3-Ingredient Sweet 'n Sour Chicken

My very favorite sweet & sour chicken recipe:

Place boneless chicken breasts or tenders in 9 x 13" baking pan.
In separate bowl, mix 1 small Catalina dressing bottle, 1 can crushed pineapple (slightly drained), and 1 C. brown sugar. Mix thoroughly and pour over chicken. Bake @ 350 for 45-60 minutes. Serve over rice! And don't forget to savor the baking smell in your cozy house...

"What a Character!"

My son, age 4, gets dressed by himself every morning. Trouble is, he wears his underwear on the outside of his pants. (Pants is indeed plural, as you can see.) I ask him why he does this and he says he is "Nacho Libre." Nice.

He always sleeps on his floor. I can't figure out why. We obviously don't need his bed.

Here are some memorable quotes from Nacho this past week:

(Praying) "And thank you that I can say "oopsies" after I spit on somebody."

"Hey Mom! I remember that Joseph Smith was handsome!"

(Praying) "Thank you that we could have blessings; thank you that we could get created. And thank you for potty treats."

Quote of the Day...

"I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody."

~Bill Cosby

Happy Birthday to me

Fresh flowers (thanks, Kim D.), cookies and chocolate (thanks Kim P.), foot cream (thanks Heather H.) and cards.
Dinner with the in-laws at Big Jud's...a MUST eat in southeast Idaho...featuring the famous one-pound burger and fries! Delish. Nevermind the fact that eating there lowers my life expectancy by 7 years. See the wall o' pictures behind us? That's anyone who has ever eaten a one-pounder by themselves. Ugh.
My favorite thing about my birthday...coming home to find a sweet surprise tucked in the door...(Thanks Cynthia and Heather!)
Caleb and me on the greenbelt earlier in the day.
Hungry, obstinate seagulls and ducks unsatisfied with our meager spread...
Elizabeth and Caleb at the river.
Some girlfriends out for a night on the town...Julie Meldrum and I celebrated a birthday last week and tried to get a few girls together for dinner. (Yikes, I look like I need a gym membership for my birthday in this photo!)

I had a great birthday. It fell on Friday before Labor Day and I had NOTHING scheduled. I woke up to the celestial scent of bacon frying. JP made me whole wheat pancakes with home maple syrup, bacon and juice.

It was beautiful weather, so I started out by taking my youngest two to the river to feed the ducks. The screeching seagulls were deafening, literally. I could not believe how loud they were, but it was great. Then the kids and I went to Pizza Hut for lunch, and then later that evening, we went with my in-laws to Big Jud's in Archer. (Just south of Rexburg in the cun-tree.) We had also invited my parents and my sister, but my sister was very ill, so they couldn't make it, and JP's sis Anne, who had to work. Sarah swears she has a Tres Leches cake for me still, however:) Right, Sarah? Later that night, JP rented "The Soloist" which we watched together. It was a hard movie to track down, but he did it, even though he didn't have a strong desire to watch the show. I love that man.

But my favorite thing was the random little treats, gifts and cards and phone calls I received throughout the day. (I miss you Danielle!) (Love to my brothers who called as well and sent gifts.) I feel so blessed to have so many caring friends, family and neighbors. Thank you, everyone. Turning 36 isn't so bad after all...

First Day of School 2009

Josh is in 4th Grade and Emma is in 2nd grade this year. They are genuinely excited!
Josh and Emma ready for a great year...am I?

2nd Amendment Double Date

Charlie's Angels...
Joseph orienting me to Dan's AR-15

Dan and Shannon and the target...
Shannon rocks.

We had a great shootin' date with the Greenhalgh's. Over the weekend, I got an early birthday present--a Ruger LCP semi-automatic gun. It is so cute! (Forgive me for that choice of adjective). It fits easily in my pocket, but holy cow, it packs a punch! I was the rookie, as I have never before shot a gun. I've got to get used to that sucker. Greenhalgh's brought several of their guns and we shot them as well... Dan and Shannon are excellent teachers and shooters. I won't be missing anymore flossing. Ever.

'Tis The Season...

My dear, eternal gardener planted four zucchini plants in late May. Four. Four. FOUR. We should be able to feed all of Uganda at this rate. Here are a few of our favorite zucchini recipes:

GRILLED ZUCCHINI

Slice a large zucchini into 1/2" or 3/4" slices. Place directly on grill (low setting) and you can top with either, but not together, lemon pepper or brown sugar. Turn after approx. 5 minutes and add topping again. Cook another 5 minutes or until crisp-tender.

ZUCCHINI CHIP SNACK CAKE

1/2 c. margarine/butter
1 3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. veg. oil
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 c. flour
2 T. cocoa
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 c. buttermilk or sour milk
2 c. shredded zucchini
2 c. choco chips

Cream margarine, sugar, oil, eggs, vanilla. Add dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk. Stir in zucchini. Pour into greased 9 x 13 pan and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

KELLY'S FAVORITE ZUCCHINI BREAD

1 c. sugar
1 c. brown sugar
3 eggs
3/4 c. oil
2 tsp. vanilla
1 T. cocoa
3 c. flour
1 tsp. soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
3 tsp. cinnamon
2 c. grated zucchini
*1 c. raisins, nuts or choco chips optional

Mix together first 5 ingredients. Combine dry ingredients and mix into the above. Add zucchini; Pour into 2 large greased loaf pans and bake at 325 for 45-60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.