Monthly Archives: February 2015

Another Pancake Recipe!!!! Also egg and dairy free! :)

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Everyone has those nights where they have breakfast for dinner right? I know I do! As much as I cook, I do have those nights where I just need a break!

So last night we had a breakfast night of pancakes and bacon for dinner. Levi, with his food allergies cannot have just any old pancake mix, and I always have to make them from scratch. Doesn’t bother me though, because I like knowing exactly what is being put into it.

These are another recipe that I just tried last night (because I was short a couple of ingredients from the last time I made the previous recipe!):

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  • Ingredients:
  • 1 1/4 cups all purpose white flour
  • 3 tablespoons organic cane sugar
  • 2 1⁄2teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1⁄4teaspoon himalayan sea salt
  • 2 1⁄2tablespoons margarine (I use smart balance with olive oil… and then I melted it)
  • 3⁄4cup water
  • 2 small RIPE bananas mashed
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon

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DIRECTIONS

  1. Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt together into medium mixing bowl.
  2. Melt 2 1/2 Tbsp margarine in measuring cup and add to the dry mixture.
  3. If you do not have a non-stick pan, make sure to grease your skillet first.
  4. In a small bowl, add water and bananas; Mix well. Add vanilla and cinnamon and stir.
  5. Stir liquid mixture into the dry ingredients until it is thoroughly moistened.
  6. It is OK if this batter is lumpy.
  7. Cook the pancakes over medium-high heat on the stove-top (or 375F on electric frying pans).
  8. Cook pancakes until the tops are bubbly and the bottoms browned.
  9. Turn the pancakes over to cook other side (approximately four minutes per side).
  10. Serve hot with margarine, a little honey, pure maple syrup or a little fruit jam!
  11. Actual cooking time will depend on the size and type of pan you use. I had a large skillet and cooked 3 at a time. I had it on medium heat.

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Quote of the day:

Do you love Ina Garten? I do. I love her show and her recipes, and I always get a kick out of when she says to use “good” vanilla, or “good” eggs…. like… I’d hope they aren’t bad!! So I found this quote and laughed so hard! I had to share it:

funny-cooking-with-butter

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Cheesy Chicken and Rice Skillet Meal

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What.A.Week. And it’s only Wednesday. Yes, as I type this, it’s Wednesday morning… I blog ahead sometimes. But seriously. It’s been a week that I do not wish to repeat. Was anything REALLY that bad? No. Not if I think about it. In the moment though? HORRIBLE! Isn’t that always the way it is though?

Gotta get up and out of bed, put one foot in front of the other, smile, pray, and move forward! I CAN DO THIS! 🙂

So last night I had absolutely NO CLUE what to make for dinner. I had a bunch of stuff that I had to figure out how to meld together. I had chicken tenderloins (you can also use leftover rotisserie chicken in this recipe), leftover rice, cans of beans and roasted tomatoes with chilis… etc… and I thought… I can do something “mexican themed” with that, and my husband will be quite happy!

So, here ya go!

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This dish is cheesy, a bit spicy, and quite filling! You don’t need a large portion, and this can make a whole family happy! After both my husband and I had dinner, there is enough for at least 5 more portions, 3-4 large portions! For us, we have it frozen and portioned for my husband’s lunches. It’s great when we do that because he has a stock of lunches just waiting for him to grab out of the freezer each day!

From start to finish this meal took me less than 30 minutes, because a lot of the food was either canned, or leftovers!

INGREDIENTS

  • 4 large chicken tenderloins (my FAVORITE are the Trader Joes chicken tenderloins) – no need to thaw
  • 2 TB extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 1/2 to 2 cups pre-cooked white or brown rice. (You can even use leftover rice from chinese takeout!)
  • 3/4 can (or whole can) black beans – rinsed well
  • 1 cup frozen corn – I used sweet white corn
  • 1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes with green chilis
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp oregano
  • 1/4 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 tsp minced garlic
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 TB queso dip (I had this in my fridge – you can use leftover from Moe’s, or the white or yellow queso if you have some… but not required)
  • 1 TB tomato paste for thickening
  • 1/2 cup shredded cheese for topping

cheesychickenriceskillet

DIRECTIONS

  • Drizzle the olive oil into a large skillet and place the chicken tenderloins into the skillet with the oil. Heat on medium to medium high heat. While they are cooking, evenly season both sides of the chicken with the dry spices. (cumin, chili powder, paprika, oregano and salt&pepper)
  • Once the chicken is seared on both sides and starts to cook through, I remove the chicken tenderloins one at a time, place onto a cutting board, cut into 1-2 inch pieces, and then scrape back into the skillet. You can cut them with scissors in the skillet as well… up to you how you would like to do it.
  • Add the can of roasted tomatoes and the 1 TB of tomato paste and let simmer for about 5 min. Then add the queso dip if you have it, for a bit of cheesiness and spice. If you want a bit more heat and spice, add some cayenne powder at this time!
  • Add the can of black beans and the corn
  • Add the leftover (or freshly COOKED) white or brown rice and stir to combine.
  • Remove the skillet from the heat. Cover the dish with 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese (or cheese of your choice) and IF you have an oven safe skillet, put the skillet into a oven preheated to 300 degrees. Bake for 5-8 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the dish is bubbling.
  • Serve immediately!

cheesychickenskillet

ENJOY!!!!

And now, for the quote of the day: I need any excuse I can to add chocolate to my daily diet. 🙂

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Guest Post: My husband “cooked” me dinner for my birthday!

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BBQbuttershrimp

Ok… so I obviously love to cook, but on my birthday, I don’t want to. The problem was, I didn’t want to go out either. I am a homebody and I just wanted to be HOME on my birthday. So, my husband was there with a very big problem. Since we have gotten married he has cooked for me about 5 or 6 times. I am pretty sure he was successful 2 of those times. Sometimes he tries to get too creative. Like when he made me chicken lettuce wraps and wanted them to taste like P.F. Changs… they somehow ended up having noodles and peanut butter in them. “WHAT?” you say? “Peanut Butter in lettuce wraps?!” You say? Yes. That is what he did. That’s just one of his creative examples.

So, what I did for my birthday, INSTEAD of giving him creative control, was asked him to cook WITH me in the kitchen and I’d be his “sous-chef”. (sp?) AND he made me dinner! Definitely a FUN “date” time for us, and I REALLY enjoyed it! We made margaritas and talked, and made dinner. I loved it so much!

So I was at Trader Joes the other day buying shrimp because I can get wild caught shrimp (Red Argentinian shrimp to be precise) for $8.99/lb and they are med.-large size! The guy at the checkout register was telling me about this recipe that he had just tried the night before for shrimp and how amazing it was! So I looked it up on my phone while I was standing there and stored it away so that I could use it later. I then decided later… I wanted it on my birthday! And boy… it’s a good one!

BBQ Butter Shrimp – copy cat Ruth’s Chris Steak House

This is NOT my recipe, or my husband’s recipe… this is literally copied from this link: http://www.food.com/recipe/ruths-chris-steak-house-barbecue-shrimp-orleans-147717

Check it out!!!

TOTAL TIME
12mins
PREP

5 mins

COOK

7 mins

INGREDIENTS

Nutrition

SERVINGS 2-4UNITS US

DIRECTIONS

  1. For Barbecue Butter — Soften butter at room temperature to 70-80 degrees F. Place butter in mixing bowl; add pepper, cayenne pepper, paprika, salt, rosemary, garlic, Worcestershire, Tabasco, and water. Whip on high speed 3 minutes or until thoroughly blended. Refrigerate to 40 degrees F. Makes about 2 1/2 cups.
  2. For Shrimp — Toss the shrimp with the ingredients listed above, in a large bowl. Then, place on a lined rimmed cookie sheet (so all the oil and juices won’t spill over into your oven) and bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 10-13 minutes depending on size of shrimp. Cook until pink and no longer translucent inside of the shrimp.
  3. Take care not to overcook the shrimp.

Becky’s Additions: 

I served the shrimp over leftover mashed potatoes!!! We removed the shrimp from the oven, and placed on re-heated mashed potatoes, and then smothered them with the barbecue butter and some shredded cheese and ENJOYED!! It was AWESOME!!!!!! Give it a try!

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Spicy Cajun Shrimp Pasta

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So… it SNOWED! Woohoo!! Since I homeschooled, it didn’t really matter either way… we still did school today, but my kids got to go out and play in the snow! And yes, it was only a 1/2 inch MAYBE… but look at my daughter’s face…

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Priceless!!!

So what’s good for dinner on a cold day? Spicy food!!!! (And pretty much most other warm food… but spicy is on the menu for today!) And you know… I made my own “mild” version of spicy that my husband giggled at a little bit when I called it spicy. But you know, we can’t all be champions of the Taco Bell fire sauce like him, you know. 😉

So here we go:

Spicy Cajun Shrimp Pasta

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1/2 lb. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined (I used Trader Joes Red Argentinian Shrimp, it’s WILD CAUGHT!)
1 TB EVOO
1 TB unsalted butter
2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 cup sweet yellow onions diced
1/4 cup sweet mini peppers chopped (I used 1 of each color)
2 TB fresh lemon juice, and the zest of 1 lemon
1/4 cup white wine – I used Riesling – use what you like to drink
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 TB. Cajun seasoning, divided – I used Emeril’s Bayou Blast
1/2 tsp cayenne powder – or more to your spicy preference
1/2 cup shaved Parmesan cheese
8 ounces angel hair pasta, cooked according to package directions
1/2 cup reserved pasta water set aside

cajunshrimppasta

Have pasta precooked and set aside. Angel hair pasta does not take very long to cook. Cook according to the packaging.

Preheat oven to 350. Toss shrimp in 1 TB olive oil, splash white wine, 1 tsp minced garlic and salt and pepper and 1/2 of the cajun seasoning. Put shrimp on cookie sheet lined with tinfoil, put pieces of approximately 1 TB of butter over the shrimp, and place into preheated oven. Bake for 10-12 min (depending on size of shrimp) until cooked thru and pink. If timed right, you will take the shrimp from the oven, and dump into skillet with onions and peppers right as they are cooked through.

Heat 1 TB olive oil  and 1 TB butter in a large nonstick skillet on medium heat. Saute the garlic, onions, and bell peppers, for 3 minutes. Add the lemon juice, zest and Worcestershire sauce, and half of the Cajun seasoning. Add the wine and remaining Cajun seasoning and reduce heat and simmer for another 5 minutes. Add a bit of cayenne powder at this point to spice it up a bit if you’d like to. If too thick, add the 1/2 cup of reserved pasta water at this time. Then, remove shrimp from the oven and place into skillet with all juices and sauce from the pan. Place the pasta into the skillet, and stir to coat well. Top with grated Parmesan cheese and serve!

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Enjoy being warmed up by this yummy dish!

And now, for the quote of the day:

inspirational-quotes-happy-marriage

Salted Caramel Popcorn

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So, my friend had her annual Oscar party last night and I had no idea what to bring. I was trying to bring something that I already had stuff for at home… and I need to go grocery shopping. PLUS my birthday was on Saturday and I had just spent the whole weekend NOT cooking and laying around! HA! So… what to do?!?!?!

I went thru Pinterest like a mad woman! I was looking for an easy recipe that had just a few ingredients that I already had in my cupboard. I couldn’t do “Oscar” shaped cookies, or fancy cheesecake filled strawberries, or bacon wrapped filet etc… lol. It had to be SIMPLE.

And then…. I saw it. Golden – PERFECT color! – warm and easy with just a few ingredients…. Salted Caramel Popcorn! YES!

So I start making it and I realize I do not have brown sugar. So, I being an emotional woman, break down into tears. Yes, tears. It was a sad sight. My husband looked at me very strangely and did what any good husband would do: He went quick to my mom’s house to get me some brown sugar. 🙂

And here it is!

saltedcaramelcorn

I did NOT use my own recipe, I got it off of this great blog that came to me in my time of need! 🙂

http://cookiesandcups.com/salted-caramel-popcorn/

Check it out!

Salted Caramel Popcorn
Makes about 16 cups of caramel corn
 
Ingredients
  • ½ cup unpopped popcorn kernels (about 16 cups popped corn)
  • 1 cup salted butter
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • ⅓ cup light corn syrup
  • 1½ – 2 tsp kosher or sea salt, divided
 
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 300°
  2. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Set aside.
  3. Pop popcorn kernels using air popper into a large bowl.
  4. In a small saucepan melt butter, brown sugar, corn syrup and 1 tsp salt together over medium heat. Bring to boil. Boil for 4 minutes without stirring.
  5. Pour caramel mixture over popcorn and stir to coat evenly.
  6. Pour popcorn into lined pan, sprinkle remaining salt on top (1/2 tsp – 1 tsp depending on your personal taste preference) and place in oven. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.
  7. Allow popcorn to cool on a parchment lined counter.
saltedcaramelpopcorn2 
Notes
You can add in 2 cups of nuts to the un-coated popcorn if desired! Coat with caramel as states!
– I didn’t follow her recipe exactly because I do not have an air popcorn popper, I have the oil popper. I also do not have parchment paper, so I used sprayed tin foil. AND, I did not have a full pound of butter… so I reduced all of the amounts of the ingredients for the caramel. I also added about 1/2 tsp of vanilla to the caramel mixture. Other than that I followed her recipe and it came out perfectly!!!

ENJOY!

And now, for the quote of the day:

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Beef and Lentil Pasta Fagioli

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It’s cold. I know I shouldn’t complain, especially coming from me who wished for snow… today it was cold enough to snow! It definitely did NOT snow though. Boo. If it’s gonna be below 30 degrees most of the day, I seriously think that there should be snow. Ugh.

So, SOUP is on the menu!! I just have to say, when it is cold outside, I LOVE to have soup. It can just simmer on the stove top and make the whole house smell delicious while we wait for dinner time. Then all of the flavors just meld together into warm deliciousness.

I love chili, and I also like the Italian version: Pasta Fagioli. I made my own version of both.

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Ingredients:

  • Lentils : 1/4 cup lentils boiled/simmered in 1 cup water and 1/4 tsp salt for 20 minutes and set aside
  • 1 pound 85/15 ground beef
  • 1/2 small onion, chopped
  • 1/2 cup chopped baby carrots
  • 1/2 tsp minced garlic
  • 1 15 oz can diced fire roasted tomatoes
  • 1 can (4 oz.) tomato paste
  • 2 cups beef broth
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 can (15 ounces) black beans
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup frozen corn
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 TB fresh chopped basil
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 2 tsp chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 2 cups cooked pasta (I used shells, you can use any small pasta)
  • dash hot sauce

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Directions:

  1. In a large pot, over Medium heat, cook the ground beef.
  2. Drain the liquid from the cooked beef (if any).  If you use ground beef with a lower fat ratio then you will have little to no liquid to drain.
  3. Stir in the chopped onions, carrots, seasonings, and minced garlic.  Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  4. Stir in the can of diced roasted tomatoes, tomato paste, beef broth, black beans (drained and RINSED) and corn.
  5. Season with salt and pepper to taste
  6. Add 1 cup of water and stir and simmer. Add additional water as needed to consistency that you desire.
  7. When the soup has 10 minutes left to simmer, cook the pasta in boiling water for 7 minutes or until a bit firmer than al dente.  Do not over cook the pasta.
  8. Drain the pasta and stir it into the soup. Add the cooked lentils at this time as well.  Simmer for 10 more minutes.
  9. SERVE! (Have with bread, or just sprinkle a bit of cheese on top and ENJOY!

pastafagioli

And now, for the quote of the day:

hahahaha….

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(I experienced this today with my 3 year old son… and discovered and ENTIRE roll of toilet paper in the toilet… took him like 10 seconds to do it. I think it’s a world record!)

Pork Loin Rosemary Roast with Creamy Rosemary Gravy

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So, I was freaking out today. Is anyone else out there a control freak? Growing up I had no idea I was a control freak. I was always the one just “going with the flow”, whatever, sounds good. I am a typical middle child, book nerd, peace maker, introvert.

Now, my birthday is approaching and I’m afraid that what other people plan won’t live up to what I was thinking we’d do. Like, I just gave my husband a DETAILED list of EXACTLY what I want to do on my birthday. Is that too much? I don’t know. At least I know what will happen, and that I won’t be disappointed that my husband didn’t pick up on my “hints”. Heh. Well…. bad or not, now I’m excited because he said he was really happy to see, in detail, what I wanted to do… and that he could make it happen. Whew!

Now, since I love to cook… I, at times, find myself saying… I’d rather just make it at home. Then I can control what ingredients are put into it and it will cost way less. So, I mentioned that to my husband and he said NO. Lol… problems, right? I’ve got a great husband who knows how to deal with my crazy emotions. 🙂

But this was one meal that I was considering making for my birthday since it was a crockpot meal and I wouldn’t have to “cook”. But, since I was appropriately shot down, I made it for dinner tonight!

porkroastwithpotatoes

Ingredients

  • 3 TB extra virgin olive
  • 2 TB minced garlic
  • 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
  • 2 tsp dried sage
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • dash of cayenne
  • 1/2 onion sliced thick
  • 7-8 potatoes cut into 6-8 pieces each
  • 2 lb. center pork loin (or two 1 lb. pork tenderloins)
  • 1 1/2 cups favorite white wine
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 1/2 cup free range low sodium chicken broth or stock
  • 1 cup half&half with 2 TB flour (or cornstarch)
  • 2 TB butter

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This is what the roast will look like when it comes out of the crock pot!!!

Instructions

  1. Spray your crock pot with some non-stick olive oil cooking spray.
  2. “Crust” the pork loin by placing and rubbing all dry herbs and garlic all over the pork loin and then place it into the crock pot.
  3. Wash and cut potatoes and onions and place into the crock pot with the pork roast.
  4. Add the white wine and the chicken broth, and then add the 2 TB of butter broken up into smaller pieces of the cop of the meat and potatoes in the crock pot.
  5. Put crock pot on LOW for 6-8 hours for best results, OR on HIGH for 4 hours.
  6. About 20 minutes before you want to eat, remove the pork roast from the crock pot and set aside on a plate and cover with foil to let it rest. Then, remove the potatoes. (At this point, you can do as I did and make mashed potatoes with them, or just eat them roasted.)
  7. Take the juices and onions from the bottom of the crock pot and put into a medium sized sauce pan. Heat up on medium-low. Do NOT boil.
  8. Put the 1 cup of 1/2&1/2 into a measuring cup and whisk in the flour (or corn starch). Then, SLOWLY whisk into the sauce pan with the drippings from the crock pot to make an AMAZING gravy!!! Then, add the FRESH rosemary to the gravy.
  9. Place the resting pork on a cutting board (you can add any accumulated meat juices back to the sauce if you like!). Slice the pork very thinly and place on to a serving platter. Pour the warm gravy over top.
  10. Serve with potatoes, and veggies… or just DIG IN!

porkloinroastwithgravy

Had to give this shot of the pork loin with the yummy, creamy gravy…

It sounds like a lot, but it was pretty easy because most of the day it was just sitting in the crock pot! Then you just whip up a gravy from the juices and voila! It’s juicy, tender and just comforting really…. perfect for a chilly and windy day!

And now, for the quote of the day: This was my day today.

Funny-Parenting-93

Sun-dried Tomato Parmesan Pasta

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You know… I was actually really hoping it would snow. It’s weird coming out of my mouth, because I lived in the cold upper mid-west for most of my life, and now in the south I put on a THICK winter coat when it goes below 50 degrees… cuz that’s seriously chilly. But, when it snows, my husband gets to work from home, and then I get to see him more AND he gets to actually eat dinner with us! But, sadly, the snow and ice missed us, and he actually had to drive the 45 minutes to work… boo. Oh well, I’m glad he has a GREAT job that he loves to go to! But… for the sake of my little girl, who, as all other girls her age, is OBSESSED with Frozen STILL and really wants to see snow so that she can go outside and pretend she’s Elsa. So, I’m hoping for 1 short day of snow. Then I’ll be good. 🙂

So last night I had the girls over to watch the bachelor, and my friend brought over her kit to help me put on my jamberry wraps that I couldn’t figure out how to put on with my strangely overpowered hairdryer… with her little heater thing, it worked WAY better! HA! And we had a great girls night doing our nails and watching the strangeness that is the Bachelor. It’s like a car accident… you just can’t help but watch!

So, before the girls came over I had to quick make dinner and I had been wanting to try my own version of a sun-dried tomato pasta dish for a while since I saw this one on pinterest… so, I figured… chicken and pasta is quick, I’ll do that! I did have to eat it out with the girls, but it got done in time!!! 🙂

This one a real winner… so so good.

sundriedtomatopasta3

Ingredients

  • 1/2 tsp minced garlic
  • 1/4 cup julienne sun-dried tomatoes in oil in a jar
  • 4 large chicken tenderloins
  • 2 TB (about 1/4 of a small onion) onion diced
  • 1/2 tsp italian seasoning
  • salt and pepper
  • 1/4 tsp paprika
  • 1 cup half and half
  • 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
  • 8 oz shell pasta (or whatever pasta you have)
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil (or dried, if that’s what you have)
  • dash cayenne pepper
  • dash hot sauce
  • 1/2 cup reserved cooked pasta water (or more)
  • salt, to taste

sundriedtomatoparmesanpasta

Instructions

  1. Note: if using sun-dried tomatoes in oil (in a jar), make sure to drain sun-dried tomatoes from oil, before using them. Reserve 2 tablespoons of this drained oil for sauteing as described below:
  2. In a large pan, on med-high heat, sautee garlic and sun-dried tomatoes (drained from oil) and diced onion in 1 tablespoons of oil (reserved from the sun-dried tomatoes jar – see note above) and 1 TB fresh olive oil for 1 minute until garlic is fragrant. (Don’t burn the garlic or it changes the flavor of the whole dish!) Remove sun-dried tomatoes from the pan, leaving the oil and onions, and add chicken tenders, salted and lightly covered in paprika and italian seasoning (for color) and cook on high heat for 5 minutes on each side. Remove from heat and cut into 2 in pieces and place back into skillet.
  3. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Reserve some cooked pasta water. Drain and rinse the pasta with cold water (to stop cooking).
  4. Place the sun-dried tomatoes back into the skillet with chicken. Add half and half and parmesan cheese to the skillet, too, and bring to a gentle boil. (Don’t put on high heat or it will curdle the half and half.) Immediately reduce to simmer and cook, constantly stirring, until all cheese melts and creamy sauce forms. If the sauce is too thick – don’t worry – you’ll be adding some cooked pasta water soon. Add cooked pasta to the skillet with the creamy sauce, and stir to combine. Add 1 tablespoon of basil, and the hot sauce and cayenne. Stir to combine.
  5. Add about 1/2 cup reserved cooked pasta water because the creamy sauce will be too thick (do not add all water at once – you might need less or more of it). This will water down the thickness of the cheese sauce and make it creamier. Immediately, season the pasta with salt and more basil, to taste, if needed. Let it simmer for a couple of minutes for flavors to combine.
  6. Note: Make sure to salt the dish just enough to bring out of the flavors of basil and sun-dried tomatoes.

And… VOILA!

sundriedtomatoparmesanpasta2

Dig in, and make your tummy happy!!!!

Ok, and for the quote of the day, it’s a funny play on what I’ve been working on. Especially since I LOVE the Duggars, I love how in their home, they don’t yell and scream at each other. It’s just not how they speak to each other. Since my husband and I have gotten married I’ve had to tame how I speak to him when I’m upset, and I’ve done SOO much better making sure I’m respectful with how I handle it…

With my children it’s an hourly battle. I literally at times have to step out of the room, count to ten, and then go back in. Otherwise it would at times come out as a full on scream. So… I’m gonna keep this in the back of my mind… read and enjoy. 🙂

funny-parenting-quotes-75

Yummy Chicken Scampi!!

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Do you ever look at a child and wonder “what on earth are they thinking?!” Yeah… I think that a lot. Especially with my 3 year old. I’ve also thought that with my dog… Today, I thought that with my 5 year old girl. She honestly, and I’m trying to not brag, is exceptional. She is sweet, tender hearted, obeys quickly, and was a very easy baby. It was God, not me. She’s easy to discipline because she immediately feels bad that she’s disobeyed and cries and apologizes and tries to not make the same mistake more than once. She is still a child though, and she makes childish mistakes…

For Valentines day she got $1 from my Grandma (whom she calls G.G.) and she got fluorescent pink hair chalk. Yeah… So, she absolutely LOVES it. She thinks it’s so fun to color her hair, and see it be so bright pink! Well, she made the mistake of showing her little brother this cool little thing she has, and being the normal 3 year old boy, he shoved his finger into the hair chalk. (This is shaped very similar to the E.O.S. round ball chapstick.) Then, suddenly, with the help of her dropping it, and his fingers COVERED in BRIGHT PINK hair chalk.. it now covered her BRAND NEW bed spread, sheets and new sham. I looked at her, and I’m just sitting there, knowing that she’s a child, and finding it so hard to believe that she thought that opening that and showing her brother that it was just a good idea to show him that, in her room, and on her bed. So, we’ll see if it comes out!!! Otherwise, pink goes well with purple… right?! Ha… she will be without that hair chalk for a couple of days… but at the moment, it’s kind of funny to think about. 🙂

So, is it bad that I comfort myself with pasta? It is isn’t it.

I made chicken scampi. And it was really good. Like REALLY good. 🙂

I am going to relay the recipe as best I can.

Try it!!!

chickenscampibowl2

Scampi Sauce:

3 tbs butter
2 TB minced sweet onions
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1 1/2 cups low sodium free rance chicken broth
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp fine Himalayan sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tbs fresh parsley
2 tsp. lemon zest
1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice (Added BEFORE the cream)
1 cup organic half&half

The Pasta Dish!!

1 16 oz box angle hair pasta
4-6 frozen chicken tenderloins (I prefer Trader Joes brand)
salt and pepper
4 tbs olive oil
2 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp lemon juice
dash cayenne pepper
3 mini sweet peppers (I used 1 red, yellow and orange)
1/2 sweet onion diced
splash of white wine to deglaze the pan (or you can use a bit of chicken broth)

ChickenScampiinpan

Directions:

In a medium sized sauce pan add butter, minced onion, minced garlic and saute over medium heat for a 1-2 minutes. Don’t let the garlic burn! Add in chicken broth, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, dash of cayenne, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Simmer for 15 minutes on med-low heat.

After 15 minutes is up slowly add the half and half and simmer on LOW, without boiling for 10 minutes.

While the above is going on, in a separate pot, boil the angel hair pasta according to the directions on the box. SHORT time!! You don’t want over cooked angel hair pasta! Cook it al-dente!

To prepare your chicken tenderloins, sprinkle with salt and pepper and a bit of italian seasoning. Fry in a skillet over medium heat with a couple tablespoons of olive oil 5-8 minutes on each side (from frozen) until golden brown and cooked all the way through.  Set aside. Add a splash of white wine (1/4 cup) to the skillet that had the chicken in it, to loosen  up all the “yummy bits” from the bottom of the pan to ready the pan for the onions and peppers. Add the remainder of the lemon juice and lemon zest.

Take your onions and bell peppers and cut in julienne strips, making sure to remove all seeds and the white membrane on the inside. Place them into the skillet. I cook on high for 3-5 minutes until they get soft and caramelized in the white wine and lemon juice and olive oil. Dump the cooked pasta into the skillet with the onions and lightly toss with tongs or similar. Take the creamy garlic sauce and pour over the pasta, peppers and onions. Mix together well.

Dish up pasta, adding the chicken on top. Garnish with freshly shaved Parmesan cheese and a bit of fresh parsley.

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And ENJOY! DE-LISH!!! I LOVED the leftovers the next day too! YUM!

And now, for the quote of the day:

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