Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Chicken Scamp-ish

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Tonights new recipe was a bust. I am in LOVE with it. Loved everything about it, but everyone else in the house hated it. Doesn't surprise me though. It is fairly healthy so why would my guys like it :P


Chicken Scamp-ish

Ingredients:
1lb boneless skinless chicken breast
1 cup diced red, yellow or orange bell peppers
1.5 cups diced fresh mushrooms
1 cup diced zucchini
4-5 cloves minced garlic
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
2 tbs butter
2-3 tbs lemon juice
2 tbs chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste
dash of cayenne pepper
2 tbs chopped fresh parsley
3/4 tsp Italian seasoning

Directions:
In a large non-stick skillet, with a tiny amount of EVOO, saute peppers, mushrooms and zucchini until crisp tender. Then set aside in bowl.


















In same pan add EVOO and heat to medium heat. Once the pan and oil are hot, add chicken and saute quickly, stirring frequently and cook for a few minutes, just until chicken turns white and is cooked (do not overcook). Remove chicken and place in a bowl.



















Add 1 tbs of butter to the pan and the minced garlic, cooking on medium heat until garlic is almost tender. Add additional butter to pan with the cooked garlic along with the Italian seasoning. Add the lemon juice and chicken broth. Simmer lightly for a couple minutes, stirring constantly. Season with salt, pepper and cayenne; stir in the fresh parsley and cook about one minute. Add the cooked chicken with their juices back into the skillet along with the cooked peppers, mushrooms and zucchini. Toss until everything is combined and heated through.

















Serve Chicken Scamp-ish over a couple large dollops of Rich and Thick Parmesan Cauliflower Mash. If desired. sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.


Rich and Thick Parmesan Cauliflower Mash

Ingredients:
1 medium head of cauliflower, broken into 1-inch florets
1 cup chicken broth
4 oz cream cheese
4 tbs heavy cream
4 tbs Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
In a medium saucepan, place cauliflower and chicken broth. Bring to a boil and cover. Reduce heat to low-medium and simmer until cauliflower is very soft and tender and chicken broth has completely cooked into the cauliflower (about 20-30 minutes). Make sure there is no liquid left at all int he bottom of the pan (remove the cover, if necessary and cook until any remaining liquid is gone and the cauliflower is no longer wet looking).

















Remove pan from heat; add cream cheese and heavy cream. Using and immersion blender or regular blender, blend or puree the cauliflower until the cream cheese and cream are fully incorporated and the mixture is smooth. Add the Parmesan cheese and the salt and pepper to taste. Blend another minute. Add additional cream to think out or cream cheese to thicken in necessary. The cauliflower mash should be thick and not runny.


Photo Day 5: After Dark

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This is just a silly prompt. What can you see after dark? It's dark! This is me in my bedroom in jammies. Awesome jammies right??

Friday, February 14, 2014

Photo Day 4: Something Green

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Already a day behind... oh well! Today was something green. it took me a while to think of something and then it hit me... my favorite green thing! My sheets!! I am a sad sad homebody and I LOVE nothing better than to be snuggled in my bed. Sleeping is my favorite hobby.

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Photo Day 3: Clouds

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Today was supposed to be a beautiful picture of the sky. Nice blue sky and pretty fluffy clouds. Not quite ;)

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Guilty Pleasure

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Guilty pleasures... we all have them, most of the time we just keep them to ourselves.  But this is a place to ramble about myriads of nothingness so why not talk about it here? 
I love to read, I always have. Unfortunately for me though I have a highly addictive personality so reading comes with a price. If I am in the mood to read, I can't just read a few chapters and out the book down. I have to read the entire thing as fast as I can. It usually takes me less than 24 hours to read a book. That is why I HATE to buy a book. I read them so fast and then never read them again, it seems like such a waste of money. I'm sure you are thinking "umm Brittany, reading isn't a guilty pleasure." No, it is not. but what I read is. I love cheesy young adult novels. Anything that is about a witch, demon, vampire, angel, fallen angel, fairy, or mythical creature is what I want. I know I should read things more my age but these books just grab my attention and swallow my mind. I honestly can't relate to anything in them but can't get enough of them.



I love finding a poorly written "free" novel on my Kindle app, reading it in a few hours and looking forward to the next in the series. I have tried reading sci fi books that arn't young adult books and just cannot seem to get into them. I guess my reading maturity level needs to catch up with me, but until that happens I will continue to devour every cheesy sci fi romance novel I can get my hands on!

I just so happened to grab a new series last night at the library. "City of Bones" by Cassandra Clare. First book in the Mortal Instruments series. Books 1-3 are in hand. Let the snow days begin!!




Photo Day 2: What you wore

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I am usually working at the coffee shop every day of the week so its jeans, tennis shoes and a Binding Time Cafe t-shirt. Today just happened to be a day off! I still had to work but got to wear something I wanted. Since I was working it wasnt anything fancy but it feels nice sometimes to just wear normal clothes. 

Skinny jeans, American Eagle long sleeve shirt, orange tank-top and flat knee-high boots. 

*who doesnt like a good bathroom selfie while at work ;)*
 

Monday, February 10, 2014

Photo Day 1: Self Portrait

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Photo Challange

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I always have my phone on me and decided to try out this photo challenge. I can take at least one awesome picture a day right?I of course found this on Pinterest. Let's see if I can be creative and if I can actually remember to do it everyday!


Hi, Hello, and Welcome

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Blogging... I try and try and then it fails. The blog sits unused for months at a time. Not this time right?? HA! we shall see. Lets do a quick run down/update of my crazy life and begin the fun.

1. I am a wife and mother to 3 little boys (Logan, Michael & Dylan) and one big boy (David) he counts as a kid right?? The boys are 5,7, 9 & 34. They definitely keep me busy and there is never a dull moment. The boys are all in school this year and things have been a little different. I am not technically a stay at home mom anymore. I work at a coffee shop most days and help with a catering company most weekends. We are still very active in out local scout program and I am STILL in school. But I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel! 4 more classes to go. Then I will have a degree in elementary education with a minor in special education. What I plan to do with that has yet to be determined. 

2. David and I just celebrated our 10 year anniversary. Where has the time gone? It feels like just the other day we were just dating. We have had a great journey so far. I wont lie and say that everyday has been a piece of cake but I can say I wouldn't change any of it. Our ups and downs have made us who we are and I think have made our relationship stronger for it. This funny guy is my very best friend and I honestly do not know what I would do if I didnt have him by my side to help me through life. I hope that we have many many more years together to love and annoy each other and that we never run out of things to talk about. 

3. I am trying to change my lifestyle. Who doesnt want to be healthier and thinner? I spent 8 of the last 10 years either pregnant, breastfeeding or scared my heart would blow up. In 2011 I finally had surgery to correct my heart problems and have not had an episode since then. I am not having any more babies, my "baby" is almost 6 and my heart is fixed... pretty much ran out of excuses huh? I have changed my eating habits, started exercising and even bought and elliptical so that the excuse of bad weather cant stop me. Let me tell you, It SUCKS! Why cant I just be thin and eat what I want and never have to exercise?? Cant they make a pill for that? I have a goal and am slowly, like a turtle in peanut butter, working towards it. I completely cut out soda back in August and as of January cut out sweet tea. Water, water, water and a little coffee. 16lbs have come off since August and there are 12 more to go, 17 if I really push it. I need to do this for my family and for myself. So expect some grumpy posts talking smack about food, or the lack of, and that dreaded elliptical.

4. Friends and family. I have become a hermit and rarely talk or go out with anyone. I am not a member of any type of group in my area anymore and can not remember the last time I had a "mommy night". But I sure do miss them. I don 't get to spend as much time as I would like with my family and wish I got to spend more time with my friends. My new years resolution was to make sure that the people I love know it more often. I may not get to see you or spend time with you but I am determined to make sure you know I love you and am thankful you are in my life.

5.Crafts and creativity... They have pretty much become nonexistent. I just do not seem to have time to do anything like that anymore. I have plans and boards full of ideas on Pinterest and I am sure I will get to them one day. I am no longer making cakes. I do not have the time and I honestly just got a little burnt out on it. Maybe one day I will get back into it. I am going to keep all my stuff just in case. 

6. Plans for the blog. I hope to post a few times a week. I want to use this as a creative outlet, a place to vent and to share awesome things that happen in my awesome life. So expect to see pictures, random ramblings, recipes and anything else that happen to come to my mind. 

If you have made it this far, you must be really bored or are a trooper. Welcome to my crazy life, I never know what is going to happen next but I cant wait to see!