If at first you don't succeed....

...Dust yourself off and try again

You can dust it off and try again 

(song found here) 
It's taken me an extra long time to recover from life's last big curve ball. Since I decided to start this journey through my recipes, life changed big time. I became a single mommy. I remember actually thinking about food the day my ex left and thought what is the point in even cooking now. My toddler is VERY picky, preferring a diet of chicken nuggets, fruit, or roast beef sandwiches. And cooking for one just isn't something I enjoy doing so much. I strongly considered throwing every recipe book, printout, magazine, away and deleting my food "pins". Ultimately, I was afraid I would come to regret it, so I packed it all up instead. And slowly but surely, my desire to cook returned and I'll be back in the kitchen and sharing recipes soon! 

Until then I felt the desire to share with you my absolute favorite tool for coordinating my meal planning & grocery shopping trips. (Hopefully one day I'll be able to add couponing to that mix!) I found this adorable diy project @ Design Sponge While I didn't take time to make the actual project, I fully utilized (and LOVED) the menu grocery list. I feel like everyone needs to check it out, as it has been a big help to me and that is the first step for me to get back into my cooking routine.

See you soon! 

#19 italian chicken fried rice

I can't stop gushing over this recipe! I know I say this frequently, but this was delicious! It was so fragrant, as I write this I can remember the smell even though it has been more than 24 hours since I ate it. The picture makes my mouth water, bringing back memories of how it tasted. I cooked this two days ago for lunch, had it for dinner also. Had leftovers for lunch yesterday. I seriously considered making it for dinner again tonight. Yes, it was that good. 

And easy, have I mentioned it was easy? Super easy. A little slicing here and there to prep your ingredients. Boil the rice. Saute the veggies and chicken while the rice cooks. Then mix the rice in. Simple as can be. (Time saving tip, I used frozen chicken and sliced it while it was still half frozen, makes it easy to handle, cuts nice and neatly, then spread it out and thaws extra fast) 

Italian Chicken Fried Rice (*modified slightly)

3/4 lb chicken breast (sliced in thin strips)

1-2 zucchini (I used 1 large)

1 vidalia onion (sliced)

1 red pepper (sliced)

1 tsp minced garlic

1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

1 tbsp oil

1.5 cups Jasmine rice

3 cups chicken broth

• Bring chicken broth to a boil in saucepan. Add rice and simmer until tender.
• Heat oil over med-high heat in a large pan.
• Once pan is hot add vegetables and stir fry until firm but nearly cooked through.
• Add chicken, garlic & herbs. Stir fry until chicken is fully cooked.
• Fold the cooked rice in, until thoroughly mixed.

Original recipe found here: http://blommi.com/italian-chicken-fried-rice-recipe/#_a5y_p=735065

#18 Spicy Sausage Pasta

When I started this "journey" through my recipes, I had no idea my life would soon be turned upside down. Regrettably, I haven't spent much time (or really any time) in the kitchen in the last couple of months. I've been trying to pull things back together so I could start cooking regularly again, so hopefully I'll have some regular posts again before long.

I found this recipe, of course, from my favorite site, Pinterest. Usually no one will eat sausage in my house so I put this on the back burner for "one day". This weekend my niece is visiting and I mentioned cooking something new. I let her look through my recipe stash and much to my pleasure she picked out this one.

The turkey sausage in this recipe is DELICIOUS! It's not too greasy or spicy like most sausage, although this recipe packs quite the punch, it's from the spicy tomatoes instead of the sausage. It's fairly quick, maybe 40 minutes from start to finish. Very simple prep work. But make sure you have a large enough pan when you start so all ingredients will fit. I always panic there won't be enough room for everything. Sometimes I panic for good reason because even if they all squeeze in, there is no room to stir!

The last step in the original recipe calls for putting this under the broiler after it has cooked on the stove, but didn't mention it in the beginning of the recipe so I didn't have the oven prepped for that. Take your pick, if you want a crispy top then make sure you are using an oven-proof skillet and preheat your oven. It was just fine leaving that step off.



Spicy Sausage Pasta 

1 tbsp oil1 lb smoked turkey sausage
1.5 cups diced onion (I used a bag of frozen onions)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 (10 oz) can Ro-Tel tomatoes and green chiles, Mild
1/2 cup heavy cream
8 oz pasta (I used rotini, you could use penne or elbows and it would be fine too)
1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper, each
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/3 cup scallions (I didn't have any on hand so I left these out)

1. Add oil to a large skillet over medium high heat. 

2. Add sausage and onions and cook until lightly browned.

3. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

4. Add broth, tomatoes, cream, pasta, salt and pepper and stir. 

5. Bring to a boil, cover skillet, and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until pasta is tender.

6. Remove skillet from heat and stir in 1/2 cup cheese.
7. Top with remaining cheese 

view original recipe here http://www.kevinandamanda.com/recipes/dinner/spicy-sausage-pasta.html#_a5y_p=668423

#17 Italian chicken bake

This dish is superb! It was so good, I waited to post it until I made it for company so as to not risk they would see how easy it was and make it for themselves before I had the chance. This is slow-cooker level easy, but with the quickness of an oven. This is definitely going to be put on our repeat list. 

Out of the 6 people who tried it, 1 didn't like it but everyone else loved it. I will say there will be a difference depending upon which brand Italian seasoning you choose. The first time I used was name brand, and had a bit of spice to it. The second time I found store brand and it was a milder sweet taste. So play around with it and decide how you like it best. Also, this served with a loaf of baked french bread was a tasty addition.

Italian chicken bake

4 boneless skinless chicken breast

2 can green beans

1 can diced potatoes

1 packet dry italian seasoning

1 stick butter

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place chicken in a line down the middle of a glass baking dish. Pour beans and potatoes on each side of the chicken. Slice the stick of butter into 10-15 pieces and lay out over the food. Sprinkle italian seasoning over entire dish. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour. 

#16 Chicken pot pie muffins

I love chicken pot pie. There's a reason it's called comfort food. It brings back memories of my youth and there's nothing that makes a house smell better. Ok maybe apples do, but that's the only thing. I've tried several variations and when I saw this I thought it looked fun. How does food look fun? I don't know, but trust me when I say it, this looks fun. It's also quick, which in case you haven't figured it out, is very important in my life.

I didn't exactly plan for this meal; I was hungry, nothing else looked good and I figured this would be simple enough, so I substituted a few ingredients from the original version and got to cooking. My version of the chicken pot pie is infused with different cultures a la Mexican cheese & Italian seasoning. Also, I only had one big pack of 10 biscuits instead of 2 small packs, so I pulled a layer off a couple and squished them together to make up my two missing biscuits.

I have no idea what family thought about this recipe because right after I made my plate, my toddler fell asleep, so I took him off to bed. I personally added a little salt & pepper to the final dish to suit my taste buds. Of course, if you stick with the original ingredients, it might have been perfect.

Chicken Pot Pie muffins

• 2 cups diced cooked chicken breast (I used 1 large can of chicken and shredded it)
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 cup frozen mixed veggies (I thawed my veggies so they would be tender)
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I used mexican cheese)
• 1/2 tbsp dried thyme (I substituted italian seasoning for this and the basil)
• 1/2 tbsp dried basil
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 2 (10 oz) cans of biscuits

1.  Preheat oven to 400F
2. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients (except the biscuits)
3. Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin tin an place the biscuits into each cup, pressing into the bottom and up the sides to spread them out. 
4. Spoon the mixture evenly into each biscuit. 
5. Bake for 12-15 minutes. 
6. Let sit for 5 minutes and serve

#15 Southwestern Cheese-Stuffed Chicken Roll-Ups

You know you see something that makes you stop in your tracks? Well this recipe right here definitely did that for me. I had my week planned, but when I saw this the record screeched and I made immediate changes to fit this into my plans. I had company over for dinner and it was a #1 hit!
http://www.tablespoon.com/recipes/southwestern-cheese-stuffed-chicken-roll-ups-recipe/1/print/

Now I'll be entirely honest, this recipe says it takes 30 minutes prep time, for me it was more like an hour to hour and half. That doesn't include the extra grocery run I had to make when I realized I purchased the wrong ingredient the day before. When I finally got it in the oven I said I will NEVER do something so time & labor intensive again, (I probably lied to myself). And be warned this is not a toddler friendly meal at all. Not in the prep stage, nor in the eating stage. This recipe packs a ton of heat but for anyone who can handle some spice, it is very yummy.

My chicken didn't look anywhere near as pretty as the original recipe photo, but I'm keeping it real, and showing you what mine looked like! I used 3-5 toothpicks on each piece of chicken to hold it together, yet there was still some leakage. No worries because that didn't affect the taste at all. I served it with steamed broccoli and my favorite go to side dish, Idahoan baby red instant potatoes. I think the broccoli went with it best. If you're up for the prep work, this is a great dish to try. 

Southwest Cheese-stuffed Chicken Roll-ups

• 1  8 oz container chives-and-onion cream cheese spread
• 3/4  tsp garlic powder
• 1/3  cup drained jalapeño slices 
• 1/2  cup canned drained whole kernel corn
• 6  taco shells coarsely broken (I used tortilla chips and crushed them with the meat mallet)
• 3/4  tsp chili powder
• 4  boneless skinless chicken breasts (I had 6 and still had leftover filling)
• 2  tbsp butter, melted
• 1/2  to 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 3  tbsp honey
• 1  cup shredded Mexican cheese blend 
• 1 2/3  cups chunky salsa
• 2/3  cup sour cream

1. Heat oven to 350°F. In medium bowl, stir together cream cheese, garlic powder, jalapeños and corn; set aside.
2. Place broken taco shells (chips) in resealable plastic bag. Crush with rolling pin (hammer) until coarsely ground. Pour crumbs into shallow dish; stir in chili powder. (I added my chili powder to the bag as I crushed, and it mixed quickly and easy)
3. 3Between pieces of plastic wrap or waxed paper, place each chicken breast, smoothside down; gently pound with flat side of meat mallet or rolling pin until about 1/4 inch thick. 
4. Spread butter over one side of each chicken breast.
5. 4Place about 1/3 cup cream cheese mixture on center of buttered side of each chicken breast; roll up chicken. 
6. Pour buttermilk into shallow dish. Dip chicken rolls in buttermilk, then coat with crumb mixture. Insert toothpick to secure. Place in ungreased 8-inch square (2-quart) glass baking dish. 
7. Drizzle with honey.
8. 5Bake 35 to 45 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center. 
9. Sprinkle with Mexican cheese blend; bake 4 to 5 minutes longer until cheese is melted. 
10. Serve with salsa and sour cream.

#14 Tex-Mex Pork Chops

Have you ever heard photos can be deceiving? This one deceived me for sure! But despite the difference in appearance, this recipe was absolutely delicious. Very simple to prepare, not too time consuming, and 100% satisfying. Check out the difference between these two photos! 

Tex-Mex Chops

• 1 tsp oil
• 4-5 pork chops
• 1.5 cup chunky salsa
• 1/2 cup chopped green chilies
• 1/4 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese

1. Heat oil over med-high heat in skillet
2. Brown chops on one side about 2 minutes (mine took about 5 mins to brown any)
3. Turn chops and add salsa & chilies
4. Mix well and reduce heat to low. 
5. Cover & simmer about 8 minutes
6. Uncover and sprinkle cheese over pork chops
7. Cover and simmer 2-3 additional minutes