jennifer, Author at Hopeful Homemaker

Almond Rice Pilaf

January 26, 2010 jennifer Sides and Salads

This rice has been a favorite for many years. It’s simple, pretty, and has a nice texture due to the almonds.
Begin by chopping one onion and mincing a clove of garlic.

Put onion, garlic, and 2 cups long grain white rice in a pan with 2 Tb. butter.

Saute, mixing often, until rice is beginning to brown.

Pour 2 cups water and 2 cups chicken broth into pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and cook 20 minutes or until rice is tender. While the rice is cooking, toast 1/2 cup sliced almonds in the oven until just beginning to brown. Chop 2/3 cup of fresh parsley. When rice is tender, stir in almonds and parsley.

Serve immediately.

YUM! This rice is the perfect complement to my Tomato Topped Chicken .

Almond Rice Pilaf 1 medium onion, chopped 1 clove garlic, chopped 2 cups long-grain white rice 2 Tb. butter 2 cups chicken broth 2 cups water 1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds 2/3 cup chopped fresh parsley Chop onion and garlic. Place onion, garlic, rice and butter in large saucepan and saute 4-5 minutes or until rice is beginning to brown. Add water and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cover. Cook for 20 minutes or until rice is tender. While rice is cooking, toast almonds and slice parsley. Stir into cooked rice and serve immediately.

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Tomato Topped Chicken

January 25, 2010 jennifer Main Dishes

There’s nothing like a dish that looks beautiful and yet is simple to prepare. This chicken has been a go-to recipe for me over and over again. It also tastes delicious.

I like to use chicken tenders in this dish. They allow for smaller servings (ideal for my children), they cook faster, and they don’t dry out as much. For this dish I use as many chicken tenders as it takes to cover the bottom of a glass 9×13 inch baking pan. Then drizzle them with 1/2 cup Italian salad dressing. Cover the pan with foil and bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.

After ten minutes, remove the pan from the oven and cover the chicken with tomato slices, sliced about 1/4 inch thick. I like to use Roma tomatoes for this because their diameter tends to match the width of a chicken tender. Then I sprinkle a little bit of grated Parmesan cheese over the tomatoes, followed by a sprinkling of dried basil, salt, pepper, and dried parsley. Then I sprinkle just a touch of bread crumbs over it all.

Now cover the pan with foil again and return to the oven for about 10 more minutes.

Remove the foil and continue to bake until the chicken is fully cooked and the cheese is melted. (About 10 minutes more, but I usually check it when I take the foil off so I don’t overcook.)

And that’s it! You’re done. A delicious, pretty main dish with just a handful of ingredients and almost no prep work.

Hope you like it! Hint: it’s wonderful served with my Almond Rice Pilaf .

Tomato Topped Chicken 1.5 pounds chicken tenders 1/2 cup Italian salad dressing 4-5 Roma tomatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick 1/4 to 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1 tsp. dried basil 1 tsp. dried parsley 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. pepper 4 tsp. dried bread crumbs Cover bottom of 9×13 inch baking dish with chicken tenders. Drizzle salad dressing over chicken. Cover with foil and bake at 400 for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, slice tomatoes 1/4 inch thick. Remove chicken from oven and layer tomatoes over the chicken tenders. Sprinkle tomatoes with cheese, seasonings, and bread crumbs. Cover and return to oven for 10 minutes more. Uncover and bake 10 minutes longer or until chicken is fully cooked. Enjoy!

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One Step Report #3

January 25, 2010 jennifer One Step

It’s been an interesting week. My baby has decided that crying from 9 pm to midnight is a lovely way to spend the evenings, and it’s set us all back a bit, especially when she wakes up at 1:30 a.m. and every hour afterward. What happened to the 6 hours of solid sleep she’s been getting? The kids had to wake ME up for school on Friday because I was so exhausted that I didn’t hear my own alarm. Not good.

Because of the long nights and the sleep deprived fog that is clouding my brain, I expected to report a low number of steps this week, but the count is actually 51. Wow. Again, most of them are little things, small moments when I made the right choice as a mother in an interaction with a child (which is harder, not easier, when you’re tired), but weeks like this are exactly why I’m on this journey. The to do list cannot be the only judge of my success. The one step list reminds me that my days are not wasted, and that I am investing in a work which won’t pay off for many years to come. Still, it’s the wisest and best investment I’ll ever make.

With that said, here are my highlights. First, I’ve been making “green” shakes in the mornings for us to drink. These consist of ice, frozen fruit, chopped dark leafy greens (swiss chard, spinach, collard greens) and some canned fruit all mixed in a blender. No juice, sweeteners, etc.

I’ve been making them since the beginning of the year, and the whole family likes them. I’m now starting to crave them. I figure that’s a good thing.

Second, we’re making progress with this one. Notice that she’s writing on PAPER! We just might be able to cure her of her obsession with murals on my walls.

Third, I was able to get started on my project using these (more to come on this later)…

And last, which is most definitely the BIGGEST of them all. This little guy just made my week by giving me the easiest, most peaceful potty training experience EVER. As in, he goes in the bathroom, locks the door, takes care of things and comes back out after washing his hands. Not what I pictured, but hey, I’ll take it (especially when I check the bathroom afterwards and everything is fine).

He is oh, so adorable. The other day we were in the car as the sun was setting when he said in his little deep voice, “Can SOMEONE move the sun, please?!” He was tired of having the sun in his eyes. Oh, we laughed so hard. Cute kid.

Even cuter now that he wears underwear. Thanks, little guy!

Well, the baby is screaming after a 20 minute catnap that I hoped would last for hours (it is 11pm, after all) so I’ll wrap it up there. I have a busy week coming next week with 3 deadlines that I care a lot about, a fussy baby, and the kindergarten driving to do. I hope it all comes together! I’m sure it will, one step at a time.

I hope you have a great week, full of little steps in good directions!

Hopeful Homemaker

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