A Yummy Spring Salad

I started a recipe exchange in our ward and we met for the first time on Tuesday. It was a lot of fun to just sit, eat and chat with friends. Every recipe has to be healthy-meaning, as little processed food and sugar and saturated fat as possible. Our theme this time was spring salads. One of my favorites was this one that I want to share. It is a hardy salad, so even the males in our lives will enjoy it, and it is a one-dish dinner-which I love. Enjoy!!

Warm Chicken & Asparagus Salad -Sis. Shaw
-12 baby red potatoes
-6 bonelss half chicken breasts
-1/2 tsp ground pepper
-1/2 tsp salt
-1/4 c chicken broth or white wine
-1 tbsp minced fresh basil
-1 tbsp minced freash parsley
-1 bunch of asparagus (I also use TJs Brittany Blend of beans)
-2 c mixed greens or spinach

DRESSING
-1 large shallot minced
-2 cloves garlic minced
-2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
-3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
-3 tbsp rice vinegar
-1/4 c olive oil
-2 tbsp white wine (cooking type is fine)
-2 tbsp fresh dill
-1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 325. Put chicken in a baking dish, season with salt and pepper, add wine, basil, and parsley. Bake for 30 mins. Cut breasts diagnally making 3 slices

Cut potatoes in half and put in a large pot to steam over boiling water until tender (about 30 mins) Drain and transfer to a large bowl. When dressing is done-pour 1/2 of dressing over potatoes and let marinate.

Meanwhile, cut 2 inshes off the bottom of the aparagus stalks and blanch in a pot of boiling water until tender. Let sparagus cool and when room temp, cut in half lengthwise.

Whisk together all dressing ingredients. (I sometimes blend once to get shallot and garlic small enough.) Arrange all salad components on a bed of mixed greens with an additional tbsp of dressing drizzeled over the dish

Mabel is here

After 12 long hours, Rachel (my sister) gave birth to Mabel Cate Bott on March 23rd. She was 7 pounds even and 20 inches long. I am biased, but I think she is beautiful. Everything went fine and Mom and Baby are doing great.



She has her mother's lungs!

Happy St. Patricks Day

Yesterday, I tried to take the girls' 3 and 5 year photos. Ava thought that the light was too bright so she wouldn't open her eyes all the way. Elle is very used to me taking pictures all of the time, so she was very cooperative. The good thing about taking their pictures myself, is that I can try again and again if I need to. They had a fun St. Patricks Day- even though they thought the holiday was about Patrick the starfish in Spongebob. They couldn't figure out why we had to wear green and not pink. But they loved our tradition of eating corned beef and cabbage.

Ponies, Pancakes, & PJ's

This is your childThis is your child on sugar...any questions?

Elle didn't want cake this time, she wanted pancakes at her party, so we did. It was a nice change.

More kids on sugar

Elle had plenty of help opening her presents. She loved all of them.

Happy Birthday Elle, we love you!!!

What to do, What to do...

I really want to cut my hair in a funky way. I found this pic in a magazine and I loved it. But for those of you who know me, know that I can be very indecisive, so I want to know what you think, should I cut it this way?

Elle's Birthday Bash

Elle woke up on her birthday with gifts (which looked like Christmas again, thanks to all her fam that sent her gifts!) waiting for her. I took a pic of a few of them. The Eye Clops, was one of my favorites. Those things are cool!
Thanks Mimi for the horses and the Aristocats, and oh, and the Polly's- we don't have enough of those!
Elle had ballet, lunch with friends, Chuck E Cheese, and a pizza party with little cakes. I think it was a fun-filled day for her. Yes Ava is naked in this pic, because Ava is always naked after 3pm.
Ava, Elle, and our friend Olivia.
Ava was not happy that it wasn't her birthday, and continually asked where her gifts were!
Horse PJ's for her Ponies, Pancakes, and PJ's party
Thanks Gram for the dresses, I love them!

Cure for the Winter Blues

It has been cold and we needed something to help with the winter-time blues. We took my friend Katie's suggestion and went to Longwood Gardens. It was exactly what we needed. 

















Elle and Ava potted rosemary, made necklaces, saw real lizards, and watched a dinosaur musical show. We also went out to eat at a cafe in for breakfast and then Adam spotted a mexican place to eat for lunch. It was a great day.