Thinking Thursday: Autobiographies

Recently, I have been reading a lot of autobiographies about people I really like. It is fun to see where they came from and how they got where they are.

I love Paula Deen. I love how she really doesn't care about what people think and that she does what she loves because she loves it. She came from nothing and built her business with her 2 sons and a few friends. This woman knows how to work! And she is hilarious! I would love to meet Paula Deen someday. Plus, she loves butter!

Who doesn't love Dick Van Dyke? And when I read his book, I loved him even more. He is so honest and has so many interesting stories about people he has met and seems like the most entertaining person! Yes, he has had his hard times and is up front about them. I had never seen an episode of The Dick Van Dyke show and he made me want to see it!

Can't read his without reading hers. I actually read this a few years ago when my mom recommended it to me. What a charming woman. Full of class and sweetness. She had a life of hard work and serious talent and lived fully! This isn't a complete autobiography. It ends when she is about 20 years old, I think, but I would look forward to the next installment!

I read this book when there was a bunch of hype about Pioneer Woman, wait, there is still a ton of hype! It was an easy read, but got a little repetitive. I did enjoy it though.

And saving the best for last. I have talked about this book on here before, but I just love this woman! She deserves another push on here. She is so optimistic and hard working and grandmotherly. And funny!! Such a great sense of humor. She makes you want to be a better person, whether you are religious or not. She just makes me smile!

Any autobiographies you enjoy that I need to read?!

I made this lemon rice because I love light and lemony flavors and this just looked perfect! I simmered it a bit too high, so it got a little burned, but I was able to get most of it out without too many problems. Here is the recipe and HERE is where I got it!! Sisters Cafe is one of my go to recipe spots. Such great variety and yummy and easy too!

Lemon Rice

4 Tablespoons butter
1/3 cup green onions, chopped
1 1/2 cups white rice, uncooked
3/4 cup celery, diced
2 1/4 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 Tablespoons lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1 bay leaf

In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Add green onion until softened. Add rice and stir to coat. Add celery, chicken broth, lemon juice, zest, pepper and bay leaf and bring to boil. Once rice is boiling, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 25 minutes. Toss rice and let stand for 5 minutes.

Breaded Garlic Chicken in Lemon Butter Sauce

Wow! This stuff was absolutely yummy. My sister in law, Kellie, sent it over to me saying that her husband said it was "restaurant worthy" and yes, it was! It was eggy and breaded and the lemon was a delicious touch. I paired it with a lemon rice (that I'll post tomorrow), which I semi burned, but was able to salvage. I am not great at cooking rice without a rice cooker. Hence, the purpose of this blog.=) Here is the recipe and HERE is where I got it:

BREADED GARLIC CHICKEN IN LEMON-BUTTER SAUCE

*Note: if you prefer more sauce, since this makes a lighter, smaller amount of sauce, consider doubling the sauce ingredients.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup seasoned flour (1 cup flour, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper)
5 cloves of garlic, finely minced (see garlic tutorial here)
1 tablespoon parsley flakes or 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, from about 1 lemon
3 eggs
1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil
5 tablespoons butter


Place the seasoned flour in a large gallon-size ziploc bag. Set aside. In a shallow pie plate, beat the eggs until mixed and add the Parmesan cheese. Whisk to combine. Set aside.

In a large skillet, melt one tablespoon butter and one tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Let it begin to heat and sizzle while you prepare the chicken but be careful not to let the butter burn and turn brown.

Put the four chicken breasts in the bag with the seasoned flour, close the bag, and shake to coat the chicken in the flour. One by one, take the chicken out of the bag and dip into the egg/Parmesan mixture. Place the chicken carefully in the skillet with the hot oil/butter. Repeat with the other chicken breasts. Let the chicken cook on the first side, without moving or flipping the chicken, for 1-2 minutes until a nice, golden crust has formed. Carefully, using a wide spatula, flip the chicken and let it continue to cook for 1-2 minutes on the other side until it is golden brown. The chicken will flip easiest if it has had time to sizzle and cook to form a nice crust.

Remove the chicken to a 9X13-inch pan. Set aside while you make the sauce.

In the same skillet that you browned the chicken, melt the remaining four tablespoons butter. Add the minced garlic, lemon juice, and parsley. Simmer the sauce for 1-2 minutes, stirring and scraping up any browned bits that were on the bottom of the skillet.

Pour the sauce evenly over the chicken breasts and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Serve over noodles, rice or potatoes.

Muffing Monday: Chocolate Chip Muffins

Don't these just look scrumptious and light and yummy?! And perfect for breakfast! My kids were oh so happy to have these bad boys and chocolate early in the morning? Good choice! Yay for great muffins!! And here is where I got the recipe: Eating for England

Chocolate Chip Muffins

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup butter, melted and cooled
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 2/3 cup buttermilk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1.5 cups chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375F. Line a muffin tin with 12 paper liners. Set tin aside.

2. In a large bowl whisk together flour, white and brown sugar, baking powder, and salt.

3. In a smaller bowl stir together the melted butter, eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla extract until well blended. Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour the liquid mixture into the well and gently stir until combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

4. Spoon batter into muffins cups and bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean (a little chocolate is ok here). Remove muffins from the oven and allow to cool before serving. Makes 12 muffins.

Friday's Favorite: TV

With the new Fall television season approaching, I love 3 shows. Only 3. I am not a big tv person.

So, here they are

Modern Family:

I never watched it before this summer and then we saw the most hysterical one. The Columbian woman, Sofia Vergera, is seriously the funniest woman on tv! She makes this show. Don't get me wrong, I love the rest, but she is just funnier than funny! And this show is just so true to life that it is almost painful at times, but isn't life just painful at times?!

Parenthood:

This show almost got the axe, but thankfully didn't! It scares me most of the time to think of my children being adults, but this show gives me some hope (and some fear). But there are so many great messages and you will love it.=) The characters are so easy to relate to, you will find yourself saying, that person is just like "so and so" in my family.

The Office:

My parents think I am lame o, but this is just the funniest show ever to me! Ever!! I will miss Michael Scott so, but I am sure they will continue on with the funniest stuff ever. And if not, there are always reruns!

What are your "shows"?

Fat Friday: Slacking Day

Because of the absolutely horrid heat we've had in Vegas recently, I haven't made my friend her winning treat from last week. So, that is what I will be doing this week since we are down to 103 degrees. I never thought I would be happy to say, "yay! It's only 103 degrees!" So, I will show you some possible Fat Friday treats for the future. Let me know which one you like best!

Swirl Cake Brownies

Peanut Butter Snickers Cookies

Chocolate Covered Brownie Balls

Peanut Butter Stuffed Hot Fudge Cupcakes

Streusel Topped Coffee Cake

Oreo Pudding Cookies

Caramel and Chocolate Drizzle Chex Mix

Thinking Thursday: The Beautiful Day

In our church, we have a great children's magazine that my kid's love. It has fun stories about kids and Jesus and fun activities too. It is called The Friend. The website is awesome too, so check it out!

I was reading with my 6 year old daughter the other day and came across this wonderful story from our Prophet, President Monson. He is a masterful story teller and a wonderful person who has lived a life full of service towards all. This story really got to me. It got to me enough that it made me bawl my eyes out! So, have a good uplifting cry and read on.

The Beautiful Day

Some years ago, I met a remarkable family. Each member of the family had an unshakable testimony of the reality of the Resurrection. Each of the children had been born with a rare form of muscular dystrophy. The only daughter, Shanna, was then five years old. All of the children were intelligent and faith-filled.

We visited for a while, and the special spirit of that family filled my office and my heart. Then the parents asked if little Shanna could sing for me. She sang of a brighter future:

On a beautiful day that I dream about

In a world I would love to see,

Is a beautiful place where the sun comes out

And it shines in the sky for me.

On this beautiful winter’s morning,

If my wish could come true somehow,

Then the beautiful day that I dream about

Would be here and now.¹

Eventually, Shanna passed away at age 14. At the funeral services, I spoke of the lovely song Shanna sang. I concluded with the thought: “Because our Savior died on Calvary, death has no hold upon any one of us. Shanna lives, whole and well, and for her that beautiful day she sang about is here and now.”

Death is an essential part of our mortal experience. And dead we would remain except for Jesus. He died on the cross. His body was placed by loving hands in a sepulchre.

On the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James, along with others, came to the sepulchre. To their astonishment, the body of their Lord was gone. Two men in shining garments stood by them and said: “Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen” (Luke 24:5–6).

Our Lord and Savior is the living witness that life is everlasting. God does live. Jesus is His Son. Because He died, all shall live again. “Oh, sweet the joy this sentence gives: ‘I know that my Redeemer lives!’”