Stretching That Roasted Chicken

As busy moms, we are always trying to find ways to stretch our dollars, especially when it comes to the grocery bill. A few weeks ago, I had seen Cristina Ferrare on Oprah, fixing several meals with roasted chicken, and I have since tried three of the recipes. They were all very good and made plenty for our family to have, enough that I thought of sharing them on here. So, enjoy! Oh, and I usually only cook one roasted chicken and then use it for a couple extra meals; it just depends on the size of your family. Also, to stretch your dollars more, wait until these whole chickens go on sale, and buy more than one or two so you have for a later time; last week, Country Mart here had them on for $.69/lb, so I bought about three of them. Enjoy!:)

Roasted Chicken
Recipe created by Cristina Ferrare

This classic roasted chicken is great on its own and in countless other recipes. This recipe calls for two chickens so that you have leftovers!
Ingredients:

Roasted Chicken:
2 chickens , 4 1/2 to 5 pounds each
6 lemons
A poultry mix of fresh herbs: Rosemary, sage, thyme, parsley and oregano work well.
Marinade for one chicken:
1 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup juice from fresh lemon (don't discard lemon rinds)

To make marinade: Place all ingredients in a nonreactive bowl. Whisk with a wire whisk until ingredients are incorporated well—the marinade should have a smooth and creamy consistency.

To make roasted chicken: Preheat oven to 425°.Clean chickens well and pat dry. Place each chicken in its own baking dish.Stuff cavities with lemon rinds and fresh herbs. A poultry mix is fine, usually consisting of rosemary, sage, thyme, parsley and oregano.Pour marinade over chicken. Add cracked pepper and remaining herbs to the top of each chicken.Place an oven thermometer in each chicken and cover with aluminum foil. Place on the lower rack of the oven. Bake for 1 1/2 hours, then remove the aluminum foil. Baste with a basting bulb. Keep basting often, ever 15 minutes until the thermometer reads 180°.

Chicken Pot Pie with Cornbread Crust
Recipe created by Cristina Ferrare

This is a feel-good meal! It's traditional without a catch but very satisfying—not to mention easy and fast.
Ingredients:

Filling:
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 medium Onion , chopped
1/4 cup flour
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups chopped Roasted Chicken
1/2 cup frozen sweet petite peas
1 potato , diced and boiled
1 1/2 cup chopped, cooked carrots
1/2 tsp. salt
Cracked pepper
Dash of Tabasco® sauce

Crust:
3/4 cup white or yellow cornmeal
3/4 cup flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 1/2 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup milk
1 large egg
2 Tbsp. canola oil

To make filling: Preheat the oven to 400°. Spray a 2-quart casserole with cooking spray. In a large sauce pan, heat olive oil and unsalted butter together. Add onion and sauté until tender, about 4 or 5 minutes. Add in flour until blended. Slowly stir in 2 cups of heated chicken stock, whisking well. Cook mixture over medium heat until thickened and bubbly, about 4 minutes. Stir in chicken, peas, potato, carrots, salt, pepper and Tabasco®. Pour into a 2-quart ovenproof casserole dish coated with cooking spray and spread mixture evenly.

To make crust: In a bowl, stir cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Stir milk, egg and canola oil until well combined. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Spoon the batter evenly on the filling. Bake until the top is golden brown, about 22 to 25 minutes.

Chicken Enchiladas
Recipe created by Cristina Ferrare

These chicken enchiladas make a great family meal—and they're simple to make!
Ingredients:
16 ounce bottle or can enchilada sauce
6 low-fat or fat-free tortillas
1 jar salsa
2 cans refried beans
1/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup shredded sharp Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup low-fat sour cream
1/4 cup kalamata olives , pitted
1 jalapeño , chopped and seeded
Roasted Chicken
Heat oven to 400°. Pour the can of enchilada sauce into a pie dish. Dip tortillas in the sauce to soften them.On a cutting board, gently spread refried beans on one side of each tortilla. Add enough diced Roasted Chicken to cover the beans. Sprinkle with cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses. Add olives, chopped jalapeño and salsa (optional).Roll up the tortillas and place seam-side down in a 9" x 13" baking dish.Blend the sour cream into the remaining enchilada sauce in the pie dish. Pour over enchiladas and sprinkle remaining cheese.Cover and bake for 25-30 minutes until hot and bubbly.

Motivation For Your Monday

It’s Monday again! It’s another new week with a fresh start. I thought I’d do something different today; I found The Simple Woman’s Daybook online at http://thesimplewoman.blogspot.com/2008/04/join-simple-womans-daybook.html and thought this might be fun to do. I’m having a hard time trying to figure out how to link the button to my blog, but hopefully, I can figure it out before I do this again. Anyway, have a great day, and think of today as a new day, a day with no mistakes in it, yet anyway. It’s another chance for you to reach out to someone, so keep your eyes open and your ears open to the Holy Spirit’s prompting, and have a wonderful Monday!

FOR TODAY December 8, 2008
Outside My Window... it is still dark.
I am thinking... I have a lot to do today.
I am thankful for... Dan and Jacob and Jaden and good friends.
From the learning rooms... Jacob will be starting cursive writing this week; he is very excited.
From the kitchen... will be aromas of chicken pot pie with a cornbread crust tonight.
I am wearing... right now, my pajamas and bathrobe.
I am creating... scrapbooked pictures for Christmas presents.
I am going... to Dan’s shop today to decorate and paint his window for Christmas.
I am reading... The Other Side of Love by Gary Chapman and The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks.
I am hoping... that it snows very soon.
I am hearing... quiet throughout the house with only the train in the distance.
Around the house... today is house blessing day, and of course, the never ending cycle of laundry.
One of my favorite things... is making hot cocoa with Jacob and then enjoying it in front of a Christmas movie.
A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: School all week, catching up on writing assignments, skating with the homeschool group on Friday, and hopefully, Jacob can test for his yellow belt this week.
Here is a picture thought I am sharing...

"The Big P"

Wow! All I can say is wow!:) Yesterday was such a looooooong day....it can only get better. Really , it wasn't that bad, but I'm still tired thinking about it. Just to give you a little background, I've been really praying for patience lately.......yes, I know, I can hear you all now, "Why are you praying for patience? Do you know what can happen if you pray for patience?" Trust me, do I ever know what can happen! Believe you me, it was a huge step for me to pray for patience. One of my nursing instructors had always said, "Don't pray for patience, or else." So, I lived in fear of praying for "the Big P." I know, right? LOL Actually, now that I look back on yesterday, it's making me laugh, so I guess I'm learning something from it, if only to laugh at myself. I can't say that I handled myself in the most patient of ways while all of this was happening, but I figured out later on that the reason it was all happening was to try to teach me something about patience. Anyway, here's a good laugh for you, my story of yesterday.

We started out with school, and the day seemed to be progressing well; we were done with school by lunch, and we were headed out the door for an afternoon at the grocery store, library, health department, etc. First, as I was going out the door, I knocked over this little decorative item my mom had given me, and of course, it broke. No time, though, had to run. So, we headed to Cabool to take library books back, then to Walmart. Shopping with a one year old sitting in the shopping cart is not easy; those carts just are not kid friendly. He was constantly trying to stand up; that strap did basically nothing to hold him. I finally had everything we needed, much to my relief, and was in the checkout line, the only one that wasn't full of people with totally overloaded grocery carts.:)LOL Then I noticed that the guy in front of me was having trouble getting the debit machine to work, and the cashier was saying how she'd been having trouble with her machine; he finally got it to work somehow, but when I got up there, it decided to quit. Oh, but the best part is that we had already checked and put all my items in bags. So, there I was with no way to pay because the debit machine wouldn't work. Well, I looked down at my cell phone, and I was late for our appointment at the health department. By this time, I was just ready to scream.:)LOL So, I took my cart to customer service so they could hold all my stuff there, and we ran to the car to make it to our appointment; meanwhile, I was just steaming. This isn't the first time that has happened at Walmart, but that's a whole other post. So, we get to our appointment, and because I'm just a smidgin late, I end up waiting behind other people and was there, trying to keep Jaden happy, for about an hour and a half. Then back to Walmart to get our cart and pay at customer service where the debit machine actually worked.:)LOL It didn't end there, but that was the worst of it. It was just a patience working day.

But you know what? I'm going to keep praying for patience, because sooner or later, my prayers are going to be answered. God is working on me, and that right there gives me encouragement to know that my prayers are being heard because He is definitely trying to teach me something about patience. Anyway, my encouragement to you is not to be afraid to pray for "the big P" word; if we all had a bit more of that word in our lives, life would not be half as hard as we make it out to be.:)LOL

Who Else, But a Mother?

Who Else, But A Mother?
Who first loves and nurtures us and takes care of every need, as she accepts into her life someone new to bathe and feed?
Who brags about accomplishments; first teeth...first sounds...first smile and makes every little thing that's done seem important and worthwhile?
Who's been known to, after dark enter a room and slowly creep to bend and kiss the forehead of a child fast asleep?
Who holds a hand while crossing as she thoughtfully conveys a reminder to her child that he should always "look both ways?"
Who wipes peanut butter off a cheek and crayon off the wall and knots an untied shoelace to avoid a likely fall?
Who watches the swift passing of childhood years that she will mourn, and remembers every small detail about the day that child was born?
Who works the longest hours without a vacation...or a check, but accepts her payment in the form of a hug around her neck?
Who never stops believing even when others are in doubt and defends the fact her child was "safe"when the umpire calls him out!?
Who senses things just aren't right and with the palm of her hand decrees by placing it on her child's brow...the fever's 101 degrees?
Who shares life's disappointments and feels the pain of all the bruises and delights in her child's winnings, but offers solace when he loses?
Who realizes as the years pass by...the further her child will roam and who stays up late with worry when that child isn't home?
Who tries to shield and protect by showing courage...staying strong; trying to set a good example while her heart is breaking all along?
Who acts as a private tutor as the years fall in succession by taking each opportunity to teach life's every lesson?
Who listens with her heart even when her child is grown and understands the feelings that she once herself, had known?
Who saved old cards and letters and kept pictures on the shelves and offered unconditional love so we could learn to love, ourselves?
This poem describes one person; a woman unlike any other, for who could possess that level of love...Who Else, But A Mother?

(c) 1998 Linda Ellis All Rights Reserved
Retrieved from http://www.thelaboroflove.com/prose/poems/whoelse.html.

Yum Appetizer!

Last night was a really long night, with Jaden waking up so many times, too many times to count. I wonder if he's getting what Jacob has had; it seems like winter is just filled with so many illnesses. Ugh. Anyway, thought I'd just add a recipe that was a huge hit at Thanksgiving and is really easy and inexpensive to make, especially if you use a lot of generic like we do.:) Enjoy!

Creamy Crab and Red Pepper Spread



Prep Time:15 min Total Time:1 hr 15 min
Makes:2-1/4 cups or 18 servings, 2 Tbsp. cheese spread and 5 crackers each



What You Need
2 green onions, thinly sliced, divided
1 tub (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA 1/3 Less Fat Cream Cheese
1 can (6 oz.) lump crabmeat, drained
1/2 cup KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1/2 cup finely chopped red peppers
1 Tbsp. GREY POUPON Dijon Mustard
RITZ Reduced Fat Crackers

Make It
REMOVE 2 Tbsp. of the onions; set aside. Mix remaining onions with all remaining ingredients except crackers; cover.
REFRIGERATE at least 1 hour.
SPRINKLE with reserved onions. Serve with crackers.

Ready for Christmas?

Christmas is almost here, and it's that time of year again with all the hustle and bustle of the shopping world. There are so many people spending money on all kinds of different things out there, but the key to this season is frugality. Why spend so much money, when you can come up with more meaningful and thoughtful ideas on your own? So, I thought I'd share some of my own gift ideas here, and if you'd like to add to the list, go ahead; the more, the merrier, truly.:)

One thing that I had read about and have kind of tweaked to fit my own style is scrapbooking pictures and framing them. I'm taking old pictures of family (wedding pics of my mom and dad and an old picture of my grandma and grandpa when they were very young) and scrappin them into frames. I'm also taking pics of our boys and making them black and white or antiqueing them and scrappin them also. Now, before you go on about how expensive scrapbooking supplies are or how you just don't know how to scrapbook, I want you to think outside the box. It just takes a little creativity and thought. I don't really know how to scrapbook either; I'm just winging it. As for supplies, there is a dollar shop here where everything is $1, and they are starting to stock all kinds of supplies, all unique and really beautiful actually. I was even able to buy a big scrapbook for $1. Your local craft store will also sometimes put the paper on sale at a really good deal, like 4/$1 or a similar price. Also, get out old greeting cards, buttons, ribbon, etc. You can also get pretty cool frames at the dollar shop or even in the cheapie frame section at Walmart (in the outside aisles).:) Use what you have; you can come up with some pretty unique creations. Here are a couple pictures of what I have so far.

Another thing you might try is homemade candy or cookies, etc. I'm actually making truffles this year, and I got the recipe from the free Kraft Food & Family magazine that comes in my mailbox. Then you can take that candy and put it in a cute little box you get at the dollar shop. You can find the recipe for the truffles at this website: http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/recipes/simply-sensational-truffles-107529.aspx.

Another idea is to get onto Craigslist or Ebay and just look; keep searching for things you're interested in purchasing, and don't let yourself be "taken" with high shipping costs. On Craigslist, you can find things in your local area, so you don't even have to pay shipping. It's pretty cool. Also, Amazon.com and Half.com have all kinds of books, cds, movies, games, etc. for really decent prices. Check out your local thrift store too; what may seem like junk can actually be turned into a treasure for someone. Think outside the box!:)

So, this Christmas, don't get caught spending all that money you've saved up; think outside the box, and save!:)

Some Motivation For Your Monday!

Well, Thanksgiving is over, and our long weekend has given way to a brand new week. Are you ready? Not me!:) I would most certainly love to have just one more day of rest and just being together with Dan and the boys. But time has spoken, and it is Monday! So, I figure I might as well embrace it. See, we can either sit back and complain about all we have to do (which I myself do way too much of, and that is why I'm writing this) and get overwhelmed, or we can just get up and start taking those babysteps to get things accomplished. We can choose to embrace this day and just go with it. So, for today, I'm choosing the latter, to just embrace this day because when you think about it, we are not promised tomorrow, so we have to make this day count.
One last thought to leave you with: yesterday at church, we had a retired missionary couple from Africa there to speak. He was talking about witnessing, and he gave an illustration. Basically, if you were out walking, and you saw a house on fire, and there were people inside, what would you do? Would you stand outside and think of all the things that could go wrong, or would you go up to that house and try to alert them to the danger and try to help them get out? It's the same way with witnessing. We know the danger that people are facing if they are not saved. Are we going to stand back and let our fears keep us from telling them about Jesus, or will we step up and alert them to the danger and help them "get out?" Just something to think about.
Have a great day!