CY365 - February

Here is the list for February for the Capture Your 365 photo challenge. Need a little inspiration? You can join their Facebook Page or use #365 on instagram and see what others are coming up with. This list is for inspiration and the results are pretty amazing.

Oh Right... I have a blog!

I am probably the worlds worst blogger. I seem to do a great job for a couple weeks, with the intention of doing great for much longer. But I always just fail. So why not pretend I am going to do an awesome job once again and see how it goes this time. It is the beginning of the year after all!

Currently I am working on two challenges.

1. CY365- take a picture a day from a prompt. The prompt is open ended and the possibilities are endless. If you are creative (which I seem to not be when it comes to photography) this could potentially be a lot of fun. I am having fun even though my photos are not the most creative or the best by any means. I am posting my pictures on Instagram. You are welcome to Follow Me and see what I come up with.

2. 26 Books with Bringing Up Burns. This is a reading challenge. I love to read and I am usually scrambling after a book to find another to read. At least with this list of prompts I will have a direction instead of stumbling around the library looking for something to jump out at me. My OCD would like me to do this challenge in order but as I just made a trip to the library yesterday... I will be starting with #5 on the list. Yes, it will be okay to NOT go in order... I think.


In general, life is great. Kids are great. Hubby is great.  Logan is enjoying basketball. Michael is making perfect grades and is the sweetest kid I know. Dylan is having a MUCH better year than last year and is still my cuddle bug. David and I just celebrated 11 years of marriage and are hoping to make some big changes this year. I am finally finished with school and looking for my first big girl job. In the mean time I am still catering and absolutely love every minute of it. Our extended family is all doing well and our life is pretty wonderful.

Chicken Scamp-ish

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

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??

Photo Day 4: Something Green

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.

Photo Day 3: Clouds

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

Guilty Pleasure

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!!