Sharing the Blog Love

I thought I'd take a minute to share a few new blogs I've been reading that I absolutely love!  Most of these are other moms because I just love to read how other moms are handling all the craziness and see what's coming up for me in the next couple of years.

First up is the fabulous Kelly at Kelly's Korner.  She is an amazingly patient and adorable mom of two precious girls.  She also periodically gets tons of bloggers on board with these SUYL (Show Us Your Life) posts and they are so much fun!

Next is Allyson of Heathcott Party of Six.  She is the mom of four boys under four... three of whom are triplets!  I've never been sure if I could handle four kids, but she makes it look so easy!

Last but not least is Christa of One Cheap Mama.  Christa is a corporate mommy turned stay at home mommy.  I love her blog because she is hilarious and has so many practical ideas on how mom's can save money.  Of course they could apply to other people too!

So, do y'all have any fun new blog finds to share??

Phillip's 12 Month and Family Photoshoot

These pictures were taken a little while ago (obviously since he just turned 14 months old today!!), but I finally got the digital images so I can share them.  The pictures were taken by a friend of mine from junior high.  We reconnected through Facebook recently, where I discovered what an amazingly talented photographer she is.  She lives and works in Dallas, but has family down here so we were able to get together.  If you live in Dallas and you're looking for a photographer, you can check out her blog here.

I had to get all of these because this kid is just too darn cute!!!

What I'm Making... for a comfort food Friday dinner

So I've decided to start a new series of posts called "What I'm Making..."  Basically, I'm just going to share some of my favorite recipes for different occasions.  Pretty obvious, right?  Some of them will be LBK originals and others will just be great recipes I want to share with you.  Today's recipe is for a super easy peasy but delicious comfort food dinner.  When I cook, I don't necessarily need it to be "healthy," but somehow I feel that if I'm cooking its more nutritious and wholesome so I can feel good about feeding it to my boys.  I hope y'all enjoy this recipe as much as I do!

Skillet Chicken "Pot Pie"
Serves 4

Pie Filling:

• 1.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken (I use thighs because that's what we prefer, but breasts are fine too - or if you are feeling super lazy, just pull apart a rotisserie chicken)
• salt, lemon pepper to season
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 2 shallots minced (but you can use any onions you have on hand)
• 2 tablespoons corn starch
• 1/3 cup dry white wine (or in my case left over flat champagne, ha!)
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon herbs de provence (if you don't have that use thyme)
• 2 cups frozen pea, carrot, corn medley

Biscuit Crust: 

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1.5 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Begin by making the biscuits.  Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together.  Stir in the cheddar cheese.  Stir in the cream with a wooden spoon until the dough forms.  Turn dough out onto a lightly floured area and form a ball.  Knead the dough briefly until smooth.  Then, cut biscuits (I use the top of a glass) and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Bake about 15 minutes.

Pat chicken dry and season with salt and lemon pepper.  Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a skillet over medium heat.  Brown chicken lightly on both sides and transfer to a plate.  Add the remaining butter to the skillet and heat on medium until melted.  Add shallots and salt and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.  Meanwhile, whisk together the cornstarch with the wine.  When the onions are ready, stir the liquid mixture in with the onions for about 1 minute.    Slowly whisk in the broth, cream, and thyme, and bring to a simmer.  Place the chicken back into the pan, cover, and cook over medium low about 10 minutes.

Transfer fully cooked chicken to a plate.  Stir veggie mixture into the sauce and simmer about 2 minutes.  Once chicken is cool, shred it into bite-sized pieces and return it to the skillet.  Season filling with salt and pepper to taste.  Either place biscuits on top of the filling and serve from the skillet, or put individual servings into ramekins and top with a biscuit.  Enjoy!