Seventeen Months

In honor of Ryleigh's seventeenth month on this Earth, I thought maybe I'd put up some pictures.  It's becoming increasingly difficult to actually get a picture of her since once she sees the camera she immediately thinks the camera is a toy for her to play with.  She then whines and cries if you don't give it to her, and if you do give it to her, she either drools on it or throws it.

I don't want to say that our little princess is turning into our little hellion because I'm sure she's not that bad compared to some.  But she is no longer "becoming" a toddler...she is a full blown toddler and she is getting very good at testing those boundaries and letting us know what she thinks about things (with high pitched squeals).  She is using sign language (more, butterfly, bird, random things), saying "please" & "thank you", using the potty when put on it, recognizing colors, shapes and animals.  So overall, we think she is a genius!

I don't know...you be the judge....

huggin' my Sing-A-Ma-Jig

playing in the pillows

the excitement in uncontrollable when Olivia comes on

"Excuse me, we're trying to work here!"

fascinated by the garbage truck

ready for summer!

when it's empty, if you turn it over, it becomes something to chew on

clearly this is the most comfortable way to watch TV

Mommy was getting in the way of watching Olivia

"What? Am I not supposed to be in here?"

Cooking: Easy yet impressive dinners

Since I've gone back to work I haven't been able to blog like I used to.  In fact, I haven't been able to do a lot of things like I used to...like try new recipes.  I was really determined to not let a 40 hour work week interfere with our family dinners.  Unfortunately because our little princess now has to wake up at 6:45 am for daycare, that means she no longer stays up until 8 pm.  In fact, we're lucky if she makes it past 6:20 pm. Needless to say Ryleigh dinner happens much earlier than Mommy & Daddy dinner.  And most of the time because Ryleigh dinner is different than Mommy & Daddy dinner, Mommy & Daddy dinner has been...lacking.  Well now that Ive been in my new position for a few months I've luckily been able to try some new recipes...some good, some bad.  Thought I'd share a couple of the good ones with y'all.

I took this using the food setting on my new camera...fancy, huh?

Chili braised pork with green beans & mashed sweet potatoes

1 1/2 lbs. boneless country style pork ribs
Salt & pepper
3 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 3/4 cups low sodium chicken broth
3 tbsp. all purpose flour Chili powder
2 sweet potatoes (1 lbs.) peeled, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tsp. sugar
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 lbs. green beans, trimmed

Season pork with salt & pepper. In a large skillet, heat 1 tsp. oil over medium high heat. Add pork and cook until browned on both sides, about 7 minutes total. Whisk together broth, flour, and 1/2 tsp. chili powder and add to skillet. Bring liquid to a boil; reduce to a rapid simmer, cover, and cook 30 minutes. Uncover and cook until pork is tender and sauce is thickened, about 20 minutes. In a medium pot, bring sweet potatoes to a boil in salted water over high. Reduce to a rapid simmer and cook until tender when pierced with a knife, 20 minutes. Drain potatoes and return to pot; mash until fluffy and almost smooth. Stir in sour cream and sugar, season with salt & pepper, and keep warm over low. In a large skillet, heat 2 tsp. oil over medium high. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add green beans & 1/4 cup water, cover & cook 3 minutes. Uncover & cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender & water is evaporated, 2 minutes. Season with salt & pepper and serve with pork, sauce, and sweet potatoes sprinkled with chili powder.

This next recipe took me literally 20 minutes. I had my chicken breasts that followed the recipe, then I had a packet of frozen Green Giant veggies that took 5 minutes to steam, then a box of rice that took 12 minutes in the microwave. I mean, this looks pretty impressive for only 20 minutes in the kitchen, right?

I had to take this picture with my phone...not as fancy : (

Sautéed Chicken in Mustard-Cream Sauce

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 tbsp. olive oil
1/4 cup dry white wine (or chicken broth)
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. dried tarragon

Sprinkle chicken breast with salt & pepper. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Add chicken; sauté until cooked through, 10-12 minutes, turning once. Transfer to plate & keep warm. Pour wine into hot skillet; cook, stirring, until reduced by half, about 1 minute. Whisk in cream, mustard, & tarragon. Cook, whisking, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Pour any accumulated chicken juices into sauce. Right before serving, drizzle cream over chicken.

I found both of these recipes from my Everyday Food magazine that I get monthly.