a few words.

Every now and then, I'll get the hankering to go through one of my Pinterest boards and remind myself of the ingenious ideas and such I've found there.  Well tonight, I was craving words...

Witty words, wise words...ones that inspire me, calm me, make me giggle, stir my inside...

So I pulled a few (or maybe several) that struck me tonight.  Enjoy!

As I mentioned yesterday, these past few weeks have posed a struggle in my spirit.  These beautiful expressions remind my heart to simple be still...

Can I just be the first to say (ok, I know I'm no where near the first to say this)...

Adulthood sometimes sucks.  Just flat out isn't fun.  Oh at times what I would give to go back to the simple days when other people took care of me and my biggest responsibility was learning my multiplication facts.

Speaking of growing up--it also added worry.  And as the ecard so perfectly states--most of the time that worry and the resulted stress is completely unwarranted and a waste of my imagination.

 So that's why I turn to you, blogland.  Because writing is my outlet, and because when I feel no one understands or will listen, you do.  Even if I have no readers, I have expression.  And it allows me to put identity on my thoughts.  Writing does this girl's heart good!

what words are speaking to you these days?  Share them with me.   This was only the tip of the iceberg.  Visit my  Pinterest board for a fuller glimpse at my love of words; especially ones of wisdom and wit...

love, angie

Pinterest Recipe--Crispy Chicken with Creamy Italian Sauce and Bowtie Pasta

Surely there can be a shorter name for this dish...

Back to my Pinterest menu challenge.  You can catch the other recipes and posts I've done already here and here.  This is one of the first recipes I remember pinning, and here I am finally making it:  Crispy Chicken with Creamy Italian Sauce and Bowtie Pasta.

Original Source 

It was a little more involved that the others (and than I was expecting), but it was still very doable by someone who's not a pro in the kitchen.  First of all, the chicken is fried; I had assumed it was baked.  That intimidated me a little because I have the tendency to burn the outside of things I fry, and often the inside remains uncooked--with chicken, that just wouldn't be acceptable.  Surprisingly enough, everything turned out perfect!  Just follow her instructions and you'll be just fine.

*Notes:  I cooked extra pasta than the recipe calls for (after the fact).  I chose to mix the sauce and pasta together before serving, and the ratio was far too high on the sauce--even if they were served separately, the recipe produced a whole lot of sauce for only 12 oz of noodles.  I added another 6 oz and it was still a little heavy on the sauce for my liking (especially since it's so creamy).  So next time I make this, I will either double the amount of pasta or cut the sauce mixture in half.

*The pasta and sauce was super quick and easy to make and could easily be served without the chicken (the meat and frying was the involved part...).  However, they compliment each other nicely, and the salty/crispy of the chicken balances the creamy richness of the sauce.

*The chicken is pretty irresistible when it's hot--I had to make myself stop munching on it!  Reheated, it loses its crunch.  It's still pretty tasty, but the crunch adds another level to it.  For that reason, this meal is better served right after cooking it.

Mine, Bella's plate.  Her plating skills are better, but at least they looked similar!

Again, in normal circumstances, I would pair this with some veggies (the thought of asparagus with it sounds delish) and possibly a bread of sorts...but with Hunter's schedule and my having to have "dinner" cooked in the middle of the afternoon, I'm lucky to have anything made on time.  Plus, it has to be made by mid-afternoon but won't be eaten by either of us until 3-8 hours later...  I'm so ready to be back to a normal routine!

And very importantly again...

the wee one says "yum!"

happy feasting,

angie

*Visit my Pinterest "Food Fun" board; Follow me on Pinterest*

Crispy Chicken with Creamy Italian Sauce  and Bowtie Pasta Time: 45 minutes Yield: 6 servings Recipe from Jamie Cooks It Up! 3 large chicken breasts 5 C corn flakes 3/4 C flour 1/2 t salt 1/2 C milk 6 T olive oil   1   12 oz package bowtie noodles (farfalle) Sauce:  1   10 oz container Philadelphia Cooking Cream (Italian Cheese and Herb Flavor) 2 cans cream of chicken soup 1 C chicken broth 1/2 C milk  fresh parsley, chopped (optional)    1. In a small food processor crush the corn flakes into crumbs.  2. Add the 1/2 t salt to the 3/4 C flour. Stir to combine.  3. Place the flour, milk and crushed cornflakes each into their own separate pan.  Loaf pans work well for this. If you don't have three loaf pans, do not dismay.  You could use pie tins, or round cake pans...what ever works for you.  4. Place your chicken breasts in a gallon sized Ziploc bag and seal the top.  Pound the chicken flat with a meat mallet. You will really be thankful for the  Ziploc bag in this step. Who wants a bunch of chicken guts flying around their kitchen?  Not me...that's who.  5. Take a pair of sharp kitchen scissors and cut each breast in half.  6. Dredge the chicken in the flour. Be sure it gets covered on both sides.  Lay the floured chicken onto a small cookie sheet and slide the sheet into the freezer.  Let it hang out there for about 5 minutes.  7. Start cooking your pasta.  8. Remove the chicken from the freezer and dredge each piece in the milk and then  immediately into the corn flake crumbs. Again, be sure both sides are covered well.  9. Add the olive oil to a hot skillet.  10. Carefully lay each chicken piece into the hot oil. Sprinkle with a little bit of salt  and pepper. Cook over medium high heat for about 5 minutes.... or until the underside of each piece is nice and golden brown. Turn the pieces over.  If the bottom of the pan is dry add just a bit more olive oil to the side of the pan.  Swirl the pan around a bit to let the oil flow to all sides.  11. Cover the pan and reduce the heat to medium.  Let the chicken cook for about  7 more minutes, being careful not to burn the bottoms. Burned bottoms are not advised.  In any shape or form. Thank you.  12. When your chicken has been cooked through remove it from the pan and place it  on a plate. Cover with tin foil.   13. Into the same pan pour your broth. Philly Cooking Creme, Cream of Chicken, and milk. Whisk the sauce around and let it get all warm and bubbly.  Should only take about 3 minutes.  14. Slice your chicken into strips and serve over your cooked pasta and sauce.  Garnish with chopped parsley if you choose.  Enjoy

Pinterest Recipes--Cube Steak & Gravy

If you missed yesterday's post and recipe, I explained that I wasn't able to do a full two weeks of new recipes as originally planned due to being crazy busy...  But I am still trying several new ones and sharing them with you!

Tonight was Cube Steak and Gravy--Winner, Winner, Crockpot Dinner!  Not only was it delicious, but it's a crockpot recipe which means I automatically love it because of how easy it is.

Original Source

Super simple, only a few ingredients, cooks on low all day (or on high for a few hours and low for a few if you're in more of a hurry like I was).  I served it over rice and it was fabulous.  Even the baby bird approved!

Cheep Cheep, feed me, feed me!

Learning how to do this spoon thing--she's getting pretty good at it.

Mmmmmm. ( complete with raised inflection to show true enjoyment!)

I ate a big bowl of it, I sent Hunter to work with a big bowl of it, and she ate a whole big girl sized bowl full of it--this will be one that stays in my recurring recipe mental file for sure.

enjoy,

angie

*Visit my Pinterest "Food Fun" board; Follow me on Pinterest*

Crockpot Cube Steak and Gravy

Cube steak (family sized pack)

2 cans (10.75 ounce size) cream of mushroom soup

1 envelope onion soup mix

3/4  cup water

Salt and Pepper to taste (Angie--and Tony's, can't leave that out!)

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a crock pot. Cook on low all day. Serve over rice, noodles, mashed potatoes or with your favorite side dishes.

Pinterest Recipes--Taco Pasta Bake

If you'll remember this post a couple of weeks ago, I challenged myself to try out some of those recipes whose pictures and descriptions entice me on Pinterest.  I figured that if I'm going to dream and drool over the pictures, why not try to create some of the stuff I pin?

I haven't been able to dedicate the full two weeks to Pinterest recipes as I had originally hoped--who knew that the first two weeks (actually the whole month) of February would be so busy and involved?!  Anywho, based on our schedule and the nights I'll be home to cook (and how long it took me to get to the grocery store this check...), I've decided to try the following recipes I found on Pinterest:

1. Taco Pasta Bake
2. Cube Steak/Gravy
3. Breakfast Casserole
4. Cheeseburger Soup
5. Crispy Chicken Pasta
6. Creamy Garlic Pasta

Tonight (really this afternoon since I'm cooking around Hunter's turnaround schedule), I made the Taco Pasta Bake.  

Original Source

It was a hit!  Because we're on a weird schedule, I didn't make anything to go with it, which I would change next time.  It needs some veggies and bread to compliment it.

But overall, it was a pretty simple and fairly cheap recipe to follow (especially if you buy in bulk and keep browned ground meat on hand like I do).  I might also add a little more cheese just because we are big cheese people (especially me!).

And most importantly...

it passed the test of the littlest judge :)

happy feasting,

angie

Ingredients

1/2 – 3/4 of a bag of large noodle pasta like ziti
approx. 1lb of ground beef
1 pkg/envelope of taco seasoning
1C water
1/2 pkg of cream cheese
1 1/2C shredded cheese (I used marble)

Directions

1. boil pasta until just cooked, drain, run cold water over it

2. brown ground beef

3. mix together taco season and 1C of water, pour over cooked beef and let simmer for about 5 minutes until the liquid has reduced

4. add the 1/2 pkg of cream cheese to the beef mixture, stir until melted and combined, remove from heat

5. put pasta in your casserole dish or pot, mix in 1C of the shredded cheese

6. top pasta and cheese with beef mixture, gently mix until the pasta is coated

7. top with remaining 1/2C of shredded cheese

8. bake at 350 uncovered for approx 30 minutes

a Pinterest Menu

Earlier this week, my BFF sent me to her board to find a Pinterest recipe she had found, tried, and loved.  This may have led to a small Pinterest stalking session of her food board (I mean, I had to scroll through there to find the one I was looking for anyway!), which gave me what I hope was a fabulous idea!

For the first pay period/two weeks of February (and if it goes well, maybe the whole month), I will be trying a new recipe from Pinterest every night.  I'm taking these last two weeks in January to go through and find the ones I want to try, print out the recipes, and make out a grocery list.  Then starting February 1, we'll be off to the exciting task of a new to us meal every night!

Hopefully I'm up for the challenge and hopefully I get some fabulous new recipes to add to my book of keepers :)

I'll post the recipes I make on here as well as our review after I cook it.  So hang around--and maybe even join us on our challenge!

love, angie

Well that's "Pinterest"ing!

Ok, I have finally succumbed to the addicting world of Pinterest!  For those of you who are unfamiliar with the site, it's basically the ultimate idea hub.  It allows anyone to link an interesting or creative idea they find or create, which then allows other members to view and "pin" their posts.  You can "pin" these ideas you love to any "cork boards" that you create--basically allowing you to bookmark and organize the amazing ideas you find, all at the same time!  It is just fantastic...

But fair warning:  browsing this site can be quite addictive!

Today I created my first little inspiration from Pinterest.  Since our office is now transforming into Arabella's room, we had to get creative and repurpose a small, old entertainment center/storage unit in our kitchen.  It's now our desk--Newby household central.  And since I'm a very visual person and a classic list maker, it was driving me crazy that I no longer have desk space to leave out my notepads or my calendar. That's where Pinterest came in handy.  I found this great, easy, and cheap idea for making your own dry erase boards!  And they're so much prettier than those dull white ones...

All you need is a picture frame and a piece of scrapbook paper (obviously something not too busy, and a color light enough that you will be able to see the writing).  Cut the paper to the size of your frame, pop everything back in, hang it on the wall, and voila!  You're own little homemade dry erase boards :)

Simple silver frames for $5.99 at Michael's.  Craft paper, $0.59 a sheet.  Less than 15 dollars to create both of them!

I love the little bit of pizzazz they add to our new little "office" area!  Now to find something creative to use a shelf/storage unit over the computer :)

Now I just need a cute and easy way to store the markers...any suggestions?

Happy crafting!   love, angie