Ruffle Scarf

We have been bundled up in scarves all winter long here in frigid SD, and now it seems spring has sprung. That's no excuse for us to stop accessorizing, we just modify. Barb is here with a project that has us thinking more flip flops and umbrellas and less snow boots and ice scrapers.


I found this tutorial on Simple Sister Blog and thought, "I must try this." Their tutorial is easy to follow, so we won't try to duplicate the directions. It was a fun project and very easy. To do the project, you need 1/2 yard fabric for an adult size, as well as elastic thread, a sewing machine, and believe it or not, a candle to melt the edges. When purchasing the elastic thread, I shared with the clerks what I was making and they looked at me like I was crazy. Guess what, though? It worked, and was easy! Follow the instructions in the linked site and you can have a new accessory for your Spring wardrobe.
-Barb

I apologize for only sharing a single shot. The scarves were not cooperating for their photo shoot. Either that or the photographer didn't have the skills. This one is nice and long, so can be worn a ton of different ways, but since you're making your own, you can do any length and fabric, as long as it has some polyester-- it's all about options!

All my best,
Robin

Chicken, Two Ways

I've put aside my recipe binder this past week, and have been using this cook book I ordered through my Scholastic book order at school. I am not usually into cookbooks--many of the recipes aren't practical for my family or style of cooking, but this one is awesome. I've made three recipes out of it this week, and they were all delicious. So of course, I had to share a couple with you. It is Good Food Friday after all.

These both are chicken based--mostly a coincidence, but worked out nicely when buying groceries. I sometimes try to pick meals for a week with common ingredients. Key word: sometimes. I'm not that organized.

First up, Simple Salsa Skillet

Ingredients:

• 1 green sweet pepper, cut into bite-size strips
• 1 red sweet pepper, cut into bite size strips
• 1 tablespoon cooking oil
• 2 cups cubed cooked potatoes
• 1 1/2 cups cubed cooked chicken
• 1 15 1/2-ounce can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 15- or 16-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 16-ounce jar salsa
• Dairy sour cream (optional)

Directions

1. In a large skillet, cook pepper strips in cooking oil for 2 minutes. Add potatoes, chicken, corn, black beans and salsa. Stir gently.

2. Cover and cook over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes or till mixture is heated through, stirring occasionally. If you like, serve with sour cream. Makes 4 to 6 servings

This picture just doesn't do it justice. The Chicken and Vegetables Alfredo with Rice is very tasty.

Ingredients:

• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 1 Tbsp butter or margarine
• 2 1/2 frozen stir fry vegetables (or whatever kind you like)
• 1 1/3 cups instant rice
• 10 oz. container refrigerated light alfredo sauce
• 1 cup milk
• grated parmesan cheese for topping (optional)

Directions:
1. In a large skillet, cook chicken in hot butter over medium heat, 6-8 minutes, turning once. Remove chicken from skillet.
2. Add frozen vegetables, rice, alfredo sauce, and milk to skillet. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Top with chicken and reduce heat.
3. Cover and cook on medium low until chicken is tender and no longer pink, stirring once or twice. Serve with parmesan cheese if desired. Makes 4 servings

All my best,
Robin

The Unlonely Fruit

Which fruit is never lonely?

You guessed it--pears. That was kind of a giveaway.

Speaking of giveaways, we are almost at 100 followers. It seems only fair that once we reach 100, we should do a giveaway. Once we reach 100, we'll let you know the specifics. If you're not already following, make sure you start so you can enter to win.


I've been busy updating our little corner of the blogosphere (my excuse for this short little post), so check out our "About the Pear" section for more details.

All my best,
Robin

Photo Love

A weekend recap seems awkward at this point in the week, but I am just now getting around to sorting my pictures from Easter weekend. I am obsessive compulsive meticulous about my picture organization, hence the delay. I can't stand all that digital space being cluttered up by bad photos. One must edit and organize.

Here are some photos from our weekend in the Black Hills. We didn't see the hills, mostly just the inside of the in-laws' home. This is fine, because the house is furnished with sweet antiques and decked in turquoise.

We couldn't get enough of this little creature. She was relentless with the bird feeder and kept coming back for more. Seemed to be expecting some kits judging by her size. Is it weird that baby squirrels are called kits? It's also correct to call them pups or kittens. Or you can stick with baby squirrel.

We were due for a little time outside, so we bundled up for a bit.

All my best,
Robin

Me v. Chocolate Easter Bunny

I received a delightful hunk of dark chocolate in the shape of a bunny for Easter. It's not one of those chincy hollow rabbits, either. This thing is made of solid, good for you in small doses, rich dark chocolate. Therein lies the problem. It's too thick and hard to just bite, and flakes when I cut it with a knife. Imagine me standing in the kitchen, chopping desperately at the innocent bunny to no avail. I'm thinking of a chocolate chisel. I've even considered melting it slightly. Pathetic or devoted? You can weigh in on that, but remember, we are talking about dark chocolate here!

While we're talking about food, let's move on to this post's actual content. I constantly hear people saying they always make the same meals, or they hate going to the store and not knowing what to get to make meals. We don't have that issue at the Anderson household (see "wife with overflowing cookbook and recipe ideas"). But I was thinking, "What could help if I did have that issue?"

This is the old school method we use: Every weekend, I find 3-5 recipes I want to make for dinner that week. I pull out the recipes, make a list of the ingredients we don't have, add on our weekly staples, and send the list with my husband to the store. This takes about 15 minutes, and the shopping trip takes 30-45. Pretty quick.

What if you don't have a stockpile of recipes, or don't feel like sorting through the old cookbook, or don't want to make a list? Here's where your blogging host comes in: Go to Monthly Meal Planner. It does all the planning for you. There's a monthly plan for a meal a day, and you can just print the grocery lists from the site for your desired number of days. It's pretty slick and best of all, it's free. Here's a sample of recipes from their website. My family would east most of them, but I would have to figure out what zuppa is first.

Weekly Snapshot

Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
Breakfast for Dinner	Cheesy Rigatoni with a Green Salad	Greek Chicken with Cretan Wedding Rice	Mediterranean Pita Sandwiches	Zuppa Toscana and a Baguette	Pasta Primavera with Italian Turkey Sausage	BLT Pizza

I'm a sucker for free solutions, and this seems like it would be something I would use during a busy week or when I'm not feeling inspired to cook.

All my best,
Robin

Chicken Salad Recipe

We return to our regularly scheduled blogging after a short hiatus. We took a weekend trip to see family this weekend, and I just couldn't find the energy to get to posting. But I'm back. So, to make up for the lack of recipe on Friday, here's one:

Chicken Salad with Apple and Basil
Original recipe from Real Simple

Ingredients:

• 4 6 oz. boneless chicken breasts
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1/4 cup lime juice (from 2-3 limes)
  
• 1 tablespoon white wine or rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced (white and light green parts)
  
• 2 Granny Smith apples, diced (peeled if desired)
• 1/3 cup roughly chopped roasted peanuts
  
• 2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh mint (left this out)
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil (gotta be fresh)

Directions:

1. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Pound it to an even thinness.
2. Place the chicken in a large saucepan and add water to cover by ½ inch. Add 3 teaspoons salt and ½ teaspoon pepper and bring to a gentle simmer.
3. Cook until no trace of pink remains, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl of ice water for 5 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the lime juice, vinegar, and sugar, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Add the scallions and apples and toss.
5. Drain, pat dry, and dice the chicken. Add it to the apple mixture with the peanuts, mint, basil, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper.
6. Toss and divide among individual plates

Hope you had a blessed Easter! We sure did. These are some cookies my MIL made and I love the vintage look, along with the vintage bowl~ couldn't resist snapping a couple shots. Or eating one. Okay, maybe two... and some chocolates. It's Easter, what do you expect?

Robin

Silverware Sneak Peek

I haven't decided how cool or odd it is to hang spray painted silverware on burlap in my dining room yet. I think I like it, but give it a week or two.



We used old silverware from a garage sale, a canvas (gaudily painted by yours truly) and frame we owned, some ribbon, fabric flowers, and some heavy duty glue. The total cost was under $5. Not too shabby for the price. Or should I say, how shabby and chic. I plan to flank it with some other thrifty goodness, but you'll have to stay tuned for that. I can't overwhelm you with too much inspiring decor at once. That's code for "it's not done yet."


Can't wait to get this up on the wall. Thanks for stopping in to check out our latest project!