January Reading Review

I started off quickly in January with lots of reading since I was working on getting organized and what I had read last year and what I wanted to read for the year.  I was ready to go with lots of books on my shelf and lots of book on my library wish list.  I was super excited to see what the month (and 2014) was going to hold for my reading.  I had a lot of time to read at the beginning of the month because I had some tooth pain that kept me from sleeping which gave me many extra hours for reading, although I would have rather gotten a little sleep.  When they finally got the pain under control, I got lots more sleep.

Sadly, all but one of these books is from the library so I didn't make a lot of progress on the front of finishing the books on my shelf.  I also found a few more books at the library on the free shelf so I might have added some more instead of taking them away.  Oh well, check out what I read this month and click on the title to see my original review in case you missed it.

What did you read this month?  Are you going to track how many books you have read this year?  I love getting to the end of the year and seeing the totals which also show the months that I low reading or high reading months.  It is really interesting so I hope that you join me!!!

One For The Money

by Janet Evanovich

Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas

by James Patterson

Never Too Late

by Robyn Carr

Sundays at Tiffany's

by James Patterson

Two for the Dough

by Janet Evanovich

Three to Get Deadly
by Janet Evanovich

 Summer in Sonoma

by Robyn Carr

Blue Skies

by Robin Carr

I started reading books from the library and only got one read from my home shelf but I had a fun month of reading so I guess that is what is important!  How did your reading go?

Books Read in 2014

January         8

Total Read     8

Almost One Pan Chicken Marsala from McCormick Recipe Inspirations

I have tried quiet a few of the McCormick Recipe cards and some of them have become fast family favorites.  I get nothing from this but just wanted to share my opinion.  Have you ever made them before?  Which ones are your favorites??

Our past favorite was the Rosemary Chicken and Potatoes which I posted a long time ago before there were that many people reading my blog and before my pictures were that great so I might have to do that one again because we love it.  There was another one that we liked which Garlic Lime Chicken Fajitas which it seems that I never posted about!!!  I am going to have to make those again soon to share.

If you haven't gotten them before, they come with this great recipe card so that you can make them time and time again.  They also come with all of the spices to make sure you like them before going out and buying a big container of the spices that might be a little costly if it turns out that the taste isn't what your family likes.

I grabbed my package of spices from the cupboard and got out the ingredients that we needed (listed right on the card).  The seasonings are in these neat little packets.

I started by mixing the flour and the seasonings in a shallow bowl.

I didn't understand the directions the first time that I read them but I had to reserve 1 tbsp of flour mixture and set aside.  I thought that I was supposed to figure out how to coat the chicken with only 1 tbsp of flour.  Luckily, there was plenty of flour.

My husband nicely coated the chicken with the flour while I was taking pictures and making the rest of the meal.  He just loves watching me take pictures and get flour all over the camera :)

Then, I added my oil and butter to the pan to heat up.

When it was done heating through, I added the floured chicken.

I filled the pan with three to four chicken tenders at a time.  Make sure not to overcrowd because they will not brown properly.

When they are cooked on one side, flip and cook on the other side.  When completely cooked, remove the chicken and put on a plate.

Heat up water in one pot and make some pasta of your choice.  We made one of our favorite one which is the refrigerated pasta from Butoni.  If you haven't tried them, it is like fresh pasta without all the work.  They are amazing and not to expensive after coupons.

I boiled the water and put the pasta in when it was boiling.  The even better thing about this pasta is that it cooks so quickly.

After all of the chicken was cooked, I followed the directions (mostly) to make the sauce.  I measured out the chicken broth before freezing it so it was all set.  I measured out the wine that we had in the fridge which was a dry white white.

I added the broth and the wine to the pan and read the directions again and saw that I was supposed to mix the flour in with the broth before adding it to the pan....oops.  Well, great news is that this recipe works fine with a few mistakes and a little more stirring.  The sauce came together well and was thicken really nicely.

I added the chicken back in and coated both sides in the great smelling sauce.

After the pasta was cooked and drained, I moved the chicken to the side and added the pasta to the pan.  I learned that we love the sauce evenly distributed and this helps coat all of the pasta.  I topped with the parsley and brought it to the table to serve just like this.

We really enjoyed it and ate second helpings.  It was a great flavoring on the chicken in the breading and the sauce added a lot of great flavor.  I would make this again and again because we really enjoyed it.

I hope that you try to make this for your family too.  I made a dish that I thought would be a little more complicated to make because I had a recipe card and some seasonings.  Check your pantry and see if you have the seasonings.  If you don't, run out and buy the McCormick Recipe Inspirations so that you can try this too!!

Chicken Marsala

1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp marjoram leaves
1 tsp minced onions
1/2 tsp coarse ground black pepper
1 tsp salt 
1 tsp basil leaves
3/4 tsp parsley flakes
1/3 c flour
3 tbsp butter or margarine, divided
2 tbsp olive oil
8 oz sliced mushrooms (optional)
1/2 c chicken broth
3/4 c Marsala (or dry white) wine
6 thinly sliced chicken breasts or tenders (about 1 1/4 lbs)
Angel hair or Pasta of choice

Mix flour with garlic, marjoram, onions, pepper and salt in shallow dish.  Put 1 tbsp of flour mixture in a small dish and set aside.  Coat the chicken with the remaining flour mixture. Shake off loose flour before placing in pan to cook.

Heat oil and 2 tbsp butter in a large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat.  Cook several chicken pieces 3 minutes per side or until golden brown.  Remove from the skillet and cover to keep warm (can be done with lid or foil).  Repeat with remaining chicken.  Add mushrooms to skillet; cook and stir 5 minutes or until tender.

Mix broth and reserved flour mixture. Add to skillet.  Add wine and bring to boil to release browned bits in bottom of skillet.  Stir in remaining 1 tbsp of butter and basil.  Cook 2 minutes or until sauce is slightly thickened.  Add chicken back in to heat through and coat with sauce.  Add cooked angel hair or pasta of choice and stir to coat in sauce.  Move chicken pieces on top of pasta and top with parsley to serve.

Shared at Follow Thrift Week at Cleverly Simple and 
Saturday Night Fever at Yummy Healthy Easy

Menu Plan Monday 2/3

Monday- Rosemary Chicken and Potatoes
Tuesday- Breakfast for Dinner- Pancakes and hash browns
Wednesday-Salsa Sloppy Joes with homemade fries
Thursday- Tacos with saffron rice
Friday-Amish Noodles
Saturday-  Leftovers/Chicken Paninis
Sunday-Leftovers/Crunchy Taco Rice

We have a busy week this week but I think that this is an easy meal plan with the new meal being on Friday night.  I found a recipe that I have saved forever and I am going to try to make it on Friday.  If it doesn't work out after a long week, then we will be having some other pasta dish but it seems like an easy enough recipe.

On Sunday, I will mix the leftover saffron rice with the leftover taco meat and mix it up.  Then top with shredded cheddar cheese and crushed up Fritos corn chips.  It is a yummy meal that we have had many times before with different rices and different chips.  It is a great way to work leftovers into a new meal.

If any of these meals sound like you want to add them to your meal plan, click on the title to take you to the original post with the recipe.  I will post the new recipes soon so that you can make them too!!  I hope that you have a yummy week planned and I hope that it isn't to rushed to enjoy a nice dinner!

Blue Skies Book Review

Blue Skies by Robyn Carr was next in the pile from library because it came in at the same time as my last Robyn Carr book.  I enjoyed it so much and I didn't think that this would be as good because it just didn't seem like something that I would be interested in as much but boy was I wrong!!

Nikki Burgess has had a tough life with her mother, Opal, leaving her and her father at an early age and coming back once a year to make her over and take a family picture and enjoy a meal.  She enjoyed growing up flying planes with her father and decided to become a pilot after finishing school.  She married her rebound relationship which ended in divorce after two kids.  Her husband fought for custody and won because she traveled for her job.  She moved back in with her father and only saw her children when her ex allowed it while she was paying lots of money in child support and they were living in the family house.  Her husband passed away and she started to feel happiness again because she got her kids back and got a chance to start her life over.

Nikki's best friends are Dixie McPherson and Carlisle Bartlett who both work at the airline with her as flight attendants.  Dixie has had her share of relationships and has never found her soul mate to spend the rest of her life with.  Carlisle is a openly gay man who has the charm to settle even the most disgruntled passenger but spends his nights with a partner who is much less supportive and takes every opportunity to belittle and demean him.  Both friends are sure of themselves at work and much less at home but their friendship helps carry them through all of the ups and downs including Nikki picking up and moving to Las Vegas!

I was excited to start this book after the last exciting Robyn Carr book but I knew nothing about flying so I wasn't sure if I was going to get into it.  Boy was I wrong.  It is an amazing book with lots of friends and drama to bring you through.  Here is hoping that some of these single novels turn into series because I would love to see all of these characters again too!  I hope that you enjoyed some of Robyn Carr's books already but if you haven't pick up one at your local library or bookstore soon.  There is no reason not to get to know all of these great characters and feel their ups and downs with them.

Summer in Sonoma Book Review

A Summer in Sonoma by Robyn Carr was on reserve at the library and I didn't change the end date so they came off at the end of the month and appeared at the library.  I was sort of excited to see them but it also distracted from my mission to read off my bookshelf.  I started it shortly after bringing it home because I was just about done with the previous book.

In this book, there are four friends who are all trying to figure out the hardships in their life and overcome them.  Some use each other for support and others try to do it on their own but either way, they know that their life long friends are going to be there for them along the way.  Cassie, an ER nurse, had a bad date that ended up being rescued by a long haired biker who turns into her friend by providing support and comfort during this difficult time.  Julie married her high school sweet heart, Billy, who is a local fireman and works a second job to try to make ends meet so he is barely ever with his family and they are struggle to stay afloat.  His happy go lucky attitude has reached the end when Julie ends up pregnant again and is worried that she isn't going to be able to afford another mouth to feed.  Marty works in a hair salon and met her fireman husband through her friends but he is taking her for granted and not paying attention to the things that she is saying so she is very tempted to leave the marriage and look for a fulfilling life elsewhere.  Beth is a OBGYN who is just starting out after spending many years in school and finds out that she has breast cancer again.  She has decided to do it alone when Cassie finds out that she is in the hospital and vows to help her friend recover.  This is a great story of friendship and love and I hope that you pick it up to find out what happens to each of these friends and how their friendship grows through these hardships.

I hope that you check out this book and others by Robyn Carr at your local library or bookstore.  I love the way she writes and the characters in her books.  There is always something you can relate to in the books whether it is the character or some problem that they get themselves into.  I really hope to see more of these characters in the other books (although I think that the biker is the same one from another book).  What a great group of friends and great stories.  I enjoyed the whole book and I hope that you do to!!

Weekly Goals 2/2

I had a busy week and we all got a little bit sick.  My son is the worst but we are dealing with the exhaustion and trying to get better.  Here is hoping that we can make it through the busy week and stay a little healthy.  I was hoping to get things done last week to get organized but it didn't happen.  I did get my baking mixes made and put in the cupboard and I made my biscuit mix too.  I did get four waffles made and frozen but we don't have a lot of other things ready for the week so just planning for the best and hoping we get lucky.  How does your week look?


Last week:

Family Goals

• Spend time with family- We got to spend a lot of time together this week and I think that we all came down with a little bit of the cold.  I think that my son might be the worst but we need some rest because we all have a busy next week!
• Go to Music and Movement class- We had a great time at music and movement class and got to enjoy some time playing instruments and then reading in the library.
• Playdate with a friend- We had a friend over to the house after a library event and they have tons of fun playing.  I think that they would play all day if we let them.
• Event at library- We went to a science event at the library which wasn't really great but my son got to bring home a container of snow and ice and see which one melted to more water.  We also got to make a pipe cleaner snowflake.  We also went to a music program on Friday at a different library because we had two teacher work days this week.
• Return lots of stuff at the library- I returned some DVDs to the library but I was going to try to return some of the books but I got caught by the little man and had to keep them.  I did return some of my books as well so we are way below the limit.

Personal Goals

• Cut coupons- I cut my coupons on Sunday or Monday and got totally organized.  I was super glad to be ahead of the game! There were also 4 inserts so it was a lot of work.
• Get coupons on Friday- I got them on Saturday because I totally forgot about Friday and I think that Saturday might be my new go to day because it seems like it might be easier to find them in stock by then.
• Take pictures of my son's art work and get it organized- I took some pictures and then got stopped and didn't make a dent in the pile that I promised last time wouldn't get out of hand and I have a huge pile of all my son's art work piled up again.  Hopefully next week but I am not crossing my fingers.
• Shut off computer 6 nights to save energy- I forgot to shut off the computer one night but I had it off lots and got it to give it a rest.
• Dental cleaning- I got my teeth cleaned and it felt nice to have them clean again!
• Couponing class with NVFS- I did my couponing class and got out as much information as I could in the short time so hopefully someone decides that they can use the information and start saving for themselves.
• Subbing at preschool- I subbed at school one day and my son got to enjoy a lunch bunch.
• Post more items on ebay and maintain spreadsheet - I put as many things on ebay and then I got an error that said that I couldn't do anymore because there was a limit on coupon sales.
• Finish reading Blue Skies by Robyn Carr- Finished and review posted.
• Start on next book in the pile from the library from Janet Evanovich (I have 4, 5 and 6)- I read and finished the 4th book and I am starting on the 5th.

Home Management Goals

• Clean dishes, counters and floors at least 5 days of the week- There was a lot of cleaning this week for another messy kitchen.  I really need to stop using it!
• Clean dishes one night and not wait until the morning- I know that I did them some early in the week and again on Thursday and Saturday night.  I did really well getting all of the dishes done a little this week.

Blog Goals

• Post one post everyday (schedule 7 posts so that can spend more time with family)- I got all my posts up this week
• Review book reviews completed during the week (if done)- I got all of the book read and reviews posted.
• Work on a few posts to work ahead for the coming week- I got a little bit done and posted but I still have a little more work to do to get ready for the month.  I hope to get more done on Sunday so that I am all set for the week at least.
• Post Sunday Weekly Goals, Menu Plan Monday, Kid Wednesday and Thrifty Thursday Tip- I got them all posted ahead of time and no problems!

This week:

Family Goals

• Spend time with family 
• My son's five year check up
• Event at the library (if we are feeling better)
• Playdate with friends

Personal Goals

• Cut coupons
• Get coupons on Friday or Saturday
• Take pictures of my son's art work and get it organized
• Shut off computer 6 nights to save energy
• Subbing at preschool 3 days
• Massage!!!  (Yeah, thanks Aunt Joy and Uncle Lenny for the gift certificate)
• Finish reading 5th book by Janet Evanovich
• Start on next book in the pile from the library from Janet Evanovich 6th

Home Management Goals

• Clean dishes, counters and floors at least 5 days of the week
• Clean dishes one night and not wait until the morning

Blog Goals

• Post one post everyday (schedule 7 posts so that can spend more time with family) 
• Review book reviews completed during the week (if done)
• Work on a few posts to work ahead for the coming week
• Post Sunday Weekly Goals, Menu Plan Monday, Kid Wednesday and Thrifty Thursday Tip 

Three to Get Deadly Book Review

Three to Get Deadly (Stephanie Plum, No. 3) (Stephanie Plum Novels) by Janet Evanovich was the next in the series and the beginning of the book was in the second book so I started before I even put down the last book.  I immediately went to grab the book which I had upstairs in my pile from the library.  The great news is that we had a snow day the next day so I got to read some more then I would normally.

In all of the books in this series, Stephanie Plum gets herself into trouble with her chosen profession of bounty hunter.  This book is no different when she is assigned the case of the local legend, Uncle Mo, who owns the local candy and ice cream shop.  The town is against her finding the revered candy shop owner so she is on her own.  There are masked attackers who come and threaten her to stay away from Uncle Mo.  There are more drug dealers and dead bodies that Stephanie finds along the way which get people wondering what exactly she is doing in the course of her investigation.  If you think that this sounds interesting, the book is even more action and adventure then the last so you better pick it up to find out what happens.

I hope that you have picked up one of the books by now and that I am not ruining them for you but I really enjoy them.  They are entertaining and have you reading to find out what mess Stephanie is going to get into.  She didn't disappoint in this book because she gets herself. Check your local library or bookstore for this series of books and start at the beginning!  I promise that you won't be disappointed by these entertaining reads.