Half Hour Chicken Gumbo

This is a little late, but I really got into the Mardi Gras spirit this year and made some REALLLLY yummy gumbo this year.  I found a "Half Hour Chicken Gumbo" recipe on Martha Stewart's website.  It used a roaster chicken from the grocery store, and it was quite simple and easy.  After it cooked it looked really gross and "grey" so I added a large can of crushed tomatoes to it.  I don't remember any gumbo I've ever eaten being the color it was before the extra tomatoes, and I was sooo glad I added them.  It was delicious!!  Here are my pictures from my meal:

  Here's the recipe and the picture from her website!

Half-Hour Chicken Gumbo

Serves 4

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, such as safflower
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 red bell peppers (ribs and seeds removed), chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 package (10 ounces) frozen cut okra
• 8 ounces smoked (precooked) andouille sausage, halved lengthwise and sliced 1 inch thick
• 1 rotisserie chicken (about 2 1/2 pounds), skin and bones removed, meat shredded (about 4 cups)
• Store-bought or homemade cornbread, for serving (optional)

Directions

1. In a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot, heat oil over medium. Add flour, and cook, whisking constantly, until pale golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in bell peppers, onion, garlic, and oregano; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are crisp-tender, 10 to 12 minutes.
2. Add 4 cups water; stir in okra and sausage. Bring to a boil. Stir in shredded chicken, and warm through, 1 to 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper; if desired, serve with cornbread.

Holy Cannelini beans... that is good!

I've had this recipe marked under my "favorites" bar for a long time, but I've been waiting for ground turkey to go on sale  the right day to make it.  I finally got around to making it last night and oh my goodness it is sooooo good!  It was actually pretty easy and fast to make, and not too expensive b/c I had most of the stuff in stock besides the ground turkey.  I was surprised how brothy this soup was b/c the pictures doesn't show very much broth.  But, please, try this recipe!!  IT'S SOOO GOOD and not very fatty!  It didn't make very much, so after dinner I found myself making an extra pot so I could have it for lunches this week, and to freeze some.  Check out Martha Stewart's website for the original post.  I left the jalapenos out of mine because Carter was eating the soup too.  The soup was still very good.  Phillip had sour cream and jalapenos to add to his and he said it was amazing.  The prep time, and cooking time listed on the site are definitely correct, but it's not something you have to stand over and worry about while it's cooking.  It took about 40 minutes start to finish.  I'm a big fan of cutting corners to make things go faster so I used a bag of frozen chopped onions the second time I made it and it was perfection! (Oh, and let's not forget that they also sell the jalapenos canned already chopped and seeded!  Score!)  The Cannelini beans were hard to find, but I eventually found them at Food Lion.  If you can't find any I'm sure you can substitute with Northern Beans, even though they have a bit different taste.

Turkey and White Bean Chili

• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 pound ground turkey
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 jalapenos, diced and seeded for milder taste
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 cans (19 ounces each) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cans (14 1/2 ounces each) reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup water
• Sour cream, cilantro, and radishes, for garnish

Directions

1. In a large, deep, skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add ground turkey; season with salt and pepper. Cook, breaking up turkey with spoon, until browned, 9 minutes.
2. Add onion and jalapenos; cook until soft, 3 minutes. Stir in cumin and tomato paste; cook 2 minutes.
3. Add cannellini beans, chicken broth, and water; bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer until thick, 15 to 20 minutes.
4. Garnish with sour cream, cilantro, and radishes, if desired.

Thank you Martha!

You can always count on the Martha Stewart website for the most fantastic meals and recipes. I ran across this one the other day, and boy am I glad I did!! This was so ridiculously delicious! There are 3 thing I will warn you about. This recipe definitely took an hour (maybe a bit more) from prep to finish (I don't know if it's because I used fresh veggies or what??). Also, it dirties a lot of dishes. I'm a big advocate for not making a HUGE mess, and cleaning while I cook, and it definitely used a lot of dishes. The comments below the recipe state that it came out a little blah.... and.... yeah... it could have been. But I doctored mine a bit. I really feel like I need to incorporate more veggies and good stuff for my little man so I added nice fresh asparagus stalks to this meal. I also added a couple good dashes of onion powder to the final mixture, and then under the top coating of cheese I added a Parmesan herb topping that I had in my spice cabinet.
You know the best part of this meal? It makes enough for two meals, so I could cook one that night, and freeze the other half for another night! Oh me loves it when I can cook enough for 2 nights! Here ya go!!

Sorry I couldn't get a pic before we scooped Carter's portion out to cool!

Baked Penne with Chicken and Sun-Dried Tomatoes:

• 6 tablespoons butter, plus more for baking dishes
• coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 pound penne rigate
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (8 ounces each), halved horizontally
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 6 cups whole milk
• 10 ounces white mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 cups shredded provolone (6 ounces) (I Sargento's Shredded Mozerella/Provolone mixture)
  
• 1 cup finely grated Parmesan (4 ounces) (I would suggest a little more than this)
  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400. Butter two shallow 2-quart baking dishes. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta 3 minutes short of al dente; drain pasta, and return to pot.
2. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Season chicken with salt and pepper; cook until opaque throughout, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Halve each piece lengthwise, then thinly slice crosswise.
3. In a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot, melt butter over medium. Add flour and garlic; cook, whisking, 1 minute. While whisking, gradually add milk; bring to a simmer, whisking frequently. Add mushrooms and tomatoes; cook 1 minute. Off heat, gradually stir in provolone and 1/2 cup Parmesan.
   
4. Add chicken and pasta to pot; season with salt and pepper. Divide pasta mixture between baking dishes; sprinkle each with cup Parmesan.
5. Bake, uncovered, until top is golden and bubbling, about 25 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
6. Prepare through step 4; let cool. Cover tightly with foil, and freeze, up to 3 months.
7. Preheat oven to 400, and bake (still covered in foil) on a rimmed baking sheet until center is hot, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove foil; bake until golden, about 15 minutes more.

OOOOHHH!! It was sooooo yummy and I'm really looking forward to my left-overs for lunch today!

P.S.... I've noticed quite the trend of cheese-topped items on my site.... eh... oh well!! It's soooooo good!

Dipping Deliciousness

Hi guys! I hope you are all doing well. We've had quite the turn in weather here. Phillip came up this weekend and it was soooo beautiful and we walked around Lake Junaluska and spent pretty much all weekend doing family stuff and enjoying the beautiful weather. Then, the next day I'll be darned if it weren't snowing! Gotta love living in the mountains! You never know what to expect! But it did give me a chance to have Carter wear his "Elmer Fudd" hat one last time before the winter is over and snap a shot like this on our way to the babysitters:

It was such a fantastic weekend though, and I'm glad we took advantage of being outside. We went and fed ducks and fish at Junaluska and I got such great pictures of lil man and his daddy. I'll share them with you as soon as my camera gets charged.
I finally got a chance to cook something really great a week or two ago. It turned out SO INCREDIBLY fantastic. I got the recipe off another blog where a woman has been using her crockpot EVERY SINGLE DAY to fix her family's meals. My pictures of the meal are at the bottom, but here is the recipe from her site:

French Dips

4 lbs beef roast, I actually buy Beef Round Sandwich Steak, (meaning it is already sliced)
1 (10.5 oz) can of beef broth
2 (10.5 oz) cans of Condensed French Onion Soup
1 (12 oz) bottle of dark beer (I only use 1/2 the bottle)
1Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp garlic powder
6 French Rolls (I like Sara Lee)
Butter

Put the butter into the bottom of the crockpot and turn on. Add the meat, garlic, and onions, and swirl around in the butter.

Pour in the broth, beer, and cooking sherry. Add pepper and Worcestershire sauce.

Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours.

If your meat is still in large chunks, remove it carefully, and slice. Return the meat back to the broth.

Serve on rolls. I made rolls from the Whole Foods 365 bread mix, and added some cheddar cheese to the sandwiches. Traditionally, gruyere is used.

Dip the sandwich into the broth before each bite for a nice juicy flavor and consistency


Verdict- LIP SMACKING GOOD!!! Holy Hannah! I made this sandwich twice since then because it's sooooo good. I got a little confused with the recipe though and had to vear off on my own a few times. She has two different recipes (one for gluten free and one not) and these instructions mention things that are not listed in the ingredients list abopve (the sherry and extra onions) and I'm glad I had some in my house because it really added to it. I got a little confused with the meat selection and ended up buying a beef bottom round. I sliced it very very thin (and let me tell you this was incredibly difficult and also got my gag reflex going) by hand. The second time I made it I had the butcher slice it as thin as he could get it and it was still thicker than what I did. I ended up preferring my hand sliced better. I also used a different type of cheese. I used provolone and it rocked! I also added more Wocestershire sauce than what it called for and it gave it so much more flavor. It definitely only took about 4 hours for my meat to cook, but I also sliced it very thin. I really encourage everyone to make this recipe because it was more than easy, so delicious, and soooooo good. And besides, who could ask for anything more fabulous than coming home from a hard day at work and already having dinner ready? Awesome right!!?? Here are my pics from that dinner:

Down right delicious!!!!

Amazing hubbie

So, Phillip made the most AMAZING dinner last night. It's so funny that he doesn't really like to cook unless it's ethnic food, but when he does something normal it turns out great. He made the most ammmmmmmmmmaaaazing Boston Butt last night. Lord have mercy it was good. He rubbed it in a paprika mix and that just made it so good! I wish I had a pic of it because it was just beautiful when it came out of the oven. This lady is so excited to have it for lunch today!
We had another check up for Carter's weight yesterday with his nutritionist. He is up to 11 pounds and 3.5 ounces! Big boy! It's so weird to look back at him on his skinny pictures and see how tiny he was. I'm so glad he's healthy now. We are even cutting back his nutrition visits to 2x a month because he is doing so well. On a different note concerning Cater- he is absolutely killing me with his sleeping schedule. Phillip and I were incredibly lucky because he's been sleeping through the night and getting up somewhere between 5 and 7 to nurse. That is no more. He's been going down around midnight and getting up at 4 every morning. It's about to put me in a sleep coma. I'm so absolutely exhausted.

A friend of mine sent me this really awesome recipe and I want to share it with you. Enjoy!

Chicken Marsala
INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup all-purpose flour for coating
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - pounded 1/4 inch thick
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup Marsala wine

DIRECTIONS
In a shallow dish or bowl, mix together the flour, salt, pepper and oregano. Coat chicken pieces in flour mixture.
In a large skillet, melt butter in oil over medium heat. Place chicken in the pan, and lightly brown. Turn over chicken pieces, and add mushrooms. Pour in wine. Cover skillet; simmer chicken 10 minutes, turning once, until no longer pink and juices run clear.


Roasted Red Potatoes - just quarter them after a good rinse (and pat dry) place on a cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil and mix in your favorite herb (Rosemary usually with potatoes). Mix together to coat and put in oven on 350 degrees for abouto 20 minutes or desired tenderness.

Potato soup

So, I had a really crappy day yesterday starting off with me running my wire bristled brush across my eyeball as I was trying to style my hair for work. Then I went to Burger King, just for the hash browns, and they were out. Who runs out of hashbrowns at 8:00 in the morning!!!?? So, I settled for a ginormous coke that fell out of my hands, onto my desk, my floor, into my computer bag, my pocketbook, and my pump bag as I walked into my office. The stars are aligning folks, and they are sending me a message loud and clear...... I SHOULD NOT BE AT WORK!!! So, to alleviate the crappyness of my day I decided to make soup last night. It was fabulous. We made potato soup and I loaded it up with cheese on top. I would have put bacon in there but I was out. But, it was still sooooo comforting and yummy. Here ya go:

Potato soup

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 6 large potatoes, peeled and diced
• Water
• 2 to 3 cups milk
• 2 tablespoons butter
• Salt and pepper to taste

Sauté the onions in the 1 tablespoon butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until softened. Add potatoes and just enough water to cook, about 1 cup. Season lightly with salt. Bring to a boil; cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Add the milk, remaining butter, salt and pepper to taste. Continue to cook over medium heat until hot; do not boil. With a potato masher, mash some of the potatoes right in the pot to slightly thicken the soup.

Quick and easy chili

As you know, I'm all about quick and easy recipes. I love making this recipe and it's always so simple and soooo yummy! I always double this recipe because it never seems to make enough if I don't. Of course, my family has this complex that cooking too much food is always better than not having enough! Just ask my friends.... they know you never leave my mom's house hungry! If you did, it's your own fault! :)

Quick and Easy Chili

1 pound ground beef
1 package Lipton Onion Soup mix
1 1/2 cup water
1 can tomato sauce
4 teaspoons chili powder
1 can red kidney beans (or chili beans)

In a skillet, brown your beef, then drain. Return your beef to the pan and add rest of ingredients. Bring mixture to a boil. Turn chili down to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
(If you want a spicier chili add more chili powder or Texas Pete Hot Sauce)

...that's it!!! Simple right!!?? I love it! Add some "Jiffy Corn Bread" on the side and you've got yourself a bit of heaven!

Quick and easy dinner

Last night I made a really quick and easy dinner. It was from the newest issue of Kraft Foods Food & Family. It was incredibly simple and quick. The most timely thing with the prep was cutting the chicken. All in all it took about 30 minutes until completion. Most of the stuff was already in my pantry or freezer, so it was also very cost effective. My picture is a little yellow b/c the lighting in my kitchen stinks, but I hope you get the idea of yummy it was. Also, I didn't take a picture of it after the pasta was added so it looks a little lame. Phillip absolutely raved over it and it will definitely have to be on the menu again. I know it might be a little much on the starches but I served this with tortilla chips and salsa verde it seemed to go well (according to Phillip).


Cheesy Chicken & Salsa Skillet

2 cups multigrain penne pasta, uncooked

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

1-1/4 cups TACO BELL® HOME ORIGINALS® Thick 'N Chunky Salsa

1 cup frozen corn, thawed

1 large green pepper, cut into short thin strips

1 cup KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Reduced Fat Four Cheese Mexican Style Cheese

COOK pasta as directed on package.

MEANWHILE, heat large nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook and stir 2 min. Stir in salsa, corn and peppers. Bring to boil. Simmer on medium-low heat 10 min. or until chicken is cooked through, stirring occasionally.

DRAIN pasta. Add to chicken mixture; mix lightly. Sprinkle with cheese. Remove from heat; cover. Let stand 1 min. or until cheese is melted.

Delish Anniversary Dish

We celebrated our 8 years together last night with a delicious meal of my favorite things: steak and potatoes! This combination always makes me a happy girl. I made twice-baked potatoes for the first time last night and they were DELICIOUS!!!!!! I usually don't like twice-baked potatoes because they can get very dry, very easily, but these were insanely good. Recipe is at the bottom. It's from the allrecipes.com website.

Scooping out the middles

Putting the filling back in the potatoes

YUMMMMY!! :)

Tell me your not salivating!!!!

Ultimate Twice Baked Potatoes

• 4 large baking potatoes
• 8 slices bacon
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup milk
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
• 8 green onions, sliced, divided

  DIRECTIONS

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bake potatoes in preheated oven for 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.
• When potatoes are done allow them to cool for 10 minutes. Slice potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop the flesh into a large bowl; save skins. To the potato flesh add sour cream, milk, butter, salt, pepper, 1/2 cup cheese and 1/2 the green onions. Mix with a hand mixer until well blended and creamy. Spoon the mixture into the potato skins. Top each with remaining cheese, green onions and bacon.
• Bake for another 15 minutes.

Baby stuff and gyros!

This weekend we had a very interesting time. I was excited because Phillip put our stroller together. Here's how it went:

"hmmm... everything was looking ok until now.... what's the deal???"

"Let's see what the instructions say to do...."

"Ah! I'm a genius!"

"Finished product. Are you ready to roll Carter?"

Then, on Monday night Phillip decided he couldn't handle his passion for gyros anymore after seeing an "Alton Brown" episode on the Food Network. I'm really impressed with him and Patrick. They made the gyro-loaf (*vomit*), tzatziki sauce, pitas, and french fries all from scratch!!!! I'm not much of a gyro fan, but I definitely had no problem with the french fries! Here's the pics from that, and the recipe from the food network website:

The gyro-loaf (try not to vomit! I dare ya~!)

Grilling the loaf

(the loaf on the rotisserie)

Home-made Pitas

The homemade french fries waiting to be fried

The finished product! I'm very impressed boys!

Gyro Meat with Tzatziki Sauce

1 medium onion, finely chopped or shredded 2 pounds ground lamb 1 tablespoon finely minced garlic 1 tablespoon dried marjoram 1 tablespoon dried ground rosemary 2 teaspoons kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Tzatziki Sauce, recipe follows Process the onion in a food processor for 10 to 15 seconds and turn out into the center of a tea towel. Gather up the ends of the towel and squeeze until almost all of the juice is removed. Discard juice. Return the onion to the food processor and add the lamb, garlic, marjoram, rosemary, salt, and pepper and process until it is a fine paste, approximately 1 minute. Stop the processor as needed to scrape down sides of bowl. To cook in the oven as a meatloaf, proceed as follows: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Place the mixture into a loaf pan, making sure to press into the sides of the pan. Place the loaf pan into a water bath and bake for 60 to 75 minutes or until the mixture reaches 165 to 170 degrees F. Remove from the oven and drain off any fat. Place the loaf pan on a cooling rack and place a brick wrapped in aluminum foil directly on the surface of the meat and allow to sit for 15 to 20 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 175 degrees F. Slice and serve on pita bread with tzatziki sauce, chopped onion, tomatoes and feta cheese. To cook on a rotisserie, proceed as follows: Form the meat mixture into a loaf shape and place on top of 2 overlapping pieces of plastic wrap that are at least 18 inches long. Roll the mixture in the plastic wrap tightly, making sure to remove any air pockets. Once the meat is completely rolled in the wrap, twist the ends of the plastic wrap until the surface of the wrap is tight. Store in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or up to overnight, to allow the mixture to firm up. Preheat the grill to high. Place the meat onto the rotisserie skewer. Place a double-thick piece of aluminum foil folded into a tray directly under the meat to catch any drippings. Cook on high for 15 minutes. Decrease the heat to medium and continue to cook for another 20 to 30 minutes or until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 165 degrees F. Turn off the heat and allow to continue to spin for another 10 to 15 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 175 degrees. Slice and serve on pita bread with tzatziki sauce, chopped onion, tomatoes, and feta cheese. Tzatziki Sauce: 16 ounces plain yogurt 1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped Pinch kosher salt 4 cloves garlic, finely minced 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar 5 to 6 mint leaves, finely minced Place the yogurt in a tea towel, gather up the edges, suspend over a bowl, and drain for 2 hours in the refrigerator. Place the chopped cucumber in a tea towel and squeeze to remove the liquid; discard liquid. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the drained yogurt, cucumber, salt, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, and mint. Serve as a sauce for gyros. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week. Yield: 1 1/2 cups

Catch up

So, the a couple weeks ago I told you that I went to get Chinese food with my friend Kate. Well, we had the kookiest waiter and he was all about me being pregnant. He commented over and over about how I needed refills on food to feed the baby and filled my glass 12 million times to make sure the baby had plenty to drink. At the end of the visit he brings out the check and our fortune cookies. He was so sweet and said that he found this particular fortune cookie and wanted to give it to me because it had a momma and a baby cookie in it. Check it out:

Awesome right!?

Also, I told you about some amazing ribs that I made. It's a Paula Deen recipe and it's really good. I cut it in half because I didn't have a full rack of ribs, but it was still delicious and so tender! Also, we don't have a smoker so we just turned the grill down low and let it cook for a while.

Smoked Pork Ribs

2 racks pork ribs
House Seasoning, recipe follows
Jerry's Basting Sauce, recipe follows
Favorite BBQ sauce, if desired

Prepare smoker to 250 degrees F. I use charcoal and wood chips such as hickory.

Remove membrane from ribs if desired. Rub thoroughly with House Seasoning. Place ribs on smoker grate and cover. Slow smoke ribs for 2 to 3 hours. Every 15 minutes brush ribs with vinegar solution. We serve our ribs without sauce. If you like sauce cooked on, brush ribs with sauce about 15 minutes before they are done, turning often, watching carefully that the sauce does not burn. Ribs are done when they are tender enough to easily pull from the bones. If you're not a sauce eater, remove ribs, cut and serve with BBQ sauce on the side.

House Seasoning:

1 cup salt
1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup garlic powder

Jerry's Basting Sauce:

3/4 cup white vinegar

3/4 cup lemon juice
4 dashes Worcestershire sauce
3 to 4 dashes hot red pepper sauce
1 small onion, minced
3 to 4 dashes salt
Seasoned pepper, to taste
2 to 3 cups water

In a medium saucepan, mix all ingredients and bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Use this sauce to brush ribs or chicken to keep moist.

Ribs with salt, pepper, and garlic powder

The basting sauce
Yummy!! The finished product!


Oh, and this last picture is one of Phillip's favorite sides. It's just sliced mushrooms cooked in Italian dressing. He says they are to die for, and they smell good cooking, my texture issues just put a stop on it for me.

Quick and easy pizza

Last night I helped a friend and her family get their new home ready. I wanted to do dinner for everyone and didn't feel like spending a fortune. So, I relied on an old-faithful that my mother did once for a b-day part for me growing up. My friends still talk about it and talk about how much food my mom always did for big occassions, so it warms my heart when we make them. Also, this is great for kids b/c it makes them feel important and grown up that they can make these on their own and decorate them as they choose.

English Muffin Pizzas

Package of English Muffins
Jar of pizza sauce
Mozzarella cheese
toppings of your choice- ours were pepperoni, bell peppers, canned mushrooms

Cut the muffins open so that you have 2 halves. Put your sauce on as you wish, then put whatever toppings on that you choose. Spruce it up at a party by putting them in cool colorful bowls. Kids can make faces with hair out of cheese and other toppings if they choose. Place them on a cookie sheet, and bake them for 10 minutes at 350 degrees. I love these pizzas! They are incredibly good, and INCREDIBLY fast and easy! Serve them up with carrots and slices of bell peppers with ranch dressing and voila!!~*** Dinner in ten!

Boy things scare me

I really started thinking about how I know absolutely NOTHING about boys since we've found out about our sweet little Carter being a boy. I've been scared out of my mind quite frankly. I think Phillip will do great and just put me to shame. I enjoy seeing little things that reminds me that dad's have a hard time too. Hope you enjoy!


OH, also, I made a banging dinner last night. It sounds time consuming, but it's not really. I wish I had taken pictures. It was quite impressive. So, instead, I leave you with the recipe from Food Network.

Shrimp Scampi Linguini

1 pound linguini
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
2 shallots, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch red pepper flakes, optional
1 pound raw shrimp, peeled and deveined (I got mine w/o the tails 'cause I just don't do tails)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley leavesFor the pasta, put a large pot of water on the stove to boil. When it has come to the boil, add a couple of tablespoons of salt and the linguini. Stir to make sure the pasta separates; cover. When the water returns to a boil, cook for about 6 to 8 minutes or until the pasta is not quite done. Drain the pasta.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter in 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Saute the shallots, garlic, and red pepper flakes (if using) until the shallots are translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper; add them to the pan and cook until they have turned pink, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the shrimp from the pan; set aside and keep warm. Add wine and lemon juice and bring to a boil. Add 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons oil. When the butter has melted, return the shrimp to the pan along with the parsley and cooked pasta. Stir well and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle over a bit more olive oil and serve immediately.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!

Quick note to my husband.... HAPPY ANNIVERSARY RED!!! These two year of marriage have been amazing, filled with ups and downs but I couldn't imagine doing it without you! You are everything that makes me strong, and you are my weakness!!! Red, I love you with all my heart and I'm so thankful that you were brought into my life so many years ago!! Who knows where we would've been today without our first date (but not date) to Meatballs eight years ago! I love you!






thanks for that little moment.......

I'm pretty sure I've mentioned how much I love the Kraft website for recipes in my blog before. They also have a magazine that they send out (for free!!) that has AMAZING recipes in it. Last night's dinner was from their "Food and Family" magazine and it came out great. I made their Fiesta Chicken Enchiladas. I hesitated making this because it contains a wide variety of ingredients I try to not eat due to my crack-head texture issues. It was a little time consuming because we this recipe is meant to cut down on time by using left over cooked chicken, which is something we did not have. So, we had to grill the chicken and it added more time than I wanted. Other than that, it was a quick fix and incredibly delicious. My hubbie was raving at the end.

Fiesta Chicken Enchiladas

Prep Time:
15 min

Total Time:
35 min

Makes:
4 servings, two enchiladas each

1 small onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

4 cooked small chicken breasts (about 1 lb.), shredded

1 cup TACO BELL® HOME ORIGINALS® Thick 'N Chunky Salsa, divided

4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, cubed

1 Tbsp. chopped cilantro

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 cup KRAFT Shredded Cheddar & Monterey Jack Cheese, divided

8 TACO BELL® HOME ORIGINALS® Flour Tortillas

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Heat large skillet spayed with cooking spray on medium heat. Add onions and garlic; cook and stir 2 min. Add chicken, 1/4 cup of the salsa, cream cheese, cilantro and cumin; mix well. Cook until heated through, stirring occasionally. Add 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese; mix well.

SPOON about 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture onto each tortilla; roll up. Place, seam-side down, in 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray; top with remaining 3/4 cup salsa and remaining 1/2 cup shredded cheese.

BAKE 15 to 20 min. or until heated through.

Ok, Ok, so I added a little too much cheese. So kill me~

Chef Alfredo giving the wink of approval

Phillip's enchiladas with extra salsa and cream cheese on top

There's a happy rumbly in my tumbly....

Dinner last night was amazing. I made grilled, marinated pork chops, grilled pineapple, and grilled zucchini.... delicious! Next time I think I'll add rice pilaf to the mix. Not including the time for marinating my pork chops, the prep time was about 10 minutes!! It took about 15 minutes to cook everything! :) Sweet deal huh?
It's as simple as, getting bone-less pork chops, tenderizing them, and letting them marinate for a couple of hours in whatever marinade you choose. I chose Lawory's Garlic & Herb marinade and it was AMAZING. Wash and slice your zucchini and brush it with a touch of olive oil, then salt and pepper it. Grab you a can of pineapple rings, drain the juice. Once your grill is heated to a medium heat, place all of it on there. Make sure to rotate those chops, zuchinni, and pineapple halfway through. Don't leave the chops on there for too long because they dry out quickly, but also make sure to cook the pink out of them. It all comes out done at the same time and it's sooooo good! Trust me, your belly will be thanking "Chef Sara!"
Happy Hump Day!

Fresh on the grill

I had to put this picture on here to show you the aftermath on our grill from where P caught it on fire. Notice the dark marks across the front, behind the handle, from where the flames licked the top of it. It was soooo nice and shiny and pretty from me cleaning and polishing it that day, and now look at it. It's sooo sad! (and yes, I clean and polish my grill!!... who doesn't??... ok, I admit it... I'm a little anal retentive)

After the flip

DELICIOUS finished product

.......your welcome!!!

I made the Peanut Butter Brownie Cupcakes the other day. They turned out sooo fantastic and were unbelievably easy. My batter definitely made a limited number of cupcakes. It was only one pans worth. I made the Duncan Hines "Triple Chocolate" type though. Maybe that had to do with the limited amount? Who knows. But, they were amazing. Here's what they looked like with the first layer.

I forgot to take a picture of the finished product, so check out Divine Domesticity’s "flickr" website for the beauties in the final form.

Also, I made up a quick and easy dinner last night. The pictures of it are incredibly “not good” and make the food look not so appetizing, but it’s actually pretty good and simple. Here goes!

Easy Chicken Layer

Ingredients:

1 package b/s chicken breast (about 3-4 breasts)
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 package frozen shredded potatoes
Shredded cheddar cheese

Spray the bottom of a casserole dish with non-stick spray. Line with potatoes. I like mine extra thick so I double the potatoes. This is a good time to salt and pepper your potatoes if you choose. Place chicken on top of potatoes. In a separate bowl mix together soups then pour on top of potatoes and chicken. Make sure this covers your potatoes as well b/c they will come out plane and dry if it’s not touching. Bake at 400 degrees for 45-60 minutes depending on thickness of chicken. At the last bit, cover the dish with cheese, place back in oven and let cheese melt. I serve mine with peas on the side but Phillip likes to mix the peas in his, as well as put Cumin in it.

Girl Scout Weekend

So, this Saturday my sisters and I went to Camp Pisgah in Sapphire, North Carolina to help out with Girl Scout Camp. It was amazing!!!! Our sisters signed up to teach classes to these young ladies and we got to decide what classes we were going to teach. It was so nice seeing a bit of everybody's personality coming out in these classes. I got to teach Outdoor Cooking, Jewelry Making, Sculpting/Model Clay, and Sign Language. The Scouts had so much fun with us and we all felt at home with them. It was amazing to see how independent they were. I would ask if someone needed help on something and it was across the board, "No thanks, we've got it!" I never went to camp before, except for Drum Major Camp, and I was so impressed with all the staff and the campus. It was just amazing!~ Everything was so inspiring and done well for these ladies. I especially loved the little baby goat and horses that greeted us as we entered the grounds. It definitely confirms that I want my little girl or boy to be involved in Scouts! What a great weekend!

Here's what's for dinner:

Sloppy Joes

• 3 pounds ground beef chuck
• 1 cup chopped onions, about 2 medium onions
• 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
• 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 cups ketchup
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 8 split and toasted sandwich rolls

PREPARATION:

Cook ground beef with onion, salt and pepper until beef is no longer red, stirring to break up. Sprinkle flour over beef; stir to blend thoroughly. Add Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, and water. Simmer, stirring often, for 15 to 25 minutes, or until thickened. Pile between toasted rolls.

Thirsty Thursday

I went on a prowl for drinks last night... no... not liquor- just caffeine free drinks. My dear old friend "Mr. Pibb" is calling my name and I'm reallllly trying to be good. So, last night, I went prowling around our local Ingles Supermarket and picked up a crap load of de-caf drinks. I'm a happy girl :)
I fixed a fantastic dinner last night. We had buttermilk battered fried chicken, black eyed peas, green peas (I forgot to pick up collards so I had to settle), and mashed potatoes. AHHHHHH..... a southern girls heaven! Phillip really wanted some bread and I was going to do corn bread, but he insisted on Garlic Cheese Texas Toast. Yeah, I agree, it completely does not fit my theme, but it was yummy anyway. The chicken was fantastic! I grossed myself out prepping it though. I forget that when you buy "fryer chicken" it comes with every part of the chicken.... literally- EVERYTHING. So, when the livers came sliding out of the bottom of the styrofoam container my tummy did quite the lurch. I know Phillip likes that crap, so I called him like a good wife should and asked him if he wanted them. Fortunately, he said he didn't really have time to talk and had to hang up the phone b/c he was so slammed at work. I conveniently waited 5 minutes, and to my delight, he didn't call back until 2 hours later. Well, any busy cook knows that you can't just leave out chicken or chicken parts, so I conveniently found my way to the trashcan and dumped them as fast as I could. Besides, I came home during my lunch break to get the chicken prepped and ready and really had to back to work (*wink*wink). So, he calls back 2 hours later and says, "Now, what is it that you asked me?" I tell him (in my sweet southern woman voice), "well, I was going to save the livers for you because I know how much my hubbie loves them, but I just HAD to get back to work. So sorry!" Heh Heh! I love it! Anyway, the chicken turned out fantastic. I wish I had time to let it soak overnight, but the 6 hours that it did soak was still good. I fried the onions that were part of the marinade as well and it was delicious according to P. Definitely recommend this recipe.

Buttermilk Fried Chicken

1 (3 pound) fryer, cut into pieces
2 cups buttermilk
6 cloves garlic, smashed
1 large onion, sliced
1 cup chopped mixed fresh herbs (parsley, tarragon, thyme)
1/2 teaspoon paprika 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon onion salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper
3 cups solid vegetable shortening
Soak chicken in buttermilk with garlic, onions, herbs, paprika, and cayenne pepper. Refrigerate overnight or at least 8 hours. Drain in colander, leaving some herbs on chicken. In a large paper grocery bag, mix flour with seasonings. Meanwhile, heat 3 cups shortening in cast iron pan until 350 degrees. Place chicken pieces in bag with flour and shake, let sit 1 minute, then shake again. Add chicken to hot pan and fry on 1 side for 20 minutes, then turn to finish.

Happy Monday

Hello! I realized today that I haven't made a follow-up post on my pork and fruit salsa, so here goes! The pork was amazing!~ The glaze really put a sweet zing into the pork, and it ended up cooking perfectly. It wasn't too dry, and it wasn't too pink... just perfect! As for the fruit salsa, Kate and Phillip said it was delicious! I just indulged in the watermelon and it was great! Here was my menu run down for the night: Peach-preserve glazed pork, fruit salsa, fresh white corn, sugar snap peas, and fondu! Yes, fondu! It was delicious! I do an awful job taking pictures of food, so please forgive the awful picture, but I had to show you how great it was! It was a very refreshing dinner and the fondu was a great addition. I will definitely do it again. Unfortunately, I pulled out my fondue set and realized that I forgot you had to have a burner with my set, which I did not have. So, we used our little individual color-coded spears and just dipped straight from the pot, but I don't think any one of us minded! The meal felt a little time consuming, probably because Kate and I came from a killer workout with aqua aerobics, but all in all, it wasn't bad. It took about an hour to make, including all my mistakes. I gotta tell ya a suggestion though.... when making the fruit salsa.... follow the recipe!! I was an idiot and ended up following that recipe and the one below it and had to start over. Then, when I did, I ended up doubling the amount of watermelon and lime juice needed b/c I was STILL mixing up the recipes. Even with those two mistakes it still turned out great. Here's the pics (please don't forget that I definitely suck at taking pics in my kitchen. The lighting is awful!) The recipe for the fondue is at the bottom.

Kate and Phillip enjoying fondue

Cheesy delicious goodness

Peach Preserve Glazed Pork

Fruit salsa

Clock wise starting with the corn- corn, salsa, sugar snaps, fondue, and pork! Yum!

Swiss Cheese Fondue:

• 1 garlic clove, halved
• 2 cups white wine, chicken broth or unsweetened apple juice, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 7 cups (28 ounces) shredded Swiss cheese
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• Cubed French bread

Directions:

Rub garlic clove over the bottom and sides of a fondue pot; discard garlic and set fondue pot aside. In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, bring 1-3/4 cups wine and nutmeg to a simmer. Gradually add cheese, stirring after each addition until cheese is melted (cheese will separate from wine).
Combine cornstarch and remaining wine until smooth; gradually stir into cheese mixture. Cook and stir until thickened and mixture is blended and smooth. Transfer to prepared fondue pot and keep warm. Serve with bread cubes. Yield: about 4 cups.