Yummy chicken recipe

Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Orange-Sage Sauce

*Enough chicken breasts for each member of family
* slices of melting cheese
* 1-2 small Gala apples thinly sliced
* Salt & Pepper
* ¼ cup flour
* 1 Tbsp. olive oil and butter
* Sage- fresh or ground

Cut pocket into side of chicken breasts being careful not to cut through. Flatten breasts between 2 sheets of plastic wrap with a meat mallet or a handy rolling pin until even thickness.
Stuff each chicken breast with 1 slice of cheese and several slices of apple. Close with toothpicks. Season with salt and pepper, then lightly coat with flour. Warm olive oil & butter in non-stick skillet then add chicken and chopped sage; sauté 5-6 minutes turning once. Continue cooking until juices run clear & breasts are nicely browned. Serve with a drizzle of:

Orange-Sage Sauce

* 2½ Tbsp. orange juice
* 3 Tbsp. chicken broth
* 1½ Tbsp. butter

Using same non-stick skillet from sautéed chicken, add orange juice & chicken broth over low heat. Scrape any browned pieces right into your sauce. Increase heat and add butter, swirl around until sauce comes to a boil. Reduce until slightly thick; spoon sauce over chicken when serving.

Haley's additional notes:
(1) this recipe does not make good leftovers. So only make enough chicken for one night.
(2) We served this with roasted asparagus and the rest of the apple slices - yum!
(3) ground sage is better than fresh (in my opinion) for this dish
(4) don't go overboard on the butter
(5) I don't flatten the chicken breasts. My chicken breasts already started out as A cup, not D cup.
(6) The "melting" cheese is kind of expensive, but we made this dish a few times in about 6 weeks, so I felt like we got good use out of it.
(7) credit for this recipe goes to the gals over at Good Things Utah

That which you persist in doing...

The following videos are documentation of Mitch's progression with walking. Mitch took his first steps on Sept. 5, 2010. Over the next 5 or 6 weeks, he progressed more and more, with a great deal of coaxing by his parents. I don't know where this kid would be if we hadn't taught him to walk. He was definitely not one of those kids who figured it out on his own. Although, on Oct. 15, 2010, he was not only walking but learned, on that day, to stand up on his own too! He learned that skill all on his own.
None of these videos are more than a minute and a half. I realize that the only people interested in these videos either helped create him and/or incubated him for 9 months. We love them! We get a kick out of watching all our home movies.

A Real Boy!

October 12, 2010: Mitch became a real boy.
I was proud of Mitch for falling in the mud. I was also proud of myself for not flipping out!

Recipe Debut

I've thought to myself that I need to post some of my favorite recipes. I have an unhealthy addiction to trying out new recipes. If Todd had a nickel for every time he heard, "I've never made this before..."- we'd be rich!
I made this Barley and Black Bean Burrito recipe for the first time last night. My Aunt Kris sent this recipe to me after I told her that I needed to make a better effort at using less meat.
This recipe is incredibly delicious. It is so simple. It (literally) took me 15 minutes to prepare. And it is CHEAP!! Although I would recommend adding salsa, sour cream, and avocado/guacamole to them, so that adds to the cost, but still, way cheap. Oh, and if your kids are like, "what the heck is barley"-- just tell them it's rice.

Oh, and don't forget the tortillas.

1 15oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 10oz. can tomatoes with green chilies, undrained

1 C barley, uncooked

2 C chicken broth

¾ C corn

¼ C green onion, chopped

1 clove garlic

1 T lime juice

1 t chili powder

1 t cumin

1/2 t cayenne pepper

Throw the ingredients in a crockpot and cook on low for 4-6 hours (I did 4).

obsession

Mitchell is not really interested in his toys. He will only play with his toys if I play with him. However, there are three items in the house that capture his attention for lengthy amounts of time. The swing (he loves turning it on and off). The electrical outlets. Mom's keys. He is currently trying to figure out how to shove the keys in the electrical outlets. Yikes.
You can't see them, but the keys are there. In his lap.


This picture has nothing to do with the other pictures. We went to a lake in the mountains a few weeks ago. It was beautiful. It was freezing. Todd didn't get to snuggle in the blanket because he's a man. A duck came right up to us, which was awesome because I'm trying to teach Mitchell all the different animals that we see.