A Nom for Wednesday

Happy Hump Day, Kitschies!!  It's been a bit chaotic here at the clinic the last few days and I haven't been at my work station much.  It's lunch time now and I'm squeezing in a post because...how can I ignore you?

This is one of my favorite go-to recipes; I fix it at least every few weeks.  Chances are you have the ingredients on hand!  I originally found this in a Kraft recipe magazine but thanks to the wonders of the internets, you can now find it online.

Smothered Chicken & Green Bean Skillet
4 small boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 cups frozen green beans
1 can (10.75 oz) condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup water
1/4 tsp dried thyme leaves
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese 

HEAT large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken; cover. Cook 5 to 7 min. on each side or until done (165ºF). Remove chicken from skillet.

ADD beans, soup, water and thyme to skillet; cover. Cook 6 min., stirring frequently.
RETURN chicken to skillet. Cook 1 min. or until hot. Top with cheese. 

NOTES:  I go between using cream of chicken, cream of mushroom and cream of chicken and mushroom soup - it's whatever I have on hand and really, I can't tell the difference.  

See?  You have all that stuff sitting in your cabinets and in your fridge right now, don't you?

Soooo good!  And the boys eat it without complaint (which is a miracle in my house).


Enjoy the rest of your Wednesday!  I'm off to eat some food so I can get back to the grind.

And don't forget to enter my giveaway (you do not have to be a follower).  You can check it out HERE.

Call It What You Will

Good day, Kitschies!  Other than a big parenting FAIL (we thought Nate went back to school today but it's really not til tomorrow), it's been a pretty good day.  I went to my first derby practice last night in what feels like at least a month and I'm a little sore but nowhere near how I thought I would be.  Work was super busy this morning which was also a nice change.  And now I'm home with Nate. 

I have a really, really good recipe to share with you today.  I've made this before but it got pushed to the bottom of my recipe rotation and hadn't made it for quite a while.  I made this the day I was waiting for my new stove to be delivered/installed since I didn't know exactly what time they'd get here.  I got this from good 'ol allrecipes.com and you can argue whether it's a chili or a soup, but whatever it is, call it delish!

Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup
1 onion, chopped
1 (16 ounce) can chili beans
1 (15 ounce) can black beans
1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer
2 (10 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning
3 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts
shredded Cheddar cheese (optional)
sour cream (optional)
crushed tortilla chips (optional)
  
Place the onion, chili beans, black beans, corn, tomato sauce, beer, and diced tomatoes in a slow cooker. Add taco seasoning, and stir to blend. Lay chicken breasts on top of the mixture, pressing down slightly until just covered by the other ingredients. Set slow cooker for low heat, cover, and cook for 5 hours. 

Remove chicken breasts from the soup, and allow to cool long enough to be handled. Stir the shredded chicken back into the soup, and continue cooking for 2 hours. Serve topped with shredded Cheddar cheese, a dollop of sour cream, and crushed tortilla chips, if desired. 

NOTES:  I used Heineken because I know that's a beer the hubs will drink.  I don't touch the stuff.  They sell small bottles of "cooking" wine, why not cooking beer?  I'm just sayin'.

I don't usually say this, but I can't wait til my next office potluck because I know what I'll be bringing.

And like most soups, this is even better the next day.  It makes plenty for a night's dinner, but there's plenty leftover, too.  Don't let the idea of the beer in this recipe scare you - I don't like beer and I can't taste it at all in this soup.

If you've got some cold weather in the forecast, I definitely recommend picking up the ingredients for this soup.  You won't be sorry!

Good For YOU!

Good morning, Kitschies!!  Another new week is upon us.  How did *that* happen?  I can barely remember things that happened last week.  One thing I *do* remember is that my hubs told me I should take a break (it's a good thing) and escape for a little while.  So...I'm taking Mason and we're going on a road trip!  We're headed "home" to visit my parents (and the rest of the family) later this week.  We usually don't do spur of the moment things like this, but for this, we're making an exception.  My mom has ALS and the annual fundraiser walk is this Saturday, October 1st.  The last time I made it out for the walk, Nate was 2, the same age as Mason is now, so it's time to do it again!  I'm so excited!!  I am not, however, looking forward to the drive, but we'll survive.  Somehow. 

I have a great, easy, healthy recipe for you today.

About a year ago, my bestie's MIL told me about quinoa (pronounced keen-wah).  Quinoa is one of those "super foods" you never hear about.  It's a grain that is super-high in fiber (14 grams per 3.5 oz), no cholesterol and relatively low in carbs.  And it tastes good, too!  Sound too good to be true?  It isn't - and here's a great recipe for proof.

Quinoa & Black Beans
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled & minced
3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup frozen corn kernels
2 (15 oz) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
 
Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned. 

Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes.

Stir frozen corn into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through. Mix in the black beans and cilantro. 

NOTES:  I'm not a big fan of cilantro, so I left it out.  I don't think it was missing anything without it.

The hubs and I loved this and it was good even as leftovers.  The kids?  They ate it but I could tell it wasn't one of their favorites.  One time not long after making this, Nate proclaimed: "I love quinoa!" but then quickly responded with: "Wait.  What's quinoa?"  When I reminded him what it was, he was very fast to correct himself.  LOL  

So...if you want a quick, good-for-you meal, grab that quinoa!  I'm not sure of the availability, but I got mine at Sunflower Market (a whole foods kind of store).

Hang in there - Monday is going to be over before you know it!

Two Good Eats for Tuesday

Good morning, Kitschies!  It's only Tuesday and it's been a crazy week, partly because it seems like the weekend took forever to get through and then it's bled on over to this week.  I'll spare you the deets, but it was not a good weekend.  And come to think of it, that *not good* started on Friday.  *sigh*  Anyway...I'm not going to let this be a Debbie Downer post, so let's get on with it, shall we?

I went to a derby practice on Saturday and then again last night.  Saturday's practice was brutal - my legs were sore after that practice and then add in a couple falls last night (thanks stoopid berries from the damned trees and sand on the track) and I'm one sore mama today!  I am so thankful to work with some great physicians - chiropractic/osteopathic manipulations are saving my derby-lovin' life!  I may be sore and I may be bruised, but I'm lovin' every second of it.

I haven't share a good recipe with you lately, so I dug a good one out of my pending folder for today.  These recipes came from my go-to recipe site: allrecipes.com.

BBQ Chicken
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
1 Tbsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp poultry seasoning
2 pounds cut up chicken pieces

Heat grill to medium heat. 

In a small skillet combine the oil, vinegar, salt and pepper and put over low heat. Add the poultry seasoning while stirring constantly; when sauce mixes well and starts to bubble, it is done. 

Place chicken on hot grill and brush with sauce. Grill for 45 to 60 minutes, turning every 5 to 10 minutes, and brush chicken with sauce after each turning. Grill until chicken is done and juices run clear. (Note: Be sure to keep an eye on the chicken as it cooks, as it tends to have flair ups due to the oil and chicken drippings!) 

NOTES:  I used skinless, boneless chicken breasts, not pieces.  And instead of brushing the chicken while it was grilling, I marinated it for a few hours.  I think the flavor is better that way.  

And a bonus, side dish recipe:


Roasted Garlic Cauliflower
2 Tbsp minced garlic
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 large head cauliflower, separated in to florets
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (220 degrees C). Grease a large casserole dish. 

Place the olive oil and garlic in a large resealable bag. Add cauliflower, and shake to mix. Pour into the prepared casserole dish, and season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Bake for 25 minutes, stirring halfway through. Top with Parmesan cheese and parsley, and broil for 3 to 5 minutes, until golden brown. 

NOTE:  I did not use parsley - I didn't think it would add anything and it doesn't matter to me if my side dish lacks color.

I think the cider vinegar in the marinade really made the chicken moist.  I really liked this recipe, and so did the others (boys big and small alike).

I liked the cauliflower but I don't remember if the boys did or not.  I have a feeling they probably turned their noses up at it until they finally gave in and took a taste.  And wouldn't you know it...they ended up liking it.

Mmm...and now I'm hungry.  Great.  Good thing I'll be going to lunch soon!


I'll be back tomorrow with a WWtKW (I haven't played for a few weeks) and hopefully an On Wednesday We Wear Pink post, too!  Thanks for bearing with my slower than usual posting.  It's been a crazy couple of weeks!

My Favorite Recipes: Chicken Enchiladas

Happy Thursday, Kitchies!  How can the week almost be over?!  It's shaping up to be another busy weekend over here.  Saturday morning we're planning a trip to Jemez Springs or Sandia Peak...kinda depends on the weather.  Then Saturday evening I'm heading out for my first roller derby practice.  And Sunday, we're meeting up with my aunt and uncle for lunch.  They usually make a trip to northern NM during the summer and they always make it a point to stop by and say hi.  I really wish it was my parents who were visiting, but my aunt and uncle will be a good substitute.

As I've mentioned in the last few posts, I have some great recipes to share with you.  I have one of my ultimate favorites today!  It's kinda of a pain in the butt to make, but so, so worth it.  I cannot remember where I got this recipe from but it is my go-to.

Chicken Enchiladas
1 medium onion, chopped
2 4oz cans chopped green chile
2-3 Tbsp melted butter
1 10 3/4 oz can cream of mushroom soup
1 10 3/4 oz can cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
12 tortillas
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked
1 lb cheddar cheese

Saute onions and chile in butter until tender.  Add soup and broth, blending well.  Simmer 10-15 minutes.  While sauce simmers, soften tortillas by dipping in simmering sauce.  Place small amount of chicken in each tortilla and roll.  Place in greased 9x13 dish.  Pour remaining sauce over enchiladas, top with cheese.  Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

NOTES:  For the chicken, I usually grill it a little beforehand and season it with garlic salt and ground pepper.  You probably don't need to season the chicken because there's plenty of flavor already, but it's what I do.  I usually don't dip the tortillas in the *simmering* sauce because that's not so easy to do without burning the hell out of your fingers; I wait to dip them until after I take the sauce off the heat.  The recipe calls for rolled enchiladas, but you could easily layer them instead.  Also, you don't have to use a can of cream of mushroom and a can of cream of chicken - I usually use two cans of cream of chicken and mushroom.

I could definitely go for some of these for lunch today!  Too bad we're trying to stay away from processed foods...

Since I live in New Mexico, the home of Hatch green chile, I'm not allowed to use canned chile.  That's blasphemy!  I use frozen Bueno green chile instead.

Ooooh man!  I want some of these NOW!!  My mom makes awesome enchiladas, too, but I don't have her recipe.  But, my family likes these, so I think I'm good.

Sorry if I made you hungry...but that's my job.  If you have access to fresh green chile (it's getting to be about that time again!), I highly recommend that over canned.  However, I haven't seen fresh green chile outside of NM, so good luck with that.  *heehee*

I Was Pushin' It

Happy Monday, Kitschies!  I hope you enjoyed your weekend.  Our weekend was HOT without a drop of rain.  I was hopeful it would rain because I saw some really big banks of thunderheads building to the east and north but we got nuthin!  Most of Albuquerque got rain, and quite a bit of it at that, but Rio Rancho was left out.  It's looking promising for rain again this afternoon but RR will probably get skipped over.  Again.

I have an absolutely delish and easy recipe to share with you today.  I made this the first time a while back and I wasn't sure if the hubs would go for it because there's some stuff in it he refuses to eat.  Well, refused to eat.  So, when I made it, I told him he had to come to the dinner table with an open mind.  In other words: I was pushing it.  LOL  Both he and the boys ate this without fuss - especially when I made it a couple weeks ago.

No-Time Pesto Pasta

1/2 (16-oz.) pkg. penne rigate pasta (3 cups), uncooked

1/2 cup pesto

1/2 cup chopped roasted red peppers

1/2 cup crumbled Feta cheese

 

Cook pasta as directed on package, omitting salt. Drain; return to pan.  

Add pesto and peppers; cook and stir on low heat 3 to 5 min. or until heated through.

Stir in cheese.

 

NOTES:  My hubs is all about the protein, so I added a couple of cooked breasts of chicken, cut up in thin pieces.  I mixed in the cooked chicken with the pesto and peppers.

 

I've never cooked with any of these ingredients (other than the pasta, of course) so I was a little afraid of how it would come together.  But...I like all the ingredients, so I decided to give it a try.

OMGOSH YUM!!  I'm on a whole-foods type diet right now and this looks really, really good.  LOL  Even if I wasn't on this stoopid diet, it would look good! 

 

I found this (and several other) recipes on Kraft Recipes.  I like this site because you can type in individual ingredients of what you have on hand and it'll bring up recipes with those ingredients for you to browse through.  I've tried a number of recipes from Kraft Recipes and I haven't had a stinker yet!

 

So...are there any recipes you were afraid to try but once you did you loved it?  Or a recipe you were sure a family member wouldn't like but they did?  Share them with me!  I'm *always* looking for new recipes to try!!  As always, you can email me at megharmeyer@gmail.com.

Hope you're making it through your Monday relatively unscathed.  It's back to work I go...I have a pile of things needing to be sent out that are staring at me.

Friends Are Like Recipes

Good morning, Kitschies!!  I hope you enjoyed your 4th of July weekend.  We didn't do fireworks last night and I'm a little disappointed about that.  I don't ever remember not seeing fireworks for the 4th.  Ever.  There's always next year, right?  Hopefully we'll get more rain by this point next year and we'll be able to have more access to the sparklies in the sky.  We did, however, give the boys some of those little poppers you throw on the ground.  They had so much fun with those!

I've given y'all 3 manis over the holiday weekend (in case you missed them, here are the links for those: #1, #2, #3), so it's time for some food! 

Back in May (?) I needed a recipe for a main dish to bring to the office for a potluck.  I couldn't think of anything so I put the question out to my peeps in Facebook land.  I got lots of great suggestions and this one topped the list, even though it wasn't the recipe I used for the potluck.  I did, however, make this for the family a few weeks ago.  This great recipe came from my old high school friend, Charles.  If he cooks like this all the time for his new wife, she's a lucky lady!

Friends are like recipes; they're great to have around and it's always fun to find new ones.

Almond Chicken
6 skinned and boned chicken breast halves
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
3 Tbsp butter, divided
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
2 Tbsp orange marmalade
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1/8 tsp ground red pepper
1 cup package of sliced almonds, toasted

Flatten out the chicken halves to about a 1/4 inch thickness.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Melt 1 1/2 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add half the chicken and cook 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. I find you may need to use a lot more butter for this. Remove the chicken from skillet.  Repeat procedure with the remaining butter and chicken. When finished, remove the chicken, reduce heat to medium, add whipping cream, orange marmalade, Dijon mustard and ground red pepper, stirring well. Add chicken, sprinkle with almonds, and cook 8 minutes or until sauce thickens. Should yield 6 servings.

NOTES:  I flatted chicken by covering in plastic wrap first.  I tried using parchment paper but that did not work by any stretch of the imagination.  LOL  I used non-stick cooking spray rather than butter but I did add a little butter in with the whipping cream.  I couldn't find toasted almonds so I toasted them myself (oooh...amazing, I know).

This isn't a very good picture, but trust me, this is some good stuff!!  Nate pitched a little fit because "I don't like nuts" but after he got over it, he ate it all...and so did Mason.  Good stuff!

A *big* thank you to my friend, Charles, for this great recipe!  Definitely a make-it-again recipe for my family.

Hot Enough For Ya?

Happy Monday, Kitschies.  Well, as happy as a Monday can be.  Anyway...it was a hot one here in New Mexico over the weekend.  We don't usually reach over 100* but for the last 3 or 4 days, it's been HOT!  At least it's a dry heat.  And I mean that in all seriousness - because it really does make a difference.  Saturday evening we went to a graduation party - outside.  Sunday I took the boys to a play place inside one of the malls because they needed to get out of the house and it's too hot to sit and watch them at the park.  The best and her kids joined us for both occasions which made them both a bit more bearable.

Since it's nice and hot out lately, I thought I'd share a delish spicy recipe with you today.  I found this on Food Network (courtesy Rachel Ray) while looking for a new spicy chicken recipe to try.  The amount of heat this dish has is variable depending on your taste.


Spicy Thai Chicken

2 cups jasmine rice, prepared to directions on the package
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 tablespoon (1 turn around the pan) wok or light colored oil
1 tablespoon hot chile oil
1/2 to 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 small to medium onion, thinly sliced
2 red bell peppers, seeded and thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons (2 turns around the pan in thin stream or 2 splashes) fish sauce
20 leaves fresh sweet basil, torn

Place rice on the stove top to cook.

Cut chicken on an angle across the breast into thin strips. Cut strips across into bite size pieces. Set chicken aside. Wash hands and cutting board.

When the rice is 6 or 7 minutes away from being done, begin your stir fry.

Heat a wok, wok shaped skillet, or large nonstick skillet over high heat. When the pan smokes, add wok or light cooking oil, and hot chile oil. Sprinkle in crushed pepper flakes. Add chicken and stir fry 2 minutes. Add onions, red bell peppers, and garlic and stir-fry for 1 or 2 more minutes. Add fish sauce. Remove the pan from heat and add basil. Toss chicken dish until basil wilts.

Serve chicken and peppers with prepared rice, salad with peanut dressing.

NOTES:  I found this to take longer than the 6 or 7 minutes as this suggests.  You can add more or less of the hot chile oil depending on how spicy or how mild you prefer your food.  I like it HOT!

I think I'm going to have to make this recipe again sometime soon.  It was pretty easy to make and the hubs and I liked it.  We spared the boys and made them chicken because I think this would've been just a bit too spicy for their little mouths.

Just an FYI...I'm putting together some things for a giveaway very soon.  It's going to have two parts: something for the foodies and something for the beauties.  Hope you survive your Monday!  Check back often for my Super Summer Giveaway!

A Winner of a Chicken Dinner

Happy freakin' Monday, Kitschies.  I'm off work today because I still feel like warmed over death AND I don't have a voice anyway, so I wouldn't be much use at work.  Not to mention I don't have *any* energy.  I thought I was getting better yesterday and did quite a bit around the house and that might be part of the reason I feel worse today than yesterday.  I have an appointment with one of the providers at work later this morning - I don't like to take medication, but I've felt like poo for 4 days and it's not getting better, so I think it's time for some sort of intervention.  Oh, and I just realized that Blogger did dump one of my posts from Wednesday, so I have to get re-posted again some time soon.  Enough of my moping...on to the post, shall we?

I've been *really* bad about getting my pics prepped for the blog.  I have tons of manis prepped, which is good for the blog, but I've been really slacking on the recipe end.  So, I finally sat down for a while this weekend and got a bunch finished...I still have a bunch to go, but I made a pretty good dent.  This is one of my favorite, super-easy recipes.  I don't remember where I got this originally (kraftrecipes, maybe?), but it's a go-to when I don't know what else to make.

Cheesy Chicken & Rice Bake
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 1/3 cup water
3/4 cup uncooked regular long-grain rice
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 1/2 b boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Mix soup, water, rice, onion powder and black pepper in a 2-quart shallow baking dish.  Top with chicken.  Sprinkle chicken with additional pepper.

Cover and back at 375* for 45 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink and rice is cooked.

Uncover.  Sprinkle cheese over chicken.

NOTES:  I usually throw the dish back in the oven for about 5 minutes to melt the cheese.

Mmmm!  More cheeses pleases meeses!    YUM!

So, so simple and the kids eat this without any coaxing.

Update.  So. I  went to see one of the nurse practitioners I work with and she diagnosed me with an upper respiratory infection and a mild ear infection.  Nice.  So, 3 prescriptions later, I'm on the road to wellness.  And, on top of having zero energy, I get a call from daycare saying that Thing 2 has diarrhea and that we have to go pick him up.  *sigh*  When it rains, it pours, right?  I'm gonna go relax next to Mason while he watches Toy Story 3...good think I haven't already seen that movie eleventybillion times already.

One more thing.  I'm a guest writer over at just Lu today - giving a refresher course on CPR as a Housewife MacGyver.  Come over and visit, won't ya?

Spring Eating

Good evening, Kitschies! I hope you had a good Thursday.  It was a pretty typical day for me - super busy at work.  We're usually busy, but lately it's been chaotic busy.  Don't get me wrong - I like being busy, but I would like to have my nice, laid-back job back.  LOL

The weather was gorgeous today!  Clear blue skies.  Warm temperatures.  I can tell that Spring is in the air!  I love this time of year.  Speaking of time...do you realize we spring our clocks forward on Sunday?!  How is it *that* time already?  I know my kids will enjoy the longer daylight hours, but I won't be enjoying the hour of sleep lost. *sigh*  Anyway, with the changing seasons, it's time to start thinking about eating lighter.  I found this recipe in Biggest Book of 30-Minute Meals when we were putting together a meal plan for the week.  This dish is super easy to prepare (though I think it took just a bit more than 30-minutes) and it tastes good!  Nice and light for the warmer weather.

Rosemary Chicken with Vegetables

4 medium skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 1 1/4 lb total)
1/2 tsp lemon-pepper seasoning
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp minced garlic (2 cloves)
2 medium zucchini and/or yellow summer squash, sliced 1/4-inch thick (2 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup apple juice or apple cider
2 tsp snipped fresh rosemary or 1/2 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
1 9-oz package refrigerated spinach linguine or plain linguine
2 Tbsp dry white wine
2 tsp cornstarch
12 cherry tomatoes, halved

Sprinkle chicken with lemon-pepper seasoning.  In a large skillet heat oil over medium heat.  Add chicken; cook over medium heat for 8-10 minutes or until chicken is tender and no longer pink, turning once.  Transfer chicken to platter; cover and keep warm.

Add garlic to skillet; cook for 15 second.  Add zucchini and/or summer squash, apple juice and rosemary.  Bring to boiling; reduce heat.  Cover and simmer for 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions; drain.  In a small bowl combine wine and cornstarch; add to zucchini mixture in skillet.  Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly; cook for 2 minutes more.  Stir in tomatoes.  Serve vegetables and pasta with chicken. 

NOTES:  I used more lemon pepper seasoning than the recipe called for.  And I used dried rosemary instead of fresh.  

We had this a while ago, so I don't remember if it reheated well or not.  Hell...I don't even remember if we had leftovers to reheat!  LOL  Anyway, I do remember that both boys ate this without complaint which is an accomplishment in itself. 

That's all I have for you tonight.  Only one more day to get through til it's the weekend!  Any big plans for your weekend?

Tasty Tuesday Chicken

Good morning, Kitschies!  We're plugging along through yet another work week.  Kiddo #2 has his 18-month check up this morning, so it's just me and him hanging out for a little while at home this morning before we have to leave.  Mason's feeding himself oatmeal (wanna bet we'll have to change his shirt?) at the moment so I am seizing the moment to do a blog post. 

In keeping with the new "format", today is the first installment of Tasty Tuesday!  I have a bad habit of picking up new cookbooks but never doing anything with them other than drool over the pictures.  This cookbook, however, is different.  My parents gave me Better Homes & Gardens Biggest Book of 30-Minute Meals for Christmas a couple years ago and I've made quite a few things out of it.  They haven't all been winners, but most of them have been pretty good.  I was thumbing through this recipe last week and thought it sounded good, so I tried it. 

Sweet & Sour Chicken
1 8-oz can pineapple chunks (juice pack)
1/2 cup bottled sweet-and-sour sauce
12 oz skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1" pieces
1 Tbsp soy sauce
4 tsp cooking oil
1 medium red sweet pepper, cut into bite-size strips
1 medium carrot, thinly sliced
1 cup fresh pea pods, tips and stems removed
hot cooked rice

Drain pineapple, reserving 2 Tbsp of the juice; set pineapple chunks aside.  In a small bowl stir together reserved pineapple juice and the sweet-and-sour sauce; set aside.  In a medium bowl toss chicken with soy sauce; set aside.

In a large nonstick skillet heat 3 tsp of the oil over medium-high heat.  Add sweet pepper and carrot; cook and stir 3 minutes.  Add pea pods.  Cook and stir about 1 minute more or until vegetables are crisp-tender.  Remove from skillet; set aside.

Add remaining 1 tsp oil to skillet.  Using a slotted spoon, add chicken to skillet.  Cook and stir 3 to 4 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.  Add sweet-and-sour sauce mixture, vegetable mixture and pineapple chunks; heat through.  Serve chicken mixture with hot cooked rice.

NOTES:  This may be a "30-minute Meal", but it took longer than 30 minutes.  Combine the prep time of chopping and cutting with the cooking times (which are *always* longer than they suggest), it was closer to 45 minutes.  The recipe calls for fresh pea pods, but I used the sugar pea pods from Green Giant (I think) and it turned out great!

Look at the pretty colors!  I love when a dish is colorful.  Really, the key to a balanced diet is a mixture of bright colors.  The less color you have (read: potatoes, rice, pasta, etc.), the less nutrition you have.  So, brighten up those plates!

Now, I'm not saying that a little white isn't bad, because in moderation, it's not.  To make this dish a little less carb-heavy for me, I just used less rice than I normally would have.  The whole family liked this dish and I'll probably be making it again. 

Coming up in future posts, I'll have recipes for Ground Beef Casserole (slow cooker), Quick & Easy Stir Fry, Rosemary Chicken and Vegetables and a cookie and fudge recipe.  Enjoy your day!  Cross your fingers Mason's check goes without incident.

How Meh Turned To ROCK ON!

Good afternoon, Kitschies!  It's day 2 without my co-worker and while it's been busy, it hasn't been insane.  Yesterday afternoon was pretty slammin', but today is a bit more mellow, which is good because I have a bunch of stuff to get caught up on.  Overall, though, it's just been kind of a meh day.  Until I went out for a little errand at lunch.  Read on to see why. 

I was going to make cookies tonight, but I went to Dollar Tree at lunch and found some awesome finds!  Wanna know what I found?  I found this:

(I borrowed this pic from The Shoe Dish)

And then in my frantic searching, I also found this:

(I borrowed this pic from Scrangie)

Win #1: They came in the same pack - for a BUCK!  Win #2: They had multiple packs.  Win #3: I grabbed one for my bestie!  I haven't had that great luck at Dollar Tree in quite a while!  I was planning on leaving the mani I'm wearing now til the weekend, but since I found the crackle polish, that's not gonna happen.

OK.  Back to business.  I hope you don't mind my combo post - I was just too excited to not mention my find to you.  

Waaaaaay back....in 2004...I found this little digest cookbook (Low-Carb Recipes) at a register at the grocery store.  I'm a sucker for cookbooks, and we were trying to eat healthy (this is a thing we've struggled with on and off forever), so I grabbed it.  I've made a couple recipes out of it, but this is the one we make the most.  Well, I make the most. 

Chicken Salad

1/4 cup mayo

1/4 cup sour cream

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp grated lemon peel

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 to 1/4 tsp ground white pepper

2 cups dicked cooked chicken

1 cup sliced celery

1/4 cup sliced green onions

lettuce leaves

crumbled bleu cheese (optional)

Combine mayo, sour cream, lemon juice, sugar, lemon peel, mustard, salt and pepper in a large bowl.  

Add chicken, celery and green onions; stir to combine.  Cover; refrigerate at least 1 hour to allow flavors to blend.

Serve salad on lettuce-lined plate.  Sprinkle with bleu cheese, if desired.  Makes 4 servings.

NOTES:  I usually use light (or reduced fat) mayo and sour cream and I don't taste the difference.  I've never had it with bleu cheese, but I bet it's good!

I forgot to add the sugar in the picture.  Oh, and the lemon.  Sheesh!!  To "grate" the lemon, I use a microplaner and it makes the zest super fine.  I probably would've never bought it for myself, but one of my aunts gave it to me on a lark when we were camping.

Sorry it's not the best picture, but you get the idea.  I have this either as a sammich or just in a bowl plain.  Either way, this chicken salad is the best recipe I've found.  According to the cookbook, it only has 4 grams of carbs per serving. 

So, you know what I'll be doing tonight!  Painting my nails with a bright color topped with my awesome crackle polish (and hoping it works since I have no idea how old it is) and watching Grey's Anatomy.  Sounds like a good night to me!  And how sad is it that finding an old polish for (basically) 50-cents makes my day?

A Stormy Chicken

Yay!  It's Friday!!  Friday comes much quicker when you have an extra day off during the week.  I think I'm going to have to negotiate that in to my next contract.  As if.  LOL  I am NOT going to complain about my job - I really do love it.

Today I bring you one of my favorite chicken recipes.  I got this recipe from my Mom, who got it from Allrecipes.  The original recipe (linked in the title of the recipe itself) is for kabobs, but we always do it on chicken breasts.  This is a recipe that can be made year-round - if you BBQ year-round like we do. 

Rosemary Ranch Chicken
1/2 c olive oil
1/2 c ranch dressing
3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp minced fresh rosemary
2 tsp salt
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp white vinegar
1/4 tsp ground black pepper, or to taste
1 Tbsp white sugar, or to taste (optional)
5 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

In a medium bowl, stir together the olive oil, ranch dressing, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, salt, lemon juice, white vinegar, pepper, and sugar. Let stand for 5 minutes. Place chicken in the bowl, and stir to coat with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat the grill for medium-high heat. Thread chicken onto skewers and discard marinade. 

Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill over medium-high heat until the chicken is no longer pink in the center, and the juices run clear.

NOTES:  I usually let this marinate overnight or the entire day (which ever I remember to do).  My Mom uses dried rosemary, but I prefer fresh in this recipe even though it's a bit more work.  I also omit the vinegar (I wasn't sure whether I did or not until I pulled up the picture).  This recipe makes awesome leftovers!

You can use any variety of ranch dressing - I use whatever we have in the fridge at the time.  Oh, man!  Making this post makes my mouth water.

If you have a rosemary bush in your yard, that's probably the easier way to go, but seeing as how our two dumb butt dogs demolished our rosemary, we have to buy little packs of it.

I was in such a hurry to eat, I forgot to take a pic until I cut up a bunch of mine!  LOL  You get the idea, though.


And as a bonus, I'll share a couple pictures I snapped yesterday afternoon.  Click for maximum goodness.

It looked like we were in for a doosy of a thunderstorm yesterday afternoon.  The skies to the northeast (pictured here) were SO dark!

And it was starting to extend to the northwest, too.  But...we didn't get much rain.  In fact, we got about 1 minute of the stuff.  However, the northeast of Albuquerque got dumped on!

We did, however, have a pretty rainbow (and a barely there double) for the minute we got rain.  I the stark bright colors of the trees and houses against the foreboding dark stormy sky.

Guess I should get some work done.  It's shaping up to be a busy weekend (which will be the case for the next couple of weeks).  I hope to keep my sanity and to return with more posting fun on Monday.  Oh, just a little note: thank you to everybody who voted in my little poll this week.  I have one question, though.  I listed "Other" as an option and one person clicked that - WHAT, may I ask, do you want to see more of (if not more cuties, yummies or pretties)?

Happy weekend!

Of Chicken & Balloons

Totally Tuesday, Kitschies!  I hope your week has been good so far.  My day didn't start off too good (thanks to the stoopid drivers and the pretty hot air balloons), but once I got to work, it was all good.  Maybe I'll post some pics of past visits to the Balloon Fiesta this evening so you have some idea of what I'm talking about when I "complain" about the balloons.  In the meantime, check out my bestie's blog post about the Balloon Fiesta.  She has some cute pictures there and she has a more direct view of the balloons than I do (unless I'm driving and then that's a no no).  Now...on to the delishiousness.

My family loves chicken.  If I made something with chicken every night, I think the hubs would be OK with that.  I'm always in the mood for new chicken recipes and after reading Lu's post on Housewife Eclectic about Solving Menu Writer's Block, I hopped on over to Kraft Recipes and found a good looking recipe to try.  Once again, the family was transformed to guinea pig status.


Skillet Chicken & Vegetables Parmesan

1/4 cup KRAFT Light Zesty Italian Dressing

2 cloves  garlic, minced

4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 lb.)

1 tsp.  dried basil leaves, divided

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1 pkg.  (10 oz.) frozen mixed vegetables, thawed

2 Tbsp. KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese 

 

MIX dressing and garlic in large skillet. Cook on medium heat 1 min. Add chicken; season with 3/4 tsp. of the basil and the pepper. Cook 4 to 5 min. on each side or until chicken is cooked through (165ºF).

ADD vegetables to skillet; sprinkle with remaining 1/4 tsp. basil. Cook 2 to 3 min. or until vegetables are heated through, stirring occasionally.

SPRINKLE with the cheese.

NOTES:  I don't think I used a single Kraft brand product.  LOL  Of course they're going to pimp out their products in the ingredients list because it's a Kraft site.

I was right!  Not a Kraft product in the bunch.  I usually buy "generic" when I can, with two exceptions.  1) Sliced American cheese.  Why?  Because generic American cheese slices are the suck!  Why not pay just a little more for the good stuff?  2) Toilet paper.  You are NEVER too broke to have good toilet paper.  Period.

Yum!  I really liked this.  It was super easy because it's all cooked in one pan.  The only complaint with this recipe (and pretty much every recipe that involves cooking meat) is that the cooking time is off.  Cooking chicken (or any other kind of meat) for 4 or 5 minutes on each side is nowhere *near* long enough to cook it through!  What is it with recipes that don't allow enough cooking time?  Are they afraid that we'll skip the recipe because it looks like it'll take too long?  *sigh*  Maybe next time I'll cut the chicken in chunks to help cut down on uneven cooking time.

 

That's about all I have for today.  If I have the energy tonight when I get home, I'll post some pictures of Balloon Fiestas past.  It really is pretty cool, despite all my complaining.  

 

OH!  And don't forget about joining in my recipe exchange.  Be sure to invite your non-bloggy friends, too.  The more, the merrier!

 

TCB, baby. TCB!

That's what I'm doin' today: TCB!  In case you're not an Elvis fan, circa 1969-77, you probably have no idea what I'm talkin' 'bout.  I am Taking Care of Business.  And I'm not talking about the lame BTO TCB, either.  LOL  Enough abbreviations for you?  Anyway, the hubs is away tonight and tomorrow night, so it's just me and the kidlets.  Luckily, Mason is feeling much better, though now he's all boogery.  And Nate was a good boy today, so I let him choose Sonic or McD's for dinner - thankfully he chose Sonic.  Now Mason's in bed and Nate's plugged in to the Wii.  I decided to squeeze in this post while I wait for the hubs to call.

OK.  So.  I have a variation of TCB for you tonight.  But, instead of TCB, it's CBT.  I got this recipe from my very favoritest ever cookbook: The Aunties' Catering Company Annotated Cookbook, First Edition, Christmas 2005.  Long name...amazing results.  LOL  This cookbook was put together by my aunts on my Dad side and it's full of traditional family recipes and some of their own favorite recipes.  I love this book!  It's in a 3" ring binder and it's FULL!  Not only are there tons of family recipes, there are notes and stories and memories that accompany a lot of the recipes.  See how it's from 2005?  Yeah, well, I only get home every other Christmas and SOMEHOW, I didn't know they handed these out until 2006!  Somebody just happened to mention the book and my ears perked up...WHAT DO YOU MEAN THERE'S A FAMILY COOKBOOK AND WHERE'S MINE?!  I think I found out about it a little before Christmas 2006, so when I made it home that year, I got mine.  Finally.  How could they forget me?!  LOL  So, without further adieu, here's the recipe.

Chicken Breasts Tarragon

2 whole chicken breasts, partially boned and halved

Marinade:
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp dried tarragon
1 tsp salt
freshly ground pepper to taste

Place chicken in zipper bag and add marinade.  Marinate for 3 to 4 hours.

Melt 2 Tbs butter in an ovenproof fry pan.  Turn chicken pieces in melted butter.  Place pieces skin side down in fry pan.  Bake at 325* for 1 hour, turning pieces after half hour.  Remove chicken to serving platter and keep warm.

To pan juices, add:
2 green onions, sliced fine, and saute for 2 minutes

Add:
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup dry Vermouth
juice of 1 lemon

Simmer to reduce sauce.  Stir to loosen any browned bits from pan.  Pour sauce over chicken and serve.

NOTES:  I don't used boned chicken, so instead used 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves.

I don't know why I didn't get more pictures of this during cooking.  Either way, it was so good!  And it reminded me of my Grammie while it was cooking.  Maybe it was the smell of the tarragon or the Vermouth, but it reminded me of her kitchen.  Do you have a favorite family recipe that reminds you of good times with your family?

Somebody else liked it, too!  I had the leftovers for lunch the next day.  I don't usually reheat chicken, but it was awesome cold. 

I mentioned in a post a while back that the bestie and I (and our hubs who also happen to be besties) are going for an adults-only weekend in mid October.  We're headed to Ruidoso, NM for two WHOLE nights!!  And we're staying in this cabin:

Image source

It has been a LONG time since we escaped without any kids and it's never been for just a go and come back camping trip.  And the last time we went on said camping trip was August 2008!  I'd say we're overdue.  This impending trip is just over two weeks away, and to tide me over til then, I'll share a couple pictures of our camping trip way back in '08.

This is the beautiful Makeup Zombie (aka: Wendi, and she's probably gonna kill me for posting these) and me.  This is the next morning, so there's no makeup and a hat was a must (for me, anyway).

Also the next morning.  Wendi and her hubs on the left.  Me and my hubs on the right.

Wendi on the bottom, me on the top middle and my goofy hubs on the top right.  Wendi's hubs is conveniently ducking out of the picture.

Bumps on a log.  Me, my hubs, Wendi and her hubs.  Thanks to Wendi's hubs for bringing the tripod.  That guy is *always* prepared.  And usually more prepared than he needs to be.  Granted, we're talking about camping trips, but he's a pretty good guy to have around, nonetheless.  Ugh!  I am practically counting down the hours til we leave for Ruidoso!!!  Wendi...can't we just go now and have the guys meet us up there?!

So...there's your daily dose of random from me.  Enjoy your evening (or day, depending where in the world you are at the moment) and we'll talk again tomorrow. 

 

A Little Dash of This

The work week...it's half OVER!!  It was a pretty good day.  The sunrise this morning was spectacular.  It was very cloudy all day which made it humid, but it started raining after lunch and it hasn't really stopped since then (over 5 hours at this point).  I love this kind of weather.  I really wanted to leave work, go home, hide out all by myself and read a book or do absolutely nothing and veg on the couch.  I didn't get to do that, but the hubs did make a great dinner of grilled steak, garlic shells and beans for me when I got home.  I guess that about makes up for not being able to hide away this afternoon.  Take a gander at what I saw on my way in to work this morning.  This was taken with my phone camera.

Now on to the good stuff.

When it comes to recipes, I usually follow them to. the. letter.  I am not one of those people who can just throw a little bit of this, a dash of that, together to make a dish.  Nope.  I have to have direction.  Complete direction.  But, I went a little out of my comfort zone with this recipe.  I combined a recipe for Crunchy Ranch Fingers out of my Biggest Book of 30-Minute Meals and Fried Chicken Strips from Mrs Bettie Rocker to get a kid-friendly, somewhat healthy chicken chunk meal.

Oven Chicken Chunks
1 lb (or a little less) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup Italian bread crumbs
1 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
1 egg
1 cup milk

Rinse and pat dry chicken.  Cut chicken in to bite-size pieces.

In a shallow bowl, combine the bread crumbs, garlic salt, basil, paprika and pepper.  Set aside.  In another shallow bowl, beat egg and combine with milk.  Dip chicken in to egg mixture, then bread crumb mixture.

Place in greased 9x13 baking pan.  Place in 425* oven for 20 minutes, turning once.

NOTES:  The recipe from MBR called for crushed saltines and then frying in oil.  I didn't have enough of either of those so I improvised.  The only thing I used from the 30-minute recipe, really, was the oven temperature and cooking time.

Just outta the oven.  I don't know that you really have to grease the bottom of the baking dish, but I did just in case. 

Served with peas, I added a little BBQ sauce for dipping - Jack Daniel's Spicy Original.  I would've used Chris & Pitt's BBQ sauce, but I can't find it in New Mexico.  Maybe I'll add it to my Christmas list.  LOL

Kid friendly!  Nate ate the 3 chunks I gave him and even asked for (and ate) more! Happy Mommy!

Mason?  Eh...he'll eat pretty much anything.  LOL

There ya go!  Hope you have a wonderful Wednesday evening.  I'm off to get the kiddo to bed so the hubs and I can cuddle on the couch, watch last night's Parenthood and then tonight's Tosh.0.  Oh...I slept better last night, but I *really* wanted to be waking up to Saturday - not Wednesday.   

Just Can't Get Enough

*cue Depeche Mode*

Terrific Tuesday, Kitschies!  We all survived Monday, so let's get on with the rest of week so we can celebrate Labor Day.  The last official holiday of Summer.  Where has it gone?!

Today I bring you a recipe I tried on a whim a couple weeks ago.  I had the afternoon off (it was my birthday, if I remember correctly), so I had this already in the oven by the time the hubs and the boys got home for the evening.  In case you haven't noticed, we eat a lot of chicken.  And beef.  And a little pork.  If there's something you'd like me to try, a recipe you can't decide to try, whatever, just let me know and I'll see if I can whip something similar up! 


Chicken Chipulos
1 can (10.75 oz) condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 can (10.75 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken meat
1 can (4 oz) diced green chiles
1 onion, finely chopped
8 oz sour cream
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
8 - 10 oz flour tortillas

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). 

Combine the soups, chicken, green chiles, onion and sour cream in a medium size bowl. Set aside.

Rip tortillas into bite size pieces and layer 1/3 onto the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer chicken mixture on top, then a layer of cheddar cheese. Repeat two additional times, making sure to end with cheese on the top layer. Bake in preheated oven for about an hour and serve. 

NOTES:  I was leery of this because I don't usually like sour cream - especially warm sour cream, but I really liked it.  Here in NM, we don't buy cans of green chile.  I used chopped Hatch green chiles, and probably more than the recipe called for.  I can tell you that I used half hot and half mild and it was perfect!  I used corn tortillas instead of flour - sometimes flour tortillas get a little sloggy (to use a term coined by my son).  Since it's made in 9x13 dish, we had a lot left over and it reheated very well.  I think we had enough for at least 3 more meals!

Hot out of the oven.  This smelled so good!!!  And this is making me hungry right now. :(

The consistency reminds me of a casserole.  The flavor reminds me of a chicken enchilada, but less labor-intensive and less messy (no rolling required).

Well, I'm off to lunch.  Time to eat and then a quick run to Michael's to see if I can pick up something to store my Konad plates and some rhinestones.  Wish me luck!

Listening to: What's Left of Me by Nick Lachey
Mood: busy