Happy St. Patrick's Day!

 

I made the treats above for the teachers on our team.  Trying to spread some cheer and teach my students to be encouragers.  The printable is available here.

 

 

 

I made the above treats for our kids and my DH....just a little rainbow on a dreary St. Patrick's Day! That printable is available here.  You can check out my other St. Patrick's Day pins at http://www.pinterest.com/ldryzal/st-patrick-s-day/ or visit my classroom blog at

http://mrsdryzal.blogspot.com to see what's happening in our classroom!

 

Thanks for stopping by!

~peace and blessings~

Lisa

Pinterest Projects

 

Last week, I completed two projects that I had pinned on Pinterest.  I, of course, combined several blog post ideas and did my own thing for the burlap runner.  The runner is ruffled at each end.  I'm not sure if I will leave it on the dining table or move it to the buffet upstairs. 

 

I also made these Aged Paper Number Wraps.  I printed the numbers from

 Confessions of A Plate Addict 

and followed her directions.  It took about 15 minutes for my paper to dry in the oven, but times will vary.  I then wrapped them around some battery operated candles to avoid a fire hazard.  They look really neat with the candles lit, too.

 

Thanks for stopping by!

~peace and blessings~

Lisa



Salted Caramel Cookie Bars



This is another recipe that I found via Pinterest.  I actually followed this one to the letter.  I'm pleased with how they turned out.  This is actually time consuming to make, but the sweet/salty/buttery combination can't be beat.  I hope you enjoy them too!

Salted Caramel Cookie Bars
(adapted from Cookies and Cups)


2 sticks, unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 cups all purpose flour

Caramel Filling:
30 pieces of caramel candies, unwrapped
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon salt or 1/2 tablespoon sea salt

For the crust:

Grease an 8x11 inch baking dish.

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.

In your stand mixer, cream butter on medium speed until softened. Add in both sugars and mix until light and fluffy. Add in the vanilla and mix until combined. Sift in the 2 cups of flour and mix on low speed until a soft dough forms.
Press a 1/3 of the dough into your prepared pan to form a bottom crust and prick all over with a fork. Cover the remaining 2/3 and chill in the refrigerator. Bake the crust until brown around the edges, about 20 minutes.Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes.

While your crust is cooling, either in the microwave or stove top melt your caramels with the vanilla and cream until smooth.  I melted mine in 1 minute intervals in the microwave at 50% power.  This took about 5 minutes.  I stirred the caramels and cream together at the end of each minute to help smooth out the caramels. 

Pour the caramel over your baked crust and sprinkle with salt.

Remove remaining crust from the fridge and crumble the chilled dough over the caramel. 

Return the pan to the oven and bake until the filling is bubbly and the shortbread topping is firm and lightly golden, about 25 minutes. Let cool before cutting into squares.

 ~Enjoy~

peace & blessings

Lisa

Tuscan Garlic Chicken

I found this recipe via Pinterest, of course! It's from Mel's Kitchen Cafe. I had a similar dish at Olive Garden and have wanted to replicate it at home.  It is spot on in terms of flavor and taste.  Of course, I made some changes to the recipe.  I'm sharing my adapted version here.

INGREDIENTS:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon finely minced garlic (about 4-5 cloves)
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips or chopped
1/2 cup low-sodium organic chicken broth
6 ounces fresh spinach
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 cup fat free milk
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 pound fettucine

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a shallow pie plate or similar dish, combine the flour, salt, pepper, basil and oregano. Dip each chicken piece in the flour mixture until both sides are well coated.

In a large 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat until the oil is hot and shimmering. Carefully place the chicken breasts in the pan, cooking them for 2-3 minutes on each side, until they are golden and browned but not cooked all the way through (they’ll finish up in the oven). . Gently remove the chicken to a foil-lined, lightly greased baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Set aside and tent with foil until ready to use.

While the chicken is cooking in the skillet, heat a large pot of water to a boil and add the noodles, cooking until al dente. Also, wipe out the skillet with a couple paper towels and return it to medium heat, adding the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the bell pepper, sauteing for 2-3 minutes, then add the garlic the last minute to prevent it from burning.

Stir in one tablespoon flour and stir constantly while cooking for another minute. Add the chicken broth to the skillet and bring the mixture to a low simmer, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened, about 3-4 minutes. In a small liquid measure, whisk together the cornstarch and cream. Add the spinach, milk and cream mixture to the skillet. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the spinach is wilted and sauce is slightly thickened, about 2-4 minutes. Add salt and pepper, adding more to taste if needed.  Stir in the Parmesan cheese.

When the pasta has finished cooking, drain and return it to the pot. Toss the pasta with half of the cheese sauce. Place some of the coated pasta on each plate. Top with a breaded chicken breast and spoon some of the sauce over the top of the chicken and pasta. Serve immediately.

My 13 yo loved this dish, too.  He even ate the spinach until he found out that it was spinach!  LOL

Enjoy!

~peace and blessings~

Lisa