Chicken Fettucini...a quick weeknight meal

By: Laura

My goal is to make delicious meals for my family at least five nights a week, which can be a challenge to say the least.  Most of the time, when I get home, I don't have much ambition to get cookin', but when I've got a quick meal on the menu like chicken fettucini, my motivation lifts considerably.  This meal is one that I've been eating since high school.  My mom, who is always on the look out for delicious, quick meals, found this one.  I love it's versatility as well.  I'll tell you more about it below.

Veggies are the key ingredient to this meal.  Here, I used broccoli, peppers and red onions, but the possibilities are endless... I've used cauliflower, sugar snap peas and all types of onions for this recipe.  In this action shot, I'm cooking the veggies until tender, but still a bit crunchy.  While I was making this version, I also used chicken breast that I'd cooked they day before, thus saving me a step (of cooking the chicken) in this recipe, making it even faster.  I find either method to be delicious though.
While the veggies are cooking, be sure to get a pot of water boiling for your pasta.  This recipe calls for fettucini, but again, I've used all types of pasta including wide egg noodles, as I did on this night.

After the vegetables have been cooked and the chicken is added, then you can put together the simple sauce: cream of chicken soup, cheddar cheese, and a bit of water to thin it out.  Not to mention some yummy basil.

And there you have it, a tasty, quick meal.  (Derek loves this one, thus the huge portion!)  

Study the recipe below and put this on your menu next week.  It's a winner every time and there is no way to mess it up.  Plus, the family will love the flavors.

Chicken Fettucini

From the kitchen of Mom

1 1/2 cups broccoli florets

1 medium yellow, red or green pepper cut to desired size

1 medium onion chopped

1 T. oil

12 oz. chicken breast (cut into 1 inch squares)

1 can cream of chicken

1/2 cup water

1 t. dried basil

1/2 cup cheddar cheese

8 oz. fettucini

Cook chicken in 1 TB. of oil until cooked through.  Remove the chicken and set aside.  Add more oil and cook the vegetables until tender, yet still crispy, all the while, bring a separate pot of water to a boil for pasta.  Once the water boils, cook pasta according to package directions. 

Add the cream of chicken, water, basil, and cheddar cheese to the vegetable mixture and stir to combine.  Add the chicken to the sauce and vegetables and heat the sauce through.  Serve over pasta.

Colombia--my trip in photos

by Leslie

We are back from Colombia and are slowly getting back into the routine of "normal" life.  I am definitely not enjoying the cold--it seems like it reaches all the way into my bones and I just can't warm up!

I've been going over my photos from Colombia, trying to decide what to share with you, but it's just too hard!  I decided it would be best to show you some of the photos I took in Colombia and just describe them.  So, here it is!

The lovely scenes of Bógota--this is in La Candelaria, a historic district in town.

Sweet treat, anyone?  These merengues looked amazing!

Hydrangeas everywhere!  I wish I could have dug one up to take home to Erin.  

Could you say no to a lovely hot chocolate on a silver platter?  I think not!

A monument to the great Simon Bolivar.  Graffiti-ed to the nines.

This is Bógota at night--they really do it up for the holidays.  The lights were everywhere and they were spectacular!

Our wonderful host, Jean Carlos, and his girlfriend Silvia enjoying a lovely Italian meal.

After a three day hiatus (where I was sick as a dog), Jaime and I stopped for a refreshing beverage at a bakery in his home town of Bucaramanga.  7up for me, Colombiana for him.  Don't they just look great in the bottle?

This is the view from Jaime's mom's balcony.  Soon this construction...

 . . . is going to cover up this beautiful view.  

Oooh!  My favorite fruit of the trip, granadilla.  This pomegranate-shaped fruit is full of seeds and slime.  Sweet and crunchy, this is great for after meals.

Here is Jaime under the palm trees while we take our daily stroll.

A park near Jaime's mother's apartment.

Dining out for lunch, who wants a Hipinto?  It's hot pink and tastes like bubble gum.

Meat, yucca, and an arepa.  These are all made Santander (Jaime's home state) style.

One morning I got a manicure and pedicure from the nicest lady.  She makes house calls!

Here we are on our way to get my dresses fitted.  I had two made during our visit to Bucaramanga.

Anyone want some cockatiel entertainment while you wait?

Here is my wonderful seamstress, Maria.  I tell you, she is magical.  I don't know how she gets everything done in that small space!

Here is her work table where she cuts and irons.  Not a lot of space, eh?

Pretty art along the roads of Bucaramanga.

Here were are at Chicamocha Canyon waiting for a ride in a gondola.  Will this line ever end?

First trip in one of these things.  A little scary.

The cliffs!

The canyon.  Isn't it grand?  Look at all the cactii!

Here is a view from the top of the canyon.  We are looking down at a monument which chronicles the peasant uprising against the Spaniards.

While in Santander, Jaime had to eat one of his old favorites.  Goat.  His verdict?  It's not really his favorite anymore.

I'm sorry.  Jaime just ate your mother.

Doing a little "hiking" on our own.

I'm so glad I didn't fall.  You can tell how close I am right here.

A nice surprise during our visit to the canyon--a dancing troop that showed traditional dances from the different regions of Colombia.

My favorite part of any day.  A snack of buñelos, empanadas, or pan de yucca with a coke.

It's time to strategically stuff those bags and prepare for departure.

All you have to do is walk 1/2 a mile to your airplane!

I am glad to be back here in the states, but sad as well.  We had a really nice time and truly got to relax.  There is nothing like being far away from your worries to forget them.  Glad to be back with you all, though.  Drop me a line!

Stripping Cloth Diapers

By: Laura

Yep, that's right, I'm still using cloth diapers.  Ella is now 17 months old and my washer has been going none stop since the day Ella fit into her BumGenius diapers.   Though I've washed them over and over again, they still show minimal wear and tear, which is amazing.  My detergent of choice, Rockin' Green seems to keep the diapers clean and fresh, but as of late I've had a bit of a problem in the clean department.  About two weeks ago, Derek hung up the diapers in the basement and I went down the next morning to see if they were dry.  The stink in the basement overwhelmed me (a nasty, fishy smell).  Needless to say, I washed the diapers again, but to no avail.  Finally, I bleached the liners thinking that would most certainly do the trick, but again, the smell prevailed.
   At last, I realized that the stink was caused by diaper rash cream.  I read online (while searching for a solution to my problem) that diapers could smell fishy after the use of maximum strength diaper rash creams.  Oh, right, yes, I know you're not supposed to use diaper rash cream with cloth diapers, but sometimes I do, and then two weeks ago I went overboard with it.  Ella wore disposable diapers over the holidays and a horrible rash came of it, so, once we were home I was trying to get rid of it big time.  Big mistake with cloth diapers.  Anyway, the solution to the problem was: stripping the diapers.  So, let's begin the step by step process.  It's really not too bad.

Begin by rinsing the diapers 3 times or more in extremely hot water (turn up the hot water heater as high as it can go.)

Next, soak the diapers in dawn dish soap (1 tablespoon or so.)  Soak the diapers in HOT water until the water cools down enough to immerse your hands.

Then get your scrubbin' on with a brush.  Work on any stains on the diapers.

Rinse and remove the diapers from the sink and begin the rinsing process in the washer.  Rinse and spin the diapers until there are no more soap suds in the water.  Hang to dry and you're ready for use again!

 And there you have it.  If you're at your wits end and you need a solution to a stink or stain, stripping is the answer.  Let me know if this works for you or if you've used any other successful methods to remove smells and stains.  Good luck!

Cheers and Jeers from Colombia!

by Leslie

Right now, you may be wondering, "What's with the test nest hiatus?"  Well, like many people, we have been busy doing holiday things.  Erin shared a great post about her sweet new color-coded bookshelves, but much of the rest of our time has been consumed with travelling, Christmas-ing, packing, and travelling some more.

Right now, Laura and Erin (et. al) are at my cousin's wedding in Illinois.  I wish I could be there with them to celebrate (and hopefully cut a major rug), but instead I am far, far away.  In Colombia!  Jaime is from Colombia, as many of you know, so we decided to spend the new year with his familia.  So far the trip has had its fair share of ups and downs.  Let me tell you why.

I'm going to do this post "Cheers and Jeers" style.  If you are from my hoime town of Albion, Nebraska, this phrase might be familiar to you.  Especially if you were on the high school newspaper staff.  In each issue of the paper, the "editors" would write the positives and negatives of the weeks that had passed since the last issue.  So here it goes. . .

Cheers to a fulfilling selection of movies on our flight to Colombia.  In five and a half hours, I watched three full movies.  That is pretty much my dream flight, minus the onset of restless leg syndrome (for me).

Jeers to getting TOTALLY and COMPLETELY sick on our second night in Bogota.  I have never wanted so badly to be in my own home in my life.  In addition,  jeers to the dang illness sticking around for way too long.

Cheers to fresh, ripe fruit wherever you go.  It tastes so much better here (probably because it is)!  If you ever get down to Colombia, you've got to try granadilla.  I won't include a picture of it in this post for fear of grossing you out, but it is an awesomely sweet, melted Jello-like experience.

Jeers to traffic.  In a place where public transit is pretty awesome (and cheap), a lot of people still drive--which would be fine if they would stop when you were in the middle of the street . . .

Cheers to walking everywhere and actually getting somewhere.  Jaime's mom lives in an amazingly central location.  In minutes you can walk to a bakery, a grocery store, a pharmacy, and a restaurant.  I could list even more things--a bank, a fruiteria, a discoteca, and a doctor's office.

Jeers to salamanders on the wall.  This isn't really a bad thing, but Jaime showed me one outside on his mom's patio last night and they freak me out!  Lightning fast and slimy.  Bad combo.

Cheers to a visiting a place with a relaxed pace of life.  Things are just a bit different here.  Families stroll around the park together and couples browse the mall.  Nuns stop at the ice cream shop for a treat and families routinely stop for photo opportunities just for the heck of it.  As we were walking down the street today, I said to Jaime, "Let's be like the locals.  Let's just enjoy the day."  So we did.

I'll give you the full scoop when we get back.  I look forward to getting back to you all!

Color Coded Bookshelves

by Erin

We finally got around to unpacking a few of the 'less necessary' boxes that are still hanging around.  The majority of those said boxes were filled with books.  Been there?  I figured.  We've got these really fun cottage-y bookshelves in two of our bedrooms and Max and I were both excited about filling one set of shelves with color coded books.  The Dewey Decimal System is obsolete, right, so what better way to categorize books than by color? 

So here are the empty, sad shelves. 

Empty shelves. Blah.

And here is the happy transformation!

Blues close-up

Reds close-up

Doesn't that look fun?  We'll see how it easy it is to find a book when I need one, but I have a sneaking sense it will be pretty effective.  I mean, let's be real, it's hard not to judge (or remember) a book by it's cover.