Jessica

Project No. 2 – Ink

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Prints are the thing now.
They are everywhere from etsy shops to major stores, and everyone seems
to have them in their homes.

Somehow I stumbled across this print (I believe it was a blog post). I loved the idea of it and immediately wanted
it for my own kitchen. Roast chicken is near and dear to our hearts. It’s
something I cook almost weekly, with a tired an true recipe that both Chuck and
I love, this print seemed perfect.

The only thing about it that I didn’t like was that it wasn’t
my recipe. I thought having a print that was all mine would be amazing, so I decided
to get to work. It took me a while to figure out a design that I liked, and
then figure out what pens /markers/tools to use. I did a fe side projects to
get comfortable, and then just went for it.

I think it turned out pretty good. I made one small mistake,
but a little white out isn’t noticeable from far away. I could always scan it
into the computer and photoshop it out, but that’s a lot more effort, and
imperfections are part of life. I think it will remain as is for now. Also the matting that I made myself from colored paper is a little off, but I think it adds to the imperfect look; at least that’s what I’m going with for now.

I put it
up in our kitchen where we used to hang a calendar and love opening our door to
it every day now. After Project no. 2 I am even more in love with this
challenge. I hope to fill this house with handmade items, and art. It fills my
heart during the creative process and then seeing these things get use every
day.

Weekend Links

By Jessica

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There are quite a few things that I am obsessing about right now and I thought that you might enjoy a look at some of them as well. So because my life is a little hectic right now, or I’m lazy (you decide) here is a list of links and a picture of my adorable puppy.

I’m obsessing over this artist right now.

Missed Connections. How is everything this girl writes so good? Like so incredibly good. I will never have her abilities.

There is so much in this post I agree with. It’s all about vaccines FYI.

On Trichinosis in Wild Game – An interesting overview on food safety for my hunter/gatherer crowd.

On being self funded. It’s scary, it’s hard, and it’s complicated.

Spinach Artichoke Chicken Casserole

By Jessica

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An easy and healthy spring recipe for Spinach Artichoke Chicken Casserole.

Spinach Artichoke Chicken Casserole Recipe

You guys I looked out my window today and actually saw some green grass. Like living green grass!

If you don’t live in the frozen tundra that is the northeast, you probably don’t understand my excitement. Let me explain: this winter was hard. I mean aside from the typically short days and snow, it was ridiculously cold. Entire weeks were spent in below freezing temperatures, to the point where going outside for more than 10 minutes actually became dangerous.

It was hard on all of us cooped up indoors hoping for just a 25-degree day so we could spend some time outside without feeling like our face was on fire.

Anyway, I digress.

I want to celebrate the green.

I want to celebrate the birds I’m beginning to see poke coming out, and the long-lost sun that I have failed to have seen due to work.

What better way to celebrate than a new twist on one of my favorite dishes? Spinach Artichoke dip is a huge favorite of mine and something I start to crave right as spring starts to come around. As evidenced by a very similar recipe I posted just shy of a year ago today. Remember that? One pot Spinach Artichoke Pasta? While this isn’t a one pot meal, it’s awfully close. It’s also super satisfying, and the perfect way to invite some spring into your home!

Spinach Artichoke Chicken Casserole

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 25 mins

Total time: 35 mins

Serves: 4

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
½ lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite size
pieces
Salt and pepper to taste
1 (13.5 oz.) can artichoke hearts, drained, & chopped
5 oz of fresh baby spinach
12 oz penne pasta, cooked according to package instructions
1 cup low fat sour cream
4 oz low fat cream cheese, softened
½ cup Parmesan cheese
1 cup mozzarella cheese

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425.
In a large skillet heat oil over medium high heat and sauté the onions for one minute.
Season the chicken with salt and pepper then add the garlic and chicken to the pan and cook, tossing occasionally until the chicken is browned on all sides.
Add the artichoke hearts and spinach and cook, while stirring until the spinach has wilted.
Remove from heat and stir in pasta, sour cream, cream cheese, and parmesan until well
combined.
Transfer to a greased baking pan and cover with mozzarella cheese.
Bake in the oven until the cheese has begun to brown, about 10-15 minutes.
Serve immediately.

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One Pan Spinach Artichoke Pasta

Garden Plans 2015

By Jessica

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March is the time of year every year that I get giddy for garden planning. Around here the snow is just starting to melt and the birds are barely coming home, but that is enough to get me going. I will start planting the moment that the ground is thawed enough to let me.I am always excited about learning more about gardening specifically vegetable gardens. I have a dream to one day never need to go to the
grocery store for produce. I realize that I have a long way to go however.

Recently I got The Postage Stamp Vegetable Garden

book to try to learn some more. It was packed with quite a bit of information. Starting with the basics of garden
planning to compost, companion gardening, and plant specific details there is a
lot there for the beginning gardener to learn from. For me I felt like a lot of
the material was a bit too beginner. While the book will make a good reference
for companion planting, and garden design, there wasn’t a lot of abundantly new
information for me. For someone who likes gardening it made a lovely weekend

read, and was successful in getting me amped up for another growing season.

I had huge plans this year for the garden, but the decision to start house hunting has me thinking that expanding may not be the best idea. Instead I plan to keep my two small boxes and expand into containers. This way I can take the majority of stuff with us when/if we move this year. I made up a quick sketch for this year’s plan that you
can see below. It’s actually more like the sixth or seventh sketch, but this one will be the last one I hope.

We are starting out by keeping many of the cold weather crops in the same section so that come fall I can cover them easily if it frosts and maybe get a few more weeks of growing time. Last year half of our cabbage was slow growing and therefore lost by the frost.

This year I plan to grow more tomatoes, in order to can them, and grow them in barrels with basil as a companion. I also plan to grow potatoes in a barrel, a concept I actually found on Pinterest, but will be an experiment all on its own. The peas will be grown along the porch rail again. Other than those few things everything will remain the same.

Now tell me do you guys like to garden? Do you have any plans for the season yet?Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for this review through the Blogging for Books Program.

Irish Rarebit

By Jessica

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Irish rarebit is something I’ve only ever had once or twice, but I thought would be fun to post with St. Partick’s Day coming up. Rarebit is typically associated with Wales, a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Wales lies near Ireland across a small channel, so over the centuries many dishes have been swapped and traded between the two counties.

The basic concept of this dish is a savory sauce poured over toasted bread and served hot, often with other ingredients. Its very similar to an open faced American grilled cheese, except that you may want to use a fork.

What I liked about this recipe was quite obviously the cheese, because cheese is amazing. Especially Irish Cheese. I can attest that they have some of the best dairy in the world (in my opinion). The pickles were a little weird at first I have to admit, but after a few bites I can see how they balance out the strong cheddar flavor with a bit of brininess.

I think that this is the perfect companion to most soups, but especially Irish Vegetable Soup. The combination is (for me) reminiscent of the tomato soup and grilled cheese, that we Americans grew up with.

Irish Rarebit (Serves 2)
1 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon salted butter
2 tablespoons whole milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
salt and pepper to taste
2 slices soda bread (or whole wheat)
1 tablespoon chopped dill pickles

Preheat the oven to broil. Combine the cheese, butter, and milk in a thick bottomed saucepan and heat gently, until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Stir in the vinegar, and mustard. Season to taste and remove from heat. Toast the bread on one side and place the it on a backing sheet toasted side down. Pour the sauce over the bread and cook in the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes. The top should be golden and bubbly. Remove from heat, sprinkle with dill pickles and serve immediately.

Jessica

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