Bon Bon

On the front of one of Claire's favorite shirts there's little pom pom balls in a jar that says "bon bons". The only thing cuter than the shirt, is say the baby wearing it?

So. many. teeth.

What exactly is a bon bon anyway?

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Crock Pot Kung Pao Chicken

It's been a long time since I've posted a recipe, but it's a new year right?! Our house is for sale now, which may put a damper on the use of the kitchen in the near future. Or maybe we'll sell our house quickly and we can make kitchen messes whenever we want. If only... :)

Last week I made this Crock Pot Kung Pao Chicken served atop Jasmine rice and topped with chopped peanuts and green onions. It was such a fast, easy meal reminiscent of so many other crockpot wonders.

The original recipe is copied from Host the Toast, however my suggestions are highlighted blue.

Crock Pot Kung Pao Chicken

INGREDIENTS

• 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1" cubes
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons oil
• ½ cup low sodium chicken broth
• ⅓ cup low sodium soy sauce
• ⅓ cup balsamic vinegar or Chinese black vinegar
• ¼ cup sugar Really not necessary because of the hoisin, I plan to reduce/take out next time.
• 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 6-10 dried red chili peppers, split and seeds removed (adjust according to desired heat level) Try chopping these rather than just splitting down the middle. Found that the skin was tough and uncooked on several of these. 
• 1 orange bell pepper, sliced
• ½ medium white onion, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced or grated or 2 tsp
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• Peanuts or cashews, to top 
• Green onion, to garnish
• Rice, to serve Kick it up a notch with some specialty rice

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat (or, if you have a multicooker you can just do it right in the crock pot, which is awesome). Season the chicken breast with salt and pepper and saute until browned on all sides, about 4 minutes. Add the chicken to the crock pot.
2. Add in the chicken broth, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, sugar, and hoisin sauce. Give the pot a light stir. Then, add in the chilis, bell pepper, onion, garlic, and ginger, and stir once more. Cover and cook on low heat for 4 hours.
3. About 30 minutes before you've finished cooking (at the 3 hour and 30 minute mark), combine equal parts water and cornstarch (about 2 tablespoons of each) in a small bowl, whisking together until smooth. Add the slurry to the crock pot and mix well. Continue to cook for another 30 minutes, or until sauce has thickened.
4. While you wait for the sauce to thicken, slice your green onions in half, longways. Keep slicing until you have thin strips. Place the green onions in a bowl of ice water and let sit. This will make them curl up. Pictures of this process are also on the Spicy Fried Shrimp post.
5. Serve the Crock Pot Kung Pao Chicken over rice with peanuts or cashews on top and the curled green onion to garnish.

Hope you give it a try!

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10 Month Baby!

So I'm a bit late in posting these "10 Month Baby" pictures, but no harm right? In my defense there has been a lot going on 'round here. These pictures were taken at Granna's house during the holidays.

A rare glimpse of the neck!

Daddy is so funny

Quick photo-op with Mum.

and then we're done...

and the whole world knows it!

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Great-Grampie

Here's more pictures from Grampie's 90th birthday celebration.

How special is this?

Claire playing with Uncle Pete

Bday Boy

YES, there were 90 candles on one of Grampie's cakes (the sacrificial cake that got all the wax!).

Glad we could be there!

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Blueberry Video

Ok this is one of my all time favorite Claire videos, so I have to share...

Blueberry Video

Claire was eating blueberries at Granna's house when this was filmed (10 months). It's just the right combination of smiles, snot, and messy eating :)

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Meeting Uncle Jeff

Dr. Jeffrey was able to tear himself away from the med-school grind for 2 whole weeks over the holidays and he FINALLY got to meet his niece!

Uncle Jeffrey brought Claire a Jefferson shirt, which she sported with her new pink camo pants.

I can vouch for Jeffrey changing 2 diapers during his trip... I'd say we need to work on this statistic.

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Grampie's 90th Birthday

Ross, Claire, and I surprised Grampie for his 90th birthday!

We flew from Houston to Baltimore with my mom (aka Gigi) who had been planning to attend the big birthday party all along. At the airport after Pete and Grampie picked mom up, we appeared from around the corner and asked if we could have a ride. Of course Grampie took it all in stride.  "Ooooh well, what a nice surprise this is!"

Claire and Grampie

Love to Laugh

It was so special introducing Claire to her great grandfather for the first time!

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Huebel Family Pictures

Whew, I have never taken a month Blog-cation before, but I did this time and it was some much needed R&R. I look forward to sharing many pictures and holiday memories with you over the next couple weeks!

As a special treat, Mom Huebel hired a photographer to take family pictures. It was fun being on the other side of the camera for a change :) Jordan Isbell was the name of the photographer and she definitely excels at post-processing, which is near and dear to my heart indeed.

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