A Recipe Post: Basil Chicken

Welcome to my first recipe post.  This recipe was given to me by my friend Kelly and it is the main reason why I have to have a basil plant in my backyard each summer. I think the story goes that it was a favorite of hers from a restaurant near Hartland, Mi.  She made it for Erin and I and then I had to have the recipe.  Like most recipes I use it has most likely been altered, this is my variation of what Kelly gave me.  This recipe is not detailed so if  you are one who  needs precision in the kitchen it is not for you.  If you can create with just the basics you will love it.

To start you'll need:
Chicken Breasts  (boneless, skinless)
Fresh Basil
Fresh bread crumbs
Dijon mustard  (original recipe calls for Gray Poupon but I'm not that fancy)
Sour Cream
Miracle Whip

I can't believe I had name brands for everything.  Not a single Aldi brand here, WOW!

First mix chopped basil with your fresh bread crumbs or do as I did today and throw a few heals of bread and a handful of basil in the food processor and pulse.

Spread Dijon mustard on the chicken and cover with basil/bread crumb mixture.  I usually hold the chicken in one hand, squirt on some mustard, spread it with a spatula, place it mustard side down in the bread crumbs, squirt and spread the other side, flip, then place in the hot oiled pan.  Keeping one hand clean and just one chickeny.  I'm good like that. :)

Fry in the frying pan cooking until done.  I have some trouble flipping and removing the chicken without breading falling off so I sometimes bake it instead.  I also feel it has less fat when cooked in the oven.  I spray a baking sheet with cooking spray, place the chicken on it and spray the top of the chicken with a little more cooking spray.  Bake for about 30 minutes at 350.

To us the best part of this recipe is the dipping sauce.  If I'm feeling lazy I'll just pan fry the chicken plain and whip up the sauce.  To make it, mix together equal parts sour cream and Miracle Whip then stir in fresh chopped basil.  It tastes so fresh and delish.

I usually add simple sides like bread and a salad.  I don't make this one often but it's one of those recipes that makes my husband happy.  It makes a good "date night in" dinner because it feels fancy.

Adoption Update June 2012

We have been accepted by the Adoption Agency and are starting to compile all the things necessary to send in for Application 2.  I have applied for my passport and our copy machine is getting lots of use reproducing necessary documents.

The next two phases of the process start to cost money we don't have just laying around.  Once we get through the home study we can start applying for grants but in the mean time we are starting to do some fundraising.  We will be sending out a fundraising letter early next week.  If we have your address, chances are you will find one in your mailbox.  If we do not have your address and you would like to contribute, watch for a fundraising page to show up on facebook. We have a couple other fundraisers planned.  I have done a garage sale this summer and will do another before school starts. So far we have raised a very small amount but every drop counts when filling a large bucket.  Please only give if you want to.  I don't want anyone to feel pressured or be offended.

We are continuing to take things one step at a time.  If we start getting upset about little delays now this will be a very stressful process.  I am trying to not worry over things that are far in the future.  We are practicing patience and practicing faith and praying for every little bit along the way.

Thank you, friends, for all your support and encouraging words.

My Thrifty Side: Pajamas

Transferring out the winter clothes and in the summer clothes I noticed that JJ had no summer pajamas.  I went to  Walmart looking to get her a few pairs but had trouble finding the right size at the right price.  We ended up with a Mario Brothers night gown and a capri set.  As much as my littlest sweats at night, the satin capri set may not always be the best choice.

About a week later I was out with a friend when Erin called to ask if JJ had any clean pajamas.  Evidently the two pair were not enough to get us through the summer.  I didn't want to spend more money on pajamas so I started brainstorming what we could do.  I got the bright idea of using her brother's outgrown t-shirts but was disappointed that they were not long enough on her to be appropriate.  I continued to think on the matter when I remembered that I have several old bridesmaid dresses that I have been meaning to remake into play clothes for JJ.  I cut the bottom off one and sewed it on the bottom of one of JR's t-shirts.

Success!  She loves this nightgown and all it cost me was about 10 minutes of time.

I wanted to make one more so I chose some fabric that had pulled off one of her dresses from last year and sewed it to the bottom of an undershirt JR will not be able to wear come winter.

Another 10 minutes, another nightgown.  JJ loves to wear nightgowns as apposed to pajama sets so she is thrilled with her Mama's penny pinching creations.

Thank you Miss Fay for letting us give your sewing machine a temporary home.  It is coming in very handy.

My thrifty side: Seeing History

When we moved to Minnesota we knew very little about the state and had never even set foot in it before.  Last Memorial Day weekend we decided to start learning more about our state by visiting the local Fort.  We visited Historic Fort Snelling.

Before we bought our tickets we noticed a display for membership to the Minnesota Historical Society.  The cost was $75.  We don't usually do things like that but we figured that visiting one more site in the next year would easily pay for the membership and it would give free family entertainment whenever we wanted to plan an outing but didn't want to spend money.  Plus, it would be educational and since I was homeschooling the last part of the school year I was even more interested than usual with providing educational opportunities for the kids.  Many places in the state were free or discounted and several other states offered discounts to their sties with membership.

Upon signing up we received a bunch of information including a note telling us that all but $20 of our membership fee was tax deductible, another bonus.  We stashed away the receipt for tax time and enjoyed our afternoon at the Fort.

Later in the summer we used our membership to visit the Mill City Museum with my parents.

It was loads of fun for the kids and educational for all of us.  Each state's history is different and I have enjoyed learning the history of each state I've lived in thus far.  There is still more I want to learn about some aspects of  Minnesota history.

Even though there were several sites within an hour or two drive, we chose to concentrate our efforts to visiting those within the Cities for now.  We didn't do anything over the winter although several interesting events were offered.  We did enjoy browsing the magazine that came quarterly.

Over Memorial Day weekend this year we decided to get our, "money's worth" out of our membership before it expired.  We had nothing else planned and there were still some places I wanted to go.  We also had wanted to revisit the fort to see parts we had missed.

We visited the Minnesota Historical Center on Saturday and got a couple of bucks off our parking as well as free admittance.

 We enjoyed an exhibit that chronicled the lives of over 50 families who had lived in a certain house over the 150 years since it had been built.  Built by an upper class German family and then turned into two and later three apartments and lived in by immigrants from all over the world.  It was very interesting to see the changes made to the house and how each generation lived different from the one before.  We enjoyed a few exhibits that will soon be gone to make way for new.  We did not have as much time as I would have liked for the "Greatest Generation" exhibit.  I love WWII history.

On Monday we revisited the Historic Fort Snelling.  It is interesting to imagine what it would have been like to live in the fort.  Life was so different with four soldiers sleeping in one small bunk bed, two head to toe on top and two head to toe on bottom.  The views of the Cities and the rivers from the fort are gorgeous.

I just noticed that there are little bits of Erin in all three of these pictures.

After a picnic lunch at the Fort we headed off to Sibley House.  Henry Sibley moved here from Detroit and earned a nice living in the fur trade.  He later became the first Governor of the State.  His home was beautiful.   Again, I would love to get an even greater feel for what it was like to live then.  Maybe not in a cabin but in a house such as his.  Sibley also played a key role in the U.S.-Dakota war.  It is a dark point of our history but is something I'd like to learn more about.

Admission alone for all this site seeing would have cost us about $160 without our membership.  JJ would have still been free to each of the sites.  The member ship also saved us $2 on parking.  We got discounts in the gift shops to.  We are not big gift shop shoppers but we did buy a few postcards and a few pieces of old time candy for the kids so a few extra pennies of savings could be added.  For us the Minnesota Historical Society membership was a great deal.  We did not renew for the upcoming year but we plan to do it again in the future.  There is so much more to see and learn, plus the History Center will be opening a huge new exhibit this fall that I would love to go back and see.  When it comes to family fun I give this deal two thumbs up.