Recipe Roundup-The Chicken Cranberry Ring

In my efforts to spend a little more quality time in the ole bloggy world this year, I decided to start adding some new features to the mix-up first is the recipe roundup.  So many of my recipes come from other people's blogs, and let's face it I spend a lot of time in the kitchen.  Luckily, I do love cooking and baking and trying new recipes so figured I should give something back to the interwebs.  I'll be posting something that is part of our weekly meal plan-and for those interested, I do meal plan weekly.  I grocery shop once a week on Sundays and plan typically 5 meals for a week.  Thursday night is always leftover night, and we have one pizza/out night that we can substitute in when we need to.  Also, 3 nights a week I work until about 6:00 and since Johnny serves as nanny while I'm working and hasn't quite mastered the whole making dinner while wrangling 3 children thing--I have to work ahead-usually one night is crock pot, one is something that is easily made ahead and he just has to throw in the oven, and Thursday is always leftovers.

So moving onto tonight's dinner--the chicken cranberry ring, this is a recipe I've been making for years and is a huge hit.  It is an old pampered chef recipe I think, but I see it everywhere now in the world of pinterest etc.  The idea is that you use leftover turkey/chicken which is actually what I've done tonight since I did a whole chicken in the crock pot yesterday.  Sometimes though, I just crave this and end up cooking a few chicken breasts just so I can make this one or a rotisserie chicken works great too. This is def one of my winter recipes, and is very much a winter chicken salad.  

A disclaimer for my readers-recipes are merely suggestions in my kitchen, I rarely make the same dish exactly the same way twice.  Maybe I've watched too much Rachael Ray, but spices are more of a dash or pinch and often I add what's in the fridge or leave out what was pitched from the cart unknowingly by some disgruntled toddler in my shopping cart.  Onward....

As my blog/recipe hero The Pioneer Woman would say-the cast of characters...

Here's that yummy 2ish cups of leftover chicken, shredded.  Bonus that this is a budget friendly/uses leftover meal-major husband points on the "meat ring" as J calls it. 

 And here it is with all the other yummies-1/2 cup-3 stalks of celery, 1/2 cup craisins, 1 cup shredded swiss (only ever found this at Kroger), 1/2 cup mayo, 2 Tbsp dijon mustard, spices to taste-s&p, garlic salt, and onion salt today oh and I had some fresh dill leftover in the fridge that I chopped up and threw in.

 Onward to the ring.  I remember the first time I made this recipe I didn't have visuals and was reading my way through this and had no clue what I was trying to achieve.

2 cups chicken  shredded
1-1/4 cup Swiss cheese, shredded
1/2 cup celery, diced
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbl. Dijon style mustard
salt & pepper to taste
2 tubes crescent rolls
1 egg white, beaten

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

In a bowl combine the chicken, 1 cup of the cheese, celery, cranberries, mayo, mustard, salt & pepper.  Mix well and set aside.

Arrange triangles of crescent dough in a circle with the wide ends of the triangles overlapping in the center and the tips pointing outward.  Smush together the inside pieces of the crescents where they are overlapping.  There should be a 6" circle in the center of the baking stone.

Scoop the filling evenly in a circle closest to the inside edge and bring point of crescent up and over the filling and tuck under to seal. 

Brush with egg white and sprinkle with remaining cheese. 

Bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until golden brown and cooked all the way through.  I usually serve with fruit salad

Getting real: 

How easy is this actually? I hate when I"m reading recipe blogs or asking someone for a recipe and you see/hear "oh its soooo easy" when in reality its 800 steps with no less than 34 random ingredients that no one has on hand and requires dirtying 8 bowls, 3 pots, and chopping 1/2 a cup of 9 different ingredients.

The leftover "meat ring" is in the moderate category for me-I judge a recipe based on above listed requirements and how easily I can get something made with 3 children crawling around underfoot asking me to wipe various things and get them snacks etc.  This is a keeper for me #1 b/c its delicious, #2 budget friendly, #3 uses leftover ingredients and I usually have what I need on hand (with the exception of crescent rolls), #4 can be made ahead, #5 minimal clean up required, which in my mind makes up for slightly more work in the prep.  

What were the kids doing while I made this? well I usually try to cook when at least one child is sleeping (june this time) and Hank was entertained with the ipad, and Lucy was contained at least part of the time. 

June Bug-4 months

As expected, time seems to move exponentially faster with each subsequent child.  4 months (okay 4 1/2 let's be real) of your little life are already over,  and I am trying to make sure I savor these precious early months/days.  As the 3rd child, you are certainly along for the ride much of the time and I cherish any one-on-one moments I can get with this sweet happy little nugget.  Happy is certainly the best word to describe June-I'd say she's my happiest baby, she smiles at the sight of anyone in the family-giggles easily and loves to coo and chatter at anyone who will listen.  At the sight of either sibling or mom/dad her face just lights up into the biggest smile imaginable.  She also super snuggly, and will sit happily in my lap for long stretches of time generally being cute and doing baby coos etc.  She's all cheeks, certainly the chubbiest baby of the 3-she's really starting to show interest in our food when we are eating.  She's also our only brown eyed babe-still with dark hair but hair color has really yet to be determined.  

At 4 months, she is starting to play and grasp toys.  She spends a lot of time on her playmat and just started hanging out in the johnny jump up which is a huge hit with the other kids who love to swing her.  Hank and Lucy have fully accepted her as a member of the family at this point.  Hank loves to hang out with June, and can be trusted to "watch her" on the couch where he will read to her, tell her jokes, or teach her about angry birds.  Lucy was slower to accept "baby sister" but has really come around and has taken a mothering interest in her.  She will exclaim "uh oh baby sister crying" and run to her rescue-usually throwing stuffed animals at her.  She pats her on the head like an animal and thinks its hysterical.  She also likes to point out all of baby sisters body parts, and seems to like her more based on what animal is on her clothing on any given day.  

Sleep? well as usual we've had some regression in this department.  I imagine some of this might be due to the fact that she's more than ready to move into her own room in a real crib; however this is not available yet so we push forward.  She takes 2-3 naps a day and one typically coincides with Lucy's nap.  She goes down easily, but generally wakes about twice at night to eat.  I pull her into bed to nurse and generally wake up an hour or two later and we are both completely passed out-she's just so warm and snuggly, but I do put her back in her pack n play only to be woken a few hours later to her grunts requesting to be back in the big, warm bed.  I can't say I blame her-the pack-n-play has been heavily used and is really not that comfortable for her.  We'll likely be dealing with undoing bad sleep habits for months, but honestly I'm so used to being sleep deprived that it just doesn't phase me anymore-and how can you say no to this face?

Onward my littlest one!

Progress Report-Mechanicals & Inspectors-2 months

Greetings from 2 months into our home renovation!  I cannot lie, my patience is wearing paper thin-almost daily I have to close my eyes and take a breath over some frustration caused by the absolute state of chaos in my home.  We lost Johnny's huge walk in closet to build the staircase which now means I share my closet with him and June.  We have holes in ceilings and walls in every single room of the house from plumbing, wiring, and support beams that have been installed.  I have a hot water heater so close to my bed, I can touch it.

When I last reported we were finishing up the plumbing and mid-way through the framing.  Framing is now finished (with the exception of a few built-in decorative requests we've made-including exposing the brick fireplace on the landing of the staircase and adding built in book shelves to the window seats in both of the bedrooms).  Our framing inspection is (fingers crossed) tomorrow, and double fingers crossed that #1 the city inspector actually shows up and #2 that we actually pass on the first go around b/c if not we must fix issues and reschedule (see #1).  We passed our plumbing inspection on the first try, granted it took 3 days of no shows before the inspector actually showed up.  He took 2 minutes to pop his head upstairs and say "looks good, where do I sign?".  Electrical also went smoothly, and we passed on the first go-around, and he showed up when scheduled.  A word on inspection days-When you have an inspection scheduled, the subcontractor must be present, there is no guaranteed time that said inspector will show up, so the subcontractor must sit at your house and wait.  Curtis, our wonderful electrician, is now like the 6th member of our family.  On the morning of his inspection he showed up at our house about 7:30 and sat at our kitchen table and chatted with me until about noon when the inspector finally showed up.  I mean, as much as I enjoy sharing my coffee and breakfast with someone, sometimes you just aren't in the mood to hang out with your electrician in your pjs!  I gave up long ago on actually being up and dressed before people start showing up.  We failed HVAC on the first go around, but managed to get that one fixed quickly and have now passed.

The framing inspection is all that stands between us and sheetrock.  The windows were delivered today, and are currently sitting on our front porch b/c the window delivery men are "not allowed to do stairs"-riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight.   So, we were all excited to get the windows installed since it is forecasted to be the coldest night that Atlanta has seen in decades tonight, but silly us, apparently you can't install windows if it is below freezing.  So the windows will continue to sit.  Sheetrock was delivered on christmas eve by the likes of Beavis and Butthead who actually told me we might not be able to sheetrock our space b/c there was no way to get all the sheetrock upstairs-riiiiiiiiiiight, so I'll call the builder and tell him the remodel is off b/c the sheetrock is too heavy? And really, by no way, they actually mean no way other than carrying all 80+sheets one at a time up the driveway, in the back door and up two flights of stairs.  7 hours later, the sheetrock was off the truck and upstairs where it continues to sit until we pass the framing inspection.

We've ordered flooring (all hardwoods upstairs), decided on architectural shingles for the roof, and opted to save money somewhere and decline the spray foam insulation in the attic.  From here we must pass framing inspection, then windows get installed, insulation gets installed, sheetrock, floors installed, and then we are onto finishings from there-light fixtures, bathroom fixtures, trim packages, paint colors etc.  Last week el hefe estimated we'd be done by the end of January early February-I'm not holding my breath on that one, but it sure is a nice thought!

2013 In Review

Thanks to Susie for this nice little year in review/annual reflection activity...

1. What did you do this year that you’d never done before?

• been a mother to 3 kids
• lived through a major home renovation including giving a presentation to the city( at 7 months pregnant) explaining why they should allow us to add onto our home
• Visited my Dad in the hospital after he suffered a pulmonary embolism 5 days before I was admitted to have a baby.  Talk about a stressful week.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don't exactly recall my goals for 2013-I know I set a goal to read a  book a month which I met! I imagine growing my business was up there last year too, and now I have a full schedule with a waiting list and an average of 15-20 inquiries a week--go me!
For 2014: 

• The year of the house.  With our renovation scheduled to complete late January/early February we will be putting lots of time into organizing and designing our new space.  We will finish out outdoor patio project, paint the entire house inside and out, reconfigure a guest bedroom and home office, design the kid's new rooms, re-paint kitchen cabinets, and some furniture refinishing projects are all on tap.  
• Johnny and I have set a joint goal to live more intentionally in all that we do.  Along the lines of thriving not just surviving-more quality time with our party of 5, less screen time during family time etc
• Read 15 books-I met my goal of one a month for the past 2 years, so it's time to up the ante!
• Run a half marathon-this is lofty, but been hanging out on my goal list for a long time and I'd really like to cross it off this year.  

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? geez..who didn't give birth this year?  Closest to home is my sis-in-law who had another girl 8 weeks before June was born.  Also, my childhood bff, Dorothy, had a baby girl about 10 days before June was born which was fun to live through the pregnancy with someone so close (also for those who knew us growing up, is it any wonder that we also had babies together?)

4. Did anyone close to you die?
  nope

5. Whose behavior merited celebration? um? mine for enduring a pregnancy, life with 3 kids, a major home renovation all while running my business from my kichen table? okay, other than me?  I can't really say my son as I found age 3 to be terribly difficult and am so glad to say good-riddance to that.  How about my wonderful husband who puts up with me during above stated stressors?

6. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?  at times my 3 year old :) and also at times, the way I lost my patience with him too quickly.  alas, parenting is so hard....

7. Who did you miss? extended family that we just don't get to see enough of...

8. Who was the best new person you met? Our June Bug 

9. Where did you travel? not much time/money/patience for this....but we did manage a few mountain get-aways with the crew that were a nice break from reality and tagged along on a business trip to Fripp Island for spring break.  

10. What would you like to have in the new year that you lacked this year? an extra 5 hours a day 

11. What dates from the year will remain etched upon your memory, and why? August 23 the day my littlest one was born

12. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
 Growing our 3rd perfect, healthy little one sounds like a pretty good achievement to me.  Also, I'm pretty darn proud of how my business has grown in the past year and my growing reputation in the community.

13. What was your biggest failure? my inability to figure out how to set aside time for all my responsibilities so that my kids aren't always being pushed aside for work etc

14. Did you suffer illness or injury?  I sprained my ankle recently when I fell off a curb, but no time for mama to be laid up so I pushed on through that one and it still hurts months later.  I also have developed Mommy's thumb if that's any surprise.  I don't get sick thanks to an immune system of steel so I just wipe snotty noses nonstop and somehow remain unscathed-good thing b/c Johnny is completely lacking an immune system and is typically down with the kids.  

15. What was the best thing you bought? A new car!  Also, I guess we can count the money for the home renovation eventhough it's still ongoing

16. Where did most of your discretionary income go? discretionary income? whats that?

17. What did you get really excited about? June's arrival and becoming a family of 5
.
18. Compared to this time last year, are you:
 exponentially busier in all aspects of life which I never imagined could be possible

19. What do you wish you’d done more of?
 taken more time for myself

20. What do you wish you’d done less of?
 yelling at Hank

21. What did you want and get? an upstairs!

22. What did you want and not get? a vacation
.

23. How did you spend Christmas? in our home exactly how it should be

24. What was your favorite TV program? hmmm...we had a few favorites this year--Breaking Bad, Homeland, Downton Abby, Sons of Anarcy...Downton Abby seems strange in that list, doesn't it?

25. What were your favorite books of the year?  The Immortal life of Henrietta Lacks-one of the most thought provoking books I've ever read.

26. What was your favorite music from this year?
  hmmm...Blurred Lines was a favorite for everyone :)

27. What song will always remind you of this year?  Gangnam Style and that darn What Does the Fox say song that Hank plays repeatedly on youtube.  

28. What were your favorite films of the year? can't say that I made it to the movies this year, and honestly can't remember the last movie I saw that was worth remembering.  I've been after Johnny to take me to see Walter  Mitty on a datenight

29. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?  uhhhh...well certainly no government officials impressed me this year...

30. What political issue stirred you the most?  As a healthcare provider and insurance biller--def Obamacare

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? Well about a month before my birthday I was talking to a friend and told him that I was about to turn 31, and he responded with "I didn't realize you were a year younger than me" then I thought twice an realized I was actually turning 32-I lost a year in there somewhere!  My birthday was only 6 weeks ago, but honestly I have no recollection of the day-I think there were donuts involved though

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? more free time, more money, more space in the house

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept this year?  maternity, stretchy, comfortable-my fashion gig is that I throw a scarf on top of any outfit and it automatically makes it look like you tried

34. What kept you sane? wine, coffee, book club

35. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned this year.
 Learning to let go of small things, prioritizing what's actually important vs. what I used to think was important, and the classic "it is what it is". 

Bring it on 2014! We added new family members in 2012 and 2013 and in 2014 we're adding 800 sq feet--hard to say what's more exciting :)

3 months of Junie

Ahhh...I love the 3 month milestone with the wee ones.  Smiles and giggles come easily, sleep is generally improved/improving, the babes can generally hang out and play in some baby holding device for at least a short amount of time-basically the little alien looking Mr. Magoo creature you brought home from the hospital is finally looking like the adorable, roly-poly baby you always imagined.  June is certainly no exception to my 3 month/ end of the 4th trimester benchmark.  She's adorable, round, squishy, and full of smiles and giggles for all of us.  She sleeps like a champion, 12 hours at night and a couple of  2-3hr naps during the day and honestly some days I wish she was awake more so I could snuggle more with her.  She is super snuggly, and manages to sneak her way into the bed with me in the mornings because I just love having babies in my bed despite what any "professional" tells me.  3 months into life with 3 kids, and I can't imagine life any other way-the kids have pretty much adjusted to baby June, and Lucy and June have even started sharing rooms some of the time due to construction chaos.

Baby June, you are just darling, and quite possibly the most perfect addition to our family-and I can hardly believe that just a year ago I didn't even know I was pregnant with you yet.  

Progress Report-3 weeks

3 weeks exactly since we started on the new addition to the house and the progress is amazing.  We are completely framed up with a roof, plumbing complete, and electrical going in this week.  HVAC will go in next week and then after all the mechanicals and framing inspections are completed we start on sheetrock.  It is incredible to actually go upstairs and see the rooms rather than having to visualize them from the architecture plans.  We have made some small changes to the framing of the rooms as the crew builds to allow for additional windows in the kids rooms, and modified the closet spaces.  Very soon my laundry will be moved upstairs and the staircase will be built, allowing me to continue laundry with only 1 day sans laundry access-thank you Jeff!  I have been warned that I will be doing laundry in a construction zone, but  the alternative was 2-3 weeks with the washer and dryer in the dining room and having to go to the laundromat-that was not gonna work in this house!

We have had many people come through the house to check on the progress, and most immediately say "I could never live through this"maybe we just have a high tolerance for disruption and chaos? but honestly, the first two weeks were the worst and beyond that it just hasn't been that bad.  In the first two weeks they laid the floor system which included massive structural beams and a variety of holes in the ceilings in almost every room of the house.   They were sawing, drilling, etc right on top of our heads and it was SO LOUD.  The entire house would vibrate for hours on end, so much so that we had many shattered wine glasses in cabinets and picture frames on the wall.  You couldn't hear yourself talk for the majority of the day, so Hank took to screaming very loudly to be heard above the noise which added significantly to the chaos in my head.  It was difficult for the girls to nap with this sort of noise, so naps were often cut short resulting in two crabby ladies (3 if you included me). At this point the crew still didn't have good access to the upstairs from the outside, so they were having to come through the house and up the attic stairs nonstop with very large wood beams. There was a steady stream in and out of the house 8 hours a day-tracking a lot of dirt with them.     They would have to rearrange furniture in different rooms each day to build temporary supports from the downstairs before they could lay structural beams upstairs.   (often the kids rooms, resulting in moving the girls back and forth in attempts to accommodate sleeping and avoid a ceiling falling through onto them).  Crew would often come down and ask us to either leave the house or keep everyone confined to a "safe zone" while they did some sort of work that was deemed unsafe for us to remain in the house.  

So, yes this was not fun; however it was 2 weeks-not even really, probably more like 7 bad days.   Once the floors were down, and they moved onto framing, we hardly notice them at all.  They no longer come through the house and access the upstairs from ladders on the outside.   The noise is so much less than before that we don't notice it at all-we are also just used to it at this point.  Many of our neighbors have done this type of renovation before and moved out for 3 months to some sort of rental property.  Honestly the effort and money of moving 3 kids to a temporary location seems like a nightmare compared to the minimal disruption this has been.  It's obviously chaotic, as we have to store all the contents of the old attic downstairs, and find new homes for things that are being displaced.  We have a variety of holes in our walls and ceilings downstairs, and now that winter is arriving it is slightly drafty at night as we listen to the tarp blow in the wind (but nothing a few space heaters doesn't fix).  We still have a steady stream of people as Jeff stops by typically twice a day to check on things, Curtis our electrician comes by at least once a day to make sure we still have electricity, but honestly on the weekends the house seems kind of empty without our framers, Randy, Oscar, Omar, and Edgar and the constant hum of the compressor on the front porch.  

So the pictures can tell you more than I can.  We are starting to get into fun things like picking out fixtures in the bathroom, and deciding on floors etc.  I spend entirely too much time on Pinterest, pinning ideas for "bungalow bathooms" and "craftsman playspaces".  But seriously, how often in life do you get to custom build an 800 sq foot space specifically for your families needs?  It's so exciting to think about the finished product, that I feel like  kid on Christmas eve-likely what is contributing to my patience and tolerance for the chaos.  Short term discomfort for long term reward...repeat.

Looking into Hank's room from the top of the soon-to-be staircase

Plumbing is done!

The view from Hank's room down the hallway into the playroom and girl's room

Standing in the playroom looking into the doorframe for the girl's room

Inside the girl's room

Inside the girl's room-the beds will sit on both sides of the window

The old vents on the side of the house will be converted into windows and we got Jeff to carve out some space to create little window box nooks in both of the kid's bedrooms

The view from the outside-the tarp doesn't really come off these days now that the outside is framed.  I imagine it helps keep the crew a little warmer up there while they work

Fabulous 4

I don't think I've accepted that I am a mother to a 4 year old yet.  I still remember the day I became a mother so clearly, and how is it possible that it was 4 years ago?  This boy, there is so much I could say about him, he's such a real person in our home now-a person with real ideas, opinions, and feelings. The changes from 3 to 4 have been unbelievable. There is something special about your first born, it is hard to pinpoint exactly what it is, especially without making everyone out there think you don't love your subsequent children as much as your firstborn.  But there is a special little corner of your heart that will always be reserved just for that child that gave you the title of mama, that one that paves the way for his younger siblings.  It's like this unspoken notion that we're figuring all this out as we go along in life-and with your sisters it is always a little easier simply because we've already figured it out once before with you. 

 Maybe it is because you are my first born, maybe it is because you are my only boy, maybe we are more alike than I like to admit, but Hank you challenge me like nothing in my life ever has.   You are simply brilliant-you think like your daddy and blow me away everyday with just how bright you really are.  You are a calculated thinker, no decision is made on impulse, you think out your options and make a very deliberate decision every single time.  I see the wheels in your head turning all the time, and wish that I could see what is going on in there for just a few minutes.  Although, maybe I don't want to know what's going on in that head.  You started at a new school this year and absolutely love it.  After a rough start to school last year, in a program that just wasn't the right fit for this boy, we moved you to a multi-age classroom at a school with a very hands on, creative, child-directed focus-clearly exactly what you needed.  You beg me to let you go to school everyday, because you just crave time with your friends.  We hear exclamations of "I love school!" that are so wonderful to hear.  The biggest change in the past year is that we've made the transition from us (the parents) being the preferred playmates to your friends.  Suddenly, you want to play with friends all the time, playdates at friend's houses and we don't even have to supervise.  Sometimes I can't believe I'm already here.  

Speaking of being "here", at age 4, being out in the world has brought home all sorts of hard questions and issues that make me realize that parenting just gets harder and more heart wrenching all the time.  Hank has a friend with divorced parents, and wants to know why this boy's mom and dad don't live together.  After explaining as best we could, we were left with a few nights of him waking up scared that his mom and dad wouldn't always live in the same house.  Another day he asks why his friend Abby in the backyard (who is 10 years old) doesn't play with him as much anymore.  We explain that she is just getting older and has more school and friend things going on, and he spends days pondering why Abby doesn't want to be his friend anymore-breaking my heart every single time he brings up his idea that Abby doesn't like him because he is too young.  

Of course there are still plenty of more light-hearted worldly observations, like recently when a Muslim woman was walking down the street as we drove by and Hank inquired as to why she was dressed like a ghost or why the hipster kids that live across the street wear such short shorts.  He keeps us on our toes constantly, always pushing the limits, and full of more energy that I ever imagined possible.  He is a very loving and thoughtful little boy, who never hesitates to write a get well card when he hears someone is sick and loves to celebrate other's birthdays as much as his own.  Still a fierce mama's boy, who loves to wake up and cuddle with me on the couch watching Curious George just like he did when he was a baby.  I fear these days are numbered, as he is already sleeping much later in the mornings and often I have to drag him from bed to get to school on time. 

Hank has changed so much as he has changed from toddler to little boy in the last year that sometimes I look at him and just cannot believe he is still the same little guy I brought home from the hospital 4 years ago. I do love watching him become an independent person, as he is starting to navigate this world for himself.  I have no clue what is in store for him and his generation, but I do know that Hank is destined for great things and will always make us proud.  

As you can see from the pictures below, an epic party was thrown to celebrate 4 years of life for Mr. Henry James.  We do birthdays big in our house, and nothing makes me happier as a mother than to see the huge smiles on my children's faces as we celebrate their special days.  

A few stats and likes/dislikes at age 4:  

Still off the charts at age 4, growing 3.5 inches in the last year.

Height: 43.6 inches 99%

Weight: 42 lbs 99%

Likes:

• Chick Fil A
• Cyberchase
• Playdates with Lucia
• going to school
• playdough creations
• cooking with mom
• adventures with dad

Dislikes:

• naps/bedtime
• when Lucy plays with his toys
• most foods not on his top 10 preferred list
• chores