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Showing posts with label Cooking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cooking. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

What to do with this damn Chicken- and a rant...

 Before I start into my chicken recipe, I thought I would mention that I am tired. Yep, exhausted, drained, and otherwise running on auto pilot. Starbucks just can't provide anything to help me. At this point I think I just need some good quality sleep. I wonder if the other moms at school, that are so perky and driven every single day, have an underground speed dealing operation. I honestly think our amazing PTC president might just be the drug lord of El Dorado Hills. Okay not really, but how DO they do it? 

So, without getting involved in any illegal substances, I just keep plugging along. My husband thinks I have a disease called Chronic Fatigue because everyday when he asks how I am, I say, "good but tired"! So, let me try to explain part of why I am so tired...



Did I get the message across?  BTW, that is a Queen sized bed! Okay, so hold the calls to the doctor honey. P.S.- Don't I look great! I mean, especially for not getting any sleep! :)

With that said, we have another busy day ahead of us and mommy doesn't have the time to do a lot of cooking. Last week I ran across the following slow cooker chicken recipe. I loved it! The hubby, (the one from the picture above) liked it too. We ate a lot and so did my kids...SUCCESS! 

Slow Cooker Twenty clove-Garlic Chicken 

 

Ingredients:

  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 3 to 3 1/2 lb cut-up organic whole chicken  pieces
  • 1 large onion, sliced
  • 1 medium bulb garlic (about 20 cloves) 
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • Directions:  

    1.  In small bowl, mix salt, paprika, pepper and oil to form paste; spread evenly over each piece of chicken. 

    2.  In 5- to 6-quart slow cooker, place onion slices. Arrange chicken over onion. Separate garlic into cloves;  do not peel cloves. Place garlic cloves around chicken.  Pour wine over top.

    3.  Cover; cook on Low setting 7 to 8 hours. 

    4. With slotted spoon, remove chicken, onion and garlic from slow cooker; place on serving platter. Squeeze garlic cloves to use cooked garlic on mashed potatoes, vegetables or bread.


    Enjoy!

    Love, 

    Friday, July 29, 2011

    What to do with this damn chicken - detox recipes

    I normally post the chicken recipes on Wednesday but, I am doing it today because I forgot this week and, this one truly can not wait until next Wednesday. 

    In case you saw my recent post of Facebook about going through a sort of detox (temporarily), you should know that my children have survived 2 weeks of my recent experiment. I have not put them through my torture and they are still allowed their Cheez-its, but I have stared them down, in a very unhealthy way,  plenty of times when they get out the box.

    evil child!

    Basically, I have given up soda, coffee, any form of alcohol, most carbs with the exception of low sugar fruits and yogurt. I am only consuming, water, green tea, greek yogurt, lean meats, fruit and veggies. I have cheated a few times and have realized that carbs are a true addiction for me. But this whole thing was based on a recent request from my doctor due to my hereditary high blood pressure. This is not an attempt to turn into a Uber mom. If you have  heard the term Uber-mom you might think I am running down this path, with the idea of turning off the cable for the summer. No, my reasons were to save my sanity, not shelter my children and quiz them on Mandarin Flashcards instead. See definition of Uber-mom below....

    "Uber moms are highly successful career women who have take time off to make sure all their kids get into Harvard.  And you can usually tell the uber-moms, because they actually weigh less than their own children. So at the moment of conception, they're doing little butt exercises. Babies flop out, they're flashing Mandarin flashcards at the things. 

    Driving them home, and they want them to be enlightened, so they take them to Ben & Jerry's ice cream company with its own foreign policy. And they go to Whole Foods to get their baby formula. And Whole Foods is one of those progressive grocery stores where all the cashiers look like they're on loan from Amnesty International. They buy these seaweed-based snacks there called Veggie Booty with kale, which is for kids who come home and say,"Mom, mom, I want a snack that'll help prevent colon-rectal cancer."

    And so the kids are raised in a certain way, jumping through achievement hoops of the things we can measure -- SAT prep, oboe, soccer practice. They get into competitive colleges, they get good jobs, and sometimes they make a success of themselves in a superficial manner, and they make a ton of money. And sometimes you can see them at vacation places like Jackson Hole or Aspen. And they've become elegant and slender --they don't really have thighs; they just have one elegant calve on top of another.  They have kids of their own, and they've achieved a genetic miracle by marrying beautiful people, so their grandmoms look like Gertrude Stein, their daughters looks like Halle Berry -- I don't know how they've done that. They get there and they realize it's fashionable now to have dogs a third as tall as your ceiling heights. So they've got these furry 160-pound dogs -- look like velociraptors, all named after Jane Austen characters.
     
    And then when they get old, they haven't really developed a philosophy of life, but they've decided, "I've been successful at everything, I'm just not going to die." And so they hire personal trainers, they're popping Cialis like breath mints. You see them on the mountains up there. They're cross-country skiing up the mountain with these grim expressions that make Dick Cheney look like Jerry Lewis.  And as they whiz by you, it's like being passed by a little iron Raisinet going up the hill."

    So, back to the chicken. Since I am forced into eating only chicken, turkey or fish, I have needed more good chicken recipes that don't include the yummy sauces and breading that I am so fond of. This one came from my sister-in-law who served it to me on a recent visit to her home. I thought I may have died and gone to heaven, except I could still hear my children screaming in the background, which told me this better not be heaven or I have a bone to pick with someone!  So, thank you Karrie for your contribution to my need for change!

    Here goes folks. Close your eyes, imagine your garden sparkling in the morning dew, imagine the crisp pop in your mouth of that beauty of a cherry tomato you grew with only the up-most tender loving care (after beating the dog for eating all the other red ones). Imagine the Basil you planted in your garden that you gently plucked of flowers before the whole thing turned to seed. Now, open your eyes, realize the true condition of your garden and go to the store to get the following ingredients.

    Cherry Tomato Pesto Chicken
    • 4 boneless skinless organic, free range, happy chicken breasts
    • 1 carton cherry tomatoes -quartered
    • 2 heaping spoonfuls of pesto (with our without pinenuts included) the most garlic the better- I made my pesto just to make sure it had enough garlic. :)
    • 2 heaping spoonfuls of non-fat whipped cream cheese
    Salt and pepper your chicken breast and grill on the barbecue. Mix the cherry tomatoes, pesto and cream cheese together in a bowl. Dump a few large spoonfuls on top of your grilled chicken breasts. Eat and feel good about yourself.

    I added the following recipe as a side dish since It wasn't going to be mashed potatoes.


    Have a wonderful weekend and happy Friday.
    Love, 




    Friday, April 22, 2011

    April Cooking Club- Easter Brunch for Din-Din

    The girls gathered around my spring table last night for some Easter breakfast goodness at 8pm! 

    cute right? Very springy...

    We kinda got off to a slow start and the Bloody Mary's may have been responsible for that. :)

    Hi there honey!

    Secretly Simple Bloody Mary
    • celery, 4 stalks
    • lemon, 2
    • vodka, 3/4 cup (6 ounces)
    • tomato juice, 3 cups
    • prepared horseradish, 1 to 2 tablespoons
    • peppercini peppers, 4 peppers plus 1 tablespoon of the brine (I omitted these and used green beans and olives)
    • Worcestershire sauce, 2 teaspoons
    • hot sauce (such as Tabasco), 1 to 2 teaspoons
    • celery salt, 1/2 teaspoon
    • black pepper





    We had  some tasty deviled eggs to start, which really were the devil, just ask Michele B.

    Only 74 calories each Michele, eating 6 was okay! :)

    Ingredients:
    • 6 hard-boiled eggs
    • 1/4 cup mayonnaise + more as needed
    • 1 1/2 heaping tablespoons drained sweet pickle relish
    • 2 heaping tablespoons drained small capers, rinsed and minced
    • 1/2 teaspoon minced chipotle en adobo
    • Kosher salt, to taste
    • Black pepper, to taste
    • Smoked paprika to garnish
    • Chopped chives to garnish




    Instructions:

    1.     Halve eggs lengthwise and place yolks in a small bowl; set whites aside. Mash yolks with a fork; add mayonnaise, pickle relish, capers and chipotles, and combine well. If needed, add more mayo for desired consistency. Use a spoon to mound filling into whites, then garnish with paprika and chives.

     
    After a long couple hours of cooking and enjoying Ol Mary's company, it was time to eat. The main menu consisted of Zucchini- Ricotta Salata Bruschetta, Bacon-Watercress Salad, some of the most divine Home Fried with Wild Mushrooms, and last but not least Cali-Style Eggs Benedict.  Lesson on the eggs Benedict, poaching eggs is not easy, and you can get just as yummy hollandaise sauce from those handy little packets they sell in the store.   (What is up with this weird indenting here that I cant get rid of?)
    no picture of the salad but trust me, it was pretty!
     Okay, I almost forgot the desert which I am not sure is even possible since I had it for breakfast and lunch today too!  I am not a huge fan of super sweet and chocolaty dessert so this one was very Easter worthy and just perfect for my liking. You ready? Okay, we had the...... (insert drum roll here) Lemon Shortbread Squares! Again, Michele B. tried to take some home with her in her purse right next to the, now squishy, deviled eggs. But, I won the battle, hence the reason why I had some with my coffee for breakfast. Think I will make more for Sunday!  Happy Easter y'all!

    I take the pictures so that im not in them . :)

    Love,

     

    Wednesday, March 9, 2011

    What to do with this damn chicken: Wednesday 6

    Yesterday was a big day people! It was not only Taco Tuesday but, Fat Tuesday as well! I did turkey tacos last night so I needed to push Fat Tuesday out to Wednesday this week.

    I ran across a recipe to kick off Mardi Gras tonight and it is great for my Damn Chicken.  It is perfect for me...low cal (if you cut back on the bread and cheese by make it open-faced) and high salt! This scrumptiousness came straight from New Orleans! Love it!


      
    Chicken Muffulettas


    4 chicken breast halves, boneless and skinless
    2 tablespoons vegetable oil
    1 teaspoon salt
    1/2 teaspoon black pepper
    4 pieces French sourdough bread, about 6 inches each, sliced lengthwise
    2 tablespoons olive oil
    4 slices Swiss cheese
    4 slices provolone cheese
    2 cups Olive Spread


     
    Olive Spread:
    1/2 cup roasted red peppers
    1 1/2 cups bottled pickled vegetables, drained
    1/4 cup pitted Calamata olives, drained
    1/2 cup pimento stuffed green olives, drained
    1 jar (1/2 cup) artichoke hearts, drained
    2 tablespooons capers
    2 tablespoons parsley
    1 clove garlic
    1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
    1/4 teaspoon black pepper
    1 tablespoon olive oil
    1. In food processor, place Olive Spread ingredients: roasted red peppers, pickled vegetables, Calamata olives, green olives, artichoke hearts, capers, parsley, garlic, Italian seasoning, black pepper and olive oil. Chop by pulsing until consistency of coleslaw. Marinate for at least 30 minutes at room temperature.
    2. Prepare gas or charcoal grill, or preheat broiler. Place chicken breast halves between two pieces of wax paper; pound gently to 1/4-inch thickness. Brush each side of chicken with vegetable oil; season with salt and pepper. Grill or broil for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until cooked throughout.
    3. Assemble sandwich by opening bread and drizzling each half with olive oil. Spread 1/2 cup Olive Spread on bottom of each sandwich; top with grilled chicken and one slice of Swiss and one slice provolone cheese.
    Makes 4 servings.

    Love,