Minnie Mouse Dress

 This was, by far, the easiest "upcycling" that I have ever done.  I am always on the lookout for shirts to turn into dresses for Smunchie.  Well, this one was on Target clearance....for $1!  A steal!  Granted, it had one of those asinine sayings on it (if you love shirts that say things, I apologize for offending you).  Well, that part was easily cut off.  I added sleeves and voila!  A new dress!  The best part--since it was a slim fit Junior's shirt, I didn't even have to redo side seams OR hem it!

Siblings

 

You would be hard pressed to find siblings that love each other as much as Lil G and Smunchie.  Just in case you think that it's only when we're watching.....

Anniversary

It is hard to believe that Greg and I have been married for eight years and together for nearly fourteen.  

8 years of marriage
3 homes
3 cities
1 dog
5 jobs
1 graduate degree
2 babies

It doesn't seem so impressive written down.  But....

 it's magic.

Mullet dress

 I finished Smunchie's upcycled "Mullett dress" (as it was affectionately dubbed by Greg).  Basically, a dress that's "business in the front but a party in the back!).

 The bones: an old t-shirt and pair of pants, courtesy of Greg.

 The result!  Super cute!

Cereal Necklace

Lil G has been working on the final 'p' sound at school.  On Thursday, practiced looping Fruit Loops on a necklace.  He was pretty excited :-)

Recipe #13: Cream Cheese Chicken

This recipe seemed too good to be true.  Basically, a dump recipe that you don't have to thaw before sticking in the crock pot.  Could it be tasty?  IT COULD! Amazingly, this actually was delicious, though next time, I will wait to add the cream cheese until the end of the cooking time (the freezing process made it slightly grainy).

Cream Cheese Chicken

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds boneless, skinless, chicken breast
• 1 can (10.75 ounces) cream of chicken soup
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 1 packet dry Italian dressing mix (I used 1 cup italian dressing)

Directions:

Place chicken, soup, cream cheese, and seasoning mix in slow cooker. Cook on high 4-5 hours or low 8-9 hours, or until chicken is cooked through. Serve over hot cooked rice or mashed potatoes, or noodles, if desired.

Freezing Directions:

Mix soup, cream cheese, and dressing mix. Place raw chicken in freezer bags. Pour sauce over chicken, seal, label, and freeze. To serve: Place bag contents in slow cooker. No need to thaw. Cook on high 4-6 hours or low 8-10 hours, or until chicken is cooked through.

Recipe #12: Pecan Crusted Chicken

Another freezer meal.  And this one was great!  It was moist, flavorable and quite easy to make.  The cooking trifecta!

Pecan Crusted Chicken

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1/4 C dijon mustard
• 6 Tbsp honey
• 2 Tbsp water
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp season salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
• 1/4 cup plain dry bread crumbs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425F.  Place chicken breasts in a gallon size freezer bag.  In a small bowl, combine mustard, honey, water, lemon juice, season salt and pepper.  Add marinade to chicken, turning to coat well. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or longer for extra flavor.  Mix pecans and breadcrumbs in a shallow dish.  Remove chicken from marinade and discard any extra.  Coat chicken evenly with pecan mixture.  Place on baking pan and bake 15-25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Freezing Directions:

Place chicken breasts in a gallon size freezer bag.  In a small bowl, combine mustard, honey, water, lemon juice, season salt and pepper.  Add marinade to chicken, turning to coat well.  In a quart size freezer bag, combine pecans and breadcrumbs. Place small bag into larger bag with chicken.  Label and freeze.  TO SERVE:  Thaw in fridge, removing bag with pecans and breadcrumbs.  Mix pecans and breadcrumbs in a shallow dish.  Remove chicken from marinade and discard any extra.  Coat chicken evenly with pecan mixture.  Place on baking pan and bake 15-25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Servings: 4