Weekly Recipe: Chicken and Cashews in Lettuce Cups

This week's recipe comes from Real Simple. I tried it out this week and Ryan and I both liked it. Pretty simple too.
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
pepper
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 bunch scallions, trimmed and sliced
1 8-ounce can sliced water chestnuts, drained
1/4 cup roasted unsalted cashews
1 small head Boston or Bibb lettuce, leaves separated
(I used Butter Lettuce since it's what was available and looked like the picture)

1) Combine the soy sauce and honey in a small bowl; set aside.
2) Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to brown, about 3 minutes.
3) Lower heat to medium and stir in the garlic and ginger. Add the scallions and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the water chestnuts and half the soy sauce mixture and continue to cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and sprinkle with the cashews.
4) Divide the lettuce leaves among individual plates and spoon the chicken over the top. Serve with the remaining soy sauce mixture for drizzling. Pin It

Sewing Tutorial

I love a fun, free tutorial. I think this would be a good way to upcycle some old fleece blankets, don't you think? I'm definitely gonna have to make one of these little guys for my little girl. Click here for the link. Pin It

Tutorial for Girls Skirt

Click on over to Moda Bake Shop to get instructions on how to make this darling skirt! Do you think I could make it in a newborn size? {smiles} Pin It

Baby Onsie Elephantsie

Using some scraps from my previous baby gift projects, I made this little onsie. The ear is soft brown flannel. Next friend or family member to have a fall/winter baby boy might just find this little number wrapped up for them.

Pin It

Weekly Recipe: Mango Pudding

They serve this in heaven, I'm sure of it. Got this one from a newspaper a few years ago.

Mango Pudding

6 ripe mangos, peeled, seeded and very finely chopped [I recommend using a food processor to puree them instead -- much faster and I prefer the consistency]
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice (from about 1 lime)

1/2 tsp salt

1 c plus 2 Tbsp sugar [adjust according to your taste -- I prefer a tad less]

2 1/2 tsp powdered unflavored gelatin [about 1 packet]

4 c heavy cream [if you are afraid of this much cream, just skip the recipe altogether -- not worth making it without all the cream]

1) Place the mangoes, lime juice and salt in a large saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionallhy, until the mangoes are very soft, about 5 minutes.

2) Add the sugar and continue cooking, stirring and scraping the bottom of the saucepan, until the mixture becomes syrupy, with a few chunks of mango remaining, about 15 minutes. If the sugar starts to brown, reduce the heat. Let cool to room temperature.

3) Sprinkle the gelatin over 3 tablespoons of cold water and set aside for 5 minutes. Stir the gelatin into the cooled mango mixture until it dissolves, then mix in the cream.

4) Divide the mixture among 8 4-ounce ramekins or serving bowls. Chill in the refrigerator until set, about 3 hours, and serve cold. Can be refrigerated for up to 1 day.

photo from The Daily Raw Cafe

Pin It

Prego Progression

Here's a little photo documentary of my growing belly week by week (minus a couple). Thanks again to my photographer friend Casey for taking a moment each week to do this for me!
Week 10: A little bump starting, and a windy bad hair day.
Week 11: The little bump is slightly larger.
Week 13: The bump is slightly hidden by the tie on my sweater.
Week 14: Time for a haircut.
Week 15: Starting to show a little more now.
Week 17: Whoa, I popped out in the last 2 weeks! Tight shirt helps.
Week 18: Jacket masks the belly a little, too bad it doesn't hide my face! Not a good one for my face.
Week 19: Here we go. The belly has come to stay, the wardrobe is thinning, fewer shirts are fitting. Time to buy some real maternity clothes.

Thanks everyone for your kind comments on my baby girl announcement. Hopefully I will be showing you some homemade baby dresses soon! Pin It

It's a Girl!

Hooray! And here's my picture from today, 19 weeks plus a few days. This shirt emphasizes my belly so I look especially prego. A big thanks to Casey for taking my pics each week. Pin It