New Year's Eve Dinner (chicken roulade) & some others (Days 344-351)

It's funny how when I used to work full-time, I would look forward to vacation weeks to have more time to make lavish meals for breakfast, lunch, and especially dinner.  I looked forward to them for other reasons, too, but I'm speaking strictly from a food perspective, here. :) Now that I'm home most of the time, vacation weeks are generally spent eating out a little more or just trying to get out of the house more!  Randy had this past week off so we tried to squeeze as many fun and inexpensive little day trips in as possible.  The sad thing for me was that not a single "planned" thing went the way I planned!  Isn't that the way it always goes?  I started to get down on myself and then wonder why I feel so much pressure to not only have "the most wonderful time" wherever we go out but also to be the most prepared mother on the planet.  I won't get into details of how or why the experiences weren't "perfect."  They weren't awful, either!  We had a great vacation week!  This is not a New Year's resolution thing, but I have been working at "letting go" more and not putting so much pressure on myself.  I'm proud to say that in some areas, I am succeeding at this, though I know I will always be a work in progress. ;)

Here are some of the meals we enjoyed over vacation...

Day 344 (Monday): leftover day
With all the feasting we did over Christmas week, I think I was entitled to a "leftover day!"

Day 345 (Tuesday): carbonara
That recipe is from Day 16!  It was fun for me to go back and read what I wrote about it and how my early posts looked.  Tonight I had my aunt and 2 college-student cousins over for a girls' cooking night.  I taught them how to make this dish as well as their own croutons for a salad and we made our own caesar dressing.  For dessert, we enjoyed sinful mocha brownies.  It was a really fun night!

Abby checking out Santa's workshop at Yankee Candle Village, where we went on Wednesday...

Day 346 (Wednesday, New Year's Eve): jalapeno poppers, homemade salsa & chips, and chicken roulades with mustard-roasted potatoes and balsamic broccoli.
Another night of feasting and entertaining!  For dessert I put out the leftover mocha brownies and ALL of the candy we had received for Christmas--we still had most of it left in our house after New Year's. :(  Who wants free candy?!

New Year's Eve

Chicken Roulades
So this recipe originally is Ann Burrell's from the Food Network.  But she uses Spanish sausage (chorizo) and manchego cheese in hers.  Since those ingredients can be a little harder to find, I swapped them for Italian hot sausage (ground) and fontina cheese.  I think it's slightly more user-friendly this way.  She also has a recipe for a light sauce to go with them but I was a little bit stressed New Year's Eve and forgot to make the sauce.  The chicken was still fantastic!  Here's the recipe written how I made it...

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
olive oil
1 onion, diced
salt, pepper, pinch of red pepper flakes
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/2 lb ground hot Italian sausage
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup grated fontina cheese
1/2 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 cup chopped almonds
1 egg
For the breading, you will need flour, an egg, and more breadcrumbs.

"Butterfly" the chicken breasts by slicing through them to open the thickest part like a book.  Pound out the breasts to flatten them even more.  Set aside.

Cheers!

Drizzle some olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook the onions with some salt, pepper, and red pepper, until translucent.  Then add the garlic cook for another minute or so.  Add the ground sausage to the pan and cook until thoroughly brown.  Transfer the sausage and onion mixture to a bowl and let it cool slightly.  Add the egg, breadcrumbs, fontina cheese, parsley, and almonds.  Mix well.  Scoop this mixture onto the butterflied chicken breasts and roll them up tightly.  Secure with a toothpick or two.
Set up flour, egg, and breadcrumb bowls for dipping and dip each roulade in the flour first, then the beaten egg, then the breadcrumbs.  Place the breaded roulades in a hot skillet drizzled with olive oil.  Rotate the roulades so they brown on all sides, then transfer to an oven-safe baking sheet.  Bake at 350* for about 20 minutes or until cooked through.

Day 347 (Thursday--New Year's Day): blueberry crumb cake, broccoli & cheddar soup, and sausage calzones
So today Randy and Marko were working in the upstairs bathroom all day.  When I have men working in the house (and my kitchen is actually functional), I naturally want to keep them fed!  I called them down mid-morning for a blueberry crumb cake snack.  For lunch I made broccoli & cheddar soup in homemade bread bowls.  Then, when all the work was said and done, we had easy sausage calzones and green salads for dinner.  All of these recipes are on my blog and you can find them by following the links above.

Day 348 (Friday): Rainforest Café
Tonight we dined in Burlington at the Rainforest Café!  The kids loved it!  (Once Abby got over the "scary" crocodile in the front of the store/restaurant.)  This was one of our planned vacation events.  So fun!

Day 349 (Saturday): Guys' Night/Leftovers

Randy had his guys' night tonight and the kids and I feasted on some leftovers from the week.  It was still a fun night for me!  For lunch today I stopped and picked up D'Angelo sandwiches.  Randy loves his Thanksgiving toasted sandwich but he only loves it if he gets EXTRA gravy.  Well, they forgot the gravy. :(  And I forgot to double check and make sure there was gravy in the bag.  So, I made him some gravy.  It's really not that hard!  Start with some butter in a skillet over medium heat.  When the butter starts to melt, add the same about (in tablespoons) of flour and cook them together for 1-2 minutes.  Start whisking in chicken broth (1-2 cups, maybe, depending on how much gravy you want)and turn the heat up to high.  Continue whisking vigorously and once the gravy comes to a bubble, reduce the heat to low.  It should be thickening by this point.  Season with salt and pepper.  Voila!  You have gravy.

Day 350 (Sunday): leftovers/Staff Dinner
For Sunday dinner, we had some leftover chicken and I made some rice to go with it.  For supper, the staff at church had dinner at a steakhouse, which was really nice!

Day 351 (Monday): eggplant parmesan
Staying true to our "meatless Mondays" with this vegetarian meal!  The kids devoured it, too!  Yum!

Abby and I at the Rainforest Cafe

Day 294: Chicken Tetrazzini and Mocha Brownies

We have life group every Sunday night and I feel so lucky to be a part of this group!  We always have such a wonderful time and each week is full of lots of laughs!  Of course, since I'm (yet again) a week behind in my posts, I'm actually writing about the week before last Sunday's gathering.  We had a "fellowship feast" and we all brought something to contribute to dinner. I made a chicken tetrazzini and mocha brownies.  Yum yum!

I love this chicken dish.  When Randy and I first met, we dated for a little while and ate together quite a bit.  I soon learned about his love of broccoli, pasta, and white sauces.  He ordered chicken and broccoli alfredo pretty much everywhere we went.  Well, Randy and I ended up taking some "time off" from dating and at the time, neither one of us imagined we'd ever end up married!  One day, I was watching Giada de Laurentis on the Food Network, back when her show was "Everyday Italian."  She made this dish and I instantly thought of Randy.  I actually went to my computer right away and printed the recipe so I'd have it on the off chance that we ever hung out again, much less I'd cook for him.  Of course we know how the story goes, we did end up getting married.  While we were engaged, I made this dish for him for the first time and he loved it!  It then became his signature birthday dinner for a few years.

Chicken Tetrazzini
This is the original recipe, which calls for linguine for the pasta.  I prefer to use penne or some shorter pasta because it makes for easier division of portions.  I also use only half an onion rather than a whole. :)  Also, you can easily make this recipe up ahead of time and stick it in the refrigerator until you need it.  Just be sure to let it come to room temperature before putting it in the oven.

9 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

2 1/4 teaspoons salt

1 1/4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

1 pound white mushrooms, sliced

1 large onion, finely chopped

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

4 cups whole milk, room temperature

1 cup heavy whipping cream, room temperature

1 cup chicken broth

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

12 ounces linguine

3/4 cup frozen peas

1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

1 cup grated Parmesan

1/4 cup dried Italian-style breadcrumbs

 

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Spread 1 tablespoon of butter over a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish. Melt 1 tablespoon each of butter and oil in a deep large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the hot pan and cook until pale golden and just cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate to cool slightly. Coarsely shred the chicken into bite-size pieces and into a large bowl.
Meanwhile, add 1 tablespoon each of butter and oil to the same pan. Add the mushrooms and saute over medium-high heat until the liquid from the mushrooms evaporates and the mushrooms become pale golden, about 1-2 minutes. Add the onion, garlic, and thyme, and saute until the onion is translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until it evaporates, about 2 minutes. Transfer the mushroom mixture to the bowl with the chicken.
Melt 3 more tablespoons butter in the same pan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and whisk for 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk, cream, broth, nutmeg, remaining 1 3/4 teaspoons salt, and remaining 3/4 teaspoon pepper. Increase the heat to high. Cover and bring to a boil. Simmer, uncovered, until the sauce thickens slightly, whisking often, about 10 minutes.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the linguine and cook until it is tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 9 minutes. Drain. Add the linguine, sauce, peas, and parsley to the chicken mixture. Toss until the sauce coats the pasta and the mixture is well blended.
Transfer the pasta mixture to the prepared baking dish. Stir the cheese and breadcrumbs in a small bowl to blend. Sprinkle the cheese mixture over the pasta. Dot with the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter. Bake, uncovered, until golden brown on top and the sauce bubbles, about 25 minutes.

Mocha Brownies
OK. Can Ree Drummond get any better than this???

Four 1-ounce squares unsweetened chocolate

2 sticks butter

2 cups granulated sugar

4 large eggs

3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

 

Icing:

2 sticks butter, softened

5 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/2 to 3/4 cup brewed coffee, cooled to room temperature

 

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Spray an 8-inch square baking pan with nonstick baking spray.
For the brownie batter: Place the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Melt the chocolate in the microwave in 30-second increments, being careful not to let it burn. Set it aside to cool slightly.
In a medium mixing bowl, cream the butter and granulated sugar. Beat in the eggs. With the mixer on low speed, drizzle in the melted chocolate. Add the vanilla extract and mix. Add the flour to the bowl and mix just until combined; do not over mix.
Pour the batter in the prepared baking pan. Spread it to even out the surface. Bake until the center is no longer soft, 40 to 45 minutes. Set the brownies aside to cool completely before icing.
For the icing: In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, salt and vanilla. Mix until slightly combined, then add 1/2 cup of the coffee. Whip until the icing is light and fluffy. If the icing is overly thick, add 1/4 cup more coffee. It should be very light and fluffy.
Ice the cooled brownies, spreading the icing on thick. Refrigerate until the icing is firm, and then slice the brownies into squares.

Entering Autumn with Apple Pecan Cake & Cheddar-Stuffed Chicken with Smashed Potatoes (Days 247 - 249)

Well, autumn is officially here.  It's by far my favorite season.  So much changes in the fall and it always feels like a new start--a time to "get back into routine."  And even more than that, for me, it's the time of year that I most think about my family.  Something about fall always reminds me of my childhood.  It was probably the most exciting time of year.  My birthday is in the fall, and of course, it's the precursor to Christmas.  I have the most fantastic memories of fall: apple-picking every year, "tagging" our real Christmas tree, and trick-or-treating for Halloween (and then when I was "too old", I would go to my aunt and uncle's house and give out candy for them--we would usually order a pizza after they returned from walking the neighborhood and just spending the time with extended family felt so special). My dad made homemade root beer on Halloween night so the smell of yeast often comes to mind when I remember Halloween as a kid (in a good way).  Of course we also had apple crisp--often, and a lot of it, with vanilla ice cream.  But more than those things, I have such strong memories of the smell of McIntosh in the house--all the time.  And the music.  That late 90's Christian "contemporary" music--it was always playing.  My mother always had uplifting music playing softly in the house and her Yankee candles lit in every room.  Our house changed seasonally.  I mean, really changed.  So many decorations would come down that it would look like we were moving.  Then the fall decorations would go up.  Then around Thanksgiving, the fall decorations come down and the house turns into a winter wonderland.  This still occurs, even with just my 2 parents living there, and I love it.  I can always count on my parents' house being seasonally appropriate when we visit--and it's so comforting.  Even through high school, if I ever had a bad day, coming home was the best medicine.  Walking through the door to a toasty-warm house smelling of McIntosh candles, apple crisp, and with Steven Curtis Chapman or Amy Grant or whoever playing in the background gave me such a sense of peace.  That has always been "autumn" to me.  That's why I love it.

My mother and I might not have exactly the same taste in decor.  She's more "country clutter" and I'm a little more "transitional" or contemporary.  But I still strive to achieve the same peace and comfort in my home that I remember from my childhood.  Our house still smells like McIntosh in the fall.  I bake all the time from fall through the winter.  I keep the house organized but not sterile--it still looks lived-in--and I like the lights dim.  It's cozy.  Believe it or not, in the fall, I still occasionally play some of the old songs I remember hearing from the late 90's.  Just for the memories.  The music may not be my preferred style, but the messages are comforting and the sound just brings me back.  Last night as I was inverting the apple cake that Abby and I made together, I had Susan Ashton playing in the background and my McIntosh candle lit and my eyes welled up--it felt like it was 15 years ago.

One of the nicest compliments I've received was one night a couple years ago when a pastor friend of ours came over to talk about Abigail's dedication.  Upon entering our home (this was in the fall) he exclaimed how warm and cozy our place was and how he could just feel the peace of God present in our little home.  Randy told me a friend of his expressed the same sentiment one day when the two of them got together at our house, but I wasn't there to hear it.  When I look at my children, as many mothers do, I want to solve all of their problems, or ensure that they have none.  (I do want them to have wisdom that comes from experiencing tough things, of course, but I don't want them to feel any pain--what mother does?)  But I realize that I can't fix everything for them, and that this will become an even stronger reality as they grow up.  But what I CAN do is ensure that our house stays constant and comforting.  I can make sure that it always welcomes them home.  There will always be pumpkins and mums on our porch during autumn, cozy lighting, soft music (or sometimes loud music--but always music), seasonal decorations, and always something sweet and home-baked to snack on.  We will eat apple crisp and pie and roast chicken on Sundays.  Yankee Candle (and Scentsy) will provide seasonal fragrances, along with the smell of coffee.  And yes, it will always smell like McIntosh in the fall.  I hope this will comfort them--even if I can't.

With that, here are my first 2 fall recipes this year.  Abby and I made apple pecan cake yesterday (Day 248) and tonight was our first night eating supper in the kitchen around our kitchen table and it just so happened to be one of Randy's favorites (do I say that too much?  Take it up with him--he's the one who always says it first).  I've tweaked this meal a little each time I make it but we both agreed that tonight was the best.  I'll share that recipe first.  (It derived from a Rachael Ray recipe but it's pretty distant from that original recipe at this point.)  Enjoy!

Cheddar & Apricot Stuffed Chicken with Smashed Potatoes

Because we like this meal so much, it was hard for me to believe I hadn't posted it before.  With less than 100 days left of this journey, it's almost crazy to think I would have any new recipes to share.  But I do!  I started this blog in January and there are some recipes about which I distinctly remember thinking "I'll save that one for fall."  And now here we are in fall and I'm second-guessing whether I actually had the will-power to save those recipes!  I searched my blog and couldn't find it (though there are at least 30 other chicken recipes you should check out).  So please, stop me if you've read this one... ;)

4 chicken skinless, boneless chicken breasts

8 thick slices of cheddar cheese
4 TB apricot preserves
salt, pepper
5-6 red potatoes, chopped
1 28-oz can San Marzano tomatoes
4 scallions, chopped
6-8 slices of bacon, chopped
1/2 cup white wine
salt, pepper
olive oil

Heat the oven to 425*.  Place the cubed potatoes on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.  Place them in the oven for 15 minutes.  Meanwhile, chop your other ingredients.  After 15 minutes, toss the potatoes on the pan and return them to the oven for about another 10-15 minutes.
Heat 2 large skillets on the stove over medium heat with some olive oil in each.  (One should be oven-safe.)  Cut a slit lengthwise down the sides of the chicken breasts so you can "stuff" them.  Place 2 slices of cheddar cheese in each breast and a tablespoon of the preserves.  Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper and place each breast in the oven-safe skillet.  In the second skillet, start cooking the chopped bacon. 
When the chicken is ready to turn, flip each breast to the second side.  Transfer the chicken to the oven to finish cooking and take out the potatoes.  By now, the bacon should be browning.  Add the potatoes to the bacon and cook another minute.  Deglaze the pan with the white wine to get up all the flavorful bits.  Add the can of tomatoes and break them up with a spatula--you will probably break up the potatoes, too--that's good, smash everything together nicely!  Add the scallions and season with salt and pepper.  Cook on low until the chicken is ready to come out of the oven.

Serve everything together.
*This meal pairs well with a red OR white wine and is perfect on a chilly night!

Apple Pecan Cake
Abby and I made this cake together after starting our apple unit in preschool.  When I showed her the pan we would bake it in, her response was classic: "But Mommy, there's a hole in that pan!!!"  
This cake is so moist you could love it for days--but you won't because it's so good it'll be gone too fast.  Warning: this is not diet or low-caloric in any way!  That's not how I do sweets.  Go big or go home. ;) Also, do not make it if you're desperate for an apple dessert immediately.  Between the baking time and cooling time and the way it fills your home with a wonderful aroma, you'll be torturing yourself.  Make it when you have a chance to go shopping or something while you wait for it to be ready, it's a slow process, but worth it!

2 cups sugar

3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup orange juice
3 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 TB cinnamon
1 TB vanilla
3 cups peeled and chopped apples
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup chopped pecans

Sauce:
1 stick butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 tsp baking soda

Preheat the oven to 325*.  Combine the sugar, eggs, oil, juice, flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla and mix well.  Fold in the apples, coconut, and pecans.  Pour the batter into a grease tube or bunt pan and bake about 1 hour and 20 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.
Right before the cake is done, start the sauce.  In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat.  Add the sugar, baking soda, and buttermilk and then bring to boil and boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
When the cake comes out of the oven, pour the hot sauce immediately over the hot cake. (You may want to prick some holes in the cake and have a baking sheet under the bunt pan to catch any drips.)  Let stand 1 hour then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.

Eric thinks he can lift a 4000 lb dumpster (just an inch)! (Plus Days 220-224)

Things are moving along in the new Dattolo house, though not always as fast as we'd like.  That's how this stuff goes, right?  Big renovations always take a little more time and a little more money than you originally plan but you just have to hope that in the end you'll be left with something beautiful.  Meanwhile, when things aren't going at the pace you hoped, it has to be okay to have a little fun along the way and make light of the situation. :)

Umm... yeah.  Not gonna happen, Eric!

Notice the yawn??? Sure sign of a not-so-productive day. LOL

Was it unplugged the WHOLE time??? :)  Goobers.

I started the week with some great grilled meatless meals.  Check out my grilled vegetable tostadas from Monday and my grilled zucchini paninis from Tuesday night.  Wednesday (Day 220) we had grilled chicken quesadillas.  On Thursday night we ordered pizza and my sister-in-law brought over a delicious blueberry coffee cake!  Friday night Randy and I had an impromptu date night and we went to the Pub 99 and then to a martini bar in downtown Fitchburg (only a 2 minute drive from our house).  Saturday (Day 223) we fired up the grill again for a hot dog lunch and then I made barbeque chicken and grilled potato packets for supper. (Recipe follows.)  It's demolition weekend here so by dinner on Saturday, we literally didn't have a kitchen:

So you can see, no sink, no stove, no countertops.  I now use the "office" as my kitchen so that's where I prepared the potato packets. 

I wash dishes in the bathroom sink, so we have to be extra careful to throw away all food particles before dishes get washed.  The day-to-day will become more tedious before it gets better, but I can see the dim light at the end of the tunnel!!!  I'm so thankful for the help we've received and for having an incredibly awesome husband working so hard on this place and even stopping to take me out on dates. 

We don't always see eye-to-eye on projects like this, but by pushing each other, I think things come out better in the end.  It's also so important for us to remember to take time out for each other so we get a break from the stress and a chance to reconnect.  Sometimes I'm envious of couples who seem to work so well together when it seems like such a chore for Randy and I to get along at times during large projects like this.  But I think we're learning how to strike a good balance.  :)  I'm grateful for a strong marriage on a strong Foundation and for the fact that despite all the stress, we haven't gone to bed angry with each other once during this process.  (It may help that we've each been able to wield a sledge-hammer at some point during the day while we demo!) ;)

Barbeque Chicken & Grilled Potato Packets
1 package chicken legs & thighs

1/2 cup barbeque sauce
olive oil
Tastefully Simple's bayou bourbon glaze
Tastefully Simple's sweet & smoky BBQ seasoning
4 large, red potatoes (1 per person)
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 tsp stone-ground mustard (1/2 tsp per person)
salt, pepper

In a large ziploc bag, combine the chicken parts, the barbeque sauce, a drizzle of olive oil, the bourbon glaze, and a few sprinkles of the BBQ seasoning.  Close the bag and mix all of the ingredients together with your hands.  Let the chicken marinate in the mixture for an hour or 2 before putting them on the grill.
For the potatoes, set out 4 pieces of aluminum foil (1 piece per person you want to serve).  Dice the potatoes and place 1 diced potato on each piece of aluminum foil.  Equally distribute the finely chopped onion and mustard.  Season each serving with salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.  To fold, make a tent with the foil and roll down the top.  Then fold in the sides.  Place the packets on the grill with the chicken.  If you don't leave room for steam to escape from the foil, the potatoes will cook faster as the steam will help soften them.  Serve with a salad on the side.

Sorry everyone!  I realized that I advertised a week of Crock-Pot meals and then didn't deliver.  The closing date on our house changed about 3 times and the short story is that we closed with about 1 day's notice and moved the day after that.  I thought I would have time to perfect some of the recipes I experimented with before actually moving, but that didn't end up being the case. 

I am living in the midst of chaos right now as I try to unpack and paint 2 apartments all at once.  It's not the painting that gets you, of course, it's the washing of the walls, the prepping, the trimming, etc.  That mixed with the fact that I have two tiny ones to take care of, and a non-functional kitchen at the moment makes day-to-day living, well, challenging.  Okay, so my kitchen technically functions.  That is to say, the refrigerator and stove both work and so does the microwave we are currently keeping in the porch.  However, there is barely any countertop space, the stove is teeny-tiny, the cabinets hang too low, and... it's just plain ugly.  We are renovating it ASAP.  Starting tomorrow, actually.  So I haven't unpacked any of my kitchen items or put anything in any of the cabinets. 

Starting work on the upstairs apartment.  Hope to post "before" and "after" pics soon!

On top of the that, our internet wasn't hooked up in our new home until today.  So please excuse my absence.  Today is Day 200.  I can't believe I have been doing this for about 200 days!!!  (Even though I may not technically blog everyday.)  Some of you may know that I am starting my own catering company.  With that, I have a new website that I hope to launch in the fall.  It will have a blog of its own that will still be about cooking, but also about much more.  I figured since I will not be doing as much cooking in the next couple of days or weeks as normal, I may as well use this time to give you a taste of that.  I will still keep track of our meals during this time, but I will also blog about the renovations, the apartment fixing-up, home school preparations, and adjusting to stay-at-home life in general.  I hope you enjoy it!

Slow-Cooker Teryaki Salmon BEFORE it's cooked.

With that, let me give you a brief recap of the past week and a half.  Days 191 through 200 went by with no formal documentation.  I tried some new slow-cooker recipes and some were wildly successful and others were not.  We've done take-out quite a bit in order to help keep my sanity, as well.  During this time, I made a good teryaki salmon meal in the Crock Pot, but I haven't perfected that recipe yet.  There is one recipe, however, that was so good, I made it twice already and had to share it tonight!  I'll call it, Slow-Cooker Chicken Gnocchi.

Slow-Cooker Chicken Gnocchi
If you like chicken gnocchi soup (like, from the Olive Garden) or if you like lemon chicken, this recipe is for you!  And it's so simple!

1 lb chicken breasts (with skin or without)
olive oil
salt, pepper
zest and juice of 2 lemons
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp dried oregano
6 sprigs fresh thyme, de-stemmed
1/2 cup white wine
1 package gnocchi (not frozen)
2 handfuls of fresh spinach

Place the chicken breasts in a greased slow-cooker.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle in some salt and pepper.  Add the zest and juice of 2 lemons and the minced garlic.  Sprinkle in the herbs and add the white wine.  Cook on high for about 3 hours.  When there is about a half hour left in your cooking time, add the gnocchi and spinach.  Cook for the remaining 30 minutes.  Serve immediately.

I've been "trapped" in this house for the past week, devoting my days to painting.  It's fun, I love this kind of stuff, but it hasn't felt like "me" because I haven't been doing anything that I usually do.  I haven't been able to cook the way I want, I haven't been able to blog, and I'm in new surroundings and even sleeping on the opposite side of the bed--with new sheets!!!  Nothing feels familiar.  But tonight I went to a Pampered Chef party and spent time with some wonderful lady friends of mine and I think I laughed most of the night.  I finally felt like me again.  And it felt good to put on something other than painting clothes.  I'm glad to be back to blogging hope to be sharing new recipes from a nice, new kitchen shortly!  I'll keep you updated on how the renovation is going and other things.  It's sad that summer is flying by so quickly, I hope you all have a fantastic new few weeks of summer!

Day 190: Crockpot Chicken Tortellini

Day 2 of Crockpot meals wasn't a total failure, but it also wasn't a huge success.  I did 2 things wrong tonight:

We have a fun dinner table!

1. I made the dish too spicy.  The idea behind this meal is a good one and I will definitely try it again, but I will have to dial back the spice.
2. I didn't start it early enough in the Crockpot and it wasn't done on time.  It's true that not EVERY meal in the slow-cooker takes all day to cook, but time got away from me this afternoon and what needed about 3 hours in the Crockpot only got 1 1/2. :(

I'm still going to share this "recipe" with you, though, because I'm a believer in keeping this blog real and what happened tonight was real life.  Also, the flavors and the idea for this meal is a good one and I hope you try it out on your own and just give yourself enough time and gauge your spices wisely. :)

Crockpot Chicken Tortellini
1 lb boneless, skinless, chicken breast (cubed)

1 zucchini, cut in chunks
1 summer squash, cut in chunks
1 bag frozen tortellini
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 - 1 cup beer (I used a whole bottle and wished I hadn't.  I would use less next time, like a 1/2 cup or so.  This is to flavor and marinate the chicken.  The stock is to help cook the tortellini.)
1 tsp salt*
1 tsp pepper*
1 tsp paprika*
1/2 - 1 tsp chipotle chili powder (your taste)*
1/2 tsp garlic powder*
dash of cayenne powder*

Yay, chocolate!!!

*These seasoning measurements reflect what I SHOULD have measured.

Here's the best part of this dish, the EASY instructions!!!  Throw everything in the slow-cooker and cook on high for 2 1/2 - 3 hours. 

On a separate note, today is National Milk Chocolate Day.  Uh, yum!  We don't have a grill, but I made s'mores in the microwave.  Place the graham, chocolate, and marshmallow in the microwave for a few seconds (12 in our very mild microwave) and then place the other graham on top.  Enjoy!

Day 183: Lemon Roasted Chicken, Risotto, Green Beans, & Pound Cake with Ice Cream

My parents are on vacation still so they came over for dinner tonight.  My house is in shambles but I'd honestly rather eat in than take my kids out again for a while after a long week of eating out a lot.  And the cooking aspect of it actually provides a little bit of stability and "zen" for me amidst the chaos of packing and preparing for lots of other upcoming events we have.  Tonight I prepared a very simple lemon chicken.  So simple, in fact, that as I type this I realize I forgot to add the dried herbs that usually accompany this dish!  Sigh.  Oh well, it could be worse.  The chicken was still delicious!

Lemon Roasted Chicken
Originally, I think I saw this idea from an Ina Garten show.  It's very similar to a chicken piccata, but the sauce is prepared slightly different and the chicken doesn't need to be breaded like in most chicken piccata dishes.  But the garlic and lemon flavors are there.  The recipe calls for chicken breasts without the bone but with the skin.  Most grocery stores only sell either skinless breasts or breasts with skin AND bone.  So I buy the latter and then de-bone the breasts myself.  The skin just makes the chicken more flavorful, I think!

1 package of chicken breasts with the skin (about 5 lbs or 5 breasts is a typical package)

2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 cup of olive oil
1/3 cup white wine
juice & zest of 2 lemons
1 lemon
salt, pepper
fresh thyme (optional-apparently) ;)
dried oregano (also optional, since I left out these 2 ingredients tonight) :/

Preheat the oven to 400*.  In a small saucepan over medium heat, cook the olive oil and garlic.  Cook until fragrant but not brown--careful not to burn it!  Turn off the heat and add the white wine and the juice from the 2 lemons and stir.  Pour the juice into a 9 x 13 baking pan.  Place the chicken over the sauce, skin-side up.  Sprinkle the chicken with the herbs, salt, pepper, and lemon zest.  Cut the remaining lemon into 8 wedges and place them in the pan throughout the chicken.  Bake for about 40 minutes or until just cooked through and the skin is golden brown.
I served this with risotto and green beans.  For dessert, I served the rest of the pound cake from last night and ice cream.  Delish!

Day 172: Tomato Basil Chicken Wraps

Last night (Wednesday, Day 171) we had leftover pulled pork sandwiches.  This is the week before we leave on vacation so leftovers and easy dinners are a huge plus!  Tomorrow I will share some make-ahead recipes for going on vacation.
Tonight, I made Tomato Basil Chicken Wraps which are so yummy!  The technique is very similar to my dijon chicken ham & cheese wraps.  Enjoy!

Tomato Basil Chicken Wraps (makes 4 wraps)
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 sandwich wraps (whole wheat, white, spinach, whatever you prefer!)
1 cup mayonnaise
2 cloves of garlic, minced
8 large leaves of basil
5-6 TB freshly chopped basil
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 tomato, thinly sliced
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
8 oz grated mozzarella cheese
salt, pepper

Divide the chopped basil in half and set half of it aside.  Sprinkle all of the chicken with half of the chopped basil, the zest of the lemon, salt, and pepper.  Grill until cooked through or finish in the oven if desired.

Meanwhile, combine the mayonnaise, remaining chopped basil, parmesan cheese, garlic, and lemon juice in a bowl.  When the chicken is cooked through, cut it into bite-size chunks and add it to the mayonnaise mixture.  Stir well.  Clean the grill pan used for the chicken and begin to heat it again on a stove burner.
Lay out one wrap and layer the chicken/mayonnaise mixture, 2 slices of tomato, 2 large basil leaves, and 1/4 of the mozzarella cheese.  Fold the wrap using the steps found here.  Place the wrap on the grill pan and press down.  Hold until grill marks appear and then flip.  Repeat with the remaining wraps.

Day 164: "Chicken Spaghetti"

Let me start out by saying that this is not a hot, humid-weather-friendly dish!  (Unless you have air conditioning, maybe.)  We have a small apartment and a small air conditioner in the living room and one in our bedroom.  Even though it felt much more cool and dry in our apartment than outside, I still regretted having the oven on!  I was just looking for something different for dinner to change it up a bit.  This dish is sort of like a casserole, and it's pretty good, but definitely more suitable for those cool fall or cold winter evenings! 

Chicken Spaghetti
The original recipe is from Ree Drummond.  Here's my take:

chicken: either 1 lb of chicken breast, or a whole fryer chicken, or some legs and thighs, whatever your preference
1 lb spaghetti
1 small onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
1 small can green chiles, drained
2 cups chicken broth
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, all to taste

Boil the chicken in water for about 15 minutes or until cooked through.  Then shred it.  Cook the spaghetti in salted water until al dente.  In a large bowl, combine the spaghetti, onion, pepper, green chiles, mushroom soup, chicken, broth, 2 cups of cheese, salt, pepper, and cayenne.  Mix well.  Pour into a baking dish, top with the remaining cheese, and bake at 350* for 30-35 minutes.  Enjoy!

Day 162: Barbeque Roasted Chicken & S'mores Bars

People, the 4th of July is like, minutes away!  How did this happen?  Before we know it, it will be Christmas!!!  For a couple years, Randy and I had a cook-out for the 4th, but that faded.  Now, we like to go to the beach with my parents.  But for those who do like to host cook-outs, I'm dedicating this week to summer bashes and cook-outs.  If you don't own a grill, or just prefer to stay in the AC for your get-together, this recipe is for you!!!

Barbeque Roasted Chicken
Slow-roasting chicken with a summer twist!  This meal could easily be done with just chicken legs and thighs, but whole chickens were on sale at my grocery store, so I just bought a whole chicken.  The leftover breast will be used for barbeque "supermelt" sandwiches this week!  The sauce I used for the chicken was literally a "catch-all" mix of some ingredients I had laying around--I emptied 2 or 3 bottles of stuff along the way.  So, it's not an exact recipe at this point, but it will be.  For right now, I'll just list the ingredients I used and give suggestions for your own sauce.

1 whole chicken (or a package of legs and thighs)
1 stick of butter, melted
1/3 cup barbeque sauce
1/4 cup Tastefully Simple's "mesquite slow-cooker sauce" (I emptied the bottle--you can use a little more barbeque sauce, and some stone-ground mustard and spices)
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 TB ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp dried minced garlic
2-3 tsp Tastefully Simple's "sweet & smoky bbq seasoning" (You can use a combination of paprika, chipotle chili powder, salt, pepper, and other spices)
1 red onion, quartered

Whisk together all of the ingredients except the chicken and red onion.  Place the chicken in a roasting pan and preheat the oven to 400*.  Baste the chicken with some of the sauce, leaving some in the bowl to continue basting the chicken throughout the cooking process.  Stuff some of the red onion inside the chicken and scatter the rest around it for added flavor.  Place some water or chicken stock in the pan around the chicken so it doesn't dry out.  Roast the chicken at 400* for 30 minutes.  Baste, then drop the oven temperature to 300* degrees and baste the chicken every half hour for about 2-4 hours, depending on the size of the chicken.  (If you are using only legs and thighs, you can keep the oven temperature at 400* and cook the chicken for 45-50 minutes.)

S'Mores Bars
So you can have s'mores all year 'round!  Except, I still pretty much only make these in the summer.  Hmm.  I got this recipe from a friend of mine, and then tweaked it slightly.  The original recipe called for 3/4 cup of graham cracker crumbs.  Since most graham crackers are sold in boxes with 3 packages, I just use 1 whole package, which is about 1 cup or more of crumbs.  So I added a little extra butter to my dough, too!  My family and I also had a debate about what kind of chocolate chips are better.  Some say use milk chocolate chips because then they taste more like actual s'mores.  Randy likes semi-sweet chocolate chips because then they don't taste too sweet.  Experiment yourself... it's your call!

1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/3 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup (or 1 package) of graham crackers
12 oz chocolate chips
3 cups mini marshmallows

So, you can make this the "old-fashioned" way by creaming together the butter and sugar and then bringing the dough together by adding the other ingredients.  I like to keep it as contained as possible and only dirty one utensil.  I love my food processor.  Since I use it to grind up the graham crackers, anyway, I just make the whole dough in the processor itself.  I start by processing the grahams until they are fine.  Then I add all of the dry ingredients and pulse.  Next, add the egg, vanilla, and butter.  Pulse until the dough comes together.

Layer about half of the dough in a greased baking dish.  You can use a square 8 x 8 pan, or the like.  Bake at 350* for 15 minutes.  Next, arrange the chocolate chips and marshmallows over the baked dough evenly.  Crumble the remaining dough on top.  Bake for another 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool completely, then cut and serve (by candlelight or a campfire)!

Days 125 & 129: Cook-Out Favorites & Beer-Marinated Chicken w/ Summer Vegetables

We finally had a nice sit-down dinner as a family at home tonight!  It feels like it's been forever!  I no longer sell Tastefully Simple products, but before I "de-activated" I "stocked up" on some seasonings.  Yes, they are relatively easy to make on your own if you use the right combination of spices and herbs, but when they're all perfectly pre-mixed for you right in your pantry, who can resist?  And these seasonings have added plenty of "kick" to my meals recently.  Tonight, I enlisted the help of their new summer beer-marinade, and their Seasoned Salt for my potatoes and vegetables.  Dinner was so easy!  Last night I pulled out my chicken to defrost and this morning Randy got it marinating for me.  Simply mix 1 packet of the powder "marinade" with a 1/2 cup of beer and marinate the chicken for however long you have.  Tonight I grilled it and finished it in the oven.  It was super flavorful!  Here's how I like to do summer vegetables:

Seasoned Summer Vegetables
1 zucchini, thickly "chunked"
1 summer squash, thickly "chunked"
1 red pepper, cut into bite-size pieces
1/4 of a red onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
olive oil
"Seasoned Salt" (Tastefully Simple)
onion flakes (or Tastefully Simple's "Onion Onion")
paprika
cumin

Layer the vegetables on a baking sheet and coat with olive oil.  Sprinkle the seasonings on liberally and cook in a 400* oven for 10-15 minutes or until cooked through and fragrant.

Let's bounce back to Day 125 (Saturday), when we had Noah's birthday cook-out.  When I invite people over for a birthday party, I'm more inclined to do most of the cooking because people coming are already bringing gifts.  If someone asks to bring something, I let them, but I usually assume I'll do most of the cooking.  When I'm having a regular barbecue or get-together for no reason, I don't have a problem saying "I'm providing the meat, you bring a dish to share" or something like that.  For Noah's party, I did have some voluntary help, but I provided the majority of the meal.

Normally we like our burgers medium-rare.  I was not in charge of the grill...

Here's my basic burger recipe:

1 lb hamburg
1/4-1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp chipotle chili powder
1 tsp paprika
1 garlic clove, minced
1 TB onion flakes
oregano, parsley
salt, pepper

Mix well and form into 4 patties.  Cook on the grill or under the broiler.

To go along with the burgers, I made orzo salad, classic potato salad, broccoli salad, fruit skewers, and some Tastefully Simple dips with chips.  I also had a garden salad brought by my mother and my sister-in-law made deviled eggs.

Broccoli Salad
I've seen this made different ways before--all of them so delicious!  At Whole Foods, they call it "Broccoli Crunch" and sell it from the deli.  This salad is incredible... try it!

1-2 bunches broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 cup of mayonnaise
scant (just under) 1/2 cup of sugar
2 TB red wine vinegar
1/4-1/2 red onion, finely chopped
1 cup golden raisins
1 cup walnuts
10 strips of bacon, cooked and chopped

Mix the broccoli, bacon, raisins, walnuts, and red onions together.  Whisk the mayo, sugar, and red wine vinegar.  Pour the dressing over the salad and serve immediately.  (If you want to make it up ahead of time, keep the dressing separate and pour it on right before serving.)

 For dessert, we had Noah's chocolate chip "snowball" cookies, cake pops, and a flag cake.  The idea for the flag cake came from and Ina Garten cookbook, but I didn't use her recipe at all.  I wrote my own cake recipe, and made a raspberry filling to go inside.  The frosting was a whipped cream frosting and I used blueberries and raspberries to decorate the "flag."  I'm not ready to share my recipe yet because 1) I'm not 100% satisfied with it and 2) I think every cook needs a secret recipe, so I'm not sure I'll ever be ready to divulge the recipe. ;)

Happy birthday, my sweet man... hope you enjoyed the party you'll never remember!  (Your Momma sure did!)