Oh.. you didn’t know?

So, i’m a kitchen manager. A kitchen manager at a pretty well known chain restaurant. My job is pretty chaotic and unpredictable (based on my location). In the past week we have fired/hired or thought about either. We have been busier than usual, which is awesome, but leaves very little time to spend with my family. Being a manager has, by far, been the most tiring, trying job of my life. If i open i get home in time to say good night and put my girls to bed. If i close i spend the day calculating what bottle to give when, when naps are and which doctors appointments are more important, if I mid I say good morning, leave and come back to a sleeping household. I just feel stuck sometimes. However, the crew i work with (kitchen, front of house, managerial) is amazingly supportive. I got myself into this job and i will keep myself there however long I’m wanted/needed.

(Semi-side note-My GM has been absolutely amazing working with my family and I… reasons to follow)

Kylee starts an intensive feeding program this week (Thursday to be exact). It is 830am until 245 pm. it is basically a JOB. And it is Monday through Friday for 8 weeks. We got through a heart surgery, and work constantly on any mile stones she may be behind, but this… this is a whole other beast. 8 weeks of constant feeding therapy? The icing on the cake is the program doesnt allow us to have Charlee there with us. So, that means a baby sitter any time both of us aren’t off of our jobs. So, Eric is going down to just weekends at his job, and I’m begging my GM to schedule me to be home so that we don’t have to pay for a babysitter; we can’t afford.

Luckily, we have lots of support from family, co-workers and friends to help. But, it’s still going to be a struggle.  I cant begin to explain the hopes i have for this program. If it doesn’t work…. I’m not sure what will.

A little update on the girls…

Kylee: 21 lbs 32″ (2 yrs old) and just about walking. She’s still very much behind on the walking but doing fantastically lately. She has been taking many more steps and letting go of supports. She seems to not have the confidence to let go of walls/ledges/shelves/walkers etc… We have a few videos of her walking towards Eric and it’s amazing. It’s just like the excitement we felt when she was first rolling/crawling etc..

Charlee: 20 lbs 11 oz 30″ (9 months old). Charlee is amazing. Although, not without her problems. Her little feets are still curved inwards. She doesnt sit herself up either, which is super frustrating. However, she does stand well, chat well, eat well and generally function without problem. She just seems to know mommy and daddy will sit her down or lay her down without problem. I think a lot of her issues come with us not knowing quite when things are supposed to happen. It’s already so weird for us that she weighs as much as she does. And she sits! Without assistance? And she can get herself across a room without crawling (she scoots on her bum). She seems to be very attached to me. When i leave the room she cries. This makes it very difficult to leave, but it reassures me that i am loved and needed.

In the coming weeks I can only hope for answered questions to Kylee’s eating habits and Charlee finally realizing she can sit herself up. Otherwise, i am surely reminded, that I asked for my children and will fight for whatever they need. Whether it be help, reassurance or just love. I am here for them!

Please keep Kylee’s progress in mind in the coming weeks! It would mean a lot!

In the mean time….

Try these recipes!

Loaded Chicken and Potatoes

So good! especially with http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/jeff-mauro/bbq-kale-chips-recipe.html and seasoning on the potatoes!!

Also, my favorite and a WELL requested cookie

http://honestcooking.com/banana-chocolate-chip-cookies/

All are so so good! Even the Kale chips!

 

Homesickness (almost) cured by Chicken and Dumplings!

I’m feeling a little homesick and emotional.  I’ve been just blah lately. I hear some people get this way at the end of the 9 months of being a super human, growing another. Either way anytime I feel like this, I turn to food. It’s a good thing and a bad thing. It’s good because food is damn good. It’s bad because most things I gravitate towards aren’t especially good for me. However, given that Wednesday is Miss Charlee’s arrival I decided to take my mood out on a mean pot of chicken and dumps! Chicken and dumplings, incase you’re offended, is what I mean.

The first time I ever had chicken and dumplings I fell in love. I fell truly, madly, deeply in love (yes, that’s a song). My southern family, the Baker side/my mom’s side, knows how to make this magical dish better than anyone ever. And no, you can’t make it better either, just stop now. I can’t even make it better. But, I do try. I tweak my recipe almost every time I make it. I only just started making it a little after Kylee was born and cried as I tasted it for the first time. I remembered watching my papa Baker standing over a large pot stirring and tasting and finally getting my hands on a large bowl hit me like a ton of bricks. It tasted so closely to his that I couldn’t hold back the tears. My grandpa suddenly passed away when I was in high school and I would ask for it every year on my birthday. After he passed I had a very hard time even thinking about it, much less asking for it to be made by anyone else. So, that’s why it took me so long to venture into making it myself. I really didn’t think it was at all possible that I could make something even remotely close. I was wrong though. Watching him and my grandma make this really taught me and instilled in me the power of the chicken and dumps. And boy am I lucky, as well as the hubby, he’s lucky too. ‘Cause these things are damn good.

One other memory I have of these is having them made for me by my great grandma in Tennessee when I was much much younger (my years smoosh together, I may have been 7, 8, 9, 10? who knows). My cousin and I hopped in the car with papa and headed down to see my great grandma and some other Baker/Webster family. A trip I will never forget and am very thankful that I had the opportunity to make. The drive was long but the trip went by fast. The hills were so high and the scenery was one I will never forget, but the chicken and dumplings were where it was at. My great grandma had long pieces of hand made dough rolled out and ready to be cooked. She could hardly even see, but that didn’t stop her from getting around the kitchen. She cut the pieces of dough down and slowly dropped them in the pot. I have never had them that way, and I don’t even think my papa could make it the same. I think you need special Tennessee water for it. 😉 Since then my great grandma has passed, but I will never ever forget that trip and her… and the giant ass bug on the ceiling of our room that made us leap to our feet on the bed freaking out until gramps came and caught it.

It’s truly amazing what food can do to a person. How one dish can transport them to different times of their life. I’m thankful every day for them.

 

Chicken and Dumplings

Whole Chicken

4 Tbs of butter, divided

2 stalks of celery (chopped)

2 carrots (peeled and chopped), or large handful of baby carrots (chopped)

1 medium white onion (or Vidalia- chopped), or half a large onion

2 large cloves of garlic (minced)

s/p

1 tablespoon Parsley flakes

Cayenne, to taste

Fresh herbs sage, rosemary, thyme, basil (optional), celery leaves (optional)

2 Bay Leaves

One large box chicken stock

2 tablespoons EVOO (optional)

2-3 cans premade biscuit dough (or make your own from scratch)

2 Tbs flour

2 Tbs saved skimmed chicken fat (see directions)

Water

 

Directions:

Melt 2 Tbs butter and EVOO in large pot or Dutch oven, chop vegetables sauté/sweat until just tender (start with carrot, they take the longest). Add small amount of s/p (add more at the end to taste) and parsley flakes to vegetables. Add whole chicken into pot pushing the vegetables to the outside to give the breast side a slight sear. Add chicken stock and water to just cover the chicken and bring to a boil with fresh herbs and bay leaf. Reduce heat to a simmer and cover, cook chicken until done (1.5-2 hours). Pull chicken out and set aside to cool. Bring stock to a boil again and reduce to medium heat. Add salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste and pull out any large stems of herbs and bay leaves. Skim chicken fat off as it rises to the top of the broth, save 1-2 Tbs. In a small bowl mix flour, 2 Tbs of butter and 2 Tbs chicken fat until a roux is made. Mix all of these things well and then quickly whisk into stock to thicken (add all if you want it thicker, or less for thinner).  Shred chicken and add to stock. Cut/rip dough into small thumb size pieces (size and amount vary to your liking) and drop into broth cook until dough is cooked through. Taste and adjust seasonings. If its too thick, add more water or chicken stock then serve.

Of course I must add that I do use the canned biscuit dough, a trick my papa always used and one that I find easy and delicious. But, by all means, make your own! I’m sure it’s easy, but like I said, there’s a certain flavor and memory I was going for. Also, I made the mistake once of buying honey flavored biscuits. They really ruined the whole thing for me, although Eric and his family swore they still tasted just as good I couldn’t help but be disappointed. I didn’t want sweet chicken and dumps! So, be careful and read the packaging of the darn biscuits! My mom and grandma swear my grandpa never used the dark meat of the chicken. That’s fine, if you’re picky, just use 4 chicken breasts instead. I personally like the dark meat in this dish. I feel like it imparts more flavor and juiciness that you sometimes miss from just using white meat. Not to mention… it’s cheaper to buy a whole chicken then to just get breasts, just sayin’.

I used 22 biscuits in this large pot and tomorrow the leftovers will be solid. When that happens I add a little water or chicken stock when re-heating and it’s not as dense anymore. Or just heat it up as is if you like it nice and thick. I know the thickness of this particular dish is sometimes controversial but, like I said, this is what I grew up with. And, to me, chicken and dumplings is not soup, it is more a stew. So, give it to me thick, or don’t give it to me at all!

Lastly, I want to add, if you have the time, make the chicken and stock a day ahead and then go about the rest of the dish the next day. It is much easier to get the fat off the top after it has completely cooled.

A special note to my grandma: I miss you and I wish I could visit before Charlee arrives! Every time I make this dish I think of you, your house, your love and your wonderful company. I know you made just as many dishes as papa did and I have so many food memories with you too! I love you and I hope we can visit asap when Charlee is big and strong enough to make the 2.5 hour drive :-D!

Kylee’s first taste of the goodness! She loves it!!

Lemony Chicken Pasta and Baby Brain

There’s this lovely side effect to being pregnant. It’s called ‘Baby Brain.’ It’s terrible. It may be worse than peeing every 5 mins. But, definitely not as bad as heartburn. Either way, it sucks. It makes a frazzled mom feel even more frazzled with a side of straight up idiot. At work I start doing one thing and end up doing another, completely forgetting about the first task. I walk into coolers looking for an item and then grab everything but that item. I answer a phone and can’t answer a simple question. At home, I make bread and use the wrong amount of flour, I forget to set the timer on garlic bread and it burns, or I make pasta and half way through battling and swearing at the dough I realize I, once again, used the wrong amount of flour. Good thing flour and eggs aren’t very expensive or I may have just tossed tons of money into the garbage. And with my child, a few weeks ago I woke up feeling great and half way through my shower remembered Kylee had a feeding therapy appointment at that very moment! I’m telling you, this take over is terrible.

So, because of all my botched recipes, my terrible baby brain and being generally exhausted and lazy I haven’t been cooking anything new and sure haven’t been able to put a sentence together on this fine blog. In other words, I’m making excuses for taking naps. Lots and lots of naps. I should be napping now!

Last night I forced Eric (aka asked him nicely) to help me make dinner. I knew exactly what I wanted. I wanted lemon, chicken and fresh pasta. Especially since I received an amazing pasta drying rack for my birthday!! (THANK YOU!!) and I knew it would make the process a lot easier and organized. We went to the store in search of some white wine for the sauce (a beurre blanc <insert ridiculous french accent here>) and of course I was suddenly on a new path of “how about artichokes? and spinach?!” Nothing like a shopping trip to really get my creative juices flowing.. and my stomach growling. The hubs and I ended up putting together an amazingly delicious dinner and I would definitely eat it again, and again. I took some photos and decided I would share. It’s a pretty straight forward and easy dinner for anyone who knows how to make a beurre blanc, pasta and can saute some chicken.

Ingredients

3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut in half through the middle to make 6 thin pieces

Fresh fettuccine pasta (recipe is enough for 4-6)

1 6.5 oz jar of marinated artichoke hearts, chopped

1-2 cups fresh spinach, chopped (use the amount you desire)

½-1 lemon, juiced (depends on juiciness of the lemon and how much you enjoy the flavor)

1 whole shallot, minced

3 Tablespoons of butter, cubed

¼ cup heavy cream

Italian blend seasoning, to taste (I used Mrs. Dash)

Salt and pepper to taste

Extra virgin olive oil

Parmesan for garnish

Directions:

Bring a well-salted pot of water to a boil for noodles.

For Chicken:

Season chicken with Italian season, salt and pepper to your liking. Coat a large skillet with oil and heat until rippling. Sear chicken and cook through, about 2-3 minutes per side. Set aside.

For sauce:

Add a little more oil to the same pan on medium heat and sauté shallot until translucent. Deglaze with white wine and let simmer until reduced and alcohol has cooked off (about 3-5 mins). Add heavy cream, and lemon juice, stir, toss in artichokes, spinach, and warm through. Add butter a few pieces at a time and stir. Season with salt and pepper.

Cook pasta and toss in sauce. Plate with chicken, sliced diagonally, on top and garnish with Parmesan cheese.

For boxed/dried pasta, drop in water while the wine is reducing. Cook al dente.

For Fresh pasta drop in the water right at the end of cooking the sauce, 1-3 mins.

 Yum yum yum!

Today for lunch I put an extra piece of chicken on a low fat bagel with spinach, cheese and mayo and had myself a delicious sandwich! Later I plan on some leftover butter noodles! I think this recipe would also be good with roasted red peppers or mushrooms. Or all of it! Or you could substitute fish for the chicken and have yourself a nice fancy seafood pasta. The possibilities are always endless.

Finally, Kylee wanted to say hi!