"Faux"-tatoes? (and easy Parmesan chicken!)

A couple weeks ago, I came across a dinner recipe I knew I wanted to try: Parmesan chicken and "faux"-tatoes.

The "faux"-tatoes were made from cauliflower. I had visions of fluffy, creamy mashed potatoes made with a less starchy and presumably more healthy vegetable (which my kids might not eat as readily).

You steam the cauliflower in the microwave, then you're supposed to be able to mash it with a potato masher.

This is where I should have figured out my dreams were not going to come true. My potato masher has a round, flat bottom, and didn't do anything to the cauliflower. I resorted to the food processor pretty quickly.

I added the recommended sour cream and pepper into the food processor, and while it tasted good, there was something missing. (In addition to any resemblance to potatoes.) I thought of real potatoes and added milk, butter, and salt, and continued food processing. It did get smoother and fluffier.

The last step is to mix in some cheese (I used shredded Parmesan), put it into a casserole dish, top with more cheese and bake until warm and golden brown.

It looked perfect!

It tasted like little tiny bits of cauliflower in a tasty sauce. Which is tasty enough, but my poor dreams of healthier "faux"-tatoes were sadly shattered.

The Parmesan chicken turned out pretty well, however, and because this is a recipe on the Internet, I made it with a few changes ;) . Which is to say, I did whatever I wanted. (Wayward, hello?)

I mixed some breadcrumbs with a spice mix we got at the North Carolina state farmer's market and dredged the chicken in them, then broiled them for a couple minutes. After I flipped them, I added shredded Parmesan on top and broiled them for a couple minutes again.

For the sauce, I used a can of diced tomatoes with sweet onions. I poured about half the 14-oz can into a 8x8 baking dish, added the remaining breadcrumb/spice mix and some minced garlic and stirred.

Once the chicken was ready, I placed the pieces in my sauce, poured the rest of the tomatoes over the top and topped with mozzarella. Bake until the chicken is cooked through and enjoy!

We really liked the texture of the diced tomatoes instead of a traditional pureed marinara, and the flavor had a great kick.

What wayward or wonderful recipes have you tried lately?

Grab Bag!

Jasmine and I just stopped by Michaels to find something to craft with. After we checked out the classes (we missed the fondant class AGAIN!), we saw this:

Mystery grab bags for only $2.
Of course we both got one. Here's what I got:


And some glitter I forgot to put in the picture.

I think the coolest thing was this:

Some of this will be given to a thrift store, but I will certainly use other parts of it!

So, I had an idea. All crafters have supplies that you aren't ever going to use. Why not get together with a group of your crafting friends and have a grab bag exchange? Everyone can make a bag of their unwanted crafty stuff to share. Then maybe get a little competitive and have a contest to see who can be the most creative with their new supplies.
Give it a try!


Dining Room Redo

Last week we removed all the wallpaper and prepared the walls to be painted. We then painted the walls! We decided to two tone the walls and will put a chair rail in to divide the two colors. We used a level and chalk line along with painter's tape to make sure everything was level and even when we painted to make sure the colors didn't go where they shouldn't. Tune in next week to see if we actually finish!

(Don't mind the mess :) I tried to get it out of the picture as much as I could!)

Toddler Distraction Question- Help Please!

I decided last week I was going to put together a box of things that would highly interest my 15 month old PB. If I am sitting in the room with her she sits and plays if I stand up and walk to a different room she is glued to me whining. Yes, I know this is very typical but I would like her to learn independence as well as strengthen her fine motor and problem-solving skills. I have looked at many Pinterest boards and pins as well as done a Google search for ideas but they all violate the rules that I want for my box-o-distraction:

Please note a few things about this picture: how tired she looks (no nap), the cat is sitting on  folded laundry (no more folding for Mom), PB can reach just about everything. 

1. Mess free. I can deal with picking up pieces but not paint, spaghetti, or shaving cream.
2. Activities on her level. She is not interested in matching or counting yet. 
3. Inexpensive. I'm not spending $5 on an activity when my toddler only has a 30 second attention span on a good day.
4. Safe so she can be unsupervised. The whole reason I want this box is so I can get dressed or make meals without PB being in danger of hurting herself on the hot stove or curling iron because she is glued to my knee cap.

I do have a few ideas that I plan on doing: a wipe container with fabric squares she can pull out, balloons filled with play-doh, and a water bottle with water a beads inside. 

So now I'm asking you faithful readers:

What would you put in an Early Toddler Distraction Box?

Links and tips are much appreciated!!

Click here to see what I came up with

Jaime Approved Treats

Lately I've been bringing treats to work to share with my co-workers. It's made me quite popular. A co-worker was trying to come up with a name for these treats and suggested "Jaime's Jams" This was vetoed since it sounds like jelly! Then it was decided "Mormon Mysteries", since I'm a Mormon. I think it's weird but the name has stuck. Every Monday I get asked what I brought for Mormon Mysteries. Here is what has been a hit among my office:

Something Swanky's Tagalong Popcorn

Just the right amount of salty, sweet and Girl Scout cookie.

The Capitol Baker's Chocolate Cream Cheese Surprise Cupcakes

These cupcakes do NOT need frosting. So delish. 

Cookie Brownie Reeses (Not sure the source, anyone know?)

I actually did brownies on the bottom and cookies on the top. And I also did a batch with Oreos in the middle. SO rich. 

My very own Blueberry White Chocolate Cookies

First ones I brought. Where it all started!

Jordan's (My sister) Oreo Truffles

Jordan's version is Peanut Butter, but I just went with the original. People LOVE these. 

So there you have it. Some great treats to make. And, if you want to know more about our religion, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, aka "Mormons", feel free to go to Mormon.org or go to the Contact Us section of WGC. 

What should I make next? 

Lemon cake: 3 minutes, 100 calories!

A couple weeks ago, my four-year-old decided it was my "betend buwtday." To celebrate, she served me "betend wemon sauce cake."

And then I wanted real lemon sauce cake. But I knew I didn't want a whole lemon cake in my house, so I tracked down a microwave lemon cake recipe. The original recipe called for 3Tbsp of oil, and one commenter had trouble with the cake turning out oily. So I cut calories and fat by replacing half that oil with applesauce.

The recipe:

3 tablespoons all purpose flour
3 tablespoons confectioners sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
1 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice (I squeezed 1/3 of a medium lemon)
1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
splash of vanilla (oops, I forgot this!)

Mix the dry ingredients, then add the wet ingredients. The lemon juice will probably react with the baking soda and begin bubbling, resulting in a fluffy pancake-like batter.

Divide the batter between two ramekins and microwave. The original recipe suggested 45 seconds and that a full minute was too much. However, even after a minute, the edges of my cake were totally liquid. I ended up microwaving for 1:30.

The original recipe used a lemon juice + 2Tbsp confectioners' sugar glaze, but I used some leftover blackberry syrup. I'd also wanted to use this beautiful jar of lemon curd I have, but after the results, I decided it wasn't worth opening the jar.

The result was a little gummy at first and didn't release from my bowls well (even though they were greased and floured)--hence the :S on the plate.

However, after it had a few minutes to set, it tasted pretty darn good! I let my four-year-old try a bite and she insisted I share my cake with her. The bright flavor of lemon—and the word "deewicious!" from my daughter—totally brightened my day.

Each cake is 95 calories. Woot!

Have you tried microwave cakes?

Twig Votive Holder

This is quick, elegant, inexpensive, and GREEN craft. It took me less than 30 minutes start to finish!

Of course, the original idea came from Pinterest. I am working with two other women to organize a Women's Day at our church. We expect about 300 women to come for classes on crafts, self-reliance, physical well-being, cooking, sewing, and spiritual topics. We selected this craft from Pinterest, and today I decided to give it a try to see if it will work.

Here's all you need: 

Oops, I see I cropped out a glue gun. You need that, too. You can use any jar or votive holder you have around. I selected a small glass that is about 3 inches tall and 3 inches in diameter.

Collect twigs from your yard. (Or come to my yard and collect them. We have millions!)
Use the shears to cut them to about the same size. After a while, decide it is easier just to break them, and stop using the shears. They should be fairly straight and without knots.

Spread a patch of hot glue about 1.5" x 1". Use the hotter setting so that you have more gluing time. Start gluing the sticks on the glass. Since I held it in my hand as I worked, I set it on the table after every patch of glue to slide any long sticks upward.

Continue all the way around the glass. It takes very little time! Sometimes I used tiny, short sticks to fill in empty spots. This is what the top view is like. 

I tried different types of ribbon when I was finished-grosgrain, satin, sheer-- but I didn't love them. I finally settled on some floral wire that looks like jute. Real jute would have been great, too.

Here's how it turned out:

Very rustic!