I made an accidental discovery last night. I discovered a way to make baked barbecue chicken with a crispy crust using only two ingredients and in only 20-25 minutes. I am NOT kidding (beat that Racheal Ray.....ok...don't take that wrong, I LOVE her) !
So, every time I bake chicken, hubby always sits down with a bottle of barbecue sauce to dip his chicken in, so I thought I'd beat him to the punch by baking the chicken in the barbecue sauce. He gets his barbecue and we still eat the healthier baked chicken.
All you have to do is dip or brush a boneless chicken breast into some barbecue sauce (I used Jack Daniels Honey Smokehouse Barbecue Sauce). After it's good and coated with the yummy barbecue sauce, dip the chicken breast into some Shake N' Bake (don't use the bag and don't ask how I know......use a bowl or something) to coat it with the crust. Bake it at 350 for 20-25 minutes and YUMMY!! Hubby LOVED it! I have to admit, I did too! Fast, easy, yummy.
Enjoy!!
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
A letter to my Son - 2010
My Dearest Nicholas,
Every year, I write you a letter on your birthday. This year is no exception. This year is very special because this year, you turn 5. I can't believe it. It's the last year you will be able to show how old you are using only one hand! This year, you turn 5 on Mother's Day; you were born the day after Mother's Day in 2005. I remember that day like it was yesterday and can't believe it has been 5 whole years! You will always be the best Mother's Day gift I have ever received.
In the past, I have read your letters to you. This year, you can read your letter yourself. I am so proud. What a great year it has been. My sweet boy, you became a big brother! I knew you would be an extraordinary big brother, but even I couldn't have known how extraordinary. Some people tried to warn me that you would be jealous or act out once the "newness" of the baby wore off. Mama knew better. I know your heart and how special it is. You have never, not once, shown an ounce of jealousy towards your brother. You have always been so sweet and caring and protective of him. You help take care of him, you love him and you make him laugh. I can not believe what a special bond the two of you already share. My beloved son, you fill my heart with so much happiness, especially when I see how precious and loving your heart is.
This year, you sang your first solo at church and I cried. I had to explain to you that they were happy tears; I was so moved by how you stood up in that spotlight at our church and sang to the Lord. Everyone who had the good fortune of being there was moved. To you, it was no big deal, it was just something in your heart that you wanted to do, you wanted to sing for Jesus. I remember Rev. Kilgore asked if I wanted to go up on the stage with you, but you didn't need me, so I stayed back. You were such a big boy and had no fear. What I was most proud of, is how you knew the reason you were singing the song and when you sang it, you really sang it for Jesus.
This is your last year of preschool. It's so wonderful to see how much you love school and how easily you make friends. You are truly a social butterfly who has never met a stranger. You will talk to anyone at anytime. I can't believe you start Kindergarten next year. For the first time in your life, you will be away from me for 7 hours a day, 5 days a week. That will take some adjustment for me, but I know you will do just fine! You are so looking forward to kindergarten and I know you will absolutely love it! I wish I could keep you here with me always, safe in our home but, being a parent you learn to do what's best for your child, not what is best for you. You also learn that when you do what is best for your child, it turns out to be what is best for you also, because as long as your child is happy, you are happy. I would sacrifice anything to make sure you are always full of joy and healthy. As long as you and your brother are happy, Mama is happy too! One day, you will be a father and you will completely understand how that works!
Our bedtime routine changed a little this year too. From the time you were still in my tummy, I started reading to you. Now, instead of just me reading to you, you like to read to me. I hope your love of learning and reading continues throughout your life. Mommy LOVES to read, I hope you continue with that love as well.
Oh my, and how can I forget Maximus? Your first puppy. Yes, this has been an eventful year. You do a great job at helping with Maximus, you water him and take him out to go potty and you play with him until the poor puppy can no longer run! Of course, there are times when you just like to see how far you can go with him, like the time you decided he would like to be pushed down the slide, even though it was obvious the poor puppy was terrified! He loves you though, and you love him. It is so sweet to witness.
You still say you want to be an astronaut when you grow up. You can name the planets, constellations and are a whiz with numbers. My brilliant son, with your brains, outgoing nature and with your determination, I have no doubt you can do it. Let's just hope NASA is still around!
My darling, the older you get, the more and more I love you. Every
day, when I think it's just not possible; I wake up and realize that I love you even more than the previous day. You have been a true blessing in my life, a wonderful gift from God. I could never thank Him enough for picking me, out of all the Mommies in the world, to be yours.
And, in case you want to read your letter from last year, here it is sweetheart: A Letter to My Son - 2009
Love always,
Mama
Every year, I write you a letter on your birthday. This year is no exception. This year is very special because this year, you turn 5. I can't believe it. It's the last year you will be able to show how old you are using only one hand! This year, you turn 5 on Mother's Day; you were born the day after Mother's Day in 2005. I remember that day like it was yesterday and can't believe it has been 5 whole years! You will always be the best Mother's Day gift I have ever received.
In the past, I have read your letters to you. This year, you can read your letter yourself. I am so proud. What a great year it has been. My sweet boy, you became a big brother! I knew you would be an extraordinary big brother, but even I couldn't have known how extraordinary. Some people tried to warn me that you would be jealous or act out once the "newness" of the baby wore off. Mama knew better. I know your heart and how special it is. You have never, not once, shown an ounce of jealousy towards your brother. You have always been so sweet and caring and protective of him. You help take care of him, you love him and you make him laugh. I can not believe what a special bond the two of you already share. My beloved son, you fill my heart with so much happiness, especially when I see how precious and loving your heart is.
This year, you sang your first solo at church and I cried. I had to explain to you that they were happy tears; I was so moved by how you stood up in that spotlight at our church and sang to the Lord. Everyone who had the good fortune of being there was moved. To you, it was no big deal, it was just something in your heart that you wanted to do, you wanted to sing for Jesus. I remember Rev. Kilgore asked if I wanted to go up on the stage with you, but you didn't need me, so I stayed back. You were such a big boy and had no fear. What I was most proud of, is how you knew the reason you were singing the song and when you sang it, you really sang it for Jesus.
This is your last year of preschool. It's so wonderful to see how much you love school and how easily you make friends. You are truly a social butterfly who has never met a stranger. You will talk to anyone at anytime. I can't believe you start Kindergarten next year. For the first time in your life, you will be away from me for 7 hours a day, 5 days a week. That will take some adjustment for me, but I know you will do just fine! You are so looking forward to kindergarten and I know you will absolutely love it! I wish I could keep you here with me always, safe in our home but, being a parent you learn to do what's best for your child, not what is best for you. You also learn that when you do what is best for your child, it turns out to be what is best for you also, because as long as your child is happy, you are happy. I would sacrifice anything to make sure you are always full of joy and healthy. As long as you and your brother are happy, Mama is happy too! One day, you will be a father and you will completely understand how that works!
Our bedtime routine changed a little this year too. From the time you were still in my tummy, I started reading to you. Now, instead of just me reading to you, you like to read to me. I hope your love of learning and reading continues throughout your life. Mommy LOVES to read, I hope you continue with that love as well.
Oh my, and how can I forget Maximus? Your first puppy. Yes, this has been an eventful year. You do a great job at helping with Maximus, you water him and take him out to go potty and you play with him until the poor puppy can no longer run! Of course, there are times when you just like to see how far you can go with him, like the time you decided he would like to be pushed down the slide, even though it was obvious the poor puppy was terrified! He loves you though, and you love him. It is so sweet to witness.
You still say you want to be an astronaut when you grow up. You can name the planets, constellations and are a whiz with numbers. My brilliant son, with your brains, outgoing nature and with your determination, I have no doubt you can do it. Let's just hope NASA is still around!
My darling, the older you get, the more and more I love you. Every
day, when I think it's just not possible; I wake up and realize that I love you even more than the previous day. You have been a true blessing in my life, a wonderful gift from God. I could never thank Him enough for picking me, out of all the Mommies in the world, to be yours.And, in case you want to read your letter from last year, here it is sweetheart: A Letter to My Son - 2009
Love always,
Mama
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