Hubby and I have worked in retail for way too long. Funny thing happens when work in retail. You have your “fancy dinners” and date nights on whatever day you can. Tuesday. Thursday. Monday, but almost never the traditional weekend nights, because that’s when you work. So when you see me posting fancy meals mid-week, don’t get the wrong idea and think we eat like kings every night, lol, we’re probably just having our date night dinner or trying out a new recipe (a blogging and PC perk!)

Last month we actually had a date night on a “normal” night, so we decided to go big and go out for dinner! Imagine my surprise when we went to one of our favorite restaurants(Outback) and we had to wait, that never happens on a Tuesday, lol! The longer we waited the more I appreciated our simple  mid-week date nights in. When I saw the menu I appreciated our homemade dinners even more! My favorite dish, Alice Springs Chicken is more expensive than a steak now! Say What? Yep and it doesn’t even come with a salad, only french fries (which I always sub for baked potato). I can make the same meal to feed 4 (leftovers!) at home for less than one meal out.

So next time you are considering date night out, skip the wait save yourself some money with this homemade version!

The real key to this chicken is a great Honey Mustard Sauce! This is one I made up that is now our go to recipe for dipping, marinating and salad dressings. I even got a compliment from my brother last time I served this with salads. The rest of my family must have liked it too because it was gone quickly! You should be able to keep it in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks. (Assuming it makes it that long)

Honey Mustard Sauce

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
1/4 cup honey
2 teaspoons yellow mustard
1 tablespoon Pampered Chef Dijon Rub*

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl.

Yields: 1 1/2 cups of the BEST honey mustard you have ever had!

*If you don’t have the PC Dijon Mustard Rub, you can add more yellow mustard and mix to taste. It won’t be quite as flavorful but it’s still good and what I always made before the rub came out last year.

Alice Springs Chicken

Ingredients

3/4 cup Honey Mustard Sauce
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast cut in half
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1-2 tablespoons of butter
1 1/2 cups Colby Jack cheese, shredded
8 slices of bacon, cooked
Paprika
Salt
Pepper

Directions

1. Cut chicken breast in half so you have 4 thinly sliced chicken breasts.

2. Marinate chicken breasts in 3/4 cup of the prepared Honey Mustard Sauce. Allow chicken to marinate at least 2 hours or up to 2 days for maximum flavor.

3. Prepare mushrooms by slicing and sautéing in butter for 3-6 minutes, until done. Set mushrooms aside with cooked bacon and shredded cheese.

4. Place large oven safe skillet on the stovetop on medium heat and preheat oven to 375° F.

5. Season marinated chicken with salt, pepper and a sprinkle of paprika.

6. Place seasoned chicken breast in the hot skillet for 3-4 minutes on each side to sear chicken. Remove skillet from the heat. Place mushrooms on top of each chicken breast, stack sliced bacon on top and cover with cheese. Place a piece of aluminum foil across the top of the pan and place in the oven. Bake for 7-10 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked and cheese is melted and bubbly.

8. Serve with Honey Mustard sauce on the side for dipping and enjoy!

Yields: 4 Servings

Ahhh.. perfect date night dinner done!  If you’re looking for other great date night dinners check out my favorite Carrabba’s CopyCat Recipe Chicken Bryan or Restaurant Style Chicken Parmesan! Serve any of these with a great salad, like this BLT Salad or Strawberry Spinach Salad, maybe even a soup like this Loaded Baked Potato or Butternut & Pear, and a side like Roasted Vegetables, Roasted Asparagus, Green Beans, Mashed Potatoes. It’s the perfect way to spend a little quality time together over a great meal, no matter what day it is or what your budget may be!

When you find a great price on chicken, go head and make a double batch of Honey Mustard Sauce. Complete Step 1 and place thinly sliced chicken and 3/4 cup honey mustard sauce in a freezer safe bag. Place in the freezer. When you want to have a date night dinner, just remove the bag from the freezer the night before and place in the fridge. The chicken will marinate as it thaws, saving you time and you’ll be all set to enjoy this delicious meal starting at Step 3!

Recipe Source: All Things Moms Original

I have a wonderful husband. Seriously, I am one lucky lady.

He’s the type of man who makes me special gifts and sends me random emails like this “I am the luckiest man in the whole world. I do not deserve the things God has blessed me with. When I look at how beautiful you are both outside and inside I am reminded of the love He has for me. He loves me soooo much he gave me the most beautiful and wonderful wife in the whole world. I love you more than the vast blue sky!!!!”

He’s handsome and caring and never does anything wrong. LOL, ok I’m going to stop there before you guys think he hacked my post!

God did bless me with an amazing man but truth is he is broken just like the rest of us. He has his faults, his weaknesses and those things that well.. just make me want to strangle him sometimes. The same man that melts my heart has broken my heart, he’s let me down, he’s made mistakes. He is a sinner. He needs my prayers as much as I need him in my life.

Ladies, this is true of all of your husbands. No matter how wonderful or not so wonderful they may be, your husbands need your prayers for them.

Do you pray for your husband? I have always prayed for my husband but it wasn’t until a few weeks ago that I learned how to really pray for him. Up until then my prayers were more about what I wanted to see in his life than what God wanted for his life. Then I read Praying God’s Word for Your Husband by Kathi Lipp. This book was such an eye-opener. I don’t have to say blanket prayers over my husband or stress myself wondering if I am praying for the right things in his life. I can pray God’s Word over him.

Following along with Kathi’s book has transformed my prayer life, both for my husband and in other areas of my life. I’ve seen him transform and grow in his walk with the Lord and as a result, I’ve seen him approach work, family and responsibilities differently. Not because I prayed for changes but because I gave my prayer for him fully over to God. The transformation didn’t stop with him, praying God’s Word over his life has brought me so much closer to the Lord and made me so much more in love with my husband.

Are you ready to see God move in big ways in your husband’s life, your life, and your marriage? Place your husband in God’s hands and commit to praying God’s Word over him.

Many wives approach prayer as a checklist, something that has to be done in order to carry the “Good Girl Christian” card. But with Kathi’s guide, prayer can feel about as natural as breathing. The reason: the Word of God itself becomes your prayer.

In her book, Kathi Lipp shows you not only what a blessing it is to pray boldly for your husband but also the amazing differences you’ll see–in him and in yourself–as you pray in full confidence of seeing God-sized results. Kathi directs you to Scripture, showing you how to pray God’s Word in every part of your husband’s life, including his:

• career and finances
• parenting
• relationships with God and others
• emotional health
• safety
• future

She shows you how to establish a routine, pick a special spot for prayer, focus your mind, prepare your heart, and even partner with other women in prayer. With Kathi’s biblical direction, engaging personal stories, and encouragement, you can start making a difference in your husband’s life today!

One of you will even be able to win a free copy of Praying God’s Word for Your Husband!! I’m so excited to be doing this as our first giveaway and I’m excited about the changes God can bring in your lives when you are willing to turn your prayer life over to him by praying His Word!

Are you ready to commit to praying for your husband and see God work in His life and yours? Check out these free resources by Kathi and leave me a comment. I’d love to hear your story and commitment to pray for your husband!

• Creating a Quite Time Routine
• When Your Husband is Overwhelmed

Don’t forget to enter the giveaway and share with your friends!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Kathi Lipp is also the author of six other books including The Husband Project, The Marriage Project and 21 Ways to Connect to Your Kids. She speaks 60-70 times a year to women across the US about loving God and loving those God has put in their path. She and her husband Roger are the parents of four young adults and survived blending all those kids (when they were teens.) You can purchase Praying God’s Word for Your Husband at

• Amazon
• CBD.com
• Barnes and Noble
• Kathi’s Website (for a signed copy and other fun stuff)

I’m back! If you’ve missed out on some of my Facebook updates, I’ll catch you up to speed. Computer crashed. Lost tons of blog pics and work. Got discouraged. Moving on now, lol! There that was easy! Among those things that I lost were my freezer meal pics I had waited to post until I had eaten them all to make sure they were delicious (and they were!) Ironically had the last one for dinner the night before the crash. The good news is since I’ve eaten them all now I need to make more and I started yesterday with a huge batch of Homemade Enchilada Sauce!

I like to have this sauce on hand for various meals- enchiladas, Mexican lasagna, and other creative dishes I come up with on the fly that need a good sauce, lol! Yes, that happens a lot in my house! Hubby often asks what’s for dinner and I reply, “I’m not sure, I’ll let you know when it’s done”. You don’t do that? hmmm.. must be inherited, I know I’m not the only one in my family that does it   Anywhew.. back to the sauce! I’ve include the recipe for a single batch but feel free to double, triple or sixtuple.. (is that a word?) the recipe like I did to maximize your money savings and time!

Homemade Enchilada Sauce

Ingredients:
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup California or New Mexico Chili Powder*
8 ounces of tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a stockpot over medium/high heat.

2. Reduce heat to medium, stir in flour and chili powder and cook, stirring continuously until lightly browned. (Approx 2-3 minutes).

3. Add remaining ingredients  and stir until smooth. Continue to cook 10-15 minutes until the sauce has thickened a little bit. For larger batches you may need to add additional time approximately 2-3 minutes per each time you multiplied the recipe.  (I multiplied the recipe times 6 and let it cook around 30 minutes.)

Yields: Approximately 2.5 cups per single batch

*New Mexico Chili Powder can be found in bulk containers on the international aisle in your grocery store. About 2 cups cost me $1.99.

Save time and money by buying ingredients on sale and preparing in bulk to store in the freezer. By multiplying this recipe by 6 I was able to get 16 cups of prepared enchilada sauce. Used some for dinner, froze the other in 1 cup portions. A can of 14 ounce enchilada sauce in my local grocery store is $1.89. This homemade version costs me about .29 cents per cup!! Plus, there are no extra, artificial ingredients! Winner!

Recipe slightly adapted from AllRecipes.com

All day yesterday I have wanted to make a cake.. not just any cake- like the best thing I’ve ever eaten type cake. Hot Caramel, warm apples, moist cake- ummmm yum! I talked to my mom, I told her about this cake. I talked to my sister, I told her about this cake. I had a taste of it and I could not not get it out of my mind. I was obsessed with this cake! 

From now on this cake will be known as my conviction cake. This cake is not in the slightest bit good for you. Not that everything I eat and post is, but I certainly steer away from things like this on a regular basis and I had just made it two days before. (Don’t judge me, I told you it was good and I had 2 partners in crime, it’s not like I ate it all myself! lol)

As bad as it is for me this is not where the conviction came from. I knew I didn’t need to make that cake. If I had thought it was ok to just make it I wouldn’t have told my mom and sister to come over so I would have a good reason to make it. I wouldn’t have made up excuses for why I needed to make the cake. Things like practice for my Pampered Chef show or as a reward to myself for a long day. I would have been at peace with it, and I was not. As soon as I scooped the last of the sour cream out of the container it hit me. “The last of the sour cream? I’m not planning on buying more groceries until next month. I should save this.” but I ignored it. Then again with almost every ingredient, “there is so much of this ingredient used.. wouldn’t it be better put to use for something else?” and finally the apples got me “I’m using two apples on this unhealthy dessert to satisfy my personal selfish desires. Two apples that would make a healthy snack for my little girl.” God always uses her to put things in perspective for me.

I knew right then I shouldn’t have made the cake, I knew I was being convicted. Not because it was unhealthy but because it wasn’t the right thing to do. I’ve been praying that the Lord give us wisdom and show us how to be good stewards of the time, money and things He has given us. Making delicious cake once was ok, a special treat He allowed us to be able to enjoy together. Choosing to make it a second time out of selfish desire was not being a good steward of what He has given us and quite honestly I feel like it may even push that line of idolatry.

Think I’ve lost it yet? Wouldn’t be the first time, won’t be the last- stay with me here. I tasted the cake, I wanted the cake, I sought after the cake. I went to the trouble of finding reasons to have the cake and I was telling others about it. Pathetic when you think about it and I’ve almost deleted this whole post three times for fear you will all stop reading but I think someone out there may be able to relate to me on this one. Maybe not with cake, maybe with Facebook, a job, a smartphone- who knows .. whatever it is you are seeking after. The truth is we should only be seeking after one thing.. God himself.

“Taste and see that the Lord is good, blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him”
Psalms 34:8

Now I’m not going to go all Beth Moore on you (if you ever happen to read this Beth- thank you for all your studies- I love them and the Lord always uses them to grow me!)  but the Hebrew word used for refuge is “chasah” it literally means to seek, confide in, have hope, make refuge, have trust. Taste and see that the Lord is good, blessed is the man who seeks HIM.. not cake.. not friends.. not phones.. not emails… not money.. not goals.. not ______ (fill in your conviction)-  just HIM.

How appropriate the Lord showed me this with something I actually did taste. How many times has He tried to show it to me with other things and I have been so focused on getting them that I didn’t see Him trying to guide me. Wow. Sometimes I’m just so amazed at His grace and love. Don’t get pulled away from Him, from His blessings for some cake friends. Stand strong, put your sights on Him - taste and see. Seek after Him, find reasons to be near Him, tell others about Him. It’ll be better than the best cake you’ve ever eaten!

Well, it’s the last day of our National **Un-Official** Dip Week. Sad day, or at least it would be if I weren’t so excited about today’s recipe!! This mango salsa is SO good! It goes great with tortilla chips, cinnamon chips or as a topping for chicken, fish, and more.

Served with tortilla chips this is a perfect snack- little sweet, little salty, little crunchy – perfection. The best part is that it’s good for you! There are no added sugars in this! Just a few ingredients mixed together for a quick, healthy snack in under 5 minutes!

Mango Salsa

Ingredients

1 ripe Mango- peeled, pitted, and chopped
1 cup red seedless grapes
2 tablespoons red onion, chopped    
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro
1 jalapeno pepper- seeded, chopped
1 lime

Directions

1. Add cilantro and jalapeno pepper to Manual Food Processor.* Pump the handle a few times to begin mincing and mixing.

2. Add red onion and grapes to the processor, give it a several additional pumps until the grapes are smaller pieces.

3.  Add the mango and give a few more pumps until mango is the size you would like.

4. Squeeze the lime juice into the salsa and stir to combine.

Enjoy! Yields 2-3 cups

 * If you don’t have a Manual Food Processor you can do this in a regular food processor but depending on the size of your processor you may want to coarsely chop the cilantro and finely chop the jalapeno before starting or they might not get as finely chopped because they will just fly away from the blades.  If you don’t have a food processor at all,  you can finely chop all ingredients and stir to combine.

Have you enjoyed all the dips this week? I hope so, I know I sure have! I’d love to know what your favorite is! Queso, Pico De Gallo,  Guacamole, or Mango? I love them all!! I’ve already even started thinking about dip ideas for next year- I can’t wait!

Recipe Source- Recipe collection compiled by fellow Pampered Chef Consultants for the Manual Food Processor