Tuscan Chicken Simmer (Kraftfoods.com)

http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/recipes/tuscan-chicken-simmer-111677.aspx?cm_mmc=eml-_-rbe-_-bst_rcps_2009-_-NA

It is YUMMY!! Not a little bit but A LOT! I followed the recipe for the most part, but did some minor tweaks.



- Instead of the tomatoes (because I'm the only one who eats tomatoes here and I don't like them cooked unless they are in a sauce) I used canned mushrooms. Just a can of the Food Lion brand. I LOVE mushrooms and Kenny is eating them now too!



- I used Classico's pesto sauce and I can't complain. I didn't measure out exact on that by any means.



- I used spaghetti instead of the fettuchini it pictured.



What I'd do differently next time:


- It doesn't SAY to put the chicken and sauce on top of the noodles, but that's what I'll do next time. You end of mixing the sauce in the noodles anyways because it's so good.



- Will add a little more water to the sauce, it would coat the noodles better. It thickens back up FAST!



- Plan to try it a little "healthier" using the fat free or less fat cream cheese, and will use Dreamfields pasta again, better for you and I don't like the grain-iness of the other healthy pastas. Also using just mozzerella is better for you too instead of the 5-cheese.



Did the adults like it? YES!
Did the girls like it? YES!
Was it easy? YES!
Will I cook it again? YES!

New food...

Those who know me, know I've never been an avid cooker. I *think* I would be if I had the space, time, unlimited funds, etc. ha! And my food choices usually consist of anything a 5 year old would eat. For instance, a casserole, I usually won't touch it, too many foods all mixed together. I will admit, I'm getting better! I actually have tried new stuff in the past year and LOVED it. Like creamed spinach (I LOVE me some creamed spinach) this appetizer called Turkish Borek at Blue was yummy, but the cucumber dip stuff was DIVINE, etc. SO, 2010 is going to be my year of venturing out... brightening my horizons... maybe my girls will learn to like new foods too, even though Sydney RARELY has a problem with any! ;o) At least 2 new receipes a week is my goal.

The key to being something I will try is:

#1 Not many ingredients. I'd like to keep it at the most 7 or 8.
#2 Easy to find ingredients.
#3 Nothing pricey to make.
#4 If it has cheese, it's getting moved to the top of the try list.
#5 If it has cheese AND is healthy it's moved to #1.
#6 (Most important) It must be SIMPLE to do and FAST to put together.

So there... I'll be posting what I try and whether we liked it or not as we go. Starting with the Kraft Foods website, they have a ton of recipes right up my alley. Tomorrow night, Tuscan Chicken Simmer, since I have all ingredients here, I think. http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/recipes/tuscan-chicken-simmer-111677.aspx?cm_mmc=eml-_-rbe-_-bst_rcps_2009-_-NA

Christmas Christmas time WAS here...

This Christmas was a CRAZY one! Our celebrations which don't even end until tomorrow night, have been fun but exhausting!

Sydney LOVES Christmas. LOVES it. We had a countdown chain, that helpped her to understand how much longer it was until Christmas. (Mylie had one too, but she didn't understand this year.) She had such a fun time at all of the celebrations. Little bit overwhelmed when it came to unwrapping present time, but we all survived. She had a pretty definite list of what she wanted from Santa-- Belle dress, Princess (stick on) fingernails, pony, and more princess stuff. Santa brought her everything she asked for of course, and she was super surprised at the footprints he left on our hearth. Silly Santa tracking in mud... The Belle dress was worn 3 days in a row, had to be washed and will be worn again tomorrow. We also had our first "Happy Birthday Jesus" party on Christmas Eve. Sydney got to choose what kind of cake and icing to put on it, so He got a chocolate cake with pink icing and sprinkles. She told me Jesus really likes pink. We also read the Christmas story, it was super sweet to all cuddle up on the sofa. And the fire in the fireplace... those girls sure LOVED that! Sydney's ornament this year was a princess crown, because it's been her year of princesses. We choose a new ornament for the girls each year, that remind us of their year. They'll get to take them when they grow up and have their own trees.

Mylie likes Christmas, we think. She does NOT like Santa, THAT we know. Poor dear is terrified of him! She spent most of Christmas day eating "canny" (candy.) Really, she ate more then than she did trick or treating. The toys she really has enjoyed so far are the "car parking deck/garage," a CD player toy from my parents, and the baby dolls from Kenny's parents. She is a very particular "unwrapper." The paper must be off TOTALLY, and she does this very methodically. Then she looks, plays, etc with the toy she opened and then may or may not move on. (Unlike her sis who rips them open super "spast.") Mylie's ornament is a bumble bee with scuba gear. The bee reminds us of how BUSY she is and the scuba gear on it is just funny, like her!

Now, the decorations are down, and countdown to Disney begins... making another paper chain for Syd in the morning...

Must make lemonade....

This week has not been a fun week, we've been handed a lot of "lemons." The girls and I have been sick. Not sure if it's been a virus or the flu. The girls have had "it" the worst though. Poor girls. It's one that won't go away. They are both still coughing and snotty. YUCK. Then family drama. Had some disappointing news. Then trying to go do something fun today by going to the NC Transportation Museum, because it was supposed to rain and it being so packed that nothing "went" our way and Syd was such an Oscar. (You know.... the Grouch.) We had planned on a trip to the mountains to pick apples, and it NEVER did rain. SO, what did we do? We have to make lemonade with the lemons...

Well, on the way home we stopped by Concord Mills to see the Halloween store, Syd LOVES all "holidays" like her mommy, I LOVE that! We got a cool, over priced YUMMY candy apple and ate it together. Watched the fish at Bass Pro get fed. Poor little fish. Mommy got to go to Gymboree Outlet and found a cute pair of "dressy" jeans for Syd, I would love to buy the whole line of the polka dot stuff they had for both girls. Really, I LOVE polka dots and Gymboree! BUT I bought just the jeans, I was a good girl. Then we started talking about wanting to go to pick apples but didn't want to miss church. We LOVE our church. So, we went to church tonight. We really enjoyed the service, may start going on Sat nights from now on. Then 5 Guys, because one MUST go after church, it's the only logical place in our book. Then, when we got home, the disappointing news was now good news! Now the girls and K are asleep, dreaming of what fun we WILL have tomorrow picking apples and climbing trees.

So, when I said, "God, really, why is nothing going our way? Why has this week been so sucky?" He said, "It's not sucky, just wait and see! Trust me." Through this week, I have learned I must look for the positive, not be so negative and to TRUST... one sin in the many sins I need to pull out by the roots. No more using the weedeater. :o) Now off to enjoy some sweet lemonade, cheers!

YAY for the BEACH!!

Our WONDERFUL week long trip to the beach has been over for a 4 days. BOO! Last trip of the year probably. It was so relaxing. We got down Friday, my parents were already there and the girls loved spending time with them. In fact Mylie said tonight, "I on't go ooh play Bubba and Judu!" They both loved the beach, well Syd REALLY loves the beach and Myls tolerates it. ha! Syd was disappointed most days because it was high tide and couldn't swim in the rough water. There were also some crazy schools of fish that would swim about 15ft from shore that kept jumping. You could see that some sort of bigger "fish" was chasing them at some point because there would be all kinds of jumping and splashing for a bit. Super cool to watch, but not super cool for my water bug. Myls enjoyed chasing the seagulls on the beach, she'd just take off running full force towards them. Syd really liked that we went to the arcade a bunch, she's going to have a game addiction problem like her mommy and Bubba. (Which we are already getting a glimpse of with her Leapster.) There is nothing as relaxing as being with my family for a week, away from the stress of "normal" life. I especially liked having my sexy husband around, he makes me smile. I'll post some beach pictures soon, I still haven't uploaded any to the computer.

The fall weather...

Is SO wonderful!! I'm in heaven. This must be how heaven's weather is 24/7. Not too hot, not too cold. Anywho... I must share what my silly Syd likes to sing. "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when guys are great...." You can't correct her. She will tell you that the sky isn't gray, it's blue, the clouds are only sometime gray. ha! This silly girl of mine has her preschool open house tomorrow. The last PREschool orientation for her ever. She can't wait for big girl school, told me today she wanted to ride the bus. I hate to tell her that she won't. I'm a mean mom. Maybe if we move.

Mylie is a motor mouth. I never thought she would turn into such a talker. There isn't a time she's quiet... well... unless she is asleep or into big trouble, usually climbing something. She really practices her words too, repeating them over and over and over. She surprised Maw Maw today with saying, "I ont ice. Maw Maw, I ont ice." ha ha! She's learning so very fast! I love it, but I really need ear plugs. ha!

Not my favorite day...

OK, I can admit that I'm a cranky booger today. CRANKY. Don't know if it's the weather, being exhausted, or things just catching up with me. To add to the crankiness, I'm emotional. Perhaps it's that the girls seemed to be extra crazy today. The clouds in the sky. My lack of sleep. OR just maybe it's my tomorrow. Tomorrow is my weekly blood test and ultrasound. It's like this stuff won't die. Like I'll be stuck here forever. I HATE it. I absolutely HATE it. My own persoanl Groundhog Day, but more like hell. This is miserable. I want to get back to normal, and my body is getting there, but I can't just leave it. It's like you have a recording of a loved ones funeral, where you have to watch it once a week EVERY week reliving every tear, frustration and "Why me's?" Really, it's not cool. It's almost like it's FORCING me to really swallow it and process it, like I can't leave it. So, here I am preaching to myself all day and now night... for those who didn't hear Furtick's sermon yesterday, it's a good one on faith, watch it and you'll understand the "preaching to myself" stuff...

I have no fear or anxiety, I trust the Lord with ALL my heart.

I am protected from all harm and evil in Jesus' name.

My personal faith is being challenged, yes, but my "faith is not in my faith but it is in the faithfulness of God." He will get me through this. He is using this to mold me and make me into the person He wants me to be, not to punish me. NOT TO PUNISH ME! (That feels so good to say, you know?) He is showing me his faithfulness everyday, even in my super horrible BAD days. So, I'm fragile, broken today... He will make it better, He will be with me through it all. He is my ROCK. He will hold me tight. Tomorrow WILL be a better day b/c I'll be stronger in Him. He will ALWAYS be faithful.

Here's yesterday's sermon: http://www.elevationchurch.org/mediaPlayer.php?sermon=188

Oh, and the song that made me cry... ha! Really, it's an AWESOME AWESOME song, would love a copy of it to play over and over. The link is for an acoustic version by 2 of the worship leaders, Chris and London. Chris is Sydney's crush. She really REALLY likes him! ha! :o) I've been singing it to myself a ton...

http://elevation-worship.com/blog/?p=593

Give Me Faith

Verse 1:
I need you to soften my heart
To break me apart
I need you to open my eyes
To see that You’re shaping my life

Pre-Chorus:
All I am, I surrender

Chorus:
Give me faith to trust what you say
That you’re good and your love is great
I’m broken inside, I give you my life

Verse 2:
I need you to soften my heart
To break me apart
I need you pierce through the dark
And cleanse every part of me

Bridge:
I may be weak
But your Spirit’s strong in me
My flesh may fail
My God you never will