Foodie Friday: Cordon Bleu Chicken Rolls

Here is a recipe that was shared with me by Mr Cherry's brother's girlfriend. (It sounds confusing, but I can't think of any other way to say it.) Here is what Danielle had to say:
"Searching the web for a fast, easy, and delicious dinner recipe? Well, look no further! Michelle on allrecipes.com did a fantastic job putting this tasty Cordon Bleu Chicken Roll recipe together! It’s good til the last bite!"

Ingredients:

§  8 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

§  8 slices cooked ham

§  4 slices Swiss cheese, cut into 1 inch pieces

§  salt and pepper to taste

§  1 teaspoon dried thyme

§  1/4 cup melted butter

§  1/2 cup cornflakes cereal crumbs

Cordon Bleu Sauce:

§  1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup

§  1/2 cup sour cream

§  1 teaspoon lemon juice

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Place each chicken breast half between sheets of plastic wrap and pound with a meat mallet to about 1/8 inch thickness. Place a finger of cheese on each ham slice and sprinkle lightly with thyme and salt and pepper to taste. Roll up seasoned ham and cheese 'jellyroll-style', then roll each chicken breast with ham and cheese inside. Tuck in ends and fasten with toothpicks.
3. Place melted butter in a small bowl and place cereal crumbs in a shallow dish or bowl. Dip each chicken roll in butter or margarine, then roll in crumbs, turning to coat thoroughly. Place coated rolls in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish.
4. Bake at 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) for about 40 minutes or until chicken is golden brown and juices run clear. Serve with cordon bleu sauce, if desired.
5. To Make Cordon Bleu Sauce: In a small saucepan mix together the soup, sour cream and lemon juice. Heat over low heat, stirring occasionally, and serve hot over chicken rolls. Makes about 2 cups; 8 servings of 1/4 cup each. 

--Thanks for sharing the recipe, Danielle! I can't wait to try it.

Foodie Friday: Strawberry Spinach Salad

Have you had the pleasure of meeting Emily of One Lovely Life? Well, I haven't either, but I do read her blog and feel as if we could be BFFs if we ever were to meet in real life. Her recipes look delicious! With the lettuce jungle in our garden I couldn't wait to try her Strawberry Salad with Tangy Dressing. And boy, was I happy I did!

Ingredients:
Salad
-spinach (I used a mixture of lettuce and spinach from our garden)
-sliced strawberries
-sliced onions
-diced and cooked chicken breast
-candied walnuts
Dressing
-1/3c sugar
3/4 t salt
1 t dry mustard powder
1 T poppy seeds
1/3c balsamic vinegar
1/4c canola oil

Directions:

1. Toss salad ingredients in large bowl.

2. Combine dry dressing ingredients in medium bowl. Add the vinegar and oil. Blend with an immersion blender until well mixed.

3. Add desired amount of dressing to the salad. (Store any unused dressing in the fridge for two weeks.)

And We're Off . . .

Walking with the dolly stroller is so yesterday . . .

Because Peachy has figured out how to walk on her own.

(Yes, she is walking with something in her mouth. No, this is not the safest. Okay, moving on.)
She has been close to walking on her own for a while now, but has been scared to let go completely. This week we went to a wadding pool in the neighborhood and she logged many miles in the shallow water with her floater on. I think that gave her the confidence to try walking on land. She is still wobbly, but oh so proud of herself. And since she has figured it out, she hasn't stopped practicing!!

Craftastories

This morning I joined a new blogland club. Stephanie at Somewhat Simple has been kind enough to create a club for all of us who have made a craft project that won't get you featured on someone else's blog. She calls it The Craftastrophies Club and is welcoming new members with a linky party on her blog. A party to embrace the craft room flops of the world? I am there!

Thanks for creating a place for the misfits, Stephanie!

A Wonderful Discovery!!

Do you remember when I made an electronic meal plan? It worked, but I only did it that one time. I just learned about a little gem on the internet that practically does it all for you. It is called ZipList and IT IS FREE!! I have been playing with it during nap time and I think that I am in love. Now I have an easy and quick way to save all of the recipes that I find on the internet. Not only that, but I can make grocery lists right from the recipes themselves. This is going to be a handy little tool for me. No more creating lists through Word and no more searching through the recipes that I have bookmarked.

Now all I need is a smart phone to go along with it! :o)

Foodie Friday: Basil, Spinach, Sausage and Feta Pasta

With fresh basil and spinach growing right out our back door, a recipe needed to be created. And here are
the results!

Ingredients:
-1 box bowtie pasta
-2 cups chopped spinach
-1/2 c chopped fresh basil
-1 link sausage, thinly sliced
-1 can diced tomatoes (of course fresh would be even better)
-4 oz feta cheese
-4 T balsamic vinegar
-1/2 c olive oil
-2 cloves garlic, diced
-salt
-pepper

Directions:
1. Cook pasta according to box. Drain pasta and add the spinach, basil, and sausage to pot with the pasta. Cover and let sit while you make the dressing.
2. Whisk together vinegar and oil. Add garlic, salt and pepper.
3. Add tomatoes, cheese and dressing to the pasta pot. Toss and serve warm or cold.

Mini Barnyard Bag

I remember this barn tote that my mom made for my sister and I as children. It was made with red corduroy and had plush animals inside. When I asked her about it she found the original pattern! In the meantime, I created this mini version. Just the right size for holding plastic barnyard animals. After making one, I made a few modifications and created this one. I still have some work to do, but may post a tutorial once I get it where I want it to be.

Tutorial Tuesday: Beaded Necklace

Maybe it was the fact that I tried to knockoff a knockoff. Or maybe it was that I tried to make do with what I had. Whatever it was lead me to turn this beautiful and fun necklace from Erin at Lemon Tree Creations

(from Lemon Tree Creations)

into this necklace that looks like it was made at summer camp.

If you would like to take a stab at this project, here is what you will need and need to do.

1. Spray paint beads from an old necklace or other source. Erin's tip is to stuff the beads with tissue paper and then insert a toothpick. This allows you to place the beads into styrofoam for the spray painting.

2. When the beads are completely painted and dry, string them. Erin used beading wire and then attached that to her gold chain. I used a piece of ribbon. (This is where I really think my project went astray.)

3. Try the necklace on and decide if you look cute like Erin or like a clown like me. :o)

I am linking up to these parties:

Rockin' and Rollin'

Little Peachy seems to learn a new trick everyday. The day Mr Cherry shot this video, it was rocking in the Lazy Boy. (She just has to be careful that it doesn't get going to fast and end up bonking her!) Notice where she stashes the remote. Apparently we can't put it there to hide it from her anymore.

Peachy has also mastered turning the TV on and off. (Watch out when she finds the volume button.) This weekend at my parents' she would find the eject button on the DVD player. She wasn't too big of a fan of the door opening and coming at her, though. No walking yet, but I wouldn't be surprised if it happened this week.

Foodie Friday: No Bake Cookies

Ever had one of those days when you just want to bake a tasty treat but you just can't bring yourself to turn on the oven and add to the already warm temperature in the house? Have no fear, Foodie Friday is here!! This recipe is taken form Brown Eyed Baker's website. (You should really heck out some of the other delicious recipes on her site. They are equally delicious.)

Ingredients:

-1/2 c butter

-2 c sugar

-1/2 c milk

-4 T cocoa powder

-1/2 c peanut butter

-2 t vanilla extract

-3 c quick cooking oats

Directions:

1. Add the first four ingredients (through the cocoa powder) to a 4-quart saucepan.
2. Bring to a rolling boil and let boil for 1 minute.
3. Remove from heat.
4. Stir in the peanut butter and vanilla until smooth, then stir in the oats.
5. Drop by heaping tablespoons onto wax paper-lined baking sheets.
6. Let cool until set.

Just beware. When you get one out for yourself, you may attract a little friend who may want to share with you.

God's Finger

The other evening I found Mr. Cherry on the front porch snapping pictures of the clouds. The night had a surreal feeling to it. There was clear sky to the east and unusual cloud formations to the west. One of the clouds had the shape of a funnel. Don't worry, it wasn't. I decided it looked like God's finger stirring the air. As we sat there are watched the clouds continued to morph. A constantly changing piece of art.

Stream of Consciousness

I don't have a post prepared for today. Some weeks I have all of my posts lined up by the time Monday morning hits. This is not one of those weeks. I think that the holiday weekend threw me off. So you get lazy blogging for the week. Maybe I will come back strong next week, but for now you get what you get. (You know how the rest of that goes. :o)
Right now I am watching Peachy meticulously picking through her "nnnnack!" I bought the S'mores Goldfish snack this week. I am not sure if she really cares for the dehydrated marshmallows or not. Is it mean of me to feed her that while I bake chocolate chip cookies a few feet away? I don't think that I will be able to get away with that much longer.
She is oh so close to walking, but not quite there yet. Mr. Cherry had predicted a while ago that she would be walking by the Fourth. While he tried his best to encourage that goal, she didn't make it. It amuses me to watch her walk while pushing something. She will actually stop and pick up what she is pushing to get it where she wants, but she won't take a step on her own. Too funny.
She is also in transition from two naps to one. Sometimes I try to give her a late afternoon nap in the hope that it will push her bedtime back a bit. The last few days she has flat out refused to lay down in her crib when I put her in there for this nap. She sits right up and hands me back her pacifiers. Also amusing.
I was looking forward to getting family pictures taken on Monday, but the photographer had a family emergency and had to postpone. This will give me more time to figure out what we will all wear. (Especially the Lil' Peach.)
Since a post just isn't a post without some photos, here you are:

Tutorial Tuesday: Phoebe Bag

I posted about this purse tutorial back in March, but haven't used it for a Tutorial Tuesday yet. Even though this isn't a new project for me, it is a really good one. It is simple, cute, and quick. Ah, now those are some good words, my friends.

Rebekah from Artsy Crafty Babe created this tutorial for her blog. I would say that a beginner sewer could tackle this purse with a little help. The only change I made was to split the pocket so that there is a spot for my cell phone separate from anything else I may stick in there. If you need more inspiration check out the Artsy Crafty Babe Flickr pool.

Foodie Friday: Pizza Pinwheels

Recipe Adapted from: Dragonfly Designs

Ingredients:

-Basic Dough Recipe

-tomato sauce

-basil

-oregano

-garlic powder

-salt

-pesto sauce

-Canadian bacon

-shredded Mozzarella cheese

Directions:

1. After allowing the dough to rest, roll out into a 10 by 12 inch rectangle.

2. Spread half of the dough with the pizza sauce and season with basil, oregano, garlic powder and salt.

3. Spread remaining half with the pesto.

4. Evenly space the Canadian bacon over the top of the sauces.

5. Sprinkle with the Mozzarella.

6. Carefully roll the dough like you are making a jelly roll. (You may have to slightly press the dough as you roll to keep all of the ingredients inside.)

7. Cut the roll into circles 1 inch thick and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.

8. Bake at 325 for 15 - 20 minutes.

Party Dress

Yup. I still have it. The dreaded pillowcase dress itch. 

Here is one of my latest creations for one of Little Peachy's playgroup friends.

Nothing like declaring your voting preference at a young age.

I couldn't resist making a little barrette to go along with it.

And doesn't the pin just remind you of a firework caught in mid-explosion?

Happy Independence Day!!!

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