Chicken Skilletini

This pasta is soooooo good. I make it all the time and always end up eating a giant bowl. The way I describe it to people is that it's like a lemon chicken Alfredo. Here's the recipe :) hope you like it and if you try it let me know what you think.

Ingredients
Sauce:
1/3 cup lemon juice
6tbs. Heavy whipping cream
1 stick butter
Salt and pepper to taste

Pasta:
Half a box of penne (or your favorite pasta)
4 chicken breast thawed
2tbs. Olive Oil
2tbs. Butter
1 Cup flour
1 bag of crumbled bacon
1 can artichoke hearts
3 tsp. capers

Directions:
I like to make the sauce first. I get a small sauce pan and pour in the lemon juice, turn the stove on high and let the lemon juice reduce till about half is gone. Turn the stove on a low setting like three and add the whipping cream, stir with a whisk for about 8 minutes than start adding the butter two tablespoons at a time. Make sure you keep whisking it or it will seperate a save two tablespoons of the butter for later. Salt and pepper to taste and set away. For the pasta cook the penne according to the directions on the box. In a seperate pan put the olive oil and butter in and put stove on medium. Take the thawed chicken and dredge it in the flour. When oil is hot enough put chicken in pan to cook. It will cook about 5 minutes on each side until it is golden brown and cooked through. While the chicken is cooking I cut up the artichoke hearts into smaller pieces. When chicken is done take it out and cut it into bite size pieces. Put the artichoke hearts, bacon, and capers in pan to cook a few minutes till hot. Turn it off and add chicken, pasta, and half the sauce. Salt and pepper and serve. If people want they can individually add more of the sauce.


UPDATE:
If you are looking to make this a little healthier or wanting to add some more  veggies to you diet than I like to use zucchini instead of pasta. I take about 3 zucchini I peel it and than use a peeler to make the noodles. I saute them for a few minutes with some butter and garlic and add everything else and its good to go.

Calzones

So, I recently learned this great new recipe from my cousin, and I had to share, cause it is delicious!  You need:

*1 Rhodes frozen bread loaf (this will make 4)
*Some cream cheese
*Shredded cheese (you can use whatever cheese you like, I had cheddar on hand, so that's what I used)
*Some sort of filling (I used salami slices cause they looked good at the store, but you can use pepperoni or ham and pineapple or really anything)
*Pizza or tomato paste sauce

1) thaw the bread dough, it might rise while it thaws which is fine.

2) cut it into four portions, and flatten them into ovals

3) spread cream cheese on the ovals

4) sprinkle on the shredded cheese

5) add your filling

6) fold them in half and squish the edges together

7) stock them on a lightly greased cookie sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes at 350, and serve with pizza sauce.

Enjoy!

Minnie Mouse Cupcakes

One of the main highlights of a birthday is your cake. I wanted Andie's 1st birthday cake to be amazing, plus I wanted to make it myself instead of getting a store bought and spending loads of money. I searched Pinterest high and low and eventually came past this picture.

How cute are these little cupcakes complete with Oreo ears and fruit by the foot bow. These would be so easy to make as long as I could figure out how to tie a bow out of fruit by the foot. I couldn't find a tutorial with it so I played around with a few fruit by the foots and finally mastered how to make these cute little bows (these are all my testers).

Finding red fruit by the foot was difficult, everything is rainbow and colorful these days. At Winco is where I finally find an all red box. With each fruit by the foot you could make about 6 bows but plan for extra for errors.

Cut a long strip and a short strip of the fruit by the foot. With the short piece of fruit by the foot cut it in half the long way.

Wrap the long strip of fruit by the foot and smash the edges together to connect in a loop.

Pinch the middle of the loop and squish together to make into a bow shape.

Take the smaller piece and wrap around the squished middle part of the bow.

Now you have your beautiful cute little bow to add on each cupcake :)

- Laurel Wadsworth -

Minnie Mouse Plates

It's impossible to find red Minnie Mouse party supplies. I had to get creative with my plates because plain black ones would be lame at an awesome birthday :)

First gather your supplies needed. I had my big black plates, scotch tape, double sided tape, black paper and a circle to trace on the black paper to make your ears - I used a baby bowl, and red napkins (not pictured below).

Once the circles for the ears on your Minnie Mouse head plate are traced and cut out flip your black plate over. Tape the ears on the back of the plate.

Flip the plate back over to the correct eating side up. Take your napkin and fold it in half. Then pinch down the middle of the napkin and tape around the middle to hold into a bow shape.

Take a piece of double sided tape and apply to the plate between your taped on ears and place the napkin bow on top to make the Minnie Mouse head (the ears are really floppy at this point in time).

Roll a piece of scotch tape or take more double sided tape and place a piece on the back corner of your napkin bow on each side and stick to the ears (this will hold your ears in place).

Now you have your cute red Minnie Mouse plate to give the party a little something extra :)

- Laurel Wadsworth -

Minnie Mouse Banner

There are so many cute ideas from Pinterest on any theme of a party you can imagine. I started a Minnie Mouse folder and my mind was racing with ideas. Of course I am a poor young family just starting out and going through school so we don't have all the money floating around. Instead of buying fancy decorations I bought a pile of black and red construction paper and went to work.

First I found circular items that would work for my Minnie Mouse shaped ears and head. I happened to use our kitchen bowls and a lid to a jar.

After you traced your items and made enough for your banner, one for each letter. You pull out your handy scissors and get to cutting (I watched Vampire Diaries to entertain me as I cut).

I then found a bow off of the internet I liked and copy and pasted it into a word document and made it the size I wanted for my Minnie heads. I then printed and traced all my bows (if I did it the smart way I would of printed all the bows onto red paper and just went on cutting them out, but I wanted to save ink not time).

I have alphabet utensils that I traced onto white paper and cut out those as well to say "Happy Birthday Andie" and "One".

After I had all my pieces cut out, I then went glue crazy and glued the pieces all together to make my amazing banner that I love! (I can only show you a preview right now, the whole banner will be in her birthday post).

- Laurel Wadsworth -

Minnie Mouse Napkins

With all the planning of my daughters party and our family Disneyland vacation I have been so busy. Last minute I decided the party utensils were to plain, so I threw another thing on my to do list.

First I searched for a Minnie Mouse that I could cut out and glue to white strips of paper to wrap around the utensils and napkins.

Once the image was found, I copied and pasted the picture 36 times. Then I had the joy of cutting those little Minnie Mouse heads out and glueing them to the white strips I cut out earlier (cut out white strips of paper as thick as you would like and just short enough to overlap a little when wrapped around the utensils).

Placing the utensils 1/3 of the napkin in I rolled them up and placed the white strip around the middle of the rolled napkin.

Glue the end of one of the strips of white paper to hold the utensil roll together and the decor held on.

Such a cute a simple decoration to add to the plain plastic birthday utensils :)

- Laurel Wadsworth -

Advice on waiting for a missionary

Recently I read a blog post about waiting for missionary from another girl. I found her post a little to harsh and didn't fully agree so I thought I would write my own post about my thoughts on waiting and advice I would give myself.

If you want to hear about Brandon and I before his mission I have our story told in the about us section. Brandon's mission was great but there alot of things I wish I would have realized at the time. Before you read this just realize that all I am about to say is just my personal opinion, every girl receives her own personal revelation about what is right and it might be different from what was right for me. So here it goes if I could go back and give myself advise this would be it

Freshman stage(1-6 months) and Sophmore stage (6-12 months)
- start saving right now I know shopping is therapeutic and you are constantly buying Ben and Jerry's  because they are the only other men in your life but you don't need those and marriage and all the plans you have in the future are expensive and you can save so much if you just cut that in half. Also try to avoid debt because that effects more than you someday

-keep busy this could mean go work, be around friends, or learn new hobbies. I could been awesome at so many different thing if I used the time I spent crying to develop my talents. Also if you keep busy it helps the sadness

-it's ok to be sad sometimes but you have so many blessings that others don't and you are loved so realize those things and don't dwell on being sad all the time

-he still loves you he can't always send letters but he loves you!!! Be glad he is focused

- don't be too jealous I know it's hard but try

- keep fit and don't eat too much Ben and Jerry's

-keep a journal and write everything down

-keep you letters uplifting

Junior stage(12-18 months) and senior stage( 18-24 months)
- it's ok he is not writing you as much, it means he is focused and being a good missionary

- remember its ok to date and have fun. It helps you grow and really realize your missionary is right. It's even ok if you date someone for a bit. If you are supposed to be with your mish you will even if you date while he is gone

-Put your life in Heavenly Fathers hands, your missionary is doing this and you should be too. He has a plan that will make you the happiest. Remember that even if it is different from yours.

- it's ok that you are scared but you have made it this far so you will be good :)

-grow spiritually make sure you are going to church, reading scriptures, going to the temple, and that you have good friends who uplift you

-it's ok if things don't work out exactly how you planned

- keep  exercising and make sure you feel great about how you look and feel.

- remember how blessed you are and all the great experiences you've had for two years

- everything works out how it should

Graduated

The day he comes home get all dolled up, try to eat and relax. BREATHE!!!!! People will tell you he is going to be weird. He might be or he will be like mine and is so totally normal that it freaks you out and you are weird. Also it's ok to like hold hands, you won't break him I promise. Enjoy because this is a fun time and your future looks bright :)