Strawberry Shortcake Kabobs

This week's recipe barely counts as a recipe, but it was a lot of fun!

This was one of the fastest desserts I've ever made.  You don't even have to slice the strawberries!

Ingredients:
strawberries (about 1 pint)
1 angel food cake or pound cake
white chocolate
6 wooden skewers
whipped cream (optional)

Cut your cake into 1 1/2 inch cubes.  Alternate each skewer with strawberries and cake chunks.  Melt the white chocolate carefully over a double boiler, and  transfer to a plastic bag.  Snip the corner, and drizzle over the kabobs. Chill for at least 30 minutes. Serve with whipped cream if desired.

Lime and Coconut Chicken

I have decided to try 1 new recipe every week for the next little while.  Here's what I made this week:

Lime and Coconut Chicken

serves 4, prep 10 minutes, marinade up to 2 hours, cook 15 min,

• 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 3 tbsp oil
• zest of 1 lime
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• pinch cayenne
• 1 small fresh hot chili, such as Thai or Serrano, minced (optional)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• Fresh limes, cut into wedges

1. Trim fat from chicken breasts.  Starting on thick side of the breasts slice the chicken breasts almost in half, then open each like a book.
2. Place each open breast between two pieces of plastic wrap, wax paper or inside a large, open, Ziploc bag.
3. Using a small heavy pan, bottle or smooth meat mallet lightly pound out each breast into even thickness.
4. Mix all remaining ingredients except fresh cilantro and limes.
5. Add chicken and marinade to a large bowl or ziploc bag and chill in the refrigerator for up to two hours.
6. Your chicken doesn’t take long to cook so you can use this time to get your dishes prepped and ready.
7. Once you are ready to cook the chicken, remove each breast from the marinade.
8. Pour the marinade into a small saucepan and bring to a rolling boil.  Boil continuously for at least 2 minutes, stirring occasionally so it doesn’t burn.
9. In a heavy skillet or grill pan, heat a splash of oil over high heat.
10. Cook the chicken in batches to prevent over crowding the pan.
11. Place the breasts in the hot pan and cook without turning for a couple minutes
12. Flip the breasts over and cook until the other side is golden, it shouldn’t take long depending on the thickness of your chicken.
13. Place cooked breasts on a plate in a warm oven or under foil while cooking the remaining chicken.
14. Sprinkle with fresh lime juice and cilantro. Serve with sauce on the side.

I made it with couscous on the side, and it was a hit- Even the picky 2 year old liked it!

2 Months Old

I can't believe it has already been 2 months since Tate was born. He is such a happy little baby and a great sleeper.  He has been sleeping for 6-8 hours straight every night for a month now, and he slept all through the night on Mother's day- the best gift a 7 week old can give!

Jack loves being a big brother.  Every morning when I bring him out, Jack snuggles up to him and says, "Aww, Tater-tot!" 

We went to the doctor today, and here are his stats:

head circumference- 64%, 15.5 inches

length- 55%, 23 inches

weight-89.6%, 14 lb

Today Jack asked me, "Please Mommy, I watch a show?"  I get this probably 20 times a day, but today he followed it up with, "Let's ask Heavenly Father.  He will."  Then he said a little prayer and asked to watch his show again.  This is a new level of manipulation.  How am I supposed to say no to that??!

A few of Jack's favorite things:

According to Jack, here are some of his favorites:

Color: Green
Song: Buzz and Woody (You've Got a Friend In Me)
Animal: T-Rex
Article of Faith: #2 (He only knows 1,2,3,5, and 8 so far)
Scripture story: Joseph Smith
Food: rice
Store: the Popcorn Store (Target)
Movie: Buzz and Woody (Toy Story)

Here's a little glimpse at what we've been up to lately...

11 days old

3 1/2 weeks old

1 month old

Jack loves holding his brother!

I can already tell these boys will get into all kinds of mischief together!

6 weeks old

Tate has started smiling! He gives me one every time I pump his legs.  I just love his little grin!

2 Recipes

Here are a couple recipes that we've been loving around here lately-

Aunt Lori's Lasagna

1 lb sausage
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3 8 oz cans tomato sauce
1 4 oz can tomato paste
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1 tsp italian herb seasoning
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups water
16 oz ricotta cheese
8 oz cottage cheese
4 cups mozzarella cheese, divided
2 cups parmesan cheese
1 pkg oven ready lasagna

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brown sausage with garlic.  Add tomato sauce and paste, onion, herbs, salt and pepper, and water.  Simmer for 30 minutes.  Mix ricotta and cottage cheese. Reserve 2 cups mozzarella to top the lasagna with.  Cover the bottom of a 13 x 9 pan with some meat sauce.  Assemble in this order: pasta, ricotta mixture, meat sauce, mozzarella, parmesan. Repeat twice.  Top with remaining mozzarella, and bake covered for 40 min.  Remove foil, and bake for an additional 10 min, or until the  cheese begins to toast. Let sit for 15 min.

Spicy Caramel Bacon Popcorn

1/2 cup kernels, popped
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 cup white karo syrup
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 stick real butter
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 pkg bacon, cooked and crumbled

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Place brown sugar, cayenne, karo syrup, salt, and butter in a microwave safe bowl.  Microwave 30 seconds.  Stir.  Microwave 2 minutes.  Stir. Microwave 2 more minutes. Stir. Add vanilla and baking soda.  It will fizz and bubble a little. Stir in bacon pieces.  Pour over popcorn (in a bowl larger than you think you will need) and stir until evenly coated. Transfer to a foil lined cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes, stirring after 10.