Let's Get Cookin'

Here's a post I did for work, but I thought it would be fun to share :-) Plus I'm proud of myself sometimes I can be creative.

With my wedding coming up fast I’ve been pressured into trying to get a little more organized. One of the things I’ve been wanting to do is to decorate a Clip it Up Mini for my kitchen and use it for recipes. Now I really don’t have many recipes yet (if you have some good ones let me know), so my Clip it Up Mini will be a little bare but hopefully over the next few months I’ll be able to fill it up.

I took Aphra’s idea for decorating the tabs (Fancy Tabs) and used the Graphic 45 Domestic Goddess Line and got to work.

First I used Krylon spray paint and painted my Clip it Up Mini cream. Then I cut out paper in the shape of the base, and picked a coordinating border for the side. I mod podged them to the base. (It was a little bit tricky to make the paper smooth around the rounded edge, but a little bit of patience goes a long way)

Then it was the fun and easy part. Decorating the Tabs.

I made the following categories

• Menu (I’m being optimistic-hopefully this category will have the recipes that I’m planning on making that week)
  
• Breakfast
  
• Sides
  
• Pasta
• Soups (I’m so excited I have some good fall soups that I can’t wait to make)
  
• Breads
  
• Salads
  
• Beef
  
• Chicken
  
• Slow Cooker (my favorite Sunday dinners)
  
• Dessert
• Other
  

As you can see the tabs aren’t fancy I just covered them with paper and put a few embellishments on them. I think they turned out cute.

I then tied a bow around the top and added a few tags from the Domestic Goddess Line.

Here’s the final product!

I’m really happy with how it turned out. Now I better get cooking so I can fill it up :-)

Wish me luck!
Bobbi
Simply Renee

Lemon Chicken Pasta Recipes-Nathan's Favorite

Nathan coincidentally loves lemons and anything lemon flavored. There is a good chance that he is marrying me only because of my last name. :-) His favorite meal is Lemon Chicken and Thyme plus I recently found a new lemon chicken recipe that he almost likes as much. I forgot to take pictures but I'll add them soon.

Lemon Chicken and Thyme (courtesy of Nathan's mom)

• 3 TBSP Flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 4 skinless boneless chicken breasts
• 2 TBSP olive oil
• 1 medium onion diced
• 1 TBSP butter
• 1 Cup Chicken broth
• 3 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp thyme

Mix the flour, salt and pepper in a plastic bag and shake to combine. Add the chicken and shake to coat lightly. Remove the chicken and reserve the excess seasoned flour. In a large skillet, warm 1 TBSP of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chicken and brown on one side, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining 1 TBSP oil, turn the chicken and brown well on the second side, about 5 minutes longer. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside. Add the butter to the skillet. When the butter melts, add the onion and cook, stirring until softened, 2-3 minutes. Stir in the reserved seasoned flour and cook, stirring until the flour is completely incorporated, about 1 minute. Add the butter to the skillet. When the butter melts, add the onion and cook, stirring until softened, 2-3 minutes. Sir in the reserved seasoned flour and cook, stirring until the flour is completely incorporated, about 1 minute. Add the broth, the lemon juice and the thyme and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Return the chicken to the skillet, reduce the heat to medium-low and cover the skillet. Cook until the chicken is tender and opaque throughout, about 5 minutes. Serve over noodles or rice.
*I love the onions in this recipe it is probably my favorite part. We usually serve this with egg noodles because they cook quickly.

Lemon Cream Pasta

Original Recipe Yield 4 servings

• 3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1 lemon, quartered
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder, divided
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, divided
• 2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 (8 ounce) package rotelle pasta
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place chicken in a lightly greased baking dish. Squeeze lemon over both sides of the chicken breasts and season both sides using 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder and 3/4 teaspoon pepper. Bake for 40 minutes, or until juices run clear and chicken is no longer pink inside.
2. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, season the chicken broth with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Bring to a boil and add lemon juice and pasta. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until all liquid is absorbed, about 25 minutes.
3. Cut cooked chicken into bite-sized pieces and stir into cooked pasta, along with the cream and lemon zest. Cook, stirring, over low heat for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes. Stir thoroughly before serving.

*I substitute skim milk for the heavy cream, it gives the pasta a lighter sauce plus cuts back on the fat. I've made this both ways and Nathan didn't have a preference between milk or cream. If I don't have much time I'll slice the chicken up into bite size pieces and cook it up in a skillet. If I do it this way I usually saute some onions as well.

Bobbi