Recipe: Orange-Balsamic Chicken Thighs

I found this recipe in the latest issue of Rachael Ray magazine. I improvised a little. All in all it was really good. Tasted like something from a restaurant. At the request of Marc next time I will use breast instead of thighs. He informed me that he "is a breast man". Like I didn't already know that.

The recipe doesn't call for this but I marinated my chicken in...

- hoisin sauce
- rice vinigar
- soy sauce
- garlic powder
- dash of water

What you need
- 8 boneless/skinless chicken thighs cut into quarters
- 2 tbl evoo
- 1/4c balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 orange marmalade (I used apricot b/c I had it on hand)



1. Put evoo in pan and heat to med-high

2. Season chicken with salt and pepper and add to the skillet. Cook the chicken until crispy and brown about 8-10 mins. Transfer to a platter.



3. Whisk the balsamic vinegar and marmalade into the skillet, scrapping up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
Lower the heat and simmer for 1 minute until bubbly.



4. Return the chicken to the pan and coat with the sauce. I served this over brown rice and with a side of edamame.



Thanks Rachael Ray for this great recipe. You might have annoying phrases like "Yum-O" but you sure can cook!

Is that what Autumn is suppose to look like?

My dad lives here in Arizona but is currently residing in Clifton Park, NY. We are oh so proud of him and his great new job as a mechanical engineer for General Electric. Only downfall is that they have a 4 month program and it's in NY. So we haven't seen him for 3 months! Good thing is that the time is almost up and he'll be home in time for Christmas. A few weeks ago he sent me these amazing pictures of the landscape there. I couldn't believe it. Being from California you have a little more of a change in seasons then we do here. But nothing like this. I've now put a trip to the east coast in autumn on my list of things to do before I die. Everyone should experience this beauty.






How cool is this? The restaurant from the movie Mystic Pizza!



We're so proud of you dad and can't wait to see you! Miss ya!

Where the heck have you been?!

I know, I know. It's been awhile since my last post. Its just been one of those whirlwind months where I feel I have been so busy but when I think about what I've been doing my mind is blank. Well I guess the main thing I have been doing is taking care of a 2 year old with a broken leg. Yes, Jacq broke her little tibia. It was a tuesday evening just like any other. Jacq and dad were on the floor playing while I was getting dressed in my bedroom. Next thing I know I hear that scream that every mother knows means, "mom, I'm really hurt." She had jumped off Marc's back and just landed the wrong way. Our friend Tiffany was here too and her and Marc both said they heard her leg snap. Thank goodness I wasn't in the room when it happened. I would have FREAKED! So off to the ER we went. And after waiting only 4 short hours in the waiting room while my poor baby screamed in pain, we walked (well Jacq was carried) out with a casted leg and a prescription for baby pain meds. The 2 weeks that followed were hell. I thought someone was playing a trick on me. Where had my oh so sweet toddler gone? I felt like she was auditioning for the lead role in The Exorcist. Something that is slowing being taken over by the devil. The tantrums were unbelievable. She couldn't walk or crawl so she was very frustrated by that. Thats all better now and I don't think I will need to contact the local catholic church and search the aisles of costco for holy water anymore. We go to the orthopedics on Wednesday. They will take an x-ray and (fingers crossed) remove the cast. Here she is on the day after it happened. And one recently with the ever so fashionable hot pink couture fiber glass piece.





What else have I been up to? Reading. Lots of reading. In the last month I have read 4 books. Which might be like a weekends worth for some people, but feels like half a library to me. I love to read but working 5 days a week makes that very difficult. When I get off work and get home it's time to play with Jacq and Cooper (my dog), cook dinner, clean up dinner, get Jacq ready for bed and then atlas, read. So I get maybe an hour or two a night before I drift of into la la land and then wake up and do it all over again. Just like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day. Only I'm a lot cuter.

We did some really cute halloween crafts and I am so mad at myself for not posting them BEFORE halloween. But they were just too cute not to show so I am posting pics of them anyways. My sister Cassie and our friend Tiffany came over and we had a super craft weekend. That was before the broken leg. Since the wounded appendage we have done zero crafts. Most crafts involve paint or glue which in turn involve a bath immediately after. I don't want to get started on bathing a 2 year old with a fiberglass leg but lets just say its not fun. Anywho- here are a few of our crafting marvels. I got all the ideas here.










I wish I had some Thanksgiving crafts to post but until peg leg regains use of her stub, no crafts. So I haven't been blogging, I haven't been doing crafts, I haven't been taking nearly as many pictures as normal. What the hell is going on?! For one thing the snowbirds have returned. I know we have all heard of shopping season, flu season, hurricane season. One you may not have heard is cataract season. That special time of year when our senior citizens realize that everything they use to see in bright, vivid colors is now dull and grey. Like an emo kid's life. So they come to my work and we yank those cataracts right out for them. Then they can see those bingo cards and read their medicine tubes. No more accidently thinking that ben gay tube is your denture cream! Yeah! What all this means for me is that I am busy at work. In the summertime I can usually swing a day off here and there. Go home an hour or two early a few days a week. Not in the winter. Well I hope to get back into the swing of things. I think I'm off to a good start.

Edit: Apparently I had already posted those halloween crafts. Just goes to show you how my mind has been working, or not working, lately.

Halloween Craft Takeover

We were busy little craft bees a few weekends ago. Ok, about a month ago. My sister Cassie and our good friend Tiffany came over and we got done to business. I wasn't able to take the step by step pics forl the crafts. Also, I am not posting instructions but the website where I found these and a ton of other great ideas is here.

Here are a Bat-O-Lanterns. You can learn how to make them here.



How cute are these little Pipe Cleaner Spiders?! And they are SO easy! Learn how to make them here.




We had a great time making these. I hope you all do too!

Our Trip To California

Jacqueline and I took a week long trip to California. Marc couldn't take the time off so he stayed behind. We missed him and he missed us. One night before bed Jacq and I were reading Pat the Bunny. There is one page that talks about daddy's scratchy face. When we read this page at home she always goes up to Marc and feels his face. Well, when we read it this night and daddy wasn't around, she looked up at me with her bottom lip all pouty and said in a sad little voice, "Daddy, home?" It broke my heart! She missed him very much.
Even though we missed Marc we made the best of it and had a great time. We left on the evening of her birthday. Marc took the day off and we spent it all together. We started by taking her to Toy Town. She loves that place. Then we went out to breakfast and got some bagels. After that we headed over to Baskin Robbins and she enjoyed a scoop of ice cream. Lastly, we took her to see Wall E. It was the first time she had ever gone to the cinema. She did excellent and really enjoyed the movie. She was already into robots and after seeing that movie her interest has only grown. We went home and she took her nap. After that Marc took us to the airport. I thought I was so prepared. I had a whole carry on bag with new toys, books and activities. She lasted about 20 mins in her seat. After that she did not want to be buckled, or stay in her seat. So the plane ride was a little trying. But we survived. On the way home she slept the entire ride. I was very thankful for that.
We stayed the first 3 days with my best friend, her hubby and their adorable baby girl in San Jose. We took the kiddos to the aquarium in Monterey and to Denise the Menace park. Both places I use to go as a child! We were also able to visit my Uncle Keith and his wife, Tammy. It was so great to see them and for them to meet Jacqueline. Then we headed up north a little to my Aunt Jackie's. There Jacqueline got to meet not only her but my Uncle Herman, cousins Lizzy and Jacob and my Papa Don. We had a blast with them. We went to half moon bay and Jacq got to play on the beach for the first time ever.
Here are some pics from our trip.
Enjoy!































I have attempted to post this about 4 different times. Blogger is not uploading pics for some reason. So I used Flickr and that is why some of the pics are not cropped correctly.

Jacqueline's 2nd Birthday!

So it's been a long while since I have posted. A lot has happened since my last post. Jacq and I went on a week long vacation, she took her very first plane ride and she turned 2! No big birthday party this year. Just family and few close friends for a bbq and cake and ice cream of course. We celebrated her bday at Grandma Judy's & Papa Frenchy's house. This seems to be the tradition.
Here are a few pictures from the party.









My camera battery died half way through the day so I don't have a lot to share. Luckily all the other relatives took plenty of them.

Toddler Activity: Sorting Objects

This activity is inspired by the Montessori teaching method. Very easy and all the materials are things you can find around the house.

I gathered 6 sets of different objects. I use different things every time I do this activity.
This time I used
-Plastic Spiders
-Hair Barrettes
-Bow Tie Pasta
-Crayons
-Jingle Bells
-Alphabet Magnets
I used a muffin tin for the sorting. With your child watching, place one of each of the objects in each section of the muffin tin. Now let your little do the rest!

Gentle Jellyfish

Jacqueline and I leave for our trip to california in 3 days! I am beyond excited. We are going to the San Jose area. My bff, her hubby and adorable baby girl live there. We will be staying with her for a few days and then traveling up north a little ways to stay with my Aunt Jackie and her family for a few more days. Jacqueline was named after Marc's grandmother Jacqueline and also my aunt Jackie. My Aunt Jackie and her family have yet to meet my Jacqueline so this trip is long overdue. My Papa Don, who is my only living grandparent also lives there and I am so excited to see him and have him meet Jacq.

We fly in on Tuesday, which is Jacq's 2nd bday! Wednesday Janna and I are taking our little princesses to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Growing up in Salinas just about every field trip I took as a child was to the aquarium. It's a very special place to me with lots of great memories. I am very happy to be able to share this with my daughter. My mom and step dad are also visiting California so the they will be joining us at the aquarium. Yeah!

So now to the craft....
In honor of our visit to the aquarium we made Jellyfish yesterday. They were very easy and Jacq loves playing with it.
I got this idea from the No Time For Flashcards blog.

What you need.

-Paper plate or coffee filters
-Markers
-Glue
-Glitter (optional)
-Wrapping paper (non seasonal looks best)

First let your child color on the coffee filter.



Fold your coffee filter in half. Here is what ours looked like after I added some glitter to it.



Now fold the wrapping paper like a fan and cut it in strips against your folds.



Now glue the 'tentacles' to the body and let dry. Here is our finished product.

My cute, I mean cool, brother

Last weekend my little brother, Kyle was nice enough to show me some really cool spots in Phoenix to get some good urban photos. But it's not really fun taking a picture of just a bright, colorful wall. It's much more interesting when I throw his cute butt in front of it and make him play model for the day. Here are a few of the shots we got.

I learned a new trick

So a few months back I bought myself a nifty SLR digital camera. It was a small fortune for anyone in my income bracket. I felt very guilty about my purchase for awhile. But I absolutely love taking pictures. I'm not that good at it yet and I have a lot to learn. I definitely don't get out to shoot as often as I would like. Mainly because it's so stinkin' hot here. It is finally cooling down (i don't think it reached 100 degrees yesterday) so I will be going out a lot more. Today for example I am going out with my good friend Tiffany and my oh so uber cool brother.
Yesterday I gave photoshop a try. I really wanted to try playing with some textures. I wasn't sure how it would turn out because I had never used photoshop before and I know there are so many different aspects to it. Being as smart as I am, I was able to get the basics down pretty fast. I should also credit my wonderful boyfriend Marc. He went to graphic design school and knows photoshop inside and out. So he was a big help. I was surprisingly happy with the results. I'll just keep at it and hope to continue to improve. Here is what I got so far.