute of Marriage

I've just been thinking a lot about this lately. My friend Hillary (you can find her name on my blog links under Hillary & Roger) wrote a terrific blog entry that perfectly paralleled my feelings. Here are a couple of links to read up on.

• http://www.newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/commentary/the-divine-institution-of-marriage
• http://dennisprager.townhall.com/columnists/DennisPrager/2008/05/20/california_decision_will_radically_change_society
• http://www.protectmarriage.com/

YUM-YUM PASTA½ c. sun-dried tomatoes1 ½ c. chicken broth6 (ish) chicken breasts, cut into strips2 cloves garlic1 Tbsp. Olive oil2 tsp. cornstarch¾ c. basil pesto¼ c toasted pine nuts¾ c. feta cheese (I use tomato basil feta. MMMMMMM)16 oz. pasta (penne)2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheeseSoak sun-dried tomatoes in chicken broth. Cook chicken in oil with garlic over medium heat. Stir cornstarch into a couple of tablespoons of chicken broth. Stir in remaining chicken broth, sun-dried tomatoes, pesto, pine nuts, and basil into the skillet with the chicken. Mix cornstarch mixture into the sauce and cook until thickened. Meanwhile, cook pasta. Drain. Sprinkle Feta into sauce. Serve sauce over pasta. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
This was a delicious recipe from Shauna's cooking group.
Connie

Slow Cooker: Country Scalloped Potatoes and Bacon

We had this recipe last night- and it was good! I changed the ingredients around a little, so here's my version. I basically used bacon instead of ham, so it's your preference.

8 Potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1 white onion, chopped
1 Pound cooked bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces (or 1 pound cooked ham, cut in 1 inch cubes)
1 pkg (1 oz) country-style gravy mix
1 can (10.5 oz) cream of mushroom soup
2 cups water
2 cups grated cheedar cheese

Combine potatoes, onion and bacon in a lightly greased stoneware. Combine gravy mix, mushroom soup and water; whisk until combined. Pour gravy mixture over potatoes. Cover and cook on LOW 7-9 hours (HIGH: 3-4 hours). Top with cheese during last 30 minutes of cooking.

Food....mmmmm....

I found this blog site- and it looks like yummy, simple recipes. I am definitely going to try the Ginger Chicken.

http://pimpmydinner.blogspot.com/

Roast Sticky Chicken-Rotisserie Style

This is the chicken I made on our trip. I know I promised to send you guys the recipe, and of course forgot. Here is the link: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Roast-Sticky-Chicken-Rotisserie-Style/Detail.aspx
Happy cooking!
By the way, does anyone have a really good bread recipe?

Photography

Recently I have become interested in photography. These are some past photos I've taken and hope to be involving myself more with taking a class to figure out my camera. My friend Janene has been such a big help in teaching me so much already- I now just need to find time to practice...