Book Review: 101 Things to Do With Chicken

Recently when I was looking for a gift for my dad I came across several of the "101Things" books at 60% off. I have a few of them and have been pleased thus far, so I bought four more. This weekend I read through all of them and I'm so excited to try several of the recipes. 101 Things to Do With Chicken by Donna Kelly and Stephanie Ashcraft had several recipes that look really great, but there were also some that made me think "You don't really need a recipe for that. There are also a few that are repeats from other books in the series. Having said that I still think that it was worth it. At the beginning of the book is a list of helpful hints which I'll share, plus my version of the recipe that I tried yesterday.

1. Always make sure that chicken is thoroughly cooked. Juices should run clear and there shouldn't be any pink present. Chicken thighs should reach 175 degrees. Chicken and eggs are frequent carriers of salmonella.
2. Chicken stored in the fridge should be used within 1-2 days.
3. A whole chicken takes 36 hours to defrost. Chicken pieces usually take 12-24 hours to defrost.
4. All cut chicken on a non-pourus plastic or glass cutting board. And never cross-contaminate by using the knife you used to cut chicken to cut something else.
5. Bringing chicken to room temperature before cookin will help it to remain moist and cook evenly.
6. Soaking in brine with add moistness and flavor to baked or roasted chicken. Add 1/4 cup salt to 1 quart water. Place chicken and brine in ziplock bag. For a carmelized flavor, also add 1/4 cup sugar to brine. Soak chicken in brine for at least an hour per pound or overnight. Drain before cooking.
7. For crispy skin on roasted or fried chicken,  leave chicken uncovered in the fridge for a few hours before cooking.
8. When roasting or grilling a chicken, allow to set at room temperature for ten minutes before slicing so that the juices can be reabsorbed into the meat.
9. 1 lb bonless skinless chicken yields about 3 cups of cubed or sliced chicken.

Tangy Strawberry Chicken Bites
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken tenders or breasts cut into small chunks
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 cup strawberry preserves
1 cup chili sauce
1 can (20oz) pineapple chunks, drained
2 large carrots, sliced
1 red bell pepper cut into small chunks
3 cups of prepared brown rice

1. Cook chicken in oil over medium heat until browned on all sides. Meanwhile steam carrot slices in microwave with 1/8 cup water for 3 minutes. 2. Drain carrots and add to chicken with preserves, pepper and chili sauce. Cook and stir until preserves are melted. 4. Add pineapple chunks, simmer for one minute and serve over rice.

The Verdict: This recipe was actually in the appetizer section, but I decided to increase the pineapple, add some veggies and serve it over rice to make it a meal. I liked this, my husband loved it, my son who isn't feeling well wouldn't try it and neither would my daughter. I thought perhaps if I served it with toothpicks they might be willing to try it. No such luck. I apologize that there isn't picture, the batteries in my camera died, again. :S

Jerky Gun Giveaway Winner

And the winner of the Nesco jerky gun kit is Teri Hadley. Congratulations! May you and your family enjoy yourselves some beef jerky. :) The winner was selected using random.org

A Romantic Getaway on A Budget

This week my husband and I are celebrating our wedding anniversary. As I was planning something fun I realized, I can't even remember the last time that we had a real date. Really. If you are in the same situation I suggest that you follow the steps below. Even getting away for just one night can be fun and a simple way to strengthen your relationship.

1. If necessary, find someone to watch the kids. This is biggest barrier for us. You can find things to do for free, but getting a babysitter can be expensive, plus they're often hard to find. For this occasion, Grandma and Aunty came to visit. If you don't have family that are willing/able, try swapping with a couple with kids whose ages are close to your own kids.
2. Choose an event that you and your significant other both enjoy. Then look for a coupon. We decided to splurge a little and see Phantom of the Opera but I found a coupon that got us $100 off so we weren't paying full-price. It doesn't have be that big, just find something that you both will look forward to. Camping, football games, dancing, a museum exhibit...Do what works for the two of you.
3. Get away. It doesn't have to far or long, just away. Hotwire.com, hotels.com and Expedia.com are great places to look for a good deal. For this one we booked a room in a 5-star hotel at less than half the average rate through Hotwire. Then we got lucky and when we arrived, they upgraded us to a suite for free. So we got an awesome hotel stay for more than 75% off. There were several options, this was the one I chose because it was close to the theater.
4. Allow some time for "winging it". Don't put yourself on such a schedule that you're too rushed to enjoy things. The point isn't to see or do the most you can because it's easier without children in tow. The point is to enjoy one another's company without having to focus on the needs of those cute little people. (Although we found ourselves frequently talking about them. 'Oh, the kids would like that' or 'I love it when she says...')
5. Talk to one another. (Oh, it was nice to have many extended conversations without insistent demands.) Think back to when you were first dating, other fun things you  have done together, things that the two of you have overcome or plans for the future.

Other tips when planning your getaway:

• Many hotels and ticket events are often cheaper during the week. Try to book Monday through Thursday if your schedule permits.
• If you can't book Monday through Thursday, business hotels often offer discounted weekend rates
• Something you want to watch for: some hotels tack on an additional resort fee, I chose ours because it didn't.
• Casinos often offer great rates on hotel rooms because they count on most of their customers spending a lot on gambling. If you don't gamble, you can snag a sweet deal (like we did).
• Going to a destination off-season is another way to score deals. Cheapest Months to Travel
• Take this opportunity to go to eat somewhere you'd like to try but you know your kids would have no interest in experiencing.
• Wear good shoes, especially if you plan on doing much walking. I made the mistake of thinking "I'm not chasing or juggling kids, I'm going to wear some sexy wedges." I ended up spending more than I would have liked on a new pair of shoes mid-evening because my soles were covered in blisters and I really couldn't make it back to our hotel in those cute, but pain-inducing shoes.
• Bring a couple bottles of water, so you can avoid paying $8 for the bottled stuff in your hotel room.
• Remember that if you look for them, there are many free things to do out there.
• And most importantly be creative, you don't have to spend a lot of money to let your sweetheart know that he is loved.

Strawberry Banana Pie

It's summer and that means that Heather makes strawberry banana pie. I believe that this pie originally came from my Aunt Margarett, and I always requested it for my birthday when I was growing up. And the best part is that this delicious pie is super easy to make. Because this makes two pies I usually make it for gatherings or when I plan on sharing one with a friend.

Strawberry Banana Pie
1 box Strawberry Danish Dessert
1 small box banana pudding
2 graham cracker crusts (or the ingredients and recipe therefore)
3 medium bananas
4-5 cups strawberries, rinsed, sliced & tops removed
2 cups milk
1& 3/4 cup cold water


1. Line bottom of pie crusts with banana slices. 2. Make banana pudding according to box directions and divide between crusts. 3. While pudding sets in fridge, make Danish Dessert according to box directions for pie glaze. (Pour mix into cold water. Stir occasionally and bring to a full boil for one minute.) 4. Add strawberries and stir to coat. 5. Divide between pies and return to fridge for 3-4 hours.

Ways that Parents Can Reform Healthcare

Yesterday at work I read a short article on ways that parents can reform healthcare. I know that I've mentioned some of these before, but I think they're worth repeating and not one of them requires an act of congress. Each of them are ways that you can improve the health of you and your children immediately and in the long-run. By taking care of yourself and your children you can decrease healthcare costs for yourself and everyone else.

1. Eat healthy- Providing healthy meals for yourself and your children is a simple way that can give you more energy and give your body the building blocks it needs to fight off infections. Improving your diet decreases your risk for cancer, diabetes and heart disease.
2. Exercise-Active kids are far more likely to be healthy. Exercise improves your blood circulation which makes the organs and processes in your body work more effectively.
3. Prevent accidents- Vigilantly watch your children. Make them wear helmets. Make them wear seat belts. Make sure that you have the appropriate car seat.  Don't let them sit on the ledge of the back of a pickup while off-roading through the country. I know these are boring suggestions, but they are so important! I have seen so many sad stories of kids whose parents didn't make them do these things.

Coupon Books Review

I used to be of the opinion that I do not spend money on coupons. Coupons are to save me money. I have since learned that purchasing the right coupons can save me a lot of money. Here's the pros and cons of the coupon books that I have purchased.


St George Treasure Chest- $45 Coupon value used- $265 (Plus I gave away a couple hundred dollars worth of coupons to friends, neighbors and random strangers.) One day someone called my house and asked if I wanted to buy this coupon book as part of a fundraiser for some foundation for children's safety. (Sorry I can't remember the name of the organization.) The book contained around $1500 worth of coupons. All of the food coupons were Buy 1 Get 1 Free coupons, which sets me up to spend money that I didn't plan on spending. But many of them were just for free stuff. We got a month's membership at a local gym, a few car washes, a few oil changes, a carpet cleaning and a few hair cuts. Being new to the area, it was great to refer to. Need a haircut? I'm calling this hairdresser who will do it for free. Of course you still have to tip for services, but she is winning too, because she did a good job and we'll go back to her, whereas I never would have come across her business otherwise. Don't want to make dinner? Let's check out the B1G1 coupons. Other than setting me up to spend money I didn't plan on, another downside is that several of the coupons in the book were for local businesses that had gone out of business. A few others had bad phone numbers. Still others wouldn't even honor the coupons. And of course these coupons can only used in the St George area. I'm really glad that I purchased it, however I was expecting the businesses to be a little more cooperative. This book expired June 1st. I found someone who had bought one a few years ago, so hopefully one will come out soon, but I haven't seen any yet.

Dixie Direct- $35 Coupon value used so far-$75 My husband has a soft spot for marching band, partly because that's where we met, so when one of his high school students asked him to buy this to help him raise money for his marching band trip, of course he said yes. He probably would have bought two if the kid had asked him. This one doesn't have nearly as many "strictly free" coupons. Although it does have many offers for places we go to anyway, and I like that you don't have to take the whole book with you. It comes with a punch card that you keep in your wallet. Most participating businesses advertise that they take the Dixie Direct card and will tell you what their offers are. Not as much bang for buck as the Treasure Chest, but there is a much longer window to use the coupons (six more months). Also it's not nearly as easy to share the coupons you don't plan to use because 90(+)% are on the card and you have to have the card to redeem them. I also liked it because it helped me to get to know what's available locally.

The Entertainment Book 2010-$35 Coupon value redeemed so far- $5. Now this one is normally $35, but as most of the coupons expire in November of this year, it seems that every other week there is a great sale. I actually got 2 for $7.50 each. A week later I saw an even better deal. The beauty of the entertainment book is that there is one for most areas throughout the nation. So if you're planning a vacation this can be very helpful. The one for the state of Utah is called "Utah Happenings". I didn't buy it because it because glancing through the list that was available online, it seemed like most of the coupons were for Northern Utah. (It could be great if you live up there, but not worth it for us southern desert dwellers.) I did buy Chicago Southwest and Las Vegas. I haven't used any for Vegas yet, but we plan on visiting a couple times this summer and I'm certain that I'll get my monies worth there and then some. The problem with the Chicago Entertainment book is that there are actually two, they're both enormous and I think that I picked the wrong one. For someone who is not familiar with any of the businesses inside, it's a little overwhelming. "$1800 worth of coupons" One place we tried had kind of weird hours and had closed 10 minutes before we got there. And then we used one $5 coupon for a burger place. We had planned on using a couple coupons for some museums there in Chicago, but found that it was more cost effective to just buy a city pass. If we were in Chicago for more than 2 days and had someone with us who knew the area, perhaps we could have used more of the coupons that were in it. As it was I gave the book to an acquaintance who lives near there. (Minus a few coupons that I gave to random strangers, because let's be real, I won't be back before November.)

Nebraska Children's Museums

If you ever find yourself driving across Nebraska with small children, I strongly recommend stopping at one (or both) of the great children's museums there. If I had to choose stopping at just one, my favorite was the one in Omaha. My daughter preferred the one in Lincoln, but both a great way for antsy kids to get the wiggles out. The Lincoln Museum is bigger than the one in Omaha, and there is a little overlap in the activities, but we were glad that we went to both.

Lincoln Children's Museum
Admission is $6.50 for ages 2-61. Hours are 10-5. This museum has three stories of hands-on children's activities. There's lots of "pretend areas" including a farm, a grocery store, a kitchen area, a stage with lights, curtains and costumes, a puppet theater, cars and planes. In the middle of the museum there is a tree that extends through each story, with a little tree house on each level. My daughter's favorite part was the gopher tunnel area (which I didn't get any good shots of). Check out the website on programs that may be available when you stop. Again, my pictures don't do this place justice, but you can refer to their website for a video tour.
Also parking in front of the museum is not easy to come by. But there is a parking garage across the street and down a block and a half. If you take parking ticket into the children's museum and pay at the front desk, you can pay half price for parking.

My kids enjoying the ball contraption at the entrance.

Pretending to be Nebraska State Troopers

Shooting water guns.

A hot air balloon with controls.

Omaha Children's Museum
Admission for age 2-59 is $8. Closed on Mondays. Hours are 10-5 Tuesday through Saturday.  Open until 8pm on Thursdays during the summer. This museum has a few "pretend areas", but not nearly as many as the museum in Lincoln. It does have a large arts and crafts area, a firehouse to climb through, activities like parachutes (does anyone else remember playing with and loving those in elementary school?) and a fantasic "ball-popper" area.

Playing with the light piano.

Part of the firehouse

The Playskool Ball Popper on steroids

My two-year old happily spent almost two hours in this room.

My husband said that if we bought one of those we would never have to spend another cent on his entertainment.

 This contraption is so big that I can't get it all in four shots.

A giant pin frame.

A giant Lite-Brite.

The only coupons I've been able to find for either of these places was a free admission to the Omaha Museum in the Omaha Entertainment book. If you plan ahead and get a really good deal on the Entertainment book, it might be worth it. Also when I was there they were offering a coupon for a return visit, but we were just passing through.