Southwestern Stuffed Puff Pastry...and Perspective!

"You and I do not see things as they are. We see things as we are;

because it is the "I" behind the "eye" that does the seeing."

~ Anais Nin

I can't remember who told me this true story, very likely Skip Heitzig and I think I was about 16 when I first heard it, but I remember the story well. It goes something like this:

"There was a man who was once robbed of his purse. He wrote in his diary: 'Let me be thankful. First, I was never robbed before. Second, although they took my purse, they did not take my life. Third, although they took my all, it was not much. Fourth, let me be thankful because it was I who was robbed, and not I who did the robbing.' "

What a perspective!!!!!!

Webster's dictionary defines perspective as: one's "point of view", the choice of a context for opinions, beliefs and experiences.

I LOVE how that's worded.

"the CHOICE of a context for opinions, beliefs, and experiences."

Every day when we wake up we have a choice.

We can choose how our attitude and perspective will be for that day!

It sure takes a concentrated effort though, doesn't it?

But WE have the choice...I love that!

What if we chose to have a different perspective then our usual stock response?

What if we purposed it in our hearts to deliberately see the joy over the pain?

What would change? Who would be impacted?

I'd like to leave you with one final thought today.

I know we're all experiencing the ripple effect of a tough economy.

And so in the spirit of perspective, this statistic that I came across in the Live Faithfully homework series by Lenya Heitzig and Penny Rose is worth reflecting on:

"If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead, and a place to sleep,

you are richer than 75% of this world.

If you have never experienced war, imprisonment, torture, or the pangs of starvation, you are ahead of 500 million other people.

If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace, you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy."

Sweet Bellas, it all comes down to perspective...

What will YOU choose today?

On that note, I have the perfect dish to turn that frown upside down, and trust me, you don't have to slave in the kitchen all day to serve this elegant meal. This recipe is perfect to serve to guests and the presentation is fantastic. Enjoy, and keep shining Sweet Bellas...

Southwestern Stuffed Puff Pastry

*picture shown above

Ingredients:

1 sheet of puff pastry, thawed

6 oz. of cooked chicken, shredded or diced

*shortcut: you can used rotisserie chicken or one of those prepackaged cooked and diced chicken packages that they carry in the lunch meat section of your grocery store :)

10 cremini mushrooms, rinsed, de-stemmed, and diced

1/2 small yellow onion

1 clove of garlic, minced

2 Tbsp of olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

6 oz of cream cheese, softened

2-3 Tbsp of chopped green chile

1 tsp of garlic powder

3/4 cup of sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1 egg

splash of water

Directions:

1)Unfold the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Roll the pastry sheet out to a 12 x 8 inch rectangle. Cut into six 4 x 4 inch squares.

2) In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, green chile, and garlic powder. spread appx 1 oz. in the center of each square.

3)Meanwhile, in a small frying pan over medium heat, saute olive oil, garlic clove onion salt and pepper for one minute, add cremini mushrooms and cook until onions are translucent. Turn off heat.

4) top each square with 1 oz. of cooked chicken

5)Spoon 1 Tbsp of mushroom/onion saute mixture on top of chicken on each square

6) Top each square with a good pinch of sharp cheddar cheese.

7) Beat the egg and water in a small bowl with a fork or whisk to create an egg wash. Brush the edges of the pastry squares with the egg wash. Fold the corners of the pastry squares to the center over the stuffing mixture and press to seal. Place the filled pastries seam-side down onto a baking sheet. Brush the pastries with the egg wash.

8)Bake @ 400 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Serves 6.

I like to serve this with a caprese salad and roasted asparagus.

Mangia!

Crock Pot Chicken Cacciatore & The Power of Words...

"Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body"

~Proverbs 16:24

As I was thinking more on the topic of listening this past week,

I couldn't help but contemplate the other side of the coin...our speech, and the power of those words.

Do you know someone who will often speak before they think? Someone who has no filter in their speech whatsoever, they just blurt out whatever whenever without a second thought? Have you ever been hurt by their words, whether directly or indirectly?

Or perhaps YOU have been that person, knowingly or unknowingly.

I think it's easy for us to shift our thinking to others we know guilty of such, but what about ourselves?

Have you ever said something to someone that you instantly regretted? Why? Was it retaliation? Pride? Frustration?

Maybe you've never intentionally meant to hurt another with your words, but it happened.

The good news? It's never to late to make a change!

Words.

Simple words.

In the time it takes to speak them,

those words have the power

to build someone up,

or tear someone down.

Consider for just a moment the sweet effect of gracious words.

They can rescue people from despair, bring encouragement, life.

Gracious words can bring comfort, they can compliment, show our attentiveness,

bring positivity, be helpful, bring laughter, express gratitude, and be a blessing.

No eloquence required.

Sweet Bellas, let your words be a gift.

Let each and every one of us make every effort

to keep the law of kindness on our lips

now and always.

And while your at it, bring a dish over to someone who could use break.

Are there any tired mommies you know?

If not you can bring it to me :)

How about making this...

Crock Pot Chicken Cacciatore

Need a fantastic meal that literally cooks itself while you're at work or busy at home, with only 5 minutes prep time...this is it!

The chicken is so juicy it just falls apart. No frills...No fuss...Fabulous flavor!

Ingredients:

4 frozen chicken breasts (bone in has that extra flavor, but boneless is fine)

1 28 oz. can of Crushed Tomatoes with basil

1 Teaspoon of Chile Pequin (a.k.a. crushed red pepper flakes)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 Green Bell Pepper, sliced and chopped

A large handful of baby carrots

a handful of mushrooms, sliced (I used cremini)

salt and pepper to taste

Layer in the crock pot in order of ingredients listed above, starting with frozen chicken breasts.

close the lid

cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

Serve over rice or pasta, sprinkle with parmiggano reggiano on top. A green salad and some garlic bread are the perfect accompaniment.

Mangia!

Making Time for More "Time"...

It was the second week of May when I received the email...

Jam Jar Sweet Shiraz was hosting a contest looking for the best picnic friendly recipe, and contacted me to announce that my Mango Chile Chicken Pita Pockets was the grand prize winner of their adorable picnic backpack. You know the kind I'm talking about, the ones that hold the plates, utensils, napkins, wine opener and insulated section to hold your favorite wine and picnic fare.

My beloved and I have been wanting to celebrate, but our busy lives have pushed it to the back burner

~ and ~

now that I've purposed it in my heart to begin

simplifying,

streamlining our schedules,

and making time for more "time,"

it's on....

And so, I'm making plans.

.....a lover's picnic.....

.....dreaming outloud.....

.....wine.....

.....a meal.....

.....a handful of the favorites 
(Augustine, Lord Byron, CS Lewis).....

.....a glorious afternoon......

cheers!

Mango Chile Chicken Pita Pockets

ingredients:

4 Whole Wheat Pita Pockets

2 Cups of Cooked Chicken, Shredded

8 oz of cream cheese, softened

4 heaping tbsp. chopped green chile

1 tsp. garlic powder

4 tbsp. shredded Parmigiano Reggiano

4 Roma Tomatoes, diced

1/2 Purple Onion, diced

2 Diced Mangos

1 tbsp olive oil

4 tbsp. of fresh italian flat leaf parsley

salt to taste

black pepper to taste

directions:

1) In a medium sized bowl, mix Cream Cheese, chopped green chile, and garlic powder.

2) In a separate bowl, mix tomatoes, onions, olive oil, mangos, parsley, parmigiano reggiano, and salt/pepper to taste to create garnish mix

3) Slice Pitas open and spread 2 oz. of chile cream cheese spread onto the bottom of each pita.

4) place 1/2 cup of shredded chicken evenly over cream cheese spread in each pita.

5) spoon even amounts of “garnish mix” and spread evenly over chicken in each pita

6) cut each pita in half, wrap to go, and place in picnic basket –

7)Mangia!