My new friend...I COOKED SOMETHING...and snow..and puppies...and...

I would like to introduce all of you to my new bestest friend EVER :) Blog readers...meet my new heated jacket.

This thing is the most amazing thing I have ever purchased...it's battery operated...and the thing REALLY WORKS! It keeps me very warm, and I am super duper happy now! Why I didn't get one when I first moved up here is beyond me. I think everyone needs one...it would make people less cranky ;-)

Onto something a little less exciting...I COOKED FOOD, LIKE FOR REELZ!!!!

And I have photo proof of it...no one died, no one got explosive diarrhea. Life is good :) The husband loved it, it was FREAKING AWESOME TASTING...and I didn't burn anything...thank you Mia for the recipe!!! Here's what Mia said about it:Super easy and if you call it "Casserole de Poulet au Riz" it sounds fancy. Actually a very simple recipe from Pierre Franey's classic book: 60 Minute Gourmet and virtually bomb-proof.

The key to Loretta not messing up cooking? A TIMER...my severe problem with being distracted by all things SHINY can be thwarted (did she just say THWARTED!?!?!) by the timer :) Score 1 for Loretta!!!! I ROCK!!!!!!

Ingredients:

2 split chicken breasts (4 pieces about 2 lbs)salt and pepper
2 Tbs butter
1 tsp chopped garlic
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/3 cup fresh mushrooms slice or quartered
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup white wine
3/4 cup raw rice
1 1/2 cups chicken broth< Salt and pepper chicken, heat up butter in large skillet and add chicken skin side down, cook until brown (apprx 5 minutes) and turn.

Butter + Chicken is YUMMY SMELLING!!!!

Scatter onion, garlic, mushrooms and bay leaf (no idea what a bay leaf does for a recipe, didn;t seem like it was doing any sort of amazing ninja stuff in the pan...but I bet it would have tasted funny without it!) between chicken and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add wine and cook until mostly evaporated, stirring occasionally.

The best thing EVER about cooking

Or two glasses....or three glasses...or 3/4 of the bottle...why I've never cooked before is SO BEYOND ME...WTF!?!?!? COOKING ROCKS!!!!!!

Add rice and chicken broth making sure rice is not on top of chicken

Cover and cook for about 20 minutes. Set a timer so you don't forget it...and do laundry or something super boring so you don't get distracted and not hear the timer going off. Better yet, keep a timer ON YOU...that helps :)

I take this opportunity to see that my wine glass has become EMPTY!!!! OMG!!!!!!!!!! NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!! THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!

So instead of having to pour and pour and pour more wine (you can down a lot of wine during 20 minutes!!!) I just decided to drink out of the bottle like a college freshman...much easier!

What were we doing? Cleaning? Planning a trip to Aruba? Did I win the lottery? How did I end up on the floor...wait...whaaaaaa?? Oh YEAH!! COOKING!!!!

So after the timer goes off, you have THIS!! Yummy chicken goodness (don't eat the bay leaf though...take that bugger out!!)...

The husband and I are still alive post-lunch...so I think we are safe :)

In other news...GUESS WHAT KIDS!?!? MINNESOTA has SNOW...INSANITY HUH!??! Yep.

The Full Tilt crew thinks it rocks...

Which is good because we have a crapload more days like this!!!!

It's tough being sad about winter when you are surrounded by this energy, this love of life and all things!

OK...so maybe Zip got a little cold...oops.

She just needed to run a little more :)

Even never gets cold...imagine that...

She's either stealing all toys from everyone...

Or running around like a complete psycho!

Gator and Zip enjoying a good tug session...Lynn apparently being the referee!

It's tough work playing in the snow...and being super cute :)

Or waiting in lines...for no reason....!?!??!!

INCOMING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh look! Even's still spazzing!!!!

WEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!

We're running!!!!!!!!!!!

There's so much going on in this picture I think I'll let it speak for itself :)

The first snow of the year they are always the craziest...it's a solid hour of insanity....

OK...maybe not that particular picture of Lynn...my bad...

How about this one? Insanity??

This one isn't showing insanity either...they really were insane...

THERE WE GO! INSANITY! LEAVE IT TO EVEN!!!

The Stink...with her usual "snow face" :)

MORE INSANITY...I am not sure exactly what's happening here...

But it involved Even Steven...so I'm sure it was something that nearly killed someone...

See...chaos...but controlled...

Insert Even...

They all get that psycho look in their eyes...

What PSYCHO LOOK!?!???!?! Asks Lynn...

THIS ONE...look familiar??

How about this one???

Oh yeah...silly me...

Crackers...why bother tugging...you weigh 9 pounds...you're not gonna win...

AND...the MOST AMAZING THING EVER! A PICTURE OF ACE THAT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE I JUST BEAT HIM WITH A TIRE IRON!!!!!!!

Hey OLD MAN!!!! :)

Well settle in folks....we've got like 6 months of this crap...might as well enjoy it...or something like that...