Since I've written last, I've made cupcakes...actually, I made cupcakes the Monday I returned to work, and they were delightful!
There's been work, there's been school for the kids, Troy has had weightlifting, Breann has had a competition to prepare for and attend, there's been Church, there's been chores around our place, and there's been home and there's been life...and these, these are our memories...
We've been busy trying to get our farm ready for the sheep that will be coming in the next week or so, and we've been enjoying the new life that has been happening at the farm, with my husband's dad's cows!
This one got tangled up in a brush pile, but my husband and our son came to the rescue, and he is bouncing around happily now! Isn't he so adorable?!?
We've had family time at our place, and we've been appreciating all that the Lord has blessed us with.
Bree and I went to a wonderful craft workshop earlier this week. It was filled with devotionals, craft time, pasteries and baked goods from a local bakery, and it was at a coffee shop, so we, of course, had coffee there as well. The devotional was about how the Lord makes beautiful things out of us, and the workshop was to make beautiful crafts from salvaged items. What a great lesson! Bree made a sign with her name on it, and it's something that she can hang photos from (I'm so happy she has an appreciation of photos, by the way...they're a visual version of a story, after all), and I made a nice Spring centerpiece. We had fun and made memories, and it was great!
Then, this week life continued to be full of, well, that, life! Breann is actually in Reston, VA., as I type this. She is at a state competition for FBLA, that Justin, Troy, and I planned on going to as well, but the faculty didn't recommend it due to it being a state competition with lodging being a concern since there would be so many people there. Anyhow, it seems to be a great experience for Breann, she's gotten to tour Washington, D.C., and she has made some wonderful memories. She's awaiting her awards ceremony this evening as well. How exciting!
Yesterday, was Dress Down Day at work, and sometimes it's the simple things that are the greatest part of the day. Yesterday it would've been that, and at the top of the list was getting to go out to dinner after work with this family of mine. Life is a blessing, and I cherish each and every single day of it! What a story we're writing, and I love these people that are helping me to make this story so grand! :)
Ingredients:
6 Bacon Strips
1 lb. Chicken
1 Cup Spinach, Cooked
5 Medium Tomatoes, Chopped
10 oz. Penne Pasta
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1 tsp Italian Seasoning
1 tsp Paprika
1 Jar of Roasted Garlic Parmesan Sauce or Alfredo Sauce (whichever is your preference)
Directions:
1. Cook the chicken in olive oil.
2. Meanwhile cook bacon and pasta (according to package directions) in separate pans.
3. Remove cooked chicken from the pan, then add tomatoes (chopped) and spinach as well as the seasoning and let cook for about 1 to 2 minutes.
4. Toss all ingredients together, and add Parmesan cheese if you'd like.
5. Enjoy with your family!
{I even made cupcakes for the Children's Church class that I taught today. We played Easter Bingo, read Scripture about the Resurrection of Jesus, and did a great craft.}
This past week Justin and I had vacation from work. We spent time working on the farm...
{This is Sam, our sheep dog. We don't normally tie our dogs up, but my husband was doing some work on the farm as I was taking this photo, and we didn't want Sam to run or get hit by a tree that my husband was cutting. We got this guy at 10 weeks old. He's already grown so much!}
Ingredients:
1 lb chicken tenderloins
1 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and Peppter to taste
½ C diced sweet onion
2 cloves minced garlic
1 Tbsp fresh basil
1 14.5 oz can diced fire roasted tomatoes, drained
2 C low-sodium chicken broth
1 C wild rice blend
1 C chopped baby spinach
½ C jarred chopped roasted red pepper
¼ C sour cream
¼ C grated parmesan cheese
⅔ C grated mozzarella, evenly divided
1. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large pan (that is oven-proof as well) over medium-high heat on stove-top for about 1 minute. Add the chicken tenderloins to the pan and brown for about 1 minute for each side and season to taste with salt and pepper (you'll want to be sure the chicken is cooked thoroughly before serving).
2. Add ½ C diced sweet onions to the pan and cook for about 1 minute, then add the garlic and basil and cook for about an additional 1 minute more.
3. Then you'll stir in 1 14.5 oz can of drained, diced fire roasted tomatoes, 2 C low-sodium chicken broth, and 1 C of wild rice blend. Bring this mixture to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer, and cover. You'll want to cook undisturbed until all of the liquid is absorbed - about 45 minutes (approximately).
4. Once this is done cooking, turn on your oven broiler. You'll then fold in 1 C of chopped baby spinach, ½ C chopped roasted red peppers, ¼ C sour cream, and ⅓ C of mozzarella.
5. You may even take the time to arrange the chicken in a nice pattern over the rice mixture if you'd like, then sprinkle with the grated parmesan and the remaining of the mozzarella. Place this under your oven broiler for approximately 30 sec to a minute until the cheese begins to bubble.
->>Serve immediately and enjoy with your family!
