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Roasted Red Pepper + Parmesan Chicken

The way my life is set up, without daylight savings time it is almost impossible for me to photograph recipes. I’ll save you the technical banter on how the configuration of my kitchen thwarts my efforts at food photography because the good light often occurs at a time when my calling in life is schlepping kids around instead of cooking.

Instead, let’s rejoice that while we lost an hour of sleep, I can now take decent food photos that will actually make you want to try a recipe.

One pot meals are my jam, and this one doesn’t disappoint. The ingredients are simple and cost effective. I’ve served this up with crusty bread and salad, roasted potatoes and asparagus, the combinations are endless.

 

 

Roasted Red Pepper + Parmesan Chicken
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • Red Bell Pepper
  • 2 TBSP Olive Oil
  • 1/2 cup coarsely chopped onion
  • Heavy Cream
  • 2lbs Skinless Chicken breast
  • 4 Cups Spinach
  • 1 Cup Parmesan Cheese (freshly grated is best but you know, use whatever works best for you)
  • Season Salt + Pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Season your chicken with salt and pepper to taste, or if you are like me throw in a few dashes of seasoned salt.
  2. Sear the chicken breasts on each side for 2 minutes, after the skin is browned reduce the heat to medium low and continue cooking the chicken until it is thoroughly cooked throughout
  3. Remove chicken from pan
  4. Saute onions and peppers mixing in the browned bits from the chicken
  5. Once the onions and peppers are tender, add in your cream and heat to a simmer
  6. Once the cream simmers add in the spinach
  7. Add parmesan once the spinach wilts and stir
  8. Place the chicken back into the pan, turn heat to low and spoon sauce over the chicken
  9. NOM. NOM. NOM.

 

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Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana recipe
Food• Gardening

Easy Steps to Starting a Garden

If you follow me on Instagram, you know there has been a lot of chatter about houseplants and now that I’ve managed to amass most of my dream houseplants  it’s now time for me to turn my attention outdoors. The weather here hasn’t completely broken but it is definitely time to start seeds indoors for vegetables that have a long germination time , tomatoes and peppers specifically.

I’ve had people ask me a few questions about gardening and while I’m not an expert by far, I’ve had some success and would like to point you to a few posts that will get you on your way if you are interested in trying your hand at growing your own food.

Gardening doesn’t have to be expensive, that handful of kale in the picture above is the flower child born from a $.25 pack of Dollar Tree seeds. If you’ve never gardened before I suggest starting with containers. While they require more attention, particularly when it comes to watering they are the least expensive way to get a feel for gardening before you invest the big bucks into boxes and dirt.

If you are impatient and prefer not to start from seed, Home Depot and Lowe’s are now stocking starter plants and while a little more on the expensive side if you need instant gratification this is the route to go. Keep your eyes peeled because they will often mark them down 3 for $10 and that’s a great price.

There is so much information to cover about gardening that MJ and I are planning to do a fun FB or IG live giving you our tips and tricks, taking a few questions and giving you some resources to help you on your journey. We’ll let you know the exact date and time so be on the look out.

In the meantime here are a few posts I’ve done about gardening to hold you over. If you have any questions please leave them in the comment section and we will be sure to address them in the live!

Starting a garden for $10 

Dollar Tree Garden Essentials

Container Gardening Tips

My first year raised bed gardening

 

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Homemade cream of mushroom soup
Food• Recipes

Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup

Cream of Mushroom soup is the magic to making the mundane tasty if you ask me. Unfortunately the canned version has lots of preservatives and chemicals in it, so I either try to go with the organic version or make my own when time permits.

Making homemade cream of mushroom soup is simple and tastes so much better than its canned counterpart. I’ll admit whipping up your own version is a little more costly and surely takes more time than using the canned version but the taste makes up for the effort.

The Ingredients are about as basic as they come.

Mushrooms, a few seasonings, flour, broth and milk.

 

Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup

 

Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup

 

Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup

 

 

IMG_6228

This is a condensed version, so if you have plans to enjoy it as a soup, I recommend diluting it with either broth or water. In recipes you can use as is in a 1:1 ratio. Store in a glass mason jar in the refrigerator for a week.

 

Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Ingredients
  • 3/4 cup finely chopped mushrooms
  • 1/3 cup of Flour
  • 2/3 cup of Milk
  • 1 1/4 cup Vegetable Broth
  • 1 tsp. Onion Powder
  • 1 tsp. Garlic Powder
  • 1/4 tsp. Celery Salt
  • 1/4 tsp. Salt
  • 1/4 tsp. Pepper
Instructions
  1. Boil vegetable broth to boil in a large pan
  2. In a bowl, whisk together milk and flour until flour is dissolved
  3. Add in remaining ingredients and continue whisking until incorporated
  4. Add the milk/flour mixture to the broth, whisking to combine
  5. Reduce heat to medium, allow to cook until thickened (3-5 minutes) stirring constantly
  6. Remove from heat. Use immediately or store in airtight container in refrigerator

 

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Food

My Mama’s Apple Pie

It is so hard to believe that 2018 will mark 10 years since I lost my mother. At times it seems like just yesterday and sometimes it feels like an eternity that I have lived my life without her here beside me.

The holidays are always hard when it comes to missing loved ones. I’m no different than any one else when it comes to dealing with grief during the holidays.  One way I have found to honor my mother is by adding things she did during the holidays in our traditions. She only baked her apple pie during the holidays and you couldn’t tell me she hadn’t whipped up some magical concoction until her friend told me that her magic apple pie recipe lie in a pie plate that I still have.

 

apple pie recipe

I have since put it away because my children can be extra clumsy and they way memories and irreplaceable items are set up I thought it best to take it off display.

The recipe is really simple and contains sugar. Sooooo if you are watching your sugar or you have a thing against sugar …….this is not the recipe for you.

 

 

My Mama’s Apple Pie
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Ingredients
  • 6 cups of pared, sliced tart apples
  • ¾ cup of Sugar
  • 1 Tbsp Cornstarch
  • 1 tsp. Cinnamon
  • 2 Tbsp Butter
  • Pie Crust ( store bought or handmade, whatever floats your boat)
Instructions
  1. Line pie pan with pie crust
  2. Fill with 6c. of apples
  3. In a bowl combine sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon
  4. Sprinkle mixture over apples
  5. Dot top of apples with butter cubes
  6. Cover with pie crust and seal edges.
  7. Bake at 400 degrees for 45-60 minutes

 

Do you have a special keepsake recipe that you make only during the holidays?

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