Crock Pot Chicken Cacciatore

2-4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 package sliced, fresh mushrooms
1 can Italian style diced tomatoes, drained
1 can low sodium chicken stock
2 TBS Garlic Powder
1 TBS Onion Powder

Place all ingredients in crock pot and cook on low 4-6 hours.

Prior to serving, remove 80% of the broth, with as little mushroom and tomato pieces as possible. Thicken broth on stove with corn starch (about 4 TBS w/ cold water, follow directions on package). Serve sauce and chicken, mushrooms and tomatoes over linguine.

Mmmmmmm

What I Love Wednesday

Can I do my husband again?!

What I love...

today--

crafting.

I am so glad I taught myself how to knit and how to sew. I love doing both!

Cooking Tip and New Recipe

Sorry I haven't posted in a while...life has gotten the better of me. I'll try to keep on track!

Cooking Tip:
If you buy shake and bake, add about 1/2 C. of bread crumbs to 1 package to spread out the life. Sprinkle mixture in a bag a little at a time so you don't "ruin" the extra. Store extra in a ziploc bag marked "pork" or "chicken". Also, don't be shy when adding spices. We like a little chilli powder with our chicken and rosemary and parsley with our pork.


New Recipe
Grabbed this from the back of a Shake and Bake box last night.

1/4 C. shake and bake crumbs
1/4 C. bread crumbs
1 TBS parsley
1 TBS rosemary
Dijon Mustard
2 lean pork chops (trim fat)

Rinse chops under cold water and pat dry. Place crumb mixture in a shallow dish. Spread a good amount of Dijon mustard on one side of the chops. Dip in the crumb mixture, spread top side with mustard and turn. Place in a glass casserole dish and cook at 375 for 20-25 minutes. Check pork to make sure all pink is gone before serving.

I served this with homemade potatoes au gratin and steamed asparagus, mmmmm!

Sunday Quote

"For I know the plans I have for you,"
declares the LORD,
"plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future".
Jer 29:11

Photo Thursday

Another unedited photo from me!

This is from when we went apple picking in Wells, Maine. We bought one pumpkin too! We just haven't carved it yet....

What I Love

Sorry I missed "What's For Dinner" last night. My camera was in my car and I didn't feel like going to get it. But, I made spanish rice for dinner.
Just brown ground up hamburg in a skillet. Add 1 can of diced tomatoes and simmer 5 minutes, then add 1 cup of instant rice and 1/2 cup water. Let simmer until rice is cooked.


I love my husband! He did tons of work in the house this weekend. And even though it was bothering his allergies and asthma, he kept working through it. He had to take yesterday off from work because of his breathing, but he still kept working! I am so happy I have him and I almost have an organized living room!

Our Wedding (08-02-08)

Our Honeymoon in Niagara Falls on the Maid of the Mist. (10-08)

Camping for our 1st anniversary. (08-02-09)

On a hike in the White Mountains National Forest in NH. (08-01-09)

Sunday Quote

Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,
while loving someone deeply gives you courage.
Lao Tzu

Photo Thursday

Everyone has a photo Friday, but I want a photo Thursday.

Every Thursday I will post a photo I have taken that is unedited. Those are the only restraints I am putting on myself.

Here's todays.

Taken in Ogunquit, Maine on Sunday October 4th.

What I Love

Here is another new addition to my blog. Every Wednesday (hopefully in the mornings) I will do a blog on something I love. Easy!

This morning?
Tea. It's as simple as that. I'm hardly a tea snob and I can hardly pronounce some teas. As you know, I do swaps and sometimes I get some crazy looking teas. Those, I give to my niece, lol. But, I do enjoy a simple tea. Generally, I grab some new decaf varieties at the Christmas Tree Shops a few times a year. Right now I'm hooked on the Snapple White Tea, Strawberry flavor. A 1/2 tsp of sugar brings out that sweet strawberry flavor and I love it! And after drinking a medium coffee from Tim Hortons last night, I've learned my lesson with caffeine....

What's for Dinner?

How about a new weekly blog? I love to cook, I love trying new recipes and I love sharing my love of cooking with others. As I was thinking about this new weekly blog, I thought "Hmmmm...did I see this on another blog? Am I stealing an idea?!" Well, if I am, I sincerely apologize. Just tell me and I won't do it every week! As long as I don't hear from anyone, I will make this a weekly installment on Tuesdays.

New steamed veggies pouch. Wanted to try it out--sugar snap peas, juliane carrots and pearl barley. It was soo good. And, as you can see, heart healthy. I really wish that I had bought 2 packages and prepared both, then I wouldn't have made the rice pilaf.

Mmmmmmm chicken! I love chicken and I love trying new ways to fix it. Today on facebook I posted that I had defrosted chicken, but didn't know how I was going to prepare it. My friend suggested this simple, but oh so good recipe (see below).

Looks kind of bland, but tastes soooo good!
Take chicken breast and lightly season with salt and pepper.
Bake chicken @ 400 degrees F for 25-30 minutes until almost done.
Top with apple slices from one apple
(I used mac because that's what I had in the house.
I'm going to try the recipe with pork chops and gala apples next).
Bake for 5 minutes, then top with sharp cheddar cheese slices
(I used extra sharp cheese, Helluva Cheese brand).
Bake until cheese is melted.
Let sit for 5 minutes, then serve.

Adventures!

I haven't done a photo entry in a while, so here is one!

We met our friends down in Wells to do some apple picking. These are friends I had in college--I roomed with Chantal for 2 semesters. They live in Manchester, NH.

We left the directions at home...luckily I knew the road/route names.

These apples and the tree looked like they were from the Dust Bowl or something!

I didn't doctor this picture at all! (Or the one above!) These are Galas and they're BRIGHT red!

Chantal and Jerry, the Newlyweds (married in June 2009)

Fall in Maine



There were geese on the farm and at first, we weren't sure if they were geese or not...so Scott asked them (lol). And what it really sounded like is below:




After apple picking we took a drive to Ogunquit and did some touristy walking around and in and out of shops.

Mums


Roses that were on private property, but pretty just the same!

Hydrangeas that I saw on the way home.


The moon was HUGE on the way home!

Quote of the Week

I think I will do this every Sunday.

"If ever there is tomorrow when we're not together, there is something you must always remember. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we're apart.. I'll always be with you.”
~Christopher Robin said to Pooh

Good News

My cousin, who is the mother of Baby Adam, had him 8 days ago. And, she let me know that the burp cloths absorb just fine!! But, you should know, for the burp cloths the tutorial uses cotton and I used flannel. That might make a difference.

Brownies

I just found out that the ladies of the Batch of Brownies Swap decided to send my squares to my friend and she is going to give them to me. So even though I cannot participate because of my tendonitis, these ladies are generous enough to send to me! I am so happy about that. I'm definitely going to keep the blanket for myself and treasure my lovely friends!

Instead

...instead of the ranch red posted below, my husband thinks his father would prefer claret red...

Thinking...

Thinking about still making a blanket for my father-in-law for Christmas....my idea is to knit some scarves and then whip stitch them together. He was going to get the Batch of Brownies Afghan for Christmas, but I am unable to participate due to my tendonitis. I am still trying to whip out some blues squares for the other swap I'm in (they were due by August 31st)! To all the knitters out there: what do you think about the scarf-blanket idea? I'm sure it's been done before....one time or two. And these are the colors I am thinking about using:


What do you all think?

Spread the News

I wanted to spread the news about some terrific bags. My husband's friend Lisa (they used to work together) and her long time friend Barbara make wonderful crafts. They go to local craft shows and we always buy some cute magnets from them!

Well, now they're making bags too--and man are these great! Here are some pictures and click on any of the pictures to get a link to their website. Feel free to post a link for their website on your sites too!

Vote No On 1

Baby Eden's Gifts

I made some gifts for a new baby girl, Baby Eden. It wasn't all coordinated like Baby Adam's gifts, but I think they came out nice just the same!

The nursery theme was Winnie The Pooh, so I made a Winnie The Pooh Tote


Loved these cute little turtles!
I read that the other type of burp cloths don't absorb the spit well, so I tried making these instead. I gave her 3 of this type and 1 of the other type. I am hoping she can tell me if there is a big difference before I start producing more for craft fairs.

Tote Bags

Recent tote bags that I've made.

Ginny likes the purple tote bag


Bag I made for my friend who got a new teaching position and her birthday was the 3rd.

Hosting More!

Another recipe swap--please feel free to join!


I swap with Swap-bot!


I swap with Swap-bot!

Swapping

As you know, I am addicted to swapping. I swap for afghan squares to make afghans, I swap for recipes, fabric, sewing notions, teacher supplies and so much more!

Well, here's a swap I'm hosting. Maybe someone out there who reads this might be interested!


I swap with Swap-bot!

In hopes...

I'm posting this in hopes I might win! And, of course, to give you all a chance to win (chya)...


If you go to this blog post, you'll find more information on how you can enter to win this lovely calendar! Which I think I will purchase even if I don't win (or put on my wish list for Christmas).

Here's some more info:

Sewing: 2010 Day-to-Day Calendar
ISBN#0740783955

From Amazon.com:

Don't throw yesterday away--just thread it into today's easiest and most inspired projects.

Create practical yet stylish items for everyday home use and imaginative gifts for your loved ones. From place mats and aprons, to tote bags and pet beds, there are fun sewing projects for everyone.

Includes:

* More than 100 sewing projects with easy-to-follow instructions

* A glossary of simple sewing techniques

* Pattern pages that open to 8.5" x 11"


You can enter to win up to 4 times--go ahead and check it out! Or, you know, buy one for me!!

Part Trois

Finally almost done updating! I promise I will update more often so I don't have to post 3 times in one day!

As most of you know, I love to craft. My cousin is having a baby boy, so I made some gifts (instead of buying). And they went over really well, I'm glad I did home made instead of store bought!


Instead of getting a gift bag to put everything in, I made a tote bag to match everything. I love the big green button and she loved it too! I used the morsbags pattern, but I did NOT sew in the logo and I used high quality grosgrain ribbon for the handles (but it was bought at JoAnn's, not on-line).

Fleece blanket.
One side is checkered flag, one side race cars. I made this blanket about a year ago and haven't had anyone to give it to. I pulled this out to give to her and you won't believe what I found to go with it!

(Matching) Burp Cloths!
I found this flannel fabric that matched the fleece blanket and I was super happy! I made the burp cloths following this tutorial.

I bought the diapers in a pack of 6 and I gave her all six, but you don't have to do that. Also, in the tutorial I think she used cotton, I used flannel because it's softer. I pre-washed the diapers in free and clear (ALL brand).

Laslty, I had some left over flannel and I wasn't sure what to do with it.
I entertained the thought of making a set of bibs, but then decided on something else.

Matching Onesies!
I bought a package of 2 long sleeve (3-6 months) onesies. I picked up some iron on fusible webbing. I pre-washed the onesies. Then, I cut out what I wanted from the flannel and ironed it onto the onesies with the fusible webbing. I was kind of leary because I'd never done it before, but they came out really well! I was going to blanket stitch (with craft thread) around the neckline and cuffs of the onesies, but I ran out of time. (I really should have made a tutorial, but I didn't...sorry! Here's one that is similar.)


The gifts were a hit with everyone at the party and I got wonderful compliments. Makes a girl feel good! My cousin also let me know that the set I gave her were her favorites out of the whole shower--Woooo! I scored! I'm definitely going to make similar sets for future baby showers and I'm going to pick up more of the race car flannel in case *we* have a baby boy in the future!