honey beer chicken

 have i mentioned that my parents have fake grand kids?

well... i got to hang out with them yesterday and they are the cutest ever.

you can follow their adventures here.

last night my mom was our guest chef and as these kids were

running around being adorable, we cooked up some of this honey beer chicken.

i thought it was great.

my mom said she would do the following things differently:

1. use smaller chicken slices, to better coat them with flavor

2. reduce the sauce down more before serving

recipe via cooking light

ingredients

2 teaspoons canola oil

4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons thinly sliced shallots

1/2 cup beer

2 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon whole-grain dijon mustard

1 tablespoon honey

2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

directions

1. heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.

add oil to pan; swirl to coat.

sprinkle chicken evenly with pepper and salt.

add chicken to pan; sauté 6 minutes on each side or until done.

remove chicken from pan; keep warm.

2. add shallots to pan; cook 1 minute or until translucent.

3. combine beer and next 3 ingredients (through honey)

in a small bowl; stir with a whisk.

3. add beer mixture to pan; bring to a boil,

scraping pan to loosen browned bits.

cook 3 minutes or until liquid is reduced to 1/2 cup.

4. return chicken to pan; turn to coat with sauce.

sprinkle evenly with parsley.

(the side by side comparison) :)

enjoy!

baked breakfast in one

i keep dreaming about my vacation from last week.

it was amazing :)

heather and i got to do some experimenting in the kitchen,

which included this 'kid-friendly' breakfast.

we honestly loved these. super cute and the perfect little meal!

recipe via cooking light

ingredients

2  slices high quality pepper bacon

4 slices multigrain bread

4 large eggs

4 teaspoons grated fresh cheese (optional)

1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage (optional)

salt and pepper

directions

1. position an oven rack in the middle setting.

place a jelly-roll pan on rack. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. cook bacon until crisp; crumble or chop.

3. meanwhile, cut a hole into the center of each toast

using a 3-inch biscuit cutter or knife

butter your toast.

4. remove hot pan from the oven, and butter generously.

arrange bread slices on hot pan; crack one egg into each hole.

sprinkle eggs with salt, pepper, fresh herbs, and cheese (optional)

5. bake at 400 degrees for 5 minutes or until egg whites are set.

(you want your eggs to be similar to an over-easy consistency. don't overcook it!)

6. sprinkle with bacon crumbles.

enjoy your adorable little breakfast treat! :)

potato chip cookies

you'll never guess what i did last night.

i went to an event to learn how to save for my kids' college fund.

do i have kids? no

am i married? no

am i saving for a house? no

am i worried about how to pay for my unborn children to go to college? YES

what is wrong with me??? LOL!

speaking of college, our good friends grant and ahnika

threw a graduation party last weekend to celebrate grant's grad school graduation.

what did i bring? these potato chip cookies.

let me just say, don't judge a cookie by it's cover.

this cookie, while different than most, was pretty dang addictive.

they were sweet, but salty, with the crunch of the chips and nuts.

almost a savory cookie, if you could imagine it.

probably going to be a hit at any summer party,

and will at least be a conversation started for sure :)

recipe via my good friend martha.

ingredients

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 large eggs

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon coarse salt

4 cups coarsely crushed salted potato chips (about 10 ounces), divided

(i bought plain lays potato chips & just crushed them in the bag)

1 cup pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped

directions

1. preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. beat together butter and sugars with a mixer on high speed until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.

add vanilla and eggs, and beat on medium speed until just combined

3. add flour, baking soda, and salt, and beat on low speed until just combined.

stir in 2 cups potato chips and the nuts.

4. roll dough into 2-inch balls, and then roll balls in remaining potato chips to coat.

place cookies 2 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

bake until golden, 18 to 20 minutes. let cool completely on baking sheet.

*****NOTE: my first batch was baked per the instructions for 18 minutes

and were completely burnt! not sure if this was my oven, or the recipe.

i watched them more closely the next couple times and took them out of the oven after only about 10 minutes!!!

(watch closely to perfect the time that's right for you and your over!)

happy wednesday!

smallest fave person in the world!

this is my smallest favorite person in the world right now...

miss svea lisbeth johnson

i like her a lot.

i like her mom and dad too :)

you can read more about her life here.

i've been picking out some outfits for when she grows up...

hello crewcuts!

obsessed! makes me want 12 kids.

why do these not come in my size??! :)

diane von furstenberg for GapKids.

love her. love this :)

dwell studio

today i stumbled upon an amazingly adorable

little place called dwell studio

um, pretty much obsessed with everything they have!

who's ready to decorate a baby's room???

(not me)

but today i wish i was :)

enjoy!

love this floral rug print.

babies should travel in style too.

wall prints

and for the little boys...

munchkins.

i got to spend a lot of time with some really cute kids this holiday season.

i miss having little people in my life.

(anytime heather and mitch are ready to have kids, i'm ready. just saying!)

i loved seeing raleigh (my little 6 year old brother),

and my parents pretend grand kids katie and carly.

in honor of these precious people, i wanted to blog some kids room inspiration.