Rosemary Honey Chicken

This. Was. Dynamite. 

(well.. I thought it was. Hubby gave it a C-. Ignore him. Listen to me, and put this on your list of must makes. Seriously. Right now. GET. A. PEN.... WRITE. THE. RECIPE. DOWN....

I'll wait...

....

Okay good.   

Let's just get to the recipe. I got this recipe from Kojo Designs..

Honey Rosemary Chicken
Ingredients: 
2 lbs chicken breast
1/3 cup of balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup of honey
1/3 cup of olive oil
3 T chopped fresh rosemary
1 t salt 


**when putting in crock pot- add 1 cup of water** 

Now, I crock potted it on low for 7 hours. It was a tad dry. I think that's why hubby wasn't so much a fan. In my opinion though, it was just only a tad. Did not take away from the meal at all..But the FLAVOR. HOLY GOD.

So I'd suggest cooking it for 6 and seeing where it is.

I served it up with some rice. Viola. Absolutely amazing.

My review? A. Even with the dryness. The honey glazed the chicken.. and it was just fantastical. 

Because hubby gave it a C-, I am not even going to acknowledge what else he said. I usually respect his opinion. This time he was wrong.

XOXOXOXOX,

Squishy

 

Lime Salsa Chicken Soft Tacos.

Hey all!!!

Sorry it's been so long since I've posted. This past week-ish has just FLOWN by!

..since I posted last, I got offered a job (yay!),  put in my two weeks (boo), and made another batch of frozen crock pot meals (YAY!)

Of course, I didn't take any pictures of the process (dóh!)... but here is the list of the new frozen crock pot meals I have in my freezer... *drum roll*

-Honey Rosemary Chicken

-Lime Salsa Chicken (serve as soft tacos)

-Sloppy Joes (5 points with ¾ serving)

-Santa Fe Chicken (serve as soft tacos)

-Orange Chicken

-French Dip Sandwiches

OKAY.... so since I posted last- we have "CROCK POTTED" a few times.  

I got the recipe for the Lime Salsa Chicken from this amazing blog... Kojo Designs. She did a few frozen crock pot meals... and I borrowed mostly from her this time around. 

I DID NOT take a picture of this (sigh) but here is the recipe. I heated up some tortillas and shredded the chicken in crock pot before serving. We served them like shredded soft chicken tacos.

And since I didn't take any pictures.. enjoy this random assortment of Mexican food I found on the interwebs. haha.

Lime Salsa Chicken (when I prepped it, I split this recipe in 1/2 and put in two bags. SO glad I did... we STILL have left overs from when I made this on Tuesday) 

Ingredients: 
1 lime
Cilantro
Taco Seasoning Packet
2 Jalapenopeppers
3 lbs chicken breast
1 chopped red pepper
1/2 onion
24-ounce jar of salsa

**I threw the salsa in the bag with everything else.. and then froze it. Recipe called for everything else then adding Salsa. It turned out wonderful... so I'd say just throw it in**

IN THE BAG- Juice from one lime, 1/4 cup chopped cilantro (optional), a 1.25-oz. package taco seasoning, 2 jalapeno peppers, finely chopped (optional), 3 lbs. boneless chicken breasts or thighs, 1 chopped red pepper, and 1/2 onion, chopped
TO COOK- In a slow cooker, mix together the contents of the bag and one 24-ounce jar of salsa (I used mango salsa, but use whatever kind of salsa you like). Cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours.
TO SERVE- Serve in corn tortillas with rice.

Verdict....

Let me tell you. I LOVED these. They taste just like a restaurants Soft Chicken Taco. I was in heaven. Hubby didn't care for them as much as I did. (I question his judgement at times)

My Grade- A. For Sure. I LOVED this. 

Hubby's grade- B. 


XOXOXOXOX... on to post the other recipes!!! 

Drum Roll PLEASE.. the best recipe YET!! French Dip Sandwiches...?

I stayed home from work today, as I mentioned in another post. I slept on my neck wrong, and it hurt to move.....

I am so grateful for this crock pot meal. Truly, the last thing I wanted to do was make dinner.

I took this recipe from Six Sister's Stuff...

French Dip Sandwiches

Ingredients:

2-3 lb beef chuck roast

2 cans (14.5 oz each) beef consomme (it is right next to the soups and beef broth)

6-8 hoagie buns

Directions:

Place roast in a resealable gallon-sized freezer bag and pour beef consomme on top.

When ready to eat, remove from freezer and thaw in fridge for 24 hours. Cook on LOW for 8-11 hours (or HIGH for 5-7 hours). Remove roast from slow cooker and save extra juice for dipping! With 2 forks, shred roast and serve meat on buns. We also love to melt Provolone or Swiss cheese on top.

 Now, before- I said I was making home made Hoagie rolls in my bread maker. With my neck acting up, I didn't want to make the drive to the store. Instead, I used the Sub buns we already had.  

NOTES****

I sliced the rolls in half, and after hubby shredded the beef- I put it on one side of the bun. We topped it with provolone cheese. On the other side of the bun, I spread a LITTLE BIT of horseradish. JUST A LITTLE BIT.  I then put it under a broiler for a few minutes until bread was toasty and cheese melttttyyy...

These sandwiches were delish.. but.... I would suggest toasting the bread with the cheese.. THEN putting the meat on. The juices of the meat made the bread soggy during broiling. 

Also, I only put down 1 slice of Provolone per sandwich. I would do more. 

We used the juices as the dipping sauce.

GRADING*** 

 This recipe is an A. Hands down. No argument. Best we've had.

Hubby says this is a keeper, and one for every weekly rotation. :)

Tomorrow, we are going to a restaurant called COCK AND BOWL with friends after work.. so no cooking for me!

Lots of love and talk soon!!

XOXOX,

Squishy

Chicken Broccoli Alfredo... You MUST TRY this.

Hello everyone,

I apologize for not posting in a few days! I enjoyed my weekend off of cooking, and AWAY from the computer!

Last week was a busy one for me, and I had a few people over. 

Let's see. My food log from last week is as follows..

Monday: Chicken Enchiladas- home made

Tuesday: Chicken Parm- home made

Wednesday: Pizza Hut - ordered! YUM!

Thursday: Chicken Broccoli Alfredo - crock pot

Friday: Mon Ami Gabi.. French Restaurant

Saturday: La Sandia Mexican food for lunch, and I went to the Washington Winter Show. This was an antique show.. but the price tags WERE INSANE! I mean, it was the real deal stuff, because I didn't see a price tag lower than $5,000.00. What SHOCKED me was that people were writing checks left and right, as if these prices were nothing.

I want to be that rich some day. Hah. 

.. but then I wasn't feeling well and went home.. slept all day and night. 

Oh! Back to Mon Ami Gabi.. This place is AMAZING!!!!! 

As you can see here, that was a plate that had a Medium Filet with Merlot sauce, and the best mashed potatoes I have had.. in a VERY VERY long time. This may be one of my new favorite restaurants.  Only issue.. it was SO LOUD and busy!

Also, their French Onion soup was the best I have had.. hands down...ever. That's right folks. I am saying that Mon Ami Gabi has the BEST FRENCH ONION SOUP ever.

OH AND THEIR APPLE TART WAS REALLY REALLY REALLY GOOD. I mean.. really. 

Oh god, I want to go there so badly NOW.  Sigh.

Anyways, last week I didn't get to document my Chicken Broccoli Alfredo dinner night.. and I am really excited about sharing. I had a friend over, who DOES NOT EAT ANYTHING that has greens in it. I mean, the day he eats a salad- I will keel over and die from a heart attack. 

Seriously. 

The recipe was from Six Sisters' Stuff. I am LOVING the recipes I got from their site. <3. 

This was so good, we finished it all. Zero leftovers. The boys barely spoke while eating. Their focus was the food. Ha. 

It was a well reviewed and received recipe. 

GRADING: 

When we started talking about grading, my hubby gave it a B+. My friend gave it a B+

I give it a B+ as well... SO OVERALL GRADE: C-... no, just kidding! B!! 

Notes** 

We are not fans of  Fettuccine in this house, so we served the sauce over Rotini pasta. 

Also, I would suggest making bread, because it was a little "liquid-y" so the bread could soak up the remaining sauce... after the pasta is gone. 

OR, I even thought of adding a little cream cheese at the end, to thicken it... but I don't know. That may be a completely totally horrible idea. Thoughts? 

ALSO- the broccoli breaks down into the sauce. If you want some texture- add broccoli florets. I added a few steamed pieces to the sauce a little before serving.... Just a thought. :)  

Recipe: (from Six Sister's Stuff...) 

 Ingredients:

1 ½ pounds chicken breasts

1 (16 oz) bag frozen broccoli florets

2 (16 oz) jars Alfredo sauce (I use light)

1 large green pepper, chopped

1 (4 oz) can sliced mushrooms, drained

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a resealable gallon-sized freezer bag and mix together.

When ready to eat, remove from freezer and thaw in fridge for 24 hours. Cook on LOW for 4-6 hours. 

I am home sick today. I slept on my neck wrong, and it hurts to move it around. :( BUT at least I was able to post a catch up!!

Tonight we are having French Dip Sandwiches, crock pot style, with home made bread from my NEW BREADMAKER! Mom got me this amazing breadmaker.. and it has every option known to man.

SO, we are going to attempt to make Kaiser Rolls for the sandwiches tonight. I will document that, because I have never ever used a bread maker.

Ever. 

Until then!!

XOXOXOX,  

Squishy

The best Chicken Parm... ever.

Hello blog world,

Today was not the best day ever. I fell down the stairs, spilled gravy all over my new cardigan sweater, ran into a door frame so hard that I left a bump, and then twisted my ankle walking to my car when leaving work.

Awesome.

When I got home, I wanted to crawl under the covers and go to sleep. Instead, I decided to decompress by cooking!!

I wanted some kind of comfort food... so I decided to go with a Chicken Parmesan. 

My husbands favorite meal is Chicken Parm. I have tried to cook it so many different versions, and finally I found the way that's tried and true... and SO FRIGGING GOOD.

Okay, you will need...

• Chicken Breast- I made 2.
• Mozzarella Cheese (I used shredded this time, because it's what I had)
• Pasta Sauce
• Flour
• 2 Eggs
• Panko Bread Crumbs 
• Italian Seasoning
• Garlic Salt
• Salt and Pepper
• AND a bottle of wine, to pour yourself a glass and sip during cooking. :) I had a Riesling on hand... it was quite yummy.

First, pound out your chicken. I USUALLY try to pound it out thin, but today I wanted a higher chicken in center to crust ratio. Ha. Did that even make sense?

 

I put plastic wrap down over the cutting board, and then over the chicken breasts as well. 

Pound...

Pound...

Pound....

Pound.....

Pound......

-flour 

-2 eggs

-Panko breadcrumbs. 

Dredge the chicken in the flour, then the eggs, then the panko breadcrumbs. Add some Canola Oil to a frying pan. Wait for the Canola Oil to get realllllly hot.. then add chicken. After about 1-2 minutes,flip the chicken over. The Panko breadcrumbs should have browned. 

Transfer chicken to a glass baking dish.    

THEN... add the Pasta SAUCE!!!

I put enough to cover the breast. Top the sauce with.....

• Mozzarella Cheese
• Parmesan Cheese
• Garlic Powder
• Salt and Pepper
• Italian Seasoning

 Bake for about 25-30 minutes, depending on how thick your chicken breast is. 

FINAL STEP! EAT! 


 RECIPE:

Ingredients:

• Chicken Breast (2)
• Mozzarella Cheese (I used shredded this time, because it's what I had)
• Pasta Sauce
• Panko Bread Crumbs 
• Italian Seasoning
• Garlic Salt
• Salt and Pepper

 Directions:
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
*Pound Chicken to flatten.
*Dredge Chicken breast in flour, egg, then panko crumbs.
*Preheat Canola oil in a frying pan.
*Add chicken when oil is hot, and cook until Panko crust is browned. 1-2 minute on each side.
*Add chicken to glass baking dish.
*Top Chicken with Pasta Sauce, Mozerella cheese, Parmesan cheese, Garlic Powder, Salt, Pepper, and Italian Seasoning. 
*Cook for 25-30 minutes, depending on thickness of Chicken Breast.
 *Serve with Pasta, or side salad. :)

ENJOOOYY!!


This is one of our favorite Home-cooked comfort meals. SOOO.. from my family to yours.. wishing you a BELLY FULL OF YUM!

Tomorrow, I am making the Crock Pot Brocolli Chicken Alfredo! I am so excited! I have been waiting to try it. :) 
 
xoxoxox,

Squishy 

Mexican FIESTA....My Chicken Enchiladas.

Yesterday, I made Mexican food.  We had friends over for food and fun- so I decided to go with my old classic.. Chicken Enchiladas. 

I can't tell you how many times I've made these enchiladas. They are so simple, and yet everyone always raves about them.

So here it is... I am imparting my knowledge onto you. 

Warning, I forgot to take pictures again. I had a guacamole melt down on the first batch I made, and ran out of time for dinner prep. The clock was ticking down on me... so I HAD to just cook as quickly as I could.  

So first, I boiled 2 chicken breast in Chicken Broth for 30 minutes. Afterwards, I shredded said chicken. (Above is the only picture I took. Admire it's beauty. hah)

I then took 1 GREEN BELL PEPPER and 1 ONION and chopped it up. Threw them in a frying pan with a little bit of garlic, and cooked for a few minutes with olive oil. 

MEANWHILE, in a medium to large sauce pan I mixed the shredded chicken, enchilada sauce (I use Trader Joes) and heated it through. Once warm, add as little or as much cheese as you want. I usually dump the majority of a bag of Mexican Cheese. 

Then, add Onion and Green pepper. 

Mix.

Mix some more. 

Add more Cheese.

No seriously, add more cheese.

THERE YA GO! :)

Okay this is a VERY IMPORTANT STEP..... take a little bit of the mixture (or if you have extra enchilada sauce you didn't mix, you can use this) and lightly coat the bottom of a glass baking dish. This allows for no sticky sticky which = goopy mess when plating. 

Take tortillas (I use flour), scoop some of the mixture, wrap up....... place in glass dish. Scoop remainder of the mixture on top of the enchiladas.  Add more cheese on top.

Yes, your arteries will not be happy- but its SO GOOD!

This usually makes about 5-6 enchiladas. Bake at 350* for 30-40 minutes (depending on the amount  of "stuff" on top)

RECIPE:

Ingredients-

Flour Tortillas

2 Chicken Breast

Enchilada Sauce (large can.. or Trader Joe's)

Green Pepper

Onion

Bag of Mexican Cheese

Garlic

Directions:

*preheat oven to 350*

1- Cook Chicken. Shred. (I boiled for 30 minutes in Chicken Broth)

2- Chop Green Pepper and Onion, sautee with garlic and a little bit of olive oil for a few minutes- under soft. 

3- Add Shredded Chicken and Enchilada sauce to medium-large sauce pan. Heat threw. 

4- Add Cheese to the sauce. I use the entire bag, but add as little or as much as you want. Reserve some for ontop of the enchiladas when cooking. 

5- Add Green Pepper and Onion.

6- Add some Enchilada Sauce mixture (or left over sauce) to the bottom of the glass baking dish.

7- Scoop Enchilada Sauce mixture into tortillas, wrapping and laying in baking dish. Makes about 5-6 enchiladas.

8- Add remaining sauce and cheese to top.

9- Bake for about 30-40 minutes, depending on how crispy you want the tortillas, topping, etc.

ENJOY!

Sorry for lack of pictures. Boo. I'll have to post some later when I make it again.

With that, I am off to bed.

XOXOXOX

Squishy

Trader Joe's Woodfired Silician Pizza- TOTALLY YUM.

Happy Sunday everyone!
I spent my entire day cleaning and doing laundry.. and totally forgot to take my frozen crock pot meals out and put in said crock pot. Oops.

I had to run out and get drinks anyways- we were running out. I walked all 3 minutes to the Trader Joes. (I love the location of our apartment. I can get to CVS, Trader Joes, Frozen Yogurt, Pet store, and this Spring they are adding a CHIPOTLE! AHHH!!)

I brought back the Organic Woodfired Silician Style Pizza for dinner, because I was feeling lazy and DID NOT want to make dinner. I literally cleaned all day... bleached...vacuumed.. did dishes... LAST THING I wanted to do was cook.

We hadn't tried this before, but I find that Trader Joe's frozen meals are usually a safe bet. There are few I dislike. Hubby and I split it. It was a little small to split, but luckily hubby got impatient and made a tuna fish sammy before dinner- so he wasn't STARVING. 

Here are the nutrition facts, if you are interested: (for one pizza....)


Calories- 781
Total Fat- 30 g
Sodium- 1712 mg
Total Carbs- 105 g
Fiber- 3 g
Sugars- 6 g
Protein- 33 g

On top of the frozen pizza, I added:
-Extra mozzarella cheese
-Italian seasoning
-Garlic Powder.

(This is my GO TO addition to ANY frozen pizza. It adds an extra element of yummy)

During cooking, you thaw out this red pepper oil (place the frozen pack in water)- and then drizzle it on the pizza halfway through cooking.

HOLY YUM! This Pizza was UNBELIEVABLE. I give it an B+ rating.

This may be my new favorite thing. 

The oil gives just the perfect element of spicy,  and the pizza itself is blasting with flavor. Seriously, if you go to Trader Joe's soon... get this.


Now, what's for dinner TOMORROW?!?! I am taking another day off from Crock Potting....

I am having some friends over and we are going to be having a MEXICAN FIESTA! We are going





I am going to make rice, beans, guacamole, and chicken enchiladas!!  I'll post the recipe to my chicken enchiladas, but they are so easy and basic. BUT DELISH. OH GOD ARE THEY DELISH!

I have NEVER made guacamole, but Trader Joe's sells this "Guacamole" kit, that includes the garlic, tomatoes, limes, peppers, avocados... and some other stuff.

We shall see how successful I am.

On another note...  I realized that last time I went grocery shopping, I was so focused on my crock pot meals, I didn't think outside the box. I don't have any ingredients now for a "I am hungry, and need something quick" meal, OR any lunches.

Here is my plan, next time I go shopping.

On my grocery list, I am going to include:
 -My ingredients for my Crock Pot Meals
-Ingredients for 2 home made meals
-1 or 2 quick meals (Maybe some frozen to just be thrown in the oven, instead of crock pot?... grilled cheese sammy and soup, etc)
-AND... MOST IMPORTANTLY..  lunch makings. 
 

I always tend to skip lunch. And I ALWAYS skip Breakfast. I know it is NOT good for me to only eat dinner, but I just get carried away with doing other stuff during the day.

And I CANNOT stand breakfast. So here is my challenge to myself... find a way to make EASY breakfast. OR, find a good morning shake that I can make on the go. 

Okay, tomorrow- look for my CHICKEN ENCHILADA RECIPE (which will include how to boil chicken, which is pretty self explanatory, but you never know.)

I'll also post pictures of my guacamole attempt.. we shall see.

OH and, along with the cleaning came the taking down Christmas decorations. I am very sad, but during my cleaning I found this AMAZING AMAZING lantern from our wedding last year. It was in a box in a corner.. and decided to make it the focus of my table, since I took down my Christmas centerpiece.


What do we think? 


Lots of love Interwebs.

XOXOXOX,

Squishy