A House Divided

It's almost Super Bowl Sunday. This one may go down in history here at our house, because of this.

And this

We have already laid down the law around here. Nick grew up in Green Bay. He was a Packer fan LONG before Alex was even thought of. Alex may have to watch the game upstairs in his room. I won't get in the middle of these two. I'm a Packer fan. I will always support my husband's team. Unless they are playing the Cowboys. After all, I am a Texas girl. It could get ugly around here. Prayers may be needed. (for a Packer win, of course!)

Dinner Win!

Yesterday brought a little more snow. Nothing like we've had before, but enough to keep me home. After a small break, the ice/sleet started to fall. This brought on some nastiness.
Nick was able to leave school early, but Alex stayed all day (all the way to 1:45.. what school gets out that early?)
After spending a couple of hours with our neighbors enjoying some wine, we headed home for me to make dinner. I have to say, this dinner was much better than the night before. This one is a keeper. You just can't beat steak with some good veggies.

Beef with Asparagus and Mushrooms
From The South Beach Diet Quick and Easy Cookbook
Ingredients
1.5 lbs London broil, 1 inch thick
4 garlic cloves, minced and divided
4 tsp crushed dried rosemary, divided
2 TBS extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 small onion, sliced lengthwise
1 pound asparagus, cut into 2 inch pieces
1 pound white mushrooms, sliced
2 tsp grated lemon zest
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Directions
Score both sides of steak in a diamond pattern by carefully making 1/8 inch deep diagonal cuts with a sharp knife at 1 inch intervals. Rub half the garlic and 2 tsp of the rosemary into both sides of meat and season with salt and pepper.
Heat 1 TBS of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add steak and cook, turning once, about 4 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer to a plate and loosely cover with foil to keep warm.
Heat remaining oil in the same skillet. Add onion and cook, stirring often, for two minutes. Add remaining garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add asparagus and mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until asparagus is crisp-tender and almost all the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Stir in lemon zest and remaining rosemary; season to taste with salt and pepper.
Cut steak into thin slices and serve with the vegetables.

Ok, once again my photo is sideways. I can't fix it. Use your imagination!

This was delicious. I actually warmed the veggies and a couple of slices of steak for Nick's breakfast. I added two over easy eggs and it was restaurant quality!

Today, Nick is in school but Alex is not. The roads are solid ice and I'm a little ticked that my husband had to get out, but no one asked me :) Fortunately, he only has to be there for two hours and he can come join us at home.

I intend to stay in, make something yummy for Alex (I didn't do that yesterday) and possibly start a Brothers and Sisters marathon. I love my netflix!

Dinner Downer

I'm disappointed to say my Artichoke Chicken dinner last night was less than I hoped. I really love artichokes and had high hopes for this one. Especially since I had to go to two different stores to find frozen pearl onions and frozen artichoke hearts. I never did find the frozen artichokes, so used canned ones instead.
One thing I just hate, is pale looking meat. In spite of browning the chicken first, it looked nasty pale. So unappetizing. That was the first downer. Secondly, after simmering the chicken in the sauce for the required 20 minutes, the sauce was very thin. Again, unappetizing. It looked like blah chicken breasts swimming in chicken broth. I ended up simmering the sauce longer to try to reduce it and gain more flavor but still got minimal results. Maybe I just did something wrong, but I didn't like it at all. I'm going to share the recipe here for you in case someone wants to try it and let me know what I did wrong!

Artichoke Chicken
The South Beach Diet Cookbook
Ingredients
4 TBS extra virgin olive oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, pounded to 1/2 inch thickness
1 bag (16 oz) frozen small while onions
1 can chicken broth
1 TBS balsamic vinegar
Salt
Ground black pepper
1 package (10 oz) frozen artichoke hearts
Directions
Heat two TBS of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook for 10 minutes, turning once, or until browned on both sides. Carefully remove the chicken to a large bowl.
Heat the remaining 2 TBS oil in the skillet. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Return the chicken to the pan and add the chicken broth and vinegar, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the artichoke hearts and cook for 10 minutes, or until the artichokes are tender and a thermometer inserted in the thickest portion of a chicken breast registers 170 degrees and the juices run clear.

Today it's snowing again. Nick and Alex are in school, but I anticipate a possible early dismissal. Snow is supposed to continue through tomorrow with times of sleet, rain and nastiness. Hopefully, there is school tomorrow. Alex has only missed 3 days and we're not in jeopardy of make up days yet, but if we miss more we will definitely lose some spring break.
The vet just called and cancelled the dogs' appointments for the third Tuesday in a row. They only see pets on Tuesdays and so far, it's snowed heavily the last three weeks. Very frustrating! It looks like I'll have to take Max to a civilian vet for his ear. They couldn't re-schedule for three weeks and his infection won't wait that long. I'm afraid we've waited too long already. I keep cleaning it and putting drops in  but it's not clearing up.
In spite of our diet, I'm thinking of baking some goodies for Alex. I will have to hide them for multiple reasons. Nick and I don't need goodies right now and Alex has no off button. If I put out a few cookies a day, he's OK. If I put the whole plate out, he'll eat the whole plate. I realize he's a growing boy, but nobody needs that much sugar.
Happy Tuesday, everyone! I hope it's warm and safe where you are.