Daily Doings and Weekly Reports

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

New Recipe ~ Crack Chicken

I think I'd seen this recipe (many different versions, all very similar) floating around Pinterest and Facebook for a while before giving it a try. And when I say "giving it a try" I mean making it ... not eating it. I won't eat it. But it was a hit with the guys. Landon, Cooper and Gray especially. Grayson was doing Keto for a while and this fits into that (if you don't put it on a bun). That makes it work for the gluten-free people too. I took some to Grandpa Westra and he liked it.

It's super easy. Just put four chicken breasts in the crockpot and add a packet of Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning and a block of cream cheese, cut into cubes. Let it cook (6+ hours on low, 4+ hours on high) and then shred the chicken. If there is a lot of juice, I'll take it out, saving it in case I want to add a little back in. Add some bacon bits and shredded cheddar cheese. I've supplemented a bit with some mayonnaise too, when I had more chicken than "sauce". 

So, super simple and easy! A new family favorite in the rotation.

Sunday, August 11, 2019

Inflatable Fun

A couple of years ago I'd happened upon some of these inflatable bumper balls (see post here)... I picked up two, and they got a lot of use that summer. They only lasted that one summer though. This year, when I saw some at Sam's Club, I decided I'd pick them up again (with a couple extras, even though the price wasn't quite the steal of a deal from two years ago). Once again, the boys enjoyed bopping and bumping within the inflated ball.



The little "Batman" on the final image? It's the shadow of my phone case (it's a kitty, not Batman), taking a picture of a suspicious tear in one of the balls. I'd noticed it after one of the balls kept deflating. Not really surprising ... the boys aren't gentle. But that hole had clean lines, almost as if it had been stuck with a knife or box cutter. Hubs didn't care for the inflated ball in his garage I guess ... and FYI, the patches don't really work, at least not with intentional, large slashes. A little expensive for one day of play, but I did buy an extra!