Flooring

It's here! I can't wait for it to be installed :-)

French Chicken Burger

This is another super fast, healthy, yummy recipe that has become a "repeat" recipe in my house. Caleb approves - which is the most important thing - and it's a great alternative to a beef or turkey burger. I don't think a lot of people think of using ground chicken for a burger. I honestly didn't even know ground chicken existed until a few years ago when I tried this recipe. The only thing with it is since it's so lean you really have to flavor it up just right or else it'll be bland. So here's a good way to use it!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb ground skinless chicken breast
• 2 tablespoons dried plain bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried tarragon (BECKY'S NOTE: I've never used this in all the times I've made this recipe so you'll be fine if you don't want to buy it)
• 1/2 teaspoon herbes de Provence (BECKY'S NOTE: Until a month ago I didn't use this because I didn't want to spend the money on it. I just threw in dried rosemary or whatever else sounded good. I finally bought it and it does make them yummy but it's not necessary. Just make sure you substitute with other herb flavorings if you leave it out)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

DIRECTIONS

Combine chicken, bread crumbs, mustard, shallot, any dried herbs you are using, and salt/pepper. Mix well. (BECKY'S NOTE: Yes the ground chicken mixture will seem slimey and not what you're used to with beef or turkey. It's okay, don't worry) Form into 4 patties (I've stretched it into 5 before). TIP: Wet your fingers before forming patties. It'll help them not to stick.

Now, the recipe calls for you to put it on the broiler rack but I've done it in a skillet as well. Both turn out just fine. Either way, make sure to use non stick spray because the chicken doesn't have much fat in it and it will stick to the pan. They cook quick, about 3-5 minutes per side. A little less on the 2nd side I've found.

As far as buns - you can use any kind you like. The recipe calls for a drizzle of olive oil on the bread and to rub a little garlic on it and then put it under the broiler for a minute. I've used garlic powder and it's just as good. Whatever you like. :-)

For toppings , this isn't traditional with ketchup and mustard. I have found that we love to use sour cream (balances well with the chicken), tomatoes, lettuce, and even a little basil and chives adds a great fresh herb flavor. Just play with it and find what is good for you!

I took a picture of the finished product but my camera is not cooperating and didn't load it. So you'll have to make it and see for yourself! :-)

Walnut & Dried Cherry Bars

So Caleb loves granola bars and each week when I go grocery shopping he asks for some - but man are they expensive! And most of them have a lot of unhealthy crap in them that kind of defeats the purpose of eating a "healthy snack". I am venturing into the world of baking and found this awesome recipe by Ellie Krieger on the Food Network. I made it today and they are so yummy! They are a great snack, or something easy to grab in the morning that is good for you and quick. Some of the ingredients you might not have on hand, but you don't use a lot of what actually comes in the package you buy, so you get a lot for your money because you can re-use the ingredients! Especially the whole wheat flour, or the oats.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup quick-cooking oats
• 3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1/4 cup toasted wheat germ
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 egg, beaten to mix
• 1 egg white
• 3/4 cup dried tart cherries
• 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
• Cooking Spray
• 1/4 cup "Fruit Only" Apricot preserves

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, wheat germ, cinnamon and salt.

In another bowl, whisk together the honey, applesauce, oil, egg and egg white until well combined. Stir in the oatmeal mixture until well combined. Add the dried cherries & walnuts.

Coat an 8x8 pan with cooking spray. Spread mixture into prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 to 35 minutes. In the meantime, put the preserves in a saucepan and bring to a boil. (BECKY'S NOTE: I didn't even notice that step about boiling the preserves until just now. I didn't boil it and it turned out just fine) As soon as the bars come out of the oven, brush with the preserves.

Cool completely and cut into 12 bars.

Overall these are quick, easy, healthy and if you add it up, cheaper than buying store granola bars. Caleb gave them his stamp of approval, we each sampled one and love them. So, here's a picture right when I was putting them away.

Sliding Door Installation, Part I

So, Caleb ended up with the day off........I get home from work and this is what I find! If I didn't know any better I'd think some crazy guy was trying to break our window. Thankfully, it was just my husband, cutting into the first layer (stucco) of our house for our sliding door installation. Phew!

Why are his arms so huge?

So here is what is done for the day. Doesn't look like a lot, but it took a while. He cut into it, then started to try to knock out peices of it.

Oh yeah! And look what I found while watering tonight. A tomato! Pretty soon it'll be ripe and ready to eat, I can't wait :)

Fun Spring Stuff

Here are even more pics that I haven't uploaded yet :)


This is "Oh" (yes that is her name). She is from Thailand and came to visit - she is the sweetest girl!

Nani!!! (Leinani is her full name) This is Celia's baby girl, she is adorable. She was posing for me! We were trying to get her to roll over and she literally stayed like that until I got a picture.

Caleb & I went to Avila one Sunday afternoon when it was so warm out!


Caleb, fixing our sprinkler. I'm so proud of him :)

It works now :) I'm sure he's thrilled I take pics of all this.

A bloom on my lilac tree! The previous owners said it never bloomed in 10 years. I'm so glad it did for me :)

My good hubby mowing the lawn :)

Growing Plants.....More Updates

Okay, some more random pic updates for you. :-)

My plum tree :-)

My blackberries, tomatoes and herbs. Everything is growing!

The slider door we got.....it is going in place of that window on the left, and we are walling in the little door. That goes into our dining room.

Some pretty flowers in my yard

Here is the granite we ordered for our kitchen!

Fresh Coat of Paint

Okay so I found my camera and tried to organize some pics. I'm a bit behind....and things still aren't finished but here is a progress report.....


Guest Bathroom - this used to be powder blue. Now it's yellow....we have yet to install the "B-Board" or "Waynes Coating" whichever you prefer. Once we do that, we will get different colored towels and a different shower curtain. Those are left over from our other guest bathroom.


Our living room, which used to be peachy. Now its dark grey/light grey and this is the start of us pulling in different blues/silvers.


The other part of our living room. We'd love to get different couches that aren't brown - but we're making them work. We STILL have yet to hang pictures on the wall!


I bought this the other day, as an "inspiration piece". I love it!

Life is good, God is good :-)

Hi! I know it's been a few weeks since I've posted, and I'm sorry for that. I have lots of pictures on my camera to download and post, maybe I'll get to that in the next few days.
First of all, God is so good. :-) So, we got all of our tax refund deposited last week and we couldn't feel more blessed. As of Friday, April 17, we are debt free! (except for the house debt) All credit cards are now balance free and it feels so good! We didn't think that at our age, and just having bought a house, that we would be in this position. The best part is, we still have quite a bit left over from our refund so that we can start the big projets at the house. This week we will be ordering our wood flooring, buying our slider for the dining room to go out to the backyard, and start more seriously picking out what granite we want for our kitchen. I can't wait!
We painted our living room, hallway and guest bathroom a little over a week ago. We didnt realize how "peachy" the original color was until we painted over it! Our condo had browns, reds and gold colors and we are going totally different this time around. We picked a very light grey (almost white) and a darker grey for our living room. We used the dark grey on 2 smaller walls as an accent color. Our guest bathroom was baby blue and now it's a cool yellow. Yesterday we went to SLO and bought curtains for our living room, some sheer light blue/grey. That will make a big difference one we hang those up and get our new white wood blinds. It's all coming together little by little and we are having a blast.
My garden/yard is thriving, I'm proud to say. I haven't killed anything yet! :) The previous owners had everything in such great condition I was worried about upkeep. My tomatoes are getting tall and I can't wait to have some fresh tomatoes! I have already used my chives, mint, cilantro and dill - I love having fresh herbs right in my backyard. My blackberry plants are growing like crazy - I have a feeling I'll have more blackberries than I know what to do with - so watch out I'll be giving them away! Yesterday I picked about 5 heads of lettuce worth and a big bundle of green onions, and there is still plenty in the garden. I'm loving it. :)
Caleb's dad was able to come down from Sacramento and visit us this last weekend. It is always nice to have company in our new home. Caleb is very close with his dad and brothers so any time he gets to see them is great. :) On Saturday I went to Riverside (there & back in one day) with my mom & grandma for a joint baby shower for my aunts, so Caleb and his dad had the whole day (with this GORGEOUS weather!) to go to Avila Beach and hang out together. Everything worked out nice.
So that is life lately, like I said I'll try to get some pictures soon.

Home Improvements

We have already almost completed our first change to the house and that is to put in canned lighting in the kitchen. Here are some shots of the work in progress :)

Jim working on the wiring

Jim laughing at Caleb trying to do it

Almost there....

Closer.....

There! Now we have to patch and paint and put some molding around the outside.

Settling In, Improvements, and my Garden

So we have been in our house for 3 weeks now and we are mostly settled. The only things that are left to unpack are obviously the things that we don't need. Random stuff that gets put in a box in a closet anyways. So we'll get to those things soon and either have a garage sale or throw a lot of junk away. We've already given 3 huge boxes of clothes to the shelters!

I have been loving my garden and my flowers. I planted tomatoes, chives, basil, cilantro, and dill and previously existing were carrots, spinach, lettuce and green onions. The lettuce is delicious I picked a bunch last weekend and used it all week. I don't want to buy produce anymore! Here are some shots of my carrots I picked tonight - look at all of them! And the rose is the first rose from my garden, it is so beautiful and smells just as good as it looks! I can't wait 'till the rest bloom.

Blackberries are growing so fast!

Some of the herbs I planted and my tomatoes

Look at those carrots!

I gave them a haircut and a bath. That's better!

Check out the top left carrot, it split into two :)

My beautiful first rose!