Chair Back Covers

I made these chair back covers the other night. I was tired of wiping the sticky mess off the chairs all the time. I feel like I never get them clean. I hope that all I have to do is throw these in the wash and it will help with the mess. The girls will just find something else to make a mess of- they always do.

Oh, and if you need to get crayon off the wall, use toothpaste. It works and costs much less than many alternatives.

Pop on Over

I made Popovers last night. The girls didn't love them but Chris and I like them. Maybe they will appreciate them when they are older and wiser!

Popover Recipe

2 eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Grease and flour six 6-ounce custard cups.
2.In a medium bowl beat eggs slightly, Beat in flour, milk and salt until just smooth; being careful not to overbeat. Fill custard cups 1/2 full.
3.Bake at 450 degrees F (230 degrees C) for 20 minutes. Decrease oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and bake for 20 minutes more. Immediately remove from cups and serve piping hot.

Turkey

We put out bird seed for the birds- you know- cardinals, blue jays and instead, we get turkeys. The girls loved them. It is not everyday that turkeys come to eat out of your back yard. Gobble, gobble!

Yummy Chicken

I will do anything to avoid going to the grocery store. I actually had the ingredients for this recipe in my frig excluding shallots. I have basil in my yard- you're jealous aren't you? Both my girls know all about basil and about snakes pooping...but that is another story!

Here it is:

Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Goat Cheese and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Use a paring knife to cut the small pocket into the chicken breasts. Serve this dish with orzo or rice to soak up the shallot-thyme sauce.
1 cup boiling water
1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed without oil
2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1/2 cup chopped shallots, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, divided
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled goat cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons water

Combine boiling water and tomatoes in a bowl; cover and let stand 30 minutes or until soft. Drain and finely chop.
Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 1/3 cup shallots, sugar, and garlic; cook 4 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring frequently. Spoon into a bowl; stir in 1 1/2 teaspoons vinegar.

Combine chopped tomatoes, shallot mixture, cheese, basil, and 1/4 teaspoon salt, stirring well.
Cut a horizontal slit through thickest portion of each chicken breast half to form a pocket. Stuff about 2 tablespoons cheese mixture into each pocket. Sprinkle chicken evenly with 1/2 teaspoon salt and black pepper.

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 6 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from pan; cover and keep warm. Add broth, remaining shallots, 2 tablespoons vinegar, and thyme; bring to a boil. Combine cornstarch and water, stirring with a whisk. Add cornstarch mixture to pan; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute or until sauce is slightly thick, stirring constantly. Serve sauce over chicken.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 chicken breast half and 2 tablespoons sauce)
CALORIES 296 (23% from fat); FAT 7.6g (sat 3g,mono 2.9g,poly 0.8g); PROTEIN 43.8g; CHOLESTEROL 105mg; CALCIUM 62mg; SODIUM 787mg; FIBER 0.9g; IRON 2.4mg; CARBOHYDRATE 11.3g

I actually pounded the chicken a bit thinner and rolled the stuffing into them and sealed them with toothpicks- very messy but it worked. I bought chicken breasts with rib meat for really cheap and cut them up myself so I couldn't make the nice pouch like the recipe called for. Whatever-it still tasted delicious. Try it!

Sharing some music with ya!

Tiziano Ferro

He is Italian and sings this beautiful song in Italian. He is easy on the eyes too. The song is Sere Nere (black nights). You can get the song in Spanish but why bother when the Italian version is so beautiful?

LOS FABULOSOS CADILLACS

This is a band that became famous in the late 80's in Argentina. I love them. I thought that I would share. I found them because of my brother. He loves/knows music. I love music too but he KNOWS music. Anyway, they are getting back together and they are going to release an album and tour- not in the US that I can see. Oh well.

Sweet Girls