A Few Exciting Things

So this week we actually had a few exciting things happen other than the basic school, carpool, run errands, kind of stuff.

First,  look who's back.

Yep...the Little Professor.  Harrison with glasses.  No, we didn't find the ones he "misplaced,"unfortunately. He got new ones.  And this time the frames are blue to match his eyes.

Isn't he handsome.

This one is cruising.  Nothing is safe anymore.  Plus she has started climbing stairs.  YIKES!!!  Time to get the baby gates out of storage.

She looks like she is plotting her next move.

A surprise package on the doorstep.

The Cincinnati crew, aka John Robert, Anna, and Jessica, sent the children a back to school package, complete with sticker books for the three older ones and a new board book for Ava.  It even included the cutest note with original poem for the kids.  I give Jessica all the credit for the poem.

Family dinner night with Grandma, PaPa, GiGi, and the six of us.  I cooked.

Yummy chicken and white bean chili (see below for the recipe) served with our favorite cornmeal cheddar scones that I blogged about here.

Peach & blueberry cobbler made from the peaches and blueberries we picked over the summer.  Before the crust.

Rolling out the crust

Looks delicious!

White Bean Chili

(This recipe is taken from the all-new ultimate Southern Living Cookbook)

1 Medium Onion, chopped

1 Tbsp. Olive Oil

2 Garlic Cloves, minced

8 Skinned and boned chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

3 Cups water

1 tsp. Salt

2 tsp. Ground cumin
1 tsp. Chili powder
1 tsp. Dried oregano
4 (15 oz) cans Cannellini or great Northern beans, rinsed, drained and divided
1 (14 oz) can Chicken broth
1 (16 oz) package frozen shoepeg white corn
2 )4.5 oz) cans chopped green chiles
3 Tbsp. lime juice

Saute chopped onion in hot oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat 7 minutes; add garlic, and saute 2 to 3 minutes.  Stir in chicken pieces, and cook, stirring constantly, until chicken is lightly browned.  Stir in 3 cups water and next 5 ingredients; reduce heat, and simmer, stirring often, 10 minutes or until chicken is done.

Place 2 cans of beans in a blender; add brother, and process until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides.

Stir bean puree, remaining 2 cans of beans, corn, and chiles into chicken mixture in Dutch oven; bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Reduce heat, and simmer, stirring often, 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated.  Stir in lime juice just before service.

I have made this recipe multiple times and everyone loves it.  It really isn't hard, is low calorie and low fat, the recipe makes a lot, and it freezes well.  When I make it we usually eat about half of it and I freeze the rest for one of those winter days when I just don't feel like cooking.

For the peach & blueberry cobbler I really didn't follow a recipe.  But here is basically what I did.  I defrosted about 2 cups of sliced peaches and another  1 1/2 cups of blueberries.  I placed these in a large sauce pan with about 1/2 to 3/4 cups of sugar, a teaspoon of vanilla, a "good shake" of ground nutmeg and a smaller "shake" of ground cinnamon, as well as about 2 teaspoons of cornstarch to thicken the mixture.  I cooked the fruit for about 10 minutes, until it started simmering slightly and the blueberries started to pop.  I just made a single crust cobbler so I just poured my cooked fruit into the square pan and topped with an easy pie crust, cut slits in the top and baked at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes or until brown.  You could use a store bought pie crust if you prefer but I honestly believe homemade pie crusts taste SO MUCH BETTER.  If you have never made a pie crust before here is the simple recipe.

Pie Crust

1 1/4 cups flour
1/3 cup shortening
4 to 5 tablespoons cold water
1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)

Stir together flour and salt.  Using a pastry blender, cut in shortening until pieces are the size of peas.

Sprinkle 1 Tablespoon or water over the mixture and gently toss with a fork.  Push moistened dough to the side of the bowl.  Repeat using 1 tablespoon water at a time until the dough is moistened.  Form dough into a ball.

On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a circle (or in this case square) and transfer to pie plate or pan.

That's all there is to it.

Hope you have a few exciting things happen to you this week.


On a completely unrelated note.  I want to say GOOD LUCK and WE LOVE YOU to my brother and Jessica who are taking their Step 3 exams as I type.

We know you will both do great.
Love you both and can't wait to see you next week.
(Pathetic I know that the most recent picture I have of them is from last Christmas, but alas you have to work with what you've got.)