Prosciutto Wrapped Stuffed Chicken

(Pictures Coming...as soon as my husband gets home from work and tells me where he put the camera cord)

I bought this lovely Prosciutto at the store on Monday determined to come up with something yummy to make with it. I see it on Food Network all the time so it must be delish. I gave David a taste of it and he quickly told me "That is NOT good!". Well after that I certainly had to prove him wrong. I came up with this recipe and it was SOOOO good. It looks fancy but it's super easy. Its a little bit of a twist on my moms famous Chicken Cordon Bleu Try it and tell me what you think.

Ingredients:

-4 Large Chicken Breasts (tenderloins attached)

-1 package cream cheese (regular or low fat)

-1 cup cooked chopped broccoli

-1/2 pound thinly sliced Prosciutto (found at the Deli counter)

-1 tablespoon fines herbs (or Italian herbs)

-White cooking wine (the kind you buy near the condiments that you don't need ID to purchase is fine)

-Salt and Pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 13x9 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.

2.. pound out chicken breasts. (If you dont have a mallet like me, use the back of a skillet. Just cover the chicken in plastic wrap and start hittin!)

3. in a bowl mix chopped broccoli, cream cheese, and herbs

4. Sprinkle Salt and Pepper on both sides of the chicken (Taste your Prosciutto to see how salty it is before you over-salt. It will still need a little salt on the inside but maybe on the outside)

5. Lay out Prosciutto on a clean cutting board. Depending on the width of each piece you may need 2 or 3 slightly overlapping to be the width of the rolled chicken breast (which you will do in step 6)

5. Spread 1/4th of the broccoli mixture on the first chicken breast. roll it up. Then lay it on the prosciutto and roll the prosciutto around it so that it covers the outside of the chicken. Lay seam side down in the baking dish (you could also use toothpicks to hold it together)

6. Repeat Step 5 with all of your chicken breasts.

7. Pour 1/2 cup of white wine in the bottom of the baking dish. Cover and bake for 45-50 minutes.

8. Serve over white rice, using some of the pan drippings as a sauce over the top.

Lord, I would follow Thee

Today, in Relief Society, we sang "Lord, I would follow Thee" for the opening song. The words to the second verse really struck me. "Who am I to judge another, when I walk imperfectly? In the quiet heart is hidden sorrow that the eye can't see." This didn't strike me because I am a very harsh critic of others, but more because I am a harsh critic of myself. I find myself often comparing myself to others and always coming up short to their fabulousness. I could relate to having sorrow hidden in the quiet heart, and I realized that others who I saw as much better than I, also have trials and also experience pain. I still ask often what I have done to not be worthy of the blessing of children like so many around me. And maybe it isn't me at all. Maybe the spirits meant to reside in my home are not ready to be here yet. Maybe Heavenly Father's plan for them does not start until much later. And maybe the sorrow in my heart has a purpose for my life and my learning. The atonement has always been real to me. I have felt the pain that sin brings, and the healing joy that Christ has offered. But I have learned more about the atonement and about my Savior through this trial, than any other. I understand my Heavenly Father's love for his children more, and I am trying to learn to not compare myself to others but rather be the best that I can be and be satisfied with that. And until I am blessed with the thing my heart yearns for, I will continue to say "Lord, I would follow Thee."

Marriage Enrichment Weekend

David and I were very fortunate to be able to attend the Marriage Enrichment Weekend with CREDO southwest this past weekend. CREDO is a program run by military chaplains to enrich the lives of service members and their families. The retreat was held at the Hilton Hotel in Mission Valley and was Friday night through Sunday afternoon. The hotel and all the food was paid for (really nice since FREE is my favorite number) and the CREDO chaplain had marriage classes each day. A lot of it was from Gottman's book (which I read twice in college) and I highly recommend.

The retreat is designed for couples who are doing well in their marriage and want to keep it that way. We got to make a colored timeline of our relationship, practice better communication skills(for when we are together and apart), go on a special date, give each other gifts that represented what our spouses love means to us, and write special love notes that will be mailed at some future unknown date. The whole thing ended with a very beautiful prayer offered by the chaplain.  I am really glad that the military supports families like it does, especially since being a military family is not easy.  It was nice to really focus on the routines and rituals in our lives that define us, and show each other how much we care. It definitely put a smile on my face to be able to spend such a wonderful weekend with my husband who I love dearly. What are some special or ordinary things you do in your home to show your spouse you love them?

Ten Years Later

I have been thinking about several things over the past few days. First off, We had a HUGE power outage here in Southern California on Thursday. Made me realize I am not as prepared as I thought I was. Yes we had flashlights but no spare batteries. Yes we had food storage but no way to cook it. And we had no extra water. Emergency Preparedness FAIL! We did have a radio though, and thanks to the fact that we just got a new car, we had an outlet to plug our dying phones into. President Obama happened to give a speech on jobs that night (that we missed along with the rest of the southern portion of the state and most of Arizona) but he also mentioned a few things about 9/11 that I have thought about ever since. He said that  over the past 10 years since that horrible day we have become stronger and that as Americans we do not live in fear. I felt proud to be an American, but I also thought to myself that there are times that I have more fear now than I did ten years ago. And maybe some of that has to do with my age; I was only in the 8th grade when the towers fell (though I do remember where I was, what I was doing, and all the details from the news story). But I hate to admit that I was a bit nervous as I drove toward the base today to pick up my husband from work. I am a little bit afraid every time I fly. And as a military spouse, I am always afraid that my husband will be whisked away to a far off land to fight in a war against very bad men.  I fear for my children and especially for their children, because it seems that every day there is more evil than good in the world. But I am also humble and full of faith and I know that if I put my trust in a loving Heavenly Father that I have no need to fear. I have a strong belief that the events of that day were the result of evil men using their agency to do harm, but I also believe that it was a day needed to turn the hearts of the children toward their fathers and their God. The events of that day and the people who lost their lives and the heroes that were made will never be forgotten. I am proud to be an American: Yesterday, Today, And Forever.

So for I've learned

Since we are not moving until the Spring,  I have been spending time learning things about this new place called "The East Coast". Let me share some of them with you.

1. There are Hurricanes there
2. Oddly there are Earthquakes there also
3. Everyone there works for the government. There aren't too many other options.
4. Traffic there is worse than the 91 during rush hour. Not sure how traffic can get much worse than a dead stop, but it is apparently.
5. I will need both heavy coats and short shorts there.
6. There is a TON of history. Battle grounds, holy places, and awesome beginnings.
7. There is lots to see and do, but I am kinda already starting to miss home.
8. Government housing is pretty nice. Maybe they will let us move in here:

Heart Broken

I am following the lead of a dear friend of mine in the hopes that this helps not only me, but others around me (and also my husband is convinced that writing is therapeutic). I'm not sure where to start exactly, so I guess I will just go and see where I end up.

There they were 6, not 1 or 2, 6 positive pregnancy tests lined up on my bathroom counter. After the first one, I had to be certain it was correct, so over the next few days I took more. I wasn't overly shocked. We had been trying for a few months. But I was so happy and so at peace and I felt very prepared. Conceiving a child is certainly the best diet plan because I haven't eaten that healthy in years. I was willing to do whatever it took to protect that little one (very little at this time) forever. I felt connected to him/her from the very beginning, and I felt my Heavenly Father's love all around me. And I certainly have never been so elated to be that sick in my entire life. Life was very good. Then the bleeding started. At first just a spot here and there. And then the cramping came (I will spare the rest of the details) and it was over. I wasn't far along, and I knew that miscarriage, especially for a first child, was quite common as I had been taught that in several of my BYU courses, but I didn't want to think it would happen to me. I cried. I cried for days.  I didn't expect the physical and spiritual pain that would follow. I literally felt like my heart was broken and my soul was torn to shreds. I prayed fervently for comfort. There were times I wondered why my Heavenly Father didn't think I would be a good mom. I saw teens and drug addicts having babies on TV. How did they receive such a blessing and I could not?

I have since learned not to think this way. My husbands faith never wavered. He held me tight and did his best to dry my tears. He knew that everything happens for a reason, and when the time is right, we will be blessed as well (he has had to remind me of this a lot lately). I have a few friends, who I consider to be very good friends, announce the birth's of their babies this upcoming February...the same month my little one would have been born. And every time I saw a new announcement I cried long and hard. I cried when we purchased a crib for my brother and sister in-law and their new baby knowing that I might never get to purchase one for our home. And I cry every time someone asks me why we don't have children yet and when we are going to try, especially family members.  My broken heart is still not fully healed and my spirit is still quite sensitive, but I am praying for understanding now and for the ability to recognize that there is a plan for me. And whether that plan includes children or not, or maybe it includes them but not through normal methods, I don't quite know yet. I am learning to trust in the plan, and for my husband's sake I am going to learn to not cry so much(which could prove to be the hardest thing of all). I have been reading my favorite scripture a lot lately, so I thought I would share that with all of you in the hopes that it will comfort another as it has comforted me.

"My son (or daughter in my case) Peace be unto thy soul. Thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high..."(D&C 121:7-8).

Does the bird have a name?

Today at work a soft spoken military spouse called the Fleet and Family Support Center where I work to ask questions. She was a young newlywed...VERY young and VERY newly wed. Her husband had recently joined the Navy and she, for lack of better words, knew absolutely nothing. She asked question after question ranging from if it snows in San Diego and if people die in the earthquakes to the dangers of deployment and what ship life is like. Some of the questions did make me laugh a little bit (on the inside), but it is these people that make me love my job. Shortly after I began to think about my own situation. The next few years of our life have recently been made a little bit clearer, and with this clarity came a slew of never-ending questions.
Like:

What exactly is that flower in the corner of that sign? Does the bird have a name? Why is the only picture I could find online of this sign on an Asian wikipedia page?  How big are the bugs there really? How is the traffic? Do people die from freezing to death in the SNOW?!? I think I might call up their Fleet and Family and ask all of these things. I wont mention that I work for the Navy or that I have been married for a couple of years. Because even though I am super excited and really looking forward to this new chapter in our lives, every so often I feel a little bit scared of being so far away from home in an almost foreign land. But we go where my spouse is needed and we do the best we can.

I will miss you California.

Earthquakes and all.