"My Life Would Suck Without You!"

This has been the view from my computer for the last week.....Papa Bear has been working from home!! In the words of Snow....Can I just say...He is a good man.... But, having him here REALLY disrupts the ambiance of the house.


These 2 are freaked out too! No more leisurely coffee breaks and being held. So sir, we have to work, we are proactive and productive! All day, wink, wink.

But really, I love having you here...."My Life WOULD Suck Without You!"

PS

Even Da' Puppies took advantage of the great weather!

A Tale of Two Cities

Today, this is what our family in Chicago woke up to:



This is how we roll in the south on the same day. Wish y'all were here!

gamefly.com

Are you like us and have kids that play video games a couple of times, get "tired" of the game then resell it back to the video store? If so, gamefly.com is for you! It's like netflix for video games. Your gamer can make a list of his/her favorites and then they're sent to your house one to two at a time. Genius. It's super cool, check it out!

PS

I forgot to include this chicken recipe- it goes with the previous entry.

Lemon Garlic Chicken

Juice of 1 lemon, approximately 3 tablespoons
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic, about 2 medium cloves
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 pound chicken breasts (I usually cut really thick chicken breasts down to thin them out and make the pieces a little smaller so they absorb the marinade better)

Combine all marinade ingredients. Place chicken in a Ziploc bag and pour marinade over chicken. Seal bag and place in fridge overnight. Grill (or cook in frying pan). Serve with sides of your choice or cut into bite sized pieces and add to desired recipe Note: If you cut your chicken into smaller, bite-sized pieces and then marinate it, you can get away with only letting it marinate for 5 or 6 hours instead of overnight.

This recipe is like eating at a resturant!

Seriously-I could have eaten the sauce with a soup spoon. The noodles never totally absorbed in the chicken broth. So, I drained the noodles, saved the both and ladle 2-3 scoops back in with the heavy cream.

Lemon Cream Pasta with Chicken
Serves 4-6

3 cups shredded or cubed Lemon Garlic Chicken
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
4 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 (16 ounce) package tube pasta (I used rigatoni)
2 cups heavy cream
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

DIRECTIONS
In a large saucepan, season the chicken broth with the garlic powder and pepper. Bring to a boil and add lemon juice and pasta. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until all liquid is absorbed, about 25 minutes.

Stir chicken into cooked pasta, along with the cream, Parmesan cheese and lemon zest. Cook, stirring, over low heat for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes. Stir thoroughly before serving.




PS Full disclosure- I did not take this picture- it's from the blog I got this recipe from.

He gets the "I am Special Plate!"

Here's 2 recipes you HAVE to try! I made them tonight. Sneezy was over and loved both. He ate like an adult. Impressive!


Proof he put zucchini, walnuts and Parmesan cheese in his mouth! Baby Bear is be hind him mad that I'm not impressed that he ate CHICKEN!


He scrapped his plate!!

Zucchini & Yellow Squash

1 tbs butter
1 zucchini, cut into slices
1 yellow squash, cut into slices
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup toasted walnuts
1/2 cup chicken broth

Melt butter, add next 3 ingredients. Cook until done. approx 15-20 minutes. Put in serving dish and top with cheese and walnuts.


Honey Chili Chicken

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts or strips
1/8 cup shallots, chopped
1/3 cup honey, slightly warmed
1/8 cup sherry vinegar
1 /2 tsp. chili powder
1/8 tsp. ground cumin
3/4 cup chicken broth
1 tsp. cilantro chopped

Coat a saute pan with cooking spray and place on medium-high heat. Add shallots and saute until tender. Add honey and vinegar, spices, and broth to the pan. Bring to a boil and reduce to half. Add cilantro and chicken breasts to the pan. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Yes, I put the whole pan in the oven.

Wordless Wednesday

He's a "Virtual Social Butterfly"

This is the new look of "play dates". Gone are the days when you would go to each others houses and play. At first glance you might think, "Awe, he's all alone." Think again. Not only is he NOT alone, he's with all his friends.


See that "McDonald's looking" headset he's wearing? That is his life line to friends playing the same games at their houses. Thanks to XBOX Live, kids can sit in the comfort of their own home, he does look comfy, and play each other thru the air waves.