Creamy Tomato Chicken

We found this recipe on a cooking blog and thought we'd give it a try.

Our pictures don't look so great, but it tasted delicious!!





And here's Dante, waiting for Grandma to visit in her bedroom!!! This is his new favorite spot...its so cute.



Creamy Tomato Chicken

Ingredients
4 thin sliced chicken breasts
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp flour
½ c chicken broth
¼ c light or heavy cream
1 oz cream cheese
4 oz tomato sauce (canned is fine)
½ tsp red pepper flakes
½ tsp oregano
1 tsp butter
½ c parmesan cheese
1 tsp capers

Directions
1. Melt butter in a pan; add chicken and cook until just done; move chicken to a baking dish and cover (keep drippings in the pan)
2. Add flour to the pan and stir until pasty
3. Add chicken broth and red pepper flakes, and minced garlic, simmer 1 min
4. Add cream cheese, cream, tomato sauce, most of the parmesan cheese, and oregano
5. Cook over medium-high heat until thick and bubbly, stirring almost constantly
6. Pour sauce over the chicken; top with capers and the rest of the parmesan cheese
7. Bake on 400 degrees for 10-15 min

Original recipe found on THIS
cooking blog!!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffin Disaster

So Dan really wanted peanut butter chocolate chip muffins. He was practically begging me to make them. So we start making them only to realize we don't have any baking powder. No big deal, right?? Apparently it is. Unless you have a handy baking powder substitute such as molasses or cream of tartar (um, what?) you are screwed!!

We still ate them.



The finished product!!



Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins
Ingredients:

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder - very important!!!!
½ tsp. salt
2/3 cup brown sugar
6 tbsp. butter, melted and cooled
½ cup peanut butter
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
¾ cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375°. Line a muffin pan with 12 paper liners.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and brown sugar. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, peanut butter, eggs and milk until smooth. Add in the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Divide batter evenly between prepared muffin tins, filling each to the top.

Bake for 17-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Soft Pretzels

So last night Dan & I decided to attempt soft pretzels! These were so fun to make and came out GREAT!

Here are some pictures of Dan working hard!



Almost done!



The finished product!



Soft Pretzel Recipe:

1/8 cup hot water
1 package active dry yeast
1 1/3 cup warm water
1/3 cup brown sugar
4 cups all-purpose flour
Coarse kosher salt (we use sea salt)
Baking soda
Butter(to grease cookie sheets)
Vegetable oil (to grease counter)
1 egg, beaten + 1 tbsp water (to brush the pretzels with before baking)

Directions
- In a large bowl, mix together 1/8 cup hot water and 1 package active dry yeast until the yeast dissolves.
- Stir in the 1 1/3 cup warm water and 1/3 cup brown sugar and continue stirring until the brown sugar dissolves.
- Slowly add 4 cups of flour, stirring constantly
- Continue stirring the mixture until it is smooth and does not stick to the sides of the bowl

To continue by hand: flour the counter lightly, and flour your hands. Knead the dough until it is stretchy and smooth.

- Lightly oil your counter
- Grease your cookie sheets generously with butter or shortening. It is very important that you grease the cookie sheets well!
- Sprinkle greased cookie sheets with kosher salt.
- Preheat oven to 475 degrees Farenheit.
- Using a liquid measuring cup, fill a large saucepan at least 1/2 full of water. For each 1 cup of water you add, add 1 tablespoon of baking soda.
- Divide the dough into 4 even pieces, and shape them like a pretzel.
- Bring the water and baking soda in the saucepan to a gentle boil.
- Using a spatula, gently lower each pretzel into the water one-by-one -- counting slowly to 30 before removing the pretzel from the water and placing it on the cookie sheet.
- Repeat until all pretzels are done.
- When all pretzels have been boiled, lightly brush each pretzel with the egg+1 tbsp water mixture, then sprinkle with more kosher salt.
- Bake for 8 minutes, or until the pretzels are golden.

Peter Pan

So Dante has decided to be Peter Pan for Halloween. He LOVES his new costume, he doesn't even want to take it off. Ok, actually he hates it. He tried to eat off his little sword and then just laid there frozen like "WHY are you doing this to me??"

Maybe Dan will be Tinkerbell????

A Day in Dante's Life

I've decided to start a blog with updates on our life & some of our hobbies here in San Diego!! I'll attach a picture of our son, who this blog is named after! :)