Happy Gotcha Day!

On this cold morning, I'm sitting in front of the fire with cofee in hand, listening to the clanging and banging of boys playing trains and the happy squeals of a little girl watching (fear not, it's not always this peaceful in my house!  At some point I'm sure to hear screaming and yelling about how that train is "mine" and to "give it back" but for now, it's calm : ).  However, on this particular morning, I'm remembering days when I longed for these sounds, days of feeling that I would never hear them in my house and a day when I finally came to a place where I could honestly say that if it never happened, my Lord would still be ALL I needed.  And then I remember that this was the day the Lord saw fit, for His glory, to answer that prayer and bless us with this tiny little baby.  I can still remember the events of the day and everything I did trying to get my mind off of the drive we would have to make to pick up our sweet baby boy.  I vividly remember walking up those stairs, into the room and seeing the back of that beautiful head for the first time.  As long as I live, I will never forget the first time he was placed in my arms and the extreme emotions that I felt, or the look on my husband's face the first time he held him in his arms.  Those are all memories that will stay wtih me as long as I live.  While they are all precious to me, the thing I never want to forget is the work the Lord did in my life through that process and everyday since becoming a mom.  The road was not an easy one, and still isn't for that matter, but the truths of who God is that were forever printed on my heart and mind were worth every minute; I wouldn't change a thing.  So this morning as I remember, I pray for those of you who wait and are unsure about what the future holds.  My hope for you is that you wouln't sit in a holding pattern waiting for something to happen, but that you would "fix your eyes on Jesus, the Author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."  Hebrews 12:1-3 

Birthday Boy

Happy Birthday, my sweet big boy!  I can't believe you're FOUR years old!  This year I've seen you grow and develop by leaps and bounds.  You are still the most energetic little boy I know!  You are kind, sweet, all boy, inquisitive, smart and most of all still an enthusiastic extrovert!  You love anything that has to do with people and always want to go, go, go (sometimes a good stretch for this introvert momma : ).  You love preschool and all of your new friends.  I hope this trend continues and that you continue to love school as you get older.
       

You are starting to understand when things are funny and trying to make jokes, which cracks your Mommy and Daddy up, especially when you start laughing and can't stop! You are so fun to be around that even the older kids at the playground look forward to you coming to play.

You still LOVE anything outside.  You're learning to ride a bike, how to pump your legs on the swing and how to do chores, like folding laundry.  They all seem like very big boy things to your mommy and some days I'm not sure I'm ready for all that. : )

You love to entertain anyone who's looking, but especially your brother and sister, who pretty much think you hung the moon.  They would follow you just about anywhere, I feel certain.

Knowing all of that and seeing your desire to know more about the Lord, my prayer for you this year is that the Lord would continue to give you a hunger to know about Him.  I also pray that He would use that new found knowledge to tug and pull your little heart to Him, giving you an understanding of your sin and the only one who can save you.  You are a special little boy and I pray that the Lord would use your enthusiasm and love of people as a tool to draw others to Himself one day.

Life would be so boring without you in it my little buddy!  Mommy and Daddy love you William Sawyer and there isn't a day that goes by that I don't thank the Lord for you!   

Randomness

So welcome back to the Headley neck of the woods.  We've been up to quiet a bit trying to keep up with these three!  We're having fun and trying to keep our heads screwed on straight while we're doing it. : )  Here's just a small glimpse of some of the cuteness these three have been up to lately. 

Grandpa gave the boys these masks when we were at the beach and they are often seen running around our house with them on pretending all sorts of things! 

Libby Lou got a swing put up in the backyard so gone are the days of the boys going to play outside by themselves while I cook.  If they do go outside, then this is what I see.

Cutie boy with his baseball hat and glove.

She loves to be outside!

Sweet boy!

Silly Willy!

Mom found these costumes at a yard sale.  Jack likes the idea of them but usually doesn't want to wear them.  Sawyer, however, loves them! 

Stay tuned for more pictures to come!  We've got to catch up on the SC State Fair and mommy's photography class. : )

 

31 Days in the Kitchen - Day 17

Well, I had good intentions, so that should count for something, right? To make a long story short, I had to give up my computer to our church secretary for a few days, leaving me no way to blog! Oops! When I got it back, I was just out of the habit, and didn't take the time to sit down and catch up. I'm not going to try and go back and write 6 blogs, but what I will do is write 2 recipes each day for the next 5 days so that we're back on track at least for that part. It amazes me how quickly we drop back into old habits, even when we were doing so well with the new ones! It can be true for any part of your life, so just remember that when you're cooking! Just like it would be so much easier to sleep in than to get up and go running (for those of us who are NOT runners!), the same is true for cooking! If you don't regularly cook for your family, then trying to make that a habit isn't going to happen over night! It's going to take discipline and the understanding that you're going to stumble a few times. Just like we tell our kids, you've got to keep getting back up and trying again! You can do it! It would have been a lot easier for me to just quit blogging, but it's something I started and I want to finish it. If you've stopped cooking for a few days, get back in the saddle and finish the month! It's better than nothing, right?! To give you a little inspiration, here are two new favorites in my house, Stuffed Chicken and Butternut Squash Soup.

I have a new love interest that shows up often at our house recently. Ian wasn't so sure at first, but now he's more than ok with it. Who? No, it's a what, goat cheese. I LOVE it! It's got such a great tang, but it's soft, which makes it great for so many things, like stuffing chicken breasts!

• 3-4 chicken breasts (as many as your family needs)
• 2-4 ounces goat cheese
• spice blend (Italian, steak seasoning, Greek, whatever you have!)
• chicken stock
•  salt
• pepper
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 tablespoon butter

Ok, so you can do this one of two ways, and it's totally up to you. You can cut a slit in the middle of your chicken breast (the length of the breast, not the width) to make a pocket in the majority of your chicken or you can pound it out thin and roll your cheese up inside. I made the pocket, because I don't have a mallet for pounding and have to use my rolling pin. That gets old, so a knife works much better for me. : ) If you roll it be sure to skewer to hold it closed and brown all sides. Bring a skillet to a medium high heat. Stuff each chicken breast with about an ounce of goat cheese and be sure to spread it into all the corners and crevices of the pocket. Now sprinkle one side with a little bit of salt, pepper and your spice blend. You won't the chicken to be lightly covered in spices to give plenty of flavor. Now, lightly coat your skillet in olive oil and put the chicken spice side down in a skillet and let brown for a few minutes. You want a nice caramelized brown before flipping. Flip and do the same on the other side. As soon as it's browned, turn the heat down to a medium low, cover and let it finish cooking for 10-15 minutes depending on the thickness of your chicken. Now set your chicken aside and put your reserved liquid into a bowl. Turn the heat back up to a medium heat, then put your butter in the pan and let it melt. Next add your flour and whisk for 2 minutes. Don't let it burn, but make sure to whisk up the little browned bits in the bottom of your pan. Slowly add the reserve liquid into the pan, whisking as you pour. If it is too thick, then continue to thin with chicken stock. This is the sauce to go on top of your chicken so make it as thick or as thin as you want it. Bring it to a boil, stirring constantly, then lower the heat and taste. Add salt and pepper to taste.  You can also add some wine or lemon juice to your sauce for a different taste.   

I will admit that this one is a little more time intensive, but oh so worth it! This soup is wonderful, hearty and screams fall in a bowl! : )  You can also add chicken to this, if you have some leftover roast chicken in the fridge. 

Butternut Squash Soup

• 1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1 inch chunks
• 3 slices of bacon
• salt
• pepper
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup rice
• 1/2 of a smoked sausage, such as kielbasa, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
• 1 cup corn kernels
• 3/4 cup half and half (or milk)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Season the squash with 1 tablespoon of the oil, salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until tender. Remove from the oven and cool. In a blender or food processor, puree the squash with 1 cup of the chicken stock. When smooth set aside.

While the squash is roasting, bring 2 cups of chicken stock and a 1/4 cup of onion to a boil and then add your rice, cover and reduce to simmer.  Cook for about 20 minutes, until all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender, then set aside.  In a large pot, cook the bacon until crisp.  Pull the bacon out and leave just enough bacon grease to cover the bottom of the pan.  Saute the sausage for about 3 minutes.  Next add the onion and corn, lightly salt and pepper and saute for 3 more minutes.  Add the remaining chicken stock and squash puree (as well as cooked chicken if you're using it) and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and let simmer for 5 minutes, skimming off any fat that rises to the top.  Add the rice and cook for another 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and add your half and half (or milk and stir until well combined.  Salt and pepper to taste.   

31 Days in the Kitchen - Day 11

So it's Tuesday which means some more Tips in the Kitchen.  So I'm going to give you a run down of my essentials for three different areas in my kitchen:  spices, pantry and the fridge.  Today I'll cover spices and then we'll hit the others in the days to come.  Spices are often expensive and you aren't going to want to buy them all at once.  They do go on sale, so watch for it and buy a few at a time.  The holidays are generally a great time!  Here's my list, but keep in mind that I also do a lot of baking so some of these won't be as critical in your pantry.

- oregano
- basil
- rosemary
- cumin
- corriander
- garlic powder
- thyme
-  ginger
- nutmeg
- cloves
- celery salt
-cinnamon
- paprika
- chili powder
- bay leaves
- vanilla extract
- almond extract
- steak seasoning
- greek seasoning
- italian seasoning
- baking soda
- baking powder
- corn starch
- cream of tartar

Now I realize this is a long list, and you won't use these every one of these each week, but having them around will allow you to try a multitude of new recipes without having to run to the store each time!  Hope that helps and we'll get to the rest soon, I promise!

Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops

So my hubby loves pork chops.  I like them periodically, but I always had a hard time over cooking them.  I discovered that crusting them in cheese and bread crumbs really helps that. : )  Also, if you don't like pork, you could easily do this with chicken.  It's an easy recipe and goes with just about anything. 

2 eggs
1 cup italian seasoned bread crumbs
3/4 cup parmesan cheese (or italian blend if that's all you have : )
4 - 1/2 inch pork chops
salt and pepper
olive oil

Whisk the eggs in a pie plate until blended.  Place the bread crumbs in another pie plate and the cheese in a third pie plate. Generously sprinkle the pork chops with salt and pepper on each side. Coat the chops completely with the cheese, patting to adhere. Dip the pork chops into the eggs, then coat completely with the bread crumbs, patting to adhere.  I know this order may seem strange but gently dip and pat to keep as much cheese on the pork as you can.  This is part of what keeps your cheese on the chop, keeping it moist. 
Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a very large skillet over medium heat. Add pork chops, be sure not to crowd the pan, and cook until golden brown, about 6 minutes per side.

Tomorrow we'll take it up a notch on the degree of difficulty and share a new favorite in our family, Stuffed Chicken.  You'll have to wait until tomorrow to find out what it's stuffed with. : )

31 Days in the Kitchen - Day 9 and 10

So yesterday was a crazy day for us, but I'm hoping that this will be the last time we do a two for one blog post. : )  I'll try my best!
So let's just get real for a minute shall we?  Tonight I was reminded of how my evenings don't always go as planned and sometimes dinner doesn't get on the table "on time" and my circumstances aren't always ideal . . . and that's OK!  I got home from running some errands a little late this afternoon and I needed to go ahead and get something in the oven so I just left the groceries on the floor and started peeling some apples.  While I was doing this Sawyer started "helping" unload the groceries for me and when I turned around all three of the kids were in the middle of the floor and the rest of the floor was literally covered in groceries and empty bags.  Yep, I've got some great helpers. : )  We all have moments like this, and often during dinner preparation.  In these moments we've got a choice to, out of frustration and pure self, send the kids out of the kitchen and proceed to clean up in a huff or gently guide and direct our kiddos and teach them to put away the groceries and really help.  Which do you choose?   After a long day, I know sometimes I'm way to quick to make the wrong choice, instead of letting the Spirit work through me to teach my kids.  For you, maybe it's a co-worker that leads you to the breaking point, your husband or another family member.  It's hard, but when I'm tempted to be short, or when I have been short I can't help but remember this encouragement from Isaiah 40:11 "He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young."   Doesn't that melt your heart and give you such a peace?  If you have been bought with the blood of Christ, if you are part of His flock He carries you close to His heart!  I hear those words and it makes me feel cared for, loved and cherished.  He gently leads me, and He, more than anyone, knows how much I need it!  Lord, let me gently lead my babies the way you lead me! 

Well, since I can't figure out a good transition, I'll just leave you with two recipes. : )  We'll do one for breakfast and one for dinner.

My kids love oatmeal.  I love the idea of oatmeal.  I love the health benefits of oatmeal, but I really don't care for the texture of oatmeal.  That is, until I tried baked oatmeal.  This I love!  It makes a lot, but you can keep it in the fridge and then reheat in individual bowls the next morning with a little bit of milk or water. 

Baked Oatmeal

2 cups frozen blueberries

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided

1 (18-oz.) container regular oats

3 large eggs, beaten

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups water

1 cup milk

1/4 cup melted butter

Toss 2 cups blueberries in 1 Tbsp. lemon juice. Combine oats, next 9 ingredients, and remaining 1 Tbsp. lemon juice in a large bowl, stirring until well blended.  Mix gently with the blueberries and pour into a greased, 9x13 baking dish.  Bake, covered, at 350° for 30 minutes; uncover and bake 20 more minutes or until golden brown and set. 

Variations:  You can switch the blueberries for peaches, or a 1/2 cup toasted pecans and 4-5 chopped Granny Smith apples. 

One of our family's favorite recipes!  This is such a nice change from plain old barbecue sauce out of a bottle.

White Barbecue Chicken

1 pint mayonaise
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons pepper
6 tablespoons lemon juice
6 tablespoons white vinegar
4 tablespoons sugar
1 package bone-in, skin on chicken

Blend all ingredients until smooth.  You can cook your chicken in the oven or on the grill.  If you choose to grill it, then partially boil it first so as not to burn  it or over cook it.  Either way, you'll want to start applying your sauce the last15-20 minutes of cooking.  Brush sauce on, let cook for a few minutes, then flip and brush the other side.  Continue doing this coating each side 3-4 times.  Remember, there is sugar in the sauce, so it will burn if you cook it too long.  If done on the grill, you may want to move it to indirect heat while applying the sauce. 

31 Days in the Kitchen - Day 7 & 8

So how was your first week of October and the challenge to cook everyday? Did you do it? I'd love to hear what you cooked this week and if you tried anything new! If you didn't make it all week, then try again this week! I didn't make remember to blog everyday, but there's always this week, right? : )

So I thought that to round out the week I would share two more recipes that are easy and another good use of leftover chicken. The first is my all time favorite chicken salad. I used to hate chicken salad. I'm really not a fan of celery in my food. I feel that it is a crunch I don't really want in my sandwich, and it seems that chicken salad always has it. Well, if you like celery in your chicken salad, you can always put it in, but this recipe doesn't need it! Also, I usually just trim down the recipe based on how much chicken I have leftover.

Chicken Salad

- 4 cups chicken (diced or shredded, depends on how you like it)

- 1 cup dried cranberries or sliced grapes

- 1/2 cup toasted and chopped pecans (walnuts are also great)

- 1 1/4 cups mayo

- 1/3 cup honey

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Mix the chicken, berries and nuts together in a bowl. Mix the mayo, honey, salt and pepper together until well combined then pour over the chicken mixture. Gently stir until well coated. Serve on bread or eat with crackers.

This second dish is really easy and if you don't have enough meat, you can always add some sausage to bulk it up a bit. If you don't have leftover chicken or choose to use some sausage, then you can cook it before the onions and garlic.

Italian Chicken Pasta

2 cups cooked chicken

1/2 a box of pasta (whatever you prefer)

2-3 strips of bacon

3-4 cloves garlic

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 teaspoon basil

1 teaspoon oregano

1 bay leaf

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup white wine (can substitute chicken stock)

1 can diced tomatoes

1/2 cup half and half

1 cup italian blend cheese, plus more as needed

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook your pasta. Cook the bacon in a large saute pan and then set aside. Leave just enough bacon grease in the pan to cover the bottom. Saute the onions and garlic on a medium high heat for 3-4 minutes, but be careful not to let them burn. Deglaze the pan with the wine and let reduce for another few minutes. Add the tomatoes and spices and continue letting it cook for about 5 minutes. Take out the bay leaf, slowly pour in the half and half and then whisk in the cheese. Let this simmer for a few minutes and then add more cheese if needed, as well as checking your spices. Add your drained pasta and chicken to the sauce then top with a little more cheese and run under the broiler just until brown.