Worry doesn't encompass the way I feel...

Our little Elliott has been a little slow when it comes to speaking. So, about 8 weeks ago, we went and had a speech evaluation done. At the time of the evaluation Elliott had a vocabulary of about 25 words. Which, is on the middle of the low end of the spectrum for a child his age. We scheduled more speech therapy appointments, his first appointment was this past Tuesday. 

Well, in talking with his therapist, we began to recognize there are several other areas which need to be addressed. He will also need to see an Occupational Therapist. Elliott has his routines, which if you haven't spent more than 24 hours with him, you might not notice at all, you would think he just has this little quirks, no big deal, a few meltdowns no big deal, he is two. To better describe some of his quirks here are some of them:

Elliott loves to have his snacks lined up in perfect little rows. His trains, frogs, animals all have to be in perfect rows. If any of his rows get knocked over he will throw what ever he was lining up all over the room he is in. His blanket must be perfectly flat, not a ripple, upturned corner or crinkle can be in the blanket. He can spend up to 45 minutes just rearranging his blanket. We have to cross over the train tracks after we drop Malia off to school and when we pick her up from school. If, I don't cross the train tracks he will scream and cry the whole way home. We have to cross the tracks no matter what. Whenever we head down to Mom and Dad's we have to take the same route, or he will scream, kick and cry until he is in an area he recognizes, only then will he be ok. 

Elliott clings to Spongebob like a child would cling to a blanket, bear, pacifier. He also will repeat our names - Mama, Dada, Rolo, Baby and Grandma go bye bye, not wanting us to respond, but just doing it to do it. Tonight's repetition was "A, E, I, O, U". I listened to him say this to Steve about 18 times before he moved on to something else. Bedtime can take up to two hours or more. Then there is the most upsetting of all behaviors, he will hit himself when confused or extremely upset. Now watching your child do this to himself will reduce you to tears, and believe you me, you will do anything to get him to stop. 

You want the best in life for your children, I breast fed because breast is supposed to be best. He has never been hospitalized, he is the picture of health in his doctors eyes. You do all the things you think will help - eating organic, making sure he is fed to the nth degree, read every book under the moon 50 plus times in a day just to see a smile. It was only at his two year appointment when red flags started to fly. We thought and so did our family think that Elliott was just working on different things, his unbelievable motor skills - the kid can take apart and put together anything in front of him. He has the most unbelievable smile and awestruck look in his eye when he has figured out something mechanical. We figured his speech will come along with everything else, and you know it has, he has over 75+ words that I am very proud of and he spoke his first sentence this weekend. "Ow! She hit my head". I practically broke down and cried at Costco and cheered him on, like a cheerleader at a football game. I cherish each and every word, vowel and consonant like a piano player cherishes their keys, notes and chords. I love hearing him say Fish and Frog and do not tire of it. 

We thought all was ok, he is doing so well, his vocabulary has expanded from 25-75 words in 8 weeks... But something is still amiss. It took a professionals eyes looking in and for them to tell us there is something else we have to consider, Autism or PDD. Today I hope and pray they are all wrong. As my dad and Steve keep telling me take it a day at time. This to shall pass. I love my little boy more than anyone can possibly realize.

 

Our dream date!

WOOT! Well, if you haven't see Alan Jackson in concert - WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?
He is seriously one of the most humble, down to earth and relaxed performers I have ever seen live. We enjoyed his show so much. From the opening song to the end, you are throw into what makes him tick. Without a doubt it is his family! Every song he played references childhood memories, his daughters, his wife, his parents and his hometown. You are throughly immersed in what makes Alan Jackson who he is, through the whole concert you get video feed of home videos and pictures of his family. What an emotional experience, unless you are emotionally inept then it doesn't really matter... lol. 
Miranda Lambert opened for AJ. I have to say, she is one eccentric chick. She has the most marvelous pink electric guitar... and she THREW it at one of her stage hands! To see a fabulous pink guitar flying through the air, CRAZY. In almost all of her songs she is blowing something up or talking about shooting someone with her guns. There is a song calleed the crazy ex girlfriend, and for some stinking reason or another, I do believe she is referencing herself. After seeing her perform live, you want to stand up on a chair and whoop " HELL YA! Go get'em girl!". Well, maybe not Steve, but by the end she had my blood flowing. 

We can't begin to THANK Jefe and Sally enough, for watching the kiddos. I know they had a fabulous time. Malia and Rolando can't wait to do it again for sure! Kuddo's to Sally for getting Elliott down, he is one feisty little guy and bedtime is single handedly the hardest thing to do with little man. Sooo, I pumped 8oz for little Erik, thinking if I feed him before I go he will be ok... DOH, the little stinker drank the 8oz of donated milk in a swath of greediness never witnessed before in a matter of 30 minutes. What's a girl to do? Have a cow ready and willing? Nah, I will just make sure I have about 24oz in donated milk. This was our first time away from him in the evening, and least I forget - I whip out his milk about 3 times between 6:30 and 8pm every night... He stock piles the milk before he sleeps. Which I do say has it's benefits - Steve and I sleep through the night and have been since he was about six weeks old. 

Jefe and Sally - Thanks for making our night out very special! 

Mom and Dad - Thank you again, for our tickets!!! 

Nick and Kristen - We will so take a rain check :P

Love you guys!

OMG!

OK. So, Happy Mothers Day! To put a smile on your face - I need everyone to read this persons blog. 

Vanilla Garlic

Please page down to something about banging head on wall?!? Now if you have kids go home and make some cupcakes for your child!

hehe... Life is good, food is life.

Frump-a-licous?!?

So, today I woke up and took a look in the mirror and I wondered how the heck my hair has gotten to look the way it does? Mommified beyond all recognition, then I remind myself as I grab the scissors and trim my bangs, it has been 8 months. Wondered if someone has made a concealer out there strong enough to cover my dark circles/bags? Maybe, but that would mean I would have to head into the mall with two little ones in tow. Wondered when the last 10lbs will leave my body and go straight to baby? Haha, not in a million gazillion years, I will have to walk/run/dance/lunge the rest of my body back into shape. Wondered if there was anything in my closet that would make me feel better? No, not really, unless I magically went from a size 10 to a 6 in by this afternoon and can wear my Nanette Lepore tops again. Wondered when the last time I changed my nail polish on my toes, when was the last time I had a pedicure? Probably a few days before my wedding day. (sorry Cris) still haven't gotten around to using that gift card. Wondered if a cup of coffee and a shower will make me feel better? Nope, still feeling frump-a-licious after the shower and crap I am out of my hazelnut creamer.(Don't laugh, its the only creamer I like... I know big EWWWWW.) 

Then I remember, WOHOO, Steve and I are going on a date tonight! Suddenly there is hope, I see light at the end of the tunnel. We are going on a date, that will last longer than hour and half, and will take up the better half of today. I have donated milk to bottles for little Erik - and I am praying he will take them.(Thank goodness the pump finally worked! We will have a stock pile of milk by the time Grandma and Grandpa get back, because we know how much they want the babies!) 

Well, Jeff and Sal are going to have all the kids while we head down to the Tacoma Dome for Alan Jackson! Double WOOT! Hehe, hopefully we have raised well mannered children, who will listen to their Aunt and Uncle. We are doing stop, watch and listen with Elliott, when he acts up. We can't begin to THANK Mom and Dad enough for the tickets! Our form of repayment is the grandkids for a day :P.

My biggest worry right now is what I can I wear that won't make me look too lopsided? (Erik only nurses on one side, picky baby) 

Killer Carnitas!

I have been wanting to make a new meal in our house for sometime, we've eaten everything in our repertoire a thousand times. Okay, maybe not a thousand times, but it surely feels like it. I was scouring the web for recipes which incorporated Pork Shoulder Roast as the main ingredient. After hitting several sites I landed on my most cherished foodie site, Simply Recipes by Elise. She has some of the best recipes I have ever come across, by far my favorite website to sit and browse for something new to try. It just so happens she has several recipes that use pork shoulder. After taking stock in what I have at home, I finally decide on her recipe for Carnitas - they sound enticing. Well, just as I am about to commit to the recipe, I see a link at the bottom of her post for some cook in Alaska. OK, so I have to check it out. Coming from Alaska, curiosity gets the best of me - always has and always will. The link is called Carnitas with chipotle and coke a cola. Hmmm, sounds interesting enough. I hit the link and my eyes beheld a picture that is worth a thousand words. The ingredient list, far shorter, which is wonderful, the technique - simple enough. How can I resist? I don't. I set off to the store in a mad dash, searching for dried chipotles - the smokey flavor is coveted, no other chile pepper will suffice. After hitting up two stores in the area, I surrender to canned chipotles in adobe sauce by San Marrco. Slightly frustrated but not defeated. Why? I had read if you are to buy any canned pepper - this is the label of choice. I have to tell you the smell of all the flavors melding together in the oven, is heavenly. It is so tempting to call it good after being in the oven for two hours, to throw in the towel and call it DONE. All, I can say is don't, do yourself a favor and let it cook, bit by bit, little by little and you will have a delicacy on your hands. Well, After 4 hours of cooking, shredding and more cooking. Steve is blow away by the aroma wafting into our living room from the kitchen. Can I say SCORE! We finally sit down and eat. All I can say it was well worth the wait. If I had to choose one word for our meal, I would have to say SCRUMPTIOUS!

 

Carnitas:

3 lbs pork shoulder

2 tbls vegetable oil

1 tbls salt

1 tbls ground pepper

1 tbls paprika

1 tbls cayenne pepper

1 tbls oregano

2 bay leaves

2 cloves garlic chopped

2 large dried chipotle peppers

2-3 tbls Brown Sugar

1/2 can coke

1/2 cup milk

Trim the fat and silverskin from the pork roast and cut it into a few manageable pieces. Preheat the oven to about 250 degrees. Heat the vegetable oil in a deep, heavy stock pot with a lid for about 10 minutes, or until the oil begins to smoke, over med-hi heat. While it is getting hot, mix in the spices together on a plate and roll the pork in them. Gently place the pork chunks in the hot oil and sear all sides until browned. Keep your fan running! By the time I got to the last piece of pork to sear, I was coughing up a storm from the cayanne.

Cover, pop it into the oven and cook for one hour, then add the coke, milk, bay leaves, brown sugar and chipotle. Continue cooking for another 2-2 1/2 hours. It's done when the pork starts to fall apart when poked with a spoon. Remove the meat from the stockpot with a slotted spoon and shred it into small pieces. Strain the left over juices and return to pan. Add the meat to the pan and fry until all the juices are gone. (about 20-25 minutes later) 

You must serve with:

1. Warm corn tortilla's 
2. Diane's amazing PICO and some 
3. Sally sauce.... (yummy!)
   

Then you have a meal worth savoring. Thanks for the pico Di! 

AlaskaCooks website

What a week! Elliott is doing both numbers on the loo and dressing himself up. WOHOO! His outfits have been strange to say the least. I am a perfectionist, have been and always will be about CERTAIN things. Being neatly dressed, pressed and ready to go are numero Uno, frosting a cake dead last on my drive for perfection, the latter I call lack of patience! Now, with Elliott exerting independence towards getting dressed, I have had to change my perfectionist mindset. Slightly painful, but its so darn funny you have to let go. Today's outfit consists of black and white polar bear underwear on backwards (they look like speedo's and the back half is so tight his butt checks are hanging out), a maroon/cream sleeper top as an undershirt, a long sleeve brown and white check top layered very nicely over the sleeper top, a pair of Erik's denim overall's (they look like skin tight shorts and it's almost reminiscent of something out of the 80's). Quite the combination, all I can do is smile and say what a great job he has done getting himself ready for the day. 

I finally added music to our blog page, the first song reminds me of Malia and will always bring tears to my eyes when I hear it and think of her. Love my little girl! 

Doing a rain dance...

I am doing a rain dance for this weekend! I want the weather to be nice for our first family picture.  Most of the amazing pictures you see on our blog were taken by Auntie K - yeah our photographic genius goes as far as a point and shoot. At least for myself, Steve is definitely more knowledgeable. I get lost once someone mentions ISO settings or Macro mode... One of these days I will take the time to learn about settings. Would it guarantee better pictures? No clue, knowledge is power, but having the ability to apply yourself is a whole different story.  In the meantime I would rather be quilting, scrapping or sewing up something... So for now I am here singing to the boys:

Rain, Rain go away 

Come again another day

... two days in advance. Mother Nature please cooperate! In any event we will be smiling and ready rain or shine, with or without the tulips (you will no longer be my favorite flower if you don't show yourselves this weekend). 

My Parents are coming!!!

Oh boy! I am counting down the days till my parents arrive here Seattle! We are down to just 3 days not including today and the day they arrive! WOHOO! The last time I saw Mum and Dad was about a week before Erik was born,  the tricky part was Mum was commuting from Seattle to our house in Stanwood she spent on average of 3 hours in the car. My dad was in meetings the whole trip, we were fortunate enough to see him on the weekends. The previous time we saw my parents together was on a trip up to Alaska back in November of 2006! 

Suffice to say we are long over due for some quality time together. Both Malia and Rolando will be on their spring break and hopefully Steve will be able to take some time off  from work. To make things even more exciting we are hoping to have both Erik and Elliott baptized while my parents are here on Sunday the 13th of April at the Antiochian Orthodox Church in Arlington. We will find out more today after speaking with him. If you are interested in learning more about the church we are planning on having the boys baptized I have added a link to their website.

All BOY!!!

After all the snow melted in our "Organic" backyard we were left with standing water, which means we will be putting in a french drain before our lawn gets installed. One of the quotes we received stated it would cost about $10/ft of drainage, Steve figures there would be over 80 feet of drainage to lay before we would reach the existing drainage system. So with that in mind we decided we would install the french drain ourselves. We know for sure Elliott doesn't mind the water! He is all boy, knee deep in mud and muck!

"Winter Blast Spring 2008"

So here is the lovely neighborhood we live in covered in SNOW! We got dumped on this past Saturday - 4inches to be exact. 

Car Dilema

So, if you haven't been fortunate enough to experience a ride in the "Burb" or Ol'Betsy as I like to call her, you might be counting your blessings. It is the commuter catch all, 4 kids ranging in ages from 7 weeks to 12 years, although we rightfully cannot displace any of the messiness towards the newborn, but going back and forth from places on a daily basis has definitely taken it's toll on the vehicle we use to tow our family around.

I would have to say the turning point in the "Burb" was our road trip to Montana, which by the way was one of our best road trips EVER, but pulling a 6000lb trailer over 2000 miles and our family around seemed to sap what little life Ol'Besty had in her. It was also on that trip almost a year ago when we realized out newly repaired windshield had a leak in it, which to date we haven't made the time to go repair. Why, is a whole other story. Now Ol'Betsy rides like a cart on rails, you feel every minute bump, rock or crack in the road, her doors creak and moan and the side steps do show every 170,000 miles she has been driven. Her best speed, where there is little vibration or hum, is between 65 and 70 mph. Not to mention she gets a whopping 9 or 10 miles to the gallon. Filling her up has gone from $70 to a full tank to well over $100 in the two years of ownership. 

Why you ask do we hang on to her for dear life? You know I honestly don't know. We could very easily go out tomorrow and trade her in, but that would mean several things. First off, the quandary of what type of vehicle to replace her with. Then there is the inherent cost of owning a new vehicle. The endless money pit, the immediate deprecation after driving it off the lot - 30% or more, the monthly payment in addition to the gas bill and insurance. The latter I do not mind at all. The first well, does annoy me a little. I do enjoy the idea of having only one car payment and don't like being overly excessive in vehicles. After the excitement of owning a new vehicle wears off will we be back to our old habits of an occasional stop at some fast food drive thru, only to have Elliott throwing his highly nutritious meal all over the back of the vehicle? I don't know. Do I want to know? Not really. So here are some of the positives of Ol'Besty, she's fully paid off. I do not want to own a minivan- one of the three vehicle choices for a family our size. She can be obliterated by the two year old and I will not freak out. Plus, I do believe her humming keeps the baby asleep - it's almost sounds like being in the womb. So for now, unless we have an immediate change of heart, Ol'Betsy is here with us for better or worse. HA HA. 

My Babies!!!

Since the arrival of Erik it has been no stop GO, GO, GO here at the Honeycutt household, it is amazing some days we make it out of the house everyone dressed and ready for the day in time. I tell ya running out of the house at 7:20 in the morning with a groggy two year old and a new born is not as easy as it sounds! Amazingly we have gotten quite good at it. 

Malia is such a great big sister and the biggest helper when it comes to both Erik and Elliott. Elliott has had some funny or not so funny mornings depending on my mood getting out the door. There was the morning he thought he was going to his Dama's house (grandma's) and he had to bring his sleeper and blanket - ok no problem we can swing that! There was the morning where he wanted to be in Erik's carseat and no matter what I told him it wasn't good enough and there was the the morning where he decided to run all over the house saying NO, (he didn't want to leave) and when we finally got him out to the truck he was jumping into the third row of the Burb. Malia and I spent about 5 minutes climbing all over the burb trying to get him into his carseat. Nothing like your early morning workout! Well, enough about the morning routine. 

Malia is in the Highest Honors club at her school for her academic success in Port Susan! We are so proud of her, she has come such a long way academically - the last year or so has been so challenging for her. She has also become the biggest book worm! The series of books she loves to read right now is by Erin Hunter. She will read a book or two every few days. We are so proud of her! If you haven't had a chance to sit and chat with Malia in sometime she has the most amazing sense of humor... She has me laughing over things I normally wouldn't see humor in. I love my bebe!

Speaking of great successes, we went to Rolando's first parent teacher conference this last Friday, we are so lucky to be in the school district we are in. His teacher, Ms. Crimin says she is so thankful to have such an amazing student in her class. He didn't skip a single beat transferring from Sand Lake to Cederhome Elementary. He has also made the honor roll and is on his way to becoming the classes Math Man! He loves his math! Rolo is the really the sweetest boy any mom could ever ask for. He is extremely thoughtful and thankful, always saying please, thank you or just asking how your day went. He knows how to put a smile on my face!

My Big E, our newest nickname for Elliott, he is just such a ham now days. He is such a little man, he loves tinkering around with tools - his and his dads both. I tell ya, he is all boy inside and out! The little rough and tumble turt will be outside knee deep in mud (we still have our organic backyard) and loving every single bit of it. He has adjusted so well to having little Erik in his life - the first few weeks, I didn't think he was ever going to come around to actually acknowledging his little brother. Now we have to peel him away from Erik, he loves to kiss his feet and his toes! It is the sweetest moment to watch. 

Speaking of Erik - he has grown so fast! I swear the little stinker is nearing 13lbs or so. All the milestones seem to be zipping right past up one after another. I feel like a robot checking them off, but it is so neat to watch him grow. You almost forget how fast they grow up, but just looking at Elliott, Rolando and Malia, reminds me to enjoy each milestone as they pass. So here they are he is sleeping through the night, he can hold his head up for a few minutes now, turning to look for voices he hears and he has also rolled over one way several times from back to belly, but not from belly to back yet, all the smiling and cooing he does. I LOVE HIS DIMPLE and that little chin! I swear I'll blink and he won't be a baby anymore.

Back at 100%

Well, I think I am 99.9% sure I am back at 100% since having baby... lol... When you come to that realization after giving birth it is such an uplifting feeling. Yesterday, I felt as if I was on top of the world and I knew today was going to be amazing. You know what it? It was!

We woke up without power this morning, but thankfully we have a gas stove - so pancakes it was for breakfast. Elliott LOVES pancakes the size of his head, and Steve or Daddy O makes the BEST pancakes ever. We sort of took our time getting into our rhythm this morning, without power it was next to near impossible to jolt ourselves awake with coffee. Although, right when we were going to make a cup of tea - it's almost as if the God's knew it would not suffice! WALAA! We had power again - so there we were the early birds awake at 7:30am, Steve, Elliott and I having our pancakes and cups of joe. (Elliott has baby coffee - a splash of coffee, creamer and almost a full cup of milk).

As we were getting ready for the rest of the day and we decided to venture out into our garage - the last time we spent a significant amount of time in that space was right before Christmas getting the decorations out, the time before that was back in September - when I tried fruitfully to clean before Jefe and Sally came over to help us paint (I didn't get very far and Steve kept telling me to stop) and the time before that had to have been when we moved. SO needless to say we had a lot of organizing to do! Steve in all his genius - had the garage whipped into shape in no time flat. He had everything organized so quickly and neatly we almost wondered why we hadn't done it sooner! We have a goodwill pile, craigslist pile, garage sale pile, recycle pile and dump pile. Piles galore, but ever so neatly done! It was so amazing seeing our garage, tools in their proper location on the shelves, garden equipment in their rightful homes, all the tools for the lawn hanging on the wall - WOW, I really could go on and on about the garage being clean. 

While all the organizing goodness was taking place I whipped up some Company Casserole and some chocolate chip cookies! YUMMY! With our bellies full and goodies to snack on after dinner we were able to settle down and finish watching NASCAR - I have just recently become a fan of Dale Jr. It was a great race and Dale is running in the top five... ROCKSTAR status! 

After the race Steve and his endless amount of energy went and hung some more curtain rods. Malia and Rolo cleaned their rooms - to spotless perfection! WOHOO! We were extremely productive today. It feels so good to have our on going projects being completed. I believe spring is in the air and we are ready for it! Also, little Erik slept almost all day long in his swing - only getting up to nurse! He must be going through a growth spurt!

What Doesn't Kill You Will Only Make You Stronger.

Well, it has been well over a year since we (I) last posted. We have been extremely blessed in this last year. Our prayers have been answered in more ways than one. Can you believe it will be 5 years since Steve met Malia and Rolando? We cannot believe time has passed that quickly. The most amazing news came our way Christmas Eve. We were on our way to the Children's Mass at St. Thomas Moore, when we had a message from Lori Colbert our amazing lawyer, she told us the babies father had agreed to everything we had submitted to the courts and we should have custody of the kids after a few formalities were taken care of! Our prayers from Steve's amazing family, my amazing family and ours as parents had been answered. It may have taken some time, as we know God is busy tending to those who need him the most, and What Doesn't Kill You Will Only Make You Stronger.
Wow, did it ever test us though. We learned so much as a couple, as parents, how to be a supportive cohesive team, how to function when it seemed we were taking 5 steps back to every one step forward. All would not have been possible without the loving support of our friends, our family and each other. It is feels so refreshing to have a chapter in your life completely closed with no loose ends. It means so much to Steve and I, we can finally be together as a family. Elliott loves his brother and sister so much, it was extremely painful this last August to say goodbye to the babies when they left for AK. Elliott was so confused running though the house yelling "ROLO", "LIA". Now we talk to him with so much anticipation and excitement, he knows something big is going to be happening here really soon!
Speaking of "BIG" things happening, this May we found out we're expecting again! So, now here we are at 32 almost 33 weeks along in the pregnancy and our little Erik is creating quite the fuss. He like his BIG brother Elliott has decided he wants out a little earlier than both our doctor and we would like. If we can at least hang on till the beginning of February, that way we know for sure his little lungs will function on their own, we will be the happiest parents alive.
So, we also have an amazing new house and zip code. Our location is now Stanwood, WA. Stannnn a whoo? We are in a little slice of heaven, I swear we are on the tip of the banana belt here. It could be raining in Lynnwood and WOHOO! We have sunshine pouring through our windows. It is a little crazy to think 35 miles would make that big of a difference. Stanwood also has one of the highest rated school districts in the state! We can't wait for M and R's big arrival, it means school functions, getting to know people in our community and actually taking the time to get out and met some other parents our age.
I know more has taken place in this last year, we have so many things to be thankful for, but sleep calls!

Puttanesca... Need I say more?

A good pasta sauce, this one stands out from the crowd. I remember making this sauce for my other parentals - Ron and Sheri - one lazy Sunday. Football was on for the boys, and baby Elliott was spending some time with Grandma Sheri. The intensity of the flavors coming together, perceived by everyone in the other room came as a shock, I believe. I had finished sauteing the onions and the garlic had just been added. It produced this sweet yet pungent aroma which filled our home, in a good way of course. Especially if you LOVE garlic. Well, it was a great meal loved and enjoyed with amazing company. It is a staple in our house, for sure, the ingredients always on hand. We love it with penne or rigatoni.

Puttanesca Sauce - By far my favorite pasta sauce!

1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 c finely chopped onion - 1 small one
6 cloves minced garlic
2 (28oz) cans diced tomatoes
1 cup tightly packed chopped Kalamata Olives
2 tbls Tomato Paste
2 tbls Capers
2 tbls minced Anchovy Fillets - trust me NO ONE even knows they are there! hehe
1/2 t crushed basil
1/2 t dried crushed red pepper flakes
salt to taste

Heat a large stock pot heat oil over med - hi heat. Add Onion and saute until soft and caramelized about 10 min. Add garlic and cook an additional 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and the remaining ingredients and simmer until the sauce has thickened and slightly reduced about 40 min.

Quick, flavorful meals...

I was looking through all my recipes and there are really no sections. If anything our recipes seem to revolve around time, anything that takes more than an hour in the kitchen is something we save for the weekend. Garlic Chicken is one of those quick and easy meals, no thought process and wow the flavors pack a punch!

Garlic Roast Chicken with Rosemary and Lemon
Preheat oven to 450*
2 1/2 lbs boneless skinless Chicken Breasts cut into large chunks (we typically cut them in half)
6 cloves of garlic (smashed with side of knife)
3 tbls Fresh Rosemary
3 tbls Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 lemon zested and juiced (reserve lemon juice)
1 tbls Grill Seasoning (we love Spicy Montreal Blend)
1/2 cup dry white wine or low sodium Chicken Broth <- love the chicken broth
Arrange chicken in 9x13 baking dish, add garlic, rosemary, oil, lemon zest, seasoning, stir around and evenly coat chicken. Roast for 20min. Leave pan in oven and add wine/broth and lemon juice. Close oven door and turn oven off. Let stand 5min. Viola! Dinner is done!

This is a family favorite, if I remember right it came from a restaurant on Elliott Bay here in WA... Trust me it is one the best ways to make taco's. Even if you are using your favorite store bought salsa, remember FRESH salsa in the deli section is always better than some Frit* L*y... You get the point I am trying to make right? It is the same reason I love ORGANIC, you can actually taste and smell the freshness.

Fish Tacos with two Salsas

Tomato Salsa
1 cup chopped seeded Tomato (about two med)
1/2 cup chopped seeded Yellow or Orange tomato (1 med) <-I can never find them so I use all red! LOL
1/4 cup finely chopped Red Onion
1 tbls chopped Parsley (flat leaf)
1 tbls fresh Lime Juice
1/2 t minced Habanero pepper <- I DO NOT LIKE THIS PEPPER can substitute. - My fingers felt like they were on FIRE for two days straight after using them!
1/2 t Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 teaspoon Salt

Mango Salsa <- OUR FAVORITE!!
1 cup chopped peeled Mango
1/2 cup chopped seeded peeled cucumber
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
2 tbls minced Jalapeno Pepper
1 tbls fresh Lime Juice
1 t Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/8 t Salt

Fish
2 tbls Lime Juice
2 t Olive Oil
1/4 t ground Cumin
2 Garlic cloves minced
4 (6oz) Halibut fillets
1/4 teaspoon Salt
Cooking Spray

Remaining ingredients
4 10in Flour Tortillas
1 cup shredded red cabbage
1/4 cup reduced fat sour cream
Lime Wedges

To prepare tomato salsa combine all tomato salsa ingredients in a small bowl, cover and chill at least 1 hour.

To prepare mango salsa combine all mango salsa ingredients together in a small bowl and chill at least 1 hour.

To prepare Halibut - combine all ingredients in a zip lock bag including the halibut. Marinate at lease 15 min. Turn once if needed. Remove fish from bag, discard marinade. Place fish on grill with coated cooking spray <- I recommend placing the fish in foil and then grilling. Halibut tends to cook fast in my opinion and flakes away, would hate to see it all end up at the bottom of the grill. Grill 4 min each side or until done. Flake fish into large chunks and set in bowl. Warm tortillas up in microwave or on the grill. Arrange tacos how you see fit!

Heart warming....

The nice thing about this soup it comes together rather quickly, the best part it is HEALTHY! This actually came from a Cooking Light Magazine last fall, I believe. I loved experimenting with food while I was pregnant, although I do have to say don't spring Spaghetti Squash as a pasta meal on a MEAT and POTATO loving man. This recipe is easy and it warms your belly! Enjoy

Pasta Fagioli Soup

This is an awesome lunch in the winter, it comes together really fast and freezes well.
12 oz Chicken Sausage - recommend something spicy/santa fe, Halved lengthwise and sliced
3 cups low sodium Chicken Broth
1/2 cup small uncooked seashell Pasta - or any small pasta
2 cups coarsely chopped Zucchini (about 2 small)
1 14.5 oz can of stewed tomatoes undrained
1 teaspoon dried Basil
1 teaspoon dried Oregano
1 15 oz can Kidney Beans, rinsed and drained
1/3 cup (1 1/2 oz) shredded asiago cheese * optional

Heat in a large sauce pan over high heat. Add sausage cook 2 minutes stirring constantly. Add broth and pasta, bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 4 minutes. Add zucchini and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Stir in Basil, Oregano and beans. Cover and simmer for another 3 min or until pasta and zucchini are tender. Sprinkle with cheese when done!




Chicken Picata

This is one of MY favorite chicken recipes in the whole world, I believe we snagged this one from Giada... Although not as healthy with all the butter going in. Still much the same, you could use more Olive Oil or even not use all the butter recommended. It is so good especially with Cheesy Orzo pasta...

4 skinless boneless Chicken Breasts halved crosswise
1/2 t Salt
1/2 t fresh ground black pepper
1/2 c flour for dredging
4 tbls unsalted butter - divided in half
2 tbls Extra virgin Olive Oil
1/2 c low salt chicken broth - have measured out
1/3 c fresh lemon juice - have squeezed before hand
1/4 c drained capers - have measured out
2 tbls fresh parsley * optional

Sprinkle Chicken w salt and pepper. Dredge the chicken in the flour and coat lightly.
In a large saute pan melt 2 tbls of butter with the 2 tbls of oil over med-hi heat. Add the chicken and cook until brown on each side about 3 min each side. Using tongs transfer chicken to a plate. Add the broth, lemon juice and capers to same pan. Bring the broth mixture to a boil over med-hi heat scrapping up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Return chicken to pan and simmer to cook through about 5-6 min. transfer chicken to a serving dish. Whisk in remaining butter to sauce in pan. Pour sauce over chicken and serve.

Elliott cuddling his monkey, the evening after he ate mass quantities with his cousin Oliver!

Elliott loving food at the Cabin in Chelan!