My life, my day, and my amazing dinner.

Everyone’s life is different.  We are all called to different things, we have different talents, and well – life throws us all different curveballs!  One of my curveballs is that I have never really been a full-time stay-at-home-mom.  I think that I think I would love it. 

What I would love is the time to do all the things I love and want to try.  More crafts with kids, regular dinner’s completely from scratch, and just more time to sit and read to my kids.  Now, don’t get me wrong.  I love my life.  I have been so VERY blessed to help provide for my family while doing things I love to do! From being a barista and learning more than you would ever want to know about coffee to teaching art {LOVED that one!} and being able to work from home on graphic design jobs.  My favorite by far is working with Brad in ministry – whatever form that takes. 

Working from home is a blessing – one that brings with it many challenges.  The funniest to me is that many people don’t seem to think it’s really “work”.   I may have more flexibility {at times} but I also have to figure out how to watch my sweet lil’bits while making sure I’m on top of my projects.  This has been a learning curve – one that I am blessed to have had friends help me with!  I have several friends that have been amazing. They give me extra time to regularly catch up and work on projects.  I also utilize nap time – most of the time.  Sometimes utilizing nap times means napping myself.

I say all this – to be able to have a day completely focused on home is a always exciting.  Today was just this – I have several projects I’m working on, but I wanted to just be mom and wife and focus on home today.

Thus said, I decided that it would be fun to make gingerbread houses with the girls.  A bit of research on royal icing {made me thankful for the ginormus container of meringue powder I bought last year!} and we were off and running.  We will finish decorating them tomorrow.  

But my biggest surprise today was our dinner.  I had found a couple of recipes that looked promising.  I wanted to add a few things and play with them some – but they looked like good base recipes.  Surprisingly my family couldn’t stop talking about the chicken!  Sometimes I really bomb at dinner – not often – but sometimes.  I like to try new recipes and well, it’s funny to hear them talk about the ones they remember really stinking.  I’m always glad when a new recipe doesn’t make that list!  Hopefully you get to try it too! 

Chicken Medallions in Honey Cream Sauce

• 4 chicken breast, cut into medallions
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon butter {or 2 tbsp coconut oil}
• 1 onion, very finely chopped
• 8 oz sliced mushrooms
• ½ cup dry white wine or 2 tbl wine vinegar
• 2 cup half and half {or evaporated milk}
• 2 tablespoons honey

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375°F
• Mix salt, pepper, and thyme for sauce.  Use more of all three to liberally season chicken. 
• In a skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat.
• Brown chicken medallions, for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Turn and brown other side for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Transfer chicken into baking dish and roast in oven for about until well browned.
• Heat skillet again, reserving any butter and brown bits.
• Add onion and remaining salt, pepper and thyme and cook, stirring constantly until onion is softened.
• Add wine and bring to a boil, scraping up any brown bits stuck to pan.
• Stir in cream and honey, stirring often, until sauce is thickened.
• Pour sauce over chicken in dish and roast until chicken finished cooking.

Roasted Pumpkin

• 1 red onion quartered
• pumpkin,cut into wedges
• ¼ teaspoon chili flakes
• ½ teaspoon roasted ginger
• 1/8^th cup coconut oil {we use virgin, unrefined}, melted
• sea salt, to taste
• 4 tablespoons honey
• 1/3^rd cup red wine vinegar

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400º
• In a roasting pan toss together onion, pumpkin, chili flakes, ginger, oil and sea salt.
• Bake 40-50 min or until cooked through.
• Meanwhile bring honey and vinegar to the boil in a small pan, simmer for 5 minutes.
• Place roasted pumpkin and onion in a serving dish, drizzle with honey mixture.