Day 3 - The Smith's

GUESS WHAT!?!?!?! 

I forgot the corn... 

JUST KIDDING! 

My mom made sure to throw it in my box for me. She's so awesome!

Moving on... Tonight I cooked for my best friend in the whole widest world! Stacie, her husband Gabe and their kids Ahlayna, Landon and Lily (Let's be real... Lil ate nothing becuase she's a mere 5 weeks old, but she's still part of the family!!!)

Aren't they so fun??

We had delicious Cheesy Chicken Tenders w/ Maple Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Corn and Garlic Bread. MMMMMMMMMMM and don't forget the BROWNIES!!! Thanks again Juanita!!! 

I am getting so good on my timing! Everything came out at the exact same time tonight, that's a first! I think that is the biggest thing I need to work on. I like to make one thing THEN start the other! Can't do that when you're cooking a meal, especially for somebody else!

After dinner I got to spend some quality tummy time with LB. 

She's seriously the cutest.

Don't you just wanna eat her up!!

I guess it was a good thing we were all super full after dinner! Oh speaking of... Here's how you know when you made a really good dinner... They pass out on the couch!

Here's the recipes. Cook it. Eat it. Love it.

Cheesy Chicken Tenders

Ingredients:

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast

2 cups cheesy crackers (crushed)

1/2 cup shredded cheese

1 egg

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Clean chicken and slice into small strips.

3. Whisk egg in one bowl, crush crackers and put in 2nd bowl and add cheese to the 2nd bowl.

4. Dip chicken tenders in egg, then toss in cracker/cheese mixture and place on baking sheet.

5. Spray with cooking spray(Optional) and bake for 15 minutes or until pink is gone. 

Maple Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces (about 8 cups)
• 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Method:
1. Preheat over to 400 degrees.
2. Arrange sweet potatoes in an even layer in a 9x13 inch glass baking dish.
3. Combine Maple syrup, butter, lemon juice & salt in a small bowl. Pour mixture over the sweet potatoes; toss to coat.
4. Cover and bake for 15 minutes. Stir & cook, stirring every 15 minutes, until tender and starting to brown, 45-50 minutes more.

Day 2 - The Braid's

Hey, guess what I remembered to do at dinner? Take a few pictures!

Guess what I forgot? THE CORN!! Maybe this is just a sign that we are not meant to have corn with any meals!

So today was the second day of my 30 day cooking extravaganza! I cooked for my older sister Brenna, her husband Dustin, my twin niece & nephew Daisy & Tyler and Dustin's mom Carol. 

And I will freely admit that I forgot to take pictures until we were sitting down at dinner mouths full of food. I really need a sidekick! Had I remembered earlier I would have had a bunch of cute shots of Daisy, apron & all, helping me cook the entire meal, Tyler peppering the chicken and Daisy doing the dishes. Again, I. NEED. A. SIDEKICK.

I digress... Anywho we had something totally scrumptious for dinner, and I think Daisy helping made it that much better! We had Creamy Lemon & Chive Farfalle (minus the chive because I was told no one liked them, WRONG) and we added some Basil Chicken to it. I honestly don't think I have EVER seen the twins eat so fast! Maybe it the food was delicious... Or maybe it was because they knew there was a brownie for dessert. I'm sure it was just because the food was so good!

Here's the recipe. You should seriously consider trying it! It will change your world!

Creamy Lemon and Chive Farfalle:

{Serves 4 entree portions, but works well as a side dish too!}

ingredients:

1 pound Dried Farfalle Pasta

2 small or 1 medium Shallot, diced small

1-2 tablespoons Extra Light Olive Oil

2 teaspoons All-Purpose Flour

1/2 cup Dry White Wine

1 cup Heavy Cream

1/4 cup Fresh Chives, Chopped

1 tablespoon Lemon Juice, freshly squeezed

1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt, or more to taste

1/2 teaspoon Fresh Ground Black Pepper, or more to taste

1 teaspoon Fresh Lemon Zest

1/2 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

preparation:

Prepare the pasta according to package directions, reserving a cup of pasta water. Mean while sauté the diced shallots in olive oil over medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Once the shallots have softened, sprinkle with two teaspoons of flour and cook for one minute. Stir in white wine until flour is dissolved and bring to a simmer. Then reduce heat to medium-low and add heavy cream, chives, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Grate a teaspoon of lemon zest and 1/2 cup Parmesan over the pasta and toss. Thin out with a little of the reserved pasta water, then divide among four plates and garnish more Parmesan if desired.

Day 1 - The Halls & Matt

As promised, here is my post for day one of my "30 Meals for 30 Families in 30 Days" project. Unfortunately I forgot to take any pictures, so all you get is a boring wordy post. :( Hopefully at tomorrow's dinner I will remember! 

Someone remind me!

Today I cooked for the Pastor of our church Jon, his lovely wife Amy and our Youth Pastor Matt. Maybe I can scrounge up some pictures from Facebook so you can see who I'm talking about, not just read their names.

FOUND SOME!

Pastor Jon & Amy Hall

This is the only picture I can get of Matt, because we're not Facebook friends. YET!

So now that you know WHO I cooked for I can tell you WHAT I cooked them!

We had pretzel breaded chicken, scalloped potatoes and yummy garlic bread! Oh, and dessert, Yummy Yummy brownies made by a very awesome lady from our church! Melt in your mouth brownies! They were the perfect end to a perfect dinner! Well almost perfect. I realized when I got there that I had forgotten the corn. Quote of the night; "What I lack in corn, I make up for in brownies!" haha All in all it was a wonderful night, and a great time was had by all! 

Cannot wait until tomorrow when I get to cook for my Sister, Brother-in-Law and my crazy niece & nephew!

Here's tonight's recipes:

PRETZEL CHICKEN WITH HONEY DIJON SAUCE

Ingredients

Chicken

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
2 eggs, whisked
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper

Breading

2 cups pretzels, ground in the food processor (until they are the consistency of bread crumbs) (sourdough pretzels work best)

Vegetable oil for frying

Sauce

1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup Dijon mustard

Method

1. Combine mustard and honey for sauce. Mix well and set aside.

2. Preheat oil to 350 degrees. Combine eggs with spices in a large bowl. Mix well and add chicken.

3. Add pretzel crumbs to a large bowl. When oil is hot, bread chicken and fry in oil until deep golden brown. Chicken should be firm and have an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Place on paper towels or cooling rack after removing from oil.

Cheddary Scalloped Potatoes 

Ingredients:

2 tbsp margarine or butter

1 small onion, sliced and separated into rings (about ¼ cup)

1 can (10 ¾ oz) Campbell’s condensed Broccoli Cheese Soup

1/3 cup milk

1/8 tsp pepper

4 medium potatoes (1 ¼ lbs) cooked and sliced (about 3 ½ cups)

3 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (optional)

Snipped fresh parsley (optional)

(Serves 4)

Method:

1. In 10-inch skillet over medium heat, in hot margarine, cook onion until tender, stirring often.

2. Stir in soup, milk & pepper. Add potatoes; stir gently to coat. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low. Cover; cook 5 minutes or until hot & bubbling, stirring occasionally.

3. Sprinkle with bacon & snipped parsley.

30 Meals For 30 Families In 30 Days

I figured since everything starts today I should probably explain what it's all about. I've mentioned it in previous posts but never really broke it down. So here it is!

Goals:

(Overall) To help people & build a sense of community and fellowship through food.

(Personal)Learn how to cook more than Mac & Cheese J

Who:

(Is doing)Myself and any other member of the church that feels called to help. I was thinking of possibly extending an invitation to help to the teens/young adults, to get them involved in reaching out to those in need.

(We’re helping) I am open to cooking for anyone in the church who needs a little sunshine, or just wants to have a night off and let someone else do the work. Also, families nominated by church members who could use a little help.

What:

It’s exactly what the title says. I want to cook 30 meals for 30 families in the span of 30 days. I want to help people, while helping myself.

When:

I would obviously like to start this as soon as possible, however I know that these things take time. I would, however, like to do it for a consecutive month. Not a day here and a day there. It’s called a challenge for a reason right?

Where:

Either in home cooking of a meal, clean-up included or preparing a meal at my house and delivering it to the home for the family to enjoy. I am also open to other suggestions.

Why:

Why not? There are people all over that just need a little kindness shown to them. It doesn’t have to be a million dollars, or solve all their problems, but a little bit of kindness can have a profound effect on people’s lives. Both the giver& receiver.

Through donations and volunteers we're making it happen! First night is tonight and it seems only fitting that the first family up is the Pastor of our church and his lovely wife.

I swear I will post daily of what I cook and how it goes and for whom. If you're feeling ambitious, challenge yourself and cook with me!

New Hair For A New Day.

I am absolutely in LOVE with my new Hair do! Many thanks to my bestest for doing it :) the color blocks just make it so fun!

Cell Phone Nostalgia: Retro Camera

I am always looking for the "next app" or game I can download on my phone, simply because I get bored. So of course when I got my new phone in October I had to find a fun camera app to use.

So I searched and found Retro Camera. Basically what it is, is an app that allows you to switch between old time camera styles. 

Your options are: 


The Barbl - Leipzig 1951
This is a really old-timey one. You get low saturation, neutral color cast, medium contrast ans square stock framing. 

Yep... That's my lunch. Also had some delicious turkey, but as you can see it didn't last long!


The Little Orange Box - USSR 1976
This one is my favorite! You get high X-processing, red/purple color cast, high contrast and my favorite part, the severe scratching & square damaged frame. Now I know you're thinking... Why would you want that??? But trust, it has great results!! 

My sister Kayla striking a pose.


The Xolaroid 2000 - San Francisco 1972
With this camera you get high X-processing, blue/green color cast, high contrast with that classic poloroid framing.

Kayla is a creeper... I'm pretty sure we were at a restaraunt. I have to deel with this in public... haha


A Pinhole Camera - DIY in the 80s somewhere
This one has low saturation, medium-high contrast, multi-color swirl color cast, on full-bleed film. It also (on this app) adds the little film reel squares on the top & bottom of the picture. 

My dad & nephew posing for their mugshot... I mean picture :)


The FudgeCan - 1961, Granby, Quebec
Has low saturation, medium contrast, on square/full film, typically used for outdoors.

This pic was taken while flying down the Pacific coast on our way to San Diego in January.

The Hipsteroku - Japanese toy camera gone wrong
It's got a medium saturation, intense color leaks, medium-high contrast with Old white stock film. Reminds me of the way my moms pictures looked when she was young but in color not black & white

Just testing out the camera on the day I got it. I like how there is a glowing goldy-yellow over Jesus. Kinda gives it an ominous feel to the picture.


So there you go. My favorite camera app and some more pictures I never thought to share until now.

Very Superstitious...

And yes, I was totally singing that song as I types. Don't. Judge. Me!

I was driving the other day and I realized that since i was 16 years old (that's a decade ago just in case you were curious) I have crossed my fingers and touched glass going over a railroad track. I think the old wives tale was that if you crossed your fingers and touched glass while going over a railroad track it would keep you safe while driving. Or something like that. I've done it for 10 years! I think now I do it out of habit, not because it will bring me good luck. Though I suppose if I thought back hard enough there are more than a few times I could say that it worked :)