A New Year

Ah, the holidays have passed.  They officially ended moments ago when my husband and I packed up and put away all of the decorations.  The little princesses will most assuredly be disappointed when they get home from preschool, but it was inevitable.  I'm hoping to ease the blow with an offering of a milkshake and an afternoon spent watching Bambi.

These past few weeks have been fantastic.  I ate too much, slept too little, and most importantly...had a wonderful time.  We had family in town to help us celebrate, and we just overall lived it up.  A friend of ours had a stroke the day before Thanksgiving, and I couldn't help but think of and pray for them all month long.  Happily he is improving!  I think of our sweet friends often, and especially during these holidays, and I am reminded how precious every moment is.  I wanted this time to be spent in happiness, not in holiday stress.  Every time I started down the road of holiday stress, I remembered and prayed for our friend.  It was a blessed time because we all are healthy and alive.  Did every cookie get baked that I wanted?  No.  Did the house stay as clean as I would have liked?  Not even close.  What did happen though was a miracle in knowing that our friend was released in time to be home with his family for Christmas.  Also, the miracle that he is still alive.  It was an amazing holiday time for us, as I hope it was for you too.

                             

Over these past few weeks, I have been making a few new things.  The recipe I want to share with you today is amazing.  It's Rachael Ray's Orange Balsamic Glazed Chicken.  It goes along with Rach's Lemon Risotto.  The pairing of these two are delectable.  However, they are equally fantastic independent of each other.  I made this a few weeks ago, and every person in my home LOVED it.  This rarely occurs, so I wanted to give you the true depth of how delicious this meal is.  Tonight, I'll be making this again, and even though it isn't even lunch...I'm already super excited for dinner!

Another thing to love about this particular recipe, is that the whole thing comes together quickly.  In a little over 20 minutes (essentially the time it takes for the risotto to cook) the whole meal is ready.  However, those 20 minutes are as busy as an episode of Iron Chef, so be prepared.  If you are creating both, you want your children well occupied for that time.

As if you aren't excited enough, I'm going to share with you another reason I love this recipe.  Risotto.  Risotto and I are fabulous friends.  I just LOVE risotto.  One of the super fun perks of fixing it...opening a bottle of wine.  What's more fun than cooking?  Cooking while sipping a delicious vino.

If you are looking for a delicious new recipe to start off the new year, I invite you to give this one a try. If you are on a salad kick because it's the new year, just make the chicken, slice it, and lay it on top of a spring mix.  Either way, this is a meal not to be missed!  

I want to wish you a wonderful Happy New Year!!  May you spend more time enjoying all the moments it offers you, and less time in the perils of stress.  Enjoy!

Link to Rachael Ray's Orange Balsamic Glazed Chicken Recipe

Link to Rachael Ray's Lemon Risotto Recipe