Fall(ish)

Playdates with new Kindergarten friends

New clips and pedals for a 9 year old!

The one rainy day we've had in months

Haunted House decorating

Hanging out on the goal posts while big sis plays soccer

It's hard to believe it's fall with the 90 degree weather we've been having again in Southern California.  But, we've picked out our pumpkins (can't carve them until right before Halloween or they'll rot) and our Halloween costumes, made pumpkin muffins, and made a cute gingerbread haunted house (my super nice neighbor brought a kit over for the girls).  Since it's still so warm, not to mention we're running from soccer practice, piano lessons, and tennis most evenings, we've still been eating salads, as opposed to soup, for dinner a lot of evenings.  This new recipe from Trader Joe's was delish and will be making a reappearance!

Portabello & Arugula Salad (4 side dish servings)
Trader Joe's recipe

7 oz arugula
6 oz portabella mushrooms
1 T minced shallots
1 T olive oil
1 T balsamic vinegar
3 T pine nuts, lightly toasted
1/2 c. crumbled goat cheese.

Saute shallots in olive oil until translucent.  Toss in mushrooms and cook until tender.  Transfer to a bowl.  Toss with arugula.  Add balsamic and pine nuts.  Add salt to taste.  Top with goat cheese

Football season!

It's football season and that time of year where I usually bust out my crockpot to make my life easier. One of my easy Monday night or Sunday afternoon meals is to make sliders with shredded chicken.  I know a lot of people do this by making pulled pork, but if you use boneless chicken thighs, it's not dry, it's a little healthier, and just as easy.

I usually start by putting a combination of chicken breasts and thighs (boneless, skinless) in the crockpot, and I pour either half of a can of beer or about a cup of chicken broth over the top.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and if you want, add a thinly sliced onion and cook on low for 4-6 hours.

After that, take two forks and shred the chicken.  Drain off almost all of the liquid.  At this point, to accommodate my kids, I divide the meat into two batches and make BBQ chicken with one half (add a bottled bbq sauce and stir).  Then, I usually do something spicier with the other half.

Buffalo Chicken Sliders:  I use Frank's Red Hot sauce and stir it with the shredded chicken until it's well-coated. Then, I toast the slider buns under the broiler and melt crumbled bleu cheese onto half of the bun.  Top with the buffalo chicken and serve!  These little slider buns are from Trader Joe's but my kids also like the Hawaiian Rolls or flour tortillas with the BBQ chicken and melted cheddar or jack cheese.