Monday Menu - Brenna's Choice

Alex pointed out to me yesterday that I have been too unbalanced in my blogging. I have not given the precious middle child her fair time in the spotlight. If anyone other that Alex has noted that, hang in there. She's the full focus of my Flashback Friday this week. It's a gem of a Valentine flashback. And, to keep things further balanced, I let Brenna choose the recipe to post today. Hopefully this will appease Alex. I aim to please.

So, with no further ado, here is Brenna's choice...minus any pictures. It's never occurred to me, until now, to take pictures of my chicken. Next time maybe I'll remember and stick it in here. I love a picture with a recipe. Okay, so there was some further ado after all. Now, for real, the recipe...

Imposter Chicken Cordon Bleu

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup (?) flour
2 eggs
1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
olive oil
4 slices Jack cheese
4 slices deli ham

Put chicken breasts between 2 layers of waxed paper. Pound until about 1/2 inch thick. Dredge each breast in flour, then in beaten eggs, then coat in breadcrumbs. (In case you care...the flour is to give the egg something to stick to so it doesn't slide right off the chicken. I put my flour and breadcrumbs on a sheet of wax paper for easy clean up.) Heat olive oil in large pan, cook chicken 3-4 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Place chicken on baking sheet. Top each with a piece of ham (or 2) and a piece of cheese. Broil for a couple minutes just until cheese is lightly browned and bubbly. Serve with some warm bread and a big salad and you've got yourself a full meal deal. The girls like to dip the chicken in ranch dressing.

Now, a disclaimer. The menu title is "imposter" chicken cordon bleu. My kids have no idea how un-authentic it really is. They will have no idea until the first time they order it in a restaurant and realize what a fraud their mother has been all these years. Please don't burst their happy bubble by telling them this dish is suppose to have a yummy sauce, etc. Ignorance is truly bliss. And my goal with this anyway is to keep a record of things my family loves to eat and maybe give anyone else a new idea. We all need new ideas. If you are one of those families that has "Meatloaf Monday" "Taco Tuesday", etc., every week...branch out a bit and try something new!

New Room, Familiar Elbows

Alex spent the last 2 nights away at a junior high retreat. He had a blast...tubing at Snoqualmie was a big hit. We may head up to do that as a family soon. He insists I would love it. Come to think of it, the last time he told me that was in line for Space Mountain. I didn't love it. I had to sit for an hour and a half afterwards to let my stomach find it's way back to where it belonged. That's a story for another day...

While Alex was gone this weekend, we re-did his room. He was overdue for a larger bed, having outgrown this loft bed awhile ago. (Anyone want it?? It's still in our garage.)



He had picked out his bedding, and we went from there. Brad and I started Friday evening about 7:00 and finished by 10:00 Saturday night, including breaks for 2 basketball games (me and the girls) and a haircut (handsome Brad). We still have a couple shelves and window treatments of some sort to put up, but it's mostly done.




And here's what made me want to share this...after Alex was home and had a much-needed shower and something to eat, he went to take a nap on his new bed before he was off to his rehearsal. He crashed hard. Brad had woken him up once...he sat up, stretched and wiped the drool from his chin, then went right back to sleep. I went in to wake him again, and here is what I found...


Now, this only means something if I explain that this is exactly the way Brad sleeps! I cannot count the times I have rolled over only to take an elbow to the face. And I so wish you could hear the obnoxious snoring sound that emits from a body asleep in this position. I've always known he is like his father in so many wonderful ways, but now I'm sorry to see that he has also inherited this unfortunate sleep position. No wonder that twin loft bed was too small to contain him!

4x4 Tag

There is this thing going on in the blog world, where you "tag" someone to post a 4x4 picture. Go to your fourth folder, and choose your fourth picture. Whatever it is. This is from the 4th folder since we replaced our computer, the other pictures are there, just not popping up conveniently. But this is another gem that is just so Beth.

It was March 2006. She loves to climb this tree, and has since she was a toddler and Alex would have her stand on the top of the slide and then hike her up there. Then she graduated to climbing up from the slide all by herself. Now she doesn't even need the slide. And she sits much higher in the tree. In the summer, this tree is a full canopy of leaves and apples, making a great hiding place. Look closely at the picture. You can see Edgar the cat standing proudly on a top branch, and Archie the dog longing to be agile enough to get up there and chase the cat. And on Beth's feet are her beloved frog boots. She wore those boots out. They were her footwear of choice long after she had outgrown them and all identifying marks of being "frog" boots had worn off.

And that scene still happens, minus the frog boots, 3 years later. The kids all still sit up in that tree. The cat still follows them. And Archie is still trying to figure out how to get up there.

Thanks, Kristine, for the tag!

Flashback Friday!

Today's flashback takes us to October 1996. Alex was 16 months old. Such a cute little man. Brad and I looked through so many albums last night, looking for a picture that told a cute story. There are so many with this first-born. We have a multitude of pictures of him just sleeping. We honestly had never seen anything more precious in our lives.

This particular story was a Friday evening. I was heading out, and had made cookies for the boys. They were cooling on the counter, and Brad and I were talking in the adjacent room. We watched out of the side of our eye as Alex put together the (almost) perfect chocolate chip cookie heist. He took a chair from the dining room table, and began to push it into the kitchen. No small feat for a 16 month-old. There was some grunting involved, and some extra heaving as he negotiated the chair over the carpet. Once he hit kitchen floor, the noise alone would have tipped us off to his scheme. Little did he know we were watching the enitre thing. Finally, he got that chair into place. We grabbed the camera and snuck around to get a good view, thinking he would grab one cookie and make a run for it. Oh, no. This kid knows how to seize an opportunity!

Alex began to pick up one cookie, take a bite, then put it back on the rack. Then another cookie. One bite and then back on the rack. He was on his fourth cookie when I started with the pictures.
He turned around after the camera went off, and with a bite still dangling from his lips, gave me his best "I'm so busted" look.

What doesn't show on the picture is what happened next. Without pulling that dangling bite into his mouth, he simply reached out his chunky hand and offered me his cookie. He knew, from a very young age, the key to his mommy's heart. Yes, I'm raising that boy right. He knows how to share a chocolate chip cookie.

And, really, if you take a close look at those cookies, who can blame him?! Now that cute little pudgy-cheeked baby is far from needing a chair to reach the counter. He's passed me in height (I'm still ahead in the weight category!), and has maintained a love for the finer things in life...mom's chocolate chip cookies. And he's still sweet enough to share his chocolate chips cookies. Well, most of the time.

A Beautiful Quote

Today was our 2 week follow-up for our crawl-space invaders. Here is a portion of what was written on our service invoice:

"Removed 10 traps from sub-area (no more rats caught). Placed a rodent bait station in sub-area to further control any rogue rodents. I think we won!"

TA-DA!! As I said in the beginning, they messed with the wrong family.

I love it! I love it?!

I had to share these 2 new things that I love. Well, one I "love" in the most sincere form of the word, and one I choose to love.

Here you go:


I tried these chocolate chips last night, and I really love them. Dangerously love them. I am a self-admitted chocolate chip snob. I do not like store brands. I can totally tell a difference. I like Nestle and Ghiradelli. But now I love Trader Joe's chocolate chips. And please don't tell me something like, "I read an article that they are manufactured in the same plant as..." Don't mess with a girl's love for a chocolate chip. So if you are fortunate enough to be at Trader Joe's in the near future, grab yourself some semi-sweet chocolate chips for only $1.99...you will be giving yourself a gift. The gift of a party in your mouth.

And here's what I am choosing to love:

Because of a pesky foot injury, it will be 5 weeks tomorrow since I've run on my treadmill. Ugh! Five weeks! NOT good. But I can't do nothing, so 3 weeks ago I started this workout. I love this show. These people inspire me so much. I admit I am usually snacking while I watch these poor people come to the brink of throwing up or passing out, but I am genuinely inspired by what they are going through to change their lives. I couldn't do what they are doing. So my new friend is Bob, and he is kicking my...glutes. And my quads, and my shoulders, etc. I could go on, but I'll spare you. It's tough. Not perfect, and you have to put up with a couple work out partners you'd maybe rather not have (remember Heba?!), but it's a great workout. And I'm loving the variety and the different muscles I'm using that running wasn't getting. So if you need to shake things up a bit with your routine, here's my recommendation. Just a warning...you may be tempted to throw a weight at your t.v., and I truly do talk back to Bob. At one point he says, "Breathe through the pain." THAT makes me angry. It doesn't work. In childbirth or workouts. I didn't want Brad saying it, and I don't want Bob saying it. I digress again...

Happy eating and sweating!

Monday Menu!

Is it Monday again already?! Here are a couple fun recipes. I made these yesterday for our Super Bowl party, and they were a big hit. The sandwiches I found on another blog, were called "Bunco Buns". I called them "Super Bowl Buns", but whatever you call them, they are great. Great addition to any potluck, shower, party, etc.

Super Bowl Buns

1 pkg. 24 dinner rolls (I used 2 12-packs)
1/2 stick butter, melted (I just realized I used a whole stick! whoops!)
4 TBSP poppy seeds
4 TBSP mustard
4 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
Sliced deli ham
Swiss cheese

In bowl, mix together the butter, poppy seeds, mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Spread sauce on both sides of sliced rolls and put a piece of ham and cheese on each. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until cheese melts. Best served warm. *I used Colby/jack cheese instead of the Swiss, and some had turkey instead of ham. They were all great. Use any combination!

Brenna & Amanda~loving those buns!

Now for dessert! These are compliments of Paula Deen, and they are so good! There are so many variations of this to make. I'll suggest a couple, but use your imagination or go to the Food Network website and search "gooey butter cake." Here's the one we had last night...

Double Chocolate/Toffee Gooey Butter Cake

1 cup butter, divided and melted
1 pkg. chocolate fudge cake mix (18.25 oz.)
3 large eggs, divided
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
4 TBSP cocoa powder
1 box (1 lb.) powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup toffee bits

Lightly butter 13x9 pan. In a large bowl, stir together cake mix, 1 egg, and 1/2 cup melted butter. Evenly pat into pan and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Beat in remaining 2 eggs and the cocoa powder until well-combined. Reduce speed to low and add sugar; beat until combined well. Gradually add remaining 1/2 cup melted butter and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Fold in toffee bits with rubber spatula and spread over cake mixture.

Bake until set around edges, but center is still gooey, 40-50 minutes. These will look quite under-done when you take them from the oven. They can be tricky to not over bake, so don't let the gooey-ness fool you! Let cool completely.


Some variations: German Chocolate Gooey Butter cake: prepare as above, using a German Chocolate Cake mix. Omit toffee bits. Instead, stir in 1 cup flaked coconut and 1 cup chopped pecans. Bake as directed above.

Toffee Gooey Butter Cake: Use a yellow cake mix instead of chocolate. Omit cocoa powder in 2nd layer. Continue as above.

Lots and lots of options! Enjoy!

This picture has nothing to do with food, but too cute not to include! Beth and Thomas weren't too into the Super Bowl, so instead they had their own "Tom and Jerry" party!