A Recipe Share ...

A Recipe Share for everyone today.

I love You Tube, and follow quite a few people there.

Sometimes they share cooking video's and recipes,

and sometimes I like them so much I want to share them as well.

The following recipe is from "The Queens Cabinet".

The creator is a lady named Shelby who is currently cooking a Keto Diet for her family, as her husband has rejoined the national guard and needs to make his Army weight.

Basically she is going through her own recipes and converting them for Keto and WW.

This one is a recipe for a Artichoke Dip that she made and then used on top of grilled chicken breasts, which she popped in to the oven for just a few minutes to bubble up the dip.

It looked amazing and she said it was a 10 out of 10, something she will make again for sure.

How many ways might you find to use this dip in your healthier eating.  At our house we need to eat less carbs so this would be delicious used with the chicken in the recipe, used with fresh veggies, perhaps even fish (I don't eat fish but my husband loves it).

Here's the Recipe for the Dip.

Creamy Artichoke Chicken

-4 grilled chicken cutlets -1 cup mayonnaise -1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated -14 oz can artichoke hearts drained and quartered -1 clove garlic finely minced -4 oz diced green chilies

Place grilled chicken on sheet tray. Mix remainder ingredients in bowl and mix. Top each chicken breast with 1/10th of the mixture. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until bubbly and lightly golden. 1/10th of dip recipe is 1.2 carbs, 190 calories and 7 WW Smart Points

Things That Bug Me ...

You guessed it, this post is all about things that bug me.

1.  People who home school without a plan.  I watch a lot of You Tuber's and many of them home school their kids.  Now that's not a bad thing if you have a plan, if you follow a program, if you are making sure that you are teaching your kids properly and that you are making sure your kids have a chance to socialize properly.  One family I watch lives in Utah, they have 9 children, some of which are adopted.  They are by their own admission "unschooling" their kids.  I asked if they follow a curriculum daily and was told "no, our kids are responsible for education at their own pace, we encourage them to do what they enjoy and not get caught in the binds of a strict state designed curriculum.  Most given days the kids are "playing", building forts, chasing one another outside, going on hikes with the mom and dad, making jewelry, yada, yada, yada.  They do not take state mandated exams and it is up to the parents to decide when they are ready to graduate.  HOW CAN THIS BE OK?  The other day on a trip to a big box store looking for a gift for their dad, one of the young daughters, who appears to be about 12 years old did not know what an outside Thermometer was used for (something you might learn if you went to school) she by the way spend much of her time making earrings to sell.  Another son recently who is old enough to have two jobs went in to the thrift store looking for toys that he is obviously to old for and he was being dropped off at work early because he was bored, there was nothing to do at home (how about Math, Science, or Reading).  I guess Utah does not have any strict guidelines for home schooling, in my opinion they need some.  The good thing I've seen now is that they have enrolled their youngest two in school for a bevy of reasons, both have speech problems as they were born in another country, one of them is down syndrome and cannot guide herself in education, this makes me happy.  Then their oldest who would be a senior in high school has decided to go to school for all electives in things he enjoys, apparently the school is OK with his having done all his core work on his own, I guess some schooling is better than none.  Then today they mentioned two of the middle aged kids have decided to go to school on a short day program, thank goodness.  I believe those kids are bored stiff and need some socialization outside of their home and church activities, sometimes when their parents turn the camera on them and ask them what they are up to they say "nothing".  What makes me really sad is that so many people think this is the way to go and it worries me that we are raising a generation of self indulged kids with no idea how to work with time restraints and schedules.  Kids need structure, they need guidance and discipline and they need to know they can't live their whole lives getting up when they please, working if they feel like it, learning if they "like" it and not just because it's what will help them in the future.  If you're going to home school, do it right and don't think your little ones can "do it on their own without their parents guiding them, they cannot". 

2.  Contractors really drive me crazy, mostly because they work on their own schedules and never show up on time.  We've had them here a few times over the past few weeks, lots of "we'll be there by such and such a time", they they either don't show up at all or they literally show up hours later.  There's nothing we can do though, we certainly need their skills.

3.  Cell Phones at the Dinner Table, it drives me insane especially when everyone has one pulled out to text, check Face book, emails etc. and no one speaks.  Put your DANG Phone away for 20 minutes.

4.  Bugs, bug me ... especially when you live in a condominium and the association should take care of treating for the little and big pests and they sit on it.  Spray, treat ... kill them and make sure they don't come in my house. 

Sorry nothing super positive, just a few things on my mind that I needed to get out of there.

SaveSave

Fall is Coming

I love Fall!

I really miss my Fall days back east as we don't really get them where I live in Southern California, yes some of the trees turn colors (much later in the season than the East Coast), we can purchase delicious apples at the Farmers Markets, but it's not the same.  There are no cool mornings with the smell of cold dew on the leaves that have fallen, smoke in the air from fireplaces warming homes, and wool sweaters and socks to keep us warm.

I'm sitting in my living room right now, with the sun shining brightly through the windows here at home.  The sliders and windows are all open to let in the fresh air and my fans are all on while I am wearing shorts and a t-shirt.

Certainly none of that brings to mind a cool Fall day.

I am home a lot during the days, taking care of my pups and paper crafting when the mood hits.  I also watch a lot of You Tube video's in search of inspiration of many kinds, card making ideas, cooking, knitting and crocheting and just daily vlogs from some of my favorite you-tubers. 

I especially love cooking vlogs and meal plans.

One of my favorite You-Tubers is a lady by the name of Shelby.  

Her You Tube channel is called "The Queen's Cabinet".

She lives in Cooperstown, NY and she and her husband are building an amazing property around their home that when finished will be complete with an apple orchard, a trout pond and a huge garden for the kitchen.  I cannot wait for them to post pictures when it is all done.

Here is one of the recipes she cooked recently, it looked and sounded so delicious, I'm definitely going to try it soon, maybe you would like to try it too, and Yes I think it will make a wonderful Fall dinner for your table.

Here you go, enjoy!

Creamy Pesto Chicken

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

10 Skinless Chicken Thighs

Salt and Pepper to taste

2 Tablespoons Chopped Sun Dried Tomatoes in Oil

3 Tablespoons Pesto

2 cups Heavy Cream

5 Ounces Baby Spinach

12 Ounces cooked Penne Pasta

Parmesan Cheese for Garnish

Directions:

Saute chicken thighs in oil until cooked through.

Season with salt and pepper.

Add Sun Dried Tomatoes, pesto, heavy cream and spinach and simmer for 20 minutes.

Remove Chicken Thighs and stir cooked pasta in to cream sauce.

Serve to individual plates and top with 2 chicken thighs per portion,

Sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese.

*Note Shelby recommends using bone in Chicken thighs for the extra flavor, however I do not like meat on the bone, so I will be trying this recipe with boneless, skinless thighs.

That's it, a recipe that appears pretty easy and sounds amazing.

I hope you will give this recipe a try and while you're at it check out Shelby's You Tube channel "The Queen's Cabinet", I promise you won't be sorry, it's filled with so many yummy recipes, menu ideas and her charming spirit.
Thank you so much for stopping by today, I hope you'll chime in here and tell me what you love about Fall, I'd love to know.
I appreciate you, have a wonderful day.

Pineapple Mango Salsa "Dump" Chicken (A Crockpot Recipe)

Summer for me means "easy" kitchen cooking.

I hate to heat up the house and end up not wanting to eat because we're all too warm.

Turning on the oven is a big NO-NO.

Eating out every day is expensive so we try to find things that can be done simply at home.

The Crockpot or the Instant Pot Pressure Cooker is the way to go.

What "easy" recipes do you make for during the summer to lighten things up and cool things down?

Pineapple Mango Salsa "Dump" Chicken 

A Crockpot Recipe 3 Large chicken breasts 1/2 cup of Salsa 3 Tbsp. of Franks Red Hot Wing Sauce 1 cup brown sugar 1 20 oz can pineapple chunks drained 2 cups diced mango (this can be canned and drained) 15 0z black beans drained 15 0z sweet corn 4 oz green chilies 1 Tbsp. of garlic powder 1 Tsp onion powder 1 Tsp smoked paprika 1 Tsp salt Dump all ingredients into a crockpot and Cook 6-7 on low or 4 hours on high.

*Note: This is a good "freeze ahead" meal, dump all the ingredients in a bag prior to cooking and freeze it until you are ready to enjoy, then dump in your crockpot and you will be good to go.

Serving Suggestions: Delicious served over brown rice with heated tortillas on the side.

*Note this recipe is not my own, it was shared on Pinterest and by Kiera on a You Tube channel that I watch and enjoy.

Randomness ...

Just a List

Some days you have a lot on your mind.

Some days you have nothing on your mind.

Some days it's easy to remember everything.

Some days you need a list to remember anything.

Here's a list of random thoughts for me.

1.  The world it is changing.

2.  My daughter just turned 29 years old, how did that happen.

3.  People can and will lie when it is advantageous to their cause.

4.  I love the ocean and the calm I feel around it.

5.  Two dogs, one big and one small are a ton of work.

6.  I love those two dogs and would hate if i had to give them up.

7.  My taste buds have changed.

8.  I seem to be enjoying plain food lately.

9.  I am a spiritual person, but not a religious person.

10.  Politics - they are tearing friends and families apart.

11.  Sometimes I wish horrible things on the current President of the United States.

12.  I don't like wine.

13.  I love my husband.

14.  Family, sometimes it's a love/hate relationship.

15.  I believe Heaven is a real place and that many people will never get there.

16.  I love the Lularoe Perfect T shirts.

17.  Some of my best friends live in my computer and we've never met.

18.  Money does not buy happiness.

19.  Pizza yum ... but only thin crust.

20.  It seems no one has time for anyone else anymore.

21.  When did we all become so self centered and self absorbed.

22.  I miss the East Coast.

23.  I enjoy California but hope not to live here forever.

24.  Exercise, I need to do more of it.

25.  I hate Diabetes 

26.  Why can't we find a cure for Alzheimer's Disease.

27.  Peonies are my favorite flower.

28.  I don't care for hard ice-cream but I love soft serve in a cone.

29.  I wish I could travel more.

30.  Do things that make you happy.

31.  Don't worry about what others do to make themselves happy.

32.  Try and pay my debt down.

33.  Help other people when they need it and don't ask questions.

34.  Drink more water.
35. Laugh whenever and wherever you feel like laughing.

36.  Make and eat more salads for meals, we love them.

37.  Remember, you cannot fix every wrong in the world, but just one small good deed can lead to so many others that might fix one thing at a time. 

38.  NO one is Perfect, including me.

39.  Take Naps, they're a good thing.

40.  Have a good cry every once in awhile.
41.  Try to blog more often even if no one reads it.

42.  Hugs and Kisses 

That's it for now ... random stuff.

Ever changing.

Whole 30 Chicken Verde

On my hunt for recipes that will help me on my journey towards lowering my sugar (diabetic problems) I have found this recipe, it looks yummy.  I borrowed it from "The Nourishing Home" page, there is a  link below, check out the website listed at the bottom of the recipe.

Ingredients:

1 medium yellow onion

2.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1 1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp cumin

1 (12oz) jar Whole30-compliant Salsa Verde (see recipe note)

1 large red bell pepper

1 large yellow pepper

Instructions:

🌶Cut the ends off of the onion and remove skin. Then slice into 4-5 thick slices. Place in the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker.

🌶Place the chicken thighs on top of the onion. In a small bowl, combine the seasonings and evenly distribute across the top of the chicken.

🌶Evenly spoon the Salsa Verde over the top of the seasoned chicken. (Trader Joe's and Whole Foods both have Whole30-compliant brands, be sure to read labels.)

🌶Slice the bell peppers into thick slices; discard the seeds and stem. You can either - place them over the salsa and cook with the chicken for very soft peppers that meld into the sauce, or add the peppers during the last hour of cook time to enjoy them al dente (as shown in photo).

🌶Cover and cook on low 5-6 hours, until chicken is fork tender. When chicken is done, use a slotted spoon to transfer the salsa-covered chicken and peppers to a large platter. Move the peppers to the side. Use two forks to shred the chicken.

🌶Serve on large Bibb lettuce leaves. Top with diced tomatoes, avocado, and fresh cilantro. So delicious!
...............

For more delicious whole foodie fun, visit TheNourishingHome.com

Creamy Tuscan Chicken

Disclaimer: This is not my own recipe.

 I found it on my Facebook Feed and thought I would share it here.  I have yet to make it ... but I will, very soon.  In an effort to eat healthier I think this will satisfy everyone at our house with some huge servings of veggies on the side. 

Creamy Tuscan Garlic Chicken

Makes 3 servings

Per serving

1 Leaner protein

1 fat

3 condiments

• 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced 

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil 

• 1 cup low fat plain greek yogurt 

• 1/2 cup chicken broth 

• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 

• 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning 

• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese 

• 1 cup spinach, chopped 

• 3 slices sun dried tomatoes

In a large skillet add olive oil and cook the chicken on medium high heat for 3-5 minutes on each side or until brown on each side and cooked until no longer pink in center. Remove chicken and set aside on a plate. 

Add the yogurt, chicken broth, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and parmesan cheese. Whisk over medium high heat until it starts to thicken. Add the spinach and sundried tomatoes and let it simmer until the spinach starts to wilt. Add the chicken back to the pan and serve over zucchini noodles if desired.

Doesn't this recipe sound delicious, not get over to that kitchen and give it a try, I suspect we will not be disappointed when we sit down to eat with this on our plate.

Yummy in your tummy!

Thanks For The Memories Mom

Memories are a sweet thing, and for me "food memories" are some of the best. I love creating recipes that I remember so fondly from my childhood. Mom was a cook of the times, much like other women who worked on limited budgets, dinner could be pretty mundane and plain. Meatloaf, hotdogs and beans, pot roast, roasted chicken, spaghetti and meatballs, jello salad, date bars ... everyone had their own recipes for the same foods. My mother however always looked for ways to change things a bit, especially after we moved to California, fresh vegetables instead of the canned versions began to cross our plates, and salads seemed to be at every meal. My favorites were always the homestyle stuff, her Italian sauce with spicy hot sausage was one I always looked forward to after it cooked slowly all day on the back of the stove, unfortunately I've never made one to rival hers though my sister Debi knew moms secrets and always made a good sauce. Meatloaf was never a favorite of mine because mom always tried to sneak veggies in that I didn't like, green peppers and onions ... eventually though I would eat it and actually loved leftover meatloaf sandwiches in my lunchbox the next day. Pot Roast with carrots, onions and browned potatoes was always amazing and again leftovers on white bread with yellow mustard always made me smile. Stuffed Cabbage with her twist of cooking in beef broth instead of tomato sauce was a family favorite, it seemed there was never enough for leftovers because we couldn't get enough. Swiss Steak her way (again no tomato sauce), beef and cauliflower, and a French favorite for breakfast, Corton (a homemade potted meat spread) that we so enjoyed spread on warm toast in the morning. I miss my mom, and I miss her cooking, thankfully I was observant enough to learn many of these recipes so I could share them with my own family. This morning I taught my daughter Morgan to make "mom's" stuffed cabbage, it was a great way to share something very special that I just know my mom would be thrilled about if she was still here with us. 
Thanks for the memories mom.