A Nom for Wednesday

Happy Hump Day, Kitschies!!  It's been a bit chaotic here at the clinic the last few days and I haven't been at my work station much.  It's lunch time now and I'm squeezing in a post because...how can I ignore you?

This is one of my favorite go-to recipes; I fix it at least every few weeks.  Chances are you have the ingredients on hand!  I originally found this in a Kraft recipe magazine but thanks to the wonders of the internets, you can now find it online.

Smothered Chicken & Green Bean Skillet
4 small boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 cups frozen green beans
1 can (10.75 oz) condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup water
1/4 tsp dried thyme leaves
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese 

HEAT large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken; cover. Cook 5 to 7 min. on each side or until done (165ºF). Remove chicken from skillet.

ADD beans, soup, water and thyme to skillet; cover. Cook 6 min., stirring frequently.
RETURN chicken to skillet. Cook 1 min. or until hot. Top with cheese. 

NOTES:  I go between using cream of chicken, cream of mushroom and cream of chicken and mushroom soup - it's whatever I have on hand and really, I can't tell the difference.  

See?  You have all that stuff sitting in your cabinets and in your fridge right now, don't you?

Soooo good!  And the boys eat it without complaint (which is a miracle in my house).


Enjoy the rest of your Wednesday!  I'm off to eat some food so I can get back to the grind.

And don't forget to enter my giveaway (you do not have to be a follower).  You can check it out HERE.

Good For YOU!

Good morning, Kitschies!!  Another new week is upon us.  How did *that* happen?  I can barely remember things that happened last week.  One thing I *do* remember is that my hubs told me I should take a break (it's a good thing) and escape for a little while.  So...I'm taking Mason and we're going on a road trip!  We're headed "home" to visit my parents (and the rest of the family) later this week.  We usually don't do spur of the moment things like this, but for this, we're making an exception.  My mom has ALS and the annual fundraiser walk is this Saturday, October 1st.  The last time I made it out for the walk, Nate was 2, the same age as Mason is now, so it's time to do it again!  I'm so excited!!  I am not, however, looking forward to the drive, but we'll survive.  Somehow. 

I have a great, easy, healthy recipe for you today.

About a year ago, my bestie's MIL told me about quinoa (pronounced keen-wah).  Quinoa is one of those "super foods" you never hear about.  It's a grain that is super-high in fiber (14 grams per 3.5 oz), no cholesterol and relatively low in carbs.  And it tastes good, too!  Sound too good to be true?  It isn't - and here's a great recipe for proof.

Quinoa & Black Beans
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled & minced
3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup frozen corn kernels
2 (15 oz) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
 
Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned. 

Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes.

Stir frozen corn into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through. Mix in the black beans and cilantro. 

NOTES:  I'm not a big fan of cilantro, so I left it out.  I don't think it was missing anything without it.

The hubs and I loved this and it was good even as leftovers.  The kids?  They ate it but I could tell it wasn't one of their favorites.  One time not long after making this, Nate proclaimed: "I love quinoa!" but then quickly responded with: "Wait.  What's quinoa?"  When I reminded him what it was, he was very fast to correct himself.  LOL  

So...if you want a quick, good-for-you meal, grab that quinoa!  I'm not sure of the availability, but I got mine at Sunflower Market (a whole foods kind of store).

Hang in there - Monday is going to be over before you know it!

Easy Cheesy

Good day, Kitschies!  I hope you enjoyed Easter without too much of a sugar coma.  I have some great pics from Easter but I've been super duper busy and haven't had time to do much of anything other than the necessities (at home AND at work), so I'll post Easter pics soon. 

I've been a bad blogger the last couple days...but I have a good reason for that.  My co-worker is out for the next 2 weeks (!) to spend time with her daughter, SIL and her brand new grandson!  I'm so excited for her but that means I'm by myself at work to cover both docs and to say that it gets busy is an understatement.  So, if I'm not commenting on your blog as often as usual, of if you don't see as many posts from me as usual, don't think I've ran away.  I will check blogs as time permits and I will squeeze in a post as often as I can. 

It's lunchtime here at the clinic and it's pretty quiet.  I can smell lunch in the break room (thank jeebus for drug reps) and instead of sitting back there and chatting it up, I decided I'd sit here with you and share a recipe with you.

I don't know if you've seen these at the grocery store, but every time I go down the spice aisle, I stop by the McCormick Recipe Inspiration section.  I have a lot of spices, but I don't have them all.  And I don't want to buy an entire new spice for one recipe.  That's where these little kits come in handy.  Each pack has pre-measured, individually packaged spices in the amounts specific to the recipe which is included on a recipe card on the back.  Simple, right?  Right.  I picked up this pack months ago, I just never have the recipe on hand to share with you.  I finally found it online, so now I can!

Quesadilla Casserole 
by McCormick Recipe Inspirations
2 tsp chili powder*
1 tsp ground cumin*
1 tsp minced garlic*
1/2 tsp dried oregano*
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes*
1 lb ground beef
1/2 cup onion, chopped
16 oz tomato sauce
15 oz can pinto beans, drained
8.75 oz can corn, drained
4.5 oz chopped green chile, drained
6 flour tortillas
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

*included with pack

Brown beef and onion in large skillet on med-high heat; drain. Add tomato sauce, beans, corn and green chiles; mix well. Stir in all of the spices except Red Pepper. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer 5 minutes. Add Red Pepper to taste, if desired.

Spread 1/2 cup of the beef mixture on bottom of 13x9x2-inch baking dish sprayed with no-stick cooking spray. Top with 3 of the tortillas, overlapping as needed. Layer with 1/2 of the remaining beef mixture and 1/2 of the cheese. Repeat with remaining tortillas, beef mixture and cheese.

Bake at 350F for 15 minutes or until heated through. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

NOTES:  I didn't have pinto beans on hand so I used black beans instead.  

Pre-measured and just what I needed for this recipe.  Just be sure to look at all the needed added ingredients - I usually forget to look and end up making a run for the store when I should be making dinner!

It *looks* good, but it was a little bland for my taste.  I'll definitely be adding some more spices when I make this again.  My Mom says it's because I live in New Mexico now and have singed off all my taste buds with all the green chile we eat.  LOL  And if I remember correctly, Nate ate his helping...don't remember if Mason did, or even if he was eating table foods at this point.  Either way, I will be making this again.  It's fast and it tastes pretty good (with added spices, of course). 

OK...gotta get back to work.  I hope you enjoy the rest of your day.  As a parting gift...THIS is what I'm listening to at work at the moment.  Love this song...fast forward to a little after a minute to really get in to it.

Dinner in a Flash

Good evening, Kitschies!  We've made it through another day and now I'm tired.  I stayed up too late playing Rock Band (by myself) last night and now I'm having to prop my eyelids up with toothpicks.  It wasn't an overly busy day at work; I think it's the time change.  And staying up til midnight probably didn't help.  So, the goal tonight is to do this post, clean the kitchen and settle down to watch some TV.  The house is nice and quiet so I hope to get it all finished by 10.  *fingers crossed*

Tonight I have a great quick recipe to share with you.  We usually have all these ingredients on hand and it really is a quick fix, so we have it kinda frequently.  The came from Campbell's Quick and Easy Recipes - I picked it up a LONG time ago with a gift card from my grandparents.  Funny I can't remember exactly when I got the book, but I remember how I got it.  Strange how our memories are so selective. 

Quick and Easy Stir-Fry
1 lb boneless beef sirloin or top round steak, 3/4" thick
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 cups fresh broccoli flowerets
1 1/2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms (about 4 oz)
2 large green onions, cut diagonally into 2" pieces (about 1/2 cup)
1 can (10.5 oz) mushroom gravy
1 Tbsp soy sauce
4 cups hot cooked rice

Slice beef across the grain into thin strips.

In 10-inch skillet or wok over medium-high heat, in 1 Tbsp hot oil, stir-fry half of the beef until browned.  Remove; set aside.  Repeat with remaining beef.

Reduce heat to medium.  In same skillet, in remaining 1 Tbsp hot oil, stir-fry broccoli, mushrooms and green onions until vegetables are tender-crisp.

Stir in gravy and soy sauce.  Heat to boiling.  Return beef to skillet.  Reduce heat to low.  Heat through, stirring occasionally.  Serve over rice. 

NOTE:  To make slicing easier, I always throw the meat in the freezer for about an hour.  I know that the use of gravy in this sounds strange, but combined with the soy sauce, it's a pretty good sauce for this dish.

I love fresh veggies!  If I could afford it, we'd have more fresh veggies than anything else for our meals. 

If I remember correctly, Mason ate this without any complaint (normal for him) and Nate complained and whined for at least 10 minutes, finally gave up and tried it and actually decided he liked it (also normal for him).  Both the hubs and I ate ours and liked  it (normal for us - LOL).

Well...it's me against the clock tonight!  I'm off to clean the kitchen.  Wish me luck of getting in to bed before 10.

Spring Eating

Good evening, Kitschies! I hope you had a good Thursday.  It was a pretty typical day for me - super busy at work.  We're usually busy, but lately it's been chaotic busy.  Don't get me wrong - I like being busy, but I would like to have my nice, laid-back job back.  LOL

The weather was gorgeous today!  Clear blue skies.  Warm temperatures.  I can tell that Spring is in the air!  I love this time of year.  Speaking of time...do you realize we spring our clocks forward on Sunday?!  How is it *that* time already?  I know my kids will enjoy the longer daylight hours, but I won't be enjoying the hour of sleep lost. *sigh*  Anyway, with the changing seasons, it's time to start thinking about eating lighter.  I found this recipe in Biggest Book of 30-Minute Meals when we were putting together a meal plan for the week.  This dish is super easy to prepare (though I think it took just a bit more than 30-minutes) and it tastes good!  Nice and light for the warmer weather.

Rosemary Chicken with Vegetables

4 medium skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 1 1/4 lb total)
1/2 tsp lemon-pepper seasoning
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp minced garlic (2 cloves)
2 medium zucchini and/or yellow summer squash, sliced 1/4-inch thick (2 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup apple juice or apple cider
2 tsp snipped fresh rosemary or 1/2 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
1 9-oz package refrigerated spinach linguine or plain linguine
2 Tbsp dry white wine
2 tsp cornstarch
12 cherry tomatoes, halved

Sprinkle chicken with lemon-pepper seasoning.  In a large skillet heat oil over medium heat.  Add chicken; cook over medium heat for 8-10 minutes or until chicken is tender and no longer pink, turning once.  Transfer chicken to platter; cover and keep warm.

Add garlic to skillet; cook for 15 second.  Add zucchini and/or summer squash, apple juice and rosemary.  Bring to boiling; reduce heat.  Cover and simmer for 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions; drain.  In a small bowl combine wine and cornstarch; add to zucchini mixture in skillet.  Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly; cook for 2 minutes more.  Stir in tomatoes.  Serve vegetables and pasta with chicken. 

NOTES:  I used more lemon pepper seasoning than the recipe called for.  And I used dried rosemary instead of fresh.  

We had this a while ago, so I don't remember if it reheated well or not.  Hell...I don't even remember if we had leftovers to reheat!  LOL  Anyway, I do remember that both boys ate this without complaint which is an accomplishment in itself. 

That's all I have for you tonight.  Only one more day to get through til it's the weekend!  Any big plans for your weekend?

The Start of Something Better

Good morning, Kitschies!  I woke up a little late this morning and hit the ground running.  I managed to make it to work with a little time to spare which gave me some uninterrupted time to work on a form for one of the docs!  It's been a pretty productive morning.  AND...the mail just came bearing pretty gifts for me.  Not a bad day so far.

I don't know if I mentioned it here on my blog, but I have a plan (not a resolution because I don't *do* resolutions) to better myself: mind, body and spirit this year.  Part of that means eating better and eating less.  Less what?  Junk, carbs, food in general.  But you wouldn't know it from my food posts since Christmas (cherry pie, monkey bread, macaroons and the like).  Would you believe that I made all of that (and more) between Thanksgiving and New Years?  *sigh*  As a result, my waistline expanded - and not in a cute "I'm pregnant" kind of way.  LOL  So, I'm going to make a conscious effort to bring more nutritious food to the table.  Don't get me wrong...there will be an occasional cookie or cake, but not near as many as I've posted over the last couple of months.

This brings me to today's recipe.  I remember my mom making this for us when I was growing up and I loved it.  When I make it, we end up eating at least half of it - and that's before the kids get in to it.   I got this recipe off the back of the Bisquick box, but Betty Crocker online has a bunch of variations of this tried and true recipe.


Impossibly Easy Cheeseburger Pie
1 lb lean ground beef
1 large onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup Original Bisquick mix
1 cup milk
2 eggs

Heat oven to 400°F. Spray 9-inch glass pie plate with cooking spray.

In 10-inch skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beef is brown; drain. Stir in salt. Spread in pie plate. Sprinkle with cheese.

In small bowl, stir remaining ingredients with fork or wire whisk until blended. Pour into pie plate.

Bake about 25 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

NOTES:  I don't use a whole onion.  I did once and it was WAY too onion-y for me.  

I consider this kinda healthy.  It all depends on your ingredient choices.  Use lean ground beef (93/7), 2% milk and reduced fat Bisquick.  

Everybody in the pool!  Or...if you want to fatten this up a bit, you could always add crumbled, cooked bacon.  Cuz everything's better with bacon, right?  Right.

Toasty!  The cheese came out perfectly golden this time.  I usually end up with crispy cheese - especially around the edges.  

Serve with some steamed veggies and you've got a pretty good meal!  One that my kids will eat, too.  Seeing this pics makes me wish I had this for lunch today.

If you have any "healthy" recipes or any vegan recipes, I'd love to give them a try!  You can drop me a line through my email: megharmeyer at gmail dot com.  Or, if there's a good recipe/foodie blog you think I'd like, please leave me the link! 

Monday Meal

Where do the weekends go?  Seriously.  It feels like the last two days didn't even happen!!  I'm back here, at work, doing what I always do.  I think I spend more time at work than I do at home - especially when you factor in sleep.  *sigh*  If only I could afford to work part time.  Enough lamenting.  I am not complaining about my job.  I am complaining that there's never enough time in the day.

It's been a morning full of food here at the clinic, so I thought I'd share a recipe with you today.  I picked up Betty Crocker Simple Winter Meals way back in November 2006 (2006?  Really?) while waiting in the check out line at the grocery store.  You've seen those little digests full of menus, right?  One for each season, each holiday, etc.  I love cookbooks, and this one was less than $5 and FULL of great recipes.  SCORE!  I've made quite a few recipes from this book, and many of them are make-agains.  This is one of those recipes.


Skillet Ham & Vegetable au Gratin
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups cut up fully cooked ham
1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
1 box (4.9 oz) au gratin potato mix
2 1/2 cups hot water
1/4 tsp pepper
1 bag (1 lb) mixed frozen vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots), thawed
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

In 12-inch skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat.  Cook ham and onion in oil about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until onion is tender.

Stir in potatoes, sauce mix from potato mix, hot water and pepper.  Heat to boiling; reduce heat to low.  Cover; simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in vegetables.  Cover; simmer 5 to 6 minutes or until vegetables are tender.  Sprinkle with cheese.

NOTES:  I don't use all the onion - it makes it quite onion-y if you use the whole cup.  This reheats very well.

We don't usually have ham, so I buy pre-cooked ham steaks.  What I don't use for this recipe, I save for scrambled eggs in the morning.  Looking at this picture makes me realize I buy generic a lot.  Not necessarily a bad thing...gotta save pennies when I can!

The recipe says to simmer for 5 or 6 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.  I have a tendency to forget to thaw the veggies, so I usually end up simmering for closer to 10 minutes.

Mmmm! Cheese!!  Ham.  Veggies.  Potatoes.  Cheese.  It don't get much better than this!

Dished up and ready to go.  This is one of those recipes that the boys like, too.  It makes me feel like a good Mom when the boys gobble up their food.

Later this week, I'll be posting a recipe for a certain cookie (just for you, B!), a couple manis and hopefully a "My Favorite Things" - if I can remember to take the pics.  I've really appreciated all the suggestions of what you want to see more of on my blog.  I like what I'm doing now, but I like trying new things, too.  Speaking of new things...I'll be doing my first ever reivew!  WOOT!!  Hope you enjoy the rest of your Monday.  Why do the weekends fly by but Monday lasts forever?

A Little Dash of This

The work week...it's half OVER!!  It was a pretty good day.  The sunrise this morning was spectacular.  It was very cloudy all day which made it humid, but it started raining after lunch and it hasn't really stopped since then (over 5 hours at this point).  I love this kind of weather.  I really wanted to leave work, go home, hide out all by myself and read a book or do absolutely nothing and veg on the couch.  I didn't get to do that, but the hubs did make a great dinner of grilled steak, garlic shells and beans for me when I got home.  I guess that about makes up for not being able to hide away this afternoon.  Take a gander at what I saw on my way in to work this morning.  This was taken with my phone camera.

Now on to the good stuff.

When it comes to recipes, I usually follow them to. the. letter.  I am not one of those people who can just throw a little bit of this, a dash of that, together to make a dish.  Nope.  I have to have direction.  Complete direction.  But, I went a little out of my comfort zone with this recipe.  I combined a recipe for Crunchy Ranch Fingers out of my Biggest Book of 30-Minute Meals and Fried Chicken Strips from Mrs Bettie Rocker to get a kid-friendly, somewhat healthy chicken chunk meal.

Oven Chicken Chunks
1 lb (or a little less) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup Italian bread crumbs
1 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
1 egg
1 cup milk

Rinse and pat dry chicken.  Cut chicken in to bite-size pieces.

In a shallow bowl, combine the bread crumbs, garlic salt, basil, paprika and pepper.  Set aside.  In another shallow bowl, beat egg and combine with milk.  Dip chicken in to egg mixture, then bread crumb mixture.

Place in greased 9x13 baking pan.  Place in 425* oven for 20 minutes, turning once.

NOTES:  The recipe from MBR called for crushed saltines and then frying in oil.  I didn't have enough of either of those so I improvised.  The only thing I used from the 30-minute recipe, really, was the oven temperature and cooking time.

Just outta the oven.  I don't know that you really have to grease the bottom of the baking dish, but I did just in case. 

Served with peas, I added a little BBQ sauce for dipping - Jack Daniel's Spicy Original.  I would've used Chris & Pitt's BBQ sauce, but I can't find it in New Mexico.  Maybe I'll add it to my Christmas list.  LOL

Kid friendly!  Nate ate the 3 chunks I gave him and even asked for (and ate) more! Happy Mommy!

Mason?  Eh...he'll eat pretty much anything.  LOL

There ya go!  Hope you have a wonderful Wednesday evening.  I'm off to get the kiddo to bed so the hubs and I can cuddle on the couch, watch last night's Parenthood and then tonight's Tosh.0.  Oh...I slept better last night, but I *really* wanted to be waking up to Saturday - not Wednesday.   

Rambling (wo)Man

Good evening, Kitschies!  I hope you all had a great weekend.  Mine was kinda busy, kinda not.  Saturday we went to my bestie's first born son's 6th birthday party.  I made the mistake of jumping on the tramampoline and now my knee is not happy.  It already wasn't very happy, so now it's really not happy.  And neither am I.  The doc asked me why I did that and I responded: Cuz I'm stoopid.  He laughed and said he was glad I said that because that's exactly what he was thinking.  What?  It was a trampoline.  How could I *not*?  Then the bestie and I escaped and saw Eclipse at the dollar theater (gotta come up with a better name because it was two bucks, not one).  SHE already saw it at home (thanksalot), so she "humored" me and went with me to see it.  despite the usual dollar theater drawbacks, I really liked it and can't wait to see Breaking Dawn.  Part of me even hopes they split the last book in to two movies.  There's a lot going on in that last book.  Anyway, Sunday was spent just getting caught up on chores and such.  Oh, and I ran in to work for about an hour on Saturday before the party.  My docs are learning a new procedure and I wanted to see what was up with that. 

Enough rambling.  It's been super busy at work (still) and I won't really be able to do much blogging or stalking while I'm there for the next month or so.  I'm sad about that, but I'm training a student medical assistant and I don't think my docs would approve of me showing her the ins and outs of the internets.  LOL  So, if I don't visit your blog like I usually do, please know it's not because I don't like your post - it's because I don't have time.  I'll get caught up eventually.  Promise!!  Seriously - enough rambling.  On to the recipe.

I got this recipe from Biggest Book of 30-Minute Meals.  I love this book!  There are SO many recipes to chose from and in the sidebar of each recipe is a menu idea: usually a side dish (with the page of that recipe) and a dessert. 


Balsamic & Garlic Pork
4 bonless prok loin chops, cut 1/2 inch thick
1/2 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp bottled minced roasted garlic
1/2 cup bottled balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing
1 Tbsp honey mustard

Trim fat from chops.  Sprinkle both sides of each chop with rosemary and salt pressing into surface of meat.

In a large nonstick skillet heat oil over medium heat.  Add chops; cook for 8 - 12 minutes or until done and juices run clear; turning once.  Transfer chops to a serving platter.  Cover and keep warm.

For sauce, in same skillet cook garlic in hot drippings for 30 seconds.  Stir in balsamic salad dressing and honey mustard.  Bring to boiling.  Serve sauce over chops.

NOTES:  I don't know what I did, but I think I used waaaay too much olive oil.  It just seems like it was swimming in the oil.  I couldn't get the rosemary to "crush", so I cleaned out my coffee grinder (by grinding up a piece of plain sandwich bread) and gave it a couple pulses.  Worked perfectly!  I also couldn't find my pre-made balsamic dressing, so I found a recipe online (maybe this is where all the extra olive oil came from).  I think it was an Emril recipe.  In the end, this wasn't bad, but I think I'll be sure to find my balsamic dressing instead of trying to make my own.

Seasoned and ready to jump in the pool.  I'm sure I didn't stick to the measurements when it came to the rosemary and salt.

Is it just me, or do you always have to cook meat longer than a recipes says?  I don't remember how long I actually ended up cooking these, but I can tell you it was definitely longer than 8-12 minutes!

The finished product.  The hubs really liked this and I didn't mind it, but I think I'd like it more with the prepared balsamic dressing.  But, both boys ate it, so it couldn't be that bad, right?  LOL

Well, I'm off to ice my knee and watch some Six Feet Under.  Hope you enjoy your evening!  I'm back to the grind again tomorrow and will be posting a mani tomorrow (probably evening).  At least, come morning, it won't be Monday anymore. *sigh*

Listening to: Somebody to Love by Queen
Mood: oooowwwww!

I'm Not Chicken!

 Happy Thursday, Kitschies!  I can NOT believe this is my 100th post!  I just started this thing back in April.  4 months and already at 100 posts?!  Wow.  I have loved doing this, sharing my addiction to nail polish, my recipe hoarding disorder and my beautiful boys with all of you.  The blogging community is so fun (save for some of the high school drama) and supportive.  I appreciate that all of you come visit my blog and comment.  I know time is precious and the fact that you take the time out of your day to spend a few minutes with me means the world to me!!  Thank you!!  (I wanted to embed the video for Unbelievable by EMF here, but it won't let me.)

So!  What do I have for you today?  I have a great, easy, quick chicken recipe.  I made this for the fam a few weeks back and the hubs liked it so much that we're having it again on Sunday.  I got this recipe from Biggest Book of 30 Minute Meals, an awesome cookbook I got from my parents a couple years ago.


Lemon-Tarragon Chicken Toss
6 oz dried fettuccine or linguine
2 cups broccoli or cauliflower florets
1/2 cup chicken broth
3 Tbs lemon juice
1 Tbsp honey
2 tsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp ground white pepper
12 oz skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
2 tsp olive oil or cooking oil
1 medium carrot, shredded
1 Tbsp snipped fresh tarragon or 1/2 tsp dried tarragon, crushed

Cook pasta according to package directions, addition the broccoli or cauliflower for the last 4 minutes of cooking; drain well.  Return pasta mixture to pan; cover and keep warm.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine broth, lemon juice, honey, cornstarch, and white pepper; set aside.

In a large nonstick skillet stir-fry chicken in hot oil for 3-4 minutes or until no longer pink.  Stir cornstarch mixture; add to skillet.  Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly.  Add carrot and tarragon; cook for 1 minute more.

To serve, spoon chicken mixture over pasta mixture.

NOTES:  I used broccoli. Instead of shredding a carrot (what a PIA!), I chopped it up and added it in with the chicken while it cooked. 

I enjoyed this recipe.  Easy to make AND it tastes good!  It even makes great leftovers.  Who doesn't like that?!

Since I didn't have much in the way of pictures this time, I thought I'd share a couple of pictures taken a couple weeks ago.

This is the hubs and our youngest - Mason.  He's such a mellow little boy.  He takes after his Dad in temperament but definitely looks more like me.

I know you know who this is.  This is me and our oldest - Nate.  Nate is go Go GOOO!!!  He takes after me in temperament (can you say stubborn?) but looks just like his Dad.  Excuse the no makeup - but you can look past that because my nails are polished.  Right?  LOL

I know I said it before, but thank you so much for supporting my blog.  I have had so much fun doing this.  It has opened up a creative avenue I didn't even know I needed.  A big thanks to Makeup Zombie, aka: Ms W, aka: bestie for "making me" do this.  This is all her fault.  LOL  

Listening to:  Smooth jazz again - blarg!
Mood: happy