Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

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I found a recipe on line for Balsamic Chicken and changed it up a bit. It came out delish.

2 chicken breasts

1/2 tsp garlic

Fresh basil leaves (or another fresh herb if you no got basil)

1 pint of grape tomatoes (optional)

Balsamic vinegar

2ish table spoons of flour

Salt and pepper

Beat the chicken until it’s about a quarter inch thick. Doesn’t have to be exact, just needs to be even so it will cook evenly. Salt, pepper and sprinkle with flour so that it covers both sides of the breasts.

Heat olive oil in a sauce pan with the garlic. When hot, add the chicken. It’s a tricky thing, but it needs to be hot enough to get the chicken a little crispy, but not burned. Cook and flip each piece until they have a nice crust.

Chop the basil (stack leaves, roll into a cigarette and chop to make long strings of basil) and sprinkle over the chicken. Add in the balsamic so that it coats each piece and there’s some in the pan (probably about a 1/4 of a cup). Add in tomatoes.

Cover and reduce to a simmer so the tomatoes cook and pop and the balsamic becomes thicker. Once the chicken is cooked through and the tomatoes are stewed, serve!

I put the chicken over couscous and had pitas, humus and cucumbers on the side.  It does have an Italian flavor too so it would be good with pasta or maybe caprese salad on the side.

Enjoy!

The Many Uses of Sunscreen

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Ok, I know this is totally random, but it made me very happy (and my lips too) so I thought I would share.

While in San Diego this past week, I realized my SPF 15 lip gloss and or chapstick were not cutting it for the several hours we were outdoors each day. And as someone who is prone to cold sores from too much sun, I was concerned. We made a stop at a local surf shop and while buying other goodies, I asked the doodlebop behind the counter if they had anything stronger. His response? “noooo dude, we don’t. But, you could, like, totally uuuusse one of the sunscreen ssttiiiicks on your lips instead of, like on your whole face, man”. 20 minutes later when he was finally finished with this sentence, I kindly thanked the “dude” for all his “like, advice” and headed for the hotel.

I realized I had packed a sunscreen stick for Baylie and thought I would try it while we were still in the hotel and could wipe it off, rinse and repeat before leaving incase it left a funky sunscreeny taste. It turns out the duuude totally knew what he was talking about! Not only does it not have a funky taste, it’s waterproof, SPF 55 and it moisturizes as well as chapstick. I now carry a stick with me for my use and Bay’s – so nice to have one less thing in my bag rather than one more thing. Oh, and it works great on your part too so your scalp doesn’t get burned – no greasy hair! Not to mention the benefits of being able to get sunscreen UNDER the kiddos eyes (yes, they do get sunburned because they don’t wear sunglasses. I am an idiot) without getting it in their eyes.

So as the weather finally begins to cool and we start to pull out the beach cruisers for a ride to The Vig, a hike up Camelback and get your drink on at a football game, remember to pack your handy sunscreen stick!

“Daddy did my hair…”

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As most moms will tell you, leaving the kiddos with dad in charge can be a bit of a challenge. For me, it’s a breeze. PW took to fatherhood the second Baylie was born. In fact, he kind of had to – I couldn’t get out of the bed so he had to change all the icky first diapers and by the third one, he was a champ. He’s always been hands on and easy going with B and it’s never a problem to leave them home together.

Unless you expect a clean house when you return.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining – no seriously. It’s actually comical to see what has transpired during my absence. Baylie is always fed and happy, same with PW so I can’t be upset. But the aftermath of “Baylie and Daddy time” is of epic proportions. Take for example a few weekends ago…

I was having lunch with some college friends on a Sunday. I left around 11am and Bay was down for a nap. I hadn’t changed her out of jammies yet because she had gone down early for her nap and was taking an extra looong one. I met the Phis and enjoyed catching up for a few hours. When I returned home around 2, I found this…


When I asked if some sort of bomb had gone off, Peter replied “we were building forts”. Gotcha. And the clothes? “to weigh down the blankets so they would stay up and we could crawl under”. Now, who can be mad at a dad building forts with their kiddo? Not me, but I did have to comment on the amount of chaos that had occurred in the short time I was gone. The kicker? I figured out when Bay woke up from her afternoon nap that she was still in her jammies AT 3 IN THE AFTERNOON. Also, they had ventured out to Chipoltle and yes, she was still in her jammies complete with berry stains from breakfast. Sigh, at least she had on clothes 🙂

Roaring Fork’s Green Chili Pork

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This is one of my favorite dishes and Peter makes it sooo well. The chilis can be a little tricky to find – if you can’t find fresh, check out the frozen section. Also canned green chilis work really well. Serve with grilled corn on the side, black beans or straight up!

2 tablespoons corn oil
2 pounds boneless country-style pork ribs, coarsely cut (pork shoulder works too!)
Kosher salt, to taste
Cracked black pepper, to taste
2 cups yellow onion, diced
1/4 cup jalapeno chile, minced
1 cup dried New Mexico green chiles, seeded, stemmed and minced (canned green chilis work too or check for frozen)
1/4 cup garlic, minced
2 cups poblano chile, roasted, peeled and pureed
1 cup grated pepper jack cheese
24 (6-inch) flour tortillas

Over a fire or stove burner, heat corn oil in a cast-iron pot. Season the pork with salt and pepper. When the oil is hot, add the pork, onion, jalapeno and New Mexico chiles and garlic. Cook until the pork is tender, about 1 1/2 hours.

Add the poblano chile puree and simmer for 45 minutes. When done, sprinkle with jack cheese and serve with tortillas.

This is great for entertaining. Whip it up before guests arrive and let it cook and then sit on the stove. Reheat before eating – the longer it sits, the better it is!

Run to Buy Buy Baby

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If you are in need of some new clothes for your munchkin, a baby shower gift or are on my quest to complete your Christmas shopping list months early – run, don’t walk to Buy Buy Baby. They are having a huge 75% off sale on select clothing. And my select, they mean anything but the Halloween costumes! I got this adorable dress for $1.77. No, I didn’t miss a decimal point! So stock up for next summer and for all your gift giving needs!

For all the non parents buying gifts, remember to buy bigger and for the right month. I.E. don’t buy a cute short sleeve 6-9 month dress for your sister in Buffalo when her daughter is going to be in that size in December 🙂

Happy shopping!

Sh*t Happens

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There is a strange phenomenon that happens when you become parents. It’s the poop phenomenon. And by that I mean that the topic of poop becomes an easily and often discussed topic. So much so that you find you have to censor yourself around your friends. You quickly start down the poopy path before you realize “hey, these people aren’t parents and we’re having dinner so save your diaper discussion for later, ass”.

One of the odd things you have to do when your child is a newborn is track all diaper activities to ensure that they are getting the proper nutrition. It’s very strange, but you literally keep a journal of all activities and feedings – I know it sounds silly, but when you’re sleeping 5ish hours per 24 hour period for a week, you tend to forget when you changed your clothes last, much less what the kiddo did. Soon after, the journal becomes part of your brain, you just naturally track what’s going on. Which leads to conversations about when the kid pooped, if it was a “good” poop (I’ll spare you the details on that), how many times she pooped and where you put the poop. The conversations further devolve into bargaining to pick up the dog poop and also to take care of your own poop without an audience. This includes both dogs and child. Doing anything behind a closed door becomes a huge luxury, especially when your kiddo is big enough to open said door (get knobs people, the lever door handles only help them).

The bargaining can be both a positive and a negative. “But I changed TWO poopy diapers today!!” is a great way to get your spouse to change a diaper or do some other undesired activity. A typical positive negotiation in our house goes something like this:

“I was going to hit the pool and swim laps this morning.”

“Sounds good – but I was hoping to catch a nap, get a full shower AND full hair and makeup this afternoon.”

“Not a problem – you throw in a poopy diaper change and you got your self a deal.”

When can you potty train them?!

Weighing Your Options

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If you’ve ever watched the biggest looser, you know that when the contestants weigh in the numbers on the scale jump around from low to high and back for several minutes (well, seconds, but it feels like minutes!) before finally settling on the contestants actual weight. I used to find this very annoying, but recently realized that I actually prefer this method of discovering your weight.

After gaining 40ish pounds (unofficially) while pregnant with Bay, I found it incredibly hard to loose said 45ish (officially, but whose’s asking?) pounds. As I’m sure you’ve all read in previous blogs, I started working out with the world’s greatest trainer, Jen. It took almost a full 9 months to get it all off, but I did and I even lost a few “vanity pounds” as my friend Stephanie would say. No, I’m not bragging, but I will say that I EARNED that 45 pound loss. I have a minimum of 2 sore muscle groups a week from the workouts. But I digress…while on the scale this weekend, the rude little contraption just hit me with the number – BAM! No working me into the fact that there was an extra 2 pounds that weren’t there a few days ago. I don’t need that kind of directness at 6am on a Monday! I need a few big numbers flashed at me first before the scale settles on the higher than usual number. I need to be eeeeased into it, not smacked across the face with it.

So, yet another invention goes on my list along with Church Toys and My First Real (Pretend) Cell Phone – the “Ease You In” Scale. Where it will flash a few big numbers before giving you the actual number. And maybe even have little words of encouragement like “It’s ok! Weight fluctuates! It’s just water weight!” just to help with the shock value.

Christmas in August

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Hello Goonies! I’m introducing yet another new category to the blog called Retail Therapy. Get excited! I’m hoping to give you my take on some great places to shop and lovely little things to shop for. Enjoy!

Yes, yes, I know it’s nuts to be thinking about Christmas already. But I have a goal this year to do most of the shopping way in advance so that we actually get to enjoy the season. I hate going to the mall when it’s crazy crowded and I hate the amount of money that flies out the door in December. So, step 1 is that I’m scaling back on the amount of gifts given. Step 2 is to find great deals and ideas so that my friends and family get really meaningful gifts that don’t break the bank. And Step 3 is to get it done ahead of time so that we get to actually go see the Christmas lights, go to the parties  and enjoy all the hoopla without feeling stressed and like I need a cocktail and a nap.

I’ve started to get a few ideas together and I thought all you The Goon Room readers might be interested in case you want to join my “no stress holiday” campaign. If you are a family member, please stop reading. Or read at your own risk and ruin your Christmas surprise. You’re choice.

Christy Alverado Designs

My step sister Nancy turned me onto Christy’s beautiful jewelry. She is a local artist and mom and designs personal and affordable creations. I have a great necklace with a silver disc that says “Baylor” and a pearl charm for her birthstone. It’s one of my favorite pieces and I wear it with everything. Bring your own ideas, purchase a premade design or have Christy assist in a creation. Children’s names, spouse’s names, last name and family names, initials, pets, hobbies..you name it, there is a design for it. necklaces, bracelets, earrings, cufflinks, she’s got it all! http://christyalvaradodesigns.com/

Books

Books are a great gift and can be affordable with some preparation. I stay away from specific genres if I’m not sure what the person likes to read. I go more for the general topics. I stumbled on the Humor section of Borders Books last year and about lost my mind. One of my favorite finds was “F U Penguin. Telling Cute Animals What’s What”. It is not for the faint of heart, those who do not have a sick sense of humor or anyone offended by foul language. But if you’re like Peter and I, you will have tears streaming down your face and your abs will hurt for days.

Sign up for several book store’s rewards program before you need to buy. They generally send out coupons after a purchase. Stock them up and save on gifts. Also, scope out the books and then buy them from Amazon.

Stationary

There are a lot of great websites that will create personalized stationary for a decent price. Horchow and Tiny Prints are two of my favorites. Couple a personalized set with a few boxes of thank you notes and blank notes from Target and you’ve got an awesome, personal and inexpensive gift.

Booze

I’m always stumped what to buy the men in our family. Their hobbies and interests are all way to expensive to buy for so I usually stick with booze. Borrow your mom’s Costco card and hit up their liquor section. They almost always have a box set of something that includes glasses, shot glasses or a smaller size bottle of whatever you’re buying. It make the gift seem more substantial but the price is still small. Total Wine and also Bevmo have similar items. They are also great of miniature bottles – pick up a five or six different things and pair them with some cheese and crackers in a basket. Cheap AND adorable!

Gadgets

Again, men. I have always had great luck with Eddie Bauer and Orvis. They both carry small, multipurpose gadgets that are always a big hit. EB has a “key” that is actually a knife, screwdriver, bottle opener and dishwasher. Ok, obviously not the last one, but still!

http://www.eddiebauer.com/EB/Bags–Gear/Outdoor-Gear/index.cat#ppl=%7Btype%3A%22hide%22%7D

More to come as I keep at my list. I hope you decide to join my crazy bandwagon and get started early. You’ll thank me when you’re bank account is full and you have time to sip hot chocolate while you listen to holiday music instead of fighting for a parking spot at the mall.

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

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Want to really impress your family, husband and or friends? This is an awesome and REALLY easy recipe that tastes like it was a ton of work! The quote from PW was “I would marry you all over again” after eating this for dinner. It is a slow cooker recipe, so it’s best for days when you don’t have a lot of time to make dinner at dinner time.

Get a McCormick spice pack for Pulled Pork. They are usually in like the rice and soup aisle. It will say “slow cooker” on the front.

Get a pork shoulder with the bone still in. The back of the spice pack calls for a slightly different cut of pork, but I think the shoulder with the bone is less fatty and has great flavor.

Follow the directions on the packet, but double the amount of vinegar to 1/2 cup.

After about 6 hours in the slow cooker, shred the pork using two forks. It should come apart very easily.

I turned off the slow cooker at this point because we were headed to swim lessons and then turned it back on high an hour later for about another hour. Shreading the meat and letting it soak for awhile gets the flavor into every bite and I think letting it cool and then heat back up helps as well.

Serve with Hawaiian brand rolls. They are a little sweeter and really bring out the flavor in the pork. Potato salad, baked beans and chips are awesome sides. Steamed brocoli with a little parmesan cheese and grilled corn with Old Bay seasoning are some healthier alternatives.

I also used the leftover pork inside a quesadilla and it was AMAZING! A little sour cream and or guac make it a little slice of Heaven. Bon appetite!

Pretty People

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I’ve been working out at the gym lately. I really don’t like to go to the gym, it’s a total pain to get dressed and drive there – I would so much rather workout at home or go for a run. But since it’s still 113 degrees and 40% humidity, taking Baby Cakes for a 5k is not in the cards until October (when the low is actually cooler than 95 degrees). Thus, the gym.

My workout doesn’t require any machines, mostly a yoga mat, a kettle bell and maybe a ball. Mostly I need some space and someone to wrangle the kiddo. A few weeks ago I was working out in the mirrored room when I became really sick of looking at pretty people walk by. I have a serious issue with people that wear lots of makeup and really pretty workout clothes to the gym. Really, a full face of makeup, hair done AND an adorablely coordinated Nike outfit? Really? Who has that much time?? If you have time to take 2 showers a day, you need a hobby.

I understand common decency, you don’t need to look like a total disaster. I refrain from wearing my over sized Georgetown Law t-shirt and I do put on some concealer and mascara because scaring people with my Night of the Living Dead impression is not nice. There are limits in my scrubiness though – some people (who shall remain unnamed) have been known to go to the gym wearing a t-shirt that is at least 10 years old and has a hole in the armpit so big, this person can put deodorant on without having to reach under the shirt. I’m just saying, there are limits people.