Just another recipe

One of the wonderful benefits of our family moving to IL is that I now have the opportunity to stay home with Josie.  It has been a huge adjustment, to say the least!  The first couple of weeks were not easy for either of us.  We were stressed and living in what felt like constant upheaval.  But, thankfully, our lives are starting to settle....and she and I are finding our groove. 


I am trying to make a conscious effort to plan weekly meals and make homemade meals each night.  It will take a few months for us to build a variety of recipes we really like, but right now I am trying new recipes and revisiting old favorites. 


Tonight we enjoyed a brand new recipe I pulled out of an old Cooking Light Magazine!  Open Faced Chicken Sandwiches with Artichoke Pesto!  This pesto is AMAZING!!!  This is definitely a keeper and one we will fix often. I made sweet potato bites as a side and the two items were a great mix.


Open Faced Chicken Sandwiches with Artichoke Pesto:
3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/2 tsp salt, divided
1/2 tsp pepper, divided
Cooking spray
6 ounces drained canned artichoke hearts
2 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, shaved and divided (about 1/2 cup)
2 Tbsp pine nuts
2 Tbsp canola mayonnaise
2 tsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves
4-6 slices of multi grain bread
3 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley


1.  Preheat broiler to high
2.  Cut each chicken breast half in half lengthwise to form 2 cutlets.  Sprinkle with 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.  Heat a pan over medium-high heat.  Coat pan with cooking spray and cook chicken until done.
3.  Combine artichokes, 3 Tbsp cheese, nuts, mayo, oil, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, and garlic in a mini food processor; pulse until coarsely ground.  (we don't have a mini food processor, so I used our magic bullet).
4.  Place bread slices on a baking sheet, broil 1 minute on each side.  Spread a couple of tablespoons pesto on each slice.  Slice chicken; place 3 ounces on each bread slice.  Top with remaining cheese and parsley. 


Sweet potato bites:
2-3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
olive oil
kosher salt
pepper


1. Preheat oven to 400
2. Place sweet potato cubes into large boil.  Drizzle with olive oil and stir to coat. 
3.  Spread cubes onto baking sheet in single layer.  Sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper.
4.  Bake for 30 minutes


We love sweet potatoes and try to incorporate them into a meal at least once a week, but this is honestly our favorite way to eat them.  It's simple and delicious....and really hard to screw up! 

Refreshing Cilantro Soup

Last year a friend of mine from work made Cilantro Soup.  Although I love Cilantro, to be completely honest....I thought it sounded gross.  Thankfully, I tasted it before making the final decision. 


Cilantro Soup is easy, tasty, and incredibly refreshing!  It is a great summer soup (those words don't seem like they should go together) and would be perfect with a couple of light beers and limes or margaritas!


Cilantro Soup:
-1 lb. meat (1/2 ground turkey, 1/2 sweet Italian sausage)
-1 box of chicken broth
-1 can whole kernel corn
-1 can black beans (rinsed)
-1 can diced tomatoes
-2 Tbsp. minced garlic
-2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
-1 bunch of fresh cilantro*


Brown the meat in a skillet.  Drain.  Add browned/drained meat and all ingredients into a large stock pot.  Bring to a boil, turn down heat, and simmer for about 30 minutes. 


Toppings:
-fresh chopped cilantro, tortilla chips, shredded cheese, sour cream, avocado! 


*I don't eat the full sprigs of Cilantro in the cooking pot, although you can.  I usually spoon them out before serving (only because they are stringy).

A lot can happen in 3 months

I am so annoyed with Blogger right now I could scream.  Not only did I write an entire post that was somehow mysteriously lost in cyber-space (do people still call it cyber-space), but this silly site won't load a picture I desperately want to include in this blog.

I promise......a lot has happened in 3 months, more than just me whining about my blog host....so here we go-

Brandon accepted a new job in December and started in early January.  The job, however, was not in Knoxville, TN.  Instead....the job was in Danville, IL (see...I told you a lot had happened).  If you are currently asking yourself, where is Danville, IL.....join the club!!! Danville, IL is located about 35 miles east of Champaign, IL.  If you are currently asking yourself where Champaign, IL is located....well...I can't help you.  Just kidding.  It's in Illinois.  Google it. 

So, Brandon left for a job 400 miles from home in January.  We put our house on the market almost immediately.  I put in a notice at work and we hired a couple of crews to paint the house and replace all our carpets.  Between  showings and work crews and packing...it was a stressful few weeks.  Before we knew it, the house sold and we were just waiting for a closing date.  We closed on our Knoxville house on February 18th, found a home we really liked in Champaign (yes, we decided to live in Champaign) and closed on our new home on February 28th! 

We have been here for less than a full month, but we already really like it!  Our new home has a lot more space, which is a huge bonus!  We have met a handful of our neighbors already and we are really excited to get to know people better once the weather warms up.  We also joined the local YMCA, which is the nicest gym I have ever been too (not to mention it's brand new).  That has been a great way for me to meet new people, too.  Overall, our lives have changed a lot, but everything has been exciting, new and positive.  When we realized we were likely going to need to move away from Knoxville, Brandon and I decided to embrace this new journey in our lives.  We knew that this new adventure could be as amazing as we wanted it to be, or as painful as we wanted.  We decided our attitudes would remain positive and open and optimistic!  We would make this new chapter great!  And so far, it has been!  Although I will say we could do with less winter and a little more spring, already! 

So here we are!  Cold, currently, but excited for our new environment!  I promise to upload a picture of our new home, as soon as BLOGGER will allow it.  Until then.....Farewell from Illinois!