MEAL PLAN MONDAY

Chicken With Bell Peppers

1,2 kg chicken thighs and drumsticks

1 1/2 red bell pepper
1 1/2 yellow bell pepper
1 clove garlic, pressed
4 Tbsp apple vinegar
olive oil
1 bundle of fresh parsley leaves
salt
ground black pepper

Cut peppers into big chunks. Heat some oil in a pan, add peppers and fry for a couple of minutes. Pour vinegar into peppers, wait for a minute and then, remove from heat. Transfer into a bowl along with the juices from frying.

Heat some oil in a pan. Fry garlic a bit, then add chicken. Fry until the skin is nice and golden. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add fried peppers, stir, cover and cook on medium heat for about 30-40 minutes. Stir a few times during the coking.

Serve with chopped parsley on top.

SOURCE: Palachinka

ROMAN RECIPE

My first attempt at a true from scratch Roman Recipe. Last week I was watching Anthony Bourdain No Reservations and he was in Rome eating some delicious food and I was jealous.  So I jotted down some ingredients from a few of the recipes that they actually told you what was in them.  I did some online research trying to find true roman recipes not just "hey I'm going to call myself Italian because I have pasta in me" recipe. I couldn't find this recipe so I just had to kind of guess at the amount of ingredients.  I did find some other yummy Roman recipes that I will be trying soon. More of those to come. :)
So I don't even know what the name of this recipe is because I wasn't smart enough to write that down....only the ingredients.
So this is what I did.

NO NAME ROMAN RECIPE (if you know the name let me know)

5 pieces of bacon chopped
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
White Wine (maybe a few tablespoons or less-I think I used too much)
8 ounces Rigatoni
15 ounce can Tomato Sauce
Parmesan

Heat olive oil in a pan
Add chopped bacon, Cook
[Separate pan, boil water, add rigatoni, & cook for 10-12 minutes until you like it]
Add white wine, cook until looks like bacon is completely done & starting to get some crisp
Add tomato sauce
Drain Rigatoni and add to sauce mix
Serve
Top with Parmesan

Something they were debating on the show was whether or not to add onion.  I personally like onion but my boys don't so I left it out.  I guess the original recipe did not have onion, but over the years some restaurants have begun to add onion.  So up to you.  If you do add onion you add it while you are cooking the bacon.

This recipe had an interesting flavor, but like I said I think I put too much white wine in. It was good though.  My kiddos did not like it though, so just make it for the adults & whip up some mac & cheese for the kiddos.

CHANGES...THEY ARE A COMING

Yes I have been on hiatus for quite some time.  I have had some changes going on in my life.
So I have left my big Lone Star state and moved back to my home state of Missouri is the basic of it.
I'm finally getting settled and ready to get back into my creative outlet of blogging & photography. This is the last pictures I took of the Lone Star as a resident with my camera. (I did take some cell phone pics on the drive.)

I am still getting settled in the new pad.  I do like my cute little house.  It's a big change from all the Texas big. I snapped a few shots around the pad to share.

In the living room I put up some of my favorite photography pictures that I have framed so far.

I've been wanting to get these in frames for a long time and I finally did.  I'm a bit of a procrastinator.....duh.

My long obsession with cook books.  I have more but these were the ones that actually looked OK to have out. :) I know in this day and age you can pull recipes off the net in a flash, but I just love cook books and the pictures in them.

This is one of the plants from my co-workers back in The Lone Star.  I have not killed it....yet.  It's so green & luscious I hope I can keep it alive.

Some views of outside.

I always wanted to put up twinkle lights outside on the patio.  I need to get another set, but for now I have a string of purple lights.  It keeps it lit and is kind of intimate but is not bright enough to attract all the bugs.

This is a photo of an apple tree.  I have two apple trees and a crab apple tree.  This keeps my back yard full of nature.  Birds, squirrels, and rabbits galore.  I love going out in the morning with a cup of coffee and just watching.  These apple trees and crap apple trees also have provoked an obsessive search for recipes with apples and crab apples.  We'll have to see what I can come up with in future recipe blogs.

In the back yard their were all these rock some buried and some just hanging out in a random spot in the middle of the yard.  One of our first projects was the boys and I digging up these rocks and making our own fire pit. Can wait to light it up and as a recommendation from my Mama cut branches off the apple trees and use them to roast  hot dogs over the fire pit.  Perfect for September & October. That is why I rushed to get it done.

Photo of sunrise in the morning.

I'm sure I will post more photos as I get settled in to my cute little pad. I will try to get my creative butt in gear and get my blog back on.