Apple Update!

The last few weeks has been hard on my plants - I've lost most of the plants on my front porch and all of my veggies :/  I know it's mostly my fault,  I didn't water as often as I should have (or at all in some cases).  I will say I was pretty disappointed that I forgot the plants on my front porch - I guess that's what happens when you only use the front door once a week lol.  However, I am very happy with my apple tree!  I have 10 apples growing - 4 Fuji and 6 Yellow Transparent (the ones in the picture).  I will definitely need to step up my watering game for the rest of my plants to stay alive, but at least something is going my way lol!

Have a great day!
Beth

Chocolate Sauce 2

I made a new chocolate sauce recipe. This is better suited for an everyday sauce. In my earlier post I talked about how that recipe was amazing. It was better suited for special occasions. This recipe uses water instead of heavy cream. It pours better so I am able to put it in a squeeze bottle which was my goal. I really like this recipe and so does my son which is great. It's really easy to make and I have the ingredients in my pantry to make it at all times.

Recipe source

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
dash of salt
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoons Vanilla

Combine all in medium pan and place over medium heat. While constantly stirring bring to a boil for 2-5 minutes when sauce has thickened. Let cool and store in refrigerator.

Enjoy!

Oven Fried Chicken Tenders

Now that I make all of Eric's food from scratch, I've had a hard time eating healthy food.  I don't eat the same things Eric does (and even if I did I couldn't eat it every day the way he does), so usually I eat fast and easy - which means not very good for me :)

So one of the things I have started doing is to make fast and easy things that are at least made from scratch and with good ingredients.  The first thing I started with is Oven Fried Chicken Tenders - they aren't completely healthy since you bake them in butter but at least they are healthier than deep or pan frying with oil (at least that's what I tell myself).  I will say that they are so yummy I ate what I was hoping would be enough for at least 4 days worth in less than 24 hours...I ate most for dinner and then had the rest for breakfast...ok and maybe a few when I got up at night for water...so I definitely hope you will try them!

Oven Fried Chicken Tenders

2 chicken breasts
4 Tbsp butter
Flour
Seasonings

Cut the chicken into the size you would like, place into a bowl and cover with water.  Add some salt and soak for about an hour.  Mix the flour and seasoning in a bag or a bowl with a lid.  Place the chicken pieces in the flour and shake to coat thoroughly.  Preheat oven to 400° and place a baking sheet or casserole dish into the oven with the butter to melt.  Once the butter is melted, place the floured chicken into the butter and cook for 10-12 minutes.  Flip the chicken over and cook an additional 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.  If there is too much butter left and they aren't browning, place them on a rack over another baking sheet to finish browning.

Eat them hot or let cool and freeze for later meals.

Very easy and definitely better for you than a lot of the store bought or fast food ones!

Have a great day!
Beth

Who? Me?!

So its been a pretty quiet week for me - which means I really don't have anything fun to share!  However I thought it would be funny to share a small problem I have while sewing...that would be Winda's insistence on sitting in my lap while I sew!  Seriously, this dog is scared of everything but sitting in my lap with the sewing machine makes her happy lol.  That look she is giving is her annoyance at having her picture taken - she hates it Lol. Really it's not a big problem except for the parts where I don't have a very big lap and sometimes my legs fall asleep, but then I just put my legs up on another chair...the things I do for my puppy :)

Just for fun - here's another picture of us while I'm sewing...

Who could resist that cute little face!?!

Have a great day!
Beth

Chocolate Sauce

I ran out of my bottled chocolate sauce so I found this and made some quickly. I love it! It does have whipping cream in the ingredients so I will probably reserve this for birthdays, holidays and other special occasions. You definitely need to try this out!

Ingredients

2/3 unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup milk
1 2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a small sauce pan bring milk, cocoa and sugar to a boil over medium heat. While continually stirring cook until it has reached your desired consistency. Turn off heat and stir in vanilla. Let cool before storing in the refrigerator.

So easy right. I will hopefully find another recipe that uses water. This recipe thickens when it cools. Which I'm not complaining! I just want to be able to put into a squeeze bottle and pour it out easier.

I hope you give it a try, let us know if you like it!