annie blog

Never Again…
will I reupholster a piece of furniture. I promised to take pictures of the process. And I have taken pictures. And, oh my goodness, has it been a process. I will post the pictures when the piece is finished. But that won’t be now. And it won’t be until sometime next week. Why, do you ask, will it not be until next week? Because, I have company coming. This place is an absolute wreck. I take that back — this place is an absolute wreck, squared. And, instead of putting the nice, finished chair in Jon’s office, I have to instead find a place for the unfinished chair and all the materials that will eventually be encased in fabric instead of in the plastic bags from Hobby Lobby.

You just wait, Chair. You HEAR me? I’m coming to get you next week and man, I’m going to fix you. You got that?

(I realize that my talking to the chair means that I should go to bed now and try to wake up sane and smiling.)

On another note, I made some really good chocolate cake today and some banana bread that my husband actually liked. So, you know, I’m not a total failure.

Never Again…
will I reupholster a piece of furniture. I promised to take pictures of the process. And I have taken pictures. And, oh my goodness, has it been a process. I will post the pictures when the piece is finished. But that won’t be now. And it won’t be until sometime next week. Why, do you ask, will it not be until next week? Because, I have company coming. This place is an absolute wreck. I take that back — this place is an absolute wreck, squared. And, instead of putting the nice, finished chair in Jon’s office, I have to instead find a place for the unfinished chair and all the materials that will eventually be encased in fabric instead of in the plastic bags from Hobby Lobby.

You just wait, Chair. You HEAR me? I’m coming to get you next week and man, I’m going to fix you. You got that?

(I realize that my talking to the chair means that I should go to bed now and try to wake up sane and smiling.)

On another note, I made some really good chocolate cake today and some banana bread that my husband actually liked. So, you know, I’m not a total failure.

Some of My Precious Blonde Ones

Some of My Precious Blonde Ones

Some of My Precious Blonde Ones

Grilled Chicken with Sesame Noodles

Some random notes:
If you like asian-inspired food, I encourage you to give this a try. Talk about easy. I didn’t grill the chicken until done on the grill but ended up starting it on the grill and finishing it in the oven. This turned out to be a good option — I didn’t intend to do it this way, but after setting the entire grill on fire what other choice did I have? If you are cooking this for children, I recommend using a little less ginger or maybe reducing the hot sauce. I couldn’t believe that my boys, for the most part, liked this dinner. Just try to ignore your children as they talk about eating their worms (spaghetti) and it will be fine.

3 cloves garlic , minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1/2 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons hot sauce
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1/4 cup peanut butter
Table salt
1 pound spaghetti
6 scallions , sliced thin

1. Bring 4 quarts water to boil over high heat. Meanwhile, whisk garlic, ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, hot sauce, brown sugar, and oil in small bowl. Toss chicken with 3 tablespoons garlic mixture in bowl. Puree remaining garlic mixture and peanut butter in blender until smooth.

2. Add noodles to boiling water and cook until al dente. Drain well, rinse under cold running water until cool, and drain again. Toss noodles, peanut sauce, and scallions in large bowl. Adjust seasonings.

3. Grill chicken breasts over high heat until cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Slice chicken and serve with noodles.

Grilled Chicken with Sesame Noodles

Some random notes:
If you like asian-inspired food, I encourage you to give this a try. Talk about easy. I didn’t grill the chicken until done on the grill but ended up starting it on the grill and finishing it in the oven. This turned out to be a good option — I didn’t intend to do it this way, but after setting the entire grill on fire what other choice did I have? If you are cooking this for children, I recommend using a little less ginger or maybe reducing the hot sauce. I couldn’t believe that my boys, for the most part, liked this dinner. Just try to ignore your children as they talk about eating their worms (spaghetti) and it will be fine.

3 cloves garlic , minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1/2 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons hot sauce
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1/4 cup peanut butter
Table salt
1 pound spaghetti
6 scallions , sliced thin

1. Bring 4 quarts water to boil over high heat. Meanwhile, whisk garlic, ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, hot sauce, brown sugar, and oil in small bowl. Toss chicken with 3 tablespoons garlic mixture in bowl. Puree remaining garlic mixture and peanut butter in blender until smooth.

2. Add noodles to boiling water and cook until al dente. Drain well, rinse under cold running water until cool, and drain again. Toss noodles, peanut sauce, and scallions in large bowl. Adjust seasonings.

3. Grill chicken breasts over high heat until cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Slice chicken and serve with noodles.

Grilled Chicken with Sesame Noodles

Some random notes:
If you like asian-inspired food, I encourage you to give this a try. Talk about easy. I didn’t grill the chicken until done on the grill but ended up starting it on the grill and finishing it in the oven. This turned out to be a good option — I didn’t intend to do it this way, but after setting the entire grill on fire what other choice did I have? If you are cooking this for children, I recommend using a little less ginger or maybe reducing the hot sauce. I couldn’t believe that my boys, for the most part, liked this dinner. Just try to ignore your children as they talk about eating their worms (spaghetti) and it will be fine.

3 cloves garlic , minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1/2 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons hot sauce
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1/4 cup peanut butter
Table salt
1 pound spaghetti
6 scallions , sliced thin

1. Bring 4 quarts water to boil over high heat. Meanwhile, whisk garlic, ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, hot sauce, brown sugar, and oil in small bowl. Toss chicken with 3 tablespoons garlic mixture in bowl. Puree remaining garlic mixture and peanut butter in blender until smooth.

2. Add noodles to boiling water and cook until al dente. Drain well, rinse under cold running water until cool, and drain again. Toss noodles, peanut sauce, and scallions in large bowl. Adjust seasonings.

3. Grill chicken breasts over high heat until cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Slice chicken and serve with noodles.

Tell Wile E. Coyote, If You See Him
While passing in front of a stone store the other day I saw a sign that said, “Now Featuring Boulders”. Who would need a boulder and why?

Tell Wile E. Coyote, If You See Him
While passing in front of a stone store the other day I saw a sign that said, “Now Featuring Boulders”. Who would need a boulder and why?