Mrs. Rogers Neighborhood

Ingredients 2 Tablespoons Red Curry Paste 2 12 Ounce Cans of Coconut Milk 2 Cups Chicken Stock 2 Tablespoons Fish Sauce 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar 2 Tablespoons Peanut Butter 1 1/2 Pounds Chicken Breasts, Cut into 1 1/2 Inch Pieces (we shredded ours at the end while it was still in the soup - it just fell apart) 1 Red Bell Pepper, Seeded and Sliced into 1/4 Inch Slices 1 Onion, Thinly Sliced 1 Heaping Tablespoon Fresh Ginger, Minced 1 Cup Frozen Peas, Thawed 1 Tablespoon Lime Juice Cilantro for Garnish Cooked White Rice Directions 1. Mix the curry paste, coconut milk, chicken stock, fish sauce, brown sugar and peanut butter in a 4-1/2 to 6-quart slow-cooker bowl.  2. Place the chicken breast, red bell pepper, onion and ginger in the slow cooker, cover and cook on high for 4 hours. 3. Add in the peas and cook for 1/2 hour longer.  4. Stir in lime juice and serve with cilantro and white rice. Recently I was missing Thailand a

I don't even know where to begin.  Have you ever even heard an event title that was more exciting/awesome sounding?  This weekend was one of my favorites from this summer.   Bill and I headed up to a town called Los Olivos, which is about 45 minutes outside of Santa Barbara with a couple of friends to spend a weekend staying in one of the most beautiful homes I have ever had the privilege of staying in and to attend a food and beverage festival to top all others.  Let's start with the house.   No amount of pictures could do it justice, you guys it was just gorgeous.   The kitchen was a dream and all the couches were soft and cozy.   Speaking of cozy, there were three fireplaces and there were fresh cut sunflowers that I felt like were picked with me in mind.   The view from the backyard was just lovely and made me feel like all the traffic to get up there was completely worth it.   Sigh, just thinking about it makes me anxious for next year when we go back (oh yeah, we

When August is about half way through, I have to admit I get giddy that fall will begin.  However, looking back on this summer I can't help but smile and realize that I have had a lot of wonderful times and memories this time around and before I am ready to move on into my favorite season; I want to take a moment to look back on all the fun.  Summer concerts, the fair, coffee dates with friends, weekend trips, the 4th of July, trying new food, long walks with my husband, facetime dates with my family and lots of pictures of my niece on my daily text messages from my sister in law.  Overall, I'd say this was a killer summer! Bill and I had lots of weekend trips: San Diego, Las Vegas, Visalia, Los Olivos and Baltimore.  Every trip was met with much anticipation, and every trip delivered.  I wouldn't trade one memory, and I am so thankful for all the opportunities I was given and for the deepened bonds of friendship and family :) It was in the small moments of reading

You guys… this dressing is awesome.  I have to admit, I am most excited to use it on fish tacos this weekend, but it has been a lovely dressing for salads during the week :)  I am a sucker for a good salad dressing, and this one definitely has delivered.    Bill and I have stopped buying dressing and have been making them instead.  It keeps the guessing out of it and you actually know what you are consuming.  It seemed intimidating at first, but it has been really fun to come up with new flavor combinations.  I found this particular recipe through Pinterest, and I have included a link to the originator at the bottom of this post.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I have :) Have a lovely weekend dear friends! Ingredients 2 scallions ½ green jalapeño pepper ⅔ cup Greek yogurt ½ cup lightly packed cilantro Juice from 1 lime (2 tablespoons) ⅓ cup olive oil ½ teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon honey Directions Chop the scallions.  Seed and dice the jalap

When my mom was in town a few weeks ago, we had a lovely afternoon bridal shower for my little sister Faith.  The idea was based around a British tea (as she is going to London for her honeymoon) so it was lots of finger "sandwiches" and treats that would go with hot tea.   Bridal showers are so wonderful as the bride because you are surrounded by your favorite people.   Watching my sister get spoiled with friendship, hugs and gifts was wonderful.      What a fun right of passage!   This is the 10th wedding I have been in (I know it is crazy), and every shower feels so fun and loving and personal.   The ladies that helped me throw this shower were really incredible and really love my sister, and I feel like it showed so well.   They each had really sweet, personal touches that made it overall relaxing and enjoyable and made it feel so very genuine.   I loved the "real" plates, homemade food and drinks, sparkly touches and overall feel of this afte

Ingredients 8 ounces uncooked mezze penne pasta 6 center-cut bacon slices  2 cups grape tomatoes, halved  1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 1 (6-ounce) package baby spinach  1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 ounce fresh Romano cheese, finely grated (about 1/4 cup) Directions 1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain. 2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add bacon; cook 6 minutes or until crisp. Remove bacon from pan; crumble. Add tomatoes and salt to drippings in pan; cook 3 minutes or until tomatoes are tender, stirring occasionally. Add spinach and pasta to pan; cook 1 minute or just until spinach begins to wilt, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle pasta with bacon, pepper, and cheese. This Cooking Light Recipe  (and photo) was so simple and if you use the portions above it should yield 3-4 servings.  I really loved how quick it was for a weeknight meal, and any time I have bacon I feel indulg