Wednesday, November 4, 2009

tweet, tweet






My baby is turning 2 next week! So, of course I am turning my sadness about that into party planning! This post from Party Perfect is perfection! Tweet, tweet! {I am such a copy cat, I know} Late last night I was madly finishing invitations and tonight I had my girlfriend over here slaving over stuffed birds(as in fabric and cotton, not turkey and seasoned bread). Tomorrow I need birdhouses. And who thinks I can pull off the cake in the top photo?

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

penne rustica

recipe and photo found here
Look at me! 2 posts in 1 day! I had to share this with you, I am just popping it into the oven for dinner and it is so yummy! Warning though, the recipe is HUGE!I made a few changes(in brackets) to suit our family's taste and what I had on hand. It took some time to prepare all the steps, but I probably ended up with at least 4 meals for our family.

Ingredients:
12 oz. grilled chicken breast (marinate in olive oil and garlic salt overnight, then grill on barbecue for best flavor)-{rotisserie chickens are my best friend}
½ pack thick bacon-{used whole package, who doesn't like more bacon?}
48 oz. (3 boxes) penne pasta-{I used rotini}
2 large red bell peppers- diced-{I used 4, I don't want to cook a separate vegetable, do you?}
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
½ tsp paprika
Gratinata Sauce:
2 tsp butter
2 tsp chopped garlic
1 cup marsala wine OR 1/3 cup apple juice + 2 tbsp red wine vinegar +enough chicken broth to equal 1 cup
1 tsp dijon or dry mustard
1 tsp salt
1 tsp chopped rosemary
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
8 cups heavy cream-{I used 4c.cream and 4c. half & half}
Directions:
Saute garlic in butter in large pan. Add marsala wine, mustard, salt, rosemary, cayenne pepper, and heavy cream.Cook pasta according to directions. Cook bacon. Slice chicken into medium-bite size pieces.Combine sauce, cooked pasta, diced chicken, cooked bacon, bell peppers, parmesan cheese, and paprika and mix thoroughly. Spread in pans. Top with chopped rosemary and mozzarella cheese.
Bake @ 475 for 10 minutes. If frozen, thaw in refrigerator the day of. Cover with foil and bake @ 375 for 1 hour. Remove foil during the last 15 minutes.
Number Of Servings: Yields one 8×8 and two 9×13 casserole dishes.
Preparation Time: More than an hour

olivia taps

Olivia started taking tap lessons this fall. This is what we get to watch every Monday afternoon. I took this video through glass, so it looks a it funny.