Yum, yum...kale

Yes, you read that right. Kale. The dark, leafy green you don't really know what to do with. Not what usually comes to mind when you think of "Yum yum", is it?


I have seen tons of cooking/foodie blogs talk about baked kale chips lately. They sounded sooo good. (well anything with the word "chip" in it sounds good to me lately.) So I finally made them tonight and wow, were they AWESOME!


I used this recipe I saw at Smitten Kitchen. But really, there is not much of a "recipe".


All you do is wash and dry a bunch of kale, cut it into pieces (taking out the hard rib/stem), toss with olive oil, put on a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt. Bake at 300* for 20 minutes and voila! Crunchy goodness that's actually good for you!


I was *shocked* at how light and crispy these turned out. And they taste good, which I think was the biggest shocker! Even Chris, who isn't the world's most adventurous eater, was popping them in his mouth faster than I could.


Give them a whirl, I think you will be pleasantly surprised! And if not, pack them up and ship them to me. I'll take care of them for you!

Half baked...now with picture!

No, I don't mean what you think I mean.

What I do mean is that I am 20 weeks today! The halfway point of pregnancy! Not really sure where the last 20 weeks have gone, but am not sad to see them behind me. It will be puppies and rainbows from here on out, right?!

I am very happy to report that I am feeling great these days! Right around 17/18 weeks my nausea completely disappeared and so far (knock on wood) has not returned. My stomach is getting a little bigger and rounder each day it seems and I am starting to feel little pokes and prods from within. Very exciting!

As Olive has told me several times..."Mama has BIG tummy!". And apparently it's not because the baby is growing, but rather because Mama has "too many special treats".

*sigh*

Guess I need to stop eating Cheetos in front of her!

World Water Day

Today is World Water Day.


Sadly, millions of people do not have access to clean drinking water. Head over to World Water Day to see what you can do to help the world water crisis. 


Don't we all deserve a clean drink of water? 

Reading Tea Leaves

Or the tag on the tea bag anyway.  This was what I read with my morning cup of Mother To Be tea: 




"Bliss is a constant state of mind, undisturbed by gain or loss." 




Amazing words to live by.  Here's to a blissful day!

Individual Chicken Pot Pies

I saw this recipe for Chicken Pot Pie on Weelicious a few weeks ago and was dying to try it. There is just something about chicken pot pie that makes my mouth water. Me thinks it's the flaky, buttery crust.  This recipe does not disappoint!


As always, my adaptations/changes are in blue.


Chicken Pot Pie
(adapted from Weelicious.com)


*I used a roll of Pillsbury pie crust. Saved a bit of cooking/baking and clean up time! 

Crust:
4 Tbsp Butter, chilled and cubed
4 Tbsp Shortening or Lard, chilled and cubed
1 1/4 Cup All Purpose Flour
1/2 Tsp Salt
2-3 Tbsp Ice Water
1. Place the first 4 ingredients in a food processor and pulse until it resembles coarse cornmeal.
2. Sprinkle 1 tbsp of the water in the food processor and pulse a few times until the dough starts to come together.
3. Place the dough of a piece of parchment or plastic wrap and gather the dough into a ball and flatten into a disk.
4. Refrigerate the pie crust dough for 30 minutes or until chilled.


Pie Filling:
2 Cups or 1 14 oz Can Chicken Broth (I use low sodium)
2 Chicken Breasts, boneless, skinless (about 1 Lb)
4 Tbsp Butter, divided
1 Clove Garlic, minced
1 Small Onion, minced
2 Stalks of Celery, diced
2 Carrots, peeled and diced (I used frozen carrots)
1 Tsp Fresh or 1/2 Tsp Dried Thyme
3 Tbsp Butter
3 Tbsp Flour
1 Cup Milk
Salt
1 Cup Peas (I use frozen)
Pepper to taste


1. In a saucepan, bring chicken stock and chicken breasts to a boil, reduce to a simmer, partially covered for 12 minutes. Remove the chicken breasts to a plate, reserving the chicken broth, and when cool, cut the chicken into bite size chunks.
2. Heat 1 tbsp of the butter in a saucepan over medium heat and cook the garlic and onions for 4 minutes or until translucent.
3. Add the celery, carrots and thyme and cook for an additional 3 minutes.
4. Melt the remaining butter into the vegetables and sprinkle the flour over and stir to make a roux. Cook for 1-2 minutes stirring to coat the vegetables.
5. Add the milk, reserved chicken broth, chopped chicken and peas and simmer over low to medium for 10 minutes or until thick and creamy. Season to taste with Salt and Pepper.
6. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
7. Place 1/4 of the mixture in 4 10 oz ramekins or 1 large ramekin. (I used 5 8oz ramekins)
8. Dust a flat surface with flour and roll out the dough 1/4 inch thick (about the size of a pie plate).
9. Place the ramekins on the dough upside-down and cut 1/2 inch wider around to make the top crust of the pot pie.
10. Place the cut-out dough on top of the ramekin and gently pinch the sides, pressing it to make it stick.
11. Using the tip of a knife, make 3 slits on top of the dough (to allow ventilation).
12. Place ramekins on a cookie sheet and bake for 30 minutes at 400 degrees.
13. Cool and serve.




Enjoy!


(Image from weelicious.com)

Sweet smile

All together now....Awwwww! 

Baby #2, or Cappy, as my SIL Emily has dubbed him/her, is doing great! Measuring right on track for my mid August due date. 


We may be biased, but we think he/she is pretty cute! :) 

International Women's Day

Did you know that today is International Women's Day? 


Yeah, me neither. But it is! 


"International Women's Day (8 March) is a global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future. In some places like China, Russia, Vietnam and Bulgaria, IWD is a national holiday. The first IWD was run in 1911." (IWD)


What will you do to celebrate? Head over to the IWD website to learn more. 












(Image courtesy of IWD)