Creamy Chicken Stew

A few weeks ago I had something planned for dinner. And then around dinner time I realized I had forgotten to get a few of the ingredients at the store. As I was trying to figure out what to make my daughter said "I want Alfredo!" So with that in mind I combined the original recipe, what I had on hand, and added an Alfredo element.

* 3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into fillets
* 2 or 4 Tbsp. butter (or olive oil)
* 1/2 tsp salt
* 1/4 tsp. black peppers
* 1/2 tsp. Rosemary
* 1/2 tsp. Thyme
* 1/2 tsp. Marjoram
* 1/2 tsp. Basil
* 1/2 tsp. Oregano
* 4 cloves garlic minced
* 1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese cut into cubes
* 2 c. water
* 2 chicken bouillon cubes
* 3 large potatoes peeled and cut into 3/4 in cubes
* 3 or 4 carrots peeled sliced into 2 inch chunks and quartered

Combine the salt, black pepper, rosemary, thyme, marjoram, basil, and oregano. Heat butter in a skillet. Place the chicken in the skillet and sprinkle with all the combined spices. Cook on both sides until cooked through.

Add the garlic and cook until the chicken starts to brown. Add the water, bouillon cubes, potatoes and carrots. Simmer over medium heat until the potatoes and carrots are tender enough to eat.

When cooked turn the heat to low and add the cream cheese in cubes. Stir until combined.



Serve topped with a dusting of Parmesan cheese.

I have make this several times since I first created it using beans in place of the chicken. It still tastes great.

Regular Pizza

Pizza consists of 4 parts

1 - Crust
2 - Sauce
3 - Cheese
4 - Toppings

Crust is up to you and toppings are whatever you like to eat.

My sauce recipe:

8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 can diced tomatoes, drained and pureed
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black peppers
1/4 tsp. granulated garlic
1/4 tsp. basil
1/4 tsp. marjoram
1/4 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. thyme
pinch rosemary

Combine all ingredients and let sit for an hour or simmer for about 5 minutes and let sit 20 minutes.

My cheese combination:
A dusting of freshly grated pecorino romano cheese on first
Then the bulk of the cheese is equal amounts of mozzarella and munster cheese
Top with a little bit of provolone and sometimes a little white cheddar
Then a sprinkle of asiago

Rosie wants to know...

...why can't the playroom grow hands and pick up itself?

St Augustine

A few hours south of me is the city of St. Augustine.

"Saint Augustine Florida is the oldest European city in the United States. The area was first visited by Ponce de Leon in 1513, but it was Juan Menendez de Aviles who established the first settlement, almost half a century before the first English settlers landed at Jamestown. St. Augustine grew to become the Spanish center of power in North America for almost 200 years.

Today, the heart of St. Augustine retains the distinctive plan of a 16th century Spanish Colonial walled town, much of which has been preserved or restored. The numerous remaining colonial buildings in the historic district present an impressive array of architecture from 1703 to 1898."

We went to two main place, one of them being Saint George Street. A quaint open air market, closed to motorized traffic, and the location of several historical attractions.

The attractions we chose to visit included "The Oldest School House"


Featuring the oldest schoolhouse in America, with the original wooden boards and animated figures inside that tell the history of the schoolhouse.

Another great place to see on Saint George Street is the "Colonial Spanish Quarter".

"As you stroll through this garrison town, leave today’s world behind and discover life in another time. Visit with the blacksmith, carpenter, or soldier’s wife as they go about their daily activities. Located at 29 St. George St., you'll see costumed historical interpreters tell the story of everyday life in 1740's St. Augustine when the city was a remote outpost of the Spanish Empire."

The girls got to enjoy talking to the soldiers wife and seeing how she cooked and listen to a little of how her day went. They also got to see a blacksmith shop, the chicken coop, and see an old style calligraphy demonstration.



Above is a bed from the soldiers house.

In addition to the sites I got to see Saint George Street is home to several other historical houses, craft vendors, and many many restaurants.

What a Day

Today was a day for adventuring. With a long weekend ahead of us we set out for Savannah with the intent to go to the Oatland Island Wildlife Center and check it out. It truly is one of Savannah's "hidden gems"

A little ways south of Bay street, the nature center is home to lots of native North American wildlife. The girls favorite was the fox, which they got to great view of. Other exhibits included a bobcat, which we couldn't find, crocodiles, ibis, cougar, heron, a wolf,two bison, along with several other exhibits we didn't even get to.



A few miles down the road from the Wildlife center, on the next island, is Tybee. It was a great day for it too, we just happened to have the girls bathing suits in the back of the car. The water was warm and clear and perfect for splashing. In addition to the piles of sand we all wore home, the girls collected tons of sea shells.



We even got to drive past the Tybee light house on the way home


All followed up finely with a trip to the local drive-in movie theater for a double feature. We get to see both Shrek the Final Chapter AND Iron Man 2 all from the comfort of our own car!

Fairy Stone State Park

On our way up to a family reunion in Maryland we stopped by Fairy Stone State Park. The girls had so much fun and even found several to take home with them.





The Legend of the Fairy Stone: Many hundreds of years before Chief Powhatan’s reign, fairies were dancing around a spring of water, playing with naiads and wood nymphs, when an elfin messenger arrived from a city far away. He brought news of the death of Christ. When these creatures of the forest heard the story of the crucifixion, they wept. As their tears fell upon the earth, they crystallized to form beautiful crosses.




Fairy stones are staurolite, a combination of silica, iron and aluminum. Staurolite crystallizes at 60 or 90 degree angles, hence the stone's cross-like structure. Found only in rocks once subjected to great heat and pressure, the mineral was formed long, long ago, during the rise of the Appalachian Mountains. The stones are most commonly shaped like St. Andrew’s cross, an "X," but "T" shaped Roman crosses and square Maltese crosses are the most sought-after.

Crisp Cups

I get these for the girls. They love to eat the flaky cones by themselves or with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. I use a melon baler to get a mini scoop. Check them out here or in the ethnic section of some grocery store, usually over by the German foods.

http://www.eichetti.de/en/crispy/crispycups/index.html