Recipe W.O.W. Re-DO #4: Baked Chicken and Rice

My mom went through a lot of cooking phases as we grew up. A few that I remember most vividly were the "stir fry" months (she really made us respect the wok!), and the "sprouting" period (our laundry room became a veritable greenhouse for sprouts of all kinds), and the "juicing" stage (I still LOVE carrot juice because of this one! Celery juice on the other hand...), and in more recent years, the "bundt cake" phase (every family gathering was a new bundt surprise... Sometimes she would make 2 or 3 at the same time just to taste test them!).

What I didn't know as a child during all of these phases, which were so exciting and fun for us, was how much work it was! Just to get a home-cooked dinner on the table each night is a major accomplishment in my world, and I'm sure with 3 little girls within 4 years under foot, was an incredible feat for my mom! But overarching all of her cooking ins and outs, there are a few recipes that were our family "classics". Deliciously simple flavors, easy to put together, readily available ingredients, crowd pleasers; everyone in the family loved them. These were the ones that withstood the test of time; and my mom still makes them a lot. The only downside to these classics is that some of their ingredients are... well let's just say that they've been on my black list for several years. You know the typical 60's-90's era offenders? Condensed cream soups, the Oh-so-msg-fruitful Powdered Soup Mixes, trans-fat shortenings, and stuff like that. So of course, these were some of the first ones on my list to Re-Do. It's been tricky, but I've been playing around with a few of them, and I think I've finally got this one to a point that momma would still be proud to claim it as her own.

Katy's Baked Chicken and Rice

(please forgive me for some of these amounts... they may not be exact)

Either 1 whole chicken, cut up, or 1 large pkg bone-in, (that's right not boneless!) thighs, breasts, and legs (should be about 6-8 pieces, depending on the size and cut, the last time I made this I used only thighs and legs)

1 pckg whole baby portabella or crimini mushrooms, sliced thin or small dice
1 onion, chopped fine

2 heaping TB dehydrated onion
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
2 heaping tsp salt
28 oz carton good quality chicken broth (I love Imagine or Pacific organic brands, the taste difference is huge)
2 cups sour cream

2 cups basmati rice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a skillet, add the mushrooms and onions, drizzle well with olive oil; saute down until translucent and golden.


In a bowl, combine dehydrated onion, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, chicken broth, and sour cream; whisk until smooth. In a 9X13 pan (I use metal for this, but I think you can use glass) place rice, mushroom and onion, and broth mixture; stir to combine. Nestle chicken pieces down into the rice. Turn to coat the top of the chicken pieces, but if you're pan is deep enough, you should only have a little bit of the chicken showing above the rice mixture. Bake uncovered, 60-90 minutes, or until chicken juices run clear and rice is light and fluffy.

I bet you didn't think it was going to be this simple! That's my mom's style... and I tried not to add anything fancy to change the straight-forward flavor. Now, I know that bone-in meat is out of fashion, but it really effects the flavor and cooking time of this dish, so just enjoy the savings! I bet you could even do this with all drumsticks... kids love those.

Side note: My family growing up ALWAYS adds sour cream to top this on their plates. We were almost addicted to sour cream... I've since tried to refrain from doing that, and I think this still comes out moist and flavorful... but if you are the type that wants your rice to be creamy, a dollop will do ya, as they say. Pair with green beans, jell-0, and a green salad with homemade buttermilk dressing, and you've got a classic Rosenhan family Sunday meal. Here's to you, Mom! Happy Birthday!

Making up for lost photo ops...

I'm sorry about this, yet another shoot of my baby, but you see, I hardly took any pictures of this kid her first year and a half of life! Remember, I did not have a digital camera... (not a good excuse, I know!)
Anyway, so I'm trying to make up for some lost time. This was on an overcast day when I was feeling downright crummy. A friend in the ward crocheted this cap and gave it to Kate the day before, and when I put it on her I knew that we needed to just forget our troubles and have a photo moment. She doesn't understand hold still and look at the camera, so I just followed her around our yard. We played peek-a-boo behind the vines, and collected rocks, and pulled blossoms off the apricot tree. I smiled the whole time... I hope you will, too! Thanks, Kate!

"Roses are red, violets are blue..." My husband writes poetry... who knew?

Every year since we've been married, Scott has given me flowers for Valentine's --and I LOVE flowers!! This year, however, we already had some lovely roses from left over from a meeting earlier in the month gracing our home, and another bouquet that Scott picked up for a family gathering at our house a week or so ago. Also, I wanted to save a little money, and Valentine's flowers are such a gouge... So, I asked him for a favor this Valentine's. In lieu of flowers this year, I would love the gift of a clean bathroom, and a little something written from him to me. Didn't have to be poetry of course, but... o.k. I was hoping. Well, I'm sure that he was thinking, "Man, if I could just get the flowers and be done with it!" But, I'm a tricky lover, you know? Always keeping him on his toes! So on Valentine's morning, under my cell phone, I found a strip of paper, and on it was this:

Thirteen Valentines For Our Thirteenth Valentine's Day -- Feb 14, 2009
I think you will consider it a fine interlude; it starts in a place with the beatitudes.
(So I got the kid's together and we started our hunt... we have some blocks with Pres. Hinckley's 6 B's, and that is where the next one was:)

1. "Charity... suffereth long..."
Your longsuffering toward me makes glad my head, I would have you look next to where we sometimes find bread. (the bread basket)

2."...is kind..."
Your kindness to me is a welcome repose, and so your kind words; they smell like a rose... (off we went to the flowers on the kitchen counter)

3."...envieth not..."
You help me remember that life is not about gain, but hope to snatch eternity in this world of much pain. Go to the place where the mammon abounds in great coinage; you will see, the new clue will astound! (I was cracking up too hard to go find this one..."mammon abounds in great coinage?" the kids found it on the change jar in the office)

4. "...Vaunteth not... is not puffed up..."
You help me remember on God to rely, instead of myself as a tiny black fly. (on top of the fridge next to the fly swatter... how romantic!)

5. "...rejoice not in iniquity..."
What I watch on TV or see on the Dish, If I care not or perceive not, might stink like a fish. SO now I watch very carefully the place where it lies, this box of these wonders, these shows, and I am apprised. (what part of this one is about his everlasting love for me? I have no idea...)

6. "...not behave itself unseemingly..."
Don't go to Wal-Mart in your pajamas indeed, (I'm always harping on him about doing this) if you do you may find that you stand out like a weed. But, use good language and spell right, and "THINK ON THESE THINGS" (We have a wall plaque that says this)

7. "...seeketh not her own..."
You serve others so smartly so well, and so true, you seek not your own and you do shat is true. You teach joy in service and you do it so well, I love to see you mixing that bread I love so well. (the first thing Olivia said was, "How many 'so well's' are you going to put in there, Dad?!" He must have been getting tired, but you have to admit this is just so cute...)

8. "... is not easily provoked..." (Anyone who really knows me knows that this one would be a stretch...)
I am grateful for your patience. I am grateful very much. I am glad you spare your anger while I let the trash keep piling up. (He knew he was safe here, because he never lets the trash pile up!)

9. "...thinketh no evil..."
Your mouth is a pleasant fountain of good and righteous words. I love to hear you speak softly as a flea lights upon a bird. (What?!?) Your words betray your goodness, and make me feel so cheery. Your company a blessing, like a wreath of bright red berries. (Huh? Of course we knew where the next clue was after that one...)

10. "...rejoices in truth..."
I know you love the scriptures, and can recite those timely verses. You shared some timely counsel from the Journal of Discourses. (My current favorite church reference book, much to my husband's delight)

11."...beareth all things..."
Bearing the sons of men is a job that is quite daunting, but you bare it up so well that it seems not so alarming. I hope I have the faith to put on God's armor and that my faith is not like the kind that sits upon the armoir. (Boy we were almost stumped on that one, until we noticed the 'faith' plaque on top of the TV cabinet. Then I remembered the night before as he was at the computer him asking me, what's the cabinet that holds the TV called? It's an armoir, honey...)

12. "...believeth all things..."
Your testimony of the truth is built upon a rock. I am strengthenend by your witness and I know others are as well. If you seek a tiny witness hole, you may find the final clue. (it was stuck in the front door peep hole)

13. "...endureth all things..."
I know that together we can endure to the end and find the blessings that our Father has for us. I am eternally grateful to be yours. Be mine. I love you dearly, and Happy Valentine's Day,
Love, Scott ( That one was worth the whole thing. What a cutie!)

So when you ask for an alternative to flowers, be prepared!!! So of course, I think now it is clearer why we laugh because of how "not funny" we are! I was laughing so hard through the whole thing that I had to go back and reread them to catch the sentiment! Scott, I love your random, quacky humor, but especially your sweetness. You actually embody more of these attributes of charity than I do, and you do it without drawing any attention to yourself. I love you, sweetheart!

Making Sweets with a Sweetie...

As soon as she realized that it was "Valentime's", Isabelle has been prolific in the craft room churning out card after card... and giving them to everyone that steps foot in the door this week. This is most definitely HER holiday...

So, following her sweet lead, and as part of my New Year's determination to take life "in moments" and make (and record) more memories, I actually did something this week that I have been meaning to do but have not done since the whirlwind of our move here to QC and all that has commenced since. I MADE SUGAR COOKIES! Now stop laughing... I know it sounds ridiculous, but this is a big deal for me!


Yes, it took me ALL WEEK to make the 2 batches, (I thought we would do them for F.H.E., and I didn't even manage to get the dough finished before we had to call it quits and send everyone to bed... yes, they were all smiles as we tucked them in without dessert!). So I knew I would be finishing them either late at night or at Kate's naptime with Izzy (which ended up being both)...



As sad as it sounds, it is very hard to me to stop my constant, the-work-never-ends-so-I-can't-stop-working mode to actually slow down, let it go, and just make cookies. And especially sugar cookies. You know, the zero-nutritional-reward-for-hours-of-tedious-labor cookies! Pure unadulterated sugar just for kicks is really not my style. And of course I had to search and search for a recipe that didn't call for shortening (this health nut has her standards, you know! As warped as that sounds...) And to be honest, if I hadn't have had to make them for Izzy's class party (I was chairperson, and the treat sign ups were both conveniently out of town) I don't know now if I would have even done it at all. And boy, wouldn't it have been tragic to miss this smile...



So, I may have let my house go further down the drain, and let the laundry lion win his match again this week, but WE MADE SUGAR COOKIES!!!



And I sat with Izzy as we decorated them, and we played the "echo song" game, with a Valentine's theme. It goes something like this: Izzy sings an original melody and word phrase, and then I repeat it exactly ( Or at least I try to, even with the atonal-sounding tritones she throws at me!). Then after awhile we switch places, and I make up the phrases and Izzy repeats them. It's great ear training, actually. When you repeat the phrases a few times, it starts to actually sound like a song! Ours ended up something like this, with Izzy in the "composer's seat":

Oh, how I love Valentime's Day!
(Oh, how I love Valentime's Day...)
It puts so much joy in my heart
(It puts so much joy in my heart...)
It's all about loving and giving
(It's all about loving and giving...)
and it's just such a wonderful time
(and it's just such a wonderful time...)
Wonderful, Wonderful, Wonderful, Wonderful, (sung in the stratospheric child's upper register) Valentime's Day!
(Wonderful, Wonderful, etc... Valentime's Day!)
it's my favorite day of ALL...(sing your highest possible note here, mine was an impressive high B flat that day, I even ran over to the piano and checked :) )
(it's my favorite day of ALL..)

etc..

We sat at the counter frosting and sprinkling, and sang our hearts out, verse after verse, for a good 30 minutes. Just Isabelle and me, having each other all to ourselves. A simple thing, but one of the sweetest of my motherhood thus far. Now that was a moment worth making a mess for...

"Good Times, Good Times..." A Month In Review

Good Grief! It's tough to get on here and post as often as I would like to! I talked to a friend the other day who has an absolutely darling blog (the illustrious Molly Reynolds, click here) and she gave me two great gems of blogging advice: 1) YOU own the blog; the blog doesn't own you, and 2) Find your groove. Loved those two thoughts. Well, I certainly haven't found my groove yet (or in my case, my 'jive', I guess...), but I'm enjoying the opportunity to preserve memories. My children look forward to each post tremendously, and really, that's the point. Anyway, until I achieve a more predictable blog post routine, I wanted to document some of our great moments of the last 3 or 4 weeks.

Josh's first Blue and Gold Banquet!
They asked all of the Scouts to make and decorate a birthday cake, to be "wacky judged" and eaten for dessert. Joshua displayed his latest Indiana Jones lego masterpieces. He worked on them for hours to get every detail right. Unfortunately, about 20 minutes after this picture was taken, some over-active fellow scouts decided that they wanted to "rebuild " his cake... and dissassembled his vehicles and smashed the pieces into the cake! It was unbelievable. Josh cried all the way home, and for about an hour after. You know, I didn't know when they said that Scouting would make your sons stronger that this might be the way it would occur... to teach them how to handle their thoughtless peers? Well, we all better get ready to toughen up a bit, because next pack meeting is the infamous pinewood derby! Oh, I can't wait...
Here is Josh playing the "eat-a-saltine-cracker-and-try-to-whistle" game... Don't you just want to kiss those little scout lips!!




LION KING at Grady Gammage auditorium!!!
We bought group tickets about a year ago... and here we all are! The show was AWESOME!!!

Here's my Broadway Babies after the show! We had a ball...


We took a trip to Las Vegas for my cousin Alex Green's missionary homecoming. As always, it was a wonderful opportunity to connect with some of most fun, uplifting, classy people that I know! (Of, course, they're my family, so I might be a little biased...) But in reality, we feel so lucky and blessed to have extended family that set such fine examples of testimony and dedication to the gospel for our children to follow. It is inspiring to see, and it makes you want to keep such a legacy of faith going with your generation... Love you, cuz's!

This is my dad in his "element". Playing his old classic sing-alongs on the guitar while his family harmonizes...I think he's singing here one of our family favorites: "Nothing's Quite As Pretty As ______(fill in child's name) In The Morning" Of course as kids we would all scream for him to put our names in... and he would make a special verse for each one of us. I love you, Dad!


Whenever Kate can make eye contact with someone lately, whether friend or stranger, she asks for food (signs of course)! Here is proof that I really do feed her! Just look at those Jersey Cow eyes... I'll have to post another fairy tale sometime to tell the tale of how they came about!



Forts are a frequent occurrence at our house, but I rarely get a shot of them in use. This one is definitely not their best work, but they were having so much fun under it, and I was especially impressed that Kate was staying in one spot for more than 30 seconds! What a bunch of cuties...



'LONDON'S RUN'NERS!!! As many of you know, Queen Creek has an annual cancer benefit run in honor of a girl named London... it's a wonderful event. This year Kate, Izzy and I opted out, but Scott and the kids did the 2 mile fun run. Next year it's the half marathon for sure! Hee, hee! We lingered afterwards and enjoyed the festivities, complete with... face painting! Kate acted like she was being branded when she got hers... what a drama queen!


...face painting! Kate acted like she was being branded when she got hers... what a drama queen!




And last but not least...
Our stake has a garden... and our ward has a section of it! At the beginning of January we went as a family and helped cultivate (I think that's the soft term for 'yanking nasty weeds'), and last week for F.H.E. we were able to help harvest it! It was a mudbog that evening, but here are the fruits of our (and many other wonderful saints') labors. Yes, I get excited about pictures of fresh, homegrown (and FREE!) produce! And Kate shared my enthusiasm in helping me bag it up... YUMMM!!!!



Well, that's a recap for now... maybe next month I'll actually blog as the events happen! Baby steps, Deb, baby steps...