#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

#13 Crockpot Ham & Potato soup

This is my second failure. It was partially my fault, partially the toddler hanging onto my legs while I was trying to concentrate, and perhaps, partially the recipes fault. I've cooked this once before and it was good, but this time it wasn't very good. I got about 10 minutes into preparing the food for this before my toddler started crying and wanting to be held and then proceeded to hang onto my legs for dear life.

I rushed through, cutting the veggies into any ol' shape and size. That was problem number one. If you cut veggies into smaller pieces and try to get them into similar sizes they will all cook at the same rate. Number two, (recipes fault) I should have started dissolving my bouillon before I started cutting veggies so it would be ready to go when needed (and my toddler wouldn't need to wait an extra 10+ minutes).  Once I got everything in the crockpot I turned it on high and took my little man to go nap. I was quite relieved thinking after nap I would finish up the recipe and have a nice lunch served. Much to my disappointment, we came out to an UNPLUGGED crockpot. Yep, problem #3. So I plugged it in and fast-forward 3.5 hours and it was finally ready. But when I tried it, most of the veggies were still crunchy as if they were barely cooked at all. So I let it cook longer to soften the veggies, but here comes problem #4, once the milk and sour cream is added, it starts to separate while cooking and turns brown and looks yucky. So I finally had soft veggies, but in a very yucky looking broth. TWELVE cups of unappealing soup. Yes this recipe is large enough to feed a small army, so I recommend cutting it in half if you make it. And let the veggies cook extra before the last step of putting milk and sour cream in. With a few tweaks, and an attention span, this recipe should be a success instead of a failure. Forgive my picture, but this is the truth behind a failed recipe.

Crockpot Ham & Potato Soup (updated version with my tweaks)

• 7 c. diced potatoes (about 4 medium)
• 1 c. diced onion (about 1 medium)
• 1 large carrot, chopped
• 2 c. ham, diced
• 5 c. hot water
• Chicken Bullion (1 extra large cube that makes 1 quart broth or 4 small cubes that make 1 cup each)
• 1 c. 2% milk
• 1/2 c. sour cream
• Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Dissolve chicken bullion in 5 cups hot water,
2. Add diced potatoes, onion, carrot, and ham to a crock pot.
3. Add water & bouillon to the crock pot also.
4. Cook on low 7 hours, or high 3 hours. (check to see if veggies are soft, if not cook longer)
5. Add milk and sour cream. Stir and cook an additional 15 minutes.
6. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

#12 Applesauce BBQ Chicken

I've been hit with a couple of failures recently. I wasn't sure whether they were "blog worthy", but then I thought about it, this is the story of my journey through these recipes and obviously not everything will be golden but it should all be included.

The first recipe letdown was Applesauce BBQ chicken. It looked delicious, smelled delicious, was simple to throw together, didn't consist of too many ingredients, it met all the requirements for a great meal. This was a slow cooker recipe that I waited for all day. I went out to run errands and came home thankful my meal would be ready to eat, but the end result was just BLAH. It was lacking in flavor. I immediately remembered the sweet Russian chicken I made a few weeks back. The basic taste was very similar, but this was missing a key note to be yummy. If I were to ever be convinced to try cooking this meal again I would try honey bbq in place of regular. But in all honesty, I'll stick with the Russian chicken dish.

The original recipe can be found here
http://www.welltraveledwife.com/2013/03/applesauce-barbecue-chicken.html

#11 Pancake cupcakes

This is another recipe from my first attempt at going through my stash. It's been incredibly busy, we've been cooking repeats, and tonight's dinner although a new recipe, wasn't very tasty so I haven't decided if I should write about it yet. While I consider it, enjoy this sweet breakfast recipe
________________________________________________________________

Today’s brilliant recipe comes from a blog I recently found. I think this is a genius idea and was so excited to try it. I planned to try it several days ago, but found that I only had about a half cup of Bisquick mix left. Then after I went to the store to purchase more, I came home to see I had a store brand version sitting on my shelf after all! Oopsie. J

This couldn’t be simpler! Mix the batter, pour in cups and bake. I mean there’s really no way this can go wrong. (Except let me make it). Of course, I ended up doing SOMETHING wrong. I’m on a roll with that lately. I used the store brand mix, but didn’t pay attention to their instructions, so I didn’t realize I should add sugar to the batter. And I wasn’t brave enough to put a filling in. So, they pretty much tasted like biscuits with syrup over them. Lol. I will definitely be doing a remake of these in a couple of days and pay extra close attention to the directions then. Honestly, even without the sugar or filling, they ended up pretty yummy. I can’t wait to try them again!

Pancake cupcakes

2 cups Original Bisquick mix

1 cup milk
2 eggs
1/2 stick butter
12 tbsp filling: try Nutella, fruit jam, or cream cheese
confectioners sugar for sprinkling
maple syrup for serving

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 
2. Generously coat the bottom & sides of a 12-muffin tin with butter. 
3. Make Bisquick pancakes PER INSTRUCTIONS on the box. 
4. Fill each cup in the muffin tin half-way. 
5. Add 1 tbsp of filling to the middle of each muffin, then cover with the remaining pancake mix. 
6. Bake 20 minutes. 
7. Remove from oven & sprinkle with sugar. 
8. Serve with warm syrup.

Originally found at this link  http://spunsugarpatisserie.blogspot.com/2011/03/pancake-cupcakes-ah-ha-moment.html

#10 Apple danish (time for dessert!)

             

This is such a sweet yummy treat! Pretty simple too if you aren't trying to multitask plus texting a friend at the same time. Make sure you actually read the directions as you go so you don't have to start over like I did. The original recipe source even has these steps laid out all nice and user friendly with photos, but when I printed it, I just printed the words and I wasn't giving it my undivided attention at first. But once I focused this was thrown together in just a few quick minutes, and then it baked and was ready to enjoy.

I split the recipe in half so we wouldn't consume too many calories. I was positive this would be something we would enjoy a little too much and boy was I right. But it's soo worth it, so go quickly make this recipe and enjoy! I will say I thought the glaze was just too much sweet and without it was just perfect. Try it on the side and choose what you like best. 

Apple Danish
2 tubes Crescent Rolls
1 can Apple Pie Filling (cut into small pieces)
2 tbsp. butter, melted 
Cinnamon Sugar (2 tbsp white sugar, mixed with 1 tsp cinnamon)


Glaze ingredients: (if you choose to use it)
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3-4 tsp. milk


1. Unroll crescent rolls into 8 rectangles. Press splits to seal. 
2. Spread melted butter over crescent rolls. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture on top. 
3. Roll crescents up length wise (opposite direction than they were in from the can)
4. Then roll into a coil. 
5. Press the middle of each roll to make a dip, (like you are making a bowl)
6. Place 2-3 tbsp of apple pie mixture into each roll. 
7. Sprinkle more cinnamon sugar on top.
8. Bake at 350 for 15-18 minutes (I baked about 20 minutes)
9. If you choose to use the glaze, mix the three glaze ingredients and stir until smooth. Then drizzle over rolls when they are finished baking.

(Found at http://www.thecountrycook.net/2011/05/shortcut-apple-danish.html)

#9 Chicken Teriyaki roll

Disclaimer* Have I mentioned I am definitely not a professional? I love to cook, but often times it is an experiment. This is a perfect example. Thankfully the end result tasted just fine. :)

I've had Asian spring rolls before; I'm talking about the soft kind, not the crunchy ones you get at most Chinese restaurants. I wanted to attempt making them myself but it's been a while since I've eaten them, so I decided to wing it and try my best. Silly me even invited a friend over to watch me make this mess. I had no clue what to cook the noodles in, so I remembered seeing a recipe for crockpot teriyaki chicken. I cooked it and doubled the sauce ingredients so there would be plenty to season the rolls. Normally Asian spring rolls are light, with something like steamed shrimp and raw veggies, but since I was using teriyaki chicken for the meat, I steamed carrots, mini sweet peppers, and zucchini (all of which were on sale at my local Aldi). I cut all the veggies into thin strips so they would fit nicely into the rolls.

This is a hands on dinner. Participation required by all that eat. The spring roll wraps need to soak in water for 10-20 seconds one at a time. We all took turns making our own rolls, sometimes they looked more like hamburgers because we just tried to get them together the best we could (this is the part the makes the real mess). But it's fun and if you have a great friend over to join you it makes it all the better. 

When my mother tasted it, she said wow this taste just like restaurant food. (Woohoo! What a compliment) You can also leave out the wrap part of this recipe and just cook the chicken and serve over rice, also a delicious option. 

Chicken Teriyaki Roll
1 lb chicken (I put in chicken breast, let them cook then shredded them when it finished)

1 cup chicken broth (I doubled this)

1/2 cup teriyaki sauce (I doubled this)

1/3 cup brown sugar (doubled)

3 minced garlic cloves (doubled)

Veggies of your choice (I used carrots, sweet peppers, & zucchini)

Asian spring roll wraps 

Bean thread noodles (1 package)

1. Put chicken in crockpot and pour chicken broth, teriyaki sauce, brown sugar, and garlic over it. Cook on low 4-6 hours. 

*Continue with recipe when chicken is near finished*

2. Steam veggies and slice

3. Prepare noodles by pouring boiling water over and letting soak for 5 minutes. 

4. When all food is ready, begin soaking spring roll wrappers one at a time. 

5. Assemble wraps and enjoy. (adding small amounts of each ingredient is recommended for easier wrapping)

#7-8 Crispy Onion Chicken & Crash hot potatoes

I'm a sucker for pictures, if it has a picture, & looks yummy, I want to cook it. I would even estimate that 90% of the time I'll pass right over everything with out a picture. But as I was looking over the new recipe book I got for my birthday, the most yummy sounding recipes didn't have photos, so I stepped out of my comfort zone and decided to cook crispy onion chicken, a simple 3 ingredient meal. I also decided to cook a side dish I found on Pinterest called crash hot potatoes.

The chicken was so delicious, but I wish there was a bit more sauce to go along with the meat. Everyone had seconds and this is a dish that will be added to our repeat file. The potatoes, although simple enough, were just too much trouble for the final result. Despite the pinterest claim of how amazing they were, they weren't mouthwatering savory, they were just potatoes. So lacking in fact, I'm not posting the whole recipe, but will just include a link in case anyone is interested. But I recommend finding a different potato recipe.


Crispy onion chicken (from favorite brand name recipes book)
1 1/2 cups French's Fried Onions
1/4 cup Honey mustard
6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

1. Heat oven to 400. Crush onions in a plastic bag. Transfer to a sheet of waxed paper.
2. Spread mustard evenly on chicken, coat with onion crumbs, pressing gently to adhere.
3. Place in baking pan. Bake 20 minutes or until chicken is done. (It took about 30 minutes for mine).

Crash Hot potatoes
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/06/crash-hot-potatoes/

#6 Sweet & spicy chicken wings

I mentioned in my introduction I started this journey idea a few years ago. Well tonight, I'm pulling out an entry from my first attempt, my very first entry. I am almost a little embarrassed to share it, I am so silly in it. But just understand this, I REALLY hate preparing raw chicken, despite the fact it is the #1 meat on our menu. The recipe is delish, so I hope you'll enjoy.
__________________________________________________________
I can’t believe I’m kicking this off with chicken wings. First off, I’m not a huge chicken wing fan in the first place; second, it starts with raw chicken. But my hubby loves chicken wings & lately we’ve noticed restaurant prices are rising while portions are shrinking. Therefore if I want to satisfy his desire for chicken wings, I must bite the bullet and make them here. This will be a major first for me.

I like sweet flavors, he likes things with a kick, so I had decided to try out this recipe I saw on Delish.com for sweet & spicy to satisfy both tastes. At first when I looked over the recipe, I thought, what is picante sauce? Doesn’t that mean hot in Spanish? Is this hot sauce, like American hot sauce? Hmm…maybe this isn’t such a good idea, but then I press pass my fear and continue reading. Honey, check…ginger, check…chicken wings tips removed. Oh no, tips removed? What does that even mean? I have flashes of the food prep guy at the restaurant I worked at years ago chopping chicken wings in half. Gross, no I don’t think I’m ready to handle that just yet. So I’ll have to buy the drumettes for this.

I went shopping for the ingredients earlier in the week. I looked over the chicken selection trying to hold in my fear as I saw raw chicken after raw chicken. Finally I came across the chicken wings. I couldn’t bear it; they looked so….well I’m sure you know. I decided I’d wait and go to another grocery store to see if theirs was better. On to the sauce aisle. Bottle after bottle of hot sauce and “Tabasco” sauce, but no picante sauce in sight. Again I wondered what picante sauce is. Maybe we’ll have to scrap this recipe and try something else.

I headed to the next store on my list and of course, the chicken is still “chicken looking”. So I finally decided to look in the frozen section. Success! These chicken wings don’t look so slimy and scary so maybe I can start small and work my way up to the “real” thing. But still no luck on the picante sauce. I purchased the wings and decided if I can’t find picante sauce, I’ll find a different recipe.

At home I hopped online and decide to type “what is picante sauce” in the search bar. Almost all the results contained the word salsa, and as I dug deeper I realized it’s similar to salsa with the main difference being the texture. Salsa is thinner than picante. So why not just use salsa instead?

Finally it is time to get cracking on this recipe. Today, I got the chicken wings out and dumped them in a bowl to thaw. I re-read my recipe. It says to toss the chicken wings in the sauce mixture. I glanced @ my bowl and realized I was going to need a bigger bowl unless I wanted the chicken wings escaping. Reluctantly I switched bowls, knowing that I just created an extra dish to wash. Now I’m thinking since I’m in no time crunch, I’ll make the sauce now & let the chicken wings marinate in the mixture so they’ll be really flavorful.

Fast forward and they’re ready to go in the oven. I turn the oven on to heat, put foil on the baking pan, and sit down to write while I wait for the beep. When the oven beeps I run into the kitchen to put my chicken wings in, but what I find is chicken wings still in the bowl and an empty foil lined pan! How could I forget to put them on the pan? I frantically search for the tongs so I can get them on the pan and in the oven before the oven loses its heat. Thankfully I get them in, and have 25 minutes to wait. 25 minutes, then I have to start turning and brushing them with sauce frequently while they cook an additional 30 minutes.

 I’m puzzled by this instruction. How can I do that frequently without letting all the heat out? Don’t they say every time you open the oven door or remove a pot lid it adds time to your cooking time? But who am I to question this recipe, I mean to be published obviously someone tested it before hand. So I adhere to instructions and pull them out at the beginning of the 30 minute mark. I brush them with sauce. Now turn. Turn how? Turn over, turn around, turn the pan? C’mon, I honestly have no clue so I rolled them a little, turned the pan around and stuck them back in the oven. Ok that was 2 ½ minutes that they weren’t cooking, will they even be cooked when the timer goes off? Seven minutes later I run back in and pull them out again. As I’m brushing and turning, my light bulb turns on and I realize I can adjust the timer to make up for this non-cooking time. Back in the oven they go & rotate the pan. Yum, they’re starting to smell good. Two more brushes and turns, and I pray that qualifies for frequent.

I didn’t want to just toss the extra sauce as per the instructions, but it had raw meat so I wasn’t about to just pour it over my food. I grabbed a small pan and boiled it for a few minutes, then let it simmer while I got some rice ready. The oven timer goes off and the chicken wings look delicious, smell heavenly, and I’m instantly starving. I can’t resist a taste test even though hubby isn’t here yet. I mean, I need to make sure they taste good in advance so I don’t serve him bad food right? Reason enough for me! Yes, they taste as good as they look & smell.

Dinner was an amazing success. The sauce tasted great mixed with rice. Hubby was more than impressed with my skills. Despite the confusions I had, the recipe felt really easy and I am confident I can cook more chicken wings as long as they are this good!

Sweet & Spicy chicken wings

http://www.delish.com/recipefinder/sweet-spicy-chicken-wings-recipe-campells-1109

1 cup picante sauce

¼ cup honey       

½ tsp ground ginger

12 chicken wings (tips removed) or 24 chicken drumettes

1. Stir the picante sauce, honey and ginger in a large bowl.
2. Cut the wings in half at the joints to make 24 pieces. Toss the wings with the picante sauce mixture. Place them in a foil-lined shallow baking pan.
3. Bake at 400 degrees F. for 55 minutes or until they're glazed and cooked through, turning and brushing often with the sauce during the last 30 minutes of baking time. Discard any remaining sauce.

#5 Crockpot Pineapple Ham

One of my favorite items in the kitchen has to be the crockpot! It is so simple to throw everything in and dinner will be ready in the evening. I have to confess though, this recipe almost killed me, waiting so long for it to finish while the heavenly aroma filled the house.

I have wanted to try a different ham recipe for years, but the rest of the family is so hesitant about it when I mention it, we resort to the same baked ham we've had for every holiday for years. Since it's not a holiday (YET) I stood my ground and decided to try out a new style.

I LOVE the way it cooked, so tender, it was falling apart at the touch of my fork. The baby (my 15 month old) had no trouble eating it. It came right off the bone which is always an issue when we bake it. I personally feel like the flavor was lacking in this recipe. As long as you have pineapple with each bite, it was good, but there is a larger ham to pineapple ratio so that's not possible. The rest of the family seemed very favorable of it. I'll be attempting a different flavor in the not too distant future, maybe with a cola recipe I saw a while back.

Unfortunately I don't have a picture to share. As I said, I was near death from anticipation as this cooked and we cut into it immediately after the timer went off. I completely forgot to snap a pic. I promise to get one next time. :)

Crockpot Pineapple Ham

Ham -bone in (mine was around 8 lbs)

3 cups of brown sugar

2 cans of pineapple chunks

*Cover bottom of crockpot with 1 cup brown sugar. Place ham in, flat side facing down. Pour pineapple and juice over ham. Spread remaining two cups of brown sugar over ham. Cook on low 7 hours.

#4 Mexican chicken lettuce wrap

This recipe is so good, we're having it a second night in a row. Simple prep, throw it in the crockpot, and finished. Beware it is MESSY when you eat it, but it is OH SO GOOD! You could also cook some rice to go with it which would soak up some of the dripping sauce.

*Note- On the second night I used butter lettuce in place of the romaine, but the flavor wasn't as strong so I highly recommend using romaine lettuce. I also cooked rice to go along with it, and it did exactly as I thought and soaked up the extra sauce nicely.

Mexican chicken lettuce wrap
1 lb chicken (I used chicken breast)
1 1/2 tbsp taco seasoning
16 ounces salsa
1 yellow onion diced
Lettuce
Mexican cheese

Sprinkle chicken with taco seasoning, making sure to cover thoroughly. Lay in the bottom of a slow cooker. Sprinkle the diced onion over the chicken, then pour the salsa on top. Cook for 4-5 hours on low. Pull chicken out and shred (mine fell apart so easily, it was so tender!) Then put back into crockpot and stir with the salsa. Serve on a piece of lettuce. (romaine lettuce makes the perfect little boat) Sprinkle cheese over each serving individually.

Spaghetti memories

This is just a funny little story about my past I thought I'd share. I've come a long way since then. :)

The first time I ever cooked spaghetti, I must have been around 18. It was the first time I cooked for anyone else that I can remember, and I was hoping to make a good impression. I wasn’t sure if the noodles were ready, so I picked one out to taste. Well, if you’ve never tried plain noodles, take it from me, don’t! It was so plain and bland and tasteless. I thought what have I gotten myself into? Ten minutes later, I tried again, no change. This was going to be a disaster, what kind of impression would this leave? Then the light bulb finally clicked and I realized it probably tasted terrible because it had no sauce!! How was I going to tell if it was ready? I remembered hearing that you could throw spaghetti against the wall, so I went for it and slung one towards the wall. Now I honestly couldn’t tell you if it stuck or not, or what the end result was, but the memory of learning to cook pasta is one that will stay with me forever.  

#2-3 Sweet Russian Chicken with Corn Sautee

Saturday night I pulled out two recipes from the stockpile. First off, I'm a sucker for photos and these made me hungry just looking at them. Secondly, they both met my requirements, quick, easy, and very few ingredients to purchase.

Sweet Russian Chicken 
1 lb chicken
1 cup Russian dressing
1 cup apricot preserves
1 envelope onion soup mix

1. Mix dressing, preserves, and soup mix in a bowl. Place chicken in a baking dish and pour sauce over it. Bake at 400 degrees for 1 to 1 hour and 15 minutes.

How simple is that?

The good thing about this recipe is you can use any part of the chicken you want, bone in or out, skin on or off, you can can choose your favorite and it won't affect the recipe. The original recipe called for chicken thighs, but I prefer chicken breast. The ingredients for this recipe usually come in a package twice the size as needed so it's extremely simple to double the recipe if you have guests or put them to the side and cook again next week without having to do extra grocery shopping.

Corn Sautee
2 cans of whole kernel corn
Bacon (I used a couple tablespoons of bacon bits)
Scallions
Salt & pepper
Crushed red pepper

If you use real bacon, you should cook it first, then crumble it. Then you'll add your corn to the same pan. I put the corn and bacon bits in at the same time. Next you'll season with a pinch of salt, ground black pepper, and crushed red pepper. Cook over med-high heat until corn is cooked through. Add scallions and cook for a minute, then serve.

I finished dinner off with a fabulous bag of instant potatoes. My favorite flavor is the baby reds. I think you could use any flavor and it would be fine, or even rice and use the sauce from the chicken over the rice.

This was another dinner that received much approval from the household. However I personally thought the corn had too much onion taste, I would have preferred simple sweet butter corn over this recipe.

Taking the first step (Easy Mac w/chicken & Veggies)

Here we are. I finally slowed down enough to get started in the kitchen.

I have to play catch up, I was able to cook last night, but my little toddler zapped all the energy I had left so I fell asleep before writing a post. I don't mind, life of a mommy is wonderful!

Friday was a pretty busy day so I wanted something simple and quick. The first word of this recipe is EASY, so that was my pick. :)  I found it in an All You Magazine, on an add for Country Crock.

Easy mac with chicken & veggies (see my story for my substitutions)
4 tbsp country crock butter (divided 3/1)
1 cup 2% milk
8 oz cooked rotini pasta
2 cups diced cooked chicken
4 cups frozen vegetables (thawed)
2 1/4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
1 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine 3 tbsp of butter with milk, pasta, chicken, veggies, and cheddar cheese in an 8-inch baking dish

2. Combine bread crumbs, parmesan and remaining 1 tbsp of butter in a small bowl, then sprinkle on top.

3. Bake 30 minutes or until heated through.
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I'm always looking for a way to add extra veggies so I used Wacky Mac veggie spirals in place of plain rotini pasta. I also used italian bread crumbs in place of plain. This recipe made a ton of food! I used a 9x13 baking dish instead of an 8 inch and it was packed to the brim. The recipe didn't specify what veggies to use, so I mixed and matched as I desired. Using a pack of italian mixed veggies (zucchini, beans, corn, & peppers). I added a pack of cauliflower, & a head of broccoli. Since I used part frozen and part fresh, I steamed them so they would all be soft. I also cut out 1/4 cup of cheese simply because my bag was 2 cups and I didn't want to open another one. Should I mention I didn't even use Country crock butter? I usually follow recipes to a T, but this day was full of making things fall in place so dinner could be served.

The final result was QUICK and tasty. My son loved it which is a big deal. He was enthralled by the colors of the dish and leaned over to eat it straight out of the bowl! We were able to calm down the excitement and feed him using a utensil, and he ate an entire bowl full.

The journey starts slowly

I may not have chosen the best moment to start my journey. With birthday celebrations all week I haven't stepped into the kitchen. I will definitely get back in this weekend and post afterwards. See you here then!

Welcome to my journey

Hello! Thanks for checking out my blog. Here's the history of my story.

Several years ago I was cleaning and going through a large stack of papers. These papers were recipes I'd collected over the last several years. I started looking over them and realized I must have 1000 recipes! I am indeed, a hoarder, a recipe hoarder! I decided it was time to work my way through these recipes one by one. 

Two years ago I started this journey, taking pictures, writing my experience, and one night, I got so sick I couldn't finish the recipe! I couldn't imagine ever cooking again. I was pregnant! I spent the next 9 months avoiding every image of food possible. I thought my idea was down the drain, as was my love of cooking. Thankfully, my little bundle arrived and I was eager to get back to everything concerning food!

Over the last year, my journey into motherhood didn't allow much time in the kitchen, however I had plenty of late night wakings to browse the internet (Pinterest!) and add more recipes to my stash. Then my hubby gave me some recipe books for Christmas and I received another recipe book for my birthday from a friend recently. So all signs told me, it's time to get back into the plan! This time with a little extra challenge of managing a toddler while cooking. I am perfectly happily where I want to be, in the kitchen cooking and being a mommy. Life couldn't get better!