TGIF!!

It's been one of those weeks.  The kind in which you're ready to move to a new state (if not a new continent) under a new name and start over.  Preferably without children, some of the time.  [Please note, NO!! I do not mean that seriously.]  My church is preparing for the Easter music season, with plenty of rehearsals, my school has just left contest season and I'm getting ready to start pops music.  The students will love it, except for the fact that they cannot all be sopranos and therefore cannot all sing the melodies they have heard on the radio.  They will occasionally have to sing... gasp... harmony!!!!!  I know.  What a cruel music teacher I am.

On other fronts: my cross-stitched stocking has had to take a back burner as my usual sewing time has been taken up by escorting an almost-three-year-old back to bed on a very consistent basis.  She really started doing this the month or so before David was born and we "fixed" the problem by giving her a nightlight and letting her keep her bedroom door open.  Since then she's been up maybe 2-3 times a week after being put to bed.  And then daylight savings time arrived.  It is no longer dark when she goes to bed and I am the horribly mean mommy who makes her go to bed at her bedtime, not when it gets dark.  I just can't win these days!  She comes up with every imaginable excuse to get out of bed and refuses to go back to bed on her own.  It's been exhausting.  On the other hand, as I type this she has not yet gotten up tonight, so a collective knock on wood would be appreciated :)

I also discovered another really great chicken dish that I wanted to share.  With photos even!  John was giving me weird looks as I took a picture of my dinner plate before eating, but it was worth it.  I even considered being one of those really awesome bloggers who takes a picture of all the ingredients before you start, but then I realized it wasn't worth getting all those extra dishes dirty just so I could show how it started.  Not to mention I would have to clean a space in my kitchen to take said photos.  You'll just have to survive with the finished product: Peachy Chicken

What's even better about this is that it's basically a one-skillet meal so clean-up is relatively easy.

What you need:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (I used full breasts and cut them in half)
1 Tbsp. Canola oil
1 Tbsp. butter/margerine
1 can (15 1/4 oz) sliced peaches, undrained
1/2 C packed brown sugar
1/2 C orange juice
1 envelope onion soup mix
Hot cooked rice (optional)

Brown the chicken in both thte oil and butter in a large skillet over med. heat.  Move the chicken to a plate and keep warm.  In the same skillet, pour in the peaches with juice, brown sugar, orange juice, and soup mix.  Bring this mixture to a boil and cook for 2 minutes.  Reduce the heat and return the chicken to the pan.  Simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked.  Serve over rice, if desired.

I really liked the chicken, Jocelyn really liked the peaches, and John liked the whole meal.  David had no opinion, that I'm aware of.


So.  I'm looking forward to a hopefully relaxing weekend that will seem much longer than it actually is.  Happy Friday!