Date Night

Nathan and I decided we needed to make sure we had date night every week, so we figured we'd switch off planning it. This week was my week. We didn't have much time since we're both so busy with school so I figured out a cheap and quick date. I'm horrible with remembering to take pictures but next time I'll be better.

I cut out 4 strips of paper and on each strip I wrote one of the following : Drinks, Appetizer, Main Course and Dessert and I put the 4 strips in a bag. I then cut out several strips in another color and wrote down the name of fast food restaurants near us and put all the strips in another bag. For the date we picked out one piece of paper from each bag and then went to the restaurant and ordered what course it told us to. Here's how it turned out.

First Course : Drinks at Chick Filet. Nathan got a small Dr. Pepper and I got a small Dt. Dr. Pepper. $3

Second Course : Appetizers at IHOP. We split an order of mozzarella sticks. (this was our most expensive part) $9

Third Course : Main Course (I was hoping for dessert but somehow Nathan picked them in the normal order) at Panda Express. Nathan ordered a small Mandarin Chicken and I got a small Orange Chicken. $3

Fourth Course : Dessert at Iceberg. We split a black raspberry shake. $3

Total date cost $18- not to0 bad :) We had a lot of fun, plus we ended up going to the IHOP we went to on our second date, and the Iceberg I introduced Nathan too (he'd never had an Iceberg shake before). It was a nice unexpected trip down memory lane. :)

Reasons Why I Love You-Gift Idea

Nathan and I agreed that we did not want Valentine's Day to be about presents, and we wanted to do thoughtful gifts. This is easier said than done. I spent days trying to come up with an idea and then I thought of this:


A basket of "A Few Reasons Why I Love You...". I purposely put the word 'few', if it wasn't for our budget I may have done 'all' the reasons. Then I had to use my creativity (meaning I called my mom) for help with coming up with treats to attach each reason to. Here's what we came up with :

Reasons Why I Love You…

• I love the way you cuddle with me. You make me feel safe in your arms. (Gummy Bears)
• I love the way you make me laugh even if you’re being cheesy. (Cheesecake)
• I love the way you take care of me. (massage oil)
• I love how excited I am to come home to you every night. (Sparkling apple cider)
• Everything about you makes me know that we were meant to be together. (Peanut Butter & Chocolate - Reeses)
• I’m so excited for the adventures we get to share. (Muppet's Treasure Island)
  

I of course made the Red Velvet Cheesecake and it was to die for - maybe I'll share the recipe sometime.

~Bobbi

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