Friday, October 14, 2011

friday senses

a little from our week......

Tasting:
Roasted Cauliflower, Almond and Chicken with Wild Rice
inspired by this recipe
I made this up in the early afternoon and then kept it in the fridge all day, so at dinner time I could put it in the oven for a quick dinner.

Ingredients
2 chicken breasts
2 cups chopped cauliflower
1/2 cup fresh sage leaves
1/4 cup chopped raw almonds
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
3-4 cups chicken stock*
1 1/2 cups wild rice
1 cup finely grated parmesan cheese

Season chicken breasts with olive oil and s&p. 
Bake at 350° until tender and done, and then shred
While chicken is baking, saute' onion and garlic in olive oil until tender. 
Chop 1/4c sage and add to onion and garlic.
Add rice and broth* to onions. 
*THIS is where you need to follow the cooking directions on your rice. Each blend of wild rice is a bit different--mine simmered for about 35 minutes in 3 cups of chicken stock. 
Follow the cooking instructions on your rice, and simmer until rice is tender. 


While rice is cooking, toss cauliflower with olive oil, s&p and roast on baking sheet for 15 minutes
Add almonds, and 1/4 cup whole sage leaves to cauliflower, and roast for 5 minutes more. 


In a baking dish, mix together cooked rice, shredded chicken, roasted cauliflower, almonds, sage, and 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese. 
Top with remaining cheese, and bake in the oven at 400° until heated through, 20-30 minutes.
enjoy!
ricebake1 copy
Seeing: blue skies and sunshine....we are in for the perfect weekend.
Smelling: the oven.....it's always on! I love these cooler temps so we can make bread, treats, and roasted veggies.
Making: Sundried tomatoes! 
-slice tomatoes (or keep the tiny ones whole) and toss in a bit of garlic olive oil, thyme, and S&P
-spread on a baking sheet and bake at 200° for 4-5 hours, depending how thin you sliced them
Last year I made batches and batches and kept them in the freezer to use all winter
tomato1 copytomato2 copytomatos3 copytomatoes4 copy
Wondering: What are your favorite Halloween movies?
Quoting: Thumper
thumper
Anticipating: A trip to the pumpkin patch!
Loving: that I can wear hats every day......no combing hair required
Feeling: wonderfully overwhelmed with all the best of emotions. 
After this week's big crazy topic, I have received so many emails from friends, family, and strangers (now friends) offering up their support to me, and even some "just checking in" or "hoping you are ok" notes.
I am more than ok. 
As much as I hate controversy and usually avoid hot topics at all costs, I absolutely loved hearing everyone's positive thoughts and words these past few days. I feel so blessed and happy to have the friends that I do, and to have met so many wonderful people through blogging.
Thank you all:)

Happy Weekend!!!

8 comments:

summer said...

ummm, i don't think i can handle all the good things in this post. and yesterday's oatmeal cookies?! (i feel a special alliance with anyone who does chocolate chips in the oatmeal cookie. no baked raisins for me.)

ps. sheena, where did you get your darling hat that you're wearing over pigtail braids in that one picture?? :)

Hannah Nicole said...

Delicious! And I love your Friday Senses. We're anticipating a pumpkin patch trip too. :) So glad that you are MORE than ok. People can be so cruel sometimes. So excited to try your oatmeal cookies!

melissa said...

another positive outcome of that post was that it gave me fuel for a really long run on wednesday. yesss. i thought of a lot of awesome comebacks.

and then i came home and made oatmeal cookies just like you did. i guess it's a common response.

kate said...

I can't wait to try to the sundried tomatoes this weekend! I did my own set of senses today. fun.

I just wanted to say, I admired the post you wrote. That's all.

gram said...

Sheena... you're a credit to your family! ..love ...

Halley said...

Your food photography is fantastic!

It's my first time here but what a gem of a blog.

Laura said...

I love your Friday senses idea! :) Can I steal it?

forget laundry said...

we make this wild rice dish all the time now... and love it. thank you always for sharing and thank you for your blog. It's just great!