Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

Why, pray tell, is pumpkin only an fall food?? I mean, the canned stuff on the shelf year-round. And it tastes good year-round. And by good, I mean amazing. I love pumpkin. Nom nom nom nom nom. Get the picture?

I’ve love starting the morning with a smoothie. They don’t take long, they’re filling, nutritious, and easily adaptable.

Pre-blending. Not so pretty.

Since I’ll be gone all summer, I’ve been trying to use of a bunch of excess stuff I had in my pantry. So most recipes I’ll be posting will be part of a “cleaning out my pantry” series. I had a can of pumpkin in the pantry so I figured I should use it. Why not?? Just because its spring? Pshhh….bring on the pumpkin.

Recipe from: Oh She Glows

1 Tblsp Ground Flaxseed
1/2 Cup Pumpkin Puree
1 Cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
1 heaping tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 tsp Molasses
1/2 Scoop Vanilla Protein Powder
4-5 Cubes of Ice

Smokey Sweet Potato Homefries

Apparently I’m on a breakfast kick. I already told you I could eat breakfast for every meal so just go with it.

The boys loved these. But, I’ve determined they may not be the best taste testers since they seem to love everything. The Nutella cheesecake that I couldn’t get to set; they said “What are you talking about?! It tastes fantastic!” The time I couldn’t get my Texas Gold Bars just quite right; they begged for the whole pan. Maybe aesthetics don’t matter at all. I could just through a bunch of their favorite foods in bowl and hand them a spoon.

These called for smoked paprika. So I sprinkled it on. Then I saw chipotle powder in my spice drawer. And I smelled the essence of smokiness from the paprika. Then I looked back at the chipotle powder.

Yeah…it was asking, no begging, to be sprinkled on top of these succulent, smokey chunks of sweet potatoes.

So I did as the chipotle requested and dusted a little on top. It was a lovely little marriage.

Recipe adapted from: How Sweet It Is

2 large sweet potatoes-peeled and cut in cubes
1 small sweet onion-diced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp chipotle powder
1-2 tblsp EVOO

Heat a skillet and EVOO over medium heat. Add onion. Season the sweet potato cubes with salt, pepper, paprika and chipotle powder. Add to skillet. Let brown, flip. Serve when softened.

Oh…and do that whole mimosa thing again. You still deserve one.

S’mores Pancakes and Brinner

I love breakfast food. In the morning. At night. For lunch. Brunch. Snack. Midnight feasts. And apparently brinner. (Remember the world’s best french toast?)

So when Josh asked for a “brinner” to celebrate his birthday and the end of finals, I couldn’t wait.
I had seen a recipe for s’mores pancakes recently, but decided to play around with it a little and see what I could do. I knew I had to have some graham flavor (I love graham crackers), chocolate and ‘mallow. (“Then you take the ‘mallow…” -Sandlot, anyone? Anyone?? ok. Moving on). I was quite happy with this concoction and, of course, the whole group loved them. I’m gonna miss my taste testers!

The usual group came, plus one of Scott’s friends from out of town, Brooks. Brooks brought some mexican martinis to the mix, Grant made breakfast burritos, Becca and Josh brought biscuits and I made pan sausage and white gravy to top the biscuits (we’re obviously southern), I made brown sugar bacon, some Pumpkin pancakes from a mix I got at one of my favorite restaurants, Kerby Lane, and some s’mores pancakes.

None of it made sense together. But, we didn’t care. Honestly, we were exhausted from the tediousness of the past week, the stress of the finals we’d just taken and all that mattered was spending out last weekend together before finals.

And, of course, it was an excellent way to put some food away before our partying. ; ) Yeah…it was the last day of finals. And we would be slowly leaving town over the next week. Its what we do.

Recipe adapted from: Food.com

1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 tblsp light brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1 1/4 cup milk
2 tblsp melted butter
3/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat griddle to medium/medium-high. Mix flours, graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. In a seperate bowl, mix egg, butter and milk until frothy. Add to wet ingredients and stir together. Fold in the chocolate chips. Pour small amount onto griddle and cook a few minute on each side until golden brown.

Marshmallow sauce from: Can Do You Stay For Dinner?

1 cup marshmallow fluff
2 tblsp boiling water

Mix until mixture is syrup-y.

Top pancakes with fluff syrup and extra chocolate chips. EAT.

Oh…and have a mimosa, too. You deserve it!

A Law School Family Easter

“Live in the moment and make it so beautiful that it will be worth remembering!” 
-Crosby

Family is sometimes what you make it. Sometimes it isn’t about blood.

I love my law school family. They get me through finals stress, emotional breakdowns, caffeine meltdowns, sugar cravings, sweat-pants only weeks (yes, weeks), baseball cap days, social embarrassment from said sweats and baseball cap days, cruel professors, late nights, and lonely holidays.

And we have fun too. Dinner nights, and softball league arguments, and karaoke embarrassment, and flag football bruises, and Just Dance 2 awkwardness.

Michael cutting the mozzarella

The value of having these people in my life only continually goes up, especially as we all sift through case law, and text books, and outlines, and rules we should have learned before finals week. We sympathize, uplift, encourage, and inspire each other. And make each other laugh. Hibernating with copious sugar and caffeine in our study caves leaves us texting each other “I miss you!”s and “Only one more”s. I bake to relieve stress. Grant trades me two 12 packs of diet coke in exchange for my baked goods. Josh texts constant reminders of how close our Brinner (breakfast for dinner) party is after our last final. Early morning good lucks and late night funnies. We make it through.

I know I’ve told you this before, but I’ve become a MUCH happier person in this town ever since I found this group of friends. I honestly can’t describe how much I love them. In fact, I have a little secret: while I’m so beyond excited about my summer, I’m going to miss my friends here. A lot.

I hope they follow through on their promise to visit with Christa. And ride back with me. And go to Vegas on the way back. Ok…I digress. But, have I told you that I’m really really really excited about summer?

Anyway, back to Easter.

Because of our finals schedule this year, I didn’t get to go home for Easter. In fact, I haven’t been home in 5 months. I hate it. I miss my family. But, I’m also happy enough here that I haven’t hit the feeling of full-on homesick. Anyway, since my friends and I were all going to be here for Easter, we decided to celebrate together.

Because it just wouldn’t be Easter without a good (read: huge) dinner and family.

The drizzling.

Scott came to mass with me that morning and I saw at least 15 law students there. The solidarity of stressed students stuck here in Waco was comforting. I didn’t have time to do an full-fleged Sunday family dinner, we we opted for a pot luck instead.

As good as candy. Seriously.

That would be me.

Here’s how that went:
Me: Baked chicken pasta, bean salad, Texas gold bars.
Scott: Homemade salsa, and some chicken, sun dried tomato and spinach dish (That I need the recipe for…so good!)
Michael: Caprese salad skewers (that I helped him make and made a balsamic reduction for)
Becca and Josh: Red Velvet cake, apple crisps
Grant: LOTS of wine and a box for croissants from Wal-mart

For law students, mid-finals, we didn’t do half bad.

Cutting board from my mom, with the description.

My mom had sent me an excellent Easter basket the day before with a new apron, a wooden cutting board, a luggage tag, a prayer book, funny napkins, and a pashmina (seriously, she makes a killer Easter bunny. The woman knows me so well!). But, it wasn’t until Michael and I were putting together the caprese skewers that I realized the cutting board had been made out of olive wood from the Holy Land. Precious, Mom. And very Easter appropriate.

Scott, Michael, and Grant digging in.

We had an evening with lots of wine, sharing, a movie and a break from the stress of looming finals. If I couldn’t be home for easter, this was the next best thing.

Too many people for my apartment. And a baseball game on TV.

This is my Family. Even if they aren’t blood.

Michael had called earlier to decide what to bring. I was having a caprese craving like I’ve never experienced before. I usually crave sweets if I’m going to crave any type of food. Occasionally french fries. But, caprese was a new one for me.

Beautiful Becca. With Lauren and Scott on the couch.

So he suggested we put them on skewers. And I suggested we drizzle them with a balsamic reduction. Yummmm. We make an excellent team. I didn’t get any easter candy, but the perfect caprese skewer can make up for that.

This isn’t even a recipe. But whatever.

Josh tying my apron on Scott so he can do the dishes.

Its up there with pizza as my favorite food. And stawberries. And pineapple. And chocolate.

Yeah…pizza, caprese, strawberries and pineapple. Hawaiian Caprese Pizza next week. With chocolate covered strawberries for desert. #winning (yes, I often speak in hashtags. #blameTwitter)

Caprese Skewers:
Cherry or Grape Tomatoes
A few basil leaves
1 ball of fresh mozzarella (cute in cubes)
about 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
Wooden skewers

Place balsamic vinegar in pot. Simmer for about 15 minutes, or until reduced to a couple of tablespoons.
Meanwhile, skewer tomatoes, mozzerella, and torn basil leaves. Drizzle with balsamic reduction.

It sounds fancier than it is. : )

Best part of the evening. Shhh...he'll kill me for posting these.

**I promise a real recipe soon. Really. I promise.
Also, please excuse my horribly, poorly decorated apartment. I am a broke law student, remember??

“A” English Toffee

Aren’t Mom’s recipes always the best? My mom’s always are anyway. I tried this toffee for the first time around Christmas and took it to school. Mine isn’t up to the level of hers yet, but I’m trying. My Constitutional Law professor, who we lovingly refer to as “The Godfather” because he’s been here so long, loved it. He kept asking me for more when I saw him in the hall.

So I made him his own. Its worth an A, right?

Wrong. Apparently only a B+. So I teased him that my toffee was definitely worth an A. He laughed and said “You turn it in with your final next time!”

So last Thursday, for my Civil Liberties final, I did just that.

He said loudly, “This is bribery!”

Yeah…at his suggestion.

Honestly, he’d never give me a better grade because of it. But, no one makes below a B+ in Civil Liberties. The Godfather told me he was going to have to walk 10 miles after eating all that toffee.

An “A” would be beautiful. And really, Mom’s recipe for English Toffee is worth an “A,” right?

I thought so.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 stick butter
1/2 cup slivered almonds + more for topping
12 ounces milk chocolate (I used bakers chocolate, but feel free to use milk chocolate candy bars, or even semi-sweet chocolate chips)

Mix sugar, butter and almonds in pan over medium high heat. Stir constantly until combined and golden-brown. The all ingredients are incorporated and caramel-like, pour onto greased cookie sheet. Let harden. Meanwhile, melt chocolate. Then pour on top of hardened and somewhat cooled toffee. Sprinkle with almonds reserved for topping. When completely cooled, break apart and serve.

*Note I’ll soon try this with dark chocolate. Because I love dark chocolate. And its better for you…which means I can eat more, right?

Tiramisu French Toast

Before finals, the law school professors serve the students a “not-quite-midnight breakfast”. Pancakes, bacon, eggs, fruit trays, biscuits and gravy. All dished up by our profs at about 9 pm on the last day of class. Its a wink-and-a-nudge to the fact that we’re in for numerous sleepless nights over the next couple of weeks.

So for my traditional sunday night dinner with the boys (my Law School Family), I decided we should do our own, even better, breakfast for dinner. The week before, I had made a tiramisu tart. Surprisingly, the boys informed me that they loved tiramisu. Which was good news because I had leftover mascarpone cheese. Lots of it.

Some of the ingredients

Note: Even after this meal, I still have leftover mascarpone cheese. I should never shop with out a list. I overestimate everything.

mmm....Kahlua

Then I found a recipe for Tiramisu French Toast. Problem solved…partially. Gooey, sweet, luscious. With Coffee. Perfect, pre-finals indulgence.

The recipe called for instant coffee powder. But I has espresso powder on hand from the Tiramisu tart. And I had some Kahlua. Yeah…I did that. Mmmmm Kahlua. Liquor and coffee. Two of my favorite things. Bottled together. I mixed them in all of their goodness with the honey and mascarpone cheese.

Hello, delicious, creamy, perfection. How nice of you to join us for dinner.

We rounded out the meal with some brown sugar baked bacon (which Rachel Ray once taught me all about), some scrambled eggs with a little gruyere cheese shaved on top, and some smoky sweet potato homefries (recipe to come later).

Oh…and Mimosas. Don’t forget the mimosas. Just one more way our dinner was better than the one the school serves.

Tiramisu French Toast
Serves 4-6

Recipe adapted from: How Sweet It Is

1 Loaf Challah Bread
8 Large Eggs
1/4 Cup Heavy Cream
1 Tblsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 Tsp Cinnamon
1 Tblsp Instant Espresso Powder (divided)
1/2 Tblsp Sugar
1 Cup Mascarpone Cheese
1 Tblsp Honey
1 Tblsp Kahlua
Butter for griddle
1/2 Tblsp Cocoa Powder
Maple Syrup for Serving

1. Dissolve 1/2 tblsp espresso powder in 1 tblsp Kahlua. Microwave for about 10 seconds if needed to help dissolve. In separate bowl, mix mascarpone cheese, honey, and dissolved espresso powder and Kahlua. Set aside.
2. Whisk eggs, heavy cream, 1/2 Tblsp Espresso Powder, and sugar in a large bowl. Then transfer to baking dish to dredge the bread.
3. Preheat griddle or pan to medium to medium high heat.
4. Slice Challah bread in 1/2 inch slices.
5. Melt about a tablespoon of butter on griddle or pan.
5. Place challah slices in egg bath and let soak each side for about 30 seconds. Once coated, place on griddle. Let cook for about 1 minute (or until slightly browned) on each side.
6. Let the coated and cooked bread cool for about 1 minute before coating with the mascarpone mixture (it’ll melt if you put it on to early, but you still want nice warm french toast). Dust with cocoa powder. Drizzle with syrup and serve.

Enjoy.

*This was my first “food photography” experiment. Hopefully you’ll see my skills progress infinitely as I post more recipes. Thanks for bearing with me.

Whole Foods!

I love to grocery shop! I know..its weird. But so am I, so its fitting. I think part of it is because I love to cook so its fun to go and see what there is and what I can make. For example, I saw some buckwheat sweet potato noodles the other day. Hello!?! Healthy ingredients that sound fantastic. Perfect! I just need to figure out what to pair with it. Anyway, I got to go to Whole Foods on Sunday, and just being there inspires me to be a healthier person. Its a good thing I don’t live there because I’d probably just wander up and down the aisles, avoiding homework, and eating at the little food stations on a regular basis. Seriously. It would be bad! But, I got to stock up on good, healthy food like Tofu Shirataki noodles, Tempeh, Amy’s Organic meals, sweet potato gnocci, Ciao Bella Sorbet….seriously, I loaded up an ice chest and come back with bags of stuff. Oh, and I bought new Tom’s shoes so some child in Africa will be thrilled that I went to Whole Foods too. Its probably sad that one of my favorite store’s is a grocery store, but, yeah, it is. Judge away.

Anyway, I had been trying to go low carb-ish for awhile (but with only lean meats…its the South Beach version of the low-carb phase), and I don’t know why I try. Every time I try this, Friday rolls around and all I want to do is eat tortilla chips and frosted flakes (and by frosted flakes, I mean the whole box…dry…by the handful), and then wash it down with alcoholic beverages. Telling myself I can’t have something is the worst thing I can do for myself. But, when I just try to make healthy choices, I tend to eat bad things in moderation, and snack on fruits and veggies just because I enjoy them. So, really, I don’t know why I try. I feel AMAZING, when I stock my fridge with whole foods! Fruits, veggies, whole grains, legumes, lean protein. And I love whipping up healthy dishes!!

So after that whole schpeal (sp??), I’ll let you know that I’m 2 day from being done with month 1 of P90X. Woo-hoo. I definately feel like my arms are quite a bit more toned, so that’s excting. And, I made a great Quick Bean Chili the other day (becuase, oddly, its still what I would consider “chili-weather” up here) and I thought I’d share it with you! Try it out. The textured vegetable protein can be found in health food stores, or the bulk section of HEB and the only black soy beans I found were with all of the organic Amy’s beans. Enjoy!

Quick Bean Chili

Ingredients

• 1 tbls EVOO
• 5 scallions, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, any color, chopped
• 1 small zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1 (15 ounce) can black soybeans
• 1 (15 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 canned chipotle chili in adobo, minced, plus 2 tablespoons sauce from can
• 1/2 cup textured vegetable protein (TVP)
• 1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

Steps:

1. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add scallions, bell pepper, and zucchini. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables soften, about 5 minutes.
2. Add beans, and their liquid, tomatoes, chile, adobo sauce, and TVP.
3. Bring to a low boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cood 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Ladle into bowls and top with cheese.

A Home is Built with Love and Dreams

I love going home. When I walk in, I’m overwhelmed with the smell. Its a smell I can’t describe, but it is simply “home.” I immediately feel relaxed, happy, comforted. Its so easy to just revert back to my childhood there; I get to hug my parents, hang out with my brother and sister, and sleep in the room I grew up in. And no matter how much it changes, it still has those key elements: my family and the same comforting smell. The longer I stay there, the more attached I become. Coming back to school is so much harder if I’ve stayed for a week or more. I find the drive back longer, the upcoming week seeming more stressful, and my lonliness slightly elevated. I’ve had to leave the place where I feel the most comfort, the place where the people know me best, the place where my best friends all live under one roof, and come back to the place that I feel most alone. That juxtapostion makes Mondays back terrible. I find it difficult to leave home the closer departure comes; I just want to stay and visit and hug. For me, being home is like being wrapped up in a hug by the biggest arms God could give me. Even when no one is home, I can still feel the warmth and comfort of those arms wrapped around me.

This past weekend was one of those weekends where most of my family was gone. There was a softball tournament that my dad had to coach and I just didn’t feel like spending my last weekend home for awhile, away from home, so I stayed. But, I wanted to show my dad how much I love him and enjoyed my time home with him (seriously, the man is really my hero!), and I just don’t feel like I tell him as much as he tells me. I mean, the man sends me emails just to tell me that he loves me and is blessed by me! I’m so blessed to have a dad like him and its part of the reason I just love home. He makes me feel loved and safe and isn’t scared to put me in my place. He makes me a better person that way and I’m thankful for it…even if I get angry at the time! When he was growing up, this lady who lived down the street from my dad baked him a sour cream apple pie and he loved them! So, in an effort to show my dad some of the love that I feel for him (let’s be honest, I express my love through cooking for people. That little quirk I get from my mother! It makes me a little worried that I’m going to make myfuture husband fat…let’s hope he likes healthy food), I found a sour cream apple pie recipe online and made it for him. Turned out that he had a terrible day coaching and when he came home that day, he told me that he had really needed it that day. Perfect!!!

The apple pie turned out pretty well, if I do say so myself! So, I decided to share the recipe. Tips: make sure you slice the apples thin so that they get tender, and I doubled the topping because one dose of it didn’t seem like quite enough. So double up on the topping ingredients if you want to make extra, too.  Also, I used a store bought crust (c’mon, I’m not Martha Stewart!).  It was the refrgerated Pillsbury one and it was great!It was such a beautiful day to look out the window and watch the dogs play while I peeled and sliced apples and I even went for a little jog while the pie was in the oven. Yes, I did consider letting it cool on the window sill…ok, now I am sounding a little Martha Stewart-esque. Oops.  Like you, I was a little worried about sour cream in my pie, but don’t worry. It turned out great! Let me know if you get to try it and what you think.

Sour Cream Apple Pie

Ingredients

• 1 recipe of a pie crust (you can try making your own)
• 3 Tbls. unsalted butter, softened (For topping)
• 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbls. sugar (For topping)
• 1 tsp cinnamon (For topping)
• 2 Tbls. all-purpose flour (For topping)
• 1  1/3 cups sour cream (filling)
• 2/3 cup sugar (filling)
• 1/4 tsp salt (filling)
• 2 tsps vanilla extract (filling)
• 2 large eggs (filling)
• 3 Tbls. all-purpose flour (filling)
• 5 large granny smith apples (about 2  1/4 lbs.) (filling)

Prep

1. Roll out the dough 1/8 inch thick on a lightly floured surface, fit it into at 10 inch  pie plate, and flute the edge decoratively. Chill the shell while making the topping and filling.
2. Preheat oven to 350

Make the Topping:

1. In a small bowl, blend together the butter ( I melted mine a little, which made blending easier), the sugar, the cinnamon, and the flour until the mixture is combined well and chill the topping, covered, while making the filling.

Make the Filling:

1. In a large bowl whisk together the sour cream, the sugar, the salt, the vanilla, the eggs, and the flour until the mixture is smooth, add the apples, peeled, cored, and sliced thin, and stir the filling until it is combined well.
2. Spoon the filling into the chilled shell, smoothing the top, and crumble the topping evenly over it. Bake the pie in the middle of a preheated 350 degree oven for 1  1/4 hours, or until it is golden and the apples are tender, transfer it to a rack, and let it cool completely.

Fitness 2010

If I haven’t already told you, I’ve decided that I’m getting in shape this year. Yeah, yeah, I know…I pretty much say that every year. But, somehow, its a little different this year. The whole thyroid problem was diagnosed just over a year ago now, then I started law school madness, planned a wedding, and tried to lose weight and succeeded a little. Who says you can’t do it all!?! Pshhh (by, the way, have you noticed that I like these little asides? And yes, I just used an aside to tell you how much I like asides. I’m special.). Anyway, this year, its just about being fit; not thin in a wedding dress, but just about feeling as good as possible in my own skin without going to crazy extremes. Just being the best version of myself! So, every once in a while, you’re going to get little updates on here. It’ll keep me accountable, and I can share healthy recipes! Its a win-win.

Current workout plan: I started P90X yesterday. Is it weird that I already feel like my arms are more toned? Yeah, I thought to too. I push-upped and chin-upped myself into a coma yesterday. Then, I did the plyometrics DVD today and pretty much did jump squats, jump lunges, jump whatever forever. Note to Tony Horton: I am not an effing rabbit. Ok? Thanks. While if definitely got my heart rate into the 170s and I burned over 400 calories, I wasn’t drained the rest of the day and the weather was just so absolutely beautiful that I couldn’t help but want to go running. When the weather is like this, its just so mind-clearing and enjoyable; especially after the first 20 minutes or so. I feel like I just kinda forget that I’m running and putting my body throught hell, and just focus on the music and start thinking about life, love, and the pursuit of happiness (oh…oops, that was the Declaration of Independence). But, it was a great 3.3 mile run so the goal is to slowly increase the distance. And frankly, I feel like running is just soooo good for my legs! They do start looking better when I run on a regular basis; sorry, to be so frank, but hey, the goal of working out is to feel better about myself, so I might as well take note of it!

Now, on to the healthy cooking portion of our programming.  I’ve decided to pick one breakfast, one lunch, one dinner and one snack to cook every week. I’ll pick the weekly fave and share! Most serve four, which is nice, becuase I can eat on them all week but still take my friends up on dinner nights, etc. This weeks featured healthy recipe: “Souffle Stuffed Chicken” mmmmmm. Yum-O!

Ingredients:

• 1 package (12 ounces) Stouffer’s frozen spinach souffle, not thawed
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/4″ thickness
• 2 tablespoons EVOO
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• Salt
• Black pepper
• optional garnishes include: 1 tablespoon chopped parsley, Lemon slices, parsley sprigs

1. Preheat oven to 350. Cut the spinach souffle into 4 equal pieces.
2. Top half of each whole chicken breast with one piece of souffle. Fold half of the chicken over the filling and fasten the edges with wooden picks.
3. Then, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic adn cook for 3 minutes, or until golden. Discard the garlic. Add the chicken breasts to the skillet and cook for 7 minutes per side, or until well-browned on both sides.
4. Remove the chicken breasts and place in an oven-proof dish. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted in the thickest portion registers to 170 degrees and the juices run clear.
5. While the chicken is baking, add the broth, lemon juice, mustard, salt and pepper to the large skillet. Heat to boiling. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the sauce is reduced about 1/2.
6. To serve, remove and discard the wooden picks. Arrange the chicken on a warm serving platter, and spoon the sauce over the chicken. Garnish. (I just poured the sauce into the baking dish, that way, all I had to do was cover the dish with foil or a lid to store in the fridge!)

Hope you enjoy it!

Crowd-pleasing Soup

As promised, I will give you this ridiculously easy recipe for a bean soup. My mom gave me this recipe when I told her I was having people over for dinner and swore by it. So, being the good girl that I am, I trusted my mother and made the soup. The woman really is a great cook and knows how to entertain! Apparently, some woman she sees at the gym (always the likely place for acquaintances with my mother), says her kids and husband like it so much that she makes it once a week. Everyone here loved it and I think it fed about 6 girls and one guy. Anyone can make this so have fun and share!

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs lean ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 can black beans, undrained
• 1 can kidney beans, undrained
• 1 can pinto beans, undrained
• 1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 can corn
• 1 can Rotel
• 1 1 ounce packet of ranch dressing mix
• 1 packet of taco seasoning
• 2 cups water (I added a little extra for desired consistancy)

In a large pot, brown the meat, onion and garlic (if using a fatty meat, drain. But, I used extra lean ground beef so there was nothing to drain and it cut some of those calories!). Then, stir in everything else. Let simmer for a few minutes (the longer it sits, the more the flavors blend, so you could even put the whole thing together in the morning and then reheat at night. Its even better reheated!). Serve topped with avocado, shredded cheese, or sour cream.

Alright, (Bawabadackdackdack) well that’s all, folks! (yeah, I used to watch cartoons…yeah, I still hear the voices in my head. Is there anything wrong with that?) 

Note from the homily in mass this evening: “Christ is my Light and my Salvation.” Let that be the prism through which you view the world. Through it, you can handle any affliction.