Bye..

Capri is growing up so fast! She is 20 months this month.

I have put her on the potty a few times and she has actually gone! It's so fun to know that she understands the concept. I'm sure it'll still be a while until she if fully potty trained, but it's a fun start.

We were downstairs visiting "Mama and Papa" the other day. Capri acted like she needed to poop, so Gram asked her if she needed to go potty. She said "Yes.", grabbed her pants and ran to the bathroom. I put her on the potty and I thought for sure she would sit there for a minute then try to hop off. She actually sat there and went poop on the potty! While I'm sitting there in my proud moment, Capri looks down, waves and says "Bye!". lol

That was one of those moments I wish I had my camera with me.

I'm glad she understands the concept of going buh-bye as well.

I love this little girla, she talks all the time and does so really well. Go figure, she has me and Clint as her parents.

Crunchy Asian Pasta Salad

1box Betty Crocker® Suddenly Salad® classic pasta salad mix (We have liked the Greek flavor the best, if you can find it... I have also used off brands)1package (3 oz) Oriental-flavor ramen noodle soup mix3tablespoons sugar3tablespoons vegetable oil2tablespoons white vinegar2tablespoons water1tablespoon soy sauce3cups coleslaw mix1cup snow pea pods, strings removed, cut diagonally into 1/2-inch pieces1/2cup sliced almonds, toasted1can (15 oz) mandarin orange segments, drained (I leave these out & add sliced black olives)

Empty Pasta mix into 3-quart saucepan 2/3 full of boiling water. Gently boil uncovered 12 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Drain pasta; rinse with cold water. Shake to drain well.

In large bowl, stir together seasoning mixes from pasta mix and soup mix, sugar, oil, vinegar, water and soy sauce. Add pasta, coleslaw mix, pea pods, almonds and oranges; toss to combine.

Just before serving, coarsely crush dry noodles from soup mix; stir into pasta mixture. Serve immediately, or refrigerate.

So, I know I emailed most of you about this , but the non-profit The Academy for Creating Enterprise is one of the things I'm involved right now. It's been a lot of work but a lot of fun knowing that I'm helping others become self-sufficient. Our big fundraiser right now is a piano concert this Friday night (the 11th). I'm really excited to see Jason play and to see what the inside of the Masonic Temple is like. Maybe I'll see some of you there?!

Grown up, alright!

I am having to relearn how to use these functions, after a year away. But I saw this picture of Misty today and remembered her modeling for Amber doing hairstyles for contests and hair shows a few years ago. Do I recall you using wire to hold the hair up. . . .

So my lesson for today was get red-eye out and figure out where you stored something. Remember - I'm old.

Next lesson - figure out how to change the colors and text - at the moment I remember it is easy but I can't see it!

White Sauce Chicken Enchiladas

When we did our Mexican Dinner themed Christmas Party a few years ago, I made these enchiladas and took them. I had a few people ask me for the recipe and I am not sure if I ever gave it to who wanted it. Here it is if you are interested. We have really enjoyed them.

WHITE SAUCE CHICKEN ENCHILADAS

1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup
½ Cup Sour Cream
2 oz. Diced Green Chilies
¼ Cup Onion, Chopped (sauté, if preferred cooked)
8 oz. Chicken Breast, Cooked (chopped or shredded)
5 ea. 6 inch Flour Tortillas
¼ Cup Mozzarella Cheese, Shredded (6 cheese blend is good too)
¼ Cup Black Olives

1. Heat oven to 400 F.
2. Mix soup, sour cream, chilies, and onions in a bowl.
3. Spread ¼ of mixture in the bottom of a casserole dish.
4. Divide chicken evenly between the tortillas and place down the center of the tortillas.
5. Spoon 2 T. of soup mixture over the chicken in each tortilla.
6. Roll up tortillas and place enchiladas edge side down in the casserole dish.
7. Spoon remaining sauce over enchiladas and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and olives.
8. Bake 10-15 minutes or until heated through.

No Bake Cookies

Here is my recipe for Chocolate Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies. They are the ones I took to Vauna's when we were visiting with Chris.

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER NO BAKE COOKIES

1 STICK BUTTER 1 TBS. VANILLA

½ CUP CHOCOLATE CHIPS ½ CUP PEANUT BUTTER

½ CUP MILK 2 CUPS SUGAR

3 CUPS OATS

BOIL BUTTER, CHOCOLATE CHIPS, MILK, SUGAR, VANILLA AND PEANUT BUTTER FOR ONE MINUTE. ADD OATS AND MIX WELL. SPOON ON TO WAX PAPER AND LET COOL.

MAKES APPROX. 40 COOKIES.

Chicken California Recipe

I have come across so many recipes lately that I have been wanting to share with everyone! I have decided that this is where I will share them with you. I think everyone should share recipes that they love as well! We could all use more ideas on what to make for dinner, right?

I have been loving every minute of my new kitchen. I love cooking and I told Clint the other night that maybe I shouldn't have set the bar so high with me cooking almost every night for the past five months! lol I have spoiled him pretty good! Lucky guy. It's really helped us on not going out to eat so much for dinner or lunches. We actually very rarely go out to eat anymore. We still like our sushi nights every couple of months. We do have those rare nights where I pretty much refuse to cook and we head to Arctic Circle or Del Taco for a quick dinner. I think that it helps that we aren't near civilization anymore so we shop and eat out less. haha..

Although I am not the most healthy cook, I think it's still more healthy than going out to eat and getting all those sneaky ingredients mixed in our food. Right???

Our latest and most favorite is Chicken California. You can add in different vegetables and change it up each time and it's so simple to make. I definitely recommend it. I made it for mom and dad and they both really liked it as well. My favorite way to make them is with my "special" sautéed mushrooms and onions. Sauté your mushrooms with butter, soy sauce and brown sugar and you will get such a wonderful flavor. Ignore the fact that they aren't very healthy anymore and just enjoy them!

If you try the recipe, let me know how you made them. I'm always interested in different ideas. A co-worker tried it and she said she cooked her chicken in chicken broth and when the chicken was cooked, she threw in broccoli and onions and let it simmer for a minute then put it in the tortillas. I think that sounds really good too!

CHICKEN CALIFORNIA

4 TBS. BUTTER ¼-½ CUP VEGETABLES (ASPARAGUS, MUSHROOMS, ONIONS, BROCCOLI, ETC.)

4 TBS. FLOUR 2 CUPS CHICKEN, COOKED & SHREDDED

½ TSP. SALT 2 CUPS GRATED CHEESE

¼ TSP. PEPPER 8-12 FLOUR TORTILLAS

2 CUPS MILK 2 TBS. PARSLEY

PREHEAT OVEN TO 350*

MEASURE FLOUR, SALT & PEPPER IN TO SMALL BOWL. MELT BUTTER IN SAUCEPAN OVER LOW HEAT. ADD FLOUR MIXTURE; WHISK UNTIL MIXED WELL. COOK OVER LOW HEAT; STIRRING UNTIL MIXTURE IS SMOOTH AND BUBBLY. SLOWLY STIR IN MILK, WHISKING CONSTANTLY AND HEAT TO BOILING. CONTINUE STIRRING UNTIL SMOOTH AND THICKENED. PUT A SPOONFUL EACH OF CHICKEN, SAUCE, CHEESE AND VEGETABLE IN TORTILLA, THEN ROLL UP ENCHILADA STYLE. LAY SIDE BY SIDE IN 9X13 PAN. SPREAD REMAINING SAUCE OVER TOP AND SPRINKLE WITH CHEESE AND PARSLEY.

BAKE UNCOVERED 20-25 MINUTES.