Daisies on the Prairie

This weekend, I tackled meeting our Daisy troop out at a Little House on the Prairie outing on one of the local Girl Scout properties. It was cold but the experience was awesome! They got to learn all about how people who forged west in our country lived. There was a blacksmith and rifles and crafts and music and spindling yard and so much more!

Here they are grinding corn that they subsequentally made into Johnny Cakes over an open fire.
We learned that it was a hard but happy life in which everyone relied on each other. We have those pioneers to thank for building our great country:-)

Playing along with Tackle It Tuesday with 5 Minutes for Mom .

Chicken Floretine Style

Chicken Florentine is a Tuscan classics. Giada's recipe isn't cheap or low fat but it just feels like sunshine and romance. I am also doing my menu planning with I'm an Organizing Junkie. So, here is my menu this week: Also, $5 Dinners inspires us all to make low cost dinners. In that spirit, I am taking what Pick N Save has on sale, pairing it with coupons and coming up with the tastiest money saving around! Chicken breast was on sale for $1.88/lb. (normally $5.99/lb.) at Pick N Save. I grabbed a bunch to make my featured recipe today:

Chicken Florentine Style

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
All-purpose flour, for dredging
6 Tbs (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
2 Tbs shallots, sliced
1 Tbs chopped garlic
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
1 cup whipping cream
1 Tbs chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 (10-ounce) packages frozen cut-leaf spinach, thawed, drained

1. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge the chicken in the flour to coat lightly. Shake off any excess flour. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook until brown, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate and tent with foil to keep it warm.

2. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in the same skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and saute until the shallots are translucent, stirring to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the skillet, about 1 minute. Add the wine. Increase the heat to medium-high and boil until the liquid is reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Add the cream and boil until the sauce reduces by half, stirring often, about 3 minutes. Stir in the parsley. Season the sauce, to taste, with salt and pepper. Add the chicken and any accumulated juices to the sauce, and turn the chicken to coat in the sauce.

3. Meanwhile, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in another large skillet over medium heat. Add the spinach and saute until heated through. Season the spinach, to taste, with salt and pepper. Arrange the spinach over a platter. Place the chicken atop the spinach. Pour the sauce over and serve.

Servings: 4

Cooking Times
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 1/4 of a recipe (14.8 ounces).
Percent daily values based on the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) for a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition information calculated from recipe ingredients. 2 of the recipe's ingredients were not linked. These ingredients are not included in the recipe nutrition data.

Amount Per Serving
Calories 748.87
Calories From Fat (49%) 369.13
% Daily Value
Total Fat 42g 65%
Saturated Fat 25.34g 127%
Cholesterol 196.44mg 65%
Sodium 473.19mg 20%
Potassium 1065.95mg 30%
Total Carbohydrates 43.8g 15%
Fiber 5.95g 24%
Sugar 1.38g
Protein 39.31g 79%

Recipe Type
Chicken, Italian, Main Course

Source
Author: Giada De Laurentiis
Source: The Food Network
Web Page: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/chicken-florentine-style-recipe/index.html

Recipe: $11.71 ($9.88 on sale)
Serving: $2.93 ($2.47 on sale)

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Popsy Cakes

Move over Bakerella, here comes Popsy Cakes!! Bakerella perfected the cupcake on a stick but Popsy Cakes are the first cupcakes with an edible stick!!! Check these out:

These are the most unique cupcakes I have seen in a long time!!! They come in a bunch of different flavors and fun coatings and decorations and these things are totally customizable!!!

Now, I am kicking myself...why didn't I think of that???

Happy Daffodils

Here's what's blooming in my garden today:-)

Black Gold

This is why I missed Tackled It Tuesday. My husband and I were working hard on filling my new garden with beautiful black soil for planting next month:-)

Playing along with Wordless Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Mom and Wordful Wednesday on parenting By dummies:-)

Roasted Pork with Smoky Red Pepper Sauce

This smoky pork dish is a little pricy but perfect for a Sunday night dinner or a special ocassion. Our ocassion is a visit from my college student and my husband's birthday:-) I am also doing my menu planning with I'm an Organizing Junkie. So, here is my menu this week: Also, $5 Dinners inspires us all to make low cost dinners. In that spirit, I am taking what Pick N Save has on sale, pairing it with coupons and coming up with the tastiest money saving around! Pork was on sale for $2.79/lb. (normally $5.99/lb.) at Pick N Save. I grabbed a bunch to make my featured recipe today:

Roasted Pork with Smoky Red Pepper Sauce
Ingredients:
Pork:
3 (1-pound) pork tenderloins, trimmed
3 Tbs olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Sauce:
3 Tbs olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 medium red bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced into 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced into 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium orange bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced into 1/2-inch pieces
3 cloves garlic, minced
Kosher salt for seasoning, plus 2 tablespoons
Freshly ground black pepper
1 1/4 cups red wine, such as Syrah or Cabernet Sauvignon
2 1/2 Tbs smoked paprika
1 (15-ounce) can tomato puree
1 dried bay leaf
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions:
1. Pork: Put an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Rub 1 tablespoon of the oil over the pork and season with salt and pepper, to taste. In a large skillet or Dutch oven, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil over high heat. Add the pork and brown it on all sides, about 8 minutes. Transfer the pork to a 13 by 9 by 2-inch glass baking dish and roast it until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the pork registers 165 degrees F, about 25 to 30 minutes. Allow the pork to rest for 10 minutes on a cutting board.

3. Sauce: In the same skillet used for the pork, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, peppers and garlic and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook, stirring frequently until softened, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the wine and cook for 2 minutes, scraping up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Stir in the paprika, tomato puree and the bay leaf. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the sauce thickens, about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and transfer the mixture to a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth. Season with 2 tablespoons salt and pepper, to taste.

4. Slice the pork thinly and arrange on a platter. Spoon the sauce on top, garnish with chopped parsley and serve.

Servings: 6

Cooking Times
Preparation Time: 18 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hour and 20 minutes
Inactive Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour and 48 minutes

Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 1/6 of a recipe (13.8 ounces).
Percent daily values based on the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) for a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition information calculated from recipe ingredients. 7 of the recipe's ingredients were not linked. These ingredients are not included in the recipe nutrition data.

Amount Per Serving
Calories 537.04
Calories From Fat (36%) 195.74
% Daily Value
Total Fat 22.06g 34%
Saturated Fat 4.64g 23%
Cholesterol 147.42mg 49%
Sodium 128.59mg 5%
Potassium 1352.76mg 39%
Total Carbohydrates 25.34g 8%
Fiber 3.45g 14%
Sugar 3.28g
Protein 52.24g 104%

Recipe Type
Main Course, Pork, Sunday Night Dinner

Source
Author: Giada De Laurentiis
Source: The Food Network
Web Page: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/roasted-pork-with-smoky-red-pepper-sauce-recipe/index.html

Recipe: $14.43($9.43 on sale)
Serving: $3.61 ($2.36 on sale)

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Spring Cleaning Reward

Simple Mom's Project Simplify is our choice week. When you are done with all the hard work of cleaning and organizing your house, don't forget to reward yourself. We bought overselves this: And of course, we needed a new entertainment center and that needed to be organized too so, it totally counts for this link up too:-)

Pecan Pie Gone Wrong

What do you do when your pecan pie goes this wrong? Make ice cream topping:-)

Playing along with Wordless Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Mom and Wordful Wednesday on parenting By dummies:-)

Daisy Cupcakes

I made 100 of these last week: 29 went to the Milwaukee Children's Choir for their Roots and Wings festival. We could attend so, I thought the least I could do was bake. The rest went to a service area Girl Scout Learn It Earn It event. Our troop just completed our Daisy Flower Garden journey so, I thought it would be appropriate to "plant" them in ground up Oreo cookies in a small planter a la last year's Iron Cupcake: Milwaukee Cheese challenge:-) I hope that all were very well received:-) Playing along with Tackle It Tuesday with 5 Minutes for Mom .

Chili's Spicy Garlic & Lime Shrimp

I love it when you can bring a restraunt favorite home to cook and Chil's Spicy Garlic and Lime Shrimp is one of them:-) I am also doing my menu planning with I'm an Organizing Junkie. So, here is my menu this week: Also, $5 Dinners inspires us all to make low cost dinners. In that spirit, I am taking what Pick N Save has on sale, pairing it with coupons and coming up with the tastiest money saving around! Shrimp was on sale for $8.99/lb. (normally $13.99/lb.) at Pick N Save. I grabbed a bunch to make my featured recipe today: Chili's Spicy Garlic & Lime Shrimp Ingredients: 2 Tbs butter 1 clove garlic, pressed 1 lb fresh large shrimp, peeled (about 1 pound) 1 lime 3/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp ground black pepper 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper 1/4 tsp dried parsley flakes 1/4 tsp garlic powder 1/4 tsp paprika 1/8 tsp dried thyme 1/8 tsp onion powder Directions: 1. Make the seasoning blend by combining all the spices in a small bowl. 2. Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. 3. Add butter to the pan. 4. When the butter is melted, stir in the pressed garlic. 5. Immediately, add the shrimp to the pan. 6. Cut the lime in half and squeeze each half into the pan over the shrimp. 7. Sprinkle the entire seasoning blend over the shrimp, and give it all a good stir. 8. Saute the shrimp for 5 to 8 minutes or until they begin to brown. 9. Be sure to cook both sides of all the shrimp. Servings: 4 Cooking Times Preparation Time: 5 minutes Cooking Time: 20 minutes Total Time: 25 minutes Nutrition Facts Serving size: 1/4 of a recipe (4.6 ounces). Percent daily values based on the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) for a 2000 calorie diet. Nutrition information calculated from recipe ingredients. Amount Per Serving Calories 212.35 Calories From Fat (33%) 69.79 % Daily Value Total Fat 7.9g 12% Saturated Fat 4.05g 20% Cholesterol 187.63mg 63% Sodium 609.33mg 25% Potassium 331.26mg 9% Total Carbohydrates 10.39g 3% Fiber 0.71g 3% Sugar 0.48g Protein 24.8g 50% Recipe Type Main Course, Seafood Source Author: Chili's Source: http://www.recipezaar.com/Chilis-Spicy-Garlic-Lime-Shrimp-76470 Recipe: $14.43($9.43 on sale) Serving: $3.61 ($2.36 on sale)

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Ultimate Blog Party 2011

That's right!!! Today is 5 Minutes for Mom's Ultimate Blog Party!! Susan and Janice are those beautiful twin bloggers who have brought you many, many great carnivals. My favorites are:

1. Tackle It Tuesday (click here to see some of my tackles) 2. Wordless Wednesday (click here to see some of my pictures) You can find me under these labels every week. I have found so many new sites to follow and who follow me and I just love my 5M4M! For those of you who are new to Susie's Homemade, I have got a lot of ground to cover so, hold on tight:

• 
  
  Allow me to introduce myself; my name is Susan (a.k.a. Susie) Ewing. I am a thriving stay-at-home mom of two wonderful girls (7 and 20) and a caretaker of my 69 year old live-in mother. I started this blog to support my chocolate shop on Etsy.com but, it has become so much more.


• Susie's Homemade is a place that I explore my adventures in homemaking, baking, cake decorating and gardening. This blog has lead to competitive baking which I absolutely love!! This year, I competed in the largest Iron Cupcake: Milwaukee challenge to date! I made a huge 6 foot display with 500 cupcakes! AND, I got to meet Duff Goldman from Ace of cakes!!


• I have been doing a lot of spring cleaning with Simple Mom's Project Simplify and they are covering the frig and the pantry this week. I covered both of them:-)

Here is the before:

And here is the after:

• I love stalkers. Check out my side-bar for the many ways you can stalk me in cyberspace! I really hope that you like what you see here and come back soon:-)

I hope that you have enjoyed your stop here at Susie's Homemade and I hope to see you back here soon:-) Party on!