Artichoke Soup

This is a great, quick option for a fresh soup that is without meat and still filling. My husband normally has to have meat incorporated in to his meal, but he really enjoyed this soup and I found it very easy to make.

6 artichoke hearts (jarred- make sure they are just in water)
garlic powder
3 T butter
1 potato, peeled (optional) and diced
4 c vegetable stock
salt/pepper
saltine crackers

Heat butter over medium heat, and sauté the artichoke hearts and garlic, stirring frequently, until golden. Add potato and stock, bring to a boil, lower heat, cover, and simmer about 10 minutes, until the veggies are tender. Blend half of the potatoes and artichokes with a little bit of the cooking liquid until smooth. Transfer back to the pan, season with salt and pepper. Stir the purée into the remaining liquid, and reheat. Serve immediately with saltine crackers.

*If you would like a smoother puree of a soup, blend all of the potatoes instead of just half.

Enjoy!

Napkin Folding 101

I found this tutorial on 12 different napkin folds via Hostess With The Mostess. Throw a party with the best of 'em by dressing up your table with a pretty napkin.

Photo: HWTM

Calypso Chicken

Delicious! You must try this one - it's easy (prep. time is only 10 minutes!) and mixes sweet and savory flavors. Everyone will be fighting to get the pineapple!

What you'll need:

• a large oven cooking bag
• 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 (15-oz) can of pineapple chunks, drained
• 1 (8-oz) package of black bean-rice mix (uncooked)
• 1 (10.5-oz) can chicken broth
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
• 4 (8-oz) bone-in chicken breasts, skinned***

How to make it:

• Preheat oven to 350. Place oven cooking bag in a 13*9 in. baking dish. Add flour to bag; twist end and shake to distribute.
• Add pineapple and next 4 ingredients to oven bag; squeeze bag to blend ingredients.
• Arrange chicken in an even layer over rice mixture.
• Close bag with nylon tie; cut 6 (1/2 inch) slits in top of bag.
• Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked.

*Just so there is no confusion, you put the rice in the bag uncooked. It cooks in the bag in the oven.

***You can certainly use a boneless skinless breast or any cut of chicken you prefer.

Source: Southern Living's Busy Moms Weeknight Favorites Cookbook.

This one will be a hit - I promise!

Welcoming Guests: 8 Tips

photo: Real Simple magazine

The following article was taken from Real Simple's Simply Stated nightly email. I thought it was a fabulous few tips that really led to welcoming guests in the more comfortable and proper of ways without going too out of your way. And just in time for spring and summer visitors, I wanted to share! Again, you can find the original post here on Real Simple's website.



"Spring kicks off in just a few days which can only mean that soon guests will arrive as warmer months tend to bring in long lost friends and family members looking to reconnect. I enjoy having guests but unfortunately lots of what I read out there for entertaining tips tend to depress me because they're geared more towards the perfect housewife (not me) who is lucky enough to have a guest bedroom (also not me). I don't have a lot of space -- good friends have slept on my sofa and recently a couple had to sleep on an air mattress in my office/craft room because that was my only option as they refused to take our bed. This is why A Warm Welcome, a book written by Amy Elliott who lives in Brooklyn and is a writer at Condé Nast really can help a girl like me out.Elliott caters to hostesses everywhere from small apartment dwellers to to those lucky enough to have that coveted 'guest bedroom'. Her book is really helpful because she 'gets it' which comes through in her writing and through her many tips. I also like that in addition to being a good hostess the book also includes lots of suggestions on how to become a better guest because you know, an enjoyable time takes effort by all, right?

Published by Ryland Peters & Small, this 128 page book includes many creative and useful tips along with gorgeous lifestyle photography to motivate you and get you in the spirit of entertaining. Elliott addresses space issues, includes stress-free menus, cocktail recipes, day trip ideas, how to create a cozy sleep space and tips on making the bathroom 'guest ready'. I have to add that I really appreciate her laid back approach, it's not a fussy planning bible but instead a casual conversation with a smarty pants girlfriend who really knows her stuff. We all need a friend like Elliott and now we have one, all 128 pages of her.

A few tips every hostess should consider according to Elliott:

Give the house a good cleaning before guests arrive.

Provide your guests with maps and detailed directions.

Let guests know what they should bring (hiking shoes, club clothes for a night on the town, etc.).

Ask if there is anything special they'd like to eat or drink.

Find out if there is anything in particular that they'd like to do while they're in town so you can research and make arrangements to fit something in.

You may need to child or animal-proof your home if guests are bringing kids or pets.

Welcome guests with open arms with a quick tour, something to drink, offer to take their bags to where they will sleep, etc.

Keep dinner low-key on the first night as weary travelers may not fully appreciate a fancy feast.

I particularly found tip #8 helpful because I'm bubbly and by nature I get really excited when I have guests and immediately want to pounce and over-welcome them with big plans, a big meal, and lots and lots of everything I can fit in. I have to learn to tone it down which I realize now after reading that tip and thinking about it and how it must feel for guests. As a guest myself, I recall appreciating a warm welcome but usually did not respond well to being overwhelmed by an overly energetic hostess because I was often tired from traveling. Good tip!

You can pick up A Warm Welcome where books are sold, I usually purchase mine at Amazon.com so here's the link to the book on Amazon in case you are interested --- it's $19."

Almond-Crusted Chicken

I didn't get a picture of this one, but trust me - it's delicious! It's a recipe out of the Southern Living 2007 Annual Recipes Book. It's easy too - prep time is 10 minutes and cook time is 8 minutes!

Ingredients:

• 2/4 cup almonds, coarsely chopped (you can just buy them this way)
• 1/2 cup fine, dry breadcrumbs
• 2 tsp. Jamaican jerk seasoning: Okay - this is the ONE ingredient you probably don't regularly buy, but it's worth it! (You can find it in your regular spice aisle)
• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
• 1tsp. grated lime zest
• 1 1/2 lb. skinned and boned chicken breast cutlets
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil, divided

1. Process first 5 ingredients in a food processor or blender 45 seconds or until finely ground. Place almond mixture in a shallow bowl.
2. Brush chicken evenly with 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil. Dredge chicken in almond mixture.
3. Cook chicken in remaining 1/2 Tbsp. in remaining olive oil (after heating olive oil for a few seconds in a hot non-stick skillet). Cook over medium-high heat 4 minutes on each side or until done.

Makes 5 servings.

The Skinny Girl's Margarita

Bethenny Frankel from The Real Housewives of New York (on Bravo TV) shows you how to make what she has deemed "The Skinny Girl's Margarita." She doesn't use exact amounts of any of the liquids, but really I think it's best when making drinks with alcohol in them to use your own proportions to best suit your needs. (My husband probably used 1/8 of the amount of alcohol in making margaritas for us that normal ones have. :) )

Enjoy!

Caffeine Intake

I saw an interesting article on Real Simple's website about monitoring your caffeine intake. The recommended limit for caffeine intake is 400 mg per day. While you may (some of you may not!) turn down that third cup of coffee, there are a lot of hidden sources of caffeine that you may not think of.

photo: realsimple.com

The article says that 12 oz. of Starbucks brewed coffee has 195 mg of caffeine. that may not be too surprising, but did you know your alka seltzer may contain as much caffeine as a Starbucks latte?

Check out this link to see the rest of the article.