Savory Chicken Saute

OK, yet another funky picture from my phone.  But this was a new recipe.  We had it for dinner last night and it was yummy, so I wanted to share!  I made this for two people, so you might want to double this if you are feeding more people.  The chicken recipe came from the South Beach Diet cookbook, the veggies are mine, but they are also South Beach Diet approved. :)

2 chicken breasts (I cut them into smaller pieces)
2 Tbs Olive Oil
1/2 of an Onion
1 clove of Garlic
1 1/2 tsp of Rosemary
1/4 C. chicken broth
3 or 4 Mushrooms sliced (optional of course)

The mushrooms were not in the recipe, but we love them and I thought it sounded good so I added them. They fit in perfectly.
Heat oil in a skillet. 
Add chicken and cook about 4 minutes each side or until your comfort of "done ness". 
Add onion, cover and cook on medium to low for about 5 minutes. 
Add garlic, rosemary, a little pepper, mushrooms and chicken broth and continue to cook until onion and mushrooms are completely cooked.
Remove lid and simmer until almost all juice is cooked down. 
I served this with cheesy squash and roasted zucchini.
Slice and boil two yellow squash in a saucepan with some onion and a little seasoned salt. 
Drain it and top with shredded cheddar cheese. 
I usually eat this with crackers and it's yummy.
Spray oil in a baking dish at least 9 or 10 ". 
Slice two zucchini and place in one layer and sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder.  Drizzle with Olive oil and bake at 350 degrees until cooked. 
Optional: After it's done, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and cook a few minutes longer. (It's good either way!)
ENJOY!

Another surprise flower!

My phone takes awful pictures, but this clump of what almost looks like Monkey Grass started blooming in our front flower bed today!  Perfect bell shaped true blue flowers!  Appropriately named Bluebells!  So pretty!  A nice surprise on this dreary day.

Adventurous day as a "fireman"!

This is an awful picture of me!  But it was an interesting day!  A friend of ours wanted to burn off his front yard.  He does it to get rid of weeds and let the grass grow in better.  While he and Clay were raking leaves into the fire, I held the hose keeping a wet line around the area and watching for any fly away flames.  It was kind of fun!  And nothing caught in fire except what was suposed to, so it was a good time!

Unusual wild flower in the yard!

Because this is our first spring in our new house the discoveries of spring plants blooming and popping up every year is even more exciting than usual!  This is one of my favorite times of year for this very reason and I have been waiting all winter to find what plants we might have that we didn't already know about!  Here are a few pictures of some that we've discovered so far!  The first picture is one that was a complete surprise and that took a bit of research to identify.  It is a Chokeberry shrub.  The flowers are pure white, a very unusual shape in the center, with interesting buds and a slight fragrance.  It is supposed to have berries in the summer and striking fall foliage.  I didn't notice it this past fall, but then it is on the edge of our property in a wooded area and not where we go everyday.  The second picture is a small Daffodil that smells amazing!  The strongest I've ever smelled!  And so pretty!  Below is a small white Daffodil.  There is also a large white with an orange center and yelow of various sizes but I didn't get pictures of those.  We have also identified what we think is a wild plum, several actually, in the back and just beyond our property.  They have beautiful white and pink flowers, just like apple trees, but we saw the fruit this summer and Clay thinks they were plums, not apples.  In addition to these there are several wild flowers in the yard that are so pretty.  We have white flowers about the size of a dime, which is pretty large considering.  These combined with the tons of violets have basically taken over the back yard.  And the front yard is a haze of purple.  I'm not ready to cut them down, but Clay is dying to cut the grass.  So we will enjoy them while we can.  I'm just glad spring is finally here!

Our Saucer Magnolia!

I have waited a year for this!  This time last year we were just considering buying this house.  I brought my friend Hope by to see the house but the owner was here and we couldn't look around (she didn't live here, was just here working on the house or something), but over the house I could see this tree blooming.  So I have been waiting ever since to see it up close.  It was even nicer that it began blooming right at my birthday!  It is the largest of these trees I have ever seen and it is right at the edge of our patio.  So beautiful.  This picture doesn't do it justice.  With pink and white blooms as large as the palm of your hand, it is one of the most beautiful of all blooming trees!

Broccoli Cheese Soup

This is a quick easy soup and makes a delicious lunch or addition to dinner!  Makes about 4 or 5 medium sized bowls.

1/4 C Butter or Margarine
1/4 C flour
2 1/2 C Milk
2 1/2 C Chicken broth
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 C cheese (mix of cheddar and Velveeta)
1 C Broccoli

Cook broccoli (I mash slightly with potato masher)
Melt butter in a large saucepan
Mix in flour and cook, stirring constantly until thick and bubbly
Mix in milk, chicken broth, salt and pepper
Bring to a boil, then simmer about 10 minutes, sauce should thicken
Mix in cheese, stir until blended ( I use mostly 2% cheddar and then about 3 slices of processed cheese slices)
Mix in cooked broccoli
Cook about another 5 minutes

NOTE: If you use dry chicken broth (cubes or powder) in water to make broth, taste before adding any salt.