Creamy Lemon Chicken with Roasted Potatoes and Artichokes

Serves 5

5 red potatoes, cubed, bite-sized
2 - 3 tablespoons olive oil
salt
pepper
1 (15-ounce) can artichoke hearts, quartered and drained
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
2 tablespoons white wine
1/3 cup cream
1/2 cup chicken stock
4 sun dried tomatoes, soaked in boiling water to rehydrate, and sliced thin
juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss potatoes with olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Roast for about 25 minutes, stirring once, until beginning to become golden brown. Add artichoke hearts and roast an additional 20 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large saute pan over medium high heat, drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil and add the chicken. Saute for 6 - 7 minutes or until chicken to cooked through. Add wine and cook for 1 minute. Add the cream and chicken stock and let reduce for 3 - 4 minutes. Add roasted potatoes and artichokes, sun dried tomatoes, lemon juice and parsley and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Notes: I used three potatoes, and there were *plenty* of potatoes. Instead of using plain sun dried tomatoes (and then rehydrating them), I used marinated sun dried tomatoes. The marinade added good flavor. I also didn't have wine, so I substituted with more chicken stock. Even with all my changes, this meal was really, really good.

Original source: http://dinnersforayear.blogspot.com/

Spicy Shrimp, Sausage, and Spinach Fettuccine

This is what we ate for dinner tonight. Yes - Sydney enjoyed the spicy sausage, too. I only let her eat about 4 bites of it because I didn't want her to have a tummy ache. She would've eaten a bunch of it if I'd let her. Anyway, it was a huge hit. Tom claims he's going to take it to work tomorrow for lunch. We'll see if that happens (unlikely).

Serves 5

1 pound fettuccine
olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 links of hot Italian sausage, removed from casing
2 large garlic cloves
1 1/4 pounds of large shrimp (21 - 25/pound), peeled and deveined
4 large handfuls of baby spinach, about 4 cups loosely packed
1 cup corn
1/2 cup pasta water
1/2 - 1 cup Parmesan cheese
salt
pepper

Cook fettuccine in a large pot of water according to package directions. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water. Set aside.

While the pasta cooks, heat a large saute pan over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and onions and saute for about 5 minutes. Add the sausage in small pieces and the garlic and cook until until the sausage is cooked and browned.

Add shrimp to pan and cook for 2 - 3 minutes. Add spinach and cook for 3 - 4 minutes or until it is slightly wilted. Add corn and pasta water to saute pan and scrape up any bits cooked on to the bottom of the pan. Add pasta and toss to mix. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Place in a serving bowl and top with Parmesan cheese. Serve with extra cheese.

Source: http://dinnersforayear.blogspot.com/

Happy Mother's Day!

This picture just about says it all. I am so incredibly thankful to be a mom to my beautiful and healthy baby girl Sydney and to have the wonderful family I have. What a blessing!

What this picture does not show is the three grown men in the background doing just about anything and everything to get my beautiful baby girl to smile. My dad was playing with and demonstrating every baby toy he could get his hands on. Tom's dad was jumping up and down on his good foot trying to get her attention. Tom was trying to take the picture while making funny faces. In this case, there was a great picture behind the camera, too.

Spicy Redskins Casserole

6 cups loose-packed southwest style hash browns
2/3 cups butter -- melted
2 cups cooked ham -- diced
1 cups cheddar cheese -- shredded
1 cups milk
4 eggs
1/2 tsp. salt

Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish. Press hash browns on bottom of pan. Drizzle melted butter over crust. Bake at 425° for 25 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°. Sprinkle ham and cheese over crust. Beat eggs, milk, and salt; pour over ham and cheese. Return to oven and bake 25 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean.

Source of original recipe: http://www.mrbreakfast.com/superdisplay.asp?recipeid=331

Happy First Communion to Sarah

What a weekend - it's only half over, and I'm already exhausted! Today was Sarah's first communion. The big event took place at Saint Francis de Sales Catholic Church in Purcellville, Virginia. Sarah did a great job. She had practiced with her class twice this week and definitely knew what she was doing. She looked great too. Her dress was beautiful. After the service, we all headed back to Grandma and Grandpa's house for a "buffet." It was great to celebrate with all our family: Jodi, Jay, Sarah, Steve, Kerry, Lylla, Harper, Grandma Drumheller, Grandma and Grandpa Bergeman, Lorraine, Angus, Tom, Sydney, and I. We ate our way through the afternoon, while the kids played, and everyone had a good time. Congratulations to Sarah on this very special day!

Happy Birthday Grandma!

Tonight we celebrated Grandma's 63rd birthday! How do you celebrate a 63rd birthday? With a pizza party - what else? Everyone came over tonight after work and school, and we enjoyed pizza, cake, and gifts. The highlight of the night was definitely Papa's gift for Grandma: a new laptop! That's right folks... get prepared... Grandma's going to have e-mail and Internet access soon. She'll be sending spam in no time!

Sydney Hits the Road

I finally summoned the courage to take Sydney on her first road trip this weekend. And, Syd and I managed to do it on our own! Daddy had to work, so it was a girls' trip (at least for the first half of the trip).

We left Friday morning for Bethany Beach, Delaware. The trip there was pretty uneventful. We stopped in Denton, Maryland, for lunch and a break, and arrived at Bethany Beach right around 2:30 pm. We were so lucky to be invited to stay with the Chabots! They own a beautiful home that's just minutes from the beach. They were more than accommodating. We enjoyed good food, great company, and totally baby-proofed surroundings! Friday afternoon, we even took Syd to the beach.

Saturday morning, we were on the move again. We left the Chabot's home around 10:00 am and arrived at Saint Mary of the Sea Catholic Church at 10:45 am - just in time to meet up with Tom for the baptism of Lylla and Harper. After the baptism, it was time to party. We hit the road for a quick trip to Steve and Kerry's home in Salisbury, Maryland. Steve and Kerry are expert party hosts. There was enough food and beer for a small army. Thankfully, there was no army nearby, so all the food and beer was for us! While we were partying, Syd was exploring. With the help of Hippo and Lola (the dogs), Syd was able to kick her fear of dogs. She waddled around playing with the twins' toys, chasing the dogs, and eating.

By 3:00 pm, everyone was exhausted. We left the party and headed home. Syd was asleep in the backseat within minutes of our departure. We made it home by 7:00 pm. Syd's first road trip was a huge success, and we had a blast! We'll definitely have to do it again soon.