Flounder Piccata with Spinach

I have not yet tried this recipe, but I think it sounds really good. One of my favorites is chicken piccata, and we've been eating a lot of spinach lately, so I think this recipe may be a hit. You could use any kind of white fish for this recipe if you didn't want to use flounder.  


Ingredients:

• 1  (3 1/2-ounce) bag boil-in-bag long-grain rice
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt, divided
• 1/4  teaspoon  black pepper, divided
• 4  (6-ounce) flounder fillets
• 2  tablespoons  all-purpose flour
• 2  teaspoons  olive oil
• 1/3  cup  dry white wine
• 2  tablespoons  fresh lemon juice
• 1  tablespoon  drained capers, chopped
• 2  tablespoons  butter
• 4  cups  fresh baby spinach

Directions:

1. Cook rice according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Place rice in a medium bowl; stir in 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.
2. Sprinkle fish with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Dredge fish in flour.
3. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add fish to pan; cook 1 1/2 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness.
4. Add wine, juice, and capers to pan; cook 1 minute. Add butter to pan, stirring until butter melts. Remove fish and sauce from pan; keep warm. Wipe pan clean with a paper towel. Add spinach to pan; sauté 1 minute or until wilted. Place 1/2 cup rice onto each of 4 plates. Top each serving with about 1/3 cup spinach, 1 fillet, and 1 tablespoon sauce.

Nutritional Information:

Calories: 332 (28% from fat)

Fat: 10.2g (sat 4.4g,mono 3.5g,poly 1.2g)

Protein: 31.3g

Carbohydrate: 27.4g

Fiber: 1.9g

Cholesterol: 95mg

Iron: 3mg

Sodium: 713mg

Calcium: 51mg

David Bonom, Cooking Light, MARCH 2008

Creative Kid's Birthday Party Invitations

 Fill the inside with all the Birthday Party Details.

This invitation folds into a child's hat.

Find other creative Birthday Party Invitations and instructions for these at parents.com

Robot Party

Robot Stickers 12 pack for $2.50

by Paper Source

Robot Large Rubber Stamp $8.50

by Paper Source

Wind-Up Robots $9.99 per dozen

Oriental Trading

Robot Tattoos $4.99 for 72 pieces

Oriental Trading

Robot T-shirt in size 2T $14.00

On Etsy by Happy Family

Hello Robot Placemats $14.95 for pack of 8

by Hello Hanna

I officially decided to make Hudson's 2nd Birthday Party a Robot themed party. These are some items that I have ordered so far and thought I would share them, because I think they are good finds. Paper Source has some other Robot items, including stationary, invitations, and more stamps. Oriental Trading is a great place to look for party supplies, especially toys for goodie bags. I have also been finding lots of great items and ideas on Etsy. I have been trying to find robot cookie cutters, and it seems they are hard to come by or expensive when you do. I placed a custom order on Etsy with yarnNink for two robot cookie cutters. Hello Hanna has some adorable placemats for kids and other items will be for sale coming February and March.

Valentine's Day Kid's Crafts

Make some paper valentine's by tracing your child's hand, hang some hearts in the window using wax paper and crayons, or make flower valentine's using paper and lollipops. You can find more kids crafts and the details to these on Martha Stewart's site.

Monkey Madness & Incredible Elephants

The Phoenix Zoo has "Breakfast with the Animals" for ages 2-5 and a caregiver, coming up in March and May. For the month of March it is Monkey Madness, and then Incredible Elephants in May. It is from 8 am to 9 am. I have never been to this event, but thought it sounded like fun. Hudson loves monkeys, but won't be 2 until April so not sure if we will get to go. For dates and to sign up go here. The cost is $22.50 per child/caregiver pair for members, and $40 for non-members.

Pecorino Crackers

 This recipe is found in Giada de Laurentiis cookbook, Giada's Kitchen. These crackers are really yummy, and can also be used crumbled over soups or salads.

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups grated pecorino Romano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup all-purpose flour

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the cheese, salt, pepper, and cayenne in a medium bowl and stir to combine. Add the butter. Using a hand mixer, beat the cheese mixture and butter until combined. Add the flour 1/4 cup at a time, mixing only until incorporated and the mixture holds together.

Place tablespoon-sized balls of the dough on 1 or 2 parchment paper-lined baking sheets, tapping the dough down gently with your fingertips. Bake until just beginning to brown at the edges, about 15 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes. Transfer to a serving plate.

Recipe also found on foodnetwork.com

Robot Party Theme

Loving the idea of having robot costumes for the kids to wear.

Found on Cookiemag.com

 

Robot cake also found on cookiemag.com

 

Adorable robot cupcakes by hello naomi

Robot party put together by Hostess with the Mostess

Kids Robot Craft found on plaidkidscrafts.com

Hudson's 2nd Birthday is getting closer, so I have been trying to think up some theme ideas. I love all of these amazing Robot Party Themes that I am finding online. This is one theme I am thinking about, but I still have some time to decide.

Valentine's Day Treat

Ingredients

• 15  caramel squares
• 32  vanilla wafers
• 16  lollipop sticks
• 1  cup semisweet- or milk-chocolate chips
• Valentine sprinkles

Directions 1. Melt unwrapped caramels in a microwave according to package directions. Working quickly, spoon small dollops of caramel onto 16 wafers. Place a lollipop stick in center, and top each with another wafer to make a cookie sandwich.
2. Melt chocolate chips according to package directions. Dunk each cookie sandwich in chocolate and shake to remove excess. Top lollipops with sprinkles and place onto wax-paper-lined baking sheet. Chill for 5 to 10 minutes or until firm.

I haven't tried making these yet, but think you could try many different variations of fillings and cookies. I found this recipe at Parents.com

Give a Day Get a Disney Day

Disney is giving away one million tickets in 2010 to people who volunteer in their community. All you have to do in sign-up with a participating organization here and you get one day at Disney for free. They will also allow you to volunteer to receive a ticket and then donate your ticket to their participating organizations. What a great idea!!!

(photo from LA Times)

Cupcake Toppers

Yo Yo CupcakeToppers

by Muffintopbakeshop on Etsy

Personalized Cupcake Toppers

by Sevencupcakes on Etsy

Retro Cupcake Toppers

by Lauri on Etsy

My New Favorite Thing

I fell in love with these headbands the first second I laid eyes on them! They are from Anthropologie of course! I got one for Christmas and had to go back and get another one because I love them so much. They are $32 at Anthropologie.

Feathery Hair Accessories

These are few hair accessories that I made the other day. I will be posting these on my Etsy shop as well. I was inspired by some feathery hair clips that I spotted at Anthropologie the other day. I picked up some feathers, buttons, and things at SAS. SAS is located in Tempe on the corner of Apache and McClintock. They have great prices and a wide selections of materials, the store isn't the cleanest, but it is still a great place to shop! :)

Tortilla Soup

I thought I should post this recipe while it is still cold outside. It is one of my favorite tortilla soup recipes, and is by Emeril Lagasse. It is different then most tortilla soups, because it is more of a broth based soup, then a thick creamy texture. It is packed with flavor and the fresh tortilla strips, chipotle crema, and sliced avocado top it off! The ESSENCE seasoning used on the tortilla strips, is also a great seasoning to use on fish or shrimp.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onions
• 2 teaspoons chopped garlic
• 1 poblano pepper, seeded and chopped, or 1 pasilla or green bell pepper and 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
  
• 2 cups vegetable oil, for frying
• 6 stale corn tortillas, cut into 1/4-inch-thick strips
• 1 teaspoon Essence, recipe follows
• 1 avocado, peeled, seeded, and chopped, for garnish
• Chipotle Crema, accompaniment, recipe follows

Directions:

In a Dutch oven or large heavy pot, heat the oil on medium-high heat. Add the onions, garlic, peppers, salt, cumin, and coriander for 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes. Add the chicken and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the cilantro and lime juice, and stir well. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm.

Heat the oil in a heavy pot or electric fryer to 350 degrees F. Add the tortilla strips in batches and fry until golden and crisp, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Season with the Essence.

Ladle the soup into 4 or 6 serving bowls. Garnish each serving with the diced avocado, the fried tortilla strips, and Chipotle Crema.

Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):

2 1/2 tablespoons paprika

2 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly.

Yield: 2/3 cup

Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch

Published by William and Morrow, 1993.

Chipotle Crema:

1/2 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon chopped chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

1/8 teaspoon salt

In the bowl of a food processor or blender, combine all the ingredients. Process on high speed until smooth. Serve with the soup.

Yield: 1/2 cup

Etsy Shop

I posted my first items on Etsy today. I decided to sell some of the earrings and hair clips that I have been making. You can take a look at my Etsy Shop here, and there will be more to come!

ABC's

I love these fabric magnets that I found on the purl bee's site. I think I am going to make some for Hudson's magnetic wall in his playroom. So cute! You can find their tutorial here.

Potty Training

We started potty training Hudson this week, he has been ready to start for a little while now. He took an interest in it when he saw his friend Jackson using the potty. I printed out a couple potty training charts and hung them in the bathrooms. Each time he goes in the potty he gets a star sticker to put on his chart. He really likes being able to get a little reward each time. The charts are free to print online and they have all different characters to choose from.

Stacked Pear Salad

I made this Stacked Pear Salad to go with our Christmas dinner. I had it last year at Christmas dinner party and loved it. They look so pretty and taste great too! You can make the salad with many different variations.
This year I made a spinach salad with toasted pine nuts, goat cheese, and a lemon vinaigrette. Last year my friends served it with a spinach salad with feta, chopped pecans, and a raspberry vinaigrette. You serve the salad stuffed inside a cored pear that has been cut into thirds. And you can drizzle honey on top or a little extra salad dressing. The honey looks really pretty on top, I forgot to do that to these in the picture. It also helps the pear sit flat on the plate if you cut a small slice off the bottom.

Champagne Cocktails

Frozen Champagne

Ingredients:

• 4 scoops lemon sorbet
  
• 2 ounces chilled vodka, citrus vodka or limoncello (Italian lemon liqueur)
• 2 ounces prosecco or other sparkling wine or Champagne
• 2 sprigs fresh mint

Directions:

Blend lemon sorbet on low speed and pour in vodka or lemon liqueur in a slow stream. Add prosecco or Champagne. Pour cocktails into a chilled martini glass and serve, garnished with a sprig of mint.

Recipe by Rachel Ray

White Nectarine and Raspberry Champagne Floats

Ingredients:

• 3 very ripe white nectarines, halved, pitted and cut into eighths
• 1/2 pint fresh raspberries
• 2 tablespoons sugar
  
• 2 pints vanilla ice cream
• 1 bottle chilled Champagne, Prosecco, or sparkling wine
• 1/4 cup Chambord
• Mint sprigs, for garnish

Directions:

Combine nectarine slices, raspberries and sugar in a small bowl and mash with a fork.

Add scoops of ice cream to 4 large glasses and divide most of the nectarine and raspberry puree among the glasses. Top each with a few more scoops of ice cream then the remaining puree. Fill the glasses to the top with the prosecco and drizzle each with some of the Chambord. Garnish with mint sprigs.

 Recipe by Bobby Flay

Kids Cape

Tonight we celebrated Christmas with two families that we love. It was a fun and crazy evening with all three boys running around. Alexis made Capes for all three of the boys with the first letter of their name on the back. They loved wearing them and looked so cute. It is such a great gift idea for little ones. Wish we would have gotten a picture of all three of them in their new backpacks Fallon got them from Potterybarn Kids (also with their names on them) so cute!

Converse Kids

I love the Converse kids shoes for Hudson. I usually can't find them on sale, but today I found them on sale at Gap Baby. I didn't even know they sold Converse. They are marked down to $19.99 with an additional 25% off, making them only $14.99! They usually cost around $30.00. They have them in black with velcro, the ones pictured above, lace up ones, and they have girls ones too.

North Pole Pancakes

We made some North Pole pancakes this morning with the mold from Williams Sonoma. I half expected them to not turn out as cute as they advertise, but they were very easy to use and came out perfect. Hudson loved them. The pancake pen they sell comes in handy for filling the molds and you can also use it to make other shapes and letters. The pancake pen costs $9.95 and the molds are $19.95

Christmas Dinner Menu

Riesling Onion Soup with Herbed Croutons
Brined Roast Chicken with Wine Jus
Green Beans with Almonds
Classic Mashed Potatoes
Creme Brulee

Riesling Onion Soup with Herbed Croutons

Ingredients:

• 3 Tbs. unsalted butter
• 4 large yellow onions, about 2 lb. total, thinly
    sliced
• 2 leeks, including pale green tops, sliced
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 2 Tbs. fresh tarragon leaves, chopped
• 3 Tbs. all-purpose flour
• 2 cups Riesling
• 6 cups reduced-sodium chicken stock
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
  
  

For Herbed Croutons:

• 1/2 baguette, thinly sliced
• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• 2 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted
• 2 Tbs. chopped mixed fresh herbs, such as
    tarragon, rosemary, thyme and flat-leaf
   parsley, in any combination
• 1/2 lb. Italian fontina cheese, cut into
    small cubes

Directions:

In a large, wide saucepan or soup pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onions, leeks, garlic and tarragon and cook, stirring often, until the onions are soft and golden, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes more. Pour in the wine, bring to a simmer and cook until reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Pour in the stock, return to a simmer, reduce the heat to low and cook, uncovered, until reduced slightly, about 45 minutes. (The soup can be made up to this point up to 24 hours in advance and stored, tightly covered, in the refrigerator. Reheat gently before continuing.) Season with salt and pepper.

To make the herbed croutons, preheat an oven to 300°F.

Arrange the baguette slices in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. In a small bowl, stir together the olive oil, butter and herbs. Lightly coat each bread slice on both sides with the oil mixture. Toast the bread in the oven, turning occasionally, until crisp and golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside. (The croutons can be made up to 24 hours in advance and stored, tightly covered, at room temperature.)

Preheat a broiler.

Arrange individual ovenproof bowls on a baking sheet and ladle the soup into the bowls. Top each serving with 2 or 3 croutons and an equal amount of the cheese. Place the baking sheet under the broiler 7 inches from the heat source and broil until the cheese melts, about 1 minute. Remove from the broiler and serve immediately. Serves 6.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma, Entertaining, by George Dolese (Oxmoor House, 2004).

Brined Roast Chicken with Wine Jus

Ingredients:

• 1 cup kosher salt or 1/2 cup iodized or plain salt
• 1 quart hot water
• 3 quarts cold water
• 1 chicken, about 6 1/2 lb., giblets reserved for
    another use
• 2 Tbs. unsalted butter, at room temperature
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 4 fresh thyme sprigs
• 4 fresh rosemary sprigs
• 1 small yellow onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 small carrot, coarsely chopped
• 1 small celery stalk, coarsely chopped

For the Wine Jus:

• 1/2 cup crisp, dry white wine, such as Sauvignon
    Blanc
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 Tbs. chilled unsalted butter
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions:

In a plastic container or stainless-steel bowl large enough to hold the chicken, stir and dissolve the salt in the hot water. Add the cold water and stir. Rinse the chicken, then submerge it in the brine. Cover and refrigerate for 1 to 4 hours, the longer the better.

Preheat an oven to 400°F.

Remove the chicken from the brine and pat dry with paper towels. Rub with the butter and season inside and out with pepper. Place the thyme and rosemary sprigs in the cavity.

Place the chicken on its side on a V-shaped rack in a roasting pan. Roast for 30 minutes. Turn the chicken on its other side and roast for 30 minutes more. Turn the chicken on its back and place the onion, carrot and celery in the cavity. Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, away from the bone, registers 170°F, about 45 minutes more. Pour the juices from the chicken cavity into the pan and transfer the chicken to a warmed platter. Cover loosely with aluminum foil and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the wine jus. Strain the cooking juices into a bowl. Skim off any visible fat from the surface and pour the juices back into the roasting pan. Set the pan on 2 burners over medium-high heat. Add the wine and boil until reduced by half, about 1 minute. Add the stock and boil until the liquid is reduced to 1/2 cup, about 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the jus into a sauceboat.

Carve the chicken and serve hot with the wine jus.

Serves 6 to 8.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Collection Series, Chicken, by Rick Rodgers (Simon & Schuster, 2001).

Creative Gift Wrap Ideas

Decorate boxes with flowers made out of cupcake liners!

Use doilies!

Make paper or fabric monograms to tie to each gift.

Put your little ones to work, making homemade wrapping paper.

Easy to make fabric gift envelopes.

Decorate boxes with different types and colors of yarns.

I love all of these creative gift wrap ideas! You can find instruction for these and many others on Martha Stewart's website.

Craft Room Christmas Tree

I put a small Christmas tree in my craft room and decided to decorate it with some of the fabric yo yos that I had made. I have a ton of fabric scraps lying around, so I used all different kinds of fabrics, and tied knots on the ends of the branches. I also decorated the tree with some old buttons and pins that I have collected. All I used was old craft supplies, and I think it turned out pretty cute!

Recovered my Chair

Here's the chair that I finally recovered in Amy Butler fabric. I bought it at Merchant's Square and all I needed to recover it was some cute fabric and a staple gun!

Silver Christmas

I am liking all of the silver and white Christmas decorations this year! Here's how I have added some of it to our house this year for Christmas. I made a new bench cushion with Amy Butler fabric. The mistletoe topiary and wreath are from Target, and the silver ornaments are also from Target, and TJ Maxx. I found the silver branches at Pier One Imports; and they have a good selection of Christmas branches right now.

Christmas Decorating

It's officially time to start decorating for Christmas! I love all of the greens, silvers, and whites used in these pictures. These pictures are from Pottery Barn and bhg.

Vintage Rose Wraps

I spotted these cute Vintage Rose Wraps at the Cornerstone Holiday Boutique. They would make great gifts for the holidays, and are sold for $12 each.

Happy Thanksgiving

Cold air, warm fires, fall leaves, pumpkin pie, cuddling in blankets, family, games, laughing, eating...HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Anthropologie

I went shopping today at Anthropologie with Katie and wasn't expecting to buy anything until I saw this. I had seen it in their store before, however today it was on sale!!! King Duvet for only $99 and Euro Shams for $29. Originally priced at $208 for the duvet and $49 for the shams.