Something to ponder...

Accept you were never in control and experience the serenity that resides...

Chicken & Asparagus (Broccoli) Risotto Skillet

This is a recipe that will be added to my monthly rotation - YUMMY and EASY!! It's a Pampered Chef Classic.

I wish I would have taken a picture, but honestly we ate it too quickly for me to run to the office to get the camera... oops! Maybe I'll post a picture the next time I make it. This picture is from another blog: http://mrsbowles.wordpress.com/

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/2 tsp salt, divided

1/4 tsp coarsely ground black pepper

1 can condensed cream of chicken soup

1/2 lb fresh asparagus spears, cut into 1 1/2-in. pieces (about 2 cups -- I substitute Broccoli)

2 cups milk

1 cup chopped onion

2 oz grated fresh Parmesan cheese (about 1/2 cup)

2 garlic cloves, pressed

1 tbsp lemon zest

2 cups uncooked instant white rice

Directions:

1.Heat oil in Skillet over medium-high heat 1-3 minutes or until shimmering. Dice chicken into 1-in. pieces. Combine chicken, 1/4 tsp of the salt and black pepper in large bowl; toss to coat. Cook chicken 4-5 minutes or until no longer pink in center. Remove chicken from Skillet; set aside.

2.Return Skillet to heat; add soup, asparagus, milk, onion, cheese, garlic, zest and remaining 1/4 tsp salt. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 3 minutes. Stir in rice and chicken. Cover; let stand 5 minutes. Yield: 6 servings

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Love... the day is coming soon!

Now that I'm married I love Valentine's Day even more. Could it be because I can count on having an amazing Valentine each year? I hope you have a wonderful Valentine in your life.

My MIL sent me a link to a very cute blog focused on Love. You can visit it to get some great ideas: http://www.loveactually-blog.blogspot.com/

There is a t-shirt that I think is pretty cute!

Another other idea I want to pass on is from a friend of a friend of a friend. It's a pretty simple and cheap idea. The hard part for me will be remembering. The idea is to begin writing love letters to your husband for a year in a journal. Then at Christmas giving the journal to them. I think you could put a spin on this - do it for a month and give it to them for a special anniversary, the day you had your first date or the day you got engaged.

There is only one happiness in life -- to love and to be loved. --George Sand

Bathroom Destruction

It has to get worse before it can get better, right? Well this is not the picture of my bathroom. The pictures following are. I found this picture to serve as a sort of inspiration right now. I think this is the direction I am heading for this room. I want to make sure we have a somewhat "manly bathroom" in the house. What better place than the downstairs bathroom by the most manly symbol- The Big Screen? I have to warn you... it won't be very manly, but will incorporate brown or gray or blue when it's all said and done.

I really like this dark brown, but I'm not sure since there is no window in the bathroom... humm... what do you think? We will have a pedestal sink - no more plastic cabinet!

My handyman "Stan" came over and got sucked into one of my projects. We took out the sink, toilet and 2 layers of vinyl flooring. I'm still removing a few more pieces of wallpaper and sanding the walls.

We still have the following tasks before we can put the finishing touches on the bathroom:

• Refinish the walls, trim and paint (maybe put up wainscoting??)
• Install the laminate tile floor with grout. I think I'm going to stagger the tile this time - sort of a brick pattern
• Install ceiling tiles

I have wall sconces to replace these hanging from the wall. I probably would not have chosen them, but since the electrical was there I'm going with it.

See that pesky wallpaper where the toilet tank was... why did they wallpaper behind the toilet?? My handyman used a plastic cup instead of a rag in the toilet hole (is that the technical term for it??). The white on the floor is the glue and backing of the floor... how will I get that off?

I think that is a pretty nasty toilet... black mold growing inside it... Let's all make a point never to let our toilets get that nasty.

And again you see more traces of that pesky wallpaper. There are some places where the wallpaper took off the drywall. I guess we're going to be "muddin" and sanding some walls.

The floor was great - 2 layers of vinyl stuck to cement floor.

I guess I'd better get back to getting the last of the wallpaper off so we can start on fixing the walls. The projects just never end. I'm in the middle of painting some dressers for another project.

Make me an offer... bench

This poor bench was in the garbage pile at a make and offer sale. The same day I got a chest of drawers and this bench. I hope to have the chest done soon, but this project was much quicker for this weekend. I got both for $7, so I guess maybe I paid a dollar for this bench? It had a caned top, but it was broken so I took it out. I had my handyman cut a piece of wood to fit in the hole so I could upholster the seat. I sanded and then painted the wood with black spray paint leftover from another project. Instead of buying an expensive piece of foam for the seat I used some quilt batting to form a cushion. I splurged on this fabric - $5 for a half yard. I cut the fabric and folded the batting in multiple layers. Pulled the fabric around each side and used the staple gun to secure it. Make sure to pay special attention to the corners. Here it is! It's slightly more puffy than I thought it would be, but still pretty cute for less than $10. It also provided me something to do on a Saturday night. I'm going to use it in the entry way to sit on when we put on shoes... so we don't have to site on the stairs. What have I inspired you to do? I wish I could find something to inspire me to finish taking down the bathroom wallpaper... I guess I might have to wait until all the furniture in the basement is refinished - either way it all has to get done! :)

Pork Loin in the Microwave

Pork loin in the microwave, how can this be? Well would you say the same thing to a whole chicken in the microwave for 30 minutes? I can tell you I was skeptical at first as well. Now microwave chicken is one of my favorite things-- cheap too! I can get a whole chicken for about $4.50. I can make it for dinner and have leftovers for quesadillas, pizza, salad topping or soup. Tonight I finally tried my hand at the 10-12 minute pork loin. You would think it might be rubbery and dry, but oh quite the opposite. This is what I did:

• Use your favorite rub/ seasoning with a little oil and season it generously
• Place it in your DEEP COVERED BAKER
• Microwave with the lid on for 10-12 minutes
• Check the temperature with your digital thermometer - should read at least 160
• Let it sit on the counter for 10 minutes with the lid on again
• Slice and serve

I'm planning on making my husband barbecue pork sandwiches for lunch tomorrow... maybe he'll make them for himself since he has a snow day! I made noodles, fresh bread and broccoli to go with it. Dinner took only about 25 minutes! There are so many great recipes to make in your deep covered baker, what are you favorites?

Butterfinger Brownies

Looking for a twist to a normal box of brownies? Add a Butterfinger (or any other candy) to the batter. I used my all encompassing CHOPPER. If you don't have one - you have to get one soon. Here are some of the ways I use mine to chop the following fast:

• Leftover meat for soups, quiches, pot pie, dips
• Chocolate chips or candy bars
• Vegetables (onion, peppers, celery, carrots, etc...)
• Nuts
• Homemade bread crumbs
• Oreos/ graham crackers - for crust

The list goes on... I used to think that you just use it with the small bottom it comes with, but now I know I can chop away on my cutting board as shown above. It's important to use a pampered chef cutting board and not a glass cutting board. If you use a surface other than plastic it dulls the blade of the chopper. How do you use your chopper?