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I think this crazy chapter in my life is slowing down (((KNOCK ON WOOD))) and I hope to get back to some of the things I enjoy. 

I have accutally been making my family decent meals!  This is something that truely makes me happy.  A local grocery store had a killer deal on chicken wings, thighs, and drumbsticks so I got 5 packages.  Which means I had to do some recipe searching because I have never cooked with any of these cuts before.  I made the obvious Fried Chicken on Tuesday night.  I used the recipe out of  The Pionee Woman's cookbook. I also made these delicious Popovers they were so easy and good.  They are like my Hoot-N-Nanny Pancakes but a dinner roll vergan.  YUM

For those of you Utahians I am thinking about hosting a few Food Canning/Preseving classes. Leave me a comment if you might be interested or know someone that would be.

I have so many things I need to sew and so many things I want to make for my new home but so little time.  My list is getting longer and longer.  Here are some ideas that are on my list...

Knot So Hard Flip Flops

Drunken Gummie Bears

I am also going to be making very easy shmeazy citronella oil out door lanterns for my new patio... My next tutorial.  COMING VERY SOON!!!

It's May!

It's May and it even feels like spring!!!  Yeah!!! Shout Horray, HIP HIP HORRAY... okay I'm just a little excited.
Today is a good day :-)  Why, you ask?

1. My little man is freakin' cute with his chaps on!
2. We had a very good weekend!  Despite a late night (okay early morning) trip to the ER to get Jed's forehead stitched up after he walked into a flying beer bottle being thrown across the room by a very angry person in the middle of a bar fight. (We had just walked into the room and bam!)
3. I'm looking at a beautiful blue sky!
4. I caught my 4 year old niece peeing in my front flower bed.  When I asked her what the heck she was doin' she said, "Steele pee's outside".  And yes he deffinetly does... all of the time!  He has his own little pee spots. And no, I do not care one bit.  But I told her that maybe she should come inside to pee since she is a girl.
5. While Steele was a preschool we went to Walmart for some ingridients to make my own laundry detergent.  I've done some research on recipes and I finally just decided on one and we will see how it goes (I've been super excited to try it)... If I like it, it will only cost ONE PENNY per load!  Amazing!  It was way fast to make too.  I'll let you know what I think.
6. While in the laundry isle I saw startch.  Jed has been throwing out some pretty obvious hints like, "I wish my Wranglers looked crisp like that with the lines going up the legs" and "I would love it if you startched my jeans"  so I bought some and am in the process right this second of startching his sexy Wranglers ;-)
7. I am going to make this for dinner.  It should be great!
8. I get to go get Kylie from school in one hour!
9. Jed started his new job today!  Due to his outstanding work ethic and brilliant mind he is now the Infrastructure Superintendent for Hunt Electric.  Just gotta tell ya'll he is SO good at what he does!  He's been very excited since he was offered this job and gave his two week notice.
10. May means that this is the last month of school!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I love when the kids are out of school!

Here is a few pics of the Chicken Tacos I am making tonight... I am borrowing this recipe and picture from The Pioneer Woman 

PW's Brother's Chicken Tacos

Hope you liked my list...

And I hope you all have an amazing Monday too!



Family Sized Baked Burrito

Oh how I love this...

3 cups cooked chicken, cubed

1/2 cup onion, chopped

1/2 lime, juiced

3/4 cup salsa, thick & chunky

1 clove garlic, pressed
1 1/2 cups Colby Jack cheese, shredded & divided
4 burrito-sized flour tortillas (11-11 1/2 inches)
3/4 can refried beans
2 tomatoes, thinly sliced
Optional: Lettuce, Avacodo, salsa, Sour Cream...

Preheat oven to 425. In medium sized microwaveable bowl mix chicken, onion, lime juice, salsa & garlic together.

 Microwave this mixture for about 3 minutes.
Start heating the beans in a small sauce pan.

Arrange tortillas like a plus sign. Starting with the left one, work in a clockwise fashion.  I don't know how else to describe it.  I hope this picture help you.  Be sure to over lap them!

Take your chicken mixture out of the microwave and mix in about a 1/2 cup cheese.

Spread your hot beans over the tortillas in a square shape. Then your chicken mixture over that.

Now close up your burrito starting with the first on the left and work clockwise as well.

 *** Be sure your wee little one is helping!  It makes it taste that much better.



Top it with your sliced tomatoes and the rest of the cheese.

Place it in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes or until the edges of the tortilla starts to brown and the cheese is melted.

Cut with a pizza cutter and serve.

Orange Chicken

Okay, I was standing in my kitchen last night wondering what in the world I was going to make for dinner.  I didn't want one of the usuals that I always make.  I wanted something new I wanted something with fllaaavvoor... I wanted Orange Chicken!
So what did I do?  I got on my favorite recipe website Tasty Kitchen and found me a flavor packed recipe.
And look!  There was a blog link attached to the recipe so CHECK IT OUT... Better Than Takeout Orange Chicken.  I don't know about you but when I think of Asian food it kinda intimidates me, okay okay it really intimidates me.  No need to be scared with this one, it's easy shmeazy!  And it has "normal" ingredients, meaning I had almost everything in my house and what I didn't have I improvised.
I always have ginger seasoning in my spice cupboard but must have ran out.  Cause I didn't have any so I just left it out, I think it's needed though and I'm sure fresh ginger root would be best like the recipe calls for.  I didn't have panko crumbs either, so I used flour instead. The chicken turned out great and even had a good crunch but the panko would have a better crunch.
Now, I have a confession to make... I have a problem... dun dun duuuunnnn...  I tend to add more of my favorite ingredients/spices than recipes call for. I do this all the time and sometimes it gets me into trouble.  I added WAY TO MUCH Orange Zest :-(  My husband couldn't get past my orange flavoring... So I had to confess to him my problem. 
He fixed his plate by putting Worcestershire Sauce on his orange chicken Y U C K uggh, SO weird! (That's how he "fixes" anything he doesn't like.) 
It really wasn't t h a t   b a d but next time I make this recipe, and I will make it again and again and probably again and again I will refrain and just use one tablespoon of orange zest and show my silly husband that YOU DON'T PUT WORCESTER ON ORANGE CHICKEN! 

Five Can Casserole

Mmmmmm.... This is a recipe that may seem to be a bit weird and unusual but it is SO delicious.  You will love it!  It's very simple and also quite fast.  It's called five can casserole I am assuming because it is supposed to use five cans of ingredients to build... but it's not exactly five cans.

You will need:

1 or 2 cans of chicken, drained (found by tuna in your supermarket) or 2 chicken breasts boiled and cut into chunks
2 cans Cream of Chicken or substitue 1 can Chicken & Rice soup
1 bag Hard Chinese Noddles
1 can Mushrooms, sliced or chopped (OPTIONAL)
1/2 cup milk
Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In dutch oven or casserole dish combine soup and chicken.

Add Chinese Noddles

Pepper

Now add about 1/2 cup of milk, the milk is only to moisten the dish so if you feel like you need more then just add more milk.

Bake covered for about 30 minutes or until heated thoroughly. 

Salt & Pepper to taste and enjoy one of my favorite simple dishes.