Did You Know - Thursday

Some of you already know this.

I am thinking it may surprise others.

The 'Boyfriend' is now The Fiancé!

Hip Hip Hooray! 

We're Engaged! (7/4/2010)

I SuRpRiSe Myself

I think everyone that reads this blog knows that I watch a lot of TV....specifically the Food Network. I idolize Ina Garten. I could watch cooking shows practically all day on any given Saturday.  I remember when I sat in on Giada's Cookbook conversation gathering back in April, she mentioned that new cooks should start with "assembling". Find things to match together without the need to cook a great deal...(ie. taco salad, lasagna, cheeseburgers, pasta with sauce). Well last night I broke out of my "assembling" funk, and really cooked. I had 3 pieces of cookware on my stove, going at the exact same time.

My friend Erica gave me the idea to try a new recipe for dinner this week...Chicken Marsala. I am not afraid to try new recipes, especially if I know it will win me points with the boyfriend! This week I had to go outside of my normal grocery shopping list to pick up some ingredients. I didn't even know if Walmart Grocery sold Marsala Wine...but sure enough they had one brand to choose from.  I wish I was as snazzy as the Pioneer Woman and documented my cooking last night, because it was unbelievable. The chicken turned out moist, the marsala wine sauce - to die for, and the bit of spaghetti made to compliment the chicken...al dente! Oh - I did microwave some steam fresh brocolli at the last minute before sitting down for dinner - I mean something had to be easy.

I was so proud of myself and gave myself a pat on the back. It was the great end to the day...knowing that I tried something new and dang it actually turned out! I even called my parents to tell them.  Thanks Erica! - great idea, keep them coming!

Here is the recipe - Chicken Marsala - Epicurious

Ingredients
1 3/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth (14 fl oz)
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
10 oz mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh sage
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves (2 lb total)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons dry Marsala wine
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Preparation
Bring broth to a boil in a 2-quart saucepan over high heat, then boil, uncovered, until reduced to about 3/4 cup, about 20 minutes.

Cook shallot in 3 tablespoons butter in an 8- to 10-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until shallot begins to turn golden, about 1 minute. Add mushrooms, 1 teaspoon sage, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid mushrooms give off is evaporated and mushrooms begin to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat.

Put flour in a wide shallow bowl. Gently pound chicken to 1/4 inch thick between 2 sheets of plastic wrap using the flat side of a meat pounder or a rolling pin.

Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper, then dredge in flour, 1 piece at a time, shaking off excess. Transfer to sheets of wax paper, arranging chicken in 1 layer.

Heat 1 tablespoon each of oil and butter in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then sauté half of chicken, turning over once, until golden and just cooked through, about 4 minutes total. Transfer cooked chicken to a large heatproof platter, arranging in 1 layer, then put platter in oven to keep warm. Wipe out skillet with paper towels and cook remaining chicken in same manner, then transfer to oven, arranging in 1 layer. ( i didn't put anything in the oven...to much work and too hot of a day to turn on the darn oven)

Add 1/2 cup wine to skillet and boil over high heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, about 30 seconds. Add reduced broth, cream, and mushrooms, then simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce is slightly thickened, 6 to 8 minutes. Add lemon juice and remaining 2 tablespoons wine and 1/2 teaspoon sage.

Serve chicken with sauce. If you want, boil some thin spaghetti to go along with the chicken. It is a great side!

DC - Part 2

aside from the amazing cupcakes in DC, i have to admit i really enjoyed the busy city and surrounding towns. here is a breakdown of the trip -

friday (day)- emily, abbey and i headed to mt. vernon to check out george washington's pad. lets just say it was pretty awesome. it is surrounded by beautiful magnolia trees, gardens and of course the potomac river in the background. we were able to tour the grounds and inside his actual house. in his bedroom is the bed that he actually died in...creepy. i was sort of wondering if his estate was haunted. good trip - definitely visit if you're planning a trip to dc.

friday (evening)  - downtown dc! dinner at Founding Farmers. check out victoria's pictures and recap here ... Out to Dinner with Girls

saturday (day) - i am pretty sure this is the day that belle (victoria's mischievous dog) escaped. yes, i had been warned several times to make sure you close the door quickly or she will escape. well turns out that belle made her 9th escape in the past 2 weeks. she fooled me and boy was she fast. victoria eventually captured her. tricky dog. after that, we headed out to maryland to take a beautiful sailing trip on the chesapeake bay. once again, check out vic's blog about the sailing trip - she has some great pictures that appear to be taken prior to my sunburn. Skip Jack!

saturday (evening) - we stopped for some fresh crab and shrimp in st. michaels - very small town in maryland. delicious. then ran through an outlet mall on the way home. i was surprised i had some self control since they had a Coach store there...i was just too tired to shop.

sunday (morning) - slept in, went to a movie and headed downtown.  i had been wanting to go to the smithsonian museum of american history and abbey wanted to go to an art museum close by so it worked out perfect. unfortunately i didn't take any pictures. they had the coolest display of the first ladies inaugural ball gowns. some of the women were so small and petite but not mrs. obama. that lady is tall and strong. her dress was gorgeous and so were her jimmy choo's neatly sitting next to her dress. we read at the museum that they build the figures to be the size of the actual first lady...and did not alter the dress to fit the figure. mrs. reagan was super tiny!

sunday (evening) - we decided to head over to the capitol building and watch the pbs memorial day concert. there were all sort of actors and performers. brad paisley was there and played a couple of tunes. it was very emotional and heartfelt. it was a great way to spend our sunday evening.

monday (last day) - we got up early and went downtown to see all of the major monuments. jefferson and lincoln were my favorites.  the vietnam memorial was very special. the boyfriend's uncle - james clarence strube - has his name engraved on the wall amongst all of the other heros. JC served our country until June 11, 1969.  I think the boyfriend looks a lot like JC. They have a beautiful memorial of him in powhattan, ks. so it was very special to see that he made his mark in DC as well.

we headed over to georgetown for a quick breakfast before catching our plane home. it was a quick weekend full of excitment and emotions. thanks vic, emily and rachel for a great weekend! you're quite the hostesses!!!

WiCHiTA

This past weekend, the boyfriend and the girls (hurl & harp) made a road trip to Wichita, KS to see some friends from college. Megan and Biff (aka Sean) live there. Friday night we ventured to over to WSU to see the Shockers play some baseball. They had young lawyers night at the game so we were able to meet a lot of their fun friends. Saturday we got up and decided to go car shopping. They are not in the market to buy a car...but I have been eyeing the Ford Edge and I really wanted to test drive. I loved it and was ready to trade in my fusion. However, it was out of my price range. Maybe I'll start looking for a used Edge. Anyways- that was interesting and everyone should buy a vehicle at some point in their life.  It is such a game...and is really annoying. I wish they could just be straight up with you on the price. If only it was as easy as going grocery shopping. Saturday evening we headed West to Cheney, KS to a local bar called, Hank is Wiser.  The owner is a homebrewer from Cheney. He and his famiy run the joint. They have a Cherry Beer...that was a hit. The boyfriend and I decided to have the sampler...which consisted of their 6 main beers. I preferred the Porter and Stout. The boyfriend enjoyed the IPA. Sunday we got up and went to breakfast then drove home. We had such a great time with Megan and Biff. They have a lovely home and 2 cute dogs! By the way - Harp and Hurl slept the entire way back to KC. They were so tired from playing with Rudy and Henry. 

We are hoping to make another visit later this year so we can attend the KS State Fair in Hutchinson. Just thinking about it makes me want a corn dog. LOL.

I wanted to share a recipe with all of you - Megan made it to have as a snack.

McGivern Cheese Dip
1 can of mushrooms, sliced (drained)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 pkg of HOT pork sausage (roll) - cook in skillet then drain excess juice.
1 head of broccoli cut the florettes off and add to cheese (minimal stalks)
1 brick of Velveeta
1 can of rotel (don't drain).

Heat in crockpot and serve with tortilla chips

Blueberry French Toast

Did the title of the blog get your attention?!?! Sunday morning, the boyfriend and I were watching Giada - on Food Network and she made this amazing baked blueberry frenchtoast. It was a good thing we were going to the grocery store that morning because we picked up the ingredients and made it for a late breakfast. It was delicious and is now my 'Go To breakfast / brunch recipe' to serve to friends and family.  I would definitely recommend this...super fast and super easy!

Baked French Toast with Blueberries

Herbs

So remember this post...Good Mail, Good Friend, Great Idea ? Well, Sunday afternoon the boyfriend and I threw it together. I have to say, it turned out pretty awesome. We have the following Herbs - basil, rosemary, cilantro, italian parsley, mint, chives and oregano. We can't wait to get cooking this summer. I just hope that once I put them to use, they'll grow back!

Boyfriend = 28

This Cool Guy Turns 28 Today. 

Cheers to a few more years in your 20s!

XOXO

Anne, Hurley & Harper

Gamer.

Modern Warfare II, FIFA, Madden 2010, Tiger Woods 2010... just to name a few...

Ashley purchased a PS3 the day after Thanksgiving. He absolutely loves the darn thing and will play for hours. He loves it so much that we bought a new TV for upstairs.  I have learned a lot about levels, prestige status, different weapons, chopper gunner....oh and how you can "knife people".  The really cool thing about Modern Warfare II and PS3 is that you can play practically anyone at anytime. It allows you to talk and listen to the people that you're playing with. I have to say the language is definitely not rated G and sometimes you'll hear babies crying in the background. 

I think the next time that happens, I'll yell in the background "GO GET YOUR CHILD"

Here is a picture of what it looks like 'most' evenings at my house.  I guess the only cool thing for me is that he purchased Wheel of Fortune and UNO, so that I can play too.