Tummy Time Rag Quilt

Finally got around to sewing a little bit last week. Really excited about this one! It's a cozy flannel 'rag quilt' that I plan on using as a 'tummy-time' blanket for our little one coming in May. Since tiny babies see red and black and white best for those first few weeks, one side of the quilt is entirely those colors, while the other side is much brighter, for the later weeks and months. This quilt is so cozy and soft!

Round Oven Mitt Tutorial

My little brother is moving into his very first house with five other guys and there's not a potholder to be found in the place. So I took it upon myself to make him a couple.

For one mitt (I made two, so sorry if one or two of the pictures are confusing because of that) you will need:
2 outside fabrics measuring about 10" x 11"
2 inside fabrics (I used cozy flannel, but I think it would have looked better if it was closer in color to the outside fabric) measuring 10" x 11"
Inside binding (mine is yellow) measuring 8" x 3"
Outside binding (mine is blue) measuring 30+" x 2 1/2"
lots of batting for the inside

Baby Tutorials and Links

I always email myself links and then save them for when they come in handy some day. I have a whole bunch of pregnant/nursing/baby links and tutorials that I thought I'd throw out there for the blog world.

Tablecloth Diaper Changing Mat Tutorial from The Polka Dot Umbrella

The Nursing Cover that I already made I got from Diary of a Quilter's Tutorial

Boppy Cover Tutorial from Katie J. Gibson

Christmas in July

I had this pretty awesome idea for my kitchen that involves a whole bunch of Dresden plates, so I thought I'd experiment with some Christmas fabrics before I went ahead and dove in to my big decorating project. 

Dresdens were so quick and easy! 

And, I think, very cute. 

I used this template from this tutorial from SewMamaSew. 

Since it turned out so well, I'll definitely be moving along with my kitchen project. I ordered this handy-dandy $13 cutting guide off Amazon (I LOVE AMAZON) to make things go even faster. Can't wait to post about it!

Rachel Jankovic Article on Mothering

Read the whole deal here!


"Christian mothers carry their children in hostile territory. When you are in public with them, you are standing with, and defending, the objects of cultural dislike...
"It isn’t enough to pretend. You might fool a few people. That person in line at the store might believe you when you plaster on a fake smile, but your children won’t. They know exactly where they stand with you. They know the things that you rate above them. They know everything you resent and hold against them. They know that you faked a cheerful answer to that lady, only to whisper threats or bark at them in the car.
"Children know the difference between a mother who is saving face to a stranger and a mother who defends their life and their worth with her smile, her love, and her absolute loyalty."

Headbands

Yesterday my little sisters-in-law and I started working on some reversible headbands. This was my little girl size tester. I started with the template from Happy Together (love this blog, btw!). We made the band a little skinnier and a smidge shorter for the smaller heads. This one turned out great! 

Williams-Sonoma Peanut Butter Chicken Curry

This recipe is out of my Williams-Sonoma Chicken Cookbook. The original recipe uses thighs, but I don't care for them, so I used cut up breast meat instead and consequently didn't need to cook it for nearly as long. The recipe below is my version.

Prep. Time: 10 min.
Cook Time: 35 min.
Total: 45 min.
Serves: 4

2-3 T. canola oil
2 large chicken breasts, cut into 1" cubes
salt and fresh ground pepper
2 carrots, sliced 1/2" thick
2 celery stalks, sliced 1/2" thick
2 shallots, chopped
2 T. peeled and grated fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 t. curry powder
1 1/2 c. chicken stock
1/2 c. peanut butter
1 c. coconut milk
2 T. cornstarch
1 c. white rice, cooked

Be sure you have all your ingredients very near at hand and ready to dump in the pan. Once you get going, things move fast!

In large deep skillet or dutch oven, heat oil over medium high heat. Add chicken and brown on all sides, about 6 minutes. Transfer to plate and season with salt and pepper.

Add carrots and celery and cook uncovered until softened, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add shallots, ginger, and garlic. Cook until shallots soften, about 1 minute. Add curry, stir 15 seconds, then pour in stock.

Return chicken to pot. Raise heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer uncovered until chicken is no longer pink inside, about 10 minutes. (If you want the chicken to be more tender, add more broth and let it simmer longer, say...30 minutes.)

Stir in peanut butter. Then add coconut milk and cornstarch. Bring to boil, then remove from heat. Serve over rice.

Stir-fried snow peas make a great green side.

Crock Pot Version

Memory Card Game

I want so bad to make this scrap fabric memory card game but I know it's gonna be at least a couple more years before we'd get any mileage out of a matching game around here. But I'll post it just because it's so awesome.

Cheaters Never Prosper

The nursing cover turned out fabulous. Except that I cheated and now I seriously wish I hadn't. I didn't have any boning on hand, so I cut up a wire hanger. I don't know what I was thinking. The hanger makes the neck stick out, sure, but then it promptly tips forward for the world to see what's going on in there. So, I will have to tear it all out and do it again with boning. But I didn't want that to keep me from posting pictures, because it still *looks* good. It is green because that's gender neutral-ish. It has flowers because I myself am not gender neutral. And flannel. Because then it can double as a receiving blanket if it must. Another big reason NOT to use a hanger, but rather boning. Also, so that it can fit in your diaper bag without getting bent out of wack. What was I thinking?!

Grow Chart

I finished this grow chart a while ago, but I only recently got it all hung up properly. It's made from a moda charm pack (Punctuation, I think?). I found the idea on Moda's Bake Shop website. 

I cut a long dowel and slid it into some fabric pieces sewn to the back (one dowel at the top and another at the bottom).

Then I used some orange yarn to tie it to the door like this. I'm sure there's a better way, but this will do for now!

Andy was 21 1/2" when he was born. I hope to make it part of our birthday tradition to go measure the kids on the grow chart.

Knit Dish Rags

Here's the pattern I like to use for dish rags from here.

Size 7 or 8 needles

Worsted weight cotton, less than 1 ball

K = Knit

P = Purl

K2tog = Knit two stitches together

K2tog tbl = Knit two stitches together through back loop.

Inc = Knit in front and back of same stitch

Cast on 3 stitches.

Increasing Half:

Row 1: knit

Row 2: K1, inc, k1. (4 sts)

Row 3: Knit

Row 4: K1, inc in next 2 sts, k1. (6 sts)

Row 5: Knit

Row 6, 7, & 8: K3, yo, knit to end. (7, 8, & 9 sts)

Row 9: K3, yo, k1, purl to last 4 sts, k4. (10 sts)

Repeat Rows 6, 7, 8, & 9 until the cloth is your desired width, ending with Row 9.

Corners: (I use short rows for a neater corner. If you do not wish to make your corners this way, I put the short row corner in brackets, so you can eliminate that portion and just do the row as written.)

Row 1: {K3, turn; sl 1 st, k2, turn; k2, turn; sl 1 st, k1, turn; k2, turn, sl 1 st, k1, turn; k3, turn; sl 1 st, k2, turn}; k2, k2tog tbl, yo, k2tog tbl, knit to end.

Row 2: Repeat Row 1.

Decreasing half:

Row 1: K2, k2tog tbl, yo, k2tog tbl, knit to end.

Row 2: K2, k2tog tbl, yo, k2tog tbl, purl to last 4 sts on needle, k4.

Rows 3 & 4: Repeat Row 1.

Repeat Rows 1, 2, 3, & 4 until you have 7 stitches left on your needle.

Row 1: Knit.

Row 2: K1, k2tog tbl, k1, k2tog, k1

Row 3: Knit

Row 4: Bind off, knitting last 2 sts tog before binding them off.

I had these all rolled in a bundle to give someone and they won't lie flat now, so I folded them in half for the pictures. :D

Dairy Free

Check out my Dairy Free Recipe Blog: http://nomoojuice.blogspot.com/

Cloth Diapers

We're lovin' these one size pocket diapers from Charlie Banana!

My mother also just bought me some Thirsties Hemp Inserts and they work great! They're super thin, so the diaper is less bulky, and they absorb more than a regular cotton insert. 

Just started using this idea to make home made cloth diaper wipes, only I'm using a light-weight terry in addition to the flannel. I've made a couple and will give them a try before I make a million more. First, I need to make a diaper wipe spray. 

Also planning on sitting down to make a new nursing cover since the old one isn't holding together properly. 

Hugs and Kisses Quilt Tutorial

I'm a big fan of Moda fabrics and *especially* of their Bake Shop. It has inspired me to write my own little tutorial for this Hugs and Kisses Quilt that I made from a Moda charm pack. So here goes my very first tutorial! Please forgive my crumby camera skills.

You will need:

Kahlua Whoopie Pies

Prep. Time: 10 min.
Bake Time: 10 min. per batch

1 c. butter, chilled, cut into smallish slices
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 c. Kahlua
2 1/4 c. flour
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
4 oz. box instant chocolate pudding mix
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
jar of marshmallow cream

Preheat oven to 350. Really cream the butter and sugars together. Add egg and kahlua. Add everything else except marshmallow cream. Drop onto cookie stone/sheet and bake 10-12 minutes. When cool, dollop marshmallow cream on one cookie and smoosh into a sandwich with another cookie. Serve immediately or keep in a fairly cool place.

Mrs. Callihan's Molasses Cookies

Prep. Time: 10 min.

Bake Time: 10 min. each batch

Cream together: 

1 c. brown sugar

3/4 c. shortening

Mix in:

1/4 c. molasses

1 egg

Pile on top and mix in:

2 1/4 c. flour

2 t. baking soda

1 t. cinnamon

1 t. ginger

1/2 t. cloves

1/4 t. salt

Roll balls in sugar and bake 8-10 minutes (err on the side of too doughy rather than overdone; when they're looking cracked on top, they're done) at 375. Makes about 2 1/2 dozen if you don't eat dough along the way. 

Guinness and Bailey's Cupcakes

Serves 24

1 cup Guinness

1 c. butter
3/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder

2 c. flour

2 c. sugar

1 1/2 t. baking soda

3/4 t. salt

2 eggs

2/3 c. sour cream

For the buttercream frosting:

1/2 c. butter, room temperature

3 c. confectioners' sugar

6 T. Bailey's Irish cream

Preheat oven to 350. Line two muffin pans with cupcake liners. Combine Guinness and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When butter is melted, whisk in coca powder. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. In large bowl, combine remaining dry ingredients. In mixer bowl, blend eggs and sour cream. Add chocolate mixture and then dry ingredients, just until moist. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full. Bake 17 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack. Cool completely before piping on the yummy frosting. 

Chocolate Pudding Peanut Butter Cookies

This is from an awesome blog: picky-palate.com.

1 c. butter, chilled, cut into smallish slices
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
1 T. vanilla
2 1/4 c. flour
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
4 oz. box instant chocolate pudding mix
7 oz. peanut butter chips
1 1/2 c. mini marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350. Really cream the butter and sugars together. Add egg and vanilla. Add everything else except marshmallows. Drop onto cookie stone/sheet and smash marshmallows on top as if they were m&ms in a monster cookie. Bake 10-12 minutes.

White Chocolate Macedamia Nut Cookies

1 c. butter, chilled and cut into small slices
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
3/4 t. vanilla
1/4 t. almond extract
2 1/2 c. flour
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 c. coarsely chopped macadamia nuts
1 c. coarsely chopped white chocolate or chips

Preheat oven to 350. Cream butter and sugars together. Really cream them. Beat in eggs, vanilla and almond. Add flour, soda and salt. Stir in nuts and chocolate. Bake 10 min., until golden brown. Refrigerate dough in between preparing cookie sheets to keep cookies from spreading too much in the oven.

Broccoli, Ham and Pasta Salad

Serves 6
Prep. Time: 20 min.
Refrig. Time: 30 min.

Dressing:
1/2 c. low fat mayo
1/3 c. plain yogurt
1/4 c. sour cream
3 T. rice vinegar or white wine vinegar
1 T. Dijon mustard
1 T. honey
1 1/2 t. dried minced onion
1 1/4 t. dried tarragon or dill
1/2 t. onion salt
pepper to taste

Salad:
3 c. cooked whole wheat fusilli (6 oz. dry)
4 c. chopped broccoli (1 1/2 heads)
1 1/2 c. diced ham (8 oz.)
1 large red bell pepper, diced
1/4 c. red onion, diced
1/3 c. raisins
5 c. spinach leaves

Combine and blend dressing ingredients. Combine all salad ingredients except spinach and toss with dressing. Refrigerate at least 30 min. or up to 2 days. Serve on bed of spinach.

Crostini

Makes 24
Bake Time: 10 min.

6 T. olive oil
6 T. prepared pesto
3 T. fresh grated Parmesan cheese
French bread baguette (10 oz.), cut into 24 slices
8 bacon strips, cooked and diced
Shredded mozzarella cheese

Combine oil, pesto and Parmesan in a bowl. Then spread on baguette slices. Broil 3-4 min. Remove, sprinkle with cheese. Broil a minute or two more. Top with bits of bacon and serve warm.

Breakfast Cookies

Serves 4
Prep. Time: 10 min.
Bake Time: 20 min.

1 1/2 c. oatmeal
1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1/4 c. applesauce
1/2 c. yogurt
1 t. baking powder
pinch of salt
1 t. vanilla
1/2 t. butter
1/4 c. peanut butter
chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325. Mix together wet ingredients. Add dry ones. Form into four big cookies. Bake for 20 minutes.

Honey Bun Cake

Serves 12+
Prep. Time: 15 min.
Bake Time: 40 min.

1 package yellow cake mix (Duncan Hines is really good!)
3/4 c. vegetable oil
4 eggs
8 oz. sour cream
1 c. brown sugar
1 T. ground cinnamon
2 c. powdered sugar
4 T. milk
1 T. vanilla

Preheat oven to 325. Combine cake mix, oil, eggs and sour cream. Stir 50 strokes until most large lumps are gone. Pour half into ungreased 9" x 13" glass dish or a greased bundt. Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over the batter in the pan. Spoon rest of batter on top. Twirl the butter with a knife. Bake for 40 minutes. Mix together frosting and frost while cake is still warm. Serve warm.

Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

I found this on a blog somewhere (?) and I rarely make brownies any other way these days. Yum!

Makes 12 really big brownies
Prep. Time: 15 min.
Bake Time: 30-50 min. depending on brownie box mix

1 box brownie mix (Ghirardelli!) for a 9" x 13" pan
1 c. creamy peanut butter
1/3 c. sugar
4 T. butter, melted
2 T. flour
1 t. vanilla
1 egg

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9" x 13" pan. Prepare brownie mix according to directions on box. Prepare peanut butter swirl in mixer using the rest of the ingredients. Spread 2/3 brownie batter in pan. Drop peanut butter mixture in dollops on top. Top with remaining brownie batter. With tip of knife, cut swirls into the mixture. Bake anywhere from 30 to 50 minutes, depending on your brownie mix.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes 2-3 dozen
Prep. Time: 10 min.
Bake Time: 10 min. each batch

1 c. chilled butter, sliced into smallish pieces
1/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla (*real* Mexican vanilla will really make amazing cookies)
2 1/4 c. flour
3.5 oz. package instant vanilla pudding
1 t. baking soda
12 oz. chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, m&ms, or whatever yummies you can find

Preheat oven to 325. Put your stone in the oven now too, if you have one. Cream together butter and sugar (make it really well creamed together!). Add eggs and vanilla. Add dry ingredients. Stir in chocolate chips and/or whatever else. Roll into balls and bake at 325 for 10 minutes. I like to bake mine on my preheated pizza stone.

Meat Loaf

Serves 8
Prep. Time: 10 min.
Bake Time: 60  min.

1 envelope Lipton Onion Mushroom Soup Mix
2 lbs. ground beef
1/2 c. breadcrumbs
2 eggs
3/4 c. water
1/3 c. ketchup

Preheat oven to 350. Combine all ingredients in a bowl with your clean hands. Shape into a tight loaf and put in a  greased loaf pan. Bake 1 hour and let stand 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Chili

From my Taste of Home Cookbook

Serves 12
Cook Time: 15 min.
Crockpot Time:  4-5 hrs.

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1/2 c. chopped onion
2 t. minced garlic
2 16 oz. cans kidney beans, drained
2 15 oz. cans tomato sauce
2 14 oz. cans stewed tomatoes, cut up
1 c. water or even better: beef broth
2 bay leaves
1/4 c. chili powder
1 T. salt
1 T. brown sugar
1 T. dried basil
1 T. Italian seasoning
1 T. dried thyme
1 T. pepper
1 t. dried oregano
1 t. dried marjoram
shredded cheddar
fritos

In large skillet, cook beef, onion and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Transfer to a 5-qt. slow cooker. Stir in everything else. Cover and cook on low 4-5 hrs. Discard bay leaves. Top with chips and cheese.

Maui Chicken and Rice

Serves 6
Prep. Time: 15 min.
Crockpot Time: 4-6 hrs.

6 chicken breast halves
2 T. oil
14 1/2 oz. can chicken broth
20 oz. can pineapple chunks
1/4 c. vinegar
2 T. brown sugar
2 t. soy sauce
1/2 t. minced garlic
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3 T. cornstarch
1/4 c. water

Brown chicken in oil. Transfer chicken to slow cooker. Combine remaining ingredients and pour oven chicken. Cover and cook on high 4-6 hours. Serve over rice.

Bread Machine White Bread

Makes One Loaf

1 c. water + 1 T.
1 egg
1 1/2 T. vegetable oil
3 1/4 c. flour
1/4 c. sugar
1 1/2 t. salt
2 t. active dry yeast

Put wet ingredients in and then top with dry ingredients. Hit dough setting and will probably take 1 1/2 hours. When done, knead a couple times and then put in greased bread pan in oven at 325 for 30 minutes.

To make WHEAT bread, use 2 c. wheat flour and 1 1/4 c. white flour.

Emeril's Jambalaya

Serves 4
Cook Time: 35 min.

2 chicken breast halves, cut into bite size cubes
1 T. Creole seasoning or Essence of Emeril or something
2 T. olive oil
1/4 c. chopped onion
1/4 c. chopped green bell pepper
1/4 c. chopped celery
1 T. minced garlic
1 small tomato, chopped
1 t. Worcestershire sauce
1 t. hot sauce
3/4 c. rice, uncooked
3 c. chicken stock
5 oz. Andouille sausage, in bite sizes
salt, pepper, and more seasoning

In a bowl, combine chicken and seasoning and work it all in. In a large saucepan/skillet, heat oil over high heat with onion, pepper, and celery, about 3 minutes. Add garlic, tomato, Worcestershire and hot sauce. Stir in rice and slowly add stock. Reduce heat to medium and cook until rice absorbs liquid and is tender, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Add chicken mixture and sausage. Cook until meat is done, about 10 minutes. Season to taste.

Zesty Penne, Sausage and Peppers

I found this in a Taste of Home magazine from a while back. It's also all over the internet.

Serves 4+
Cook Time: 25 min.

3 c. penne pasta, uncooked
1 lb. Italian sausage
1 green bell pepper, cut into thin strips, bite size
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips, bite size
1 jar (24 oz.) spaghetti sauce
1 tsp. fennel seed
dash of crushed red pepper
4 oz. cream cheese, cubed
1/4 c. shredded Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta as directed on package. Meanwhile, brown sausage in a large skillet. Add peppers and stir about 5 minutes. Stir in next 3 ingredients and cook for 5 minutes. Add cream cheese and stir until melted and mixed in well.

Drain pasta and add to sausage mixture. Stir it all together and serve with grated Parmesan sprinkled on top.

Pizza Bread

Serves 4
Prep. Time: 10 min.
Rise Time: 3 hrs.
Bake Time: 60 min.

24 frozen rolls
3/4 c. shredded cheddar cheese
3/4 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 T. Italian seasoning
pepperoni and any other pizza toppings you like

Place 2/3 of frozen dough in a greased bundt pan. Combine cheeses and seasoning. Set aside 1/2 c. of cheese mixture. Sprinkle the rest over the dough in the pan. Scatter toppings over the cheese. Place remaining dough on top and sprinkle remaining cheese on top too. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until 1" from top of the pan, maybe 3 hours. Bake at 350 for 60 minutes (if top starts to get too dark, just cover with foil part way through baking). Serve with warm pizza sauce for dipping.

Sloppy Joes

Serves 6

Cook Time: 25 min.

1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef

1/2 c. chopped onion

1 T. minced garlic

1/4 c. red wine vinegar

14 oz. can tomato sauce

2 T. brown sugar

1 1/2 T. seasoning

salt and pepper

6 hamburger buns

Preheat oven to 375. 

Brown the beef. Remove fat and add onion. Saute until soft, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds. Add red wine vinegar, cook 1 minute. Add tomato sauce, sugar, seasoning, salt and pepper. Stir and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 15 minutes. 

Meanwhile, warm the hamburger buns on a baking sheet in the oven for about 5 minutes. 

Serve 1/2 c. mixture on each bun to make 6 sandwiches. 

Sweet and Easy BBQ Sauce

Makes 3 1/2 c.

1 t. minced garlic
2 T. butter, melted
1 c. ketchup
1 c. water
3/4 c. chili sauce
1/4 c. firmly packed brown sugar
2 T. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 t. salt
2 dashes hot sauce

Saute garlic in butter 4-5 minutes in medium saucepan. Add the rest and bring to a boil. You're done!

Great for Pulled Pork Sandwiches!

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Serves 8
Cook Time: 6 hours in crockpot

1 pork shoulder
1 c. water
2 batches of Sweet and Easy BBQ Sauce or just a bottle of your favorite stuff
hamburger buns

Place pork and water in crockpot and cook on low for 5 hours. Then remove from crockpot and pull apart, removing the fatty parts if you like. Put the pulled pork back into the crockpot with 1 batch of BBQ sauce and cook on low for 1 more hour. Serve on hamburger buns and allow folks to drizzle even more BBQ sauce on top if they want.

White Chili

Serves 6
Cook Time: 6 hrs. in crockpot

4-6 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
(3) 16 oz. cans Great Northern beans
16 oz. jar hot salsa
8 oz. shredded pepper jack cheese
1/2 onion, chopped
2 c. chicken broth
4 c. frozen corn
2 T. minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste

Dump in crockpot and cook on low for 6 hours. Serve with tortilla chips and more shredded pepper jack cheese. And with cornbread as a side.

Chicken with Smashed Potatoes

Serves 4+
Cook Time: 30 min.

1 1/2 lbs. baby red potatoes, quartered
1 T. olive oil
4 medium skinless boneless chicken breast halves, cut into bite size pieces
1/2 t. salt, divided
1/4 t. black pepper, divided
5 oz. carrots, cut into 2" x 1/4" pieces
1 c. chicken broth
1/4 c. heavy whipping cream
1/2 t. dried tarragon, crumbled
1 c. frozen peas, thawed
1 T. butter
(tarragon sprigs)

In 5 qt. Dutch oven, place potatoes with water to cover; heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer until tender, about 12 minutes.

Meanwhile, in nonstick 12" skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat until very hot. Add chicken and sprinkle with 1/4 t. salt and 1/8 t. pepper; cook 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then cover and reduce heat to medium, cooking until no longer pink, about 8 minutes. Transfer chicken somewhere to keep warm (such as a plate and then cover with foil).

To that same skillet, add carrots, broth, cream and dried tarragon; cover and cook over medium-high heat until carrots are tender, about 5 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and stir in peas.

Coarsely mash potatoes with  butter and remaining salt and pepper. Spoon potatoes onto platter; top with chicken and veggie mixture. Garnish with tarragon.

Supposedly something like 450 calories per serving and 40 g of protein for you prego peoples. To make it leaner, cut the cream and increase the broth by 1/4 c.