Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!!! Here are the crafts that I made for the holiday this year! :)

I found the original heart crochet pattern here. She has smaller and bigger ones. I did the small and medium sized ones. I also made up some of my own based on the basic pattern. They're super easy, and super cute! :) I also thought about making this pattern, but I haven't gotten around to it yet...

Simple BUT Delicious

Baked Potatoes

Ingredients:

• Potatoes
• Olive Oil
• Salt

Toppings

• Cheese
• Olives
• Green onions
• Sour cream
• Ranch Dressing
• Butter
• Salt and pepper
• Chili
• Bacon or bacon bits

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Clean your potatoes with a stiff-bristled brush and cold water and remove any bruises or miscolored spots.
3. Take a fork and stab about 6-12 holes deeply into the potatoes flesh, depending on the size of the potatoes you are using.
4. Dribble oil on the potatoes and use your hand to coat the whole thing. Lightly sprinkle salt on all sides.
5. Arrange them in oven directly on the rack. Place a baking sheet on the rack below to catch any drippings.
6. Cook potatoes for about 45 minutes. You'll know they're done when the skin is puffed up, golden-brown and crispy, and the potato should squish easily and be very soft on the inside.

I got the idea for putting oil and salt on the potatoes from this website.

Looking for Something Délicieux?

How about some French Onion Soup? We've tried to make French Onion Soup MANY times over the years, but this is the first one we've ever made that we actually LOVED. YUM. You should definitely try it out! :)

French Onion Soup

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 1 Tbsp oil
• 3 large onions, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp. brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 2 x 10- ounce cans condensed beef consomme
• 2 Tbsp. medium sherry (we replaced this with 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar + 2 tsp. sugar + dash lemon juice)
• 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 8 slices French bread
• 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 1 c. grated Gruyere or Swiss cheese
• salt and black pepper
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley, to garnish

Directions:

1. Heat the butter and oil in a large saucepan and cook the onions and brown sugar gently for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until the onions start to turn golden brown.
2. Stir in the flour and cook for another 2 minutes. Pour in the consomme plus two cans of water, then add the sherry and Worcestershire sauce. Season with salt and pepper, cover and simmer gently for another 25-30 minutes.
3. Preheat the broiler and just before serving, toast the bread lightly on both sides. Spread one side of each slice with the mustard and top with grated cheese. Broil the toasts until bubbling and golden.
4. Ladle soup into bowls. Pop croutons on top of each bowl of soup and garnish with chopped fresh parsley. Serve immediately. 

This recipe was originally found in 500 All-Time Great Recipes.

Despicable Me

Despicable Me *****

Trailer
Pleasantly entertaining. Very cute, very funny. We REALLY loved this movie. Great for anyone of any age! There is a great message, funny and cute characters, and a really well developed cute story. "SQUID LAUNCHER!" "Oh poop." Go rent it on redbox! Now! :)

Want Something Quick, Healthy, and Fairly Tasty?

Ravioli Skillet

Ingredients:

• 1 can Italian-style stewed tomatoes, undrained
• 1 can vegetable broth
• 2 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced 1/2 inch thick
• 1 package refrigerated cheese ravioli
• 1 can white kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 Tbsp. snipped fresh basil and parsley

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan combine undrained tomatoes and broth; bring to boiling. Stir in zucchini and ravioli. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Boil gently, uncovered, for 6-7 mins. or until ravioli is tender and broth mixture is slightly thickened, stirring gently once or twice. Stir in bean; heat through. Sprinkle each serving with cheese and snipped basil.

Recipe originally found in Better Homes and Gardens NEW Cook Book, Celebrating the Promise: Limited Edition.

Not Your Classic Chicken and Rice

Golden Glazed Chicken

Ingredients:

• 6 boneless chicken breasts
• 1 tsp. turmeric
• 1 Tbsp. wholegrain mustard (we used Dijon)
• 1 1/4 c. orange juice
• 2 Tbsp. clear honey
• 2 Tbsp. sunflower oil (canola oil is a fine substitute)
• 1 1/2 c. long grain rice
• 1 orange
• 3 Tbsp. chopped mint
• salt and pepper
• mint sprigs, to garnish

Directions:

1. With a sharp knife, mark the surface of the chicken breasts in a diamond pattern. Mix together turmeric, mustard, orange juice, and honey and pour over the chicken. Chill until required.
2. Lift the chicken from the marinade and pat dry on paper towels.
3. Heat the oil in a wide pan, add the chicken and saute until golden, turning once. Drain off any excess oil. Pour over the marinade, cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the chicken is tender.
4. Boil the rice in lightly salted water until tender and drain well. Finely grate the rind from the orange and stir into the rice with the mint.
5. Using a sharp knife, remove the peel and white pit from the orange and cut the flesh into segments.
6. Serve the chicken with the orange and mint rice, garnished with orange segments and mint sprigs.

Snow peas are a GREAT accompaniment for this meal.

Original recipe found in COOKSHELF Chicken by Tom Bridge

Like Wingers? These are a pretty good substitute.

Boneless Chicken Wings

 Ingredients:

• 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1” chunks)
• Oil (for deep frying)
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• 1 egg
• 1 cup milk

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a deep-fryer to 375 degrees. In a large bowl combine flour, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and paprika. In a small bowl whisk together egg and milk. Dip each piece of chicken in the egg mixture, and then roll in the flour mixture. Repeat so that each piece of chicken is double coated. Refrigerate the breaded chicken for 20 minutes.
2.  Fry chicken in the hot oil in batches until the outside is nicely browned and the juices run clear (about 5 minutes per batch). Drain on paper towels. Repeat until all of the chicken is gone.
3. Mix fried chicken bits with your favorite wing sauce.

**This fried chicken is delicious and can eaten with pleasure :) without the sauce.

Honey BBQ Sauce:

Ingredients:

• 1 ¼ cups ketchup
• 1/3 cup white vinegar
• ¼ cup molasses
• ¼ cup honey
• 1 teaspoon liquid smoke flavoring
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon onion powder
• ¼ teaspoon chili powder

Directions:

1. In a small saucepan over medium heat combine all of the ingredients. Stir until well combined and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes.

We found the original recipe here. There are several other sauce recipes on there as well! :)