Sometimes, that girl...

Sometimes, that girl...

I was telling Baby N that a friend of ours might stop at McDonalds for dinner. She turned around & sang "Ee-I-Ee-I-Ooo!"

Lol!

My Italian Chicken Dinner

My Italian Chicken Dinner

There are many things that amaze me. Things like how fast my kids grow, how laundry breeds when I''m not looking, and how many ways I can cook chicken and still like it.

I found this recipe on this blog (again, thanks to Pinterest... Lord knows I'll probably need rehab from being a pinaholic) with the name "Balsamic Vinegar Chicken with Fresh Tomatoes". The title is fairly misleading, I think it would be more accurate as "Pesto Chicken", but since it's not truly a pesto, I will simply rename it "Italian Chicken". Not horribly descriptive, but it gets the point across.

Italian Chicken

Ingredients:

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

4 – 5 garlic cloves

1 cup fresh basil

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tsp. balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup water

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1 package of cherry or grape tomatoes

1/2 red onion sliced

Preparation:

Preheat oven at 375 degrees. In a blender place the garlic, basil, olive oil, vinegar, water and pulse until pureed.

Place the  chicken breasts in a glass baking dish and cover with the sauce. Top with mushrooms, tomatoes and onion and bake for about 25-30 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked. 

Note: If you'd like to dress it up & add a couple extra calories you could also top with toasted pine nuts and fresh shaved parmesan cheese.

My little chef in training.

Chicken with the sauce. It really does look like runny pesto.

Layer on some veggies & toss in the oven.

Go outside & play for 20 minutes...

... and there you have it! Baked & beautiful.

I decided to serve it with a side of cous cous & sauteed zucchini. 

And of course, a nice glass of red. We are being "Italian", after all.

Our Mother's Day Menu

Our Mother's Day Menu

I am very excited for Mother's Day this year!

It isn't my first Mother's Day as a mom, but it is the first one where I really understand how crazy + awesome being a mom can be. That being said, it also means I am just [A LITTLE BIT] thrilled to throw a party for Aaron's mom & my mom at our house this year! 

I have a family who loves to eat, and my sister and I love to cook, so us making dinner is a win for everyone. We decided to do a fresh twist on dishes that our family traditionally eats when we celebrate; comfort food accented by fun, fruity flavor. Here's what we came up with:

Cocktails & Hors d'oeuvres
Grapefruit Margaritas
Baked Apricot Brie & Lady Finger Cookies

Main Course
Green Salad with Feta & Grapes
Parmesan Bread Pudding
Ham with Bourbon Glaze and Tangerine Chutney

Dessert
Lemon Mousse


I am excited to do something nice for our moms.

What are your Mother's Day plans? Do you have any fun traditions you do with your mom?

Homemade Burger Buns

Homemade Burger Buns

It's very fitting for my first post to be about something that I made for dinner ;)

Anyone who knows me knows that I love to cook and that I am not shy about trying new things in the kitchen. I love cooking because you get to dream, create, problem solve, and occasionally fail; but it's all part of the process. The possibilities are endless.

I will also admit to being an avid cookbook junkie. I get them at bookstores, yard sales, and have a whole wishlist dedicated to them on Amazon. You always know what I would be happy to get for my birthday. I feel like you can learn a lot about life & the world through reading cookbooks, somethings that I don't get as readily through my culinary internet wanderings.

For Christmas this year my mother in law bought me a new favorite... The Homemade Pantry by Alana Chernila (see it here on Amazon).

I love, love, LOVE this book. The way it is written is like having coffee and conversation with a friend. With every recipe there is a story from her own life, and the things she writes about have a pleasant, normalizing quality to them. It's refreshing. Not to mention the recipes are fantastic and have helped me cut out some extra unhealthies from our diet, and have saved my butt a time or two.

A few days ago was one such time when my butt needed saving. Grocery shopping was 2 days away, we had nothing in the fridge besides some ground beef and pickles. When that happens, it can only mean that we are fated to drag out the grill and have some burgers. Unfortunately, no burger is complete without a bun. So what is Little Mother Hubbard with her bare cupboard to do? MAKE SOME!!

You can view the recipe here on Alana's blog if you are so inclined to try them yourself... I am just going to share pictures of my empowering bun making experience.

It's neat to make something that you would normally just throw in the cart for $3 at the store. Plus, sometimes when you have 2 sleeping babies and no time to pop them in the stroller & take a 45 minute walk while your hubby is at work with the car... you just do what you have to do.

The burgers were so good, it made me sad that we only had pickles and lettuce to put on them. I usually like bacon and grilled pineapple rings on mine.

What are some of your favorite burger toppings?