BBQ Chicken Quesadillas

Well kids, bad news. I didn't win the chicken wing contest. I didn't even place actually. Oh well. I knew they weren't good! So, tonight, I wasn't in the mood for any major cooking. I poached a big pot of chicken over the weekend, so I have been trying to use it up. I decided to just make a simple quesadilla - one of my favorites! All measurements are approximate, since I didn't actually take the time to measure anything. :)

Ingredients:
1/2 c. cooked chicken
3 tbsp. your favorite bbq sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray's)
1/2 c. shredded cheese (I used cheddar)
2 tortillas
butter

Directions:
Heat skillet on medium heat.

Butter one side of each tortilla. On non-buttered side of one of the tortillas, spread bbq sauce and then sprinkle with cheese and chicken. Place the other tortilla, non-buttered side down, on top of it.

Cook each side in skillet for 3-4 minutes, until golden brown.

Cut into wedges. I like to dip my quesadillas in salsa or ranch dressing. Mmmm...

Asian Chicken Wings

Here's the thing. Every month at work, we have a cooking contest. The theme this month is chicken wings. I try to participate every month. If I have a tried and true recipe, I use that. If it is something I've never made before, then it gives me the chance to try something new - kind of like everyone out there who is in Daring Bakers or Tuesdays with Dorie. I know - y'all must think that I work at some insane place. I mean, seriously, what business has cooking contests!? I actually have an awesome employer - we are one of the premier small pre-employment screening companies. Trust me, we are good at what we do. If you work somewhere that doesn't do background checks, or if you aren't happy with who you use, let me know! We truly are one of the best! Okay, so I'll stop sucking up to my boss! On to the chicken wings!

Since I have never made wings before, I wanted to make them the night before. I am also terrified of using a deep fryer (and I don't have one anyway), so I settled on a recipe that called for baking the wings. I probably will not make these again. After they came out of the oven, they didn't taste very good. The only thing that saved them was basting them with some Lawry's Teriyaki Marinade and sticking them back in the oven for a bit. They are supposed to be teriyaki flavor, but quite honestly, they don't taste teriyaki-y to me at all. They taste like soy sauce wings. So, use this recipe at your own discretion!

Ingredients:
3 lb. chicken wings
1/2 c. orange juice
1/4 c. soy sauce
2 tbsp. ground ginger
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp. course salt
5 drops hot pepper sauce
1 clove garlic, minced

Directions:
In a bowl, combine everything except the wings.

Place wings in sauce, cover and marinate in the refrigerator overnight. I just used a giant Ziploc bag.

Preheat oven to 350.

Remove from marinade - reserve for basting.

Bake 1 hour, basting with reserve marinade.

Source: http://www.wildforwings.com/

Overnight Chicken Bake

Again, I apologize for the picture. I know it is awful. The food, on the other hand, was pretty good. This was super easy to make - you just have to plan ahead because it sits in the fridge overnight. Basically, it tasted like chicken pot pie, except with bread crumbs on top. If I make this again, I will probably use biscuits or crescent rolls on top instead.

Ingredients:
2 c. cooked chicken
1 package frozen mixed veggies (I used peas and carrots)
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 c. water
1 c. shredded cheese
1 c. uncooked elbow macaroni
2 tbsp. butter
1/2 c. breadcrumbs

Directions:
Mix all ingredients except for butter and breadcrumbs in a 2 quart casserole dish. NOTE: do not put water in first and then frozen vegetables. They will freeze in one big layer and it makes it hard to mix. Yeah, you would think this is a pretty duh thing. But, I still did it.

Cover and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, preheat oven to 350.

Melt butter and mix with breadcrumbs. Spread over the top.

Bake uncovered for 45-55 minutes.

Source: www.kevinandamanda.com

Oh. My. God.

Holy cow!! Everybody go out RIGHT NOW and buy an Orka Steamer. Seriously. This has just become my new favorite kitchen appliance. Appliance? First of all, I know the picture sucks. I am having camera issues.

I had been eying the Orka Steamers for quite awhile, and after Christmas, they went on sale on Amazon, so I went ahead and got one. Unfortunately, with all the hoopla of the last couple of weeks, I haven't had a chance to try it. Until now. No boy tonight, so I wanted to do something simple. And I was freezing, so I wanted something hot. And I didn't want any leftovers

Cue Orka Steamer! I had some chicken breasts in the freezer (note: I probably shouldn't have used year old chicken, but it was still pretty good!). The chicken isn't very pretty, but it is good! The vegetables turned out beautifully - I was afraid they would get all smushy. But no! They were soft inside but also crisp! So, I kind of made this up as I went, because the box only had like, 3 recipes. Does anybody have an Orka Steamer? Do you have any tried and true recipes for it?

Ingredients:
1 Chicken Breast
1 Serving Veggies (I used green beans, carrots and tomatoes)
1 tbsp (ish) EVOO
Italian Dressing
Salt and Pepper

Directions:
Place everything in the steamer.

Drizzle with EVOO and salt and pepper to taste.

Drizzle with Italian Dressing.

Cook in microwave 7 minutes (this is according to Orka's instructions for a frozen chicken breast).

Told you it was easy :)

Cocoa Says What?

First of all, I want to apologize for the lack of posts. Last week I had the unfortunate experience of passing a kidney stone. So, I wasn't cooking AT ALL. Now, my parents have been at Disney World all week, so I am dog sitting. Everything should go back to normal next week, since I will be back to my own house tomorrow! Woohoo!

So, moving on. I have an unnatural obsession with my puppy. She is like a little kid to me and I treat her like a baby. She is the most spoiled dog you could ever imagine - she has too many toys, she sleeps in the bed (under the covers with her head on the pillow) and she comes to my mom's everyday instead of staying home alone. This picture is one of the first pictures of her - this is 4 years ago now! But, it is one of my favorite pictures.

My plan is to add a little post about Cocoa every now and then. We'll see how it goes. I apologize in advance for the pictures - she isn't photogenic at all. She moves too fast! :) And unfortunately, Cocoa hates it when I cook. I don't know why, but she always just shivers and goes to hide in the bed. Don't know what that's about!

More to come later this week!

Pot Roast

Remember that pot roast I said I was cooking yesterday? Well, it wasn't ready for dinner and it still wasn't tender enough for my liking when I went to bed, so I popped the crock pot on "warm" so nothing would burn and then resumed cooking this morning. Ugh. I hate doing that. I don't know why it took so much longer than the recipe said. I think maybe it was because I got a really thick cut of meat. This isn't as good as my mama's (nothing ever is), but any time I ask her for a recipe, she always says "I don't use a recipe" and so I always say "Well, then just write down what you do" and she always says "But I don't do the same thing everytime." ARGH!!!! So, I went out and found a recipe on the internet. Bah. Also, I know my photography sucks. I'm working on it!

Ingredients:
3-4 lb. boneless chuck roast
1 c. water
beef stock (I used two cans)
2-3 tbsp. seasoning (your choice)
1 onion, diced
1 package baby carrots
8-10 small new potatoes, or 2 large russet potatoes, cut up (I am lazy and used canned potatoes)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
garlic salt, to taste

Directions:
Place roast in crock pot and add water.

Layer vegetables and soup around roast.

Sprinkle seasoning on everything - add beef stock to cover. Make sure the roast stays on the bottom.

Season with garlic salt.

Cook on high for 5-7 hours, stirring occasionally.

Source: http://sugarandspice-celeste.blogspot.com/

Margarita Cupcakes With Lime Buttercream Frosting

So, the title of this post totally suggests that these should be AWESOME. And I think if someone else had made them, they probably would be. I apparently did something wrong, but I'm not sure what. The frosting is good though!! Also, I did not use the recipe for the frosting that is listed - I was lazy and just added some lime juice to some Pillsbury buttercream frosting. As you can see from the picture, I tried to be fancy and pipe the icing on the cupcakes, because I kind of suck at frosting. Well, it didn't work out so well, so I ended up frosting most of them. Also, if you go the lazy route and want to pipe your frosting on - get two cans of it! I would've run out if I had piped frosting on all of them!

Ingredients:
1 package white cake mix
1 can (10 oz.) frozen margarita mix, thawed
3 eggs
2 tbsp. oil
1 tbsp. grated lime zest

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 and line muffin cups with those little muffin cup thingies

Combine everything but the lime zest with a mixer, then stir in lime zest.

Fill muffin cups 2/3 of the way full and bake 22-24 minutes.

Let cool before frosting.

Frosting Ingredients:
4 c. powdered sugar
1 stick unsalted butter at room temp
1/8 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. lime juice

Frosting Directions:
Mix everything with a mixer until fluffy

Cupcake source: http://www.cupcakefun.com/
Frosting source: http://www.jasonandshawnda.com/

Banana Bread

I bought some bananas about a week ago and kind of forgot to eat them, so you know what that means? That's right - banana bread! I wanted to try something a little new, so I found a recipe that included some plain yogurt. Plus, I had some leftover from a previous recipe and needed to use it. My breads never turn out very pretty, but it tastes pretty good. I am also making a pot roast and some cupcakes right now, so get ready!

Ingredients:
2 c. flour
3/4 c. sugar
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. bananas, mashed (3-4 bananas)
1/4 c. plain yogurt
2 large eggs
3/4 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 tsp. vanilla

Note: this recipe also called for 3/4 c. chopped walnuts, which I omitted. I am a total purist when it comes to breads - I don't want anything crunchy in there! Also, I love cinnamon so I added a 1/2 tsp. I will add more next time!

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9x5 loaf pan and dust with flour.

Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda and salt (and cinnamon). Set aside.

Mix banana, yogurt, eggs, butter and vanilla.

Fold banana mixture into the dry ingredients until just combined.

Pour into the pan and bake 55-60 minutes.

Source: http://www.bigoven.com/

Product Review: Lipton Sides Thai Sesami Noodles

I have been lazy this week. I have had some long days at work and don't feel like putting a lot of effort or energy into cooking. Since it was just me tonight, I decided that I would make one of the Lipton sides - not to mention that my dad works for Unilever (who manufactures Lipton) so I get a ton of these for free!

This is the first time that I have tried the Thai Sesame Noodles. Of course, they were easy to cook - I always go for the microwave directions instead of the stove top. I kind of have an aversion to boiling water. It just never works out too well for me. So, I made these in the microwave - all you need is water and oil if you have it. I also added about a cup of leftover chicken to make it a little heartier since this was my entire dinner. Yeah, that's right. I don't worry about sides when the boy isn't here. Heck, most of the time I don't even cook this much for just me! All in all, this was pretty good. I think it would definitely be better as a side or to do some peanut chicken or shrimp or something and use this as the "serve on a bed of noodles or rice" part of the recipe. These probably would've been better if I had added a little soy sauce or teriyaki sauce or something. Still good, considering the ease and the cost! :)

Honey Garlic Pork Chops

Hm. Well, I don't think I will be making these again. The boy thought they were good. I don't think there was enough sauce on them. They were kind of tough, too. I still ate it though - I just smothered it in barbecue sauce. If I make these again, I think I will marinate the chops, rather than just brush the sauce on. The sauce by itself tasted pretty good - it would probably be good on chicken or shrimp, too!

Ingredients:

1/4 c. honey

3 tbsp. soy sauce

5 cloves garlic, minced

4 pork chops, boneless, trimmed of excess fat

Directions:

In a shallow dish, whisk together honey, soy sauce and garlic.

Coat chops with mixture; reserve leftover honey mixture for basting.

Place chops on a greased grill over medium high heat; close lid and cook.

Source: http://www.workingwifedinners.blogspot.com/

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

Throw out your enchilada recipe! This is the only one you need! These are the creamiest, cheesiest, best enchiladas I have ever had. I guess they don't really have enchilada sauce on them, but you could certainly add that if you wanted. I personally have a love affair with Mexican food. I love it. I could eat it for every meal of the day. The boy, not so much. He's not picky, but he doesn't crave Mexican food like I do. The first time I made these, he did say he liked them. But I love them. :)

Ingredients:
1 tbsp. butter
1 can Rotel tomatoes and green chilies, drained
1 8 oz. package of cream cheese, cut up and softened
2 c. chopped, cooked chicken breast
8 8 in. flour tortillas (I used 5 10 in. ones)
2 c. shredded Monterey Jack cheese (I used Sargento 4 cheese Mexican blend)
1 pt. whipping cream (more on this later)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Spray 9x13 baking dish with Pam.

Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add Rotel and saute 1 minute. Stir in cream cheese and chicken, stirring constantly. (Or you can be lazy like me and just heat everything up in the microwave).

Spoon 2-3 tbsp. of chicken mixture down center of each tortilla. Roll up and place seam side down in the baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese and drizzle with whipping cream. So, about the whipping cream. Amanda (who is a genius - seriously) says to use 1 pint of whipping cream. When I used an entire pint, I thought it was too soupy. So, this time I only used half a pint and it was PERFECT.

Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Take off foil and cook for another 15 minutes.

Yield: 5 or 8 enchiladas, depending on what size tortilla you use.

Source: www.kevinandamanda.com

Cranberry Apple Cobbler

This is what I had for lunch today. I know, lunch of champions, right? It got done before the soup and I was hungry. It would've been perfect with some vanilla ice cream, but unfortunately, I didn't have in. So I just had extra cobbler to make up for it :) I have been making this recipe for so long that I don't remember where I got it from. This is good though - perfect for Thanksgiving or Christmas.

Ingredients:
3 c. tart apples (I used 2 big Granny Smith apples)
3/4 c. sugar
2 c. raw cranberries
1 stick butter
1/3 c. flour
1/2 c. pecans (I didn't have any)
1 c. oatmeal (uncooked)
1/2 c. brown sugar

Directions:
Slice and peel apples (if desired) - I kind of alternate. If you leave the peel on, you get a nice red and green medley, which is very Christmas-y :) I peeled them this time. Layer in the bottom of a 9x9 baking dish.

Add the cranberries over the apples.

Place remaining apples on top.

Sprinkle the sugar over the fruit.

Topping: Melt butter and combine with other ingredients. Spread over the top.

Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

Mexican Chicken Soup

So, I have been wanting to try making soup for some time now. It's a good cold-weather food and I always think of soup as relatively healthy. This is what I was planning on having for lunch today, but I ended up just having dessert instead (see next post!). This is great for leftovers - I just kind of threw in what I had; I didn't really use a recipe. I was actually pretty surprised that this was good! I wasn't expecting it to be very flavorful, and it is!! I was going to add some tortilla strips, but my tortilla kind of caught on fire in the toaster oven... Speaking of, if anyone has any ideas of how to get the smoke smell out of the house, I would really appreciate it :)

Ingredients:
1 tbsp. EVOO
Some onion powder (or chopped up onion, if you have it)
Some chili powder
Chopped up red and green peppers
1/2 c. salsa
1 can of black beans
1 can of corn (I actually used an individual Green Giant Steamers corn packet - it is all I had!)
Cooked chicken, shredded (I used 1.5 chicken tenders)
2 cans of chicken broth

Directions:
Heat up EVOO in the pan and add peppers, onion and chili powder.

Then add salsa, beans, corn and chicken.

I let all of this heat up for 3 or 4 minutes and then added the chicken broth.

Bring to a boil and then simmer for 15-20 minutes. I also added some extra chili powder after a taste test.

Yield: This made 6 cups or so.

Thai Chicken Pizza

Yes, I actually made pizza. I love Thai food. One of my very favorite pizza places has a Thai Chicken Pizza and I thought I could try to re-create it since it is like, 3 hours away. I don't think I put enough sauce on it. I was trying to be conservative so that it would be a little more healthy. All in all, I was pretty impressed with myself. The smoke alarm only went off once and I didn't burn it TOO bad. The boy thought it was okay, but then when he realized that I had made it and didn't just buy it somewhere, he said it was really good. Hmmm...

Ingredients:
1 pizza dough or crust or whatever you want to use
Thai Peanut Sauce (I used a Taste of Thai)
Cooked chicken, cut up (I used 4 chicken tenders)
Mozzarella cheese
Red Peppers
Peanuts

Directions:
Get your pizza dough ready - follow the instructions on the box, or bag, or tube, or if you make your own (then you are really probably doing too much work)

Preheat oven to 450 (Next time I will cook at 400)

Spread sauce on pizza dough. Top with chicken, cheese, red pepper and chopped up peanuts.

Pop in the oven for 20-25 minutes. Grab the step stool and go turn off the smoke alarm. Turn on the vent thingie over the oven.

Cut into squares or triangles or whatever you prefer. I served this with a salad.

Product Review: Cuisine Solutions Chicken Marsala

Happy New Year!! So, I didn't feel like cooking last night, so I pulled out something from the freezer. The boy and I have a lot of fun trying out chicken marsala at different places. A local deli makes our favorite so far. I got this at The Fresh Market last week and last night was the perfect time to try it out.

First let me say that the chicken breasts were really small. Perfect size for me, but too small for the boy. I heated it up in the oven, because I thought that was probably better than the microwave. The presentation didn't turn out very pretty and the marsala sauce never got very saucy - more like a gel, which isn't very enticing. It was okay. I probably won't buy it again, but as far as ease, it wasn't bad. And, unlike most frozen chicken, it didn't taste fake. It was like something that I had made myself and then froze. But then again, I have a weird thing with frozen chicken, so maybe it was just me.

So, easy and better tasting than a Healthy Choice or Lean Cuisine meal, but I would do take out from your favorite Italian place first. Our New Years Eve was rather uneventful. We were in bed by 9:30. I know, we're no fun. But, it was still 2009 when we woke up. At 6:00 AM.

Wishing everyone the best in 2009!