The Flu Bug

We've been hit with the flu bug here. Took Emma & Jackson in yesterday & the test was positive for Influenza A. Wyatt is home today now too with what we think is the start of it. I'm hoping this makes a swift entrance & exit in our house. Seems like we just can't seem to stay fully healthy here. I've been walking around the house with Clorox wipes in hopes to keep the germs away from the rest of us. Guess we can hope!

Tasty Tuesday

Time for another recipe! Everyone can always use another idea for chicken & this is a great one!

Pan-Roasted Chicken & Potatoes

1 1/2 pounds small red potatoes(scrubbed & quartered)
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt & Pepper
4 bone-in, skin-on split chicken breasts, halved crosswise(can use thighs also)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1. Adjust oven rack to lowest position & heat oven to 450 degrees. Combine potatoes, 1 tablespoon oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt & 1/4 teaspoon pepper in bowl. Microwave, covered, until potatoes begin to soften, 4-7 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, pat chicken dry with paper towels & season with salt & pepper. Heat additional 1 tablespoon oil in large oven safe nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook chicken until well browned, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to plate. Add potatoes to empty skillet & cook until beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Arrange chicken, skin-side up, on top of potatoes. Transfer skillet to oven & roast until chicken registers 160 degrees & potatoes are completely tender, 12-15 minutes.

3. Whisk vinegar, garlic, thyme, pepper flakes, & remaining oil in bowl. Season with salt & pepper. Drizzle vinegar mixture over chicken & potatoes. Serve.

These potatoes were absolutely divine! We prefer to use chicken thighs but you really can use any part of the chicken as long as it is on the bone & has the skin on else the chicken will end up too dry. Enjoy!!

Needed Break

Sorry that I've been so absent from this blog. This last week was hard emotionally & there were many things I felt I had to catch up on at home.

I also missed my weekly recipe post but I spent the day cleaning my house & praying for the Wood family as that was day the funeral was held. We continue to keep them in our prayers as they begin to figure out what this "new normal" is. We know all too well you seem to survive those first few days on adrenaline & then somehow you have to figure out how to live again when you really don't want to face the reality of the loss. Please remember them in the weeks & months ahead as there will be so many firsts & lasts that they have to go through.

Nothing new on the adoption front. Honestly, I've had more a peace this week with where we are at & I'm thankful for the much needed break. Just keep praying!

In The Blink of An Eye

Life can change in the blink of an eye. Sometimes it can be a good thing & sometimes it can be absolutely heartbreaking. Yesterday was a day of utter sadness in our community. While driving to school yesterday morning, Trisha Wood, a junior at Western Christian(Alexa's school) was killed in a car accident. Our hearts are broken for her family & friends. I didn't know her personally but she played on Alexa's soccer team. All we have to do is to put ourselves in her parents' shoes & we can't help but feel the sadness of losing a child. We've been down that road & it's devastating. We want to know the "whys" so we can make sense of the pain. We lift this family up in prayer to God to wrap His loving arms around them as they grieve this terrible loss. We also pray for all the friends & students at school as they mourn a fellow student.

We also want to pray for Rodney Lamfers & his family. He has been battling leukemia(AML) for over a year now & he did not receive a very good report this week. Please keep this family in your prayers as they decide what to do next & to seek God's will. They are also relatives of the Wood family.

Tasty Tuesday

In honor of this extremely cold day(-15 for a while here! brrr!) & the Green Bay Packers winning the Super Bowl, here is a wonderful, cheesy soup recipe! This is a favorite in our family & it's easy because everything goes in the crockpot! Enjoy!

Chicken Tortilla Cheese Soup
3-4 cups cooked, diced chicken
2 cans cheddar cheese soup
1 can fiesta nacho cheese soup
1 can diced green chiles
1 can tomato soup
2 cans chicken broth
tabasco sauce to taste

Put all ingredients in the crockpot on low for 3-4 hours! How easy is that?? I serve this with sour cream & tortilla chips. I love a little extra tabasco sauce in my bowl to warm me up from the inside out!

Frustrated

I guess the fact that I'm frustrated comes as no surprise to many of you. It's been 2 months & absolutely nothing is happening. We've had a couple of situations that we were told about with other agencies that we just can't afford because we would have to walk away from money with our current agency. It's been hard to weigh the possibility & wonder if we should just take the leap of faith & hope that the money is there somehow or if we just sit back wait for something to come up with our agency. So far we have had to decline to be smart financially but then I start to doubt myself in the fact that we aren't really following this journey by total faith. So yes, we've been struggling quite a bit right now about where we are at with this whole process. Next month we have to start looking at updating our homestudy & fingerprints. I never thought that we would get to this point & to be honest it makes me upset. Having to do all that costs more money. I guess we should be used to that by now but we are getting sick of it.

Just pray that this part of our journey is over soon. It is exhausting & we are feeling depleted of our strength to keep going on this roller coaster. I know there are many adoptive families going through similar uncertain waiting so if you keep them in your prayers, that would be great!

Tasty Tuesday

In honor of the Chinese New Year coming up in 2 days, here is my favorite Chinese recipe to make at home. Some of the ingredients I had to hunt for because they weren't typical items that I usually buy but it was so worth it! We've had this meal numerous times now & I love the the leftovers, if there are any.

Stir-Fried Cashew Pork

1/3 cup hoisin sauce
1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pork tenderloin (1-2 pounds)-we used pork loin-cut into 1/4 inch strips
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 cup roasted cashews, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro
1 1/2 cups white rice
3 cups water

1. Combine hoisin sauce, water, soy sauce, & pepper flakes in a bowl. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown half of pork, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer to bowl & repeat with additional 2 teaspoons oil & remaining pork.

2. While cooking pork, heat 3 cups water in medium saucepan until just boiling. Add rice & boil with lid on for approximately 20 minutes or until rice is tender. When liquid is gone, remove from heat & fluff with a fork.

3. Add remaining oil to empty skillet & heat until just smoking. Cook garlic & ginger, mashing mixture into pan, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add pork along with any juices, cashews, & hoisin mixture & cook until sauce has thickened, about 1 minute. Sprinkle with cilantro. Serve over rice.

My kids love anything with rice so this meal goes over really well. This tastes just as good as any Chinese takeout & is much less expensive for a larger family like ours. Happy Chinese New Year!