Recipe Entry: Chicken-Orzo Soup

We have sure have been having some rainy and cool days lately. Some good soup might be in order. Liz sent this recipe and says, "Another one my husband raves about. That always makes a recipe a winner in my book. I used dried herbs and it turned out just fine!"

Photo Credit: MyRecipes.com

Chicken-Orzo Soup
source: Cooking Light

(Yield: 4 servings)
Ingredients
1 (32-ounce) container fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth, divided
1/2 cup uncooked orzo
2 teaspoons olive oil
2/3 cup coarsely chopped carrot
1/2 cup coarsely chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
3/4 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 1/4 cups water
3 fresh parsley sprigs
1 fresh thyme sprig
4 cups fresh baby spinach
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Preparation
1. Bring 1 3/4 cups broth to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add orzo;
cook 10 minutes or until done. Drain.

2. While orzo cooks, heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Add oil
to pan; swirl to coat. Add carrot, celery, onion, and chicken; cook 3
minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in remaining 2 1/4 cups broth, 1
1/4 cups water, parsley, and thyme; bring to a boil. Reduce heat;
cover and simmer 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Discard
herb sprigs. Add orzo, spinach, juice, salt, and pepper; simmer 1
minute.

Thanks Liz!

Part 2: The part where I show you the wonderful vintage item I snagged!

It all started when I saw this photo:

GusandLula.com

I was enamored by the this vintage tole chandelier! Isn't it so beautiful and fun the way she painted it?! A great addition to Gus and Lula's nursery (by the way, Gus and Lula are in the process of being adopted in Ethiopia right now!). I thought how fun it would be to have one of these in our dining room, one of our bedrooms, or even the bathroom. I vowed to be on the lookout for one.

I excitedly stumbled upon one at a local antique store, but my heart sank when I saw the price tag: just under $200. They also had another larger one for over $900. So much for that!

Crate and Barrel's kid's site Land of Nod even has a copy cat version of it for $119:


Then as we poked around the garage sale on Saturday I was thrilled when I looked down and saw this:

Yes friends, a tole chandelier for $5!

It has these pretty flowers on it

I asked if she would take $3 for it and soon this pretty lady was mine! Granted she definitely needs some work and paint, but that is half the fun. She has such great potential to be painted and hung as a focal point. Check out what we found when we unscrewed the bottom:

Perhaps her original color?!

I can't wait to tackle this project. Check out some of these photo inspirations:

credit: simplygraciousstyle.com

credit: Celerie Kimble

credit: Ruthie Sommers

Exciting Garage Sale Finds!

Lately I have gotten into garage sale-ing. The last few weeks I have checked out the paper's listings and the listings on Craigslist and made myself a route through our suburb. There have been a lot of them- some better than others for sure!

Up until this past Saturday I really hadn't bought very much. I am trying to be super selective (remember I am trying to get rid of 20 things per day so bringing home more junk would be counterproductive- I am up to 120 items so far!) I was specifically keeping my eyes peeled for a few things though, namely a washing machine and a daybed with trundle. We were hoping to free up some space in our guest room which has twin beds, yet still have a place for guests to sleep.

I wasn't planning to go garage sale-ing this past Saturday until I saw an ad on Friday night that mentioned that there was going to be a sale near us that had a washer, a daybed with trundle, AND the icing on the cake was that she said she was selling items that she had from a previous booth in an antique market. I immediately made plans to be there at 7:00 AM sharp and convinced Ronnie to go with me in the truck because this particular sale had such promise. I tried not to get my hopes up, but I will admit I didn't sleep the best on Friday night in my anticipation :).

Our Trusty Jolly Green Giant

When we pulled up to the house in the above vehicle precisely at 7:00 AM my heart sunk as I saw a man with a pick up truck and trailer loading lots of items. So much for the "no early birds" in their ad!! I high-tailed it into the garage to see what might be left- various pieces of furniture, lo and behold including the daybed and trundle (priced at $25) and the washer (priced at $75)!! Ronnie and I had agreed the night before that we would only spend up to $100 if we were to buy both the daybed and washing machine. We talked to the really friendly owners about the machine and felt like we could trust them in buying it and then offered $80 for both. They agreed! So we are the proud owners of a new to us washing machine (it works great), daybed and trundle AND one more vintage item that I purchased there for $3. I am SOOOOOO excited about it, but it will receive a post of its own!! Stay tuned...

Recipe Entry: Fish Fillet Rollout

Let me start off by saying that I am loving making these recipes that y'all sent me. I made the Greek Pasta this weekend and it was awesome! You should totally try it. My goal is to make all the recipe entries eventually.

This tasty looking one is from Emily T. She says, "My mom found this recipe in a Family Circle magazine a few years ago. It was the first prize entree winner. It sounded strange to me at first- fish with an italian flare? But it's really good! If you use tilapia it doesn't even taste fishy (if you don't like fish). I also add a layer of zucchini over the fish and omit the olives- so you can kind of play with the recipe too. I usually cut it in half and just use 3 fillets and serve with a salad or steamed broccoli."

Photo Credit: Family Circle

Fish Fillet Rollout
Source: Family Circle

(serves 6)

1/2 cup chicken broth (or 1 chicken bouillon cube dissolved in 1/2 cup water)

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 eggs

1/2 tsp salt (optional)

1 cup seasoned bread crumbs

6 flounder or tilapia fillets (about 1.5 lbs total)

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 container grape tomatoes (about 8 oz), quartered

1/2 cup pitted black olives, sliced (optional)

2 cups mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped (or 1/2 tsp dried)

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Place chicken broth and olive oil in a 13x9 baking pan.

In a shallow plate, lightly beat eggs and salt.

Place bread crumbs in another shallow plate.

Dip fillets into egg mixture and then into bread crumbs, coating both sides.

Place in baking pan, overlapping if necessary.

Season with pepper.

Sprinkle tomatoes, olives and cheese over the top.

Evenly sprinkle parsley over the cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees uncovered for 20 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Thanks Emily!

Recipe Entry: Pan-Fried Pork Chops and Homemade Applesauce

Alert: Today's (Wednesday's) Groupon is for Surin...one of my all time favorite places to eat. We love Thai food! Check it out!

I still have several more great recipe entries to share from the giveaway . This one is from Liz and looks yummy. She says it takes a little longer than some recipes but is really good.

Photo Credit: Becky Luigart-Stayner, myrecipes.com

Pan-Fried Pork Chops and Homemade Applesauce
Source: Cooking Light

Total: 1 hour
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 pork chop and 1/4 cup applesauce)

Ingredients

Applesauce:
1 tablespoon butter
3 apples, peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped (about 4 cups chopped)
1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
Pork:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
4 (5-ounce) bone-in center-cut pork chops
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons canola oil

Preparation

1. To prepare applesauce, melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium
heat. Add apples to pan; cook 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Add 1/2
cup water, sugar, juice, and 1/8 teaspoon salt to pan; cook 25
minutes, stirring occasionally. Cover and cook 25 minutes or until
apples are tender. Mash gently with the back of a spoon.

2. To prepare pork, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high
heat. Place flour in a shallow dish. Sprinkle pork evenly with 1/2
teaspoon salt and pepper; dredge pork in flour. Add oil to pan; swirl
to coat. Add pork to pan; cook 5 minutes or until golden. Turn pork
over; cook 3 minutes or until desired degree of doneness. Serve with
applesauce.

20 Items a Day Keeps the Junk Away!

STUFF
We can't escape it.
It clutters up our spaces.
It can be conquered though!

Every once in a while I get the urge to purge :) Haha, that sounds funny, but I mean that I get the desire to simplify and clean out. Multiple moves and living in a smallish apartment has provided some great incentive in this area.

I have launched into a challenge for myself. The challenge is to get rid of 20 items everyday. I grabbed an extra laundry basket and this has become the spot for the "stuff." It then gets sorted into trash, donate, sell, return to owner, etc.

I can't take credit for this idea. I have been inspired by many in the blogosphere who are doing the same, taking various approaches. For some inspiration check out: Clover Lane and Spoonful.

How long will this challenge last? I am not sure but hopefully a while. I will check in and let you know periodically how it is going. I am three days in- that is 60 items gone!

Will you join me? Come on...you know you have stuff that needs to go!

Recipe Entry: Greek Pasta

Emily H. sent me this recipe and I am so excited about it! I can't wait to try it. I love Greek food and I love pasta so this is a win win for me.

Greek Pasta

6 ounces whole grain pasta, cooked

1 pint grape tomatoes, sliced in half

1 pint mushrooms, sliced

2 Tbs. olive oil (for drizzling over mushrooms and tomatoes)

3 Tbs. mayonnaise (I use the light kind made with olive oil)

2 heaping Tbs. Cavender's Greek Seasoning

3 Tbs. lemon juice

1/4 cup olive oil (for dressing)

1 can sliced black olives, drained

1 small jar pimentos, drained

1 jar quartered artichoke heats, drained and rinsed

1 bag of frozen broccoli, steamed and drained

Feta Cheese

Place tomatos and mushrooms on cookie sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and bake at 375 degrees for about 8 minutes. For the dressing, whisk together mayo, Cavender's, lemon juice, and olive oil. Combine with pasta the tomatoes, mushrooms, olives, pimentos, artichoke hearts, and steamed broccoli. Add the dressing and toss to coat. Sprinkle with feta cheese. May be served warm or cold.

Emily's Notes: I have made this using spaghetti, angel hair, bow tie, and vermicelli pasta. I think my favorites are the bow tie (for cold) and spaghetti (for warm). I also normally make more than 6 ounces of pasta and then just play with my dressing until I think I have enough to coat it well. I have substituted roasted red peppers for the pimentos and I thought it turned out well. I normally use a bag of the microwavable "Steamers" broccoli and it is super easy. I think this is a fun recipe that can be tweaked easily.

Thanks Emily!