It's not all about dinner at the table...

...sometimes it's about being with your family living in the moment.

For the last couple of weeks my youngest boy and I have settled into a routine of having our morning coffee and sourdough toast for breakfast.  We sit together in my dad's faded old blue chair and stare out the window. 

Now and again he will quietly attempt to sip from my coffee cup while I pretend not to notice.  He mutters praise over his toast, the sweet cream butter that he loves so much, licking it with much gusto and appreciation. 

It is in one of these moments that I realize that God has given me such a magnificent gift of this precious boy.  I often think back to the phone call that changed our home life from a family of three to a family of four.  His life had begun three months early and from the moment of that life changing phone call my world has never been the same. 

This precious time I have with him is my time to mold him into who God wants him to be.  I am here to raise up my children to be warriors for God.  My time needs to be less centered about just living and more centererd on living for God so that my children grow in the way of the Lord.

Our morning routine is a relatively new one.  Truthfully our mornings would consist of waking up, having a bottle/coffee while starting our day.  Be it cleaning the house, running early morning errands, or dare I say this out loud, putting on a tv show to amuse him while I do "what I want" ie talk on the phone, play on the computer, anything BUT have some much needed solitude with God and my little boy.

My husband and I stopped paying the cable bill.

Oh mind you we paid it up in full, we just cancelled the TV.  We don't even have an antena on the house!  We get NO channels whatsoever!  The first week I was pacing the halls and climbing the walls.  I can't do this.  I don't WANT to do this.  I hate this quiet. 

But my kids are relishing this.  They love this quiet!  They don't ask to watch TV.  It was me, I was the one suggesting a show!  Your bored?  Watch TV!  Your tired?  Here watch TV!  I am a total couch potatoe and I've surely turned my children into one as well.  But like I said, my kids are loving this. 

And now I am to.

I wake up early in the morning and put on my first batch of coffee.  Oh I drink it all day and if I could find a way to hook an IV drip to me without it hindering my progress of my day I would.  I get on the computer and check my emails.  I prepare myself to focus solely on my children's needs.  Waking up my oldest son and getting him ready for school.  Next my husband, getting him ready for work and finally it's baby and me time.

A fresh batch of coffee, the toast is ready and buttered to perfection and now it's just me, my little boy, hot coffee and sourdough toast and a heaping portion of God's Graces.

Thank you Jesus for this moment with my little boy.  I promised you if he lived then he would live for you.  This two pound baby is right on track for a life of loving You. 

Have we talked about left overs yet?

On the day after our pork tenderloin dinner which my family is still raving about (what can I say, they are easy to please) it occurs to me that this particular day will be an extremely busy one for me and my kiddos.  In between therapy for the baby (he is 2 now, I really should stop referring to him as the baby), various errands to the bank, the market (yes I call grocery shopping the market), and perhaps stopping to have coffee with a friend my day gets busy and I haven't even mentioned laundry and dishes and making beds and sorting toys!


So let's talk left overs!  Rarely do we have left overs in this house, I just don't like them so I only make enough for our family dinner.  Yes this means I am cooking every night of the week but I like cooking so it's not so much a chore for me.  The actual chore would be deciding on what our meal is going to be and then going to the market to get all the ingredients.  I am not so prepared as my close friend Jessica who sits down on Sunday and writes out her meal plans.  (She also sends me awesome recipes to try out too) I'm just too scattered to be that smart with my time!

On this particular night we had a baseball game for my oldest son and it was my night to work (??) with some particularly fabulous two and three years olds at the church.  Now while getting ready for work and baseball I had to also help my son with his homework and get the baby to stop putting his peanut butter sandwich in the WII machine.  I know, I know (wearily shaking my head in agreement) your wondering why someone gave me their children to raise aren't you?  Some days I wonder too. 

It's days and nights like this when I'm glad I made a pork tenderloin for dinner the night before.  This is one meal we will have "left overs" for!  Pulled Pork Sandwiches - mmmm good! 

Here is what your going to get from the grocery store:  Rolls and BBQ Sauce (if your out) and cheese (whatever kind you want).

Take that pork tenderloin and grab your Salad Choppers and start cutting this into small bite size pieces.  Add extra BBQ sauce and microwave it till it's warm. 

Next your going to take your medium scoop and scoop about 2 or 3 scoops onto the roll (depending on the size of your rolls of course, we usually get the hoagie style rolls).  Now you can stop here as it is good to go.  OR you can do what my husband likes and cook it in the toaster machine with cheese (we like a sharp cheddar)! 

Add some potato salad and some chips and taa-daa dinner is ready!  Which is a good thing because once again we are gonna be late for baseball!!!

Mmm that's good :)

So a few nights ago I made another awesome family dinner.  Pork tenderloin with Pampered Chef's Smoky BBQ Rub.  It was oh so good.  Not kidding!  I know I say everything is oh so good but this really was! 

There really is nothing big to do with this meal which is why it is such a favorite of mine.  Take your pork tenderloin and rub it with the Smoky BBQ rub.  Throw it in the DCB and cook for about 15-20 minutes.  Easy Peasy...right? 

Now slather on some serious BBQ sauce.  Our family favorite it Baby Ray's...rich and spicy with a touch of molases (I think?  I don't know it's just what I taste) and dinner is ready!

Now what are you going to serve with this delicious pork?  How about some mashed potatoes!  Another family favorite.  I don't know about you but boiling water and a hot stove freak me out, especially when my children are running about the kitchen.  What's a cook to do then?  Get yourself one of breesy's kitchen must haves...the Rice Cooker.  Now I know your asking yourself, "A rice cooker for potatoes?" and my response is H-E-doublehockeysticks YES.  Never again will I worry that my inquisitive two year old is going to get that pot of boiling water off the stove.  Why?  Because I'm doing my potatoes in the Rice Cooker and microwaving it and LOVING it...

Finally toss a quick ceasar salad together, pour a bottle of wine and call the family to the table because dinner is ready!

One should never blog while drinking...

...but I just couldn't resist telling you about tonight's blog worthy dinner!  Let's just say my kids slurped loud and happy and it was without a doubt the MOST appreciating noises a mother could ever want at her dining room table!

My ever so awesome husband was in a really good mood tonight.  His day overall was pretty spectacular if I do say so myself.  He watched our son Mason smack a baseball, play on the playground with our youngest son, Toby, mowed the front lawn while the kiddos played out front and even got in a three hour nap.  All in all, it was a good day for him. 

So being in a good mood he suggested a date to Cattlemen's for a mouth watering juicy steak.  No girl in her right mind would EVER turn down a juicy steak!  And yet...I did. 

As I was reaching into the fridge to grab some juice for one of the boys it occurred to me that I had all the fixings for a new recipe from Pampered Chef:  Creamy Lemon-Pesto Chicken and Linguine.  I have been intrigued by these two new cookbooks "Dinner in your Deep Covered Baker and Make it Fresh, Make it Healthy" and have been trying out a few of these recipes on a regular basis.  This recipe is posted in the Pampered Chef Spring/Summer 2011 catalog and has had many people intrigued by it.  You can email me @ breesybrie@gmail.com if you would like for me to get a catalog out to you.

So here I am in the kitchen contemplating taking a relaxing hot shower and using my new bath gel from Bath and Body Works or start a little cooking magic in the kitchen.  As you can see from the photo above, the kitchen won.  And was my husband ever so pleased by my culinary skills tonight!

Now listen, I've mentioned this before I'm sure.  But for those who do not know, I frequently use my Deep Covered Baker for most of my meals.  You just need to order yours today (from me of course)  Not crazy over the price of this piece of stoneware?  Then you need to have a cooking show.  Or a catalog show (again, with me!!!) and then you will be able to get this stoneware and so much more for an amazing deal.  Pampered Chef loves their Hostesses and offers rewards for those who book a show including 60% off items!

Now back to dinner and why one should never blog while drinking...one should probably not use the italicize button so often either but I'm fond of it tonight.  Blame it on the Pino Griego.  I think I spelled that wrong...

So I've got my Ipod in and I'm singing and dancing (???) along to Rhianna and Black Eyed Peas and Britney's ex, Justin Timberlake.  Warning.  I should not be singing and dancing with the windows opened according to one of the neighborhood kids...whatever, she's just jealous...

So I'm rockin it good and drinking my bottle of wine that has been begging me to be drunk and I'm making dinner.  An awesome healthy dinner that my kids will (and did) love and then asked for more! 

Here is what you need from the grocery store:  :)

• 1 lemon for zesting
• 2 tbsp melted butter
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 cup milk (2%)
• 1 garlic clove, pressed
• 1/2 cup prepared basil pesto (mine had pine nuts in it)
• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I used tenderloins because that's what I had)
• 1 tbsp Citrus & Basil Rub (I used mine liberally) A PAMPERED CHEF ITEM
• 12 oz linguine pasta (go with 100% whole wheat for extra healthiness)
• 2 plum tomatoes
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves (left that out of mine)

Here is what you need from Pampered Chef:  :)

• Deep Covered Baker
• Classic Batter Bowl
• Microplane Zester
• Citrus & Basil Rub
• Dinner in your Deep Covered Baker Recipe Collection Cookbook

Now this is how I made an amazing Pampered Chef dinner ~ follow my directions CAREFULLY and precisely if you too want a dinner that your husband will think you totally slaved over!!!

Now your going to want to begin by pouring a big glass of pino griego (am I spelling that right yet?) turn on your Ipod so loud that you cannot hear the children screaming wildly outside and then open up the cookbook, it's time to make magic in the kitchen!

So your going to zest your lemon with PC's new microplane zester (love this) and set it aside (that was hard work, have a little drink).  Using your classic batter bowl combine the melted butter and and flour until smooth.  Add the lemon zest, milk and garlic to the butter/flour mixture.  Microwave on high 3-4 minutes until thickened stirring every 60 seconds (I'm sure you can manage a drink in between this too).  Add pesto and mix well.

Now before you touch the chicken, have another drink!  Season your chicken with the Citrus & Basil Rub and place in the Deep Covered Baker (don't forget to wash your hands after touching chicken).  Pour the sauce over the chicken, cover and microwave about 12-15 minutes or until your chicken is not pink.  Let stand for about 5 minutes covered.  You should have been able to have finished your first glass of wine during this time.  Meanwhile cook your pasta according to the directions and keep it warm.  Seed and dice your tomatoes too! 

This meal deserves a nice table setting with candles, and linens and little salt and pepper shakers.  I don't have a nice table setting so I settled for cleaning off the table and pouring more wine.

I would like to end this very long blog with a big thank you to whoever was the smart person who came up with the idea to have spell check on computers for I fear that without it well, this blog may have had many errors.  Ooh and also the wine makers of Barefoot Pino Gregio (did I get it right yet?).  Dinner, wine and blogging has never been so much fun!