Copycat Le Nonne Lemon Chicken

We are so proud of how this turned out, pretty darn near perfect. The recipe below includes the alterations I would make to make it even better (less butter and pound the chicken out just a tad thinner) but other than that I think we would be good competition.

Here is the recipe for the sauce first:

1/2 stick butter
3 T White Cooking Wine
1 T Capers
1 t. Caper sauce (just some of the sauce right out of the caper bottle)
Juice from two lemons (really get in there, you need every drop)

For the chicken, just pound out a chicken breast until it is about 1/8 inch thick (get it really really flat!) Then coat that with some flour. I used a frying pan and put enough oil in there just to coat the entire pan (about 3 Tablespoons) and heated that over medium heat. Once the oil was hot, I put the chicken breasts in. Do not flip until it looks completely white even from the top, that way you get a nice sear on the chicken. Then cook on the other side until it starts to develop a brown coating.

After the chicken was done, I simply put it in a serving bowl and dumped the sauce over it like you see in the photos above. That way the sauce had a little time to soak into the chicken while I seared the potatoes. I used the remaining oil to give them the brown sear, but I pretty much had them already cooked with the broccoli (I just tossed those in some water and let them boil together until they were soft, then I gave the potatoes a sear with the oil and added some salt, pepper and rosemary to them. With the broccoli, I just sprinkled a little salt on them and served).

Super easy, I was impressed, not too hard at all, and a big pay off for your taste buds. My next goal is to copycat the Pear Pasta....I will let you know if I succeed.

Lemon chickenpea noodle soup recipe

Okay so I made this dish up tonight, like I frequently do, and liked it so much I decided I needed to save the recipe, and if I am going to take the time to type it up, might as well share, right? So i made this dish without chicken but you could totally add it if you wanted, or substitute it for the chickpeas I used:

LEMON CHICKENPEA NOODLE SOUP

4 potatoes peeled and chopped into bite size pieces
5 carrots, chopped into bite size pieces
4 stalks of celery, chopped
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
8 cups chicken broth (could substitute veggie if you want a vegetarian dish)
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp sage
1 bay leaf
1 lemon, quartered

Toss all of the above into a large pan, bring to a boil. Then add the following:

1 can chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
1 cup small noodles (I used small shells, but you could use whatever you wanted, rice would also be good if you had no noodles on hand)

Cook until noodles are soft, then add salt and pepper to taste. Remove the lemons and bay leaf and toss, then serve your soup to some hungry folks. Add some fresh Parmesan as garnish. After eating this I craved some homemade bread to dip in the lemony chicken broth, so tomorrow I will bake a loaf before we eat our leftovers for lunch.

Health Nut Recipes

Happy New Year- I hope that everyone has had a great 2013 so far. Our home has been busy busy busy (it never seems to let up)! Christmas was amazing, got to spend the week in California with my parents and siblings- went to Disneyland with all of them, and Grayson had such a fun time. He is the most curious, happy child. He did not nap for more than 15 minutes while we were at Disneyland, and he wore a big smile the entire time (unless we were on a ride, then he was just awestruck).

So far 2013 has been great, work has been keeping me extra busy, but I am trying to find time to do things that I love and to keep myself grounded. One of these things is cooking. I love cooking, and I am a notorious health nut- we eat very healthy at our house. I have been a Relief Society teacher for a few months now, and a couple months back I taught a lesson on the word of wisdom, which ended up hinging around the principle that we should eat meat sparingly. After my lesson I had several sisters come up to me and explain how they desired to cook with less meat, but did not have any good recipes. At our home, when we eat meat, we cook with a very small amount (1 lb of ground beef or less, or 6 oz of chicken or less). It is more a garnishment than a key player. Several of my recipes are meatless all together, and as I was preparing today's dinner, which is meat free, I was reminded of this request from sisters in my ward, so I thought I would share some pictures and links to some of my favorite meatless recipes. These are tried and true, cheap and easy!

IN ORDER OF OUR FAVORITES:

1. Macaroni & Cheese recipe from the Deceptively Delicious cookbook

http://www.grandparents.com/food-and-leisure/recipes/recipes-macaroni-and-cheese-deceptively-delicious

If you have not heard of this cookbook, I recommend purchasing it. Not all of the recipes are vegetarian, but they all find ways of cramming extra veggies into comfort classics. When we do cook with meat at our home, I take a note from this author and find a creative way of adding additional nutrition into every bite. We utilize lots of red pepper, cauliflower and sweet potato purees at our home.

We often add non-pureed additions to this macaroni: peas, broccoli, tomatoes, basil, chili and brussel sprouts have been a few that we have tried, but macaroni makes such a great base for anything that you could really spice it up!

2. Tofu Coconut Curry

http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipe/tofu-coconut-curry/

This recipe is so easy, and tastes amazing. If you are a curry person, this dish is sure to delight. We cook quite a few ethnic recipes at our home, and this is a crowd pleaser. Feel free to mix it up with different veggies too, the more the better!

3. Black Bean Burgers

http://spoonforkbacon.com/2012/03/spicy-black-bean-burger/

We have tried a few variations of Black Bean Burger recipes, but this one is our favorite. We serve it on top of what buns with homemade guacamole. I have not tried the sprouts like it shows in the picture, but I am sure that would be delicious! We usually serve with a side of this rice:

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/04/fiesta-lime-rice.html

4. Cumin Lime Chickpeas

http://budgetbytes.blogspot.com/2011/12/cumin-lime-chickpeas-379-recipe-063.html

If you have never been to the blog budget bytes, I highly recommend it. I have loved every recipe of hers I have ever made, and she is very good about giving you a variety of foods that are cheap and easy to make, and showing you step by step in photographs how to make them. I have a link to her blog on the right side of the page. Check her out! This recipe takes about five minutes to make, and is so very healthy! We eat with salad or in a pita, or even plain as a side dish- it is packed with flavor!

5. Vegetarian Enchilada Bake

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Vegetarian-Enchilada-Bake

Once again, easy, affordable- I substitute canned items all of the time instead of frozen- just use what you have, and do not be afraid to deviate from the recipe. If you do not have any corn, try something else instead like green beans, or peas.

Happy Cooking, hope this helps some of you discover some new family favorites, from our home to yours!

Forever

Life is so fragile. The events of the last few months have really taught me this. I have watched some very good people leave this mortal realm far too early and unexpectedly. I think the most important thing I have gleaned from this is that family is my number one priority, and I am going to do everything I can to make sure that my loved ones know that they mean the world to me.  I would hate to regret an unkind word I had spoken, or to wish I had expressed more deeply or often my affection and gratitude to those around me. The thought of losing someone dear to me is unbearable, I cannot imagine how I would begin to deal with the grieving process if I thought that I would never see that person again. The one thing that gives me great comfort, particularly now as a mother who worries constantly about my little boy, is that this life is but a small glimmer in the eternities.

I do not preach very often, or at least I try not too. One of my many flaws is that I am scared of sharing my testimony with those who do not want to hear it, even though they may need it the very most. I wish I was more brave, and stronger, but I suppose that will come with more experience and more time. However, it would be selfish of me not to share my testimony on this principal, as I know there are so many around me who are struggling right now with loss, with heartache and with so many unanswered questions.

I know with every fiber of my being that families can be forever. Even more now as a mother I know this principal to be true. I have felt the smallest fragment of God's love in having a child, and it was overwhelming. I know that God lives, that his son Jesus Christ died for us. I would go to my grave testifying of these truths. Gods love is infinite and boundless, such a God would never break apart a family, that is why I know families are eternal. I know with my whole heart that Scott and I, if we work hard enough, can gain all of the blessings and gifts our Father in Heaven has to offer. I want so much for my son to stay strong in this church, I have witnessed personally the sadness and darkness that can fill a person's life, and the church is the way back into the light. It is the only true way to obtain lasting happiness. We live in a world where religion and family values are mocked at every turn, I myself once cringed at the idea of being "just a mother." But I love it, there is nothing better than being a mom, having this sweet little individual in my home, he is my everything, and I thank God everyday for the knowledge he has given me of eternal families, because if I were ever to lose this little boy, that would be the only principal that would keep me going. I witness to you that this is a true principal, it is as true and sure and real as the ground beneath our feet.

People will say this is a silly notion and that I am a silly person, there are so many in this world who ground all of their faith and humanity in laws of science and logic. It is so sad how great truths and beliefs get twisted, and how some of the smartest among us can be the most blind. It saddens me that so often religion and education seem to fight against each other like oil and water, when really they walk hand in hand.

I love this church, I know it is true, I promise that this is the everlasting gospel, that Jesus lives and loves each and every one of us. I know that families are forever, that this life is merely a test, a very hard and difficult test, but when we reach the other side and we are greeted with eternal happiness- these sour, twisted, horrible moments will fade away into the past, they will be a small pain compared to the joy and glory that await us. I cannot express how much I love this gospel, there are questions that I do not have answers for, there are things that I struggle with, but I cannot deny the testimony that I have been given, it is so strong and powerful that I cannot deny the existence of God, I cannot deny the existence of our Savior, and I cannot deny that the blessings and ordinances of the temple are real. They are very real. I hope if you do not have these same beliefs or knowledge of the truth that one day you can, because without them the world truly is not as bright or hopeful, most days it is the only thing that keeps me believing in good, in a hopeful and love filled future.

I love you so much my dear dear family, my dear friends- you are the only thing that matters in this life, every thing else is trivial. I try my best everyday to be the best mom, wife, sister, daughter, granddaughter, cousin and friend that I can be. I know I fall short in so many areas, and I hope you will all pardon me in this, I am trying my best, but my priorities have changed so so much in the last few months, and I hope that you can understand that what I do with my life and how I live my life is simply me trying my very best. I hope that when I take my last breath in this life I will feel like I did everything I could for those around me, that I leave with no regrets. I am trying my best to be that person, who never says an unkind word, or thinks an unkind thought. I am trying to live so that I give more than I receive, so that I love more than I am loved and so that I can touch more lives than have touched mine. I am working on being stronger, I am working on being braver and I promise you that I am doing so through this gospel.

Life is short, life is brief, there is so much beauty to be found, but you have to be in the right places and searching for the right things. Family is one of those beauties, and I am doing everything in my power to make sure that I have the best family in the world, one full of love and life and light- because I can promise you, Family is the only thing that lasts, and it is the only thing we get to take with us, but we do get to take it with us, and I thank God every day that families are forever.

Lazy Sunday;s

We love spending Sunday's with Scott's Family, here are some pictures from this Summer's dinners:

So many Milestones!

Grayson is growing up so fast!

AUGUST 2012

We had such a busy and full month! Here are some of our crazy happenings:

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We went to the fair on August 3rd and had such a fun time. There were so many different things to see. People had made large pictures/murals out of beans, corn, rock candy, etc. There were several different animal, vegetable, sewing, knitting, crocheting,  etc, there were even cake entries. There were several different food vendors offering fantastic flavors and faire, we decided to have some dutch oven food for dinner- bbq chicken, green beans, potatoes and some peach cobbler to top it all off. Scott even got some Zeppis frozen ice, some of his favorite! Then we tried to go to the rodeo- it was such a great show, but we got rained out. We tried hiding under a blanket for a good half hour, but in the end we had to give up the good fight and rush to the car. We had Grayson bundled up real well, so he was dry, but the rest of us were completely soaked! Overall such a fun day,  so glad we can have fun times such as these!

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This year at Cherry Hill we decided to host our very own summer olympics, hot off the heals of the London 2012 Summer Olympics- we had all kinds of events including sychronized swimming, 4-man blindfolded relay, rhythmic floor gymnastics and more! Everyone brought their A-game and we all had a blast whether it be participating, or watching those competing. We alsoo had a very fun Family Feud competition put together by Jason and Ashli- this years winners were the Grandparents, Coreys and Wilcocks. Everyone had a good time and we all cannot wait for next years fun!

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In August
we spent a week with
Gigi and Papa in
California! One day we went to the San Diego Zoo and had so much fun seeing all of the different animals. Some of our favorite highlights included seeing the elephants, the hippo, the gorillas and the acrobatics show put on by some very talented performers. Grayson was such a happy boy and everyone was sure to comment on what a cutie he was- we had such a good day!

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...don't know when I'll be back again... Gigi and Papa were so sad to say goodbye to Grayson as he boarded his first plane ride ever.  Grayson did O.K. on the flight, he was a bit upset but Mom and Dad did their best to keep him happy and boy were they pooped after the one and a half hour flight, but it sure beat a car ride! We flew Jet Blue, our favorite airline, and there were several other babies on board so Grayson was not the only one bothering the other passengers, so that made us feel better. It was a bit stormy in Salt Lake when we landed, but Great Grandpa Wilcock met us at the airport to take us home, and overall the entire flight was smooth and pleasant.