breakfast for dinner

It's cold here this week and I wish that the snow would come back.  I have always felt that the only two really good excuses for cold weather are Christmas and snow, and since Christmas is over, I only have snow to hope for.  In the spirit of winter wonders though, I just watched three deer run up the street.  We've only seen deer in our neighborhood two or three times since we moved here, so it is a real special occasion.  Not quite snow, but still fun.  

Last week we had breakfast for dinner and I tried out two new recipes that I never seem to find time to make in the morning for actual breakfast.  Arthur and I made these Pineapple Parfaits, which I normally would have made in pretty glasses, but instead we used plastic cups.  For the obvious reasons.  I have been getting these amazing $.99 pineapples at Aldi and, while it's not a fruit I usually eat with yogurt, the parfaits were great.  

We also made Baked Eggs with Spinach which was really fun to assemble.  You just layer all the ingredients in the ramekins, so we set up an assembly line.  Any meal that we can make together is a real winner.  Both dishes were tasty and filling and we rounded out the meal with apple scones.  In the interest of full disclosure, they were from a mix.  I mean I don't live in the kitchen, although sometimes it feels like I do.  

In other food news, I learned a new way to make shredded chicken this week and feel like it was a real life-changer, so of course I have to share.  I probably make 3-4 recipes each month that call for shredded chicken, and, although I like to eat it, I find making it such a pain.  Normally I try to bake the chicken while I'm working on something else, but it takes forever (or 40 minutes) and usually ends up tougher than I'd like for shredding purposes.  

My new method is this: heat some oil in a skillet and season the chicken with salt and pepper.  Cook the chicken for about 5 minutes on one side.  Flip the chicken and add 3/4 cup water or broth to the skillet (I used broth).  Cover and let simmer over medium heat for 7-10 minutes, or until chicken is cooked (mine took about 10-12 minutes).  I let it cool for a few minutes before shredding and the shredding was SO easy. Don't you love it when you find a new method that is both quicker and better than your old one?  Me too. 

Every time I get out the camera to take pictures of our food (which is not as often as I'd like anymore), my sidekick does the same.  It is both flattering and nerve wracking to have someone monitor and copy my every move.  I wonder if this is how celebrities feel.  

We're enjoying a quieter week than the last and have decorated for Valentine's day (more on that soon!). All of the new spring bow ties are in the shop now and I'll be blogging in more detail about those soon as well!