Soul Dust Chicken Skillet

Every mom needs a few recipes in her arsenal that she can do in her sleep. This is one of my favorites, and I've put it to good use over the last few months as I've had one medical hiccup after another.

I came across the Soul Dust recipe on Kayotic Kitchen. It's a dry rub and won rave reviews when we tested it on the grill this summer. It started me brainstorming how else I could use it. I'm been playing around with ideas for awhile, and tonight's dinner was so delicious I had to write it down so I wouldn't forget. (I apologize for the lack of photos. I will try to rectify that the next time I make it).

Soul Dust Chicken Skillet
created by Jen of de Jong Dream House
(download printer-friendly version)

Ingredients:

• 1 pound chicken, cubed
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 2 Tablespoon Soul Dust dry rub mix*
• 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
• 6 oz. spinach, chopped
• 2 cups veggie mix--we like broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots
• 3 cups pasta, dry

* Start by making a batch of Kay's Soul Dust recipe

Mix the following ingredients and store in a jar:

• 1/4 cup salt (kosher or sea salt)
• 1/4 cup turbinado sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1-1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1-1/2 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 3 tablespoons smoked paprika
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon lemon pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• 1/2 tablespoon chili powder

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees if roasting veggies. (Skip this step if steaming).
2. Prep veggies by mixing with a splash of oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper. Spread on a cookie tray, and roast for 15 minutes or until broccoli starts to crisp.
3. Add pasta to salted boiling water and cook until tender. (We like to use rotini or bowtie pasta)
4. Cut the chicken into cubes.
5. Add oil to skillet and allow to melt over low heat.
6. Add chicken and cook over medium heat until cooked through.
7. Once chicken is cooked, add 2-3 tablespoons Soul Dust. Mix well and cook on low heat for 2 minutes.
8. Add sun-dried tomatoes and spinach. Cook until spinach is wilted. 
9. Drain pasta.
10. Add chicken mixture and roasted veggies to pasta. Mix well and serve.

Updated January 2021:

Now that D is 12, he plans one meal a week. He decides the menu, adds any ingredients he needs to the shopping list, and makes dinner on Sunday night. Niels or I usually act as his sous chef as he gains confidence. 

D's version omits the sun-dried tomatoes and spinach, and replaces those veggies with a bag of California mix vegetables--cauliflower, broccoli, and carrots. We prepare the veggies separately by adding a Tablespoon olive oil, a teaspoon of salt, and a 1/2 teaspoon of lemon pepper to the mixed vegetables in a bowl, then roasting them for 12 minutes at 500 degrees, or until the edges of the broccoli start to turn brown. 

Eet Smakelijk! 

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Dutch Crockpot Casserole

The first time I was in the Netherlands, I picked up a few free cooking magazines offered by the local grocery stores. It was great way not only to start learning Dutch, but also to learn how to make some meals to make Niels feel at home here in America. 

One of my favorite recipes is Albert Heijn's ovenschotel met gehaktballetjes en winterpeen, which translates to casserole with meatballs and carrots. This recipe was a big hit when I first made it at home, but I realized that I stopped making it because I didn't want want to take the time to run all the veggies through the food processor or make meatballs. I wanted to convert the recipe to keep the yummy comfort food taste without all the prep time. 

After two successes in the crockpot, I'm happy to share this meal with you. As the weather cools down, I think you'll find this to be a nice addition to your comfort food repertoire. 

Dutch Crockpot Casserole

adapted from Albert Heijn's ovenschotel met gehaktballetjes en winterpeen

(download this recipe)

Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2 onions, chopped
• 1 pound ground beef (or turkey)
• 1 Tablespoon garlic,minced
• 2 teaspoons thyme
• 2 Tablespoons katjap manis (also known as kecap manis)*
• 1.5 pounds carrots, sliced
• 1.5 pounds potatoes, large cubes
• Pepper and salt to taste
• ¼ cup cold water or beef broth

Instructions:

1. Chop two onions. 

2. Saute onions in olive oil for about three minutes.

3. Add ground beef and cook until browned.

4. Add one Tablespoon of ketjap manis (<--Amazon affiliate link), stir, and let simmer for two minutes.

Ketjap manis, also known as kecap manis, is a thick, sweet Indonesian soy sauce. If you can't find it, or don't want to order online, you can make your own using Kayotic Kitchen's recipe, or substitute regular soy sauce with an equal parts of brown sugar and molasses.

5. Add the ground beef and onions to the crockpot.

6. Peel and chop 1.5 pounds carrots. I like using rainbow carrots for color. You can also substitute parsnips.

7. Add sliced carrots to the crockpot.

8. Cut up 1.5 pounds potatoes in large chunks. I like red potatoes and generally keep the skin on after cutting out any eyes or brown spots.

Because I like to leave the skin on, I make sure to rinse the chopped potatoes several times to rinse off any dirt.

9. Add potatoes to crockpot.

10. Add 2 Tablespoons ketsap manis. 

11. Add 1 Tablespoon minced garlic. We happen to love garlic. If you aren't crazy about garlic, 1 clove is plenty.

12. Add 2 teaspoons thyme, and salt and pepper to taste. I generally add 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

13. Add 1/4 cup water or beef broth.

14. Mix well. Cover and cook on high for 5 hours.

15. Enjoy! Or, as they say in the Netherlans, "eet smakelijk!"

Download a copy of this recipe for your own use:

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Organize | Fabric Scraps

I've been meaning to write about my super easy fabric scrap organization for months but it keeps getting put off. But today's the day because although I liked the idea when I put it together in May,  I LOVE it now that I have more scraps and can easily pull out what I need to practice a block, or quilting, or make a swap on the charity quilts I'm starting to make with my quilting group. (I found a quilting group at our new church!) Eventually, I have grand plans to make a scrap quilt. 

(In case you missed it, you can see how I store my yardage and projects in process under my craft table) 

We bought two of these Ikea Trofast storage units when we bought the Expedits for my craft table. 

I thought about making labels, but I thought it would be more fun to make visual labels with scraps from projects I've already done. I cut out 2" squares for each color, plus one striped square for multi-color scraps.

I used U-Glue Dashes to adhere the swatches to the Trofast bins.

The nice thing about the glue dots is that it will make it easy to swap the swatches whenever I want to switch things up.

A nice organized pop of color in my craft room!

D had fun helping me organizing by color. 

I used three leftover cork planks from our kitchen and dinette to top the units. There were the perfect length.

It's the perfect height for my computer. Especially when I need to look up sewing tips!

How do you organize your scraps? 

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Weekly Calendar

Over the years, I've tried a variety of methods to keep track of my schedule. Before my brain injury, when I worked full-time, I used a paper organizer for my personal appointment and Microsoft Outlook for my work day. As technology as taken over, I have attempted to use different apps and the calendar on my phone. But ultimately, I keep coming back to the same $1 impulse purchase I made shortly after Niels and I were married.

This stackable weekly calendar by Quartet is no longer available, although this one by ProMag is very similar. (<-- Affiliate link). What I love about this system is that the week are separate, so as one week is completed, you can simply remove that section (it's magnetic), update it, and add it to the bottom. No more forgetting appointments on the first week of the month!

This system has worked really well for me over the last six years, but recently, my trusty calendar has show serious signs of where. And I was disappointed that it was no longer available. I tried other methods again, but I really need to be able to see what is coming up. Other than the obvious wear, I was also hoping to find something slightly larger to accommodate our son's growing social schedule. 

I found these weekly magnetic calendars for $2 each at a local discount store and snatched them up. This style is by Board Dudes, but is also no longer available. My original plan was to adhere them to a sheet of metal or a cookie sheet, but I wasn't crazy with how it looked. 

I did have a couple of magnetic knife holders I was planning to use in my craft room. I opted to use them here instead. It only took a few minutes to put them up.

Now I can go back to remembering what to do each day!

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Rocket Scientist Costume

At four and half, our son finally moved past his train obsession and is now fixated on all things space and has plans to be rocket engineer when he grows up. Specifically, he wants to work in mission control for the International Space Station. (I have no idea how he has managed to learn so much about careers in aerospace already!). 

This summer when we were in the Netherlands, I saw the cutest astronaut costume, but when I asked D about it, he said, "No Mommy, I don't want to be an astronaut. Astronauts can die burning up in the atmosphere, and I'm your safety boy." I can't argue with that logic. Rocket scientist it is!

I started with this lab coat. 

Kids Lab Coat (<--Affiliate link)

He was very excited when I brought it out for him to try on.

The taped-up glasses are similar to these (<--afilliate link)

I wish the lab coat was a little thicker. It's so thin that it's nearly sheer. But, I'm sure D will still enjoy playing scientist in it for a  few years. I did want to customize it a bit, and it was a perfect opportunity to try making an iron on patch. I used Purple Chimp Print & Iron Cotton Fabric Sheets that I bought at Joann with a coupon.

Amazon Affiliate Link

The lab coat pocket is a 4" square, so I made the patch 3.25" h x 2.75" w. I found the NASA logo online and used Jenna Sue for his name and Bambi Bold for "mission control" as it was the closest I could find to the real NASA font, which I suspect is custom. 

I definitely recommend printing on regular paper first because my file changed sizes on me, so I wasted a page. But I was able to use it to good use. 

The right size iron-on was super easy to do. Just place...

And iron for 15 seconds.

Isn't he cute?

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Free Printable | God Blesses

download

About a year ago, we started formally giving our son a list of "contributions" to make around the house because he is part of our family. Some people call these contributions "chores." Each week, as he completes his contributions, we give him money, which is distributed to his Spend, Save, and Share jars. 

The hearts of these parents just about burst when D decided on his own to offer up all the money in both his share and spend jars to help with our church's service project to send medical supplies to Haiti. He's been adding more money over the last month, and today was the big day when he brought his contribution to church.

As we head into the holiday season, we'll be looking for more opportunities to share. I made the printable at the top of this post to help our son remember the virtue of generosity. 

What do you do to teach your children to share?

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