Archives for April 2011

Expert Developer

Filed Under: General2 Comments

Jesse was so excited this morning to tell me that he had officially been listed as a recommended developer for a theme he uses often. The owner of the themes, or web site templates, contacted him a while ago and asked if he would be interested in being on listed there… and of course he was! Now anyone who purchases this theme has his contact information right there if they need any help with setting up their site.

Developer page

Notice that my site is one of the sites he used this theme for?! I still love that my site looks good enough to be listed in the showcase for the theme, since I helped design it. I’m so proud of how hard Jesse works, and I’m obviously not the only one thinks he does great work. Most of his business comes from recommendations from previous clients. It’s amazing how well word of mouth marketing works when you take the time to make sure your clients are happy with their finished product. Well done, Jesse!

Moroccan Chicken

Filed Under: Recipes2 Comments

When you’re in the mood for something completely different try Moroccan chicken.  This is another recipe from Simple and Delicious.  This easy crock pot meal is full of unique flavors. It may look like a lot of ingredients, but the only thing I had to buy especially for the recipe was the squash… everything else I already had in my pantry.

Prep time: 25 minutes
Cook time: 6 hours

1 1/2 lbs. butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into cubes
1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup chicken broth
1/3 cup raisins
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. ground coriander
2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
8 bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/2 pitted green olives
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1 tbsp. cold water
Hot cooked couscous

Place squash, beans, onion, broth, raisins, and garlic in the slow cooker. Combine coriander, cumin, cinnamon, salt, and pepper; rub over chicken. Place chicken in slow cooker on top of other ingredients.

Veggies

Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until chicken is tender. Add tomatoes and olives during the last 20 minutes of cooking.

Moroccan chicken

Remove chicken and vegetables to a serving platter; keep warm. Skim fat from cooking juices; transfer to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Combine cornstarch and water until smooth; gradually stir into cooking juices. Return to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve with chicken, vegetables and couscous.

Fancy persentation

Do you like my fancy presentation? That’s what it looked like in the magazine! We enjoyed the chicken rub most. I don’t think I’ve used cinnamon on chicken before so that was different and yummy. I made only a few minor changes to the recipe. I used yellow squash instead of butternut because I bought it frozen and that was the only choice. I skipped the olives because I don’t care for them. Obviously, I didn’t use the cornstarch, I used arrowroot. And we had rice instead of couscous. When I make it again I think I would only do half a can of chickpeas, even though I like them they made it a little dryer. I would also double the amount of raisins, because I love raisins and they are so juicy when cooked.

What’s Yours Like?

Filed Under: Family, Food ReviewsLeave a Comment

If you haven’t played this game yet, you should.  Basically, everyone except the guesser knows the word that everyone is describing.  The guesser then has to ask each person what their’s is like.  Each player has to give a truthful answer as to what their’s is like… but their answer doesn’t necessarily have to be helpful to the guesser.

Game

The object of the game is to guess the word by asking as few questions as possible. But they only have vague and not-so-helpful answers to form their guesses from.

Physique

Sounds easy enough, until it’s your turn and you have no idea what people are talking about.  The first word was physique.  So, when asked what’s your like, answers ranged from could use some improvement to larger than it used to be to the result of too much chocolate!

DadsMoms

The answers make perfect sense when you know the word they are intended for, but not so much when you don’t.

Jesse guessing

We had a good time laughing at answers and guesses with both sets of our parents.  My parents hadn’t had a chance to see Jesse’s parents yet, so last night was their last chance before they left. Nothing goes together better than family, dessert, and a game!