Rotini with Chicken, Asparagus, and Tomatoes

This is my most recent amazing recipe. Tom and I both thoroughly enjoyed it. It was absolutely delicious! Of course true to form I did change a few things in it!

8 oz uncooked rotini
1 lb skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/4 inch strips
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 C slices asparagus
2 C cherry tomatoes, halved
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 T chopped fresh basil
2 T balsamic vinegar
1 T olive oil 1/4 C crumbled goat cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-hihg heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Add chicken and asparagus to pan; saute 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and garlic to pan; saute 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in pasta, basil, vinegar, and oil. Arrange 2 cups pasta mixture on each of 4 plates; top each serving with 1 T cheese
4 servings

***I used the noodles we had on hand and I didn't mix them with the mixture but topped the mixture on the noddles. We also used feta cheese because Tom loves it and it is easier to find!!!
Here is a picture before and after the cheese was added.

Tagged

I was tagged by both Michelle & Brittany for this blog! I'm suppose to share 7 random and/or weird facts about myself & tag 7 randam people and the end to continue the chain. Since I'm one of the most random people I know the first part shouldn't be difficult. However the 2nd part should be interesting!!!!

1. I hate the sound of nails on a chalkboard more than anything else in the world probably. Even thinking about the possibility of hearing it makes me break out in chills. When someone even acts like they are going to do it I go craaaaaazy!!! Eeeeeek!

2. I've always loved old musicals. It started when I was a kid. My Grandma & Grandpa Borgholthaus introduced me to my first loves in that field Jeanette MacDonald & Nelson Eddy. Most people have no idea who these people are. I've always loved their movies. Granted they can be a bit corny when viewed in today's world, but still thoroughly enjoyable. Of course my girlfriends and husband are not near as enthusiastic as I am, but they don't know what they're missing.

3. I'm a huge fan of useless information. I can be one of the most random people at the oddest times. Sometimes it takes a little bit to get used to. My girlfriends actually gave me a book once full of useless information! It was one of the most fascinating books I've ever read. I thoroughly enjoyed it! I had wondered myself many of the items in the book!

4. I'm fascinated with vampires. Don't get me wrong, I would never want them to be a reality and I don't dress up like them and pretend they are a reality. I'm not that far off my rocker. But I love reading fictional books and watching fictional movies about them! I think Tom thinks I'm a little batty. He once told me he didn't think I could surprise him with the topic for one of my books. I've read everything from vampires, warewolves & witches to "normal type" books. I enjoy them all!

5. I don't have a hometown. Growing up we moved every 4 or so years. My Dad used to work for First Security Bank. We moved all over the state of Idaho as well as Clarkston, WA (for those of you not familiar with Idaho & Washington Clarkston is just over the border! If my count is right, we moved 7 times before I graduated from highschool (that would be 8 locations). Of course 2 of the locations we lived at twice. It always makes it difficult when I'm explaining where I'm from.

6. I've had a very difficult time picking a major. I am 32 years old and I've finally decided what I want to be when I grow up. Typical of me huh??? I think I've had about 6 different majors that I was sure was what I wanted to do. I am very interested in many different subjects. I had a hard time chosing which one of them I would want to do for the rest of my life. I don't know if that makes me well rounded or undecided. I've finally made my decision. Assuming I don't get pregnant, I'll start my new vocation at the ripe old age of 35 or so. I'm hoping someone will be willing to hire me.

7. I have a strange fascination for cookbooks. Even before I started really cooking, I found myself buying cookbooks I probably would never use. Luckily it was never out of control. It's not like I have a empty room full of them or anything. However I must confess that I have gotten rid of a few of them because I didn't see myself using them. Now that I actually cook I wish I still had them. Ironic huh???

Now I tag Tara, Ashley, Tom, Alicia, Janssen, Leslie, Marie, & Merrick. That's 8 people, but oh well!

My Filipino Dinner

For those that don't know (which is probably most of you) Tom's cousin Christine also went to the Philippines on her mission. However she's been home a much shorter time than I have; so she is still very fluent at Tagalog, where I am not at all!!!! Since Tom and I moved up here we've been talking about going out to dinner to one of the Filipino restaurants here. (It turns out there is quite a large demographic here that are Filipinos! Yeah me!!!!! It's very exciting for me....you probably don't understand how weird I am about this.) One day, a while ago, I mentioned to Christine that we had seen a couple of Filipino restaurants while we've been driving around.

Last week she gave me a call to propose a great idea she had! Her sister (Carolyn) recently got engaged and is getting married next month. Yep....obviously a cool girl to pick the coolest month of the year to get married (our anniversary is Oct 5th!!). We hadn't had the opportunity yet to meet Carolyn's fiance, and she wanted to take him on a ferry ride. So, Christine thought it would be a lot of fun for the three of them to ride the ferry over to our side of the pond and then we could all go out to a Filipino dinner together. The place we were going to go was already closed when we got there (don't ask me why they close at 3 pm on a Saturday???). So, Tom remembered where he had seen another one on google maps. So, we drove over there and eventually found the little Filipino Diner.

We had a great time and I totally enjoyed the dinner. We ended up treating the dishes "family style" and shared several different dishes. Unfortunately, they were out of my favorite dish so I'll have to go back again to have that!!! Bummer! My favorite (I don't even remember what it was called) was a dish I hadn't had since my mission. It had ginger & papaya in it and I pretty much inhaled it! I didn't even remember it, but as soon as it hit my tongue I remembered it in a flash. Tasty!!!

Delicious Recipes

I was told I was suppose to include the recipes for any dishes that I talk about. I don't want to include all the recipes I spoke of, so I'll include my two favorites (which were new recipes I had never made before. If you would like any of the other recipes, let me know!

Summer Tortellini Salad (This is a cold dish)
**I'm also one for using what I have, so I used regular tomatoes, regular onions, parsley out of a bottle, & I grated the cheese we had; but this is what the recipe said. I don't have a picture, but it was very pretty!

1 pkg (9 oz) uncooked refrigerated cheese-filled tortellini
1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
4 green onions with tops, thinly sliced
1/4 C snipped fresh parsley
1/2 C fat-free Ranch Salad Dressing
2 T grated fresh Parmesan Cheese

Cook tortellini according to pkg directions; drain and rinse under cold running water. Set aside.

Slice zucchini, chop carrot, cut cherry tomatoes in half, & thinly slice onions.

Add vegetables to tortellini in a bowl. Pour salad dressing over salad. Grate cheese over salad & mix gently. Cover; refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.


Chicken Tortilla Soup

4 Corn Tortillas (I used Flour)
1/2 C Onion, chopped
3 boneless, skinless Chicken Breast halves (about 12 oz)
1 Garlic clove, pressed
1/4 tsp Chili Powder
1/4 tsp Cumin
2 cans (14.5 oz each) Chicken Broth
1 can (14.5 oz) diced Tomatoes, undrained
1 can (4 oz) chopped Green Chilies, undrained
4 tsp fresh Cilantro, snipped (didn't use)
2 oz reduced-fat Cheddar Cheese, shredded (used what I had)
4 thick slices Fresh Lime (optional) (didn't use)

Prehead oven to 400 degrees. Cut tortillas into 1/2 inch strips & place on flat baking sheet or stone. Bake 7-8 min or until crisp

Meanwhile, chop onion & cut chicken into 1/2 inch pieces. Heat soup pan over medium high heat. Spray with vegetable oil. Add chicken; cook and stir 3 minutes (I just cooked them until they were done). Add onion, garlic, chili powder, & cumin. Cook & stir for 2 minutes. Stir in broth, tomatoes & chilis. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.

Snip cilantro. Devide tortilla stripps among 4 bowls. Ladle soup over tortillas & shred cheese over top. Sprinkle soup with cilantro. Garnish each bowl with line slice, if desired

**I've also had it with a dab of sour cream on top!!

I hope you enjoy these recipes. Tom & I really enjoyed them!! I made banana bread last week. A little overcooked but pretty good if I do say so myself!!! Yeah me!!!

Cooking

I've always been kind of insecure about my cooking skills. That was actually one of our first fights (if you can call it that....we didn't argue really), when Tom said something jokingly about something I made and I of course took it personally because of my insecurities. My friend, Shelli, was there at the time and quickly informed Tom that cooking is not something to tease me about. Friends are great aren't they!!!!

As some of you may know, I'm being a housewife right now while we're trying to get our puppy trained enough to be able to leave him for longer than 3 hours at a time. (At least we can go on a date and to church!!!) Because I'm not used to being home all day every day I'm trying to make myself useful while I'm here. I keep the house clean, all the housework done, & I'm trying to become a better cook. Don't get me wrong....I did cook, just not a lot. (Because I worked a lot, cooking was way down the list of things I wanted to do when I got home after a 10 hour day....EXHAUSTED!!!!) (I'm just not a superwoman like my cousins...you know who you are) Also, I generally didn't branch out a lot. I stuck to my handful of recipes that I was pretty good at. I'm a pro at stir-fry and Lo-Main. I also had a few recipes that I learned my my girlfriends when I was living there. I've also made Potato Rolls a few times (it's my Mom's recipe)....it's always a hit. If you've never had Potato Rolls let me know and I'll email you the recipe. It's one of my favorites!!!!

Most nights when Tom gets home I'm trying to either have a homemade meal or leftovers from a previous meal. I'm also trying to be better at only buying the groceries I'm actually going to use. I was horrible at that!!! Some of the meals I've made, haven't been terribly pretty but they've all tasted great. Which is really what's been important to Tom. I've made a few recipes that were great, but I neglected to take pictures of them! These are the recipes: Summer Tortellini Salad (Pampered Chef), Chili Cornbread Skillet (Pampered Chef), Chicken Tortilla Soup (Pampered Chef), Chicken Enchiladas, & Savory Chicken Squares (Shelli's Cookbook)

I was able to get a couple of pictures.....they're not very good though. They looked so much better in person.

The first picture is ChickenTortilla Soup & the 2nd one is Savory Chicken Squares (which I have cooked before)

Weekend With My Friends

For those of you that don't know my girlfriends (Tammie, Shelli, & Tracy) they are insane travelholics (is that a word?). They go on several trips a year all over the world. This benefits me because they are very sweet and bring me presents!

Before we even moved to Silverdale, they were planning their trip here. Unfortunately for my parents, they planned the trip before my parents told me they had thought of coming up the same weekend. Unfortunately for me, now I have to wait a year for my parents to visit me. They think they have to wait until the next Labor Day (why I don't know). Anyway, my girlfriends bought their tickets to come visit me for Labor Day before we left Salt Lake City. I was really happy about this because I was not looking forward to saying goodbye to them and this kind of broke it up and made it a little easier.

They arrived early Friday morning (Aug 29th). The airport is actually over inbetween Tacoma and Seattle, so I had to get up a little early in order to be there on time. Because Jake was still very little we couldn't leave him at home all day (still can't actually). He's sometimes a little difficult to control when I'm the only one in the car so Jake got to travel to the airport in his crate. He wasn't happy about this at first. He wined for a bit to let me know he was not happy. Shelli & Tracy (who sat in the back seat) entertained him for the rest of our traveling that day so he didn't have to travel like that again. That day we found our way (luckily because I had never driven there by myself) to Pikes Place Market which is one of the many famous attractions of Seattle. It's an open air market that actually reminds me a little of the Philippines. They sell fish, vegtables, fruit, flowers & many kinds of decorations. It's a lot of fun and definitely a cool experience if you've never been there. Jake got to spend a little time in his crate in the car waiting for us because they don't let animals in the enclosed building with the food. He had a nice nap, but was happy when we returned. We then returned to Silverdale and they got to see our new apartment and we met up with Tom after he got off of work. We then went to dinner at a cool harborside restaurant called The Boat Shed. We all had a lot of fun and I think we all loved our meals.
Saturday morning we left to go on a drive up the Olympic Peninsula. We stopped at several different light houses. It was a beautiful drive and we really enjoyed ourselves. As a side note, we picked up an area information paper with a note about Forks, WA. For those of you poor uninformed people....that's the location of the fictional characters in Stephanie Meyers Twilight books. They have started a Stephanie Meyers Day on "Bella's" birthday. What a hoot! Not something I would go to, but an entertaining thought!

Sunday was of course a relaxing day with church and an easy day hike. I use hike very loosely. There is this cute trail that meanders through town (however there is tons of trees so you would have no idea you were in town at all)! We took a nice leisurely walk through this trail. It was very pretty, relaxing & a nice Sunday outing. Jake also enjoyed it, but by the end he was pretty beat!

Monday was their last day here and we decided we would go back to Seattle on the way to the airport (their flight wasn't until that evening) to see some of the rest of the sights. This time instead of driving, we took the ferry to Seattle. Luckily we got one of the big ones with the open walkway on the top floor. Tom and I took one of these big ferries one night a few weeks ago. It was so cool to stand on the top floor and look at the open water in the dark night!!!! Beautiful!

For lunch we went to the world famous restaurant Ivars, my Dad has ranted about their clam chowder since he went to a business school here years ago. I wouldn't know though since I don't like clam chowder so I didn't try it. Tracy did though and said it is the best clam chowder she's ever had.

After dinner we went to the aquarium. It's a really neat aquarium. The coolest part was when we saw a octopus. We only got to show them the Space Needle from a distance because downtown was shut down for a yearly event they have every Labor Day. But it was close enough that they got to see it really well. Maybe next time we'll go to dinner there! We also went to see the Troll under the bridge that Tom tells me is in the movie "10 Things I Hate About You". I don't remember it. I guess I'm going to have to watch it again. This was also the day Tom got starstruck and saw his celebrity sighting. See his blog for more info!

That was the end of our sightseeing, but we have enough things to show them to last us maybe the next 3 trips they come to see us!!! We had a lot of fun and I hope they come again soon!

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