Ruby's Baptism

So sweet little Ruby got baptized last weekend. We had some friends over after the service for brunch and I made this, this and this. All were delicious and could be made the night before and then just popped in the oven the morning of. This made for a stress-free morning. (: We also had cinnamon rolls, melon and coffee. It was a special day for us because not only was it the first day of Spring but it was also the 20 year anniversary of my mom's death. 20 years. That just seems like such a long time. We wanted to celebrate her life and talk to William about her. It is hard to explain death to a 2 year old. We just told him that his grandma Jean lives with God in heaven and that he'll get to meet her someday when all of our family is together in heaven. We wanted to create a sort of memorial day for her so we took out pictures and planned activities that reminded me of her. My mom was an English teacher and loved to read. I have many fond memories of her reading to my sister and I. She wrote me a letter when she knew she was dying and in it she told me to spend special cuddle-time reading to my children. This is something I try to do with them every night. As kids we would often go to the bookstore and pick out new books to read so we decided to take William to get a new book about Spring. My mom also loved to garden so we went and bought some plants and Will helped me plant them. While we were putting dirt in the pot Brad said "Will do you remember why we are planting these?" and he sweetly answered "For Jean in heaven!". It was a sweet day and I am excited to start this new tradition for the first day of Spring.

Almond Crusted Chicken

This is a simple twist on regular old oven-roasted chicken. It tastes great and is high in protein. It is also super quick to whip together on a busy night. Serve with oven-roasted red potatoes and steamed green beans.

Almond Crusted Chicken

Ingredients:

1 cup unblanched almonds
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
2 large eggs whites
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 6 ounces each)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

Directions:

Finely chop the almonds in a mini-chopper or food processor. Transfer the nuts to a shallow dish and stir in the paprika. Lightly whisk the egg whites in another shallow dish. Pat the chicken dry and season both sides with salt and pepper. Dip each piece of chicken into the egg. Press both sides of the chicken into the nuts to coat. Place on a baking sheet, cover, and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes to set the crust.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium-low heat and add the oil and the butter. Place the chicken smooth-side down in the pan and then raise the heat to medium-high. Place the baking sheet in the oven on the rack to get warm. Cook chicken turning once, until the nuts set and turn golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to the prepared baking sheet and bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the sides of the chicken registers 160 degrees F, about 20-25 minutes.

*For extra tender chicken and a faster cooking time you could pound the chicken flat to 1/4 inch thickness

Anthro Inspired Magnets

These were my inspiration but there is no reason anyone should pay $32 for six magnets. Brad and I love going to thrift stores and antique shops so I made it my mission to look for cool old clip-on earrings and pins. I bought each pair for about $1 and pulled the clips off with some pliers. I then hot glued 3/4" magnets to the back. These are great to give as gifts and so easy to make. The hardest part is finding cool earrings! :)

Cutest Valentines

Valentine's Day Craftiness~Burlap Hoops

I made these last year and decided to hang them on my ladder with some cute ribbon this year. I think I'll make a few tissue flowers to add to the display later this week.

Supplies:
Embroidery Thread
Fabric Scraps
Embroidery Hoops
Burlap
Needle w/a large hole

Instructions:
Place the burlap in the hoop and trim off excess. Cut the fabric into whatever shapes you like. Stitch around the shapes.

*Please note I have no prior embroidery experience or skills. I just sort of free-handed it when I stitched it onto the burlap. :)

Valentine's Day Craftiness~Marble Magnets

I've been a little obsessed with craft blogs lately so I went crazy with making stuff for Valentine's Day. I have been busily making things during naps and after the babes go down. I have piles of dirty laundry and a messy house. . .but I also have cute crafts! The pictures aren't so hot but you can get the basic idea.

Supplies:
Scrapbook Paper
3/4" Flat backed Marbles
3/4" Circle Craft Punch
3/4" CircleMagnets
Clear Craft Glue

Instructions:
Cut out little circles of paper and glue them onto the magnets. Put another dot of glue onto of the paper and press the marble onto the magnet until there are no bubbles. Allow to dry . So easy!

Tortilla Espanola

I had this all the time when I studied abroad in Spain and loved it so much that I had to figure out how to make it at home. It is so easy and I often have all the ingredients on hand. It is basically a frittata but heavy on the potatoes. You can add any herbs and veggies that you like to this to suit your tastes. Great for breakfast, lunch or dinner! ps(Brad eats his with ketchup!)

Tortilla Espanola

Ingredients:

1/3 c Spanish Olive Oil
1 lb Russet Potatoes-peeled, quartered and cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 medium yellow onion thinly sliced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
6 cage-free eggs
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

Set oven to 350.

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add potatoes and cook for about 10 minutes. Add onion and cook until soft for 5 minutes. Pour off all but about 1 tablespoon of the oil. Season with 1 tsp of salt and the pepper.

While the potatoes are cooking whisk together the remaining salt, rosemary and eggs in bowl. Pour over the potato mixture and reduce heat to low. Cook for 1 minute without stirring. Stir once and then cook for about 3-4 minutes until the eggs begin to set. Transfer to the oven and cook for about 10 minutes. Loosen the tortilla with a knife and invert onto a plate. Slice into wedges.

*If you are a dare-devil you can try to cook it all on the stove top like they do in Spain. You'd have to flip it onto a plate and then flip the other side onto a oiled skillet. I tried this once. . .it ended badly. . .very badly. I cried and never tried doing it again but hey- maybe you are smoother than me!