Wayne and Rebecca Madsen

Swiss Chicken (casserole?)
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5-6 Chicken Breasts
1 lb. Sliced Swiss Cheese
1/3 C. Butter
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1/2 C. White Grape Juice from concentrate
1 box Chicken Stuffing

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Thaw chicken and put it in a casserole pan. Put a generous amount of swiss chess on each breast.
Mix together 1/2 C. White Grape Juice concentrate and 1 can Cream of Chicken Soup in sauce pan and heat up slightly. (This can also be done in the microwave.) Pour over the chicken.

Melt 1/2 C. Butter and mix with 1 box Chicken Stuffing, mix with grape juice and cream of chicken. Spread the stuffing over the top of the chicken creating a top layer of stuffing.
Cover casserole pan with foil and bake for 40-45 minutes. Take the foil off and cook for another 5-10 minutes.

[Comtemporary art] is a product of the untalented, sold by the unprincipled to the utterly bewildered.

-Al Capp, US Cartoonist

This was my last real week of break before school. I have been trying to take advantage of the last relaxing moments of my life by sitting around and doing nothing, but this week I sort of worked on painting at home. We stopped by campus late last week to pick up my paints and stuff so I could paint from home. And it worked, because I did paint from home this past week. I received a commission from some friends who wanted a monkey painting for their nursery room (they have it safari themed), so I took care of that early on and then dove back into some technical skills projects.  read more »

Ever wonder how to teach children that they won't be happy getting everything they want? This story would definitely scare that lesson into them.

Coraline is a short book by Neil Gaiman about a little girl and the nightmare world she falls into, and how she tries to escape. A great story about overcoming fears, nerves, what it means to be brave and ultimately that getting what you want can be a very scary thing.  read more »

Fancy Taco Salad Bowls
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2 12" flour tortillas
1 lb. beef (any of your personal choice cuts of steak), sliced thinly
1 cup sweet corn
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
2 heaping tablespoons of sour cream
2 TBS fruit salsa (mango or peach recommended)
1 TBS taco seasoning
2 TBS lime juice
salt to taste
lots of lettuce, possibly 3 cups?

Start by putting flour tortillas into two separate oven-safe bowls. The size depends on how deep or wide you want your taco salad to be; I would generally recommend bowls that are 6" in diameter. Stuff the tortillas into the bowls, creating a bowl out of the tortilla. Shred the cheddar cheese into the base of the bowl. Stick into the oven on the lowest rack at a broil for about 4 minutes, or until the tips of the tortillas are brown and the tortillas are to your preferred crunchiness. Take out and let cool.  read more »

I stayed up really late last night finishing this book and so I'm really tired while writing this review. It is a short read, approximately 4-5 hours; and it definitely is not for children.

I've been trying to pick up some Neil Gaiman books lately and see if I do or don't like his writing. His style and flow is a bit choppy for me (just different, not bad) and so it was a bit hard to get the cadence of this book until after the first chapter... but then, I was unfortunately hooked.  read more »

Applewood Bacon and Chicken Sandwich
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Per 2 Sandwiches:
1 large chicken breast, sliced into two thinner fillets
4 thick full slices of applewood bacon, halved
salt and pepper to taste
4 slices honey wheat bread
4 slices swiss
olive oil
mayo
darkberry jam (boysenberry or blackberry)
romaine lettuce

In a TBS of olive oil, fry the chicken breasts at medium high heat, approximately 4 minutes on each side. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper, to your own tastes. Fry up the bacon, approximately 4 half slices per sandwich. Lightly brush olive oil on the top of the 4 slices of bread and then toast until lightly brown. When the toast is done, spread mayo on the top of two and the jam on the top of the other two.  read more »

I like being busy. I can say that now because I feel like we're working on things and making progress, but I don't have to stay up all night to finish a project for school or a paper. :) Oh, I loved school; I just also love being able to work on my own projects in the evenings.  read more »

When they said "add some garlic," I don't think they meant to cover the kitchen in garlic...

-Rebecca after I dropped a tub of minced garlic which exploded in our kitchen

I have been reading Steven Best and Douglas Kellner's Postmodern Theory over the past week. I believe I will be able to retain this information if I put some of my thoughts down into writing.  read more »