Happy Birthday to Kyle!

Happy 14th Birthday to Kyle!

We had a simple celebration just the three of us today. The main celebration was the weekend at Disneyland. So today after church Kyle opened a few gifts from us which included 2 new shirts and a sling and handle for his airsoft gun. In lieu of a cake we got him a jumbo cupcake from the bakery which he totally enjoyed on his own!

Kyle was excited to receive calls today from his Grandpa Harry and Polly, Grandma Jean and Grandpa Don and his sister Kate. Kyle pulled Kevin and I aside and thanked us over and over again at Disneyland and again today for giving him what he says has been his "best birthday ever". We could not agree more. Spending quality time with our guy has been the absolute best. We could not love him more.

The Happiest Place on Earth

As an early surprise for Kyle's birthday, we decided to take him to Disneyland!

A special thank you to my Dad for gifting Kyle with a two day pass to Disneyland. We wanted to make this trip a surprise for Kyle. His birthday is Sunday the 31st..Thursday night at dinner I put his envelope from my Dad and Polly under his dinner mat. As soon as we were done eating I told him there was a birthday surprise under his dinner mat for him. When he lifted up the mat and found his ticket to Disneyland he became so excited that he jumped up from his seat in delight! We then told him that we would be leaving first thing the next day. It is so nice for all of us that Kevin has every other Friday off and it is perfect for family outings.

Here are some random pics from our two days at Disneyland. We had a fabulous time together and although we missed having Kate there, we thouroughly enjoyed our special time celebrating Kyle and his birthday!

We found the most wonderful place to stay in Anaheim. It's called the Candy Cane Inn. It is over 50 years old and has been remodeled and renovated several times to maintain it's charm. When looking for a place to stay I found a blog by a lady that dedicates it to all things Disney. She listed 10 properties that she rated as the "best places to stay while on a budget" She said that the Candy Cane Inn was  her favorite property. We can certainly see why! The grounds were impeccable and the rooms were decorated just darling with florals, and white wooden shutters. The expanded continental breakfast was part of the room fee of only $97 a night. Our beds were comfy and the room was NOT on a major road so it was really quiet and serene. We will definately stay here again! We saved $14 a day on parking too by taking the free shuttle too and from the park.                                                   

In the hotel lobby this big basket of candy canes is there to greet you!

Recipe of the Week: Mexican Soup

Recently my friend Beverly posted this recipe on her blog. We've had a lot of rainy, cooler days here in the past few weeks so I thought soup sounded good. Let me tell you this is some of the best soup I've ever tasted. It is fabulous! Kyle, who is normally not a soup kinda guy just loved this soup and gobbled up two bowls of it at dinner the other night. This is a quick fix meal and the results are a mild, mexican spiced thick soup that reminds me a lot of a "chicken tortilla soup". Also, I tweaked Beverly's original recipe which called for a lot of 1/2 and 1/2. I lightened up the calorie content considerably by substituting a lot of the 1/2 and 1/2 with 1% milk. The orignial recipe also called for creamed corn. I substituted with a can of Green Giant niblets.

Heres what you will need:

*3 cloves garlic, minced

*1 onion, chopped

3 T flour

3 14 oz. cans chicken broth OR 14 oz. boxed chicken broth or stock

1 cup 1/2 and 1/2

3 cups 1 % milk

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 cup salsa (I swear by Pace Picante Sauce: mild)

1 can corn (drained)

6 boneless chicken breasts, cooked

2 tsp. ground cumin

1 pkg. dry Lawry's fajita or taco seasoning

3 tbsp cilantro

tortilla chips

shredded cheese

I love these products from Trader Joes. In the freezer section look for Dorot Crushed Garlic. Each little frozen "cube" is exactly 1 clove of crushed, fresh garlic. I like it better than buying fresh garlic and chopping it or pressing it. It is easier and your fingers stay smelling fresh as you just pop it out, instead of handling raw garlic. I also love the diced frozen onion. I use 1 cup of diced onion in replacement of chopping up an onion and the tears are a thing of the past!

(I like to pre-measure and chop everything before I begin...I halved the recipe for our small family, however we did not have much left over. In the future I will make the full recipe )

The first step is to cook your chicken. I like to poach my chicken breasts in boiling water for 20 minutes. I then remove the breasts from the boiing water, let cool a little then chop up into very small cubes. Next,

in a large stock pot or dutch oven, saute the onion and garlic in butter. Add flour and stir well for one minute. While stirring, slowly add broth, half and half and milk. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low. Add remaining ingrediants (except chips and cheese) and heat through on a low bubbling simmer for 15 minutes.

Serve the soup with crumbled chips and cheese. The chips will soften as you eat the soup and they add the most wonderful texture. Serve with warm corn bread muffins or with a chunk of Trader Joe's Jalapeno Corn Bread. (another favorite from my favorite grocery store!)

Enjoy!!

A place to create

Of all the rooms in our house, my scrap booking room/office is my favorite. I absolutely love to hang out in this special space. Over the past 6 months I've slowly decorated it, purchasing things from Home Goods, Michaels etc...going for the "romantic/vintage" look. My original plan was to paint the room a soft pastel color, but have decided that spending time and money painting a rental house, is not the best use of  our resources. The white walls actually work well in this room with all the black, white and pastel colors. The drafting desk belonged to my Mom. This is where she painted. Now this is where I sit to scrap book, stamp cards and other projects and I even wrapped my Christmas gifts here this year.

I love this wall shelf. I found it at Home Goods. It works well for storing my ink pads, accessory and ribbon jars.

This is Kate's old desk from her teen age room. I plan on changing the hard ware on it, but for now it works well. I sit here to pay bills and work on my lap top. I took inexpensive scrap book page frames from Joanne's and put 12x12 pieces of scrap book paper into them for instant art work. I almost always watch the little t.v. on my desk when I work over at the drafting table. I love to sit and watch back to back movies on Lifetime while I scrapbook on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Another Home Goods treasure, this is actually a "jewelry tree" but I just love it as a decoration in my room.

This wall shelf/shadow box works very well for displaying my vintage rubber stamp collection. Most of these stamps were my Moms.

My punches are hanging on racks that were left behind by the previous tenant. They were hanging in the kitchen with hooks on them. The purpose was to hang your spoons, spatulas etc. I thought they would be perfect for hanging my punches, and they are! The "D" is from the home section of Kohls.

This painting has a story. My Mom wanted to teach me how to paint one time when the kids and I were staying at Mom's and Dad's during Spring Break. I painted about 1/4 of this vintage lady when I announced that I did not like to paint! My Mom was disappointed but did not want the canvas and the work I had started to go to waste. So she finished the painting. This is one of her rare paintings that is not Southwest style. I love this painting and will always treasure it. The vintage candlesticks are a recent purchase from Michael's romantic collection and the topiary of silk flowers are from Home Goods.

I LOVE this vinyl wall hanging of a chandelier. Kevin applied it to the wall for me. It was another recent purchase from Home Goods. I can peel it off when we move.

Here is another view of the room. I often open this window and let the fresh air in. I feel so blessed to have this special space that is all my own. It really inspires me to scrap book and create. Thank you for taking a tour.

Recipe of the Week: Chicken and Dumplings (gluten free)

First of all, let me say I am so thrilled that you are all loving my recipes so much. I've had several e-mails and face book messages telling me how much my recipes are enjoyed. Unfortunately 95% of my blog readers are having trouble leaving a comment here on the blog. In a later post I will give directions once again on how to do this.  Due to the great feedback I've received I've decided to step it up a notch and post a new recipe each week.  This week's recipe is Chicken and Dumplings which is a recipe that I have modified and tweaked from the "Chicken Fricasse" recipe in The Joy of Cooking. This is my absolute favorite thing to make on a Sunday afternoon. It is not a quick fix, so be prepared to be in the kitchen for about an hour and 1/2 from the first chop to putting it on the table. Your family will thank you though for your efforts. This is the #1 requested meal by Kate each time she comes home from school and is probably my favorite meal I make as well (other than pizza) Kev and Kyle enjoy it equally as much.

Here's what you'll need:

*1-2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts (*= depending on how many you are serving)

3T. butter

*1/2 c-1 c. chopped onions

2 cups HOT water

1 3/4 c. chicken broth

*2-4 medium carrots

*1-2 celery stalks

1/2 t. ground dried thyme

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. pepper

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

bisquick/milk (follow the dumpling recipe on side of box) *If you are gluten free buy gluten free bisquick. You'll need about 2 cups of the bisquick and just add 1/4 cup of milk to start and then a little more milk about 2-3 T. at a time until you get a sticky dough.

The first thing I like to do is make the dumpling dough. Follow the recipe on the side of the bisquick box. If you are using gluten free bisquick there is no recipe on the side of the box. Follow my instructions above* I usually double the recipe they provide to yield 8 dumplings. Figure on 2 dumplings per person. I always add a little more milk than the recipe calls for as well. The dough should have a sticky, wet consistancy. Set aside.

If you are serving 3-4 (like my family) you will need to peel and chop 2 carrots, 1 celery stalk and 1/2 of a medium onion which equals about 1/2 cup. Double the vegetables for 6-8 people. I like to cut the vegys into small bite size pieces. Set aside.

Next, wash and  pat dry chicken breasts with paper towel. Cut off any fat. Then cut the chicken breasts in 1/2. I like to do this so I have lots of space in between chicken breasts in my family skillet for dumplings. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Melt butter over medium heat in a big family skillet that has a well fitting lid. Add chicken breasts to the pan and sear on medium heat each side for 4-5 minutes. You want the breasts to be lightly browned only (the meat will still be raw inside.)  *Please note that if you have a larger crowd to feed than I do, there is plenty of room in your family skillet for another pound of chicken breasts. Each pound of chicken is approx. 4 breasts.*  Remove breasts to a plate and set aside.

Add onions to the remaining butter/chicken drippings and cook over low/med heat for 5 minutes. Sprinkle in flour and stir until you have little flour/onion lumps like above.

Remove the floured onions from heat and stir in the hot water and chicken broth. You will have LOTS of lumps at this point. Using a wire whisk break up lumps and whisk rapidly. If you are having trouble getting the lumps out, take a fork and press them out. Keep it up until ALL lumps are gone and you have a milky sauce with onions floating in it like above. Continue whisking over medium heat until the mixture comes to a boil.  Next add carrots, celery, and salt and pepper to taste. (I use approx 1/2 t. each between sprinking it on the chicken and putting it in the sauce) The broth has plenty of sodium in it to begin with. Reduce heat to low and whisk in the whipping cream. The original recipe calls for 1/2 c. of heavy whipping cream. I use 1/4 cup and it is plenty to make the sauce very creamy and rich. Then, add the breasts back into pan. Keep the heat on low, the sauce should be slightly bubbling and simmering.

Next, take a medium scoop and scoop and release each dumpling into the pan. (if you do not have a scoop, just drop by rounded tablespoons) I like to try and place a ball of dough between the pieces of chicken so everything is evenly cooked through. Cook on low heat and let it lightly simmer for 10 minutes. Then cover your pan with the tightly fitting lid and cook an additional 10 minutes. It is imperitive that your heat be on low, maintaining a nice bubbling simmer.

At the end of 10 minutes, remove the lid and you will have the perfect dumplings. Soft, fluffy and delicious! I take the skillet to the table and place it on hot pads and serve right from the pan. *total cooking time for the chicken is 30 minutes. Ten minutes in the pan to brown and another 20 minutes in the sauce. Your chicken will be moist and fork tender...SO GOOD.

A perfect serving size is two chicken breast halves and two dumplings per person. There is plenty of sauce to ladle over the top too. If you double your chicken and vegies you do not need to double the sauce. There is plenty! This is yummy goodness at it's best. You MUST try this ultimate comfort food!!!

enjoy!

Valentine's Day Cards

Here are some cards I made at stamp club last week. I LOVE my new stamp club! Our demonstrator with Stampin Up! is SUPER talented and really challenges us with new and unique designs...like this easel card below.

I love this easel idea! It is great because the person who receives the card can display it and enjoy it! Now..who is going to be the lucky recipiant of this card???? Time will tell!!

Recipe: Meatloaf

Soon after marrying Kevin he told me that his favorite dinner was meatloaf. Since that time I have been searching for the "perfect" meat loaf recipe and until this one...they were always not quite right. This recipe is

so incredible that I had to share it. I found it in a Taste of Home magazine. Kevin has named it "the best meatloaf he has ever had"

INGREDIANTS

2 eggs, slightly beaten

11 oz can V8 juice

1/2 an onion, finely chopped

1 celery rib, finely chopped

1 c. seasoned bread crumbs

(I used plain and it was fine)

1/2 envelope beefy onion soup mix

1/2 t. pepper

2 pounds lean ground beef or turkey (this recipe is best with ground beef)

For Glaze:

3/4 cup ketchup

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup yellow mustard

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, V8 juice, onions, celery, bread crumbs, soup mix and pepper. Crumble the meat over the mixture and mix well. (I use my bare hands to incorporate well)

Pack the meatloaf mixture into a loaf pan that has been sprayed with non stick spray. Turn the loaf pan upside down into a 9 x 13 casserole dish.

Slowly lift off the loaf pan and you will have a perfectly shaped meatloaf. I like doing it this way so any fat drippings will drip out into the pan instead of baking into the loaf pan and making for a greasy meatloaf.

Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the glaze ingrediants. When the 45 minutes is up, take the meatloaf out of the oven and spread the glaze over the entire loaf. Return the glazed loaf back to the oven and cook an additional 15 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees.

When meatloaf is done, I lift the entire loaf out of the pan which will have fat drippings in it and put it onto a serving platter. Then I slice it. Serve with your favorite side dishes. We like ours with Italian green beans with bacon & onions (stay tuned for this recipe in a later post) and home made mac and cheese or mashed potatoes. This is comfort food at its best folks. Enjoy!