Ready to Talk

So I've disappeared from the blogosphere for oh, about 2 months. Its been a rough 2 months. Right about the time I started this blog, my husband and I found out that we were expecting. So I gotta admit that I had other motives than just recipes... I thought it would be fun to talk about the experience of becoming a mommy. Then I got sick and could eat nothing but strawberry yogurt and crackers. New recipes?? I think not.

Then in March, I had a miscarriage at 12 weeks. And I think I'm ok and ready to talk about it now.

I had no idea how common miscarriage is. The more I talk about it, the more women I meet who have suffered through one, or know someone very close to them who has. As I read, experts estimate that anywhere between 30 and 50 percent of pregnancies end in miscarriage, most before 8 weeks. What was most amazing to me about this was... how shocked I was. And how shocked many of my friends were shocked. How did a bunch of young women (who are getting very close to not being so young anymore!) get this far into life without realizing this?! I met with my doctor when Randy and I decided we were going to "try". I learned about diet, exercise, prenatal vitamins and ovulation. But never was the risk of miscarriage discussed. I'm not the activist type, but I just really think it's interesting that it's not talked about.

On a personal note, it's been a really hard month or so. I really got my head wrapped around the idea of becoming a mommy, so it's been really hard to let go. I feel like this pregnancy was the background music to my day. So now that it's gone, it feels so... quiet. Like when you can't sleep without a little white noise... the silence is deafening. I'm better now, SO thankful for the loving support of my family and friends, and the Divine Mercy prayer. My aunt put it best when she said, "Sometimes, Christ carries you."

So this week, I've got 2 new dinner recipes on the menu. (I'll post one or both if they're good.) I made an apple pie with lavender vanilla sugar, and I'm planning on making homemade granola. So... I guess I'm back!! Thanks for hanging in there with me. God bless!!

Spinach Manicotti

1-1/2 c. finely chopped chicken breasts. (I actually did grill, then chop chicken breasts... but I think next time, I might buy one of those Tyson pouches and just break it all up. It took forever!)
2 cloves garlic, minced (I used minced garlic from a jar - works just as well.)
1 10oz. pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well-drained
1 16oz container of cottage cheese (I used 2%)
2 egg whites
1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
10 manicotti shells, cooked and drained (These little buggers were expensive!)
2 c. spaghetti sauce (I used a tomato basil sauce)
1/4 c chopped fresh basil

Heat oven to 350.

Combine the chicken, garlic and spinach in a large bowl. Add cottage cheese, egg whites, and 1/4c. mozzarella. (I did this with a hand mixer.)

Spoon into manicotti shells. (This took time and patience. Afterward, I wondered whether or not it would be beneficial to create a makeshift "pastry bag" out of a gallon size baggy with a clipped corner. Let me know if you give this a try. I did break a few shells, but I just put them in the pan with the broken seam down.)

Place in a 13x9 sprayed with cooking spray. Cover with spaghetti sauce.
Bake 25-30 mins or until heated through. Top with remaining mozzarella and bake 5mins or unti melted. Sprinkle with the basil.

I made this in the morning and just refrigerated it until I was ready to bake it. It wouldn't be suitable for freezing though... egg whites and cottage cheese. I would suggest some extra sauce, and probably a chunkier sauce too. I'm thinking that next time I might add some diced tomatoes to the sauce... maybe mushrooms? I like a chunky spaghetti sauce though. No complaints from my guests though... and it was equally good as leftovers the next day at lunch. :)

Would anyone be interested in my "almost-homemade" spaghetti sauce recipe? If so, let me know. It's good, and freezes really well. Also, I'm looking for a good homemade chili recipe. Anyone have one to share??

Ribs

Last night we headed out to my sister and brother-in-law's house for dinner. I love getting together with folks for dinner... I really enjoy food, and I think I enjoy it even more with other people!

It's not really a recipe, but my bro-in-law made some pretty awesome ribs. He used the Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce and get this... apple juice as a tenderizer!! 2 hours on the grill and they were fantastic!! Excellent work Bryan!! They served them with some home made au gratin potatoes (real cheddar... mmmm) and a salad. It was a great meal. Especially for a cold night.

We got about 4 inches of snow today... Fat Tuesday. Did everyone grab a ponczki today? Man, those things are good. One a year is plenty, but they are sure good.

Next up? Spinach Manicotti.

Lazy Day!!

Tonight, I fried a few pork chops, made some egg noodles in chicken broth and egg (Hungarian style, mmmm) and made a quick mushroom sauce. (It was basically just cream of mushroom soup with some fresh mushrooms cut up in it... but don't tell my husband that!) I had big plans to make Bruschetta Chicken, but like the title said... sometimes I just can't do it. I've been SO lazy that I actually ordered pizza for lunch. I had it delivered. Pizza Hut is 2 doors down. LOL.

We had some car craziness this week. My car died yesterday morning - it appeared that the battery was dead. I wasn't sure what the problem was, but I figured it last night. I left the dome light on. UGH! So anyway, many thanks to my hubby and father-in-law, they got me all fixed up today. And my daddy took me to work this morning, and even bought me Starbucks! I have a great family. :)

That being said, I'll get to Bruschetta Chicken this week, I swear. Doesn't that sound fantastic???

Why not dessert??

Peanut Butter Cup Pie

I totally tried this recipe a few weeks ago, took it to a friends, and then the leftovers from work. It was an all-around hit. If you like Reece's PB Cups, you'll like this! And it was super easy.

1 8oz. pkg cream cheese, softened
1/2c. creamy peanut butter
1c. cold milk
1 3.4ox pkg Vanilla Instant pudding
2-1/2c. cool whip, thawed
3 squares of Bakers semi-sweet chocolate
1 6oz. Oreo pie crust

Beat the cream cheese and 1/2c of the PB together. Once it's well blended, add milk and pudding mix. Beat for 2 min. Whisk in 1c. of Cool Whip, spoon into crust. Refrigerate.

Meanwhile, microwave remaining Cool Whip and chocolate in a bowl 2min or until completely melted and blended, stir each minute. Cool completely. (This is crazy because the cool whip is clear when melted... weird!)

Spread the chocolate mixture over the pudding layer in the crust. Microwave remaining peanut butter in a small bowl for 30sec. Stir. Drizzle over pie. (So it looks pretty!)

Refrigerate 4 hours or until firm.

Stuffed Chicken Parmasan

4oz. (1/2 of 8oz. pkg.) Cream Cheese, softened(I used Neufchatal, bc that's what I had on hand...)

1 10 oz. pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed & drained (I chopped some fresh baby spinach- again, it's just what I had on hand...)

1-1/4 c. Mozzarella Cheese, divided

6 T. Grated Parmesan Cheese, divided

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1-1/2 lb.), pounded to 1/4-inch thickness(The recipe called for 6 - there was no way...)

1 egg

10 RITZ Crackers, crushed (about 1/2 cup)

1-1/2 cups spaghetti sauce, heated

Heat oven to 375ºF.

Mix cream cheese, spinach, 1 cup mozzarella and 3 T. Parmesan until well blended; spread onto chicken breasts. Starting at one short end of each breast, roll up tightly. Secure with wooden toothpicks in the bottom.

Beat egg in shallow dish. Mix remaining Parmesan and cracker crumbs in separate shallow dish. Dip chicken in egg, then roll in crumb mixture. Place, seam-sides down, in 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray

Bake 30 min. or until chicken is done (165ºF). Remove and discard toothpicks- be careful, they do get stuck! Serve topped with spaghetti sauce and remaining mozzarella.

I actually made this on a week night. I think it's probably impt to use fresh chicken breasts when rolling them, rather than frozen. They're just... better. I made this on Wednesday night, reheated one of the leftovers today for lunch. It was really good... again!! I served it with some spaghetti noodles... I'm really loving the Barilla Plus pasta. It's whole grain with added protein and Omega3, not its not nasty and grainy like some of the other whole grain pastas. It's a little more expensive, but worth it.

Maple Glazed Stuffed Pork Roast

2 T. butter

1 apple, chopped (I also added a little box of raisins, and did this the night before.)

1 1/2 cups hot water (I used Chicken Broth...)

1 6oz. package STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix for Chicken

1 pork loin (2 lb), butterflied (I asked the butcher at the grocery to do this for me!!)

2 T. maple pancake syrup

2 T. Spicy Brown Mustard

1 t. rosemary

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Melt butter in large skillet on medium heat. Add apples/raisins; cook and stir 3 min. or until tender. Add water/broth and stuffing mix; cover. Let stand 5 min and then mix lightly.

Spoon stuffing mixture onto cut-side of meat to within 1/2 inch of edge. Roll up, like a jelly-roll, starting at one of the short ends. Place seam-side down, in roasting pan sprayed with cooking spray.

Bake 1 hour. Mix syrup, mustard and rosemary; spread over meat. Bake 20 min. or until meat is done (160°F). Let stand 15 min. before slicing to serve.

We had my in-laws over for a very special dinner. Served it with a Cabernet, asparagus, and a strawberry and walnut spinach salad. It turned out really well, fed 7 people with leftovers. It sounds complicated, but it's really not!! Give it a try!

Creamy Chicken Pasta Bake

Prep time: 20mins
Total time: 35mins-ish
4 servings

1-1/2 c. rotini pasta
1 small bunch broccoli, cut into forets
1Ilb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut in bitesize pieces
1/2 c. chicken broth
2-3oz (a little more than 1/4 of a container) of Neufchatel cheese - get it by the cream cheese!
1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

Heat oven to 375. Cook pasta in a saucepan as directed on the box, add the broccoli florets for the last 3 mins.

Meanwhile, cook chicken in a nonstick skillet (no oil) for 3-4 mins until not pink, stirring frequently. (I added a little basil to the chicken for flavor.) Stir in broth and simmer for 3 mins. Add the Neufchtel in chunks and melt it over low heat for about 1 min. Stir in 1/2c. mozzarella.

Drain the pasta and broccoli, and add it to the chicken mixture, mixing lightly.

I used a 12in skillet with a lid, so I covered it and put it right in the oven for 15mins. (Yay! Save a dish!) You could also use a 2qt casserole dish with a lid if your skillet isn't oven-friendly. Then put the remaining cheese on top and put back in the oven for 3-5mins until melted.
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My hubby really liked this... and it really did serve 4- we have 2 servings for leftovers. This was great for a weeknight, quick and easy. I served it with apple-butter and rolls on the side. (Thanks Snyder Family Farms!) Made for a good meal to end a crazy day...

Welcome!

So let me get some of the silly stuff out of the way...

The name: "The Voice of Reason" was my nickname in college, given to me by some very beloved friends at ND. It was one of these friends' idea to make it my blog title! It's pretty much what it says, I think I was the boring one. Always getting home at a decent time, making sure they GOT home, cleaning up, doling out advice when asked and sometime without being asked. Don't get me wrong, I got in my own share of trouble! I just love my friends too much to let them take too many risks. I'm going to be some hell-on-wheels kind of mother someday, huh?

The purpose: I've been trying out new recipes over the past few years and several friends and family members have asked me to share them. I thought that this would be a good way to do it. Most of my recipes I get from the internet. Some I get from friends, some from magazines. I grocery shop based on those recipes, and then make em! For instance, this week, I'm making 4 new recipes! And I figure it's all a good framework for my life... so I'll put some of that in here too.

For my readers: PLEASE comment. Its the way I know someone is out there!