My Favorite Recipe

Dinnertime is always an adventure in my house. I live with a number of picky eaters. Gabbi won’t eat anything that’s a fruit, or a veggie, or has sauce, or is not the right shape/color/consistency. Micah has gotten a little bit better, as long has he has a number of utensils to pick and choose from (on demand) and as long as he can eat half of his meal off of someone else’s plate. Lou claims that he’s not picky, and he’s not. As long as the meat is chicken or pork chops…and said chicken or pork chops are breaded and/or smothered with sauce…and said sauce contains NO chunks and is completely smooth…and that the side is egg noodles or macaroni and cheese. That being said, this is a recipe that everyone in my family really likes. It’s my go-to recipe for bringing meals to people after they’ve had a baby. I got it from my awesome mother-in-law who also knows a thing or two about picky eaters. 

Savory Crescent Chicken Squares

Serves 4(ish) 

Ingredients:

4 cups cubed cooked chicken

3 tbsp butter, softened

2oz cream cheese, softened

4 tbsp half and half (I just use milk)

2 tbsp finely chopped onion

½ tsp dried parsley (I omit this – Gabbi won’t eat anything with “leaves” in it and I’m not sure that it adds any actual flavor)

¼ tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

2 (8oz) cans of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls

Directions:

1.       Heat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl combine all ingredients (except for the crescent rolls) and mix well. (I usually do this ahead; it makes it quicker to put everything together when it’s time to actually cook dinner.)

2.       Separate each can of dough into four rectangles. Firmly press perforations to seal. Spoon 1/2 cup chicken mixture onto the center of each rectangle. Pull the four corners of dough together and twist. Pinch edges together to seal. (It’s usually not pretty, but as long as it’s all sealed you’re fine.) Place on ungreased cookie sheet.

3.       Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with gravy.

Gravy:

1 can Campbell’s Cream of Chicken Soup

½ can milk

¼ tsp dried parsley (again, I omit this)

Combine in saucepan and heat, stirring often.

One other modification I use when making this has to do with the onion. Lou won’t eat anything with chunks of onion in it. (I know, he’s not picky at all.) Instead I use a tablespoon of Tastefully Simple’s Onion Onion spice mix. It adds a really nice flavor to the chicken mixture and it saves me from having to chop an actual onion.

There you have it – comfort food at its finest. (And by finest, I mean easy to make and still super delicious.) If you make this, let me know what you think. Bon Appetite!

Saturday Night Shenanigans

This one's entitled "Potato People: With a Bird in the Sky that Didn't Hatch Yet." She's only four, yet her artistic abilities are already on par with mine.

They love each other (for the moment anyway).

The Snow Bowl

I am not a fan of snow. It’s cold and wet and it turns bad drivers into really, really bad drivers. My kids, on the other hand, love it. Every time it snows they sit on the window sill and watch the flakes and I wait for the dreaded question… “Mom – can we go outside and play in the snow?!?” Nooooooooo!

Before you tell me that I really should change the name of this blog to Mediocre Mama, let me explain two things:

1. My husband is usually the one who takes them outside and plays in the snow with them. He loves pulling them on the sled and building snowmen and teaching them how to make the optimal snowball. The kids love that they get special time with Daddy. I love that I get ten minutes of alone time.

2. I have a four year old and a two year old. They have very different snow tolerances. One will play outside until frostbite sets in, while the other usually lasts about ten minutes. If I spend the 20 minutes it takes to get them bundled up and out the door, I can almost guarantee that after 15 minutes one will be crying to go in and the other will be crying to stay outside.

I had been hoping for a snow-free winter, but that hasn’t worked out so well. To make matters worse, my husband’s work hours have been extra long (he’s usually not home during the light of day), so there’s no playing outside with Daddy when he gets home from work.

During the last big snow, I had an epiphany. Instead of taking them out to the snow, I would bring the snow to them. Thus the “snow bowl” was born. I opened the back door, scooped snow into a bowl for each of them, and let them play contentedly on the kitchen floor. They played for much longer in the kitchen then they would have outside, and I got to sit with a cup of coffee and relax. I’m not sure whether this makes me a genius or just super lazy. As long as everyone is happy, does it matter?

That's right ladies. Not only do I not have to bundle them up, I don't even have to take them out of their pajamas.

The princesses decided to make a few snow angels too.

And it begins..

Hello, and welcome to my little corner of the universe.

I’ve been debating whether or not to start a blog for some time. I’m not pregnant, not adopting, not running my own business or writing a book; I knew there would be a lack of cohesive theme. However, I do like passing along a good deal, sharing stories that make my girlfriends laugh, letting others in on things that have made my life easier, and getting people excited about new ministry opportunities. I considered names like The Half-Assed Housewife (already taken) and The Mediocre Mama (because excellence is totally overrated). But what I really wanted was to provide a little escape from the chaos that surrounds most of us on a daily basis. So, grab yourself a cup of coffee, sit back and relax with me for five minutes.

At ease, ladies. The world can wait.

P.S. When I created the URL for this page, I meant for it to say "Alicia at ease".blogsopt. I just noticed that it can also be read "Alicia a tease".blogspot. Fantastic. My children will be so proud someday.