Chicken and Brocoli Alfredo

I make this entire recipe home made, so it takes me two days between work and children. If you wanted to use a jarred Alfredo sauce or Prepackaged breaded chicken that would eliminate time and work. Just doctor things I guess where you see fit.

Alfredo Sauce, This is from All Recipies.com but this is the one I use and have used for years. I doubled this recipe to turn it into a casserole type deal.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Directions

1. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium low heat. Add cream and simmer for 5 minutes, then add garlic and cheese and whisk quickly, heating through. Stir in parsley and serve.

CHICKEN

1 Pound chicken tenders

Flour Mix:

1 Cup AP flour

1 Teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon poultry seasoning

1 Teaspoon paprika

1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder

1 Teaspoon onion powder

2 Eggs beaten

2 Cups bread crumbs

Take raw and thawed chicken, thoroughly coat chicken in flour/spice mixture, Then into eggs, and then into bread crumbs. I choose to bake mine, You could fry it if you wanted. I bake on 350 for 45 minutes. I remove and place in the fridge over night.

The next day in a large bowl I mix 4 cups of chopped broccoli, chicken and half of a double batch of Alfredo sauce. I boil one box of angel hair pasta. I coat the bottom of the pan with a few spoon fulls of the Alfredo sauce. Then I lay down the cooked pasta. On top I add the mixture of the broccoli, chicken and the sauce. After that I pour the rest of the Alfredo sauce over the entire dish and coat with some Parmesan cheese. Then cook for 30 minutes on 350 in the oven. Easily one of the tastiest things :)

Easter Sunday!

Today was Elijah's 3rd Easter and Jonah's 2nd. All in all I'd say we did great. We had friends over and we all went on an egg hunt, ate waaaayyy to much and then dyed some eggs. Followed by more eating and conversation. It was a great day. I don't deserve Jesus walking to that cross, and I do not deserve to have my sins hung on an innocent man but I am thankful he did so.

The boys loved their Easter baskets. Pretty much everything Cars2 you could imagine was involved. I was kind of proud that other than 1 bunny each we didn't fill them with Candy. That was my goal. As it is I have a hard time getting the boys to eat, I want to use any and all room in their bellies for wholesome snacks and treats. We (and I do mean the Easter bunny) managed to cram lots of outdoor fun in there. Kites, Chalk, and bubbles. We added some indoors fun with toy cars and coloring books as well. They also got some bath soap and fruit snacks. I'd say it was great!

After hunting Easter eggs I took the candy filled eggs over to the neighbor boys. At least the ones Elijah and Jonah received. I had seen them watching us hunt, and thought I should share the candy. My two got plenty this year, and truth be told I kind of like making others smile. Their Dad came over about 3 minutes later to thank us and tell us how much he appreciated us because "You just don't see that anymore, no one is nice to each other these days". It's so true. I want my boys to be raised better than that. Of course I don't want them to be oblivious to the dangers of the world but how can we possibly be a tight community if we don't even know each others names? The boys next door seemed to like it, through my open kitchen window I could hear "Awesome this one has jelly beans" and "Oh look, gummy bears!". It made me smile, and I know it made them smile. Although my guys are too young just yet to know they gave their candy away, I like to think their happy too. For Elijah it was more about finding the egg and handing it to Dad to find another. Jonah just wanted to eat Jelly beans from his first find.

I made a huge feast, literally. There was enough to send home food with each person and still have some left overs for our fridge. I'd say for my first time cooking a ham I did pretty well. I made Mac and Cheese, Mashed potatoes, Veggies, Veggie trays, Stuffing, Short Cake with strawberry sauce, Banana bread, and drunken apple tart. As promised bellow is the tart recipe. Otherwise, I am heading to bed. This Mommy worked really hard today.

Drunken Apple Tart:

Crust:
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold butter
4 Tablespoons cold beer (I used Corona, it's just what I had)
1/4 cup sugar

Blend all together until incorporated, but do not over mix. Press into pie pan.

Filling:
6 Medium Apples, cored and sliced
8 ounces blackberry Merlot
1 ounce flavored vodka (I used apple, but really any will do)
1 cup Sugar
1 Teaspoon apple cider vinegar
2 Cinnamon sticks OR 1 Tablespoon cinnamon (Make sure to remove sticks after simmer, before placing filling in pan)
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoons molasses

~ Add all filling ingredients to large stock pot. Simmer for 45 minutes on medium heat stirring often. Apples will become soft and sauce will thicken to syrup form. Reserve 4 tablespoons of syrup for topping. Remove cinnamon sticks if used and pour into pie pan over crust mixture (raw). Bake on 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes and remove from oven. Cool before serving.

"You always seem to land on your feet"

I remember shortly after graduation going back to the high school and visiting my art teacher. The art room had been the only room of the high school I ever felt confident in, and frankly the only class I tried to do more than "Pass to get the heck out". Probably something that is evident in the lack of grammar and spelling skills in my blog but hey, 6 years later I am working on it. I went back with an engagement ring and a smile. Proud to show off my diamond ring and hope for adventure. After gushing about my plans, Fiance and upcoming wedding I must have admitted being a little afraid (The exact conversation I can't recall). Something that has always stuck with me though is what my beloved Miss Fisher said to me.... "You always seem to land on your feet".

Indeed this must be true still today. Even at that point, only a year after graduation, it was ringing true. I had plans to join the Army and get the heck out of dodge my senior year. Only after not applying to college, forming a plan B and sitting around for a summer waiting on paperwork did I find out that my medical records would work against me. So I enrolled in college, started dating Nate and planted myself in my parents house. Some might say I failed, I'd say I found my feet. It's been a like this since becoming an adult. A plan comes, it changes, I figure out how to deal with it and I "Find my Feet". 5 years of marriage, 2 children and 2 deployments sure have helped me figure out that those "feet".. Those are actually God's plan. That trust I have in the fact that I will always find them, That is faith.

Tonight I was thinking about our move. There is a lot that goes into a move in general, but one that takes you across an ocean... Well there is slightly more planning. For instance with there being 2 shipments I have to decide what I can fit in a 3x3x3 box that I would like immediately (Shipment 1) and then everything else (Shipment 2). There are things the movers wont touch, and things I will be holding my breathe while they pack..... There is making sure I keep enough out to get me through a month in Ohio, but not too much to fly with. If housing isn't available I have to find an apartment, and this is being done online. I'm sure you can picture some of the stress at this point. It made me think about my move to Kansas though. Being 19 and never living with anyone that wasn't family. Starting out with nothing and moving in with a boy (gasp!). There was the thrill of independence and the fear of the 12 hours between my mom in I if I needed her. I'm not even a little ashamed to admit I bawled the whole entire drive that first time. Of course I knew Nate would be part of a deployment to Iraq. Although I did not know it would be a horrifying experience and 15 agonizing months. It was intense, thrilling and scary. Thinking about this has put Hawaii into a little perspective though. If I could concern this at only 19, while most of my peers were most concerned about getting their older siblings to buy beer why is Hawaii so hard for me?

Finding those feet is all about faith, and the ability to accept that although it isn't what "I" want it is the path I am meant to take...........

"As your faith is strengthened you will find there is no longer the need to have a sense of control, that things will flow as they will, and that you will flow with them, to your great delight and benefit" Emmanuel Teney

Perhaps there is a great deal that goes with this, but there is also a great deal to come out of it. I set out in my marriage to see the world and to make everything I can out of myself. 6 years planted in Kansas is long enough.

Moving To Hawaii

You read the above correctly, As of the end of this month we are Hawaii bound. Well, actually it will be June before we are in Hawaii but come April 30th we turn the keys to this house over to the housing office on Ft. Riley and pack our final things and say goodbye to Kansas. We will be spending May in Ohio (One weekend in Michigan) and then we get going. I'm nervous, this is our first PCS. However I have calmed down a lot since we first got the orders (I sobbed hysterically). We managed to sell Nathan's car (The army will only pay to ship one, we chose the van) and I have been slowly weeding through the things in storage getting rid of baby items we don't need anymore (We are fairly certain we are finished having children) and cleaning.

I have a hard time thinking that tomorrow I turn 25 and I have already done so much. Age 25 and I have two amazing little boys, a husband and will be living in Hawaii soon. I know some people my age who have yet to settle anyplace other than their parents basement so although I still have a list of things to accomplish (College, Running, establishing a career, ect.) I feel that I have accomplished a lot. I may do things a little backwards (Husband, Family then college) but it's my way. It works for me!

Anyhow, It's birthday party season so we have one to attend later today and I need to go make myself presentable.