14 posts tagged “food”

So after being gone almost a week and spending Sunday practically passed out from exhaustion, I woke up on Monday realizing that dinner was going to have to be creative.

A couple of months ago I discovered a great blog - www.crockpot365.blogspot.com This lady used her crockpot every day for a year and came up with a ton of great recipes. I must have used my crock pot for two weeks straight after I first discovered her blog.

Well today I decided to try my own recipe and I think it turned out pretty great.I call it "Monday Morning Chicken"

3 large chicken breasts (mine were half way frozen)

1 red pepper cut in strips (mine were frozen)

1 small head of cauliflower (compliments of my weekly CSA share)

1 small onion, chopped in chunks

1 pkg of White Chicken Chili seasoning (I used McCormicks)

1 8 oz can of tomatoe sauce

Balsamic Vinegar

Chicken Stock

I put the first four ingredients in the crockpot that I sprayed with some Pam.

In a medium bowl I combined the seasoning, tomatoe sauce and whisked in some balsamic vinegar and chicken stock. Not sure how much - definitely more chicken stock than balsamic.

Cooked on low for about 8 hours.

I served it with some brown rice. It was really good! Nice and tangy. The cauliflower soaked up all the spices and was very tasted. Jim and James really liked it too!

Then I realized that I have a bunch of eggs I need to use up (from my CSA) so I decided to try a new recipe that I got from Jim's cousin Trina's blog - Black Forest Cobbler. She found it in an old recipe book she found at Goodwill. Oh my goodness! Can you say absolutely delicious!?!?!

Black Forest Cobbler
by Annette Bomar

Ingredients:

1 pkg chocolate butter cake mix (I couldn't find this so I used a Devil's Food cake mix)
3/4 cup butter
3 eggs, divided
4 1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 8-oz pkg cream cheese, softened
1 21 oz can cherry pie filling

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, beat 1 egg. Add cake mix and butter. Stir until well blended. (Should have the consistency of playdough.) Press mixture into a greased 9 X 13-inch glass baking dish. In a medium bowl, combine powdered sugar, cream cheese and remaining eggs. Pour over cake mixture. Spread pie filling over cream cheese mixture. Bake 30 to 40 minutes, or until outer edges browned and center is almost set. Best served warm or at room temperature.

We are eating this right now as we turn on the season finale of 24. Yum!!!  I'm totally thinking that Janie and Hannah would love this - it's right up their alley! :

So Jim emails me this soup recipe from some guy at his work. I read it and thought "Meh...doesn't look all that great" BUT yesterday I just happened to have all the ingredients (yes - I bought some hominy at the store the other day!) so I decided to try it.

OK this soup is so freaking good! It made enough for an army and I made corn bread to go with it. I could happily eat it for a week!

Bean and Hominy Soup (they could have come up with a better name for it!)

3 - 15.8 oz cans of Great Northern Beans (undrained)

1 - 15.5 oz can of hominy (undrained)

1 - 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes (undrained)

1 - 11.5 oz can of Bean with Bacon Campbell's soup

1 - 10 oz can of Rotel (I used Original - gave it a nice spice)

1 - 11 oz can yellow corn (undrained)

2 cups of water (I started with 1 cup and added a little more later)

2 bay leaves (take them out before you serve)

1 tblsp dried cilantro

1 tsp ground cumin (I used closer to 3 tsp)

2 cups (or more) of precooked meat like chicken, ham, sausage (I used Hillshire Farms Turkey Sausage)

Dump all ingredients in a large soup pot and bring to a boil. Turn back to a simmer for a couple hours. Top with shredded cheese to serve. I made it with corn bread. Yum!

So I've recently discovered couscous. Rachael Ray cooks with it a lot and I finally decided to try it. It is so much easier to cook than rice (like really easy!!!) and it works just the same as rice. I don't really know how to describe the taste - definitely "rice-like". It comes in whole wheat and flavored varieties. Tonight I used it with my Russian Chicken recipe. James even ate some too. Yummy!

Russian Chicken

1 pkg onion soup mix

1 8 oz bottle of Russian dressing

1/2 cup of apricot jelly

4 chicken breasts

1 cup of couscous mix (I used whole wheat)

Mix the first three ingredients together (add more jelly to taste) and then pour over chicken. Bake at 375 for about 35 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Serve over couscous. Delicious!

Since I have the time and since I'm pregnant and have huge memory problems, I thought I would make a list of the places and foods I've been craving lately. That way next time we have the opportunity to go out, I will actually remember where I want to eat. (yes the memory loss is that bad for me when pregnant!)

• Molineri's - mom and pop Italian place that Jim raves about
• Calypso Cafe - yummy cuban food and the best fruit tea!
• 'Smores - this is all Janette's fault! her pics looked so good and I can't stop thinking about melted chocolate and mushy marshmellows!
• Greek food - not sure where I'll get this but it just sounds good - olives, hummus, pita bread, tzatziki sauce - yum and now I also want to watch My Big Fat Greek Wedding for the hundredth time
• Starbucks blended lemonade - maybe I'll do that today with my $2 coupon! My friend Kristy said that they can add strawberry to it and that sounds yummy as well
• Shrimp - I don't know why but that sounds so good. I'm not supposed to do tons of seafood while pregnant but I remember that Bonefish Grill has an amazing appetizer called "bang-bang shrimp" that I could eat as a meal!

Ok I think that's it. Man - is it lunchtime yet?!?

Today we went to Cracker Barrell for breakfast - so yummy! James ate Kix cereal and "talked" to the men at the next table almost the entire time. He's such a friendly fellow!

We took him to the pool today. He really loved it. He did scare me half to death when twice he ran straight for the pool while we were getting our stuff together. That kid is fast and you really have to keep a hand on him or he's gone!

I got a really cool bag at Target today. I wanted something that I could use as a purse but fit some "diaper bag type" stuff in too without having to carry around both. Plus James and I are going to Columbus next week with Jim for his business trip and I always love to have a nice new bag for the airplane.

James with Mommy's scarf

Well I thought I took a picture of my bag (I know I did) but it's not showing up on my card and I'm too lazy to take another so here's a picture of James. He took my scarve-thing off my head and wanted to wear it. And he loves playing in the laundry basket. He cried when I had to take it to stack laundry in to take upstairs. It really keeps him occupied for quite awhile so I probably should just get another one (or two) at the Dollar Store.

Speaking of a dollar - I thought of Java Janie the other night because Publix had Totino's pizza on sale for $1 and that was what Jim and I had for dinner. Not nutritious but so delicious! That was also the same day that I just HAD to have a Taco Bell soft taco (which further reminds me that I'm pregnant since I don't normally enjoy consuming "Grade D beef for human consuption")

My latest craving....a really good banana split- one with all the trimmings - whipped cream, nuts, three different kinds of ice cream. Ahh..yum! Now I've not fulfilled this craving yet. Maybe while we're in Columbus next week!

I love Peeps and this picture made me laugh so hard!!

Funny-pictures-peep-show-easter-candy

For whatever reason I have actually planned my meals (mostly) this week and I love it when that happens because I don't freak out at 2pm wondering "What will we eat tonight"?

Tonight is one of my new favorite dishes that I got from a Southern Living magazine at my in laws house in Dahlonega, GA at Thanksgiving. They had some friends in town that made it for dinner one night and Jim and I are hooked.

Although I'm sure there are plenty of good chicken chili recipes out there - this is the one that I love:

2 poblano chile peppers
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
2 (14 1/2 oz) cans zesty chili-style diced tomatoes
3 cups shredded or chopped smoked chicken (about 1 pound)
1 (16oz) can navy beans
1 (15oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (12oz) can beer
1 (1.25 oz) envelope white chicken chili seasoning mix
Toppings: shredded cheddar cheese, chopped fresh cilantro, sour cream, lime wedges, baby corn, sliced black olives, chopped red onion, tortilla chips
 
Saute first 4 ingredients in hot oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat 8 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in diced tomatoes and next 5 ingredients. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 1 hour. Serve with desired toppings.

And you must serve with Cheesy Jalapeno Corn Bread (which is really not that spicy - the jalapenos just add some color)

1 (6oz) pkgs buttermilk cornbread mix
1 cup (4oz) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
2 (7oz) cans Mexican-style corn, drained
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
 
Stir together buttermilk cornbread mix and next 3 ingredients in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture. Stir together corn and 1 1/2 cups buttermilk; add to cornbread mixture, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened
Bake at 425 for 25 minutes or so in 9x13 pan - browned

Smoky Chicken Chili

OK so I'm at Panera with an hour and half in front of me and I just don't feel like reading Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado" but I am going to do it.

I will do it.

In fact, this is me....reading this story so that I can take my quiz and complete my homework for this week.

Here I go....

PS - WAIT - I just have to say that I had one of the most delicious bagels at Panera today - the Mochachip Swirl. So yummy! It's almost as good as my favorite - PeanutButter Banana Crunch bagel - but not quite.

I just love school! I've always loved school - even high school. I just love learning. I love the feeling I get when I walk into a classroom for the first time on the first day of a new school year or semester.
I went to my Developmental Psychology class this past Thursday and even though it was from 6pm - 9pm at night and I was pretty tired from a full day as a wife and mom, I really enjoyed the class. My instructor is a 65 year old air force verteran. He was born in 1941 and told us almost his whole life history for the first hour of class. But it was so interesting. It's so neat to see someone his age that is still enjoying life, keeping his brain active and desires to help young people.

So I'm going to refer back to this post often because just this morning I was totally stressing over all the work I needed to complete for my literature class. And here I am after only 2 short hours at Saxby's coffee shop with everything completed for this week. And I enjoyed it too! My lit class is already proving to be so interesting. I love to read and critique works of fiction. It's so neat to read my classmates' points of view from our discussion postings and the stuff we're reading is not something that I normally read in my everyday life so it's giving me a chance to expand my brain a bit.

Of course, none of this would be possible without my very supportive family including my incredible husband Jim. I just cannot say enough good things about him! Here I am this morning, totally freaking out, being emotional and generally just not perceiving reality and he has the goodness of heart to insist that I get out to study while he takes care of baby and the messy house. How did I get so lucky? Nope, definitely not luck. God is just too good to me - even when I totally don't deserve it.

Feels so good to be done! I'm headed to the grocery and then home to my honeys. We're having friends over for dinner and I've made home made lasagna with some improvements that my mother in law mentioned. I'm excited to try the outcome. Plus there is chocolate, peanut butter pie for dessert but I'm proud of myself because I made it with sugar free chocolate pudding and sugar free whipped cream. After that Molten Chocolate Betty Crocker Cake thingy, I've got to cut back on my sugar somehow!