Chicken Scaloppine

Okay, for all of you who thought the recipe below looked so tasty, here it is (modified to my version). The original version has capers which I think look like rabbit pellets and taste about what I'd imagine those taste like, so I don't add them; it also has a teaspoon of white wine, which I didn't add either. Otherwise, here you go:

1 pound angel hair pasta (or spaghetti)

4 skinless chicken breasts

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons light olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice (I added a bit more for my own flavor choice)

2 c. sliced mushrooms

1 1/2 c. canned artichoke hearts, slicked (a 14 oz. can)

1/3 c. thick-sliced prosciutto

First, you need the 4 skinless chicken breasts. Fold plastic wrap over each chicken breast and pound them with a mallet until the chicken is about 1/8 inch thick. Slice each flattened breast into smaller, more manageable pieces (about 2-3 pieces per breast). Lightly salt and pepper each piece. Pour flour onto a plate, then coat each chicken piece with a light layer of flour.

Sauce:

2 tsp. lemon juice

1 c. salted butter

1/3 c. heavy cream

Make the lemon butter sauce by pouring lemon juice into a saucepan over medium/low heat. Add butter and stir occasionally until it's melted. When the butter is melted, add the cream and whisk thoroughly. Bring mixture to a simmer, stirring frequently. Simmer for 5-6 minutes or until the sauce is thick. Remove it from the heat and set it aside.

Start boiling your pasta. Follow the directions on the package to cook the pasta.

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Heat 2 tablespoons of light olive oil, 2 tablespoons of butter and 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken breast pieces, filling the pan, to the skillet and saute for about 5 minutes per side or until the chicken is light brown. Place finished chicken on a baking sheet and keep it warm in the oven until you are ready to assemble your dish.

After all of the chicken is done and in the oven, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to your skillet. When the oil is hot, add the mushrooms, artichoke hearts, prosciutto and saute for 3-4 minutes or just until you see some slight browning on the mushrooms and artichoke hearts. Pour the lemon butter sauce into the skillet and remove it from the heat.

Put your pasta on the plate, top it with a couple of your chicken pieces and cover it with your mushroom, artichoke, prosciutto sauce mix and enjoy!

As a side note, I LOVE leftovers, but I didn't think the leftovers of this dish were all that good, so eat up!!!

Money--what does it buy?

So, my husband graduated from law school in June and then he took the bar in July and then we bought a house (that we loved) in August and here we are in January.

All of these events were very exciting and very fulfilling--I have been graduated from school since right before we got married. So, him finishing school finally was HUGE for me. He didn't mess around and he did get good grades and so that allowed us opportunities that we may not have had otherwise.

Now, call me naive, but I guess I thought that once he was done with school, we'd be a little bit more crazy with the money than we had been. We always tried very, very hard to be frugal and there is no way that we could have gotten by without the help we received from family. However, I thought the following:

• Yes! We're done. Now I can buy some new clothes that I really like and it won't be any big deal.


• Yes! I have a beautiful house, now I can decorate it and it will be fabulous and I will think "Wow! It was a beautiful house and I somehow made it even better!"


• Yes! I will buy my kids cute, cute clothes and I will revel in their cuteness.


• Yes! I will cook gourmet meals because now I can afford to buy ingredients that I could never afford to buy or didn't have the room to store.


• Yes! I will plant a garden and we will be eating delectable produce and we will be healthy and find time to bond as a family while we weed and plant.

I'm sure there were many other thoughts that went through my head along these lines, but here's what the cold, hard truth has been:

• Yes! I can buy clothes that I think are fabulous, but everytime I go to buy them, I glance at the price tag and about go into cardiac arrest. I am used to perusing second hand stores where you are shocked if something costs more than $8.


• Yes! My house is beautiful, but like every dreamy-eyed house buyer, there were flaws that I didn't initially see and the ones I did I imagined would be easily fixed. Truth is, I am not a natural talent at decorating. I took MONTHS to put up pictures that we already owned because I was so terrified of putting that first nail hole in our brown painted walls. What if I put it too high and then you would see the hole, 'cause I had to adjust it? Yes, I want to paint the walls, but I really shouldn't paint until I buy a couch for the front room and I can't buy a couch for the front room because it all costs so much money.


• Yes! I still buy my kids cute clothes from time to time, but they never come from department stores. I still look at second hand shops and still wait for those wonderful packages that come in the mail from their grandparents. I still revel in their cuteness-that has never been a problem.


• Yes! I still cook the majority of our meals from home, but now that we have a little bit more flexibility, sometimes I want to try nicer restaurants instead of cooking. I also still do my grocery shopping at Wal-Mart because they price match every single store. I honestly save at least $5 everytime I go to the store--usually much, much more than that even. When I try to go to a regular grocery store I just can't believe how they balance out their sale prices with the expensiveness of all the other items in the store. I did cook us our first gourmet meal last night. It was called Chicken Scaloppine (a Top Secret knock off of Macaroni Grill's recipe) and it tasted amazing!!!! It had artichoke hearts and proscuitto--uh, did anyone else out there realize that this stuff costs about as much as gold does?

Yes! I did plant tomatoes, strawberries and bell peppers then the Arizona weather decided to frost everything while I went to visit family for Christmas. In fact, we've had several nights of freezing since even. So much for global warming!

So, the moral of the story is: You can give a woman money, but you can't change her deeply ingrained, cheap and thrifty ways. (Although I am trying, one dollar at a time.)

How NOT to Parent

It seems like I get on kicks with these entries where I'm talking about similar topics in rapid succession. Maybe it's just a case where I become in tune to a certain idea or situation and then begin noticing it everywhere. It's like when you learn a new word and all of a sudden you see and hear it everywhere and you start wondering how often you had heard that same word in the past and just never recognized it.

A couple of posts ago, I talked about the need to speak kind words to children and to help them to feel safe. Today, I saw the opposite situation going on. I was in Target hanging out in the toy section with the kids when I hear this hideous, loud, screeching coming from a few rows over. I had to kind of chuckle a bit and think, "Boy, I've been there a couple of times." It's really embarassing when you're in public with your kids and they have a melt down. You are trying super hard to not come across as abusive, but at the same time trying to let your child know that his behavior is unacceptable. It's a very tricky balance I openly admit.

About a minute later, I hear the same scream coming from the same location and then I hear a voice, much too old to belong to a 2-3 year old demand, "I want that right now mom!" Well, we were done with the isle of toys we were on and so we turned the corner to the next isle. That's when I saw the 4-6 year old boy standing there with a blotchy, red face and fists clinched at his side while his mom knelt beside him telling him, "You'll have to ask for that for a gift. It's $35 and we don't have the money for that."

I've been there too, where your child wants a toy, but you don't think it's worth the money or you simply don't have the money. I don't see anything wrong with explaining to my child that everything we buy has a cost and we don't always have the money to buy everything we want. Besides that, I don't think it's healthy for children to get everything they want. We should all be told no from time to time.

This mother then told her child that he could instead pick out a ball instead of the item he wanted. Done that too! Negotiation is such a key part of parenting. Did you ever realize how many skills being a mom would utilize? Chef, driver, laundress, teacher, friend, manicurist, hair stylist, the list goes on and on.

The boy continues to let out an entirely out of control scream! It would be at that point that I would tell him that he gets absolutely nothing and we are leaving the store. What does his mom do? She continues to try and convince him to get the ball instead of the toy he wants. She even tells him she's leaving (who hasn't done that trick as well?). She does walk away and he just stands there. She walks several rows away and starts looking at other items. Do you know what he does? He screams and screams and screams. I don't know what his name is, but all I could think of was Veruca Salt from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

You know, I think all parents should be required to watch that movie because that's where I'm driving at. Poor behavior should never be rewarded. Now, don't think that I'm saying that I'm perfect in this area because I'm not. I compromise and cave in from time to time. But, do you know what that teaches a child? Every time mom or dad won't give me what I want, I'm going to throw a fit until they do. If my first fit doesn't work, I'll throw a bigger fit.

Seriously, it's the biggest turn off to me to see a child throwing a tantrum and to see a parent begging the child to stop and offering rewards for just being quiet. Is there no standard of expectation? Shouldn't the expectation be that the child can be good mannered and from time to time earn a reward? When did we as parents begin to believe that the standard was that our children are going to throw fits or disobey and that we are going to promise them anything they want just to do the basics we would expect them to do?

Honestly, what do you see in this kid's future? I'll tell you what I predict--an out of control kid that becomes a demanding teenager that gets into a lot of trouble because he was never expected to obey his parents. His mom can't figure out what went wrong, she always bought her child everything he ever wanted and showed him so much love even when he misbehaved. What went wrong?

Please remember, I am not saying that I don't fall short of this ideal too. However, my children know that I expect good behavior from them. They know that I am impressed when they are well behaved and disappointed when they are disobedient. I do believe in feeling sympathy for parents who are having bad days, but I absolutely don't believe we should reward fit throwing. Back in my day it would've been a swat on the butt and no apologies to anyone. Now, we seem to be begging our children to be our friends. How 'bout we just watch Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and remember that naughty children often (not always) come from poor parenting choices.

My Man-nny

So, I had a Manny this last weekend (Man--Nanny). He was selected from a large pool of applicants in the Kansas City area. His qualifications made him stand out above the rest--six feet tall, red hair, skinny--oh yeah, he's my brother too.
My manny is the youngest child, so he's not used to being adored. For those of you who come to visit us, let this post serve as a warning, that my daughter, Ryanna, will love you and she will let you know that by being by your side from the minute she wakes up until we force her into her bedroom to go to sleep. I don't think Keithie (we were on a first name basis my manny and me) is used to being worshipped like this although he did handle it well.
It started on the drive from the airport to the zoo. (I really mean the actual Phoenix zoo--this is not a coy reference to my house.) Keith and I were talking in the front seat and from the back would come her little voice,
"Um, hey, Uncle Keith?"
Keith would respond, "Yes, Ryanna?"
Ryanna: "Did you know that I have a silver tooth?"
Keith: "No, that's good Ryanna."

Keith and I would commence talking only to be interrupted a few minutes later, "Um, Uncle Keith?"
Keith: "Yes, Ryanna?"
Ryanna: "Did you know that I can play the violin?"
Keith: "Yes, that's good Ryanna."

Then, we got to the zoo where Keith hauled Ryanna up and down the trails on his shoulders. She loved every second even if the elephants, orangutan, tiger and rhinocerous were hiding in their cages due to the cold. (Sidenote--does anyone else say orangutan-g or am I the only one in America mispronouncing that word?)

When we ate at In-N-Out Burger, she had to sit right beside him. (Note to self--I consumed more food at the restaurant than manny did--hiring him based on food consumption would be a wise move.)

When manny awoke the next morning, what to his wondering eyes should appear but a four year old standing beside his couch waiting patiently for him to awake to read her stories. Afterward, she asked him to color with her for an hour. She colored her pictures exactly like his. As soon as he'd set down a marker, she'd pick it up, look at his page and copy it.

We also played a little of Settlers of Catan. Manny did great for a newbie. I had to beat him and Derek several times just for fun. We hope he comes back, so we can beat him, I mean play with him some more.

Ahhh yes, my manny was put to the test, but secretly, I think that he loved it. He even squeezed me orange juice. Yes manny, if you're reading this, you're hired.

Make it Work!

Do any of you watch Project Runway? I have to confess that I love that show! I love the creativity that is involved. I love to see the color, the movement of the designs, the skinniness of the models (okay, maybe not so much on the last one).

Not being a super creative person myself, I can admire the imagination and effort that goes into designing an outfit in only a couple of minutes. I never realized how creative someone who designed clothes would have to be. Not only must you know how to sew, you have to be able to sketch your drawing and then pick a fabric, a color, accents, and even the hair and make-up to pull the whole look together. I'm just in awe of how these people do this!

It is incredibly ironic to see how the designers dress themselves though. Honestly, it looks like every single one of them tries so hard to be unique. It's typical to see the men wearing skinny jeans (My husband is thin and one time he accidentally tried on a pair and all I could say was, "Take them off right now!" ugh!) or capris. A man in capris? Uh, good luck with that.

The other thing that is interesting to me is all the tattoos. I realize that's really prevalent in our society right now, but I just cringe when I see their arms coated in these tattoos.

And the hair. Oh the hair. Let's be honest, I am sooo lazy when it comes to hair, I'm all about convenience. I'm certainly not the most fashion forward (I stole that term from the show--don't I sound cool now?) person you'll meet, but some of this hair is crazy! Christian somehow manages to make one portion of his hair go completely flat while the back constantly looks like he just stuck his finger in a light socket or the wind is blowing only on that small portion of his head. One of the female designers, Kit, has this peroxide blonde, brittle hair and I just cringe when I see it. They showed a picture of her from her high school prom and she was gorgeous! Who knew?

It's kind of reminding me of Picasso. I went to an exhibit of his work while I was in Spain and they showed his early work. He could paint beautiful, true to life images, but that's not what it was about for him. He wanted people to look and question, to search for the meaning. I think that's what these designers are doing. They want you to look past them to see their creations. They are merely the tool to make it happen. It's such a paradox to see someone dressed so kooky design something so elegant.

What Should I Have Done?

Today I went to lunch with a group of my girlfriends and their children. We love to go to Barro's (a local pizza chain) where there is a great play area for all of our kids to run around while we chat.
While we were talking, a dad showed up with his two boys who looked to be about ages three and four. They ate their pizza and then the boys started playing with each other while the dad read a book. Our children finished up their pizza and started to play in the same area as the boys. Well, things were fine, the kids were playing like kids do. Then, I noticed that one of the little boys was keeping the playhouse door shut, so that our kids couldn't go inside.
I calmly walked over and just said, "Hey, why don't we open the door, so all the kids can play?" I then walked away. Situation solved. I said it sugary sweet and the boy immediately opened the door for the other kids to play.
I wish I could say it stopped there or maybe the dad backed me up and said, "yes, let's share," or something equally supportive. Unfortunately, what happened next has made me feel nervous and worried all day.
The dad looked up from his book and in a very angry voice said, "Cole! Get over here right now!" I looked at the boy to see his reaction and there was this fear in his face that made me feel sick. I've not often seen kids in fear of their parents, but when you see such a look, it's impossible to not feel panic.
The child immediately walked over to his dad and his dad harshly barked, "What's wrong with you?" The boy just stood there and took it. The dad continued, "Sit down!" The boy crawled up into the bench facing his dad and his dad said again, "What's wrong with you?" The boy started to silently cry. The tears were pouring out of his eyes and his dad sat there glaring at him.
I've never been in a situation, to my knowledge, where I've gotten a child in trouble that I thought may result in physical or mental danger for a child. I felt absolutely terrible. I would've taken back my involvement in the whole thing right then if I could've. Sure, the little boy had been teasing the other kids, but did it really matter? Was it worth his being treated like this?
I was stewing, not knowing how to handle the situation when I heard the dad say, "You're going to get it when we get home." At that point, I felt that I had to go over and say something. So, I stood up and walked over to the table and leaned over to the dad and said, "Excuse me. I'm really sorry, I didn't mean for your son to get in trouble." He said, "Don't worry. If I would've seen it, he would've gotten in trouble from me just the same." I continued, "Really, it was no big deal. The kids weren't mad, I'm not mad. There's nothing to be upset about." The dad just continued to glare at his son and said, "Well, he knows better."
I walked back to my booth completely deflated and worried. For all I knew, I had further made the situation worse for this poor child when I was trying to make it better. The dad and boys quickly left and I don't think that the dad had changed his feelings at all. All I can hope is that he perhaps cooled down in the car.
What do you do about situations like this? How could I have made it better other than just not getting involved in the first place? I still feel sick about all of this.
It's also made me realize how careful I need to be when I speak to my own children. It's so easy to crush a child's self esteem with hateful words and looks. Sometimes I speak in haste when I'm angry and I can see it hurts Ryanna's feelings. I always try to apologize and follow up with a hug and a talk, but still. That old phrase, "Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me." Don't buy it. We are all affected by what people say to us whether it's spoken with kindness or malice.
I wonder if that dad realizes the fear his voice brought into the face of his son? I never, EVER want my child to look at me that way. I never want my children to fear me. I never want them to think that I could even contemplate hurting them intentionally. Situations like this serve as a good reminder that our children are relying on us to feel safe. If we can't provide that safe haven for them when they are little, where do they go when they are older? Who fills that void inside them?
Even though my intervention was done with kindness and good intent, I'm left feeling really hollow about the whole thing. From now on, I'm going to let kids work out their own problems unless someone is being hurt. I just could've never forseen a reaction like this and I certainly don't want to see another.

Her Mom Didn't Teach Her Any Better

I just got back from mailing a package at the post office. While I was there, I had to chuckle. Up front were three male postal employees. The employees weren't funny, (although it is a rare appearance to see all of the available stations filled--just like at Wal-Mart--why don't they just build like five checkouts? That's all that are ever open anyway--I digress) but when the female customer at the far end turned around to finish completing her paperwork, my jaw about hit the floor. Her...how do I put this in a tactful way? Let's call them na-na's (because we all know the song, na, na, na, na, na, na, hey, hey, hey--good-bye!) and believe me, these should've been put away.
I mean seriously, I'm not jealous by any means. I have never wanted to be large in that area. I weigh enough as it is without adding to the problem. In fact, I enjoy exercising everyday and everyone I know that has been "blessed" has a harder time exercising. But for heaven's sake, put those things away before someone's eye gets poked out!!!
I'm always saying, "Please stop...Don't touch that...We don't do that..." Well, at least I'm telling my kids there are rights and wrongs. This woman apparently likes the feeling of being an object. Why? I don't know. Yes, it's great to feel pretty, but who wants to get stared at because you have silicone floating around in your body? Don't you have more to offer than that? I can guarantee you that not one of those postal workers felt comfortable talking to her. I didn't even feel comfortable being there and I'm a woman! I was so embarassed for her.

Can't We Just Get Along?

So, I watched some of the debates last night. I didn't see the whole discussion/debate/fight (whatever term you think fits best) for either side, but I did see portions of each. What I did see, I didn't like. It's really hard for me to watch other people fight and attack each other. It makes me really uncomfortable and sometimes angry if I think it's unjustified. I do much better reading about such things later, but it is good to watch the debates and know how much everyone hates each other, I mean and learn what the issues are. Maybe the TV writers union is in cahoots with the candidates and they are writing the script.

Can you see some of the roles?

Hilary--you're going to play the nasty, manish-looking woman who keeps citing her husband's success as your own success.

Edwards--we want you to incessantly talk about your roots--how you came from humble beginnings and then we'll get some old people to play your parents.

Thompson--you will be the District Attorney who runs for president, wait a second, this is sounding eerily familiar...art imitating life or something like that.

I realize that Mitt Romney didn't win Iowa and currently the polls are placing him in second again in New Hampshire, but what is the deal with every other candidate attacking him like that? I think that people--that being the other candidates and the media--are bothered that there are no crazy skeletons in his closet--no mistresses, no drug use, no posing for Playboy (wait, that last one would be the other issue that faces young teen stars today not Presidential hopefuls right?).

So, since there is none of that to attack, what's left other than to constantly talk about his religion? Yeah, I'm sick of it being the main issue. Come on, he's not running for Prophet, he's running for President. Do we seriously live in a day and age where people are still weirded out by people being LDS? Is it really true that 60% of the voters in Iowa voted for Huckabee because he was NOT Mormon? That's definitely a wise choice--let's put him in the Oval Office because he was once a preacher, but we don't like Romney because of religious reasons. Sorry, but who are these Iowa people? Did the Nazis come out for their caucus or the real voters?

You know, I live where McCain is in office. I have not heard of him doing anything wonderful lately to make this state better. I have heard from multiple sources that he had an affair on his wife though. Maybe it's because I'm a woman or even more so because I'm a wife, but if you can't be faithful to your wife, why would I trust you to lead my country? I really thought he just seemed angry at the debate. He seemed angry and Fred Thompson looked really old. I like Fred Thompson because he was on Law & Order--I wonder if I should base my voting on my TV tastes--Iowa voters based theirs on their religion, why not TV choices then? Wait, which candidate likes pizza the most--maybe I'll base it on that.

And, since I have a problem with McCain for his marital indiscretions, I REALLY have a problem with Guiliani--did I spell that right? Doesn't matter, if he ends up as the Republican candidate no one will need to know how to spell his name.

Now, as for the Democrats, I was surprised to only see four of them. I guess I figured there were actually some people I hadn't heard of running still. Now, here's what bugged me about that debate...

Hilary's constant phrase, "When I'm elected..." Does she keep a pschologist on staff or maybe she's talked to the people that run those subliminal ads at the movies that tell your subconscious, "popcorn, soda, candy, popcorn, soda, candy..." Whatever, it didn't work for me. I don't like the phrase, it makes me feel like I don't have a choice.

The New Mexico Governor, what was his name Richards or something? Was there not a single person on his staff kind enough to tell him, "STOP hitting the table in front of you!!!" Seriously, everything he said sounded like this, "We (pound) have (pound) to (pound) think (pound)..." You get the picture. I did like that the first thing he said was how they shouldn't argue with each other, it made him look nice. Maybe he likes pizza?

As for Obama, I really like the tone of his voice. Seriously, you might not like him, but he has such a great voice. I say if he doesn't win, we ask him to sing at the Inaugural address or maybe give the speech for whomever does win. Would that be so bad?

The funniest thing I thought was when Hilary started attacking Obama and she cited Edwards for backing twice. Then, when Edwards did finally comment, he attacked her. Oh, it was great fun. I thought she was going to pass out. Did you see her furiously scribble on her notepad, "Dig up dirt on Edwards for next debate."

All in all, it was nice to have a break from hearing about Britney Spears and whatever crazy thing she's done the last five minutes. Maybe she should run and then we could have voters voting because they like or dislike her music. No wait, maybe she should be the VP candidate for Fred Thompson and they could run on the triple threat ticket?

It'll be interesting to see how the rest of this process plays out. Maybe we should put Mitt and Huckabee head to head in a scripture chase? That might swing the Iowa voters to finally want to vote for him?

And they wonder why people don't want to go into politics...

Coming down

We had quite a fun Christmas visiting family in Colorado and then we were lucky enough to have my sister-in-law Kjirsti (pronounced Chair-stee for all of you thinking "what the heck?") and her husband Tom (pronounced Tom) visit for a few days. It's always great for me to visit with everyone because it usually means:

1. My husband is not working!!!


2. My husband is helping me with the chores and children.


3. I am spending time with other humans who don't want to watch a movie in the middle of the day or fall apart mid afternoon because they refuse to ever take a nap.

Not that I don't love being a SAHM, but it's nice to get a break from my full-time job too!

The downside to all of this wonderful family togetherness is the time period directly following. After we have left or everyone has left us, my kids forget how to function a bit. My daughter is pretty independent and will play by herself or with Owen for very long time periods. Upon the departure of family, my children look at me with sad eyes reminiscent of Puss in Boots from the Shrek movies as if to say, "Dear woman, we received constant stimulation and attention from family for the last x days and now it is your turn to be a one-woman entertainment center."

Unfortunately for them, I never fall for this and instead have to spend several days convincing them that it is okay to read a book by youself or color or paint a picture, etc. It's always a hard knock life until they discover that I will spend time with them, but not every waking moment as they have quickly grown accustomed to.

Boy, I wish we lived closer to family, so they could get more interaction like this. I think it would be so good for them--them being my children--in so many ways. If I could convince family to come down at this time of year, they may just move here. It's the months of May-September/October that I've got to prevent them from seeing the furnace we live in. So, if you're feeling like you need a break from the cold and snow, I have a place for you!