Thursday, June 30, 2011

Baked Chicken

Or chicken with the skin as Andon calls it. Seriously, this is Jared and Andon's favorite thing to have for dinner. They have requested this chicken for their birthday dinners for the last two years and that's saying a lot because for birthday's we get to choose wherever we want to go. Mama always wants to go out! But I have no problem making this for them.

I know there are so many ways to bake a chicken..

So many different seasonings you could use either oil or butter or both but that's the beauty of it. You can just use what you have. So when I went to make it yesterday these are the seasonings I decided to use. I always use Lawry's seasoning and garlic salts. Also, cracked black pepper. I like to use an Italian seasoning or Thyme but I didn't have any so I used a peppercorn and garlic rub that I had.

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I usually use Olive oil to rub my chicken with but was out of that too! So I went with this which worked just as well.

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Go ahead and preheat your oven to 325 degrees.

The next thing you want to do is wash your chicken off, pat it dry and place it on a baking sheet.

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Then I put my hand in a sandwich bag, pour a little oil on the chicken and just rub it all in. Make sure to get the wings and legs and all.

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Now it's time to season her up.

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Then just put it in the oven for 2 hours. That's all!!

After about 30 minutes I usually put some potatoes in the oven to bake and right before that's all ready i'll make some corn on the cob or another easy vegetable.

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And here she is, ready to be served. So yummy!

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As soon as Jared walks in from work he knows what's for dinner. Your house will be smelling so good! Enjoy.

Funny story... My Mom told me how to make this about 7 years ago when I finally wanted to start cooking. Before I had kids I just really didn't care to. Well, the first time I made it I was so happy and proud of myself. The house was smelling great and I was so excited for Jared to get home so we could eat this great meal that I had made! We get everything on the table and sit down to eat. Jared goes to cut into the chicken and it's not cooked all the way! Not only that, I had left that bag of nasty stuff inside ( the neck and something else.) I don't even buy them with that in them anymore! Needless to say, I couldn't eat it. Jared was trying to put it back in the oven and saying it wasn't a big deal but I was so bummed. Thank goodness I have gotten a lot better at my cooking skillz since then! :)

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

So Busted!

We've quickly learned that you can't leave the pantry doors open around here.

This little stinker will go right in and help herself.

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I have been so busy cleaning every corner of this house today to get ready for company for the next five days that I wasn't paying attention.

So, she went in and got herself a box of cheerios. And I caught her red-handed!

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No, she didn't eat the whole bag. It was mostly empty to begin with.

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But that didn't stop her from finishing it off.

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Monday, June 27, 2011

The Most Simple yet Delicious Guacamole!

Wanna know how to make the most simple yet the most delicious guacamole ever?!? It really is so easy to make.

All you need is this sweet little package... Plus two avocados.

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And these two beauties... Yes, there are plenty more things you could add but you don't have to.

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Take your avocados and cut them in half.

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Then just take your knife and pop the seeds out.

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Next, take your knife and slice the inside of each half of the avocado both ways. It just makes it easier to get it all out.

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Take a spoon and scrape all the avocado out of the skin.

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Now take the back of a fork and mash the avocados to the consistency you like. I like it somewhat chunky but not too much.

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Now you can add the seasoning packet and the diced red onion. I only added a little onion because we were going to a friend's house whose hubby doesn't like them.

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And the last thing I add is the tomatoes. I try to get most of the seeds out because I don't want it to water down my guacamole.

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And there you have it! This guacamole is so so so so so good!!! Eat it with your favorite chips preferably the really really thin ones! Mmmmm... Enjoy! :)

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Sunday, June 19, 2011

Our Week in iPhone Pics

I just haven't had it in me lately to pull out my camera every time one of my kids is doing something photo worthy. Sometimes I feel like I am missing out on what's going on when I am so pre-occupied with taking pictures. But don't get me wrong I love taking pics of my kids. So it's been easy just pulling my phone out whenever I feel like snapping a quick photo here and there. Here's some fun ones from the past week.

There's a lot of reading going on around here this summer and everyone's benefiting. Adelyn loves sitting in her chair listening to Andon's stories.

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A light saber and a bottle. What more could a girl ask for?

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Mama's new hair color. Had to get rid of those grey's!

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We had fun making cupcakes and celebrating Andon's friend Jakob's 7th Birthday.

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Sleepover night!

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Adelyn's favorite shoes! Seriously, she wants to put them on as soon as she wakes up in the morning.
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Her first visit to Chuck E. Cheese and if i'm lucky her last. :) Not 15 minutes after we were there kids came in my the busloads!
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Meeting my cousin Heather's new baby, Audrey. Andon wanted to hold her the whole time she was awake but so did I! I thought it was so sweet that he was wanting to love on her. So I gave up some of my baby holding time for him.

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It's been a busy few weeks around here. Jared is in the middle of a major job change and we are getting ready to move again. We are daily praying for direction, peace and strength through this time of transition in our life. It has been hard but good if that makes any sense at all. Thanks so much for walking it with us...

Jen

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Beach Days

Last weekend our little family headed to the beach for the day. The kids and I have actually gone quite a few times this year already with our friends. But it's so nice to be able to go with Daddy. And not just because he can help haul all that stuff down there!

He loves to play in the water with the kids and make sand castles and buy ice cream from the ice cream truck that drives by with the obnoxious music. I never buy it but Daddy, he always buys it.

There is always a moment for me while sitting there listening to the ocean, feeling the breeze and just relaxing in the sun that I think... this is perfect. I love going to the beach and lucky for me so do my kids. They aren't the ones who don't want to get in the water (except this last weekend when I thought I felt something on my foot and started freaking out and Andon was watching me the whole time and starts running like a wild banchee out of the water. :)) But we recovered when I told him that I think it was some shell or something. Really, i'll never know what it was but it was weird feeling.

I never really like to take my camera to the beach because I don't want to get sand in it but I decided to take it with us this time.

I can only get pictures of the back of her because once she sees the water, she's gone!

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And he lives for boogie boarding now. He will do it the whole time we're there. Come home with a rash all over his belly from the board and the salt water.

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Playing with daddy in the water.

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And just for fun here are a couple pics from our beach trip last year on Memorial Day.

What a difference a year makes!

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We are getting into the swing of summer around here. Since we homeschool we don't take the full summer off but we do chill out on the daily grind of keeping to the schedule and getting our work done. Let's just say we're pretty relaxed about it during the summer and it feels so nice!