Recipe: Bruschetta Chicken Bake

This is an easy, yummy meal I made this past week. It's a Kraft recipe (here is the link), but I am having trouble loading the site so I reproduced it below the image the way I made it. It comes together very quickly!

 
Bruschetta Chicken Bake, adapted from Kraft Recipes
1 can diced tomatoes (Rotel would be good, too)
1 box chicken stuffing mix
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons of garlic (I didn't have fresh garlic as the recipe calls for)
1/2 package frozen diced chicken, heated as directed on package
1 teaspoon basil leaves
1 cup shredded mozzarella

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Mix together the tomatoes, stuffing and water until stuffing is moist throughout.

Add the chicken to the bottom of a casserole dish (I used a square dish but the recipe originally calls for a 13x9'' dish). Top with basil and mozzarella.

Top the chicken with the stuffing mix. Add more mozzarella if you like. Maybe even some parmesan... yum!

Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. (If using uncooked chicken cook for 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.)

Raiden in the Backyard

When we first brought Raiden home, he didn't seem to enjoy himself outside. He'd stick close to us, even sitting on top of our feet, rather than explore.



It could have just been cold outside (and he hated his sweater, too), but for a little while I was afraid he'd never have fun outside.



Now, though, whether it's warmed up or he's just gotten more comfortable, he loves going outside. He races us to the door and loves to run around and smell everything.



One thing I love about dogs is their enthusiasm for everything. Cats may enjoy a couple of things and can make you crack up with their antics, but mostly, they're aloof. Just try getting a lizard enthusiastic about something. But dogs? Man, dogs love everything. Even stuff they're not supposed to love.



I think every animal brings something special to your life. Or at least, to mine. And for me, having a dog has brought me a lot of joy.



Now I think I'll head out to the backyard.

Stop SOPA and PIPA

As also posted on Hearing Sparks...

You've probably seen that sites like Wikipedia and Reddit are down today to show that they oppose SOPA (the Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (the Protect IP Act). For more information on why these acts should not be allowed to pass, and what would happen if they do, please check out Google's explanation here. On Google's site you can also sign their petition and share the information with others using Facebook, Google+ and Twitter.

According to Wikipedia:

SOPA and PIPA would put the burden on website owners to police user-contributed material and call for the unnecessary blocking of entire sites. Small sites won't have sufficient resources to defend themselves. Big media companies may seek to cut off funding sources for their foreign competitors, even if copyright isn't being infringed. Foreign sites will be blacklisted, which means they won't show up in major search engines. SOPA and PIPA would build a framework for future restrictions and suppression.

You can also use Wikipedia's blackout page to find your representatives by zip code. Contact them and let them know your concerns.

Recipe: Easy, Yummy Crockpot Meatball Stroganoff

I made this as a finger food for my family's New Year celebration. It came out really yummy! Next time, I am going to try it with homemade meatballs. It makes a lot and is very good.

Crockpot Meatball Stroganoff
2 lbs frozen meatballs, thawed
1 tub (16 oz) sour cream and chives
2 cans golden mushroom soup
1 chopped onion
Spices, including garlic, salt, pepper, etc. to taste

Heat the onions in a skillet or pot on the stove. Add the sour cream, spices, and golden mushroom soup. Heat until heated through, 5-10 minutes.

Add the meatballs to a crockpot and then stir in the sour cream mixture. 

Heat on low approximately 6-8 hours.

DePhoMo: 19 - 31

19. My desk.


20. Raiden sleeping on my desk.


21. Raiden with his toys.


22. My brother's Christmas gift wrapped up in Minecraft wrapping paper.


23. Chris and Alicia.


24. Isis.


25. My in-laws' tree.


26. Me and Raiden.


27. Raiden's supplies.


28. Sackboy.


29. A new shelf.


30. Isis.


31. Raiden.