Chicken Sandwiches and Brownies

I just ate possible the best chicken sandwich.  Ever.  I got the recipe from The Pioneer Woman, HERE.  It was tender and juicy.  The crunch and tang from the slaw was a perfect compliment.  My only complaint? I overloaded my sandwich and had to use a fork to eat it.  But that's really not a complaint.  James' was bigger and he ate it just fine... he doesn't mind juice running down his elbows.   Doesn't this look good! 




I made something I saw a picture of on pinterest a few days ago.  We had leftovers of that for dessert today.  I don't know what the actual recipe is but based on the picture I saw, I just bought a package of cookie dough already portioned out.  Lined a pan with those, then layered oreos on top of that, then poured brownie batter on top of that.  I baked it according to the brownie directions.  Add a glass of cold whole milk and you have a pretty awesome dessert.  All 6 of us really enjoyed it! 

Wordless Wednesday - Sleeping Snuggles

Menu Monday 5/28/12

I finally did a menu plan! 

Pizza Bites and a green salad
Slow Cooker Cream Cheese Chicken Chili (I think I'll top it with cilantro since I have some on hand for another recipe) **EDIT 6/3:  I used enough boneless skinless chicken breast strips to cover the bottom of the crockpot plus a couple more.  I only cooked it in the crockpot on low for 4 hours.  About half an hour before it was done, I added a diced avocado.  Then we served it with tortilla chips, cheese, cilantro, and more avocado.  It was a HUGE hit. 
Asian Flat Iron Steak w/ rice and steamed broccoli
BBQ Chicken sandwiches w/ cilantro slaw
BLA (Bacon, Lettuce, Avocado sandwiches... James will probably have the T, too.)

Feel free to tell me what's on your menu.  I am always looking for new ideas!

Creamy Pasta Salad

I haven't been diligent with my menu planning but I did make a list of meals last week that we did use some of.  The hits were:

Stove Top Easy Cheesy Chicken Bake - everyone loved it, even the baby.  The only thing I do differently is add seasoning to the chicken.

Chicken & Veggie Stir Fry, Fried Rice, and Chung's All Natural Vegetable Spring Rolls - I made the everything but the spring rolls homemade and it was good!  James and I were surprised at how delicious the spring rolls were but I think it was because it was made out of real stuff and not a long list of crazy things we couldn't pronounce.  They were very light and tasty.  We tried their chicken egg rolls too but they weren't great and they are loaded with mystery ingredients. 

I know I cooked more than that last week but I can't for the life of me remember what.  We did eat a lot of sandwiches on fresh bread from the bakery at Fresh. My favorite is the rosemary olive oil bread with salami, chicken, lettuce, and a little creole mustard.  Delish! 

Today James is smoking ribs and I am cooking purple hull peas and made up a tangy, creamy pasta salad to go with it.  I found the recipe for the pasta salad on All-Recipes but altered it based on preference and what I had on hand.  Click the link above for the original recipe and I'll post my version below.

1 bag of whacky spirals cooked according to package directions and cooled
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
15 baby carrots thinly sliced
Dressing:
Mix up 1/2 c mayonnaise, 1/4 c prepared ranch dressing (I used HV this time but you should definitely try the pioneer woman's homemade version), 3 T milk, 2 T rice vinegar, 1 T onion powder, 1/2 tsp Tony Cachere's, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp dried parsley flakes, 1/2 tsp Zatarains creole mustard.

Stir dressing into spirals and veggies.  Chil until ready to serve. 

I plan on putting shredded cheddar and sliced almonds in just before serving.  If we weren't having it with ribs, I would add bacon bits.  If I had fresh broccoli I'd add that too.... the possibilities are endless!  :) 

Sweet Conversations

Jack has really turned in to a talker lately.  Besides the typical "What's that?" that we hear all day, he is making good conversation and will even start some on his own.  My favorite from this week went like this:

"I lub you Momma."
"I love you, too, Jack."
"Ready for my sugars?" (followed by a great big kiss!)
"You give great sugar, Jack."
"I give great hug, too, Momma. Want Jack's hug?"
"Yes, please!" 

Sooooo sweet!  Moments like this completely melt my heart and remind me again how blessed I am.  These moments are also very needed after a day full of moodiness and tantrums!  Haha!

Our Grand Finale

Our sweet sweet Kash... You were suppose to be the easiest labor and delivery.  I went in for an induction a week early and things were going smooth. I thought I might actually do this without the pain meds this time. James was with me as well as my Aunt Pam and dear friend Heather.  We were all so excited to welcome this sweet boy in to the world! 

I don't remember the time but sometime in the evening hours after an all day labor, I had a crazy long contraction.  The peak lasted for over 5 minutes. Literally. And it was bad.  Suddenly we couldn't hear Kash's heartbeat.  They adjusted all the monitors. They applied an internal monitor.  They adjusted it.  Put a new one in thinking the first was faulty.  Still nothing.  I was crying, begging for help.. for them to just get him out!  Pam & Heather were praying.  James was trying to comfort me and make sure the staff (several nurses came in) was on top of things.  I don't know how long it lasted but it felt like an eternity that they were trying to get his heart beat back.  They mashed, shook, poked and prodded at my abdomen... violently.  Still nothing.  They poked and prodded and mashed internally... the most pain and fear I have EVER felt.  I was still begging them to get him out and don't let him die.  Sorry. I know that is dramatic.  But that's the way the story goes.  I really thought that is what was happening.  Finally.... finally we hear his heart beat again.  Hallelujah!  I was paranoid at this point. Constantly watching and listening to it.  I was also in extreme pain and they wouldn't let me have an epidural for fear that it would cause his heart rate to dip.  After an hour of observation they kicked the pitocin back on and let the contraction start slowly back up.  After another hour I did get my epidural.  It was great.  Then his heart rate started dipping and staying down after the contractions.  I quit dilating & he wasn't descending.  After 17 hours of labor we went in for a c-section and this baby boy was definitely not going to come out any other way with his cord wrapped around his stomach twice, his neck, and both legs!  No wonder he was having so much trouble. I remembered feeling  him do a lot of flip flopping the couple of days leading up to the induction so I'm sure that's what he was doing!  Little stinker!  Anyway, he was beautiful!  And chubby. :)  8lbs and 6 oz just like his youngest big brother.  He looked great!

We moved into the recovery room where I got to nurse him for the first time.  The little trouble maker decided to stop breathing... like completely.  Turned blue.  I was so out of it that it didn't register with me right away. Thank God for our nurse.  She was so calm and asked if she could see him for a minute without alarming me at all.  James was right on top of it though and followed her to the table where she resuscitated him.  He had to go to the special care nursery for a while then but a few hours later rejoined me in our room.   We got to bathe and dress him.. well, Aunt Pam and the nurse did while I watched and James slept. :)  A little while later he started turning colors again and went back to the special care nursery.  He remained there until he was transported to the NICU in another hospital.

Again with the scaring us!  We prayed. Our family prayed. Our friends prayed. Our church prayed. Even our doctor prayed with us.  I'm sure there were strangers praying for him too.  It was torture.  James was back and forth between the two of us.  I was emotional.  I wanted him in my arms, in the room with me at least in the same hospital so I could walk down the hall and see him.  I finally got released, 1 day early, so I could go be with him. 

After a week of care in the NICU and a good bill of health he was released and came home.  What a joyous day!  We never got a real diagnosis or found any big cause for his struggle during labor and recovery or for a couple of other minor problems he had that week.... the diagnosis was trauma.  He just couldn't recover from all the trauma of his labor like he should have.  Praise the Lord it was nothing lasting or more serious!! 

Fast forward a year.  Really, it has felt like fast forward... someone give me the remote so I can slow this show down!!  He is a happy, healthy 1 year old.  Soon to be toddler if he'll ever start taking steps. I'm not rushing him though.  He is busy enough with crawling and once he starts walking, I know my cuddles will decrease in length and frequency. 

Happy Birthday Kash!

*Photo by Heather Ramsey Photography

Party, Minute Maid Park, and the Beach

We had an awesome weekend celebrating Kash's first birthday.  We had a small party at the park here and then drove down to Houston with friends and went swimming and caught a Rangers game (they played the Astros at Minute Maid Park) and then made a spontaneous trip to Galveston for supper at Joe's Crab Shack on the beach and some play time. 

It was our first trip to Minute Maid Park and we loved it!  It makes me wish the Ballpark in Arlington was air conditioned! 












It was also Jack & Kash's first trip to the beach.  Jack was very cautious and took him nearly the entire time we were there to warm up to getting in the water.  Kash had no fear and took right off into it.  We kept getting him out and setting him away.  He would crawl back to the water as fast as he could laughing with each splash.  He loved it!  Nelson and Henry loved the ocean too and were a little too fearless. I felt the need to call them back to me several times.  Nelson ended up being stung by jellyfish so we headed to the pharmacy then our long drive home.  Besides that little incident, it was a pretty perfect weekend! 

I realize more and more each day just how blessed I am.  I am so thankful for this extra special time with my incredible family and sweet friends!