Thursday, October 25, 2012


Braised Chicken Provencal

yield: Makes 4 servingsactive time: 25 min
total time: 1 1/2 hr
Featuring olive oil and the combined herbs and produce of the south of France, this one-dish country dinner will transport you to a café table in...



ingredients
1 jar Florentine Pasta Sauce
1/2 cup sliced, drained green olives
2 large garlic cloves, sliced
1 pound crimini mushrooms, sliced
2 medium carrots, sliced
1/2 large onion, chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 whole chicken (cut up)
1/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
        2 teaspoons herbes de Provence




preparation:
Preheat convection oven to 325°F or regular oven to 350°F with rack in middle.
Remove excess fat from chicken and pat dry, then dredge with seasoning mixture of flour, salt, pepper, and herbes de Provence in large zip lock bag.
Toss together carrots, mushrooms, onion, and sliced garlic, in a 13- by 9-inch or other 3-quart shallow baking dish.
Over medium heat, in large saute pan, brown  seasoned chicken pieces 3-4 minutes per side. Then put chicken in baking dish. 
Deglaze saute pan with white wine. Stir in florentine pasta sauce and drained green olives. Pour sauce over chicken dish. 
Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of a thigh (do not touch bone) registers 170°F, about 1 hour in convection oven; 1 to 1 1/4 hours in regular oven.
Let chicken stand 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with chopped flat-leaf parsley. Serve with vegetables and pan juices. 





Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Chocolate Cravings Gone Wild!

Every night after dinner I crave something sweet. It's just something I've become accustomed to battling. To fight off this obsession, I usually resort to cereal or yogurt, but tonight I'm going to all out and will indulge myself in this intoxicatingly easy creation. If it all goes well, I'll bring the ingredients over to Amy's Saturday for girls night of popcorn and pictures. 
Craving the sweet and salty combination? Here’s a salted caramel chocolate mug cake that takes just 2 minutes to make. We like to refer to it as Heaven in a Cup. 
Salted Caramel Mug Cake
{makes 1 mug cake}
4 tablespoons all purpose flour
4 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg – beaten
3 tablespoons skim milk
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 salted caramels
1. Into a small bowl add: flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, salt, egg, milk, and vegetable oil. Mix to combine. 2. Pour mixture into a regular sized coffee mug. Drop caramels into center of mixture one at a time. 3. Microwave on high for one minute and 30 seconds. If needed {if cake batter is still gooey}, microwave on high for up to an additional 30 seconds.

Friday, August 24, 2012

Get ready High school, here I come!





Summer's my time to run. Run here, there, around the neighborhood, through the park, going solo or with family and friends. I'm always dashing somewhere. This week we dashed to Gettysburg to settle Johnny into his freshman year at college. Next week, we dash down to Hot'lanta for Mimi's senior year. Life keeps dashing by me. But I'll forever be young, as I get the pleasure to teach high schoolers with autism in a local public school of excellence. Each morning I start the day with a run to clear out the cobwebs and wake up the brain. It's my Me time. My Zone time. time to reflect, gather and inspire myself to be the best that I can be. For the past 20+ years of my 56 year old body, I've been an aspiring runner. Way back I signed up for a 5 miler and only trained for a 5K. And when I say trained, I say it very loosely. Should I have been shocked when my friend and I finished last and next to last for this event? Heck no! My goal has always been to complete, not compete and boy I was so relieved and yes, proud to have finished the course that day. Today I can still run an eight minute mile and keep on going no matter the distance. Well maybe not a marathon, but maybe it's time to contemplate that item on my bucket list. Is there a marathon in New Zealand I can train for?

Saturday, February 18, 2012

SPARTANS ONE TEAM, ONE DREAM! Districts 2012


  NICK   KATE  BUD   LIZANNE 
SPARTANS ONE TEAM, ONE DREAM!
 Districts 2012
JESSE  JOHN   COLLIN   ALEX 
SPARTANS ONE TEAM, ONE DREAM!
 Districts 2012 
KELSiE  GABI 
SPARTANS ONE TEAM, ONE DREAM!
 Districts 2012 
SIMON   MIKE   GORDON   KEITH 
 SPARTANS ONE TEAM, ONE DREAM!
 Districts 2012
JILL   PHOEBE   MARIEL 
SPARTANS ONE TEAM, ONE DREAM!
 Districts 2012 
BRENNAN   JOEY   WALTER   TIM 
SPARTANS ONE TEAM, ONE DREAM!
 Districts 2012 
MAGGIE   MICHAELA  DEVYN   GRACE 
SPARTANS ONE TEAM, ONE DREAM!
 Districts 2012 
JULES   LIBBY   SARAH  RACHEL   
SPARTANS ONE TEAM, ONE DREAM!
 Districts 2012 
MEGHAN   ABBY 
SPARTANS ONE TEAM, ONE DREAM!
 Districts 2012 
TYLER  DANNY 
SPARTANS ONE TEAM, ONE DREAM!
 Districts 2012 
BRITTANY   HAYLEY   MEAGHAN 
SPARTANS ONE TEAM, ONE DREAM!
 Districts 2012 
ADDIE   LEAH   MIA 

Saturday, January 28, 2012

White Out Party Pasta


White Out Party Pasta
Perfect for a large gathering such as a swim team pasta dinner or Super Bowl party!
INGREDIENTS:
4 lbs of your favorite pasta (I use Culinary Circle Cavatappi Pasta- specialty pasta found at ACME Market that’s shaped like a Spartan helmet!)
2 packages Knorr Alfredo sauce mix
4 8 oz. bags of fancy Italian cheese blend (fontina, asiago, mozzarella, parmesan, romano, etc.)
1-quart heavy cream
4 15 oz jars Alfredo sauce
Fresh grated nutmeg, to taste
1 stick butter
½ cup chopped Italian flat leaf parsley
Grated Parmesan cheese



COOKING DIRECTIONS ARE REALLY SIMPLE!
Boil pasta in a large stockpot to al dente, drain.
Generously coat large lasagna pan with butter or cooking spray.
Preheat oven to 350*F.
In a large bowl, mix Alfredo sauces, Italian cheeses, heavy cream, milk, nutmeg, and chopped Italian parsley.
Pour pasta mixture into lasagna pan.
Dot with butter, top with aluminum foil and bake dish in preheated oven for I hour or until dish is hot and bubbly all over.
Remove foil, sprinkle top with grated Parmesan cheese and return to oven under low broil for 3-5 minutes or until top is golden brown. (Careful not to over-broil!)
Let set for 5 minutes, and then serve immediately.  
This is a real crowd pleaser!
Variations:
Florentine: mix in a 10 oz package of defrosted and drained chopped spinach, to the pasta mixture, bake as directed.
Chicken alfredo: poach boneless chicken breasts in water with a teaspoon of sweet curry powder, let cool, then with a fork shred chicken and add to pasta mixture, bake as directed.


How I survive being a swim team mom

I have three kids, all nearly launched, into post high school lives. My days have led me through many challenges, new mom living with my mother in law, pediatric cancer parent, and most recently, swim mom. I say that loosely, although I've thrown myself into it with fervor. Probably too fervently, depending on which of my three kids you ask at any given moment. Like when I host a swim team dinner.  I go way overboard and cook up 8 lbs of White-out Spartan Pasta, 6 lbs of spinach lasagna, 4 gals. of victory punch, a super-size bowl of mud, candy dishes of pretzel m&m's and cow-tales on every coffee-table! In my next life as a swim team mom, I wanna come back and without regrets and with perfect aplomb,  simply send in a batch of home-made, melt in your mouth brownies!!