New April Recipe: Grilled Chicken Penne al Fresco

Nothing like waiting 'til the last day of April for our monthly recipe. But I promise I had good reason - Ryan was gone for almost four weeks out of the month. Making new recipes was not on the agenda during that time.

I found this recipe in the Pampered Chef Spring/Summer 2009 Recipe Collection. I had a PC party this month so it was fresh in mind. 

Microwavable - Check. 

Quick - Check. 

Ingredients already on hand - Check.

Grilled chicken penne al fresco

Ingredients:

5 garlic cloves, pressed

2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes

3 cups uncooked whole wheat pasta

3 cups chicken broth

3/4 cup dry white wine, such as Chardonnay (or substitute chicken broth)

1/2 tsp. each of salt and coarsely ground black pepper

1-1/4 cups lightly packed fresh basil leaves, divided

1 cup Parmesan cheese (Grated)

2 cups diced grilled chicken breast (approximately 2 small chicken breasts)

1. Spray baker with olive oil (I used garlic infused canola oil for a burst of garlic. Press garlic into baker and add tomatoes. Cover; microwave on HIGH 4-5 minutes or until tomatoes begin to burst, stirring after two minutes. Crush tomatoes, add pasta, broth, wine, salt and black pepper.

2. Return baker to microwave; cover and microwave on HIGH 16-18 minutes or until pasta is tender, stirring after 10 minutes. Meanwhile, coarsely chop basil. Reserve two tbsp. for garnish.

3. Carefully remove baker from microwave and remove lid. Add remaining basil, cheese and grilled chicken to baker, mix well. Garnish with reserved basil, cheese and parmesean cheese.

(NOTE: NewlyWoodwards got a little crazy and threw it in the oven with the garlic bread to bake it a little. Highly recommended.)

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Cans to Containers

I really love containers, but they can be PRICE-Y. And, by pricey, I mean trade in the car for a big, gorgeous planter pricey.

Not gonna happen.

So, I'm trying to be resourceful. After all, the plants can get expensive on their own.

Project 1: Can to Container

Subtitle: Cheering up the fence.

Step 1: Find a nice aunt (who happens to own a Dairy Queen), and ask nicely if you can get some empty hot fudge cans. (If you don't have a nice aunt who owns a DQ, many restaurant owners will be happy to give you these large cans.)

Step 2: Drill three holes in the bottom of the can for drainage and two holes in the top for wire.

Step 3: Spray paint the color of your choosing (I chose to paint them the same color as our lawn furniture).

Step 3: Fill with potting soil (We picked up organic potting mix at the Davenport Compost Facility) and plant pretty flowers.

Step 4: Push wire through the hole and tied around fence posts.

I planted white and red "Potunias" - a petunia variety known for it's mounding tendency.

They turned out pretty adorable. I've already got lots of compliments from neighbors. I'm thinking about painting flower outlines in white on them to give them even more personality.

Any thrifty ideas for containers? I wanna hear them!

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Celebrate!

Put on your party hats and blow your horns, people- it's the NewlyWoodwards first blogiversary. It's been one year since we began this blog to document our first year of marriage. (The only two peeps who have read that first post are probably my devoted and loyal mother and mother-in-law, who I believe were my first two readers. Gotta love 'em.)

So, are we still newlyweds? Should we "re-brand" our blog to reflect the fact that we aren't so newly.

Heck no. I say we are NewlyWoodwards for as long as we feel and say we are. Right? So, when we are old and gray, we still may just be NewlyWoodwards. Who knows. I'll justify it when I need to.

(Phew) I'm glad that's out of the way. I've been dreading this little talk for months.

Now, who would have thought that anyone would be interested in our lives (besides the aforementioned moms - *wave*)? But, there are actually a few of you out there. I'll tell you what, I threw myself a little party when I saw that 100 people actually subscribe or follow this little blogipalooza (and by party, I mean I stopped by the ice cream shop on the way home from work to celebrate). Either you folks are really bored or the numbers are wrong.

Oh well. I'll take it anyhow. A girl's gotta get her confidence somewhere.

So, this is a true thank you to giving us (me) this little outlet. It's a great way to document our lives, our plans and our projects... and having anyone out there who cares is pretty cool.

To celebrate, I dug through my yard sale bin to find something to give away. But, I figured you have no use for furry kitten slippers or old issues of Hot Rod magazine (which I'm sure will get a pretty penny at our yard sale, if I pry them out of Ryan's hands). 

And you should have seen my sweet, patient and precious husband's face when I said I wanted to buy something to give away on the blog. I wish I would have caught the raw emotion on film. So, instead of giving you a hand-me-down or frustrating the hubs, I hope you will accept my appreciation.

Thanks for making our first year of blogging a great deal of fun. Thanks to all of you who have commented regularly, making me smile every time. Thanks to all of you who have given us inspiration in ourselves, our home and our marriage.

Lots of lovies,

The NewlyWoodwards

PS - To celebrate - I would love to hear what keeps you reading NewlyWoodwards. Do you prefer home reno, gardening, crafting, general marriage stories... SPILL IT!

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Square foot gardening

Square Foot Gardening: A New Way to Garden in Less Space with Less Work by Mel Bartholomew

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars

Are you tired of my gardening book reviews yet?

This is, by far, the best vegetable gardening book I have read - particularly if you are interested in square foot gardening.

You hear a lot about square foot gardening, but Bartholomew really details every step to make your garden successful. The book is knowledgeable and detailed, but also an easy read. I also found that this book is very easily browsible and searchable, which is a plus for a gardening book.

I was easily sold on square foot gardening:
1. We don't have an excess of space. With square foot gardening, you can have plenty of food for two people with two 4x4 plots.
2. There are only two of us in our household, so we don't want an overabundance of produce that goes to waste. Rows of carrots that will be harvested at the same time would be a waste.
3. The set-up of square foot gardens make them easier to manage (weed, water, etc.) It also makes it easy to rotate crops in future years.
4. I prefer the look of the square foot gardening over rows of traditional gardening.

The chapters are set up logically, from planning to the different steps of preparing soil and planting to a dictionary of common vegetables and herbs. It is a great reference text for planting common vegetables and gardens. For a beginner, this book is a must. It made it incredibly easy to layout our garden in a spreadsheet for reference. It also goes into detail about how to plant more than one crop throughout the season. So, you really can get the most out of the land you have.

The only drawback to this book that I noticed is that the author mainly discusses common produce (common varieties of tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, cucumbers, beans, etc.) If you are looking to do a special variety or something different, it may not be included. A larger plant encyclopedia is probably the way to go. For a beginner like me, this is not a problem. But, if you are looking to garden smarter, this is the book for you.

After reading this book, I put together a tentative plan for our veggie garden, so Ryan could visualize it when he preps the soil. I still have a few changes that I may make, but here it is so far:

The number in parentheses indicates how many plants go in each 1x1 square. In some of the crops, I will stagger planting so I don't have so many plants (like radishes) at one time. This will extend my growing season.

Ryan is in the process of building a small fence around the two plots so the critters (and the pugs) keep out. I will mark the squares with twine.

There will be a few feet of space around the sides for me to work in the garden. I'm considering mulching these areas. 

The vertical frame will allow the tomatoes, beans and cucumbers to grow up the frame. This allows better air flow and thus, healthier plants. Plus, it takes up less space. Ryan is fitting the vertical frame up the side of the deck, which will look pleasant.

What do you think?

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In bloom!

This weekend - we had the chance to admire some lovely blooms in our area. Kinda like stopping a smelling the roses.

Ryan's grandma has two fabulous Magnolia trees. I love them. But, boy - are they messy!

My aunt also has a lovely blooming tree - an ornamental plum.

And about a thousand lovely, blooming tulips and daffodils. Lord have mercy, they are beautiful.

(Note to Kim: Don't forget to plant tulip bulbs in the fall this year. Otherwise, you will be disappointed in yourself when everyone's tulips are emerging and looking divine.)

Are you stopping to notice all the lovely blooms in your area? What are your favorites?

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Operation:Grow!

It's the end of the day on Sunday, and Ryan and I are both exhausted. Ryan got home on Friday and we have been going crazy with yard prep and gardening. And celebrating my birthday of course!

(PS - Thanks for all the birthday wishes. It was a wonderful 25th birthday. One of the best, actually.)

Anyhow - I'm still so sore that I don't want to move. And, Ryan definitely did more in the manual labor department - so it's pretty ridiculous.

We got lots done, and I will definitely share photos with you soon. But, I'm not going to lie - I was so tired at 8:30 on Sunday when I came in the house that the last thing I wanted to do was take pictures.

The recap of our accomplishments in the yard:

• Ryan dug out the rain garden (2 inches depth) and hooked up the rain barrel. Now, I have to plant and mulch. Of course, the dogs adore the mud. Ryan had to give Lola a bath because she loves the mud so much. Then, she immediately ran outside and rolled in the mud again. (I'm fairly certain that the house will be a mess until that project is completed.)
• Ryan also tilled and added compost to our future veggie garden. They are two 4x5 squares. 
• I purchased a lot of plants and planted them in containers. They looks great and I'll share photos soon.
• I planted spring bulbs in the yard and a few perennials. 

Gardening is a lot of work. People told me this. But, I didn't really understand. Now, I do. I'm just really anxious to see how everything comes together.

How was your weekend?

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Why I'm spoiled... and happy.

Tomorrow may or may not be my 25th birthday (it may). So that means I'm halfway to 50. Can you believe it? It's pretty exciting. (I'm not sure why I'm excited about being halfway to 50. I just am. I'm odd.)

Anyhoo... my husband is coming home from Idaho so we can celebrate. I'm thrilled. I'm taking off a half day... and it's supposed to be 80 degrees outside.

Plus - When I got home from work on Wednesday, I was surprised to find a package on my porch. When I opened it, this little lovely was inside.

(Photo from Overstock)

It's a Brother CE-4000. My hubby sent it to me for my birthday. I'm in love (with my husband AND the machine.)

It's so much more than I expected. It seems to have lots of fancy things, and capabilities for quilting and even button sewing and zipper insert capabilities. I'm not the most experienced sewer, but I wanted to learn more and do more so this is beyond amazing. He did such a good job. He didn't even have me pick it out.

There are lots of ideas for projects rolling through my head.

Then, my little sis from my sorority days took me out to supper last night. And gave me this classy little lady.

(Photo from Vera Bradley)

The Java Blue curvy tote. It's a-freakin-dorable. I screamed. A lot. I've wanted a Vera Bradley bag, but never had one. Em knew that.

I'm a lucky, spoiled, happy girl.

I don't know how it can get any better, and it's not even my actual birthday yet. I prefer to celebrate my birthday beginning on April 1.

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Happy Earth Day!

Hopefully you can do something good for the environment today! Small or large - every bit helps.

I plan to celebrate Earth Day by enjoying and appreciating the outdoors on a walk with the dogs. I'm also planning to begin our compost bin tomorrow for Earth Day.

In honor of Earth Day, here are a few of my favorite unique and environmentally-friendly items from Uncommon Goods:

Four Seasons Glasses - Made from the bottom halves of wine bottles rescued before reaching the landfill.

Recycled Magazine Clutch - Each clutch is made of about 84 pages. Each year, 15,000 magazines are used to create purses instead of landfill waste.

Recycled Necktie Necklace - Designed by Laura Skelton, these funky necklaces are handmade from vintage neckties and wooden beads handmade in Maine.

Are you doing anything for Earth Day? Any fun, environmentally-friendly items to share?

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Happy Spring!

Grass is coming up in the egg shells. Don't they look adorable? I cannot bear to part with the little display, even if Easter is passed.

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Hand-me-down kids

We often joke that everything in our house was a hand-me-down. You may think we're kidding, but we're really not.

And, we're not embarrassed. Just really thankful.

So, I thought it would be humorous to take an inventory of things that were hand-me-downs.

The Dining Room:

Table and chairs and the lovely grandfather clock were my parents'. My favorite rug of all time was Ryan's parents'.The pretty corner hutch (that may or may not be painted in the near future) is from my parents.

The hutch was part of the set from my parents.

The Living Room:

The couch, chair, ottoman, run and end table are all from Ryan's parents. (I know, we are spoiled.)
The TV chest was from my parents... and also made by my dad. The photo is pretty terrible, but it's a great piece of furniture.
And, here's a close-up of the lovely end table. It's adorable.

The Office:

The sofa sleeper and rug were both given to us from Ryan's parents.

The shelves were also from Ryan's parents... and so were the wreaths.

And, the pretty little lamp was given to us from Ryan's aunt

The Kitchen:

Darn... I don't have a picture of the lovely round rug we received from Ryan's parents. (You would think they are going rug-less... but they aren't.)

Upstairs:

This charming mirror is from my parents.

And, the carpet. It's also a hand-me-down from Ryan's parents. Haha... not many people can say their carpet is hand-me-down. But, it is dang nice carpeting. We've gotten lots of compliments on this carpet. It's always fun to see people's reaction when we tell them where it's from.

And, don't forget outside:

The umbrella was from my aunt and uncle, 2 of the chairs were from my grandpa and two were from Ryan's parents.

So, do you believe us now? I'm sure we've missed something... but we have been very blessed to be given so many wonderful things.

What about you? Are you hand-me-down kids?

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Spring Cleaning - chemical free

It's that time of year - time for getting the house cleaned for Spring. I got a really good start with spring cleaning this month. It's the perfect time because Ryan's out of town.

(This is essentially what I wore when I cleaned the house. 

You know... except for not the dress, heels, apron or jewelry. 

And, my hair was in a ponytail.)

This year I did something new for my spring cleaning - I used all "homemade" cleaning solutions. My old chemical-ly cleaners are finally all gone and now I'm trying something a little more natural.

If you are like me and looking for "recipes" for all natural cleaners you can make yourself, you've come to the right place. The following recipes got me through all my tasks easily and effectively.

Ingredients:

 Salt

Distilled white vinegar

Dr. Bronner's castille soap (I prefer the peppermint scent.)

Baking soda

Borax

Other supplies:

• Gather empty jars, shakers and spray bottles, to keep your homemade cleaners just like your normal cleaners. I label them with a label maker so I know what is what. Use the shakers for baking soda and salt. Use the jars to mix the soft scrub and others.
• Microfiber washcloths (I use these for everything. Cleaning counters, tubs, windows. Plus, I put these on my Swiffer to clean and dust the floors. They work like a charm and don't create waste like the Swiffer wipes.)
• Mop
• Bucket for mopping and cleaning windows
• Sponges and scrubbers

And now - my favorite cleaners. They can be used for almost everything you currently purchase cleaners for.

Go-to all purpose vinegar spray
0 4 parts water

0 1 part distilled white vinegar

0 5-10 drops essential oils (I use grapefruit, lemon or lime)

0 1 squirt of Dr. Bronner's soap

Mix all ingredients in a spray bottle. Spray and wipe clean. This spray can be used on counters, appliances, light fixtures, baseboards, and even most furniture. This is my go-to cleaner. It works like a charm on almost everything. (Indefinite shelf life.)
(This cleaner cannot be done wrong. You can add more or less white vinegar based on your preference.)

Window no-streak cleaner
0 2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar
0 1 quart warm water
Mix ingredients in a spray bottle. Spray and wipe with towel or soft cloth. (Indefinite shelf life.)

Lemon-lime fabric and upholstery freshener

0 Water
0 5-10 drops of lemon and lime essential oils.
Combine ingredients in a spray bottle. I spray this on furniture, drapes and carpets to freshen. (Indefinite shelf life.)

Sink scrubber for stains
0 ¼ cup borax
0 ¼ cup baking soda
0 8 drops rosemary, eucalyptus, or tea tree essential oil
0 ¾ cup vinegar for rinsing
Combine borax, baking soda and essential oil in an airtight container and shake well to blend. Sprinkle a small amount of powder into the sink and scrub with a damp sponge. Rinse with vinegar and hot water. (Indefinite shelf life.)

Mildew remover
0 Baking soda
0 Distilled white vinegar

Sprinkle baking soda in areas you want to clean. I use this in the tub around caulk lines. Then, spray vinegar on the baking soda, which makes it foam. Rinse thoroughly. (Use and discard.)

Toilet bowl cleaner

(identical concept to above)

0 Baking soda
0 Distilled white vinegar

Sprinkle the toilet bowl with baking soda. Spray vinegar and swish with a toilet brush. This not only cleans, by deodorizes. (Use and discard.)

Drain cleaner

0 1 cup baking soda

0 1 cup salt
0 ½ cup white distilled vinegar
Pour down sink, tub drain and toilet. Let sit for 15 minutes and flush with water. I put these into the drains before I start scrubbing and let it sit.

Basin, tub and tile cleaner
0 Half a lemon
0 Borax
Dip the lemon in borax and run on area to be cleaned. Rinse surface and dry with cloth. (Indefinite shelf life.)

*****Natural soft scrubber*****

(This is the best scrubber I've ever used. It's perfect for sinks and tubs.)
0 ½ cup baking soda
0 Liquid castile soap
0 10 drops essential oil
Add enough soap to baking soda to make a creamy mixture. Use a sponge to apply and clean. Rinse surface well. (Use and discard.)

Hardwood floor cleaner
0 ¼ cup distilled white vinegar
0 1 gallon warm water

0 Drops of essential oil (I use grapefruit)
Mix ingredients in a pail and mop. After washing, rinse with water. Don’t leave large pools of water to dry. (Use and discard.)

Peppermint foam carpet shampoo
0 3 cups water
0 ¾ cups vegetable-based liquid soap
0 10 drops peppermint essential oil
Mix ingredients in a blender. Rub the foam into soiled areas with a damp sponge. Let dry and vacuum. This also works well on upholstery. (Indefinite shelf life, rewhip with each use.)

So, if you made it through this long post - props to you. What do you think? Can you go chemical-free with your cleaning?

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Smile file

You ain't get rid of me over some lousy sickness.

Test - over.

Illness - nearly kicked.

Me - back in business.

Thanks for all the sweet comments from Monday. I didn't realize how pitiful I sounded... but, I gotta admit - I was feeling pretty pitiful. And, you all are so kind - you did make me feel better. Well, you and the fact that I'm not sick anymore and that I'm done with my exam.

So my smile file today is Susan Boyle. Have you met her? I love her. I love her accent. I love her attitude. I love that no one believed in her, but she showed them. And of course - I love her voice.

Susan Boyle on Britain's Got Talent
Uploaded by dwarthy

Don't you just love her?

She made me cry. Then, she made me smile. Then, I had to watch it again.

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Sicky McSicks-a-lot

I'm not going to lie - I hate being sick.

It stinks.  And, unfortunately - this consumed my entire three-day weekend. I'm not bitter.

(Yes, yes I am.)

I'm a really bad, mean sick person. Like, imagine the most heinous beast, and that's me when I am sick. I'm worse than Ryan is when he's sick. Because Ryan may exaggerate, but I turn into a raging troll with a raw red nose. (I would take a photo but I don't want to give anyone nightmares.)

But, anyhow - I slept a lot of the weekend. Most of the rest of time was spent coughing, hacking, moaning and blowing my nose. When I did try to go out of the house, I returned so exhausted that I slept the rest of the day on the couch with the dogs. (I think they kinda like sick Kim, because I spend lots more time with them.)

It's probably best that Ryan wasn't around to feel my wrath. Although, if you tried to tell me this yesterday, I wouldn't have agreed. I didn't like having to get my own soup.

So, since I have a final exam on Wednesday which I have yet to study for (unless you count that one hour that I tried to study but retained nothing), and since I didn't do a single thing on my woulda-been productive 3-day weekend, I will be taking a blog hiatus for a few days.

Send some good thoughts my way. Like "get-an-A-on-your-test, feel-better and check-items-of-the-list" thoughts would be great. 

Talk to you soon.

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Herb your enthusiasm!

The herbs I have started indoors are growing for me.

I know it's a fact of nature. But, it doesn't make me any less excited. 

I'd like to believe they are growing because I give them so much love. I even talk to them to encourage them to grow. (Shhh! Don't tell anyone.) 

Here are the herbs I'm planning to grow (some will be started outside in May).

These will smell divine on the deck and will help me make lots of good salsa, pasta, salad dressings and bruschetta (As Ms. Ray would say - YUMMO!). But, I've also been assembling other ideas to use all the herbs we grow this year. I'll be sharing these on the blog periodically (I know you are on the edge of your seats. Hang on tight!)

Do you have any creative ways to use herbs?

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Herb potting ideas

So, many of us are gearing up for our gardens this year. If you are growing herbs like I am, there are so many different types of containers you could use to hold them. 

My plan for our herbs: 

Not terribly out of the ordinary, but I will be planting in window boxes on the deck - I will be putting the various herbs in aluminum pails. 

It will look kind of like this (only with herbs, of course).

I found the pails on clearance at Gordman's. I may paint them red with white flowers.

Why, you ask? 

• I'm putting it on the deck because it will be close to the kitchen (so it will be easy to get herbs quickly).
  
• I'm putting them in the pails so I can bring in a few of them easily over the winter to use them year-round.

Looking for some more creative - here are some of my favorite ideas from do it yourself.

My personal favorite - tea cups in the kitchen window.

Strawberry pot turned lamp.

Dog bowls turned containers. (Cat nip anyone?)

Vintage coffee pan.

(Photos from diy ideas)

Go beyond the basics! Find more ideas here.

What's your favorite? Are you digging the traditional containers or would you go outside the pot?

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