Bok Choy Salad

Christmas Gathering at Mom and Dad's
(The bok choy salad is in the yellow bowl to the left)

This is another recipe from my aunt Linda that my mother-in-law asked for and I decided to share with everyone.

We were all together for a Christmas gathering at my mom and dad's (which -- one of these days -- I plan to do an entire blog post on) and my aunt Linda brought this salad.

My aunt prepared this salad a number of times for us when we were kids and we loved it! So my mom asked her to bring it at Christmas. It was my mother-in-law's first time having it and she thought it was delicious.

Enjoy!

Bok Choy Salad Recipe:

1/2 Stick butter

2 Pkgs. raman noodles (crushed so they are in 1/2" chunks (these will act as you "croutons")

1/2 cup sesame seeds (add at the very end -- they burn easily)

1/4 Cup sliced almonds

1 Head green savoy cabbage (if available)

1 Head Napa cabbage

1 Head bok choy

1/4 Head red cabbage (for color)

1 Bunch of green onions

Heat Butter in frying pan. Toast raman noodles first and then add sesame seed and almonds. Toast until light brown.

Use a sharp knife to slice cabbages into thin strips and then cut across strips into 2" pieces. You want it to be fine and edible with just a fork -- no knife needed. Slice green onions. Toss all together.

Dressing:

1/2 Cup rice wine vinegar

1/2 Cup sugar

Mix these two together first so sugar dissolves.

1/2 Cup vegetable oil

2 T. soy sauce

Add dressing right before serving.

Serves 12 people.

Chocolate Lover's Mousse Pie

Attention chocolate lovers:

My aunt Linda brought this decadent dessert to my mom's house for our first annual "Presidents Day Tea" on Monday and everyone loved it.

I told my mother-in-law about my aunt's chocolate pie recipe and posted it on here for her and all my family and friends who love chocolate as much as I do.

(Stay tuned - I'm writing an entire blog post on our "President's Day Tea" as soon as I get the chance.)

Chocolate Lover's Mousse Pie

Ingredients:

1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Baking Cocoa
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
2 3/4 cups (16 oz.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Milk Chocolate Morsels, divided
2 3/4 cups heavy whipping cream, divided
2 teaspoons powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

PREHEAT oven to 350° F.

COMBINE graham cracker crumbs, cocoa and granulated sugar in 9-inch pie plate. Stir in butter until moistened; press onto bottom and up side of pie plate.

BAKE for 8 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle 1/2 cup morsels over bottom of hot crust; let stand for 10 minutes or until all morsels are shiny. Spread chocolate over bottom and up side of crust. Cool to room temperature.

MICROWAVE 2 cups of morsels and 3/4 cup cream in large, uncovered, microwave-safe bowl on high (100%) power for 1 minute, stir the morsels -- they may retain some of their original shape. If necessary, microwave at additional 10- to 15-second intervals, stirring just until morsels are melted. Cool to room temperature.

BEAT 2 cups of cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract in chilled small mixer bowl until soft peaks form. Fold 2 cups whipped cream into chocolate mixture. Spoon into crust; swirl top. Garnish with remaining whipped cream. Refrigerate until firm

MICROWAVE remaining 1/4 cup morsels in heavy-duty plastic bag on high (100%) power for about 30 seconds; knead until smooth. Cut tiny corner from bag; squeeze to drizzle chocolate over pie. Let stand a few minutes before serving.

Fall Flashback: Anna's First Trick-or-Treat

The "Lil' Fam" Having Fun on Halloween!

We were so busy in the fall I didn't have time to post a lot of photos online. The last photo album I created on Facebook was our "First Family Vacation" in October. I'm going to try and play catch-up now.

We came back from vacation the day before Halloween, which was Anna's second Halloween and first trick-or-treat!

We went to Nana and Papa's for their annual trick-or-treat party.

Every year, for almost as long as I can remember, my mom has a get-together on trick-or-treat night for family and friends.

My mom always prepares a spread of hearty food, which tastes so good after trick-or-treating on a chilly October night.

It was such a special Halloween for me. It was so neat to take my daughter, along with my husband, to the houses I used to trick-or-treat at. I still know a lot of people that live in my parents' neighborhood and they loved meeting our little pumpkin!

This photo of Anna was taken a couple weeks before Halloween at a studio.

Halloween Photos:

The whole gang ready to trick-or-treat!

My Adorable and Amazing Niece -- Allison

My Incredible and Intelligent Nephews -- Andy, Alex and Jack

The Best Part of Halloween - Eating Chocolate!

More Studio Photos Below:

(Blog posts coming soon: Thanksgiving in Iowa, Home for the Holidays, Papa Miller's 60th Birthday, Fun in the Poconos, Winot Girls Staycation, Valentine's Day 2012, President's Day Tea and more!)

What's Cookin' Tonight -- Curry Chicken Casserole

We had Curry Chicken Casserole for dinner tonight. It's one of my favorite recipes. It's so easy to make and so tasty. However, you have to like curry, which not everyone does. Scott, Anna (believe it or not) and I love it. I usually serve couscous with it or some type of whole grain rice.

It's my sister Missy's recipe. I believe she posted it on her blog a while back, but I decided to share it again on my blog because it is that good!

INGREDIENTS:

• Boneless Chicken Breasts (About 2 lbs)
  
  
  
• 1 Bag of Frozen Broccoli (16 oz)
  
  
  
• 2 Cans of Cream of Chicken Soup
  
  
  
• 1/4 C Mayonaise (I use light mayo)
  
  
  
• 2 T Curry Powder
  
  
  
• 1 T Lemon Juice
  
  
  
• Panko Bread Crumbs (Optional -- I usually don't add them)
  

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Preheat over to 350 degrees
  
  
  
• Mix soup, mayo, curry powder and lemon juice in a large bowl
  
  
  
• Add broccoli to above mixture
  
  
  
• Cube uncooked chicken and add to mixture
  
  
  
• Pour into 13x9 casserole dish
  
  
  
• Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour*
  
  
  
• Optional -- Remove from oven, sprinkle Panko bread crumbs on the top of the casserole and bake for 10 more minutes

Yields about 6 servings
*Make sure chicken is cooked thoroughly before serving

To make this casserole even more healthy, I used Campbell's "Healthy Request" soup tonight. I noticed a slight difference in taste, but Scott didn't. He loved it and so did Anna.

As an appetizer before this meal, I sometimes serve hummus with cut up vegetables and/or whole grain pita chips. Yum!

Note: Please ignore the extra spacing on this blog post. I changed the HTML code to get rid of the spaces and my changes wouldn't save, so I'm leaving it as is and going to bed :-)

Anna's Packed and Ready to Go!

Anna Banana climbed in her suitcase when we were packing for the Poconos. I love this photo because it shows how long our baby girl's hair is getting. (It's been more than a week since I took this photo. I can't believe how time flies!)

Scott, Anna and I went to the Poconos to visit family and had a very nice time. It was another successful trip for the "Lil' Fam," which is what I like to call the three of us.

While we were staying in the Poconos, we also took a day trip to New Jersey to visit more family and had a lovely time there as well.

I took lots of photos and will do an entire blog post dedicated to the trip when I get a free minute.

Anna isn't the best sleeper and is even worse after a trip. So -- needless to say -- mama is a little sleepy these days.

It usually takes about a week to get Anna completely back to her regular routine, which is a little rough on all of us. Scott is a wonderful help, but I can't expect him to get up with Anna at night when he needs to be at the hospital in the morning.

I've also been busy writing stories for Fox 8, which leaves very little time to blog.

I don't have time for Facebook, so I'm not sure why I think I'll have time to blog. I guess I just like the idea of a blog better. So, I'm trying to make time for it.

I posted albums on Facebook through the middle of October and then got too busy to even do that. So, I'm going to play catch up and post photos on here from Anna's first trick or treat, Thanksgiving in Iowa, Christmas Eve at Nana and Papa's and Christmas Day at our house, as well as a few other special moments. Stay tuned!

Anna's Cozy Little Nook

We were getting ready for story time at the library yesterday when Anna turned one of our laundry baskets on its side, grabbed her baby doll and crawled in. She got the biggest smile on her face. She created a cozy little nook for herself in our living room and it's now her favorite spot.

We no longer use the basket for clothes. We leave it out for her to play in. She was in and out of it all yesterday and today.

Sometimes she takes a blanket in to make it extra cozy and she always takes her baby doll in with her.

She's such a good little mommy. She feeds her doll a bottle and gives her "hugs and love," which in Anna's world means giving a hug and then putting her head down on your shoulder (or her dolls) and saying, "Awww." I think it's so precious! (Then again, I find everything she does precious. I guess it's a mommy thing! I even love watching her eat. I find it so cute when she takes her chubby little fingers and puts Cherrios into her mouth.)

The photo below was taken early this morning. She headed into her cozy little nook first thing.

I have more photos and details from this past weekend and this weeks so far, but I need to get to bed. So, I will add more tomorrow. Good night.

Welcome

Welcome to Jenny's Journal!

When my daughter Anna was born, my sister Missy told me to keep a journal. She kept one when her children were babies and loves to look back on it now. She would write down cute things her children would do. She told me I would be very busy as a new mom, so complete sentences weren't even necessary.

I took her advice and started a journal. Missy was absolutely right about being busy. I didn't always have time for complete sentences. I kept the journal out in our living room and would jot down cute things Anna did.

This blog is the electronic version of that journal and more.

I want to keep our out-of-town family and friends up to date with what's going on in our life and thought this is the perfect way to do it.

My husband Scott, Anna and I are a busy little family, so I can't promise how often I'll post or that I'll post complete sentences. However, I promise to post as often as possible with lots of photos and videos, as well as some recipes and other fun things.

I hope you enjoy!