Monday, December 18, 2006

roasted potato bites

12 potatoes (unpeeled)
1 Tbsp olive or vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
4 oz. chive and onion cream cheese spread
3 Tbsp. sour cream
other toppings such as cheese, bacon bits, chives....

Preheat oven to 425. cut potatoes in half crosswise. cut a thin slice off bottom of each. carefully scoop out a small amount of pulp from each potato half using a cook corer (a pampered chef gimmic, but you can use a melon baller or a spoon I guess) In a bowl with some kind of lid or a gallon zip lock if you don't have that, combine the garlic, salt and pepper. Add potato halves and toss to coat.

Place potato halves, hollowed side down, on a baking stone. bake 30-32 minutes or until deep golden brown and tender. remove from oven and cool slightly.

Combine cream cheese and sour cream by mixing in another bowl. If you have a cake decorator set or something fancy like that you can pipe the cream cheese mixture into the hollowed out part and it looks really fancy. If you don't have those, you could drop the mixture into the holes with a little scoop of some sort or a melon baller or I guess just a spoon. or maybe an ice cream dipper...? Sprinkle with toppings, if desired. place on serving platter. serve slightly warm.

this is really tasty!! I got this recipe out of a pampered chef book, so they try to sell you all their tools through the recipe. I hope you can make it without them! this would be a good side dish or something good to take to a party.

december menu

this is a little late coming out but i thought you might still want to see what we've been eating this month.

dec 18 : baked parmesian chicken
dec 19: braised herb chicken with potatoes (i haven't ever made this i'll let you know if it's good)
dec 20: left over Baked Blue chicken (recipe below) 10/10!!!
dec 21: maybe more blue chicken if there's enough, maybe frozen pizza :)
dec 22: left over Baked parmesian chicken
dec 23: family burrito
dec 24: fly to AR
return home dec 29: chili
dec 30: Hamburgers (hopefully on our grill we are bringing home!)
dec 31- hopefully some new year's party
jan1 : bacon-pineapple pizza
jan 2: artichoke chicken (i think i've posted this recipe before)
jan 3: frozen herbed chicken with potatoes
jan 4: small group
jan 5: left over artichoke chicken
jan6: chinese dumplings
jan 7: spanish noodles


a few recipes worth making:

California Sherry Chicken

4 chicken breasts
1/4 c flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup cooking sherry
1/2 c chicken broth
1 garlic clove pressed
1/2 lemon
4 carrots
4 zucchini squashes, julienned

1. place chicken in resealable plastic bag with flour, salt and pepper. seal bag and shake to coat. remove chicken from bag shaking excess flour
2. heat oil in skillet over medium high heat. brown chicken on both sides until golden. remove and set aside.
3. in same skillet combine sherry, broth, garlic and a squeeze of lemon and bring to aboil. return chicken to skillet, reduce heat to low and simmer until chicken cooked through.
4. saute carrots and zucchini in separate skillet until ttender. add to simmering chicken and sauce and heat through before serving.

**one of our favorites!

Baked Parmesian chicken-10/10!!

2 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove minced
1 c dry bread crumbs
2/3 c grated parm cheese
1 tsp dried basil leaves
1/4 tsp pepper
6 chicken breasts

1. preheat oven to 350. l ightly grease 9x13 baking dish
2. in bowl blend olive oil and garlic, in separate bowl mix bread crumbs, parm cheese, basil and pepper. dip each brerast in oil mixture then the bread crumb mixture. arrange coated breasts in prepared baking dish, and top with any remaining bread crumb mixture.
3. bake 30 minutes until chicken done



Baked Blue Chicken- yummmy!!

1/2 lb blue cheese crumbled
1 pint sour cream
4 chicken breasts
1 c bread crumbs
4 pressed garlic cloves
1 beaten egg
1/2 c flour
2 tbsp butter'
2 tbsp oil
salt to taste


1. preheat oven to 350. combing flour and bread crumbs.
2. salt pollo lightly, dip into beaten egg and then dip into flour/crumb mixture. place butter and oil in skillet and brown chicken.
3. place browned meat in baking dish
4. mix blue cheese, sour cream and garlic
5. pour over pollo
6. cover and bake 30-40 minutes until chicken done

Sunday, December 17, 2006

Carmel Popcorn

Caramel popcorn

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup white corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 Stick (4 oz.) margarine or butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 to 4 quarts of POPPED corn
PREPARATION:
Combine all ingredients except soda and popped corn in a 1½ to 2 quart microwave safe bowl. Put in microwave (HIGH) and bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes. Remove from microwave and stir in soda.

Put the popped corn in a brown grocery bag and pour the syrup over the corn. Close the bag by rolling it down a couple times and SHAKE HARD. Cook in the bag on HIGH microwave for 1½ minutes. Remove and shake vigorously and cook in the microwave another 1½ minutes. Shake when you remove it from the microwave and pour it on a large cookie sheet to cool. Store in an airtight container when cool.

this original recipe had you micro it for another 1 1/2 minutes, but some of it got burned. So, I deleted that part from the recipe. It is very tasty!!

Wednesday, December 06, 2006

Forget-It cookies

this recipe doubles very nicely- i would recommend doubling or tripling for a cookie exchange.but try the recipe first and get it dialed so you don't waste egg whites by making them fall.



2 egg whites
2/3 c sugar
6 drops mint extract
green food coloring
chocolate chips

heat oven to 375. beat egg whites until very fluffed (orh!)-about 5-10 minutes or more. SLOWLY add sugar. one year i just dumped in the sugar and the egg whites totally fall apart. the sugar should be added over a 7-10 minute period of egg white whipping. beat till peaks form. slowly add the drops of mint extract. i can never get drops to comeout of that little bottle though. i just end up adding some mint- slowly if i can. lastly, add green food coloring until you like the color. if you need to, do extra beating. the egg whites need to form stiff peaks so the cookies will hold their shape. i beat my egg whites probably 15-20 minutes this time to get them nice and firm. lastly, add the chocolate chips by hand. drop blobs of batter onto greased cookie sheet. put into the oven and turn the oven off. leave over night- they must be completely cool before trying to remove from the sheet.

Sunday, November 26, 2006

Backpacking/camping Breakfast

Breakfast Couscous ( serves 4)

4 cups water
1/4 tsp. salt
3 Tbs. brown sugar or honey
1/4 cup butter or oil
1/4 cup dried fruit, chopped
2 cups couscous
*sometimes you can find it in bulk section of wild oats otherwise it's sold in a box in the rice section of grocery store
2 Tbs. powdered milk mixed with 4 Tbs. water
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup sunflower seeds or nuts

Bring water to boil with salt, brown sugar, butter or oil, and fruit. Add couscous and milk mixture and stir. Cover and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. When water is gone and mixture has fluffed up, mix in the cinnamon and nuts. Enjoy!

we had this on the wall in Zion and it was a delicious breakfast to wake up to.

christmas is here!

hurray for christmas! i love the holidays! i have a request for any wonderful-icious cookie recipes you have. i have bob's recipe for sugar cookies, candy canes, caramel nut brownies, forget it cookies, and lemon slices. i am going to give our friends plates of cookies for christmas so i am making a ton. i just wondered if you had any other aboslutely to die for good cookie recipes. last year i had a hard time making the forget it cookies- the egg whites totally liquified on me when i added the mint flavoring and sugar- i'll have to call you or bob to ask about how to make them. i'm going to be looking online for good cookie recipes too and i'll pass along any that seem like a winner....

lentil stew

crockpot lentil soup


2 cups dried lentils
8 c chicken broth
1/2-1 pckg bacon (i used a whole pckg of turkey bacon, fried it up and then chopped it into bite sized pieces and dumped it into the pot- it had a lot of bacon flavor but we liked it)
1 chopped onion
1 c sliced celery
1 1/2 c sliced carrots
parsley
3 crushed garlic cloves
black pepper
oregano
2 bay leaves
marjoram
sage
1 tsp salt (if you use a lot of bacon don't put any salt in- just taste before you add salt)
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
2 tbsp wine vinegar

rinse lentils. place in cooker. add 8 cups broth and remaining ingredients except tomatoes and vinegar. cook on low for 8-10 hrs. add tomatoes and vinegar and cook 15 minutes longer until hot. add cheese on top if you wish.


this has a complex taste and was interesting. maybe i put too much bacon in it. next time i'd probably only do 1/2 package bacon. i cooked it 10 hours and i think that was good. it could have even gone longer except the veggies will be softer. makes a pile o' food so freeze it for later.

Monday, November 13, 2006

artichoke chicken

10/10 dinner!!

Artichoke Chicken

olive oil
chicken breast
salt/pepper
2 jars marinated artichoke hearts (in water or brine)-sliced
thyme
basil
1/2 c dry white cooking wine
garlic


** sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. sautee garlic first in olive oil till golden, add chicken and sautee till almost done. add 1/2 c cooking wine, artichoke hearts and some of the brine in the artichoke jar(maybe 1/3 cup- i just dumped some in for flavor). add thyme, basil. cook till 1/2 juice is evaporated. serve immediately.


we also had a really good crockpot lentil stew last night. would yo u be interested in that recipe too?

***we had it with wild rice and peas. sooooooo gooooooood!!!!!!!!EASY!

Monday, November 06, 2006

banana blueberry muffins

This is tasty and uses up old bananas

2 extra ripe bananas
2 eggs
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 c. blueberries (I used frozen)
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/4 cup flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt

puree bananas in blender (I didn't but mine were already pretty mushy) Combine bananas, eggs, sugar and butter until well blended. Stir in blueberries and vanilla. Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Make a well in the center of dry ingredients. Pour in liquid mixture. Mix until just blended. Spoon batter into well greased muffin pan cups. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.

Saturday, November 04, 2006

Pumpkin coffee cake

I just found this recipe and used the last of my sour cream last night...darn. so, I will try it soon. It looks delicious though.

Pumpkin Coffee Cake


3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
3 eggs
2 cups flour
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/4 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 3/4 cup solid-pack canned pumpkin
1 egg, beaten lightly
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
For the streusel topping:
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup butter
2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup chopped nuts
Preheat oven to 325F. Cream together butter, 3/4 cup sugar and vanilla. Beat in 3 eggs. Combine flour, baking soda and powder, and add to the butter mixture along with the sour cream. In another mixing bowl, mix pumpkin, 1 beaten egg, 1/3 cup sugar and pumpkin pie spice. In a 13x9 baking pan, pour half the plain batter, then half the pumpkin batter, then half the streusel. Repeat layers, making sure to end with the streusel. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Friday, November 03, 2006

10/10 meatloaf dinner

this is the best meatloaf i've ever had!!

12 oz chopped bacon
1 onion chopped
8 button mushrooms sliced
1 lb ground turkey
1 egg
1/4 c evaporated milk
6 oz shredded swiss cheese ( i used mozerella b/c that's what i had)
1/2 c corn flake crumbs

prehead oven to 350
brown bacon. remove from heat. discard all but 1 tbsp bacon grease. stir in onions and mushrooms and cook until soft. remove from heat.

in bowl, stir together meat, egg and milk. sitr in onion and mushrooms. mix in about 4 oz cheese and all but 1 tbsp bacon. stir in corn flake crumbs and mix until blended. shape into loaf and place in a meatloaf pan.

bake in oven for 1 hour. sprinkel with remaining cheese and bacon. return to oven and bake until cheese is melted about 5 minutes.


** i used regular mushrooms from the garden section of walmart and the mozerella cheese tasted great i think. i also baked it at 375 for 1 hour but my oven is a bit cool. i also didn't measure the bacon exactly i just threw some in and i also didn't measure the cheese. just what looks good to you. i served the dinner with red lobster biscuits and steamed broccoli. it was soooo good!!

Recipes for this week

we are having a couple recipes this week that i don't think you have- they are both very yummy though- two of our favorites.


Teriyaki Grilled chicken

some chicken (i use whatever i think we will eat)
Marinate:
1/2 c soy sauce
5 green onions- chopped
1/4 c lime juice (or more b/c i love lime)
2 tbsp dark brown sugar
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp crushed dried red pepper
1 garlic clove, pressed


combine marinade and pour over chicken. let sit for 8 hours turn occasionally.

i don't have a grill here so i use my george foreman and it still turns out really well. after marinade is done drain chicken, reserving marinaade. bring reserved marinade to a boil in sauce pan, reserve for basting.

cook chicken w/o grill lid on over medium heat, basting often. i just put it on the foremann and let it cook till done. the marinade is really yummy- one of eric's favorite.



Southwest Chicken skillet dinner


4 chicken breast halves (or however much you want really)
some oil for sauteeing
1/3 c sliced green onions
1 glove garlic, pressed
1 tbsp chili poweder
1/8 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp pepper
1 141/2 oz can tomatoes, cut up
1 1/4 c chicken broth
3/4 c long grain rice
1/4 c salsa
sour cream


in skillet quickly brown chicken breasts in hot cooking oil over medium heat turning once. remove chicken from skillet. add green onions, garlic, chili powder, cumin and pepper to skillet. cook and stir for 1 minute.

remove skillet from heat. carefully stir undrained tomatos, chicken broth, and long grain rice into veggies in skillet. return skillet to heat and bring to boiling. arrange chicken breast halves on top of rice mixutre. reduce heat. cover and simmer for 20 minuates until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed.

spoon salsa over chicken. cover and heat 1 minute more. serve with sour cream.

pretty easy and super good!

10/10 Pumpkin Spice Bread

3 c sugar
1 c veg oil
4 eggs, beaten
1 (16 oz) can solid pack pumpkin
3 1/2 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 c water

mix sugar, oil, eggs. add pumpkin and mix well. combine dry ingredients; add to pumpkin mixture alternately with the water. pour into greased loaf pans (2 9x5 in loaf pans) bake at 350 degrees for 60-65 minutes until toothpick comes out clean. cool in pans 10 minutes before removing to wire rack. i cool them laying on their sides for easier removal.

i also add chocolate chips to the middle of the pan (i pour half full, add chips, and then pour the rest in to about 1/2 inch from the top of the pan)

they are really yummy-a good snack.

Thursday, October 26, 2006

the best mac and cheese EVER!

4 cups cooked macaroni
1 (12 oz container) cottage cheese
1 (8 oz container) sour cream
2 cups shredded cheese
1/2 cup milk
1 green onion chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 large egg
butter flavored cooking spray
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 tsp paprika

Put the cottage cheese, sour cream, milk, salt, pepper, and egg in a blender and blend until smooth. add the cheese and the green onion, but don't blend, just stir. when the noodles are done cooking, pour off the water and then mix all the creamy stuff with the noodles. then pour it all into a 2 quart baking dish coated with spray. sprinkle with bread crumbs and paprika. cover and bake at 400 for 20 minutes. uncover and bake for 5 more minutes. all done, wow!!!

Saturday, October 21, 2006

blackberry crumble

I bought frozen blackberries and I haven't actually made this one yet, but am about to. do you want a recipe for mac and cheese or is that too much for Eric?

A blackberry crumble dessert recipe with blackberries and sugar and butter.
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups washed blackberries
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice, or juice of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
PREPARATION:
Put blackberries in a 1-quart baking dish with half of the sugar. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Cream butter, remaining sugar, flour, and salt together; sprinkle over berries. Bake blackberry crumble at 350° for 40 minutes.

Saturday, September 30, 2006

pumpkin pancakes for breakfast

I cooked a pumpkin yesterday in the oven and had a bunch of pumpkin puree, so I am going to try this recipe this morning and see if it's good.

Pumpkin Pancakes
Submitted by: Ruth
Rated: 4 out of 5 by 143 members Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Cook Time: 20 Minutes Ready In: 40 Minutes
Yields: 6 servings
"These barely-sweetened fluffy pancakes feature ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg to emphasize the pumpkin flavor. Serve them hot with maple syrup for the best autumn or winter breakfast dish ever."
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons vinegar
DIRECTIONS:
1. In a separate bowl, mix together the milk, pumpkin, egg, oil and vinegar. Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, ginger and salt, stir into the pumpkin mixture just enough to combine.
2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2005 Allrecipes.com

Sunday, September 24, 2006

menu for the week

Monday- Your soup
Tuesday- leftovers
Wednesday- eat out with friends
Thursday- Thai Chicken Stir Fry salad ( I already gave you this recipe with poppy seed dressing)
Friday- Family Sized Burrito with Chicken
Sat-Mediterranean Frittata
Sunday- Chicken tenders with season all potatoes and mixed vegetables

Chicken tenders recipe from Cracker Barrel (kind of)
1 lb c hicken breast tenders
1/2 c. italian dressing (drain spices and discard)
1 tsp fresh lime juice
1 1/2 tsp honey

mix dressing, lime juice and honey together. pour over chicken tenders, making sure all the tenders are covered. marinate for one hour. braise tenders in a non stick pan or grill to lightly golden in color but not dry.

boil the potatoes like for mashed potatoes but instead of mashing them, just add season salt and butter. toss them until they are all covered.

mixed frozen veggies...just make them like the bag says.

carnitas

I think you already have this one, but I'll post it anyway to make it look like I've been cooking :)

4 tomatillos quartered
1/2 bunch cilantro chopped
1 jalapeno
juice of one lime
one onion quartered
4 cloves of garlic halved
Lawry's tequila lime marinade (or one like it)
a few pounds of meat

put it all in the crock pot and let it cook all day. tasty.... we have been eating this for a few days. You can use the meat for grilled stuffed burritos with refried beans and spanish rice and cheese. that is a tasty alternative to the time consuming enchiladas. this is also good on tortilla chips with refried beans, chopped green chilies, the meat, cheese and then nuke it for a minute and a half. then put salsa on top or put it on before and make it warm. you can also spruce up your nachos with other condiments that you like like sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes, black olives, etc.

tonight I am making the chicken noodle soup again. Like I said, mild is usually good. However, your thai soup looks fantastic and I think I'll make it tomorrow!! thanks!! we went out for thai last night and got some soup that was too heavy on the fish sauce. gag. we brought it home and gave it to bob. I have a fantastic recipe for the thai egg rolls (actually they're vietnamese, but they taste about the same) if you want it. let me know. of course, they are time consuming just like anything else you have to rolll.

Thursday, September 21, 2006

Thai Beef Noodle Soup

oh wow, this soup gets a 10 out of 10!! we just had it for dinner and it's the yummiest thing ever. it tastes just like a thai restaraunt. we substituted chicken for beef of course....

Ingredients:
8 oz rice noodles
6 oz beef tenderloin (or some chicken)
4 whole scallions (i used green onions)
6 thin slices fresh gingeroot
6 cups beef or chicken stock (i made my own with 6 cups water and 6 buillon cubes)
1/4 cup fish sauce or soy sauce (i used soy sauce)
1 presliced medium onion ( i forgot to put hte onion in and it was still really good)
2 limes
12 basil leaves
12 mint sprigs



1. in medium bowl soak rice noodles in warm water covered, for 10 minutes until soft and pliable
2. slice chicken or beef across the grain into thin slices. finely chop the scallions and cut the gingeroot into julienne strips.
3. in a large saucepan, combing 6 cups chicken stock, scallions, ginger, soy sauce, meat, and onion. cover and bring to a simmer over medium heat
4. boil till chicken is done
5. drain the softened rice noodles, add to soup. simmer for 5 minutes till noodles are done
6. slice limes into wedges, place the basil leaves on top of each other in a stack, roll the stack up, and with scissors, cut the roll into thin slices
7. ladle soup into bowls, garnish with limes (squeeze the juice into the so up-it's so good!) add basil and mint leaves to soup. enjoy!

the best part is that i used mint and basil that i grew in my pathetic garden! i used all the mint i had and most of the basil. sad. but those are some of hte best parts. i added probably 2 tablespoons of mint and 2 tablespoons of basil leaves to the top of the soup, plus squeezed 2 lime wedges juice into the soup. it really gives it great flavor! we had some corn bread along with this meal b/c i didn't knwo what else to serve and a salad. we both really enjoyed it! it is good enough to be worth buying fresh basil and mint from the grocery store for!

i don't knwo if you like thai food, but this tastes really authentic to me. we loved it!

Thursday, September 14, 2006

chicken pot pie

Ingredients:
2 deep dish pie crust pastries (9 inch)
2 cans cream of chicken soup
16 ounces canned mixed vegetables
2 cups cooked chicken -- cubed
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup milk

Directions:

Prepare pie crust pastry. Pat one crust into a 9" pie plate. Combine filling ingredients and pour into pastry lined pie plate. Place remaining pastry on top and make several slits in it. Place on a baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes at 375 F.

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Menu for September 14-26

Here's what we are having the next week or so. I usually plan out the menus for at least 2 weeks at a time, but i am starting my new job on sept 25 and don't know what kind of schedule i'll be working that week or the next. hopefully it will be my fixed schedule soon! so here's what i planned anyway:

sept 14 : sloppy joes
sept 15: sloppy joes ( i work a 12 hr day shift)
16(work): left over greek chicken salad (from a pampered chef recipe- i had to alter it cuz i didn't have all the ingredients though)
17 (work): frozen pizza (yeah, we do this every once in a while when i have to work 3 days in a row and i didn't freeze a previous meal)
18: sesame chicken
19: tuna casserole
20 (work): tuna casserole
21: mexican turkey burgers
22: teriyaki grilled chicken- has a soy sauce and lime juice marinade- it's good!
23:quick n' easy south of the border chicken skillet dinner -it's great!
24: curried coconut chicken
25(first day of work!): curried coconut chicken
26(don't know what i'll be doing..): tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches

as you can tell, when i have to work a 12 hour day i can't make a dinner so we usually have left overs (i always make 2 nights worth for those days) the second night. we'll see what my work schedule looks like and then i'll have to plan another grocery store visit and menu. i hope it gets all the kinks worked out quickly so i can know exactly what i am working.

tonight we went to a Climb for Life (breastcancer) climbing film festival. it was really fun. everyone there looked really granola. i am learning to aid climb with mark. did my first pitch today. we are planning to do a big wall in Zion (with a 'hard core' portaledge) this fall....

Chicken Noodle Soup

maybe this is cheating because I just cut pasted off another website, but I guess that's where some recipes come from. I want to warn you that things with a lot of pizzaz that I normally LOVE just sound....wrong right now. So, you will have to take my recipes with a grain of salt cuz I like really mild tasting stuff right now. So, here's what I made tonight after we got home from "fun night". I guess we'll eat it tomorrow but I am also going to make chicken pot pie soon. Lucky for you, chicken sounds really good to me righ tnow, so you will be able to make most of the recipes, if you want.

INGREDIENTS:
4 cups chicken broth
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 carrot, diced or thinly sliced
1 rib celery, thinly sliced
1/2 cup uncooked egg noodles
1 cup cooked chicken, cut in small cubes
1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
dash dried leaf thyme
chopped fresh parsley, optional
PREPARATION:
Combine chicken broth, pepper, carrot, and celery in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil; add noodles and boil for 5 minutes. Add chicken, peas and thyme, boil for 5 to 10 minutes longer, or until noodles are tender and peas are cooked. makes 4 servings

I actually didn't have any peas, so I added a bag of frozen veggies called "vegetables for soup" It was really easy. If you do that, don't add the carrots and celery it asks for. It tastes pretty good. It is 9pm and I think I'll go have a bowl.

How terrible of you to taunt me with CAFE RIO!!!! doh!

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

Everybody needs some Cafe Rio

today was a hard day at work. to sum up: in a 13 hr work day i sat down for a little over 30 minutes. so, first thing i say to eric upon leaving the hospital:"i had a hard day, let's get cafe rio!". so we had cafe rio tonight. i stuffed myself on an enchilada style burrito. i think i had to weigh exactly 1 pound extra after eating that thing. it was good. now i am going to eat some ice cream and go to bed. tomorrow we are climbing.

Monday, September 11, 2006

I am so excited about this blog! i think it will be fun to keep up with each other's menus and share ideas. i'll start with what we had last night:

Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breast

4 chicken breasts
8 slices bacon
1/2 c spinach
1/2 c sour cream
1/2 c shredded cheese
3-4 cloves pressed garlic
salt/pepper

heat oven to 400. flatten chicken (to make a wrappable piece of meat). I used frozen spinach, which i dethawed in the microwave with water, and then squeezed the water out of it with my hands. if using fresh spinach, wilt in microwave. Add spinach, cheese, sour cream, and garlic in small bowl- stir still mixed. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Add spinach filling to middle of chicken breast and wrap. Wrap 2 slices of bacon around each chicken breast and secure with toothpicks. Place in shallow backing dish. Bake till done (around 30 minutes)

We also had:
foccacia bread (from the farmer's market)
wild rice made with chicken broth (which i always make with chicken buillon) in my rice cooker
Steamed Green beans.


*** i am very lax with amounts of ingredients. i didn't measure the s.cream, or the spinach, or the cheese for that matter. i just add some of each ingredient till i htink it looks right. i never do the right amt of chicken either. i alwasy just do how ever many chicken breasts i think we will need for that particular meal. i only did 3 chicken breasts with this particular meal. the chicken barely could fold over the spinach mixture, but it didn't really matter.