Something to write in my "cute diary"

Today my little Annabelle (3) had to go to the bathroom after her nap, so as I met her in the hallway she said, "I have to go potty, so I went as fast as my little legs could go".
SO CUTE!

(the above picture was taken a few weeks ago, I just thought you might want to put a face (an oh so cute face) with a name.

One thing I learned this weekend

When pudding freezes it isn't that great. The milk in the pudding freezes into hard slivers and doesn't cut well. When you bite into a piece of frozen pudding, it isn't smooth and creamy and dreamy, it is more like chewing a melting porcupine.
The next time I want to make a frozen pie, I will use ice cream, or just follow a recipe like most normal people do.

Kid Kabobs

So maybe the title is a little misleading.
No they aren't made out of kids, they are made FOR kids!

I wanted to make a fun lunch for the kids for their first day of summer break, and these things just kind of evolved. You can use whatever you want. I used chunks of PB & J's, cantaloupe, honey dew melon, cheese, apple and pretzel rings. The kids loved them.

Enjoy!

Sticky Lemon Chicken

Only the best chicken you will ever eat!

Don't believe me? Just try it. I dare you.

I got this recipe out of our local newspaper a few years ago, and it is amazing! It is SO flavorful and juicy. I must admit, I'm guilty of gluttony every time I make it.
It takes a little bit of prep time but is very, very worth it.


8-10 dark pieces of chicken meat (please don't use the neck or any other part of the chicken that isn't normally consumed in the US.)
1/2 tsp sea salt
freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 head of garlic, halved horizontally
2-3 sprigs thyme (or 1 TBS. dried thyme, if you don't buy fresh herbs)
1/4 cup sherry vinegar (I could not find this at the store so I bought cooking sherry)
1/4 cup plus 2 TBS. honey
1/4 cup dark soy sauce
1 lemon finely sliced
3/4 cup hot water
1/2 bunch flat Italian parsley chopped

1. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large, nonstick skillet over high heat. Cook chicken, garlic and thyme in batches if necessary, turning as needed until golden brown, 4-5 minutes per side.
2.Return all chicken to the pan; add sherry. Cook over medium heat until liquid is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add honey and soy sauce, shake pan to mix.
Add lemon slices and hot water; raise heat to medium high. Cook until liquid has reduced to a syrup, 10-15 minutes. If chicken has not cooked through, add more hot water if necessary; continue cooking till done.
Remove to platter and sprinkle with parsley. Serve with hot cooked rice.

Enjoy!

Another day at the Nichols Restaurant...

Our daily schedule is as follows:

make breakfast, serve breakfast, eat breakfast, clean up breakfast, clean the kids up from breakfast,

prepare mid morning snack, serve snack, watch kids eat snack, clean up snack, clean kids up from snack,

prepare lunch, serve lunch, eat lunch, clean up from lunch, clean the kids up from lunch
prepare afternoon snack, serve afternoon snack, eat afternoon snack, clean up afternoon snack, clean the kids up from afternoon snack

prepare second afternoon snack (after mommy finally caves from the kids clutching their stomachs and screeching from hunger pains) serve second afternoon snack, eat second afternoon snack, clean up second afternoon snack, clean kids up from second afternoon snack

prepare dinner, serve dinner, eat dinner, clean up dinner, clean kids up from dinner,

prepare bedtime snack, eat bedtime snack, clean up bedtime snack, clean kids up from bedtime snack...

And people wonder what stay at home moms do all day???

The Best Fish Ever!

This is my favorite way to eat tilapia, or any fish for that matter.
It comes out SOOO tender, flaky and juicy!

It is so fast and simple.
Ready for my secret? Ok, look at the picture below.

I use 2 thicknesses of foil, crinkle up the edges to keep the juices from dripping into the grill.
I spray them with baking spray, place the thawed fillets on, sprinkle them with MCCormicks Salmon Seasoning, then put lemon slices and a few pats of butter on them. I loosely cover them with another piece of foil, and grill them for 7-10 minutes, without flipping.
That's it.
The most delicious fish you will ever eat.

Enjoy!

Neapolitan Cake

Ya know those neapolitan candies made with sugar, coconut, sugar, coloring, and more sugar?
Well I absolutely LOVE them. I have loved them since I was a kid. And more recently I was dreaming of a cake that tasted like those candies. I day dreamed about making a neapolitan cake for months, and I finally did it.
And let me just say, it was marvelous!

The top layer was strawberry, the middle was chocolate, the bottom layer was coconut, and it was covered with chocolate ganache. It was a cake fit for a king.
I kind of cheated, with the strawberry and coconut layers. I used a boxed mix of white cake, divided it and then added my special goodies. You can do that or make it from scratch, whatever you have time and patience for. For the chocolate layer, I made 1/2 a recipe of my fave chocolate cake, Hersheys special dark cake. Yum-my! You can use that recipe or split a box of chocolate.
You'll need 3 cake pans the same size, or bake them at separate times.

Here is the recipe: (as I remember it. You know I never measure things. Sorry)
for the pink and white layers:
one box of white cake mix prepared and divided into 2 parts
1/2 cup strawberry jam
1 tsp. strawberry extract
red food coloring if desired
1 cup flaked, sweetened coconut pulsed in a food processor until fine
1 tsp. coconut extract

Mix the strawberry jam and strawberry extract into one part, color with red coloring if desired. Pour into greased 9" round cake pan. Set aside to bake with the other cakes.
Mix the coconut and coconut extract into the other part of white cake, pour into greased, 9" cake pan. Set aside and make chocolate layer.

for the chocolate layer:
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1/3 cup Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa
3/4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup veg. oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 boiling water

Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in large bowl. Add egg, milk, oil, and vanilla; beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into greased 9" cake pan.

Bake all 3 cakes for 30-35 minutes or until cooked through. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes before transferring to wire racks. Let cool completely. Layer the 3 cakes on top of each other.

For the ganache:

16 oz chocolate chips (real ones)
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
4 Tbs. butter

Put chocolate chips in a bowl and set aside. Heat the cream and butter on medium heat just until boiling. Immediately pour over chocolate. Let sit for 5 minutes. Whisk until well combined. At this point it may be thick enough to pour over the cake. Test it to see how fast it drips. You want to wait until it is thick enough to make a good thick coating on the cake.
Pour half of the ganache over cake and spread over side with scraper or basting brush. After the "crumb coat" is done, pour the rest on the cake and allow to drip over the sides.
Refrigerate until firm.

Enjoy!