sap-tastic!

I'm feeling a little sappy today. Maybe it's because I'm in a good mood because it's Friday or maybe because I'm emotional due to a certain visitor (sorry... TMI). Anyway, I wanted to thank all of you bloggers out there who I've discovered and who I continue to discover everyday. Your blogs have truly offered and provided me with an abundance of information, suggestions, inspirations and advice, some laughs and some tears and I'm grateful to have found all of you! I really enjoy reading all of your blogs and though I may not comment on everything you post, be certain that I'm reading each any every one! Life is certainly a journey that we're all on together and it's nice to know there will always been a community of women in the "cloud" who simply get it. I may only have 9 followers at the moment, but it means a lot that you read and comment on things I post. So,
 

to all you bloggers out there for keeping me informed and entertained!

blogspot and dinner.

I promise I didn't post all of these posts today, despite the date at the top of each of them. I had previously been using Wordpress and determined that it didn't allow me as much flexibility with my blog as I think I might like. I'm still new to this blogging thing and I'm hoping to learn enough, and quickly, to make my blog a bit more visually representative of me! Any tips are greatly appreciated!

In other news, it's pouring and there is a tornado watch, so it doesn't appear that a run or a couple matches of tennis is going to happen tonight... but I think I'm more than ok with that. Lounging around and making dinner with the hubs seems like a much better option.

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Tonight we made a really yummy recipe: Baked Chicken and Artichokes - highly recommend it!

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 1 1/4 pounds)
• 1/4 cup soya powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
• 1/2 pound button mushrooms, sliced
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped garlic
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 package (9 ounces) frozen artichokes, thawed and drained
• 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh oregano, chopped 
 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F. Place bake mix, salt and pepper in a shallow plate. Dredge chicken in bake mix, tapping to remove any excess. In large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Cook chicken until lightly browned, turning once, about 4 minutes. Transfer to baking dish.Add onion to pan and saut until softened, about 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and saut until lightly golden, about 3 more minutes. Add garlic and saut until aroma is released, about 30 seconds. Stir in wine, artichokes, rosemary and red pepper flakes and bring to a simmer. Pour artichoke mixture over chicken, cover and bake 40 minutes, until chicken is tender and cooked through. Season with salt and pepper and stir in oregano before serving.