Serendipity Moments

by Anna // March 25, 2012 // 1 Comment

I serve on the Power of Moms board. We have a great goal-setting/reaching program called The Bloom Game where we are able to go up and set goals for ourselves in many different areas and it is kind of fun because you get to do it as a game. Recently our board was put to a two month Bloom challenge by site co-founder Saren Loosli. She needed some peer pressure to work on her goals, and I sure did as well, so we are all having fun doing this together–I was doing pretty well until this week, but that’s beside the point. Anyway, we set goals in 3 areas each week as well as sharing 2 “serendipity moments”–times when out of the blue we learn something or realize something or are able to stop and take a teaching/nurturing moment with our children. I have actually experienced a couple of those kinds of moments since starting this challenge and it has been a truly good experience. I will share one of those:

One of my goals one week was to really pray about what message the Lord wanted me to learn during my scripture study time and I set a goal to do that 3 times that week. Now, this goal for me had two purposes–one was to actually study the scriptures 3 times (I am so slack in this area) and one was to actually look for something the Lord wanted to tell me. One day I was reading from the ENSIGN–church magazine–in an issue that was all talks from our November 2010 (yes I am behind in my reading there as well) General Conference. The particular talk was really more focused on the responsibilities of the men of the church. It was a really good message for anyone, though, and when I got to the end I was thinking that maybe there was no specific thing there for me to take away. Then it hit me! An answer to a question that I had about how to recognize our young women in our congregation, as they accomplish milestones in their auxiliary of the church while they advance to the next level or age group. That was my Serendipity Moment–seeing that the Lord does answer any question we have when we take the time to ask to receive his messages for us.

Other moments can be stopping what you are busily doing when your young child wants you to read with him and enjoying that time without worrying about getting the laundry done on time or finishing that scrapbook page or getting that blog post done on time. Here are some others you might enjoy reading about.

Chicken & Dressing Casserole

by Anna // March 15, 2012 // No Comments

This is one of my favorite comfort casseroles and it’s a big favorite when you invite missionaries over to eat supper. Our’s just left a bit ago and I am surprised that there are leftovers. They put a major munch on this!

Ingredients:

5 chicken breasts (or 2 fryers or use 3 boneless, skinless breasts (cooked) and use packaged chicken broth)

1 regular (14oz.) package Pepperidge Farm Herb Dressing Mix (reserve 1/4 cup)

2 cans cream of chicken soup (I used the low fat version and didn’t notice any difference in taste!)

2 soup cans of chicken stock

1 stick butter or margarine

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 cup milk

1. Simmer chicken until tender. Save stock and strain. Let chicken cool; remove bones and cut into bite-size chunks.

2. Combine soup, stock and butter in pan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Add black pepper.

3. In a slightly greased 9×13 pan, layer half of dry dressing mix, half of chicken and half the soup mixture (about 2 1/2 to 3 cups soup mixture). Repeat layers.

4. Beat eggs in milk and pour over top of casserole. Sprinkle reserved dressing over top.

5. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Serves 10.

This is great served with cranberry sauce and green beans, I mean, if you just needed to know…

Source: My mom, Pat Brew, in our first edition of the Brew Family Cookbook.

Arroz a la Mexicana (Mexican Rice)

by Anna // March 1, 2012 // No Comments

This is an easy recipe for rice. I know that there are packaged rices that are really good, but for our traditional Christmas Eve dinner I prefer to go with “scratch-made.” For years I have finagled the process because I didn’t have a Dutch oven. I would use a cast iron skillet and then transfer the mixture into a stone bowl and flip a round stone baker over that for a lid and bake it. This year I finally bought a Dutch oven and oh my it is so much easier now! Love my Dutch oven! But I digress, this is about the rice…

Ingredients:

2 cups salsa

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups white rice, uncooked

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a 3-quart, oven-proof saucepan or small Dutch oven (with lid), heat the oil over medium heat. Add the rice and cook, stirring regularly, until the rice is chalky looking, about 5 minutes. If some kernels brown, it’s okay.

2. Add the salsa–I use this recipe or just use any roasted tomato and jalapeno salsa–and stir for a minute as the salsa sears and reduces a little.

3. Add the broth and a teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil, stir once, scraping down any rice that is on the sides of the pan. Cover tightly and bake for 25 minutes. Rice is done if you can bite into a grain and it is nearly cooked through.

4. If rice is ready, cover and let stand out of the oven for 5-10 minutes longer to finish cooking. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of fresh chopped cilantro over the rice, then use a fork to fluff rice and fold in the cilantro.

Okay, here is a picture of my new Dutch oven. Isn’t it pretty? Better Homes and Gardens at Walmart….

Source: Rick Bayless’ Mexican Kitchen.

Rustic Autumn Fruit Tart

by Anna // February 2, 2012 // 1 Comment

Oh my goodness, what a yummy tart! I pulled this from the internet to use at Thanksgiving but since we ended up having it at my sister’s house, I put the recipe away. I found it the other day and decided to make it for our Christmas Eve Eve dinner. That was not a typo. We had our Christmas Eve dinner early because we went home to eastern North Carolina the next day. Anyway, this was our dessert and it was really good. The crust–oh my–I may have to make my next pie with this.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, chilled 1/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup cream cheese 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 apples peeled, cored, sliced 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

1 pear peeled, cored, sliced 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 cup orange juice 1/2 cup apricot jam, warmed

1. Cut the cold butter and cream cheese into the flour until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. I usually use a pastry blender but this time I used my Ninja which was much quicker. You just pulse the butter and flour until the mixture resembles cornmeal, then add the cream cheese and pulse until it looks like the size of small peas. You should be able to squeeze a handful of the dough and make a ball. Shape the dough into a small disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least an hour.

2. Toss the apples and pear with the orange juice. Whisk together the brown sugar,spices and cornstarch. Toss the fruit with the sugar-spice mixture and set aside.

3. Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F. Set out an 8-inch tart pan or do like me and make a free-form tart, lightly greasing a baking sheet.

4. Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured work surface to form a 10-inch circle. Transfer the dough to the tart pan or baking sheet. ~~Arrange the fruit decoratively~~ Plop the fruit in the middle of the pastry (really, I just had no time to be fancy). If you are using a baking sheet, leave a 2-inch rim of dough and fold it up over the edge of the fruit (the folds will overlap).

5. Bake the tart in the oven until the crust is browned and the filling is bubbly, about 30 minutes. Remove the tart from the oven and brush it with the apricot jam.

I served this with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. You could use whipped cream.

Source: CULINARY JEN, allrecipes.com

Southern Chicken & Corn Chowder

by Anna // January 19, 2012 // 3 Comments

This is probably the first corn chowder I have ever made and possibly the first one I have ever eaten. I pinned this recipe on Pinterest. You can get it at this site Add A Pinch. I made it this afternoon but didn’t get to actually partake until after 9:00 tonight. Busy, busy Sunday! Hope you enjoy.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion (I used 3 shallots, because that is what I had on hand)
2 carrots
3 celery stalks (I used a cup of chopped, re-hydrated celery from my pantry)
3 garlic cloves (didn’t use, since I was using shallots, but think it would be better if I had used some)
1 jalapeno pepper
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 pieces cooked bacon
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 20-oz. packages frozen creamed corn, thawed

1. Drizzle olive oil into the bottom of a large, lidded soup pot. Place over medium heat.

2. Add roughly chopped onion, carrots, celery, and minced garlic. Cover pot with lid and cook for about 5 minutes.

3. Remove stems, seeds, and membrane from jalapeno. Dice pepper finely and add to other vegetables.

4. Cube chicken breasts and add to vegetables. Add enough water to slightly cover all ingredients. Cover and cook for about 20 minutes, or until chicken is done.

5. Crumble bacon and add to the chowder.

6. Combine milk and flour in a measuring cup and stir well. Add to chowder.

7. Open packages of creamed corn and add to the chowder.

8. Sprinkle dried thyme into chowder and stir to combine.

9. Cover pot and simmer over low heat for about 20 minutes. Be careful not to let it burn. I actually scorched mine but didn’t realize it until I was pouring the leftover chowder into a bowl to put it in the fridge. Had a great time scouring the bottom of the pan. Yeah.

Source: Add A Pinch

Three Cheese Roasted Vegetables

by Anna // January 5, 2012 // 4 Comments

This is one of our family’s favorite side dishes and is actually healthy and easy to prepare. I read an article–I think it was Family Circle, but it could have been Woman’s Day–by a mother who was trying to prepare healthy, tasty food for her family. I clipped several of her recipes so maybe you will see some more in future blogs. This recipe is also visually appealing. Try it.

Ingredients:

2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

2 medium carrots, pared and cut into 1/2-inch slices

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon each basil and oregano, crushed

1/4 teaspoon each salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 large zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups (8-oz.) 4-cheese blend (I use Mexican)

1. Place potatoes and carrots in greased 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Drizzle with oil; sprinkle with basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Toss lightly to coat.

2. Bake at 425 for 20 minutes. Add zucchini, red pepper and garlic; stir vegetables. Return to oven and bake 20 minutes more, until vegetables are tender.

3. Sprinkle with cheese; return to oven about 2 minutes more to melt the cheese.

This could have been a full picture including a lovely dish, but we dug in before I could get the shot!

TIP: When I need to save time, I cut up my vegetables ahead of time and place them in plastic bags and store in the fridge until I am ready to use them.

Source: Family Circle or Woman’s Day Magazine, 1990’s

Microwave Fudge

by Anna // December 22, 2011 // No Comments

Okay, it’s 3 days before Christmas, you are in a wrapping, baking, last-minute-shopping frenzy! Oh snap, the neighbors dropped off some goodies! You were so not expecting that! What do you do? You pull out this recipe and whip up a batch (or 2 or 3…) of yummy, quick fudge!

Ingredients:

1 box (1 lb.) powdered sugar, sifted

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup cocoa

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla

chopped pecans ( opt.)

1. Pour ingredients in microwavable bowl. Cook 2 minutes 30 seconds on high. Stir until smooth.

2. Pour into greased pan and cool.

3. Cut into pieces and ENJOY!!

And for you, Mom, on January 2, when the kids are back in school…a glass of fudge and a good book. Ahhhh…..

Cookbook Nook: THRIVE Cookbook

by Anna // December 8, 2011 // 2 Comments

How many of you are overly-whelmed when you think about purchasing/organizing/rotating/eating your food storage? I am. Believe me. I have purchased several books, including Food Storage for the Clueless, in an attempt to get up-close and personal with my preparedness and really get my head around it. Well…still working on that. However, I have found a few ways to help ME. One is, I got on the Q program with Shelf Reliance’s THRIVE foods. I get an automatic shipment each month and they figure out what I need and just ship it. Anyway, you can find out more about that HERE. I recently ordered their new cookbook which is fully titled “THRIVE Cookbook: Food That Fits Your Lifestyle.” I like the sound of that don’t you?

I have only used a couple of the recipes so far, but we like them! They taste good. They taste normal. I am looking forward to preparing many more dishes from this book and using…yes USING..my food storage.

STUFFED PEPPERS!!

(For Cooking Channel fans, Kelsey Nixon is very involved with THRIVE foods and has included several signature recipes in this book.)

Grilled Asparagus

by Anna // November 24, 2011 // No Comments

These look so much better than mine!
Image by Tina Phillips/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I bought 2 lbs. of fresh asparagus this weekend to have with some leftover brisket–hmmm…need to post that recipe one day–anyway, it looked kind of sketchy but I got the best two bunches I could at Walmart. I planned on grilling them on my George Foreman grill but knew they would just roll off and there were too many spears, so then I remembered that I bought a stove top grill last year and had not used it but once. Well, here was a perfect opportunity to try it again. It worked perfectly! And OhMyGosh…that asparagus was awesome. Here is what I did…

Ingredients:

Fresh asparagus spears

Olive Oil

Sea salt

Garlic Salt

1. Wash and trim ends of asparagus stalks.

2. Place in a gallon-size plastic reclosable bag along with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and a few shakes of garlic salt.

3. Close the bag and “moosh” the asparagus around in the bag and get it well-coated with the oil mixture.

4. Place on a preheated stove top grill and sprinkle with the salt. Grill until the asparagus is just flexible but not mushy. You want it to have a little crunch when you bite into it. You can also just saute the asparagus in a non-stick skillet if you don’t want the grilled effect, but really…grilled is sooooo good…

Source: Original

Eventually Chicken Soup

by Anna // November 17, 2011 // No Comments

Yes. That is what it is called. Here’s the deal…I put some frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts, a can of cream of mushroom soup, about 2 cups of frozen mixed vegetables, sea salt and fresh ground pepper in the crock pot before church and cooked it on high for about 4 hours. When we got home it was like a chicken stew. It was okay, but needed help. The next night I added cilantro, a can of chopped green chilies and some farfalle pasta, some kosher salt and water and let it cook until the pasta was done. Now that was good and it ended up being a soup. We ate the last of it tonight–glad there was enough left to get a picture for our blog.

Ingredients:
4 frozen chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
1 can cream of mushroom soup (I used Campbell’s Healthy Request)
1 1/2 – 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
1 small can chopped green chilies
Kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper
Fresh cilantro
1 1/2 cups farfalle pasta (bow tie)
water

1. Place chicken breasts, soup, vegetables, salt and pepper in a crock pot. Cook on high for 4 hours.

2. Add chilies, cilantro, pasta and enough hot water to desired amount and cook until pasta is done.

Source: Original Recipe