Chicken Paprikash

So this one was another first for me. Ok, perhaps this is not a strong or shocking statement since I am only now learning to cook much of anything, but none the less, a new recipe.

Chicken Paprikash. 

Cool name. Based on the Paprika in the recipe.

Tell the truth, you say this with a certain flair...

Paprikash!

It almost requires a Hungarian accent!

Ok, back to it.

Start by slicing one onion thinly.

Add them to a hot pan with 2 TBSP olive oil

Then slice a fresh red bell pepper, as thin as you can.

Add that to your pan and saute'

Add 1.5 pounds of chicken breast in strips

Cook till chicken is browned and juices run clear

Add garlic, paprika and salt

Cook another 5 minutes

When chicken is cooked through, add chicken broth, reduce to medium-low heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add sour cream and stir through till warm.

Serve over your choice of:

Organic Brown Rice

Zucchini Noodles

etc...

Tommy was a little skeptical, but in the end, all 5 boys ate up every bite.

(and NOT just because they wanted dessert!)

Chicken Paprikash

2 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil

1 onion, thinly sliced

1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 1/2 lbs. chicken tenders

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 TBSP smoked paprika

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1/2 c. chicken broth

1 c. sour cream

The Birthday Quilt

When I was quite young, my Mom began learning to quilt. I can remember one large quilt that moved with us from house to house and was never finished.

You think maybe having 5 kids had something to do with that particular project falling to the wayside?

Anyway, in recent years, she has resumed her quilting and is even involved in a local quilter's guild. She's done lots of great projects, including wall hangings, quilted tree skirts and blankets.

When Tommy turned 7, she presented him with a beautiful quilt for his birthday!

Little did she know then, just how many birthday quilts were in her future!

Colin had joined our family just 2 months before Tommy's birthday, so she got to work on one for his 15th birthday.

These are handmade quilts and take hours upon hours of tedious work to put together, so she made this one for Colin and presented it to him at his first US Birthday party in August, 2012.

While she was creating that beautiful masterpiece, well, you guessed it. We returned to China to bring home our now middle son, Cameron. 

Cameron's quilt was a bright blend with reds, purples, blues and browns.

It was only a few months after Cameron came home that we felt called back to bring Cooper into our family. 

Half way through the work on Cooper's quilt, Tom announces to Granny that we might just need a 5th one!

Yep, that was his way of announcing that we were bringing home Connor AND Cooper.

The boys came home in March of 2013 and Cooper received his quilt on his birthday in May.

This was his best "vampire" impression!

One year later, we were able to present Connor with his birthday quilt. He waited the longest for his, but now all 5 Rylands boys have their very own keepsake quilt from Granny. 

Happy 15th birthday, Connor!

They all love them and think they look great, but something tells me that it will be many, many years from now when they really appreciate the value of these gifts.

Our "Middles" Room

It has been a long time since I posted a room renovation, and well, that's because it's been a long time since I've had time to work on any of our "house projects".

If you are new to our little piece of blog heaven, then you can read about our renovation of this new home here. You can also search by clicking on the label "House Renovation" on the right side of the blog. 

We focused most of our efforts early on, to that which needed replaced and then to the cosmetic changes needed in the main downstairs living areas. 

Bedrooms were down on the list of priorities.  We completed the "littles" bedroom first, but it took many months before we got around to the next one. 

Here is a "before" photo of the "Middles" room. This would be the room that Connor and Cameron share. 

One consistent truth amongst our adopted boys is that they all LOVE the color BLUE. 

Connor, though, is especially fond of teal, turquoise, and other bright and deep hues. 

So, when I took the two of them to Lowes to choose colors for their room, they went bold and bright. A deep teal!

Let the painting begin...

After renting for so many years, to say I was "over" cream walls would be a serious understatement!

BORING.

Note the bunk beds. Until now, they slept in bunks,
but with the renovation at hand, they asked if they
could detach the bunks and sleep on one level, so that is what we did. 

This was definitely a bold attempt on my part to do a chevron with no real knowledge on how to do it!  It isn't perfect, but then again, it was only one, so not too too noticeable. 

My next step (which took awhile to finish) was to paint the wooden cubbies a matching yellow. 

It looks so nice in there! 

With a coupon from the paper, I was able to get some plain wooden, open backed frames to place around the scripture canvases that our dear friend Olivia painted as a gift for each of our boys!

I painted the frames to match the accent yellow.

Oh look, I caught a giggling teenager!

And here is the view from the closet to the hall door.

A respectable teenage room now!

Brussels Sprouts Au Gratin- Oh YUM!

This is a side dish that I'd been waiting to make for a couple of weeks now.

We finally got a night that Tom and I were home together and we tag teamed dinner!

After working all day (with 5 boys at my office!) and Tom working most of the afternoon, I wasn't sure we'd get it pulled together, but we did!

Tom took care of the meat on the grill and I tackled this amazing side dish!

First, you start with a pound of Brussels sprouts.

Trim the ends and place in microwave safe bowl.

 Add 1 c. water to bowl and cover.

Cook for 5 minutes, then drain.

(Note: If you aren't a fan of microwaving food, or if you don't have one, just plan on baking them for about 20 minutes in water, then proceed)

Meanwhile, get a handsome assistant. In our case, we used Cameron, age 12, to grate our fresh Parmesan cheese. 

Measure out cheese, salt, pepper, and almond flour and mix.

Then, cut in 2 TBSP butter (not melted) into this flour/cheese mixture till it is crumbly.

Once the sprouts are cooked and drained well, toss in 1 TBSP of butter till covered.

Next, pour from bowl into shallow baking dish.

Cover with 1/2 c. heavy cream.

Add on the flour/cheese mixture and crumble it over the mixture.

Then, add the last little bit of freshly grated Parm.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes till golden brown and bubbly.

We clearly didn't make a large enough batch, though we all did get a small portion. Next time I will surely double this recipe for our large, hungry crowd.

It got thumbs up all around and there was a request to "do this one again!"

Brussels Sprouts Gratin

(per Wheat Belly Cookbook)

1 pound fresh Brussels Sprouts

1 C. water

3 TBSP. butter, divided

1/4 c. almond meal/flour

1/4 c. plus 3 TBSP grated fresh Parmesan cheese

1/4 tsp. sea salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1/2 c. heavy cream

Bedroom Makeover #1: Tommy & Cooper

One of the blessings of this new home is going from 3 small bedrooms to 5!

Even though we didn't gain a ton of square footage over our previous home, what we did gain was much needed bedrooms and a rec room for the boys.

In our old house, Cameron, Tommy and Cooper all shared a bedroom. A very small bedroom.

In this house, Cameron now shares with Connor, so the youngest two boys have a room to themselves. 

I had a vague idea of what I wanted to do in their rooms and so theirs was the first bedroom that I tackled.

When we moved in, it was lavender.


 Well, that needed to change, so we went with a bright, light blue.

Then, we went ahead and painted the bunk beds that we were given to us a bright kelly green.

Then came the hard part.

STRIPES.


Two widths of painter's tape and several hours later… I begin to paint in our stripes.

The tape is finally peeled off and ta-da!

This took a lot of patience and a good level!

Add in two matching comforters, some art and a large map of the USA and we are almost done.

My mom found this cute valance at a local goodwill and so that was the finishing touch.

Lastly, our dear friend Olivia painted these canvases to match the dark blue on the walls and stenciled some of our favorite scriptures for above the boys' beds.

Thanks O!