Creamy Italian Chicken

I have seen several different varieties of this dish floating around but here is mine - I adapted it to fit my family's taste by adding onion, garlic, mushrooms and wine. I like to make this on a cold winter day when I have scrappy plans because I can put it on in the morning then forget it which leaves more time for scrapping! Gotta love that :)

Creamy Italian Chicken

1 package of boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 stick of butter
1 package of dry Italian salad dressing mix
1 can cream soup (I use chicken or mushroom)
1 8 oz package of cream cheese (at room temp.)
1 package of fresh mushrooms (sliced)
1 bunch of green onions (chopped)
2 Tbs wine or cooking sherry (optional)
Crushed garlic to taste

Cut chicken into pieces and place in crock pot. Melt butter and pour over chicken. Sprinkle with packet of dressing mix then add onion, mushroom and garlic. Cook on high for 4 hours (or longer on low) Mix soup, cream cheese and sherry together and stir into chicken. (I shred the chicken at this point also but that is optional) Cook an additional 1/2 hour or so. Serve over pasta, rice or toast. (We like it on toast) Enjoy!

Here is a layout I did for my Kitchen Keepsakes album about this dish:

Computer savvy scrapbooking, part 2

I know I can't be the only one spending this weekend putting together Valentines for my kiddos' school friends, so I thought I'd share an online find I made earlier this week to punch up your projects. These little digital Valentine tickets available through the Memory Makers website are absolutely darling, and they are just the perfect touch for all of the sweet little projects you might have in the works!

Have fun!

Computer savvy scrapbooking!

In the last year or so, just as much as my trimmer and adhesives, my computer and photo editing software have become two of my secret weapons for creating dynamic pages and projects. There is so much fun material available on the web to punch up your projects, so this weekend, I thought I'd share a couple of my recent finds with all of you!

If you haven't checked out the photo collage templates available for free through the Scrapbooks Etc. website, head on over! By arranging your photos in these templates and then printing out the finished product, you can adhere your collage to your layout, and with a few embellishments, you are all set! It is amazing what a time-saver these are. There is a super step-by-step tutorial available that walks you through how to use the templates, but I assure you that once you've tried them out a time our two, you'll be using them like a pro all on your own!

Love is in the air!

Everywhere you look, love is in the air! We thought it would be fun to share some "love" themed pages today. My page is a bit more light hearted about my daughter's kissy face. Jayne and Amy have wonderful and beautiful sentimental pages they have created. We'd LOVE to see any pages you have created revolving around this theme! Feel free to share your layouts-old or new- in the comment section. Have a wonderful Friday!

Project Highlight - Lee Currie

Today I am sharing the binder and dividers that Lee made in our From Mess to Success class last month. In addition to being a very talented lady, Lee is a really uplifting and interesting person. I encourage you to check out her blog Lemons2lemonade after you have a look at her work below!

Good old-fashioned comfort food!

Even here in the typically sunny South, it's been an unusually cold winter. I know during these dreary days, sometimes a hot bowl of comfort food is just what the doctor ordered! This chicken and dumpling recipe (if you make this recipe, you have to promise me to try saying dumplin' without the "g" at least once - lol!) has become one of our family's absolute favorites when it comes to cold weather fare. Enjoy!

Chicken and Dumplings

Chicken -
1-1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 t. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. cayenne
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 leek, sliced in half moons
1 rib celery, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 sweet potato, peeled, cut into large chunks
2 parsnips, peeled, diced
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 qt. low-sodium chicken broth
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. each chopped fresh sage and rosemary

Dumplings -
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 T. Parmesan cheese, grated
2-1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. cracked black pepper
2/3 cup whole milk
3 T. unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 375 with rack in the center. Cut chicken into large pieces. Combine flour and salt, cayenne and pepper in a resealable plastic bag. Dredge chicken in flour, shaking off excess. In a deep oven-proof pot, heat 1 T. vegetable oil over med-high heat. Brown half the chicken; transfer to a plate. Brown the rest of the chicken in 1 T. oil; remove. Reduce heat to medium. (Be sure to SAVE you dredging flour.)

Sweat vegetables and bay leaves in 1 T. oil until softened, 5 minutes. (Sweating means to place all of it in a pot with the oil, stir to coat, and then cover and cook, stirring occasionally. Basically a combination of sauteeing and steaming.) Deglaze with wine; simmer until nearly evaporated. Stir in remaining dredging flour to coat vegetables. Gradually add broth, stirring until smooth. Cover pot and transfer to oven; cook for 20 minutes. (While stew is in the oven, make dumpling dough.)

For the dumplings, blend dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Heat milk and butter until butter melts; blend into dry ingredients.

After you remove the stew from the oven, stir in the chicken, lemon juice and herbs, then bring stew to a simmer on a burner. Shape dough into small balls (I use a small ice-cream scoop, like I use for shaping cookies) and drop the dumplings onto the simmering stew. Return pot to the oven and braise until dumplings are cooked through, about 20 minutes. You can test them for doneness with a toothpick. When it comes out clean, you're set!

Valentine's Day is approaching!

Valentine's Day is coming up and so I wanted to share a couple of sites all about love. There are lots of ideas for dates, gifts, recipes and even free e-cards to send. Hope you find something fun!
Lovingyou.com
Printables (from Lovingyou.com)
123 greetings.com