Chicken Alfredo Pizza

Chicken Alfredo Pizza
This is my take on Kraft's version...


Ingredients:

• Pizza crust (I chose thin-crust wheat)
• Alfredo sauce
• Mozzarella cheese (I chose the one made with 2% milk)
• 1-10 oz box frozen spinach, thawed
• garlic
• onion
• 1 chicken breast

I didn't take pics while this was being made, but it was super easy! This recipe is also cheap to make: It was less than $10 and could easily feed 4. I had it for lunch and snack the next day. I used garlic and onion I had on-hand. The extra sauce and cheese can be used to make pasta for another meal. When you make take-out stuff at home, you can control how much of each ingredient (and which ingredients) you use.

1. Prep your ingredients: chop the garlic and onion, cube the raw chicken breast into bite-sized pieces, squeeze the excess water out of the spinach. If there is a bunch of water left, it will make the pizza soggy. 

2. Saute the garlic and onion in olive oil until slightly browned. Remove from pan and set aside. If you don't like the taste of raw onion on pizza, you'll may like it this way. Sauteing these ingredients makes the yummy flavor come out. 

3. Using the same olive oil you used to cook the garlic and onion, saute the chicken until cooked through. You can season with whatever you have on-hand: S&P, creole seasoning, red pepper flakes, whatevs. 

4. Top the pizza: sauce, cheese, spinach, cooked garlic and onion, chicken.

5. Bake according to crust directions. Yummy! 

Bright Young Things

New series alert! My sister, Dawn, as previously mentioned, has introduced me to another wonderful series. 

Bright Young Things

By: Anna Godbersen

Background: This author has another series (The Luxe) that I have also read. They are both time-period series about a group of young girls and their adventures. The Luxe is set during the turn of the century featuring Manhattan upper society. Bright Young Things is set during the roaring twenties. 

First Thoughts: I loved The Luxe series! The books are written so that you feel like you are there. They are very descriptive of the girls, their houses, their clothes, etc. So obvi I was very excited to read Bright Young Things. This book, specifically, is about two young girls who move from the mid-west to chase their dreams in Manhattan. One girl searches for her long-lost father, while her BFF tries her hand as a showgirl. 

Final Thoughts: These books have a very Gossip Girl feel, and I dig that. The book has a lot of life. There is fun, drama, love, murder, and lots of twists and turns. They are fun to read, nothing too deep. I am so excited for the next book in the series!  

My New Love

We have been super busy at work and so I have picked up a few overtime shifts, thanks TCH! I wanted to treat myself to something I have been eye for awhile. A Kindle! I got the white one because I thought it was so pretty. I also splurged and bought the Kindle that has 3G and Wi-fi so I can download books anywhere and at any time.

My entire family has some sort of e-reader and I was getting serious jealousy. I did some asking around about different types of e-readers and decided the Kindle was for me. Here is my reasoning:
Pro: Not back lit=easy on the eyes
Con: You cannot read in the dark
Solution: Kindle Lighted Cover
When you are not near light, just pull out the retractable light built in the cover. The cover uses the battery from your kindle to gently illuminate the screen. Amaze.

Pro: It is the coolest thing ever

Con: Nothing else

When I opened my delivery from Amazon, I had a feeling of joy I have never felt before. This little thing is the most beautiful little thing I have ever seen. One time, I hugged it. I know this is sounding a little dramatic, but it really is that cool. I started buying books right away. You can set up categories on your home page so it is easy to search for your cooks. I have: Emily's Choices (books I read for fun), Book Club (books chosen by my book club), and Kindle Stuff (the give you a Kindle guide and dictionary when you buy it). If you're a reader, this is a must! The Kindle makes reading more fun so look forward to lots more book reviews. 

They Did It With Love

Book of choice:

They Did It With Love by Kate Morgenroth

Background: This was a choice of the book club I am in. Now, when I told my friend Evan that I was in a book club, she laughed. Rude! I, however, think it's cool to be in a book club, especially since our meetings are at someone's house where we eat dinner, drink wine, and talk about everything BUT the book. So shut it.

First Thoughts: The back of the book basically says, "A group of women, in suburban Connecticut, are in a book club and one of them is murdered. This murder reveals a lot of bad/secret stuff that goes on in their small town." I like drama so this seemed right up my alley.

Final Thoughts: This book was much better than expected! It is told from a bunch of character's viewpoints so you get the whole picture of the case. It has a bunch of neat twists that are totally unexpected. I let a girl at work borrow the book and she loved it too. Highly recommend! 

Mockingjay

Today's Book:

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Background: Mockingjay is the final installment of the wildly popular, 3-book series, Hunger Games. My sister, Brooke, recommended this after her 6th grade students went crazy for it. Yes, I said 6th grade, as in 12 year olds. While I could summarize all of the books for you, I choose not to. This is because I am being lazy and this is my fourth blog post to write today. Ok? Ok. However, I'll be nice and give you a BRIEF summary of the 1400 or so pages I have read of this series: This chick named Katniss becomes the face of a rebellion against her country's dictatorship. The end. 

First Thoughts: The first book in the series was amazing! I loved it. I read it over my trip to New Orleans with the family. The second book was good, but not as good as the first. I was nervie about reading the last book because I didn't want to be let down.


Final Thoughts: I was NOT let down. I think this one may have been my favorite. If you like series, this is a good one to choose. It's a Times Bestseller so I'm not the only one who likes teenager lit. My only problem with the books is that it can be hard to follow her descriptions when she is talking about battles, fights, fleeing and the sort. Good book to read, and worth the buy.

Vegas!

Since Garth Brooks went into retirement a few years ago, the world has grown a little darker. Imagine the excitement when he was signed to do a series of shows at the Wynn in Las Vegas. My mom has been especially dying to see him so my family took a trip to Sin City last weekend. That Saturday morning, my mom had rodeo committee stuff that she couldn't get out of so we went for one night. It was a 36 hour action-packed trip. I will never do that again. We were so tired! Here is the timeline:

Saturday
4:30AM
Wake up, get ready, finish packing (I don't think I've ever woken up at this time on purpose)

5:15AM
Leave for the airport

7:30AM-8:50AM (with the time change)
Flight. Even though I look pretty cheery, I am usually a huge grouch in the morning. I got mad at Johnny because he tried to wear shorts on the plane. Literally.

8:50AM-10:00AM
Taxi to the hotel, check in (they actually let us get one of our two hotel rooms this early!), drop off bags, grab some coffee and head out

10:00AM-11:30AM
Walked down the strip to MGM Grand, stopping at the M&M store, Coca-Cola store, then walking through the casino. We actually saw a group of high school friends in town for a bachelor party.

11:30AM-1:30PM
Lunch at Emeril's New Orleans's Fish House.

1:30PM-3:30PM
Walked down the other side of the strip going through hotels, casinos, stores, etc. We stopped at New York New York to ride the roller coaster. My mom is afraid of roller coasters so it was perfect to do in her absence.

3:30PM-5:30PM
Back to the hotel, gamble, wait for the mommy, disco nap (cute name from my mom's friend for a nap before the night begins), get ready for the night

5:30PM
Head to the Wynn for pre-dinner drinks

6:00PM-7:30PM
Pre-dinner drinks at the bar, Parasol, inside of the Wynn.

7:30PM-9:30PM
Dinner at Switch.

This place was so neat! The walls and ceiling changed every 30 minutes or so. It rotated between 3 different sets. We tried to get pics of each wall. Our table was right next to one of the walls that rotated. The pic of the whole family (above) shows view #2. The other two are below. #1 is a modern, sleek look. #3 has lots of pretty drapes and was our fave!

9:30PM-10:30PM
Gamble! We found a totally open Blackjack table where we all sat and played together. A family that gambles together, stays together... or something like that.

10:30PM-Sunday 12:30AM
GARTH! Just the girls went to the show since we were the true fans. The boys headed back to the hotel and gambled/went to bed. The show was really neat. It was just him and his guitar: singing/playing songs, telling stories. There was a special appearance by his wifey Trisha Yearwood! I saw another girl I knew from high school. So funny.

12:30AM-1:30AM (Awake for 23 hours at this point)
Wait in the taxi line, back to the hotel, SLEEP

9:30AM-11:00AM
Downstairs for breakfast

11:00AM-12:30PM
Gamble, walk though the Bellagio

12:30PM-1:30PM
Lunch at Olives. This restaurant is at the Bellagio and looks out over the fountains. Pretty!

1:30PM-4:30PM
Walk through the Bellagio's gardens, gamble some more, enjoy each other's company!

4:30PM
Head to the airport (where our flight was delayed)

We finally got home at 1:30AM. So. So. Tired. However, it was a great family trip and I cannot wait to do it again!

Tuna Steaks

In order to use some (one) of the ingredients I bought for the Asian Turkey Meatballs, I decided to make tuna steaks for a fancy date-night in. These are amazingly simple. I did some Benihana-style veggies for a side. Tuna steaks like this are pretty expensive so save them for a weekend fancy dinner.


Ingredients

• Tuna steaks (I bought 1 1/2 pounds which was way too much! 1 pound should be good for 2 people)
• Olive Oil
• Soy Sauce
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Zucchini
• Mushrooms
• Butter
• S&P
• Sesame Seeds

1. Marinate the tuna: Place the steaks in a plastic baggie. Coat with olive oil. Add some soy sauce, garlic and ginger. The boy doesn't like ginger so skip if you agree with him. But I def think you need to put the soy sauce and garlic. Keep in the fridge for a few hours.

2. I cook the veggies first because it only takes 0.5 seconds to cook the tuna. Melt some butter in a frying pan and saute the sliced mushrooms until golden brown. Set aside. I use butter for mushrooms because it just tastes better. 

3. Slice the zucchini. I used my mandolin so they would all be the same thickness and cook at the same rate. Add olive oil to the same pan you cooked the mushrooms in. Saute the zucchini until they have some spots of golden brown. Add some sesame seeds and stir a bit. Be careful, if you cook them too long, they will get mushy and loose all of their flavor. When finished, mix with the mushrooms.

4. Cook the tuna. We like it seared so cook for about 90 seconds on each side. 

5. Enjoy your romantic date-night in!

Showers

I have had this post ready for about 6 weeks. I finally got all of the pictures I needed from my sis! Here are some party ideas from showers I have helped throw. I cannot take credit for all of the ideas! However, it can be really easy to adapt ideas from stuff that you see. 

Bridal Shower

Fellow bridesmaids and I hosted a shower for our friend, Evan, when she got married. We kept the colors in line with Evan's wedding colors (green, black, and white) to make it feel more personal. We had the shower at my mom's house because none of us had a home big enough for the group. We invited about 45 people. A good rule of thumb is that half of the invited guests will be able to come. 

The pictures below show a couple of different things:

1. We asked Evan to bring pictures of her and Blake so we could set them around the house. She brought some from each part of their relationship: dating, vacations, engagement, etc.

2. We went to Central Market for the flowers. I had been to a shower before that had used Central Market and they were beautiful. We were so happy! I had 3 square vases and 1 tall cylindrical vase already. You can use vases you already have to avoid the extra cost. We told them what colors we wanted (green and white) and our budget. We gave them free reign and they chose what type of flowers to use. Except Baby's Breath. I despise Baby's Breath. 

3. Personalized cupcakes. We had a cupcake bakery, Crave, make 3 dozen cupcakes with colored wedding cake fondant toppers. I did this at another shower, scroll to the second picture.

We also did a Build-Your-Own mimosa bar. Like I put in my Birthday Brunch post, I love to get people involved at a party. It gets people moving and talking. For the mimosa bar, we put:

1. Champagne glasses

2. Ribbon in the theme color, small hole-punched pieces of paper, and a pen so everyone could make their own drink tag

3. Champagne

4. Grand Marnier 

5. Sugar rim in 3 different colors. We put the sugar in small ramekins (be sure to put an additional dish with a water-soaked paper towel to wet the rim of the champagne glass)

6. Pitchers of OJ and Peach Cocktail mix (with slices oranges and peaches to top, respectively)

7. A frame with a "how-to" in print

We bought the Williams-Sonoma Bride and Groom Cookbook to use as a sign-in. Everyone left sweet messages. I stole this idea from another shower: at the other shower, the bride's reception site was featured in a hardback about Texas. You could use this for a baby shower as well and get a mommy/baby hardback. It is a great keepsake! Note the framed invite in the background. In the foreground is another picture of Evan and Blake.

For drinks, we did white and red wine, tea, and water. To add to the decor, you can always put fresh, cut fruit in the mix. In the tea, we put sliced peaches and limes. In the water, we put limes to add color. 

Food! This is the taller vase of flowers from Central Market. For the meal, we made nearly everything. We did a copy of Evan's favorite La Madeline salad, chicken salad sandwiches, pasta salad, fruit, dips and crackers. Making your own stuff can be fun and easy.

Along with our moms, we all chipped in to get her the mixer she registered for. We are expecting homemade bread and cakes from scratch any day!

Baby Showers:

I helped host a baby shower for a girl at work. The girls at work are shower-pros! We are on a large unit staffed, mostly, by women. That means lots of weddings and lots of babies. I cannot take credit for these ideas! However, they are great and need to be used again!

Infant clothes line: All of the hostesses bought onesies and/or bibs for the baby-to-be. The girl whose house it was placed temporary hooks and hung a cloth rope in between. Clothes pins can be bought at a crafts store. 

Place a framed picture of the invitation near the front door to add more personalization. 

Nerd Alert: the girls at work (including me) love to scrapbook. We go on Scrapbook Retreats, don't ask. Anywho, 2 girls made scrapbook pages (mommy and me, bath time, nap time, etc.) as a gift to the mommy-to-be. They were put on display at the shower so they could be part of the decor as well. 

The honoree is one of the scrapbookers! She was going to use a 12x12 scrapbook as her baby book. There was a 12x12 piece of paper so the guests could write messages and sign their name. A copy of the invite was glued to the middle as a keepsake. 

More Baby Shower ideas...

My mom's family is huge. Her mom was one of 8 kids and their kids, their kids' kids, and their kids' kids' kids (did you get all of that?) still keep in touch. We all get together several times a year: Christmas, 4th of July, weddings,  showers, etc. My sister Brooke, my cousin Mary, and I all threw a shower for our other cousin Catherine. FYI: when I say "cousin," I'm using that term loosely. Those people are actually my second cousins. Let's just stick to "cousin" for sanity's sake. 

Brooke had the idea to have the shower in the party room of a cupcake boutique called Sugarbaby's in Houston. It was precious! The decor in the room is beautiful and easy to work with. With the black and white color theme, you can easily add your own blue or pink decorations. Here is a shot of the "chandeliers" in the room 

We created a gift table by using blue cloth (the baby was going to be a boy, obvi) to add some pizazz. This cloth was borrowed from one of the aforementioned shower pros. 

On each table, we put a mini vase of flowers. I found small blue plastic pacifiers, bottles, and clothes pins at a party supply store to decorate the tables. I will def be saving these for another shower! For party favors, I found these bags at a party supply store and stuffed them with blue candies. The pic doesn't make the tables look that cute, but they were. Promise!

We bought finger foods so people could snack while chatting. The finger foods were perfect for the 2:00-4:00 time slot. My mom has chafing dishes that we borrowed to keep the food warm. Thanks Momma!

Sugarbaby's has tons of creative cupcake flavors to choose from. This created a dilemma: should we just order a bunch of flavors? I was worried people would get stuck with something they didn't want. I decided to let people choose in advance. When everyone RSVPed, I asked what flavor they wanted. This worked out really well! Before the gifts were opened, we went around and asked what people ordered and served them their chosen cupcake. 

We always have a great time getting together. Especially when gifts are involved!

Asian Turkey Meatballs

A friend at work introduced me to a new cooking website that I am now obsessed with: Skinny Taste! This chick makes healthy, yummy and easy dishes and is so kind as to include the recipes. My first attempt at her recipes was a success! Some of these ingredients are particular to Asian food, so I decided to make an Asian dish the next night too (recipe to come.)


Asian Turkey Meatballs

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup panko crumbs (in the Asian food section)
• 1 1/4 lb lean ground turkey (1 package)
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon ginger, minced (you can buy a small root, peel it like a carrot, then chop like garlic)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 scallions, chopped
• 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil (near olive oil, very affordable!)

Dipping Sauce

• 4 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 1 lime)
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 scallion, chopped 

1. Preheat oven to 500.

2. Prep your ingredients. Chop the ginger, garlic, cilantro and scallions.

3. To make the meatballs, combine the first 10 ingredients in a large bowl.

4. Mix until all ingredients are equally distributed.

5. Make 12 meatballs. You will use about 1/4 cup of the mixture for each meatball. I mis-measured and only got 11. Amazingly enough, they still tasted great. Spray a foil-lined baking dish with non-stick spray and place meatballs on top (I only have a casserole dish, so whatevs).

6. Bake for 15 minutes, until cooked all the way through. You can cut one in half to check the middle when they are done.

6B. While the meatballs are in the oven, make the sauce. Combine the dipping sauce ingredients in a small bowl. I threw in some sesame seeds for good measure.

7. Place the meatballs on a serving dish and spoon some of the sauce on top.

8. Use the extra sauce to dip the meatballs at the table. I served a simple salad with ginger dressing. Yum!

24-Karat Kids

I have recently become a semi-reader. When I say "recently," I mean since I graduated college in May 2008 (almost 3 years...yikes!) And when I say "semi-reader," I mean exactly that. I don't read every day, but I will finish a book or two a month. My sisters are the main reason for this. The oldest sister, Dawn, is a crazy good reader. She reads tons and is the best sister to have because I get to borrow all of her books. Just kidding... she's a great sister to have for many reasons, but that is def a top 3 reason. But honeslty, I can't remember the last time I actually bought a book. Unfortunately, that is all going to change because she jumped on the Kindle train and her real-book supply is running out. Tear. I will say, she knows all of the cool books before they are cool. I read Twilight before I/anyone had heard of it. I remember reading it during our Ike days at the hospital (I lived at TCH for 72 hours, moving on...) and people thought it was so weird that I was reading a vampire book. Now, I'm done with this tangent so I will continue. 

I wanted to start a blog section about books I've read. Just so there is no let down of expectations, I am going to qualify myself and say that I don't read many (any) smart-people books like Jane Eyre. I don't want to get too deep, I'd rather simply be entertained. The Twilight series (pre-Twilight-mania) was right up my alley. Quick, fun, with a little romance. If you're looking for something to make you question the meaning of life, you probably should stop reading right now. Adios.

On to the first book I have chosen: 24-Karat Kids. 

Background: My most recent book was 24-Karat Kids by Julie Goldstein and Sebastian Stuart. It is about this chick, Shelley Green, who is from a big middle-class family in Queens. She graduates from med-school to be hired by the top Upper East Side pediatric group in Manhattan. She is faced with the new job of doctoring kids of super-rich, crazy, and over-parenting socialites. Shelley soon begins to enjoy the lifestyle this new practice, and these new friends, bring. When a new man comes in the mix, she begins to question what this new lifestyle is truly doing to her. 

First Thoughts: The front of the book compares it to The Devil Wears Prada. Emily says, "Hmm, sounds great. I loved The Devil Wears Prada, and I even read it after I saw the movie."

Final Thoughts: I luuuurved The Devil Wears Prada (loved). This book was NOT The Devil Wears Prada. By. Any. Means. I was let down. I'm really not one to complain about books, movies, restaurants, but for realz. It was one of those books that you're reading and hoping it's over soon so you can move on to another better, more interesting book. If you are looking for a quick read, this is it. I just was not a fan.

I'll quit being a Debbie Downer right about now and seguway into a glimpse of my next review. Drumroll please... Mockingjay! This is the final book in a 3-book series titled The Hugner Games. Review coming soon!