This week’s Favorites features my favorite people…
* Two cuddle bugs who take a while to wake up. Both Ryan and Vivi love to lay around in bed, talking, cuddling, laughing, singing (mostly Viv), sleeping more (mostly Ryan) until they are good and ready to face the day. Being a morning person myself, I never knew what I missing by popping right out of bed the moment the sun shone!
* Two people with a flair for the dramatic (okay, so I appreciate this because I have one, too). Instead of embarrassing Ryan by recording the lyrics to one of his spontaneous rap songs, this week’s treasure will be a Vivienne Skit. (Some background information: Instead of enjoying crayons, play-doh or other typical pre-school past times, Vivienne enjoys memorizing and acting out scenes from her Bible stories, comics, movies… anything.) Here’s a snippet from our interaction the other day:
V: I’ll be Jesus when he was a boy asking the teachers questions in the temple and you be Mary and Joseph looking for me. (Walks over to couch and proceeds to engage in silent conversation with the “teachers”.)
Me: Okay. Oh Joseph, where could Jesus be?! We’ve been looking for three days and he’s no where to be found! I suppose we should look in the temple, too… Oh! There he is! Asking the teachers questions and listening to them!
V (to the “teachers”): “Hello, what is your name? How was your day? Did you have a nice summer? How is your wife?” (The last two questions, I noticed, were stolen from Sally’s letter to Santa Claus in A Charlie Brown Christmas.)
I cracked up to realize that although we assume Jesus was asking the teachers deep questions about doctrine, he very well might have been asking questions about their lives… which, as any teacher would tell you, would explain that they were amazed at the young boy’s understanding.
* (Speaking of a flair for the dramatic), two people who watch movies with me. Yesterday, Vivienne and I watched the first 45 minutes of A&E’s 7-hour rendition of Austin’s Pride and Prejudice while I made a dent in the ironing basket. The little girl actually asked me to rewind certain parts that she wanted to see again!
* Two people who go along with my ideas. Like making bowling pins out of toilet paper rolls and sparkley pipe cleaners in order to practice for tonight’s company bowling party! (Don’t worry, mom, I won’t bowl; I’ll be the photographer.)
* Two people who eat the food I make, even if it does contain pureed spinach or butternut squash. This week’s finds from Seinfeld’s Deceptively Delicious were the Doughnuts and the Quesidillas.
Quesidillas
INGREDIENTS
- Nonstick cooking spray
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1/2 pound chicken cutlets or boneless chicken breast, rinsed and dried
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/8 tsp. pepper
- 1/8 tsp. chili powder, or to taste
- 1/2 cup canned navy beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
- 1/2 cup butternut squash puree
- 1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
- 4 (8-inch) whole-wheat tortillas
- 1/2 cup bottled salsa
Preheat oven to 400°. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set it over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the oil. Sprinkle the chicken with salt, pepper, and chili powder, add it to the pan, and cook until no longer pink in the center, 4 to 5 minutes per side for cutlets. For chicken breast, cook 5 minutes per side, reduce heat to low, cover, and cook 9 to 10 minutes longer. Cut the chicken into thin slices, or puree it, if necessary.
In a small bowl or mini-chopper, mash the beans with the sour cream. In another bowl, stir together the butternut squash puree and the cheese.
Spread the bean mixture over two of the tortillas, then arrange the chicken slices or spread the pureed chicken on top. Spread the cheese mixture over the other two tortillas and press one of each together to form sandwiches. Place on the baking sheet and bake until the tortillas are crisp, 5 to 6 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve with salsa.
