cooking chicken aint so easy

My husband is an incredible man. He works hard without complaint, he loves our baby so much even though he's not even born yet, he makes me laugh constantly. I decided I would cook dinner for him to have ready when he arrived home from work. 

This is what I envisioned

I was going to cook up some chicken breasts and make some rice. Super simple, I know. But baby steps. I'm new to all of this. Somehow I always manage to mess things up when I cook, but I figured this would be a no fail, easy, yummy dinner. 

I get the rice going and all is well. I then put a tiny amount of oil in a pan and got the chicken cooking. Well, eventually the oil started burning, even though the chicken wasn't cooked all the way through. I keep cooking the chicken. I hear the garage door open and look around and realize the entire house is filled with smoke and it smells awful! I rush around to open all of the windows, turn the vent fan on, and apologize profusely as the Mr. walks inside and upstairs into our very own smoke shack. 

Yeah this is the pan post-chicken. It started perfectly clean with no stains.

He joins me in my attempt to air out the house. I open the patio doors and a spider lands on me and I brush it off (that makes me sound calm and composed...hah!) and the web is still attached to me and the spider, as I back away, the spider is dragged closer. It was terrible, I felt an immediate knot in my stomach - as I have a huge problem with bugs...huge problem! 

We were finally able to eat and it was good, but the house still smelled like burnt oil and the air was thick with standing smoke. 

So that was yet another wife fail,  but I tried so hard and felt so bummed out by the result. It seems even the easiest of things turn into an unexpected challenge/catastrophe when I lay my hands on it. 

And guess what? This guy never complained, he ate all of it and told me it was awesome. Love.

My homemade stew recipe. Because I love to eat.

I have this great stew that I made for my husband a few years ago. When he was just my boyfriend. Awww... Anyway, it was something I just kind of made up, now before you start thinking, "wow she makes up recipes, she must be a top notch cookin' wife," please realize it's super easy and there is no real "recipe" to it, I just kind of did what I wanted and it happened to turn out edible. Not just edible, but delicious, hearty, and perfect for the fall weather. And the best part is, it is fairly low in calories and basically healthy! 

Here are the ingredients for our stew. 

Organic Vegetable Stock

White Rice

Black Beans

Boneless/Skinless Chicken Breast

[Note: This is the first time I've used chicken, I've been a vegetarian for about 6 years but recently went back to eating Turkey & Chicken. Was a great addition to the stew]

Onion

Zucchini

Bell Pepper

Tomato

Corn 

[Note: I usually get it in cob form, unfortunately the market nearest our house is insufficient and had no cobbed corn. I got canned corn this time...and this time only.]

Squash

Carrots

Now as far as quantities go, however much you want of each is my rule. Last night's stew could probably be 4-6 portions worth so we've got a nice supply of left overs. [I used 2 zucchini, 2 squash, 2 carrots, 4 tomatoes, 1/4 onion, 1 small can corn, 1 bell pepper, 1 cup rice, 1 can black beans, 2 chicken breasts, 3/4 carton of stock] If you prefer certain vegetables more, then add more of those. That's what makes this such an awesome meal...you can make it exactly what you want. You aren't stuck to any precise rules or guidelines.

After preparing all of the yummy ingredients as you saw above, I put the black beans over low heat to cook them slightly, cook the chicken about 3/4 of the way done, and get the rice cooked. 

All the while I add some oil to the stew pot, and throw in the onions to let them cook a little and release their flavors. I then add the bell peppers, tomatoes, and then carrots. Let them cook for a few minutes while you check on the chicken, beans, and rice. The stew pot is on low heat for the entire cooking process.

Add the rest of the vegetables and mix together. Add the vegetable stock so that it fills the pot up to where the vegetables are.

Chop up the chicken in strips or cubes. 

 

Add the chicken, black beans, and white rice to the pot. I added more rice than usual this time (on accident) but again, it's all about your personal preference. The rice, beans, and chicken are what really makes it a hearty meal. 

Once all ingredients are in, add a bit more of the vegetable stock so that it looks as full as it does in the picture above. Cover and let it simmer for about thirty minutes. By the time you take the lid off, most of the stock should be absorbed. 

Serve in generous helpings.

And enjoy!

and...we've landed

Today was our third day of moving. And for the most part, the last! We are so excited to be in our new home. I would love to show you around, but unfortunately its packed full of boxes and things. Yep, thats our project for a while. I dont think it'll take too long -- I got through over 10 kitchen boxes in just a couple of hours today. I was most anticipating getting the kitchen together so I can start cooking and baking and experimenting again.

Current main floor of the house

And with a new home comes nesting urges, projects and ideas. My friend pointed me to this website called Pinterest which I am loving! Here's a few decorating inspiration pics I have found.

Definitely adding a photo wall in our upstairs hall

Colors!

Funky & Fun

Simple, easy to accent

Love these! Etsy is so great.

Thinking about the tiled wall and cabinets

Time to explore a new part of town, and see what kind of trouble we can get ourselves into.

Oh yeah p.s. I think we've got drug dealers across the street --right next to a drug rehab center, seriously-- I'll keep you posted, I can spy on them from our bedroom. Yesssss. 

it's nesting time

Today I saw a bus stop poster that made my day. Anderson Cooper is getting his own talk show. Yep, that's right. He's adorable, intelligent, and we share the same last name, which is okay, except now I cant name my future son Anderson. Jump to 2:25 to make your life that much better.

Trying to find some inspiration for new home decor once we move into the new place -- which by the way is in 2 DAYS!!!!! -- anyway, comment with some links/pics and all sorts of fantastic ideas. First step will be the living room and dining room. I'm having a hard time zoning in on my "style." I really like a modern style, but also funky mismatch pieces, I love color, and something that will be good and comfy with kids also. 

 

Oh yeah, and I'm loving The Nest and I will totally be breaking in our new kitchen with these recipes...every week...do yourself a favor and check them out, they all have chocolate, let me know how they go!