Music, Meals, Munchkins

 

For four days this week, I had the privilege of being one of the music makers for Team Ecology—an end-of-year event for every third grader in our county. They spent a day learning about how to take care of the earth.

Three times each day, a group of children and their leaders came to the cabin area of the Joe Adair Outdoor Education Center to pick up their bag lunch and find a spot at a picnic table or on a hay bale to eat their lunch and listen to our music.

Big Sister went with me the last day and was our photographer. (Her school in the midwest ended last week.) It was just nice to be outside. I must admit that my hands are sore this morning from the hours of playing. Kind of glad they get to rest today.

This was also our first full week with everyone at the farm. Our schedules are beginning to mesh and we are finding our new routine. Baby Sister was beyond thrilled to be with Daddy-O and his tractors. Daddy-O was pretty happy about it, too.

Baby Sister loves everything at the farm. Except having to watch out for fire ants. That just slows her down. We are amazed at how her vocabulary has grown in the last few months. And as we watch the weather news from their part of the country, we are glad they are here with us.

During these really busy times, easy meals are a must. Slow cooker meals are good for these days, but oven meals can be the next best thing. One night during our full week was one of my "no recipe/let's see what I have that would go together" dinners. I looked to see what was in the pantry and made a quick stop at the store to pick up chicken to add to what I already had. 

This was in the oven minutes after I got home. There was an entire hour to do something else while it cooked unwatched. The family loved it. There was only one tiny piece of chicken left after supper. The sauce has a kick to it. Not terribly hot, but as Baby Sister says, "It's SPICY!"

HAWAIIAN BBQ CHICKEN

1 package boneless, skinless chicken thighs (I also added 1 chicken breast, cut into pieces)

1 red bell pepper, cut into chunks

2 small carrots, thinly sliced

1/2 can of pineapple tidbits, drained

1 bottle Sweet Pineapple Hawaiian-style barbecue sauce (Target brand)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place chicken in a 9x13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle bell pepper, carrots, and pineapple over the chicken. Pour enough barbecue sauce (about 2/3 of the bottle) over chicken to cover.

Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Uncover, and bake 15 minutes longer.

I served this with yellow rice, steamed broccoli and fresh fruit. I might try a making my own Hawaiian barbecue sauce. I'm looking at recipes now. That would help for times when I don't have bottled sauce on hand. But I will definitely make this again.