My Favorite Things Recipes!!

I went to an activity for church on Tuesday night where the theme was "Our Favorite Things" so I chose the recipes that I usually make for my birthday or other very special occasions!

Chicken With Artichoke Hearts

3-4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
1/4 c. Butter
1 4oz can of whole mushrooms (button mushrooms)
2 medium onions-thinly sliced
2 cans quartered artichoke hearts (NOT marinated, just in brine)
1/2 tsp. thyme (ground or leaves, it doesn't matter)
1/2 tsp. sweet basil
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 bouillon cube

Cut chicken into bite size pieces brown slowly in butter. Drain mushrooms and reserve liquid. Add onions, artichokes (with liquid), mushrooms and seasonings. Dissolve bouillon cube in mushroom liquid and pour over chicken mixture. Cook for 5 minutes serve over rice with Sour Cream Sauce

Sour Cream Sauce

1 c. Sour Cream
2 Tbls. Chopped Parsley
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 Tbls. Lemon Juice

Stir!

Some quick notes:

I don't reserve the mushroom liquid and dissolve the bouillon cube, I just put it all in the pot together and simmer it just a touch longer to dissolve the bouillon.

And I use Calrose rice, sticky rice, it's just a preference thing...and I have served it with a side Caesar salad.

Fettuccine with Chicken and Zucchini

Saute garlic with 2-3 chicken breasts (cut into bite-size pieces)and 2-3 small zucchini in real butter--about 4 Tbls. Saute until chicken is no longer pink and lightly browned. Set aside.

First you make a roux, which is equal parts flour and butter (I generally use 3 Tbls of each). Then add a pint (16oz) of sour cream and a pint of half and half (stir frequently to avoid curdling). Sprinkle with liberal amounts of Parmesan and Romano cheeses. Add chicken to sauce and pour over a 1 lb. package of cooked Fettuccine noodles. Toss together and ENJOY!

Korean Marinated Steak

1 Scored Flank Steak
3 T. Sesame seeds
2 T. Cooking oil
1/2 c. Soy Sauce
2 cloves of garlic, Crushed (I use minced)
1/2 t. black pepper
1/2 t. ground ginger
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 bunch green onions, chopped

Place steak in a ziploc bag. Mix up remaining ingredients in a bowl and pour in bag with the steak and put in the refrigerator for 3 hours(minimum)-overnight. Broil about 5-7 minutes per side.

Apple Oatmeal Crisp
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup butter, melted
• 6 cups apples - peeled, cored and chopped
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C.) Lightly grease a 9x13 pan.
2. In a large bowl, combine brown sugar, oats, flour and butter. Mix until crumbly. Place half of crumb mixture in pan. Spread the apples evenly over crumb mixture. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon and top with remaining crumb mixture.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until golden brown.

My Notes: If you don’t want quite so much, cut the recipe in half and use an 8 inch square pan. Also, with the mixture that you place at the bottom of the pan, lightly press it into the pan. As for what kind of apples to use, I like Fuji, because they are sweet and tart and they stay a little crunchy after baking.

Soap Box

Hello from Reno!

First, some very exciting news! The Reno-Tahoe Odyssey is coming up in June, and I am running in it! I will be part of a 12 member team that will be running a relay that totals 178 miles! YAY!! Second, Jason and I are buying a house, we just opened escrow a couple of days ago and we are set to close on March 29th! It's a perfect house for our family at this point in our lives! A nice (fully fenced) yard that the kids can go and play in, and lots of USABLE space...our last house was full of completely useless space!

Okay, now up onto my soap box I climb! Some things you need to know about me: I am a REGISTERED Democrat. I tried to believe what the Republican Party believes but it just didn't mesh with my own personal convictions. I believe it is the responsibility of those with more to help those with less, and to work to lift them up so that they can improve their circumstances, not just for themselves but for their children. Next, I am pro-choice, I firmly believe in a woman's right to choose what is right for her body and her family. However, if I get pregnant, I believe that that child is being sent by God to our family for a reason, so to terminate a pregnancy is not the choice that I would make for my body and my family, but if that is the choice you are making, I certainly won't stop you, however, I will talk to you and make sure you have considered other options.

Now, the final thing. There has been a big dust up in the news about the Susan G. Komen Foundation cutting its funding to Planned Parenthood. I cannot reasonably support an organization that is willing to play politics with the lives of women they are supposed to be protecting! The money the Komen Foundation provides to Planned Parenthood is used for a variety of different things. This includes breast exams (to detect breast cancer, you know, the disease that the Komen Foundation is working to cure!), but also, tests like PAP smears to detect other cancers, and I'm sure the money is also used to provide low income women with contraception and help (like counseling) when they have nowhere else to go!

And now, after the hellfire of public opinion has opened their eyes, the Komen Foundation has changed its mind and has decided to once again help in funding Planned Parenthood. This is not, as I saw one person phrase it, "caving to the liberals", it is DOING WHAT IS RIGHT! So if doing what is right is "caving to the liberals" then I'm glad they "caved"!

Now, if you read this and get offended, that's your right! I don't care if you agree with me, I do care that you do what you need to in order to come to your own conclusions and decide what you personally believe, don't just follow what you think people want you to follow!

TTFN! Ta Ta For Now

--MS:)--