Tomato Pesto Chicken for two

Here's an easy and delicious chicken dinner recipe using pesto and tomatoes. It's the perfect meal for summer when basil, tomatoes and garlic are in season and ready to harvest. I can't take all the credit... this recipe comes from my "Cooking Light: Fresh food superfast" cookbook. I made a few changes, so here's my version. Bon Appetit!

 You will need:
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 large tomato, diced
pesto: basil, garlic, olive oil, Parmesan cheese
2 TBSP softened cream cheese
fresh ground pepper (to taste)
salt (to taste)

Heat a large skillet pan over medium heat. Use olive oil or cooking spray to coat the pan. Cut chicken into strips and add to pan. Cook until done and keep warm.

Add diced tomatoes to another skillet. Saute for 4-5 minutes or until tomatoes soften and release juices. Make your own pesto or use store bought. I use 2-3 cloves of garlic, a handful of basil leaves, Parmesan cheese and oil to taste mixed in a food processor. Add pesto to the tomatoes. Add the softened cream cheese, pepper and salt. Stir until smooth.

Spoon tomato pesto mixture over chicken strips and serve with rice.

No-bake desserts

It's time to get creative! We can't have fires at girl's camp this year so I'm looking for no-bake recipes. It is hard trying to find recipes that don't require a campfire! I've found a few so far and they seem pretty good... feel free to share any other recipes you may have. We only need to plan for three nights. Luckily, the stake is handling the food so it's just treats, yum!

Graham Treats

Here's a simple treat that the kids will love. These can be messy in hot weather, so be ready to lick some fingers.

Ingredients:

• chocolate covered graham crackers
• peanut butter
• bananas

Preparation:

Slice bananas. Put peanut butter on one graham cracker. Put sliced bananas on top of peanut butter. Cover with second graham cracker.

Servings: As needed

Dirt Dessert

Kids love this stuff.

Ingredients:

• Oreo cookies
• Cool Whip
• Gummie Worms
• Gummie Critters

Preparation:

Crush Oreos and mix with Cool Whip and Gummie Critters. Serve chilled.

Servings: Varies

No-bake Chocolate Crackles

Indulge your sweet tooth with this fast, no-bake recipe for chocolate cookies.

Ingredients:

• 3 ounce(s) semisweet chocolate
• 2 cups crispy rice cereal
• Graham crackers, broken into small pieces

Preparation:

 Line cookie sheet with waxed paper. In 2-quart microwave-safe bowl, heat chocolate in microwave oven on High 1 to 1 1/2 minutes or until melted, stirring once. Add cereal and crackers; stir until coated.

Drop mixture by 1/3 cups onto lined cookie sheet. With fingertips, shape mixture to form rounded mound if necessary. Refrigerate cookies 30 minutes to set. Store cookies in tightly covered container at room temperature.

Servings: 9 cookies

Twitter quote

I heard this quote in YW on Sunday and tried to find it on the internet. I couldn't find it anywhere, so I created my own simple handout. I think it's such a cute quote!

John 3:16

I have seen this scripture reference all over Pinterest the past few days. When I went to find it for my Sunday school class - I couldn't find it anywhere! So, I made this version using Microsoft Publisher. I attached the valentine to a box of candy hearts and will give it to my class this week. Here's the PDF version so you don't waste hours searching like I did. Enjoy! :)

Scripture Valentine

Christmas Cookies in a Jar

This is such an easy and tasty gift for the whole family! I made cookies in a jar for my bosses this year and they loved them! I tested the recipe and the cookies are scrumptious! I got the recipe from Make It Do and it works great! You have to smash the ingredients down after each addition and I mean, really smash it down or it won't all fit. I experimented with the order and thought this version worked the best.

I used a wide mouth quart Mason jar and decorated the lid with fabric and ribbon.


Here's the recipe if you want to make a batch for yourself:

1 1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup cooking oats
3/4 cup m&ms
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 – 1/2 cup chopped pecans
Stir all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

Add

1 slightly beaten egg
1/2 cup butter (melted slightly in the microwave)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Use the back of a large spoon to work it all together. You may even need to use your hands to get everything incorporated.
Then roll the cookie dough into 1 1/2 inch balls, place on a greased baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven.

Presents

My mom, mother-in-law and sister-in-law came over for a girl's Christmas craft night! We made this super cute trio of wood presents. The set comes from The Wood Connection in Murray. I decorated each present with paper, glitter and a few embellishments. The medium-sized present has rustic wire curled around a homemade gift tag.

Nativity Ornaments

I know we haven't even had Thanksgiving yet, but for our Relief Society activity we celebrated Christmas with a wonderful dinner and a short program. We also made a craft! These ornaments are so simple and elegant. The picture inside is of Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus printed on a transparency. You trace a circle around the picture and cut it out. Roll the transparency circle into a loose roll and squeeze it into the ornament! It took just 15 minutes to make!