Cute moment of the week!

Okay, so maybe I'm a little biased or maybe this is actually one of the the cutest things I've ever seen (at least this week)!  This rare moment of quiet time was captured Monday afternoon. I think Daylight Saving Time has officially caught up with all of us! 

Chicken and Rice Casserole

I learned this recipe from my Mom a long time ago. It's quick and easy for those nights you wish dinner cooked itself. With our atypical work schedules it has definitely become one of our go-to recipes during the week.

Chicken and Rice Casserole

      2 cans cream of chicken soup
      1 lg. can of chunk chicken breast
      2 bags of Minute Rice
      1 can Pillsbury flaky biscuits (1 can of 5 biscuits will do)
      1T of butter

Heat the oven to 425 degrees for the biscuits. The biscuits will take about 15-17 minutes to cook. Cook the biscuits for about 10 minutes and remove them from the oven.
While the biscuits are cooking bring a pot of water to a boil and cook rice according to the directions on the back of the box.
While the rice and biscuits are cooking melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a pan over medium heat. Coat the pan enough so that the chicken doesn't stick to it while cooking.
Empty the can of chunk chicken breast into the pan and cook over medium heat until it turns golden brown.
Add 2 cans of cream of chicken soup to the browned chicken breast. Stir occasionally
When rice is finished cooking, drain and stir into the chicken and chicken soup mixture.
Pour chicken, soup and rice mix into a 8x8x8 Pyrex dish

Place the (baked) biscuits on top of the mixture in the Pyrex dish. Put dish in the oven for another 5-7 minutes.
Remove from oven and serve warm.

A beautiful "Juneuary" day in VB

It has definitely been a mild winter in Hampton Roads. So mild, in fact, locals started jokingly referring to January as "Juneuary." The temps in January were on average around 50-60 degrees, sometimes reaching the 70s. For an area that saw 5-10 inches of snow in January 2011 and average temps of 30 degrees for the month, this year was definitely mild! 

Many people decided they were going to take advantage of the weather this year and I was no different. At the end of January, armed with nothing more than a sweater and my camera, I headed out to explore. My first stop was the Cavalier Hotel in Virginia Beach.  

 After leaving the Cavalier I headed south on Atlantic and stumbled upon and a museum of sorts that I've never taken the time to actually look at. Snapping these pictures I couldn't help but think of the military men and women who live in this area who give everything they have for the rest of us to enjoy days like this.

As I worked my way down the oceanfront I knew there would be people enjoying this beautiful day at Rudee's Inlet. When I got down there I was shocked at just how many people were enjoying the weather.

There were families at Grommet Island, surfers and jet skiiers in the water, children playing in the sand, dogs playing fetch and couples relaxing on park benches while watching the waves roll by.

Surfers and jet skiers waiting for the big wave!

 

Grommet Island playground

After leaving Rudee's Inlet I decided I was done for the day. That was until I drove past Mt. Trashmore and saw all the families flying kites, children playing on the playground and bigger kids rolling down the hills. I just had to stop! 

Stairwell going up Mt. Trashmore

Kid's Cove @ Mt. Trashmore

Flying a kite overlooking I-264

Hitching a ride up the hill!

I used to LOVE doing this as a kid!

 And as I was about to leave, I captured my favorite picture of the day! (don't worry, her family was nearby)

Easiest porkchop recipe EVER!

As it turns out, I might be slightly addicted to Pinterest.

I've never been much into cooking, but since discovering this website, there are so many recipes I want to try. And let's be honest, the easier, the better!

Recently I stumbled upon a recipe for Ranch Crockpot Pork chops. The recipe looked incredible easy and sounded really good. Thankfully it was both! 

Here's what you need to know:
Recipe from Real Mom Kitchen

1 10 oz. can cream of chicken soup
1 packet of dry Ranch Dressing Seasoning
4 to 6 - 1/2 inch thick pork chops

Put pork chops in the crock pot.
Sprinkle ranch packet on top of the pork chops.
Pour cream of chicken soup over the pork chops.
Cook in the crockpot for 4 hours on high or 6 hours on low.

Serve immediately

(Won't be single for long) Vodka Cream Pasta

This meal is amazing. The was the first recipe Hubs ever made me and now it's become his signature dish. Thank you Rachel Ray!

Rachel Ray's "You Won't Be Single For Long" Vodka Cream Pasta:

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 tablespoon butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 shallots, minced (if you don't want to use shallots, you can use red onion)
1 cup vodka
1 cup chicken stock
1 can (28 oz.) crushed tomatoes
Coarse sale and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup heavy cream
12 oz. pastas
20 leaves fresh basil, shredded or torn


Put large pot of salted water on to boil.

Heat a large skillet over moderate heat. Add oil, butter, garlic and shallots  Gently sauté garlic and shallots, 3 to 5 minutes. Add vodka, about 3 turns around the pan in a steady stream. Reduce vodka by half, 2 or 3 minutes. Add chicken stock and tomatoes. Bring sauce to a bubble, then reduce heat to simmer. Season with salt and pepper.

While sauce is simmers, cook pasta in salted boiling water until tender.

Stir cream into vodka sauce. When sauce returns to a bubble, remove from heat. Drain pasta. Toss hot pasta with sauce and basil leaves. Serve immediately.

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Dragging on a Sunday morning!

I've said it before and I'll say it again. I love my girlfriends. They are my rocks, the sisters I never had (at least not biologically) and the best friends a girl could ask for. We don't get together nearly as often as we used to. You know, life happens....to every one of us. Things get busy and we don't have time for the things we have to do, let alone the things we want to do. We try to get together a couple of times a month whether it's for dinner, drinks, a movie or just a girl's night, but still sometimes that doesn't seem like not enough.

 A couple of weeks ago Jen had a great idea. We should Drag Ourselves to Brunch! She picked up a flyer about a drag queen brunch event at the beach and thought it would be a great way to get us all together. It was my first drag queen show and I wasn't sure what to expect, but WOW! Croc's and the women of the "Drag Yourself to Brunch" cast sure know how to put on a show. 

The show lasted about 2 hours and during that time 5 entertainers performed to a wide variety of songs and dance routines. And every time they came out to perform, the costumes they were wearing were amazing! We were pretty much in awe of the entire show. First of all, these women were "ballsy," secondly why was this our first experience with this show?!?!

I can't really put the show into context, but the pictures definitely speak for themselves! 

Needless to say, a good time was had by all. I think we'll be back the next time we need to kick back, relax and have a good time!

You can read more about the show on 757Living

My wonderful valentine!

Let me be the first to admit... I hit the husband jackpot. Sometimes I don't say it nearly enough, but Hubs is one of the most thoughtful and appreciative people I know (I'll leave it at that because I know he does have a reputation to uphold!)

Because Valentine's Day fell on a Tuesday this year and we have to get up before the sun, we decided to wait until the following weekend to celebrate Valentine's Day. On Tuesday afternoon Hubs showed up at home with a beautiful bouquet of flowers (tulips are one of my favorites) and groceries. Lots of them. 

 

He had a plan. 

Even though we decided to put the Valentine's Day celebration on hold for a few days, he decided the day couldn't go by without acknowledging it. So, he got to work ... in the kitchen! Yes, Hubs LOVES to cook and I will say, he is damn good at it. 

He told me to get lost while he slaved away on his signature dish. A little while later I turned the corner and was smacked in the face with the most wonderful smell. The smell of vodka cream sauce (from scratch) was simmering on the stove and as he handed me a glass of wine, I knew he was in his element. 

At this point, I feel the need to tell you the story behind this meal. You see, vodka cream pasta holds a special place in our hearts. When Mike and I started dating, he mentioned to me that he wanted to learn how to cook. So for his birthday that year, I bought him a few cookbooks. One of the books was a Rachel Ray cookbook that included her "Won't be Single for Long Vodka Cream Pasta" recipe. I guess he liked the title of the recipe and thought he would put it to the test because this was the first meal he ever cooked for me. As it turns out, Rachel Ray knew exactly what she was talking about because Hubs scored the girl AND found that he had a knack for cooking!

Over the years he has perfected his presentation and Valentine's Day dinner was no exception. The meal was absolutely wonderful. And then, as if the meal itself wasn't enough, he also had dessert planned.

Typically I'm not much of a dessert person, but I have a soft spot for  cheesecake and he knows it! Of course, Hubs couldn't just buy cheesecake...no, he had to make it look AMAZING! It had strawberries, blueberries, blueberry sauce, mint and chocolate hazelnut pirouettes... (you're hungry now aren't you?!?!?)

After dinner he surprised me with a brand spankin' new camera bag that I've been looking at for months.

As planned, we celebrated again over the weekend with a couple's massage and dinner reservations at Fire & Vine.

Over the years, I've said that I don't need a day marked on the calendar to show and tell people I love them (a "Hallmark holiday" of sorts). But I sure was thankful for that day this year. With our schedules being so crazy lately, it gave both of us the chance to relax, recharge and spend some quality time together AND we got to eat great food! 

We hope each of you had your perfect Valentine's Day!

Ciao for now...

(I've posted the recipe for this delicious vodka cream pasta under the Simply Food tab. Enjoy!)