What I did last night:

4/7/10

Destroying the living room is a regular activity for Madelyn, so this was not much of a detour from the normal Tuesday evenings we enjoy here. I had gotten a package in the mail filled with lovely, puffy styrofoam, which she tossed in the air to make it "snow" and then for good measure, she took a baby blanket and flumph! made sure that she flapped a bunch of it under the couches and recliner. Without wearing any pants, of course.

As an added bonus, once we cleaned up and vacuumed, the couch cushions were all over the floor so we could act out "Humpty Dumpty", which she recently learned in preschool. The excitement just never ends.

(Yes, that's a Strawberry Shortcake bib. It's actually one of our favorite drool catchers because it's so big and absorbent.)

Crash!

Luke had his six month checkup yesterday also and at 17 lbs. 11 oz. was in the 50% percentile for weight and at 26 inches was 40% percentile for height. His head circumference was in the 25% percentile, but I always say it's better to have a dainty head than a great big watermelon one. Am I right? He had four immunizations and is very healthy and doing great. I love my little Mister.

Anyway, then I tried a new recipe from my friend Amber called Evil Chicken. (Presumably because of the fat content, or the fact that it's red.)

See? This is why I don't use my own food pictures. It looks gross!

It tasted like campfire food, probably because I used hickory smoked bacon, which I totally charred and so only used half of the suggested amount of 1 lb. You can prevent this by prepping the chicken BEFORE you start cooking.... It was very tasty but not healthy in the least. I think it turned out fine only using 1/2 lb. of bacon. There was still plenty of grease to go around.

Evil Chicken

adapted from Amber Williams' recipe

1/2 lb. bacon, cut into bite size pieces
1/2-1 lb. chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces
2 T chili powder
1 cup brown sugar
up to 1/2 cup water, as needed
rice

In large skillet, cook bacon over medium high heat until nearly done. Do not drain. Stir in chicken and chili powder. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until bacon and chicken are fully cooked.

Add brown sugar and cook until dissolved and sauce begins to thicken, about 4-5 minutes. Add water if necessary to thin*, but keep in mind it's a glaze so you want it to coat the chicken.

Serve over hot rice.

*I didn't use any water when I made it and it was fine

By the way, my brother Kevin has just decided to MOVE on Monday to the middle of nowhere (a.k.a. Hanksville, UT, outside of Capitol Reef National Park) to manage a motel. Boo. So I suppose I'll have to start thinking about a proper send off. Any ideas?