Do You Have Daughters? Have I Got a Give Away for You!

by kathilipp | Apr 21, 2009 | frontpage, Uncategorized | 11 comments

Recently, my kids (Justen,18 and Kimber 16) and I had an opportunity to go to a Steam Punk Ball.

Yep, I didn’t know what it was, either.

Here is what Wikipedia says about it: “Steampunk is a sub-genre of fantasy and speculative fiction that came into prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s. The term denotes works set in an era or world where steam power is still widely used—usually the 19th century, and often Victorian era
England—but with prominent elements of either science fiction or fantasy, such as fictional technological inventions like those found in the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne, or real technological developments like the computer occurring at an earlier date.”

Here is what a Steamtop Computer would look like:

We were invited to the ball by Young Adult Fiction author Shelley Adina, creator of the All About Us Series of books. My kids fell in love with Shelley – Kimber because she got to dress up in all of Shelley’s Victorian garb, Justen, because she shares the same agent as Jim Butcher, his favorite author. Here is a picture of the girls before the ball:

So the other cool thing is that Shelley is giving us three of her books in the All About Us series. I will be giving away all three of the books to one of the readers who leaves a comment on today’s post.

These books are great for the young ladies in your house, but I have to let you know, they are a guilty pleasure for me as well. (Think Gossip Girl without the smut…) You can find out more about Shelley and all of her books at: Shelley’s Website

How cool is that? Not only could you win a set of books for your girl, you can shock her by knowing with Steam Punk is…

First Give-Away of the Week – The Frozen Gourmet

by kathilipp | Apr 20, 2009 | frontpage, Uncategorized | 10 comments

It was suppose to be a beautiful “lay-around-the-house-after-church” Sunday yesterday. That is until the car thermometer hit 95 degrees. Ugh. Too hot and sticky to lay around.

So Roger and I decided to go out for dinner – hit an air conditioned restaurant and cool off. So we went out – and once we ordered our Grilled Polenta appetizers we realized that we picked the only restaurant in modern America that did not have air conditioning. Double Ugh.

So in celebration of hot-sticky weather, I am sharing one of my favorite Frozen Gourmet Recipes that’s perfect for BBQing. (Oh, and if you are like my agent who Twittered about how the sun was gleaming off the snow in Colorado this morning, this recipe is great for the oven as well…)

Also, I will be giving away a copy of my cookbook The Frozen Gourmet this Friday, randomly drawn from one of the commenters to this posting. Let me know what your favorite hot weather dish is – two chances to win if you actually include the recipe!

Teriyaki Chicken

We make this marinade again and again – it is much better than any prepared marinade you can find in the store.

4 each    Chicken legs and thighs (or use six chicken breasts)

1/2 cup    Soy sauce

3 tbs    Honey

1 tsp    Grated, fresh ginger

2 tbs    Dry sherry (optional)

1 clove    Garlic, minced

2    Green onions, thinly sliced

1. Prepare: Place the chicken in a gallon plastic bag. Mix the remaining ingredients together in a bowl. Pour the mixture over the chicken. Seal the bag.

2. Freeze: Place your bag in another gallon bag and lay flat in the freezer.

3. Serve: Defrost the chicken. Pour off marinade and bake chicken in a pan at 350° for 30- 40 minutes, (or until no longer pink in the center.)

Servings: 4

Monday is Man Food – Chicken Cacciatore

by kathilipp | Jan 11, 2009 | frontpage, Uncategorized | 0 comments

I love this Chicken Cacciatore – not only is it delicious – it freezes Beautifully… So you can make batches and freeze for a quick dinner over pasta, mashed potatoes or rice.

This is from my booklet, The Frozen Gourmet.

This booklet has the top 20 recipes from my freezer cooking club – Six Chicks Freeze and Fix. You can check out the booklet here at:My Bookstore 

Print

Chicken Cacciatore

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

• 1 lb Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 tbs Vegetable oil
• 1.25 cup Onion
• 2 cup Mushrooms
• 28 oz Crushed tomatoes in puree
• 2 tbs Parsley
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 2 tsp Italian Seasoning
• 1 tsp Basil
• Parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Prepare: Cut chicken into cubes. Slice onions and mushrooms. Chop garlic.

    Cooking: In a large skillet, sauté chicken in vegetable oil until no longer pink in the center. Remove chicken from skillet and sauté onions, mushrooms, and garlic until the onions are transparent. Add chicken and remaining ingredients except for Parmesan cheese. Simmer for 15 minutes. Allow sauce to cool.
   

   Freeze: Freeze in a 13×9 pan.
   

   Serve: Thaw sauce in the refrigerator overnight. Place the foil-covered pan in a 350° oven for 30 minutes to warm. Serve over pasta or mashed potatoes.
   

I like to serve this with a crisp salad and rosemary bread.

What I Like About You Wednesday

by kathilipp | Jan 6, 2009 | frontpage, Uncategorized | 15 comments

I want you to brag on your husband today, and I have just the right place to do it – here on this blog. Tell the world why your husband rocks and you could win Table Talk:50 Conversion Starters to Restore the Lost Art of Dinnertime Conversation

Put it in the comments of today’s blog and one winner will be randomly chosen on Monday.

I will kick things off: My husband rocks because…

he makes our bed every single day (even if I am still in it sometimes – but hey, I am not complaining…)

Taking Care of You Tuesday

by kathilipp | Jan 6, 2009 | frontpage, Uncategorized | 1 comment

First off – let me apologize for the blog yesterday. Between seeing it in my screen to it getting it to your computer – well, it went a little crazy.

 Taking Care of You Tuesday

Not only does you husband want a hot wife – he deserves a hot wife! time to make sure you are taking care of yourself.

All I want you to do today is go find some lotion in your house. If you are anything like me, you have bottles of lotion in the downstairs bath, under the master bath sink and tucked throughout the house. Also, if you are like me, you hardly ever think to use it.

Take just 60 seconds and go use that lotion – on your hands, on your heels, rubbed into your elbows – whatever will make you feel cared for and loved!