Tasty Chicken Skillet

Jan here, with an easy recipe that is so good. Perfect for a quick supper!

AND perfect for summertime!

And if you're a vegetarian? Just leave out the chicken! Easy-peasy!

Tasty Chicken Skillet

ingredients for four servings:

4 boneless chicken breasts

2 Tablespoons oil, divided

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, pressed

1 - 2 cups chopped zucchini

1 teaspoon oregano

2 cups diced tomatoes (fresh or canned)

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

salt and pepper to taste

Using one Tablespoon oil in a skillet, cook the chicken until done, browning on both sides. Remove the chicken to a plate and keep it warm...

Actually, since I cut the recipe in half, I just shoved the chicken to one side in my skillet and cooked the sauce on the other side!

Add the other tablespoon oil to the skillet and add the onions, garlic, zucchini and oregano. Cook and stir about two minutes, or until the vegetables are softened and beginning to brown. Stir in the tomatoes and rosemary. Cook for an additional two or three minutes.

Place the cooked chicken breasts in the sauce, turning once to cover in the sauce, and simmer for a few more minutes.

Serve with pasta (or spaghetti squash) of your choice and a nice salad.

We enjoyed this simple supper on our deck, complete with our view of Mt. Rushmore. *sigh* It is my happy place!

And speaking of Mt. Rushmore, things are getting interesting as we prepare for Independence Day around here. For the first time since 2009 there will be fireworks at Mt. Rushmore!

Why the gap? For a decade, the state, local, and federal powers that be were fighting the pine beetles. Large areas of the forest were devastated by this little creature.

I took this picture in 2011 - at the height of the pine beetle infestation. It was so sad to hike through an entire forest of dead trees!

But after years of work and mitigation, the forest is healthy again. A couple years ago the forest service announced that the pine beetle was under control!

So, with careful eyes watching out for possible problems, the fireworks are on again this year. President Trump is planning to attend, and I can't imagine how crowded the place will be!

We're planning to watch from our deck. The view won't be as good as it would be close up, but the traffic congestion will be nil!

Are you planning to watch the fireworks this year?

Jan Drexler is an author by day who is addicted to counted cross stitch and sauntering through the Hills with her dear husband and their puppies - goofy corgi Jack and growing-fast border collie Sam. You can find Jan's books and other fun things on her website: www.JanDrexler.com.

Family and Local Businesses

Missy Tippens

I wanted to share a couple of products that I've found recently that I love. Both appear to be family-owned businesses.

One is a pasta sauce (I loved the name Home Style Gravy) made in Brooklyn, NY. Cate Nolan may know of this place! Michael's of Brooklyn, which is an Italian restaurant that has been family owned and operated since 1964. It was a fantastic sauce! I plan to buy more, and thankfully can do so at my local grocery store.

We also recently made a meal from the meal delivery service, and they sent us pre-made pizza dough. It made an AMAZING pizza. It turned out so good that I went and dug the dough bag out of the trash so I could find out what brand it is! (Who else does that type thing?? Please tell me I'm not the only one.) :)

I looked up this company online. Lamonica's Pizza Dough. The company started out a family pizza business in 1954, and began making frozen dough in 1962. Now they've grown to have several frozen dough facilities. They appear to mostly supply restaurants and such. I did find one distributor online where I could buy a fairly large quantity. But I thought I would share with y'all to see if you've ever seen it at your grocery's freezer section. I'd love to know whether I can find it locally!

Do y'all have any locally packaged products that you love to buy?

www.missytippens.com

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Classic!

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Re-Visit... With a few kittens!

This is a miniature version of my traditional strawberry rhubarb pie.... When I made the rhubarb custard pie there was enough crust left to do an 8" aluminum pie pan filled with springtime goodness! So the first pics are of this pie.... Before baking (Notice that I had to pretend on the crust, so this was my fancy pretense because there wasn't enough crust to lattice or cover... so I made it scalloped!!

And this is how it looked after baking it!!! Cute, small and enough for a half-dozen folks....  to make one this size, all you have to do is cut the lower recipe in half..... 

Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie, Ruthy Style!!!

What's not to love????

For our Rhubarb Extravaganza, we're playing with strawberries and rhubarb today, and that only makes the world a nicer place to live!!!!

First, use the crust recipe I gave you HERE for the pie crust because it's the best pie crust ever, and NO ONE can mess it up. Promise!

So here's the basic filling recipe... We're going to cook it on the stove top first (I do this with blueberry, cherry and raspberry pie filling too, to avoid runny fillings.... )  I use a deep dish pie pan so if you're using a standard glass Pyrex pie pan, you can cut the recipe by a third or so... But if math is NOT your forte, buy a bigger pan.  ;)

6 cups fresh or frozen rhubarb, cut in 1/2 inch slices
3 cups strawberries, sliced, fresh or frozen
1 1/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup flour
2 tablespoons butter

Cut rhubarb, mix with strawberries in large (4 quart) kettle....

Mix sugar and flour....

Heat rhubarb and strawberries over medium/low heat until the berries start to juice... then stir in flour/sugar mixture. Cover and simmer until hot. Add the butter, stirring now and again. Once mixture thickens and rhubarb turns somewhat translucent, it's ready for the pie pan!

Preheat oven to 425 degrees (hot oven)

Roll out bottom crust and place in pie pan. Pour in strawberry rhubarb mixture. Now you may top with a second crust, rolled out and placed over hot mixture. Cut 3 or 4 vent "slits" in crust, crimp edges and bake approximately 20 minutes... Pie does not take long because filling is cooked and hot.

OR....

Use the Dutch/French apple crumb topping recipe HERE to sprinkle on top.

 Bake same as above.

OR...

Roll out crust, cut into thin strips and criss cross over hot filling, creating traditional lattice work top. (That's my favorite way!)

The crimped edge has a tendency to burn but you can avoid this by folding a piece of narrow aluminum foil over edge before baking. It's a little awkward (foil likes to slip off) but it works great and your pie crust stays golden. Not brown.

For the crumb topping, a piece of aluminum foil over the top during baking keeps it from getting too brown.

Now here's a glimpse of this week....  Kittens for sale? Anyone need a kitten? We have five!

And I had to get a picture of this beautiful shrine at Holy Cross church.... This is such a lovely glimpse into yesteryear.... and just beautiful. Every time I think of the sacrifice Mary was willing to make to be the mother of God, I am in awe of how feeble I truly am....

My computer died this week, so it's been a busy week of kids (last week of school here), using back-up computer (slow and not as much fun as my HP Pro that I love) and yesterday I went and made strawberry rhubarb jam with Sr. Maria, my high school Introduction to Physics teacher at Nazareth Academy....

And what can be bad about making jam at the Motherhouse????

Nothing!!!!

I'm attempting to download the back-up files into my fixed computer today, and if you want to whisper a prayer or two that it works, I'd be grateful! Technology is like any other modernization, electricity, plumbing, cars, etc.... great when it works, but boy we become dependent really fast, don't we?

Ruthy Logan Herne loves writing sweet stories and hanging around online to talk to cool people like you.... especially if there is food involved. The multi-published author with over one million books sold, she still can't believe that she's living her dream... so she pinches herself, every day! You can find her on her website ruthloganherne.com or on facebook.com/Ruth Logan Herne where she loves to play and pray with folks!

Last Day of School

Sorry, folks.

Today was my last day of school and I have literally been glued to my computer grading things that students turned in at the last minute.

Since everything was virtual this trimester, we had to be more patient.

The result was, I completely forgot it was Wednesda.

I vote we just enjoy Mindy's cupcakes for another day. They always taste better as leftovers anyway, right.

So have some coffee and a cupcake on me.

Cate

Let's Celebrate!

Yes, today is a celebration! And you know me, no celebration is complete without cupcakes.

YUM!

By now you're probably wondering just what I'm celebrating. Well, today marks the release of my 10th book with Love Inspired!

Not only is it a new book, this launches a brand new series entitled Bliss, Texas. The series focuses on four women who ditched their former lives and moved to the small town of Bliss, Texas in search of a new beginning. As a result, they found each other, and it’s their friendship that is at the heart of this series. That along with some hunky heroes and cute kids.

Here's more about A Father's Promise.

Is he ready for fatherhood?

He doesn't think he deserves a family... But now he has a daughter.

Stunned to discover he has a child, Wes Bishop isn't sure he's father material. But his adorable daughter needs him, and he can't help feeling drawn to her mother, Laurel Donovan--a woman he's finally getting to know. But can this sudden dad overcome a past tragedy that has him convinced he's not meant to be a husband or a father...and make a promise of forever?

Available now!

Thank you for celebrating with me today. Be sure to grab and extra cupcake for the road, because let's face it, it's hard to stop at one. :)

Have a great day and happy reading!

Three time Carol Award finalist and HOLT Medallion winner Mindy Obenhaus is passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. She lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband, one sassy pup, countless cattle, deer and the occasional coyote, mountain lion or snake. When she's not writing, she enjoys spending time with her grandchildren, cooking and watching copious amounts of the Hallmark Channel. Learn more at mindyobenhaus.com