Lemon Garlic Chicken Pasta

Before I start my post, I just want to say that it's been a little lonely here on the blog.  For starters, two small children that are 3 and 1 - well, it's a LOT of work.  I think though I've finally started to get out of the crazy stage.  Also, I've been doing some side projects that are actually making me money (which is super exciting!) and sadly that means this blog doesn't get as much love as it should.  I'm not to the point of actually making any cash from this site, so until it does, it pretty much is last on my list.  :(

However, even when it's quiet over here, I still stay pretty active on the Creations by Alisha Rose's facebook page.  I post in real time recipes that I'm trying, sewing that I'm attempting, and even sneak peaks of future blog posts.  I love engaging you in conversation about different topics and I've gotten some really awesome tips from you, the reader.  So if you're so inclined, pop on over and say "hi" every so often. I'd love to chat.  :)

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This recipe I stumbled onto by total accident. I had some chicken that someone had given me because they were moving.  It wasn't quite what I was used to using, so I was trying to figure out something on the fly.  I originally started out cooking it with garlic and basil - something that a friend and I used to do in the high school days.  I then added a little of this and a little of that, and thought I was done.  I then was about to call it done when it still looked like it wasn't cooked, so I did some more cooking.  The first try was just a chicken dish but the sauce was so good that I was eating the dripping from the pan.  And then it hit me - I could make it a sauce for pasta!

So now I present to you  Lemon Garlic Chicken Pasta  (and Basil)

Step One:

Combine the garlic, lemon juice, and oil in frying pan over medium heat.  Season one side of the chicken pieces with pepper and basil (be generous with the basil).  Place season side down and brown until fairly dark.

Step two:

Season the other side and then turn chicken over to brown the other side.  Continue to cook the chicken until no pink is present.  

Step 3:

After both sides are browned, add water and bullion cube to the pan.  Bring to a boil and then cook until sauce reduces to about a third and has started to thicken. During this step, cook the pasta as directed on the box.   

Step 4:

After sauce has reduced to desired consistency,  remove chicken from pan and set aside.  Pour sauce over noodles and coat.  Place chicken on pasta to serve. 

Step 5:

Enjoy!

 

*Lemon Garlic Chicken Pasta*

3-4 chicken breasts
1 Tablespoon oil
3 Tablespoons lemon juice
3-4 garlic cloves
dash of pepper
generous sprinkle of basil
1 bullion cube
1 1/2 cups water
1 Box bowtie pasta or pasta of your choice.

1. Combine the garlic, lemon juice, and oil in frying pan over medium heat.  Season one side of the chicken pieces with pepper and basil (be generous with the basil).  Place season side down and brown until fairly dark. 
2.  Season the other side and then turn chicken over to brown the other side.  Continue to cook the chicken until no pink is present.  
3. After both sides are browned, add water and bullion cube to the pan.  Bring to a boil and then cook until sauce reduces to about a third and has started to thicken. During this step, cook the pasta as directed on the box.
4. After sauce has reduced to desired consistency, remove chicken from pan and set aside.  Pour sauce over noodles and coat.  Place chicken on pasta to serve. 
5. Enjoy!

Spice Rack Book Shelves

My little girl really loves to read at night to put herself to sleep. If your kid likes to read as much as mine, you'll love this project as much as I did.

 The problem with my daughter reading at night was I couldn't have her climbing in and out of bed to get books all night especially in the dark  So instead of being happy with just one or two, she would always request to have a huge pile in bed with her.  She would then fall asleep in the middle of reading one.  I always ended up having to remove them after she fell asleep but when she was on top of them it was really hard to do. Sleeping on books also couldn't be comfortable for her, I'm sure.  In my search for a solution, I stumbled across this pin.

It seemed like the perfect answer to my problem! Only 3.99 for each rack plus a little paint I already had on hand brought my total up to around 8 dollars!

My one issue was there was no Ikea close by, you couldn't order them online then, and almost every Ikea was out of stock. I finally found a store that carried them that I thought we could swing by on the way to visit our friends.  Then we got sick and couldn't make our planned trip, so I thought I was never going to get them.  Then a friend posted on Facebook that she was going to Ikea and did anyone need her to pick anything up?  She totally saved the day!

I got out my paints and started decorating.  I painted them white with pink and green accents to match her room.  I'm not the best artist in the world but they looked cute with little butterflies and flowers on them. I then had my awesome husband hang them for me.  (The spice racks don't come with the hardware to mount them).

They were a perfect solution to my issue.  It kept the books to a minimum on her bed but let her still have choices.  She also didn't have to fall asleep on top of a million books - only one or two that she was reading at the moment.

Of course, she thinks they are great.  She mostly thinks they are great because at nap time she can take all the books out, and they double as great beds for her dolls and stuffed animals.  ;)

Whatever their use, they were a quick, easy and cheap project that was super satisfying to complete.

Where could you install some spice rack book shelves?

Chinese Chicken Salad

When the weather starts to get hot I always try to find recipes which don't heat up the house.  As it is already starting to heat up here over on the west coast,  I've started breaking them out a little early this year.  This recipe is super simple.  I also just love the colors.  What is it about summer recipes that make them so colorful?

 Chinese Chicken Salad

• Chicken breasts - grilled and diced  
• Head of lettuce 
• Mandarin Oranges
• Dried Cranberries
• Chow mein noodles or Won-ton strips
• Chinese Chicken Salad Dressing

The chicken can be grilled ahead of time or on the day of.  You can cook it on a grill during the summer, or we like to use our George Foreman grill on days it's a little cooler or we don't feel like getting out the charcoal.

I like to make my dressing from scratch, but you could use store bought to make the recipe even easier. The dressing that I make has a nice little kick which I think balances out the sweetness of the oranges and cranberries making a wonderful flavor experience for your taste buds.

  I didn't include any specific proportions because it's a recipe that's made very much based on your tastes.  Add a little bit of this, a bit of that and you have a very scrumptious summer salad.  Enjoy!

Spray Paint: DIY Matching Picture Frames

I've been trying to slowly buy frames to put all my family pictures in, but I was getting frustrated on how much it cost to buy solid frames.  I recently acquired some frames from a garage sale for free.  They were solid wood but this gold color which of course was not in line with my color scheme.  I then went to a thrift store and picked up several solid wooden framed pictures. I think I spent less then five dollars total on all of them.

I bought a can of matte black spray paint.  I then laid out some newspaper on my back patio.  I took the glass out and the backs off.  I then got to spraying my frames.

 I had to do a few coats.  The trick was spraying from different angles to make sure I got all the different edges and crevices.   After letting it dry, I had a lovely solid wood picture frame that fits my color scheme.

I  then spray painted all the rest of the frames.  For the price of a can of spray paint and a couple bucks at the thrift store I got 9 frames.  I probably spent less on all the frames then I would normally spend on one!  Awesome!

I was talking with my sister-in-law about my project and it reminded her that she had some frames she could do the same with.  She spray painted hers white instead of black though.

She now has some lovely frames for her ocean themed bathroom.

The other great thing about this project is how quick it is.  I was able to squeeze in painting a frame or two in between tasks throughout the day.  It was a great feeling of satisfaction being able to put all my pictures up at once.  I even have a couple left over ready for when we take a new set of family photos.  

Do you have some old frames that you could make new again?

The Reversible Kathleen Cape

After my Little Red Riding Hood post last Halloween, one of my best friends requested that I make a cape for her daughter's birthday.  She asked if I could make it reversible too. She gave me carte blanche on color and fabric.  So here is the "Reversible Kathleen Cape".

First start by cutting out your cape circles.  You will need one of each color.  (For more details on this process, see my Little Red Riding Hood post)  The main difference from the original was that it's more of a semi circle rather then a half circle because of trying to make the height taller.

Find a hood that fits your child and trace around it, taking in account seam allowances.  Sew together two hoods. (more on this too in Little Red Riding Hood post)

Attach your two hoods to your two cape circles.

For your ties, cut out two strips of each color the width and length that you want with enough for seam allowance..  Sew the solid strip to the patterned strip right sides together, leaving one end open. Turn inside out and topstitch.  Repeat for the second set.

Pin your two capes right sides together.

Pin your ties in between your two capes at the point underneath your hood line.  See picture below.

Sew the two capes together, leaving a space at the bottom unsewn for you to to turn inside out.  Hand stitch the hole closed, and then top stitch.   And Viola! you are done!   I actually found the reversible cape to be easier then the original Little Red Riding Hood cape because I didn't have to hem or worry about covering any exposed seams.

What I loved about this project was that I was able to use thread I had inherited from my friend's mother to sew it together.  Her mother passed away from Leukemia several years ago.  This is exactly the sort of thing she would have loved to make for her granddaughter.  I am glad that through me she was still able to be a part of her granddaughter's birthday present.

Post dedicated to Kathy Bowman.  You will live on in our hearts and memories forever.
Please help beat Leukemia by donating blood or   platelets  to your local donation center.

Easy Stir Fry

One of our favorite meals to make is stir fry.  It's such a quick and easy meal.  It's fairly healthy too.

Here's how we make ours.

You will want to prepare all your ingredients ahead of time because once you start cooking it goes pretty fast.

First cut up some onion slices, and mince a few garlic cloves. Pour a couple of tablespoons of oil in your wok (or frying pan).  Turn your heat on high, and once hot throw in your onions and garlic. The amount of garlic and onions is really to your taste, but I recommend not skipping this step because they really add flavor to your dish. Saute until onions are clear.



Next put in your meat.  Chicken, beef or tofu all work well.  Your local grocery store even sells beef precut for stir fry if you're really short on time.  Make sure your meat is cut into about square inch pieces. Cook until meat is done, constantly stirring.  One of the tricks to stir fry is to continually mix it to evenly cook it and to keep it from burning.

The next step is to add vegetables.  We usually buy a premade bag of stir fry vegetables to save on time, but you can choose any veggies that you prefer.

In addition to the premade bag, we also add bell pepper slices.  One thing to note is that you add veggies in the order of longest cooking time.  Broccoli and carrots go in first, bell peppers go in last.  You want all your vegetables to stay crispy, so you only want to cook them a little while.

We also like to add noodles. The brand we buy is pictured below, but we just use the noodles and throw away the spice packet that comes with it.  These are prepared by poking holes in the plastic they come in inside and microwaving for one minute. Then add them to your wok.  If you rather, skip the noodles and serve your dish over rice.


Add about a quarter cup of water and add your stir fry sauce.  I'm sure there are some great recipes out there to make yourself but our favorite is House of Tsang. (Remember this is a quick meal, making sauce from scratch adds time). Their classic is good, but if you like spicy try the Szechuan sauce. Add to taste, I think we usually use about a quarter of a bottle.

Mix until sauce is hot and food is coated.  Serve immediately.

And that's it! Just 15 minutes to make a quick satisfying meal!