WFMW – 5 Ingredients Or Less

This is one of my family’s favorite meals. It sound odd, but Oh. My. Lands! It is delicious, easy and cheap!

Strawberry Chicken

Boneless, skinless chicken (enough to feed your family)
Italian bread crumbs
Milk (to make the bread crumbs stick – can use eggs if you prefer)
Strawberry Jam (or Seedless Raspberry if you prefer)

Preheat oven to 350°.

Dip chicken into milk (or eggs), then roll in bread crumbs. Place on cookie sheet. Cook 20 minutes and then flip the chicken. Cook additional 20 minutes or until juices run clear.

Serve with strawberry jam as dipping sauce.

That’s it. Easy as pie. (Mmmm… pie!)

There are a few things you can do to speed up the cooking time.

• I’ve flatten the chicken; that cuts about 10 minutes off the time.
• You can cut the chicken into strips to cut the cooking time as well.
• Strips make it a finger food for little ones.
• You don’t have to flip the chicken, but I like to do it so that it will crisp both sides.

We love this meal with the cheesy broccoli rice and a side of small early peas.

Go find some excellent dinner suggestions at Shannon’s place. I’m heading over there to find some that don’t involve a grill…

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I Need To Find A Leprechaun With A Car In His Pot

We made it through our weekend without the kids. It was tough, but somebody had to do it…

So what do to crazy, kid-free couples do on their two days off from work and they get to be together? Why they go car shopping, of course! I can’t tell you how romantic car shopping… isn’t. I mean, we would test drive cars where one of us would sit in the back, but we couldn’t both sit in the back, so where was the joy in that? Total waste of makeout time, if you ask me. (Which I totally realize you didn’t, but it’s my blog so the thoughts will stray where they will.)

So after six hours of searching for a vehicle that would fit our needs, we came home with… nothing. Not a single car made the qualification of excellent price + import + medium-low mileage. And it’s not that we’re incredibly picky. It’s that we know God has our vehicle waiting for us; we’re just waiting for him to open our eyes to it.

Saturday night after all that searching, (where I have to tell you consisted of Mr. Right getting out and looking at the lots while I read a book – he came back to get me if we had any that met our qualifications), we came home because we had plans to have our friend John over for dinner and a movie. We hadn’t seen him in eons, which is really sad because he’s Mr. Right’s best friend. So we enjoyed great wine, I Robot and a recipe which John labeled “Dump Pasta” that I will share with you now.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

I cooked up a package of Barilla Farfelle (yes, Jenny – I’m still a Barilla fan no matter how often Brian tries to charm me into becoming a Martha Gooch lover). Drain it and throw into a greased 13 x 9 pan.

Using some homemade spaghetti sauce in the fridge (this one was with meat because I could never be a vegetarian for long), I added around 3-4 cups of spaghetti sauce and stir until mixed well. Top the dish with an Italian blend of cheese and bake for 20 minutes. Broil for the last few minutes to get the cheese nicely browned and tasty.

Serve with vino and a fresh loaf of bread and you’ve got a meal that is tantalizing to your tastebuds!

Sunday after church and lunch, we tried to go car shopping again, but none of the dealers were open. In a way, I was relieved. I was so tired I went home and took a 2 hour nap while Mr. Right continued to search for cars online while getting in some basketball. Guess what we’ll be doing on some of our nights without kids. Sigh. Please pray for my attitude. I know that God has it under control, but y’all, it’s still shopping. Ugh.

On a lighter note, we finally watched Invincible. It was a wonderfully entertaining movie! As the show started, Mr. Right joked, “What do we watch when the kids are gone? A Disney movie. How messed up is that?” But it was a great way to relax for an hour and a half.

Speaking of the kids, I don’t think that they miss us too much at this point… They’ve had McDonald’s and other great food, they’re with their grandparents, they’ve just added their cousins to the mix and The Girl is loving getting to spend time with her best friend, Bailey. They might have an inkling to talk to us, but really, they are having a fantastic Spring Break. Funny how we’re the one missing them…

Oh, and Happy St. Patty’s Day to you all. May you all be special enough to know someone who’s Irish! Since I’m Irish as well, it would be my pleasure to offer you this Irish Blessing. Happy Monday!

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WFMW – Magically Appearing Dinner

Yesterday, The Boy was sick and Mr. Right elected to stay home with him.  That was good for several reasons, one of which was that Mr. Right could put some finishing touches on the house before it goes on the market.

When I returned home from work, I walked into a kitchen where Mr. Right was making dinner… and I don’t mean he was calling out for it either.  He was making it from scratch from a recipe that I pulled from the internet, but we had never tried.

I could have kissed him right then and there.  (Oh, who am I kidding?  I did kiss him right then and there.)

He was making Chicken and Corn Chowder, and let me tell you how good it was: three out of four of us had seconds.  And really The Boy doesn’t count because he wasn’t feeling well, remember?  It was deeeeelicious!

So if you want to have your dinner magically appear before you, I suggest that you marry someone like Mr. Right (but not him specifically because he’s taken you see… and I will fight tooth and nail with any woman who tries to steal him away.  It will not be pretty.  You have been warned.)

But I will do half of the equation by giving you the recipe.  Maybe you can leave it on the counter and your man will magically make it appear for you too.

Chicken and Corn Chowder

• 1/2 c butter or margarine
• 1/2 c onion, finely chopped
• 6 T flour
• 4 chicken bouillon cubes
• 2 1/2 c hot water
• 1 1/2 c cubed cooked potatoes
• 1 can whole kernel corn, undrained
• 3 c hot milk
• 1/4 t white pepper (black will work too)
• 2 chicken breasts, poached and chopped

Heat butter in large saucepot and cook onion until tender but not browned.  Add flour; cook and stir for 5 minutes over low heat.  Do not brown.  Add bouillon cubes and hot water, stirring with whisk to fully mix together.  Simmer for 5 minutes.  (It will become thick.)  Add remaining ingredients and bring to boil.  Serve with bread.

There, you have the recipe.  Now find the person who will make it for you!  Head on over to Shannon’s place… maybe someone posted about how to find that person.

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WFMW – Simple and Delicious

About a year ago, my mom gave me a subscription to a little recipe magazine called Simple and Delicious.  Little did I know that it would quickly become a way to introduce some new and easy recipes into our repertoire.  I’ve made more recipes from it than I imagined I would have!  They weren’t kidding when they created the title!

What’s really neat is that most of the recipes come from the readers.  They are tried and true, favorite recipes that the readers think will be a hit with others.  I’d much rather spend my time working on a new creation that other families love than to waste my time and resources making something that we all wish stayed in the cookbook.

The tag line for Simple and Delicious is “Quick, easy recipes.  Everyday ingredients.”  That’s so true, friends… it’s so true.  For $14.95, you can have a new magazine every other month, giving you some much needed refreshment in the cooking battle.  The magazine is filled with gorgeous pictures and very simple to follow instructions.

The best part about the entire gift?  Everyone in my family goes through the publication, circling the ones that they want to try.  It’s a family affair at our house, one that makes me smile – especially when I see The Boy circle one that actually has vegetables.

So if you are looking for an easy way to spice up your daily cooking, I highly recommend that you check out this sweet magazine.  If you don’t want to commit to a subscription, check it out at the supermarket or a bookstore.  You can usually find this magazine at the magazine display or at the checkout line.

But I warn you:  You may just want to pick up a copy if you find it in your hands… it’s that good and useful!

Head on over to Shannon’s place for some excellent suggestions that will help you in your everyday life.  But be very quiet… she’s trying to catch up on her sleep!

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WFMW – Super Easy Super Bowl Pizza

Now anyone who knows me knows that I love me some football.  I love watching.  I love making calls.  I love yelling loudly enough that the team can here me from my living room.  

I coulda been a contenda… if I were a boy.  Stupid boys’ club sport.  Hmph.  I can’t even make it as a ref.  

Yes, I have issues.  But they really have nothing to do with this post.  So let’s move on, shall we?

And if you’re bummed, like me, that your team didn’t make it to the final game of the season (sniff… final game!), then let me show you some stinkin’ easy ways to showcase your favorite team(s) during the Super Bowl.  Your team might not be at the Super Bowl, but that’s no reason they can’t be at your party!

Just in time for the biggest pizza eating day of the year, Boboli has created some wonderfully easy pizzas for you to serve to all the fans.  They’ve created one recipe for each of the NFL teams and gave them fun names to boot.  Even if you know nothing about football, you can impress your mate with your football terminology!

Using Boboli crusts and Boboli sauce on two of the pizzas, my family made 4 different types of pizza and had I had all the ingredients when we started, I would say that all told, it would have taken us 30 minutes to make all four.  But that’s just crazy talk, assuming that I would have all the necessary ingredients on hand.  So if you throw in the 45 minute trip to Walmart, where I waited in line for 25 minutes to check out (NOT A TYPO), then it took us more like an hour and 15 minutes to get it all done.  But here is where we’re going to assume that a) you’re more prepared than me or b) your Walmart has all lines open on a busy Saturday at noon.

We had to make the Indianapolis “Interception” Pizza (good old pepperoni, green peppers and onions), 

our Arizona “First Down” Fiesta Pizza (refried beans, taco meat, cheese, salsa, sour cream and guacamole – YUM!)

our Cleveland’s “Bootleg” Bacon Cheeseburger Pizza (sauce with hamburger meat, real bacon bits, onions, dill pickles and cheddar cheese (my personal favorite),

and last, but not least, Washington’s “In Bounds” American Apple Pie (oh my lands…  it was so good, I thought I might have to give up my apple pie… almost – sweetened cream cheese with sliced Granny Smith apples, brown sugar and cinnamon)  

On my personal “I’m letting go of  my angst against the Patriot’s cheaterhead ways”, I looked up the New England pizza.  There’s no way on earth I’m forgiving them enough to eat a clam bake pizza.  I can forgive them, but I don’t have to root for them and I don’t have to eat their fair.  Yuck.

You can hit the Boboli.com for all the recipes if you’re so inclined or you can go wild.  It’s yourc call.

Oh, and as a last note, I made them all on the Whole Wheat Pizza Crusts.  I wasn’t sure of it when I got them, but we’re doing what we can to eat a bit better.  Seriously, no one in the family could tell a difference.  They were all just so delicious!  So now you have a choice in crust if you want one.

Hope y’all have a great time at your Super Bowl party, or if you’re not a football fan (freak!), might I suggest a movie?  It’s a perfect time since everyone else will be watching the game.  But don’t see Alvin and the Chipmunks, whatever you do… trust me on that one.  That movie so did not work for me.

Head on over to Shannon’s place to see some other truly fabulous ideas.

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In the Back of the Diner…

Susanne from Living to Tell the Story has tagged me for a kitchen meme. I’m to name eight random things from my kitchen/cooking.  I’ll do it, but you all know how I am with staying in the lines…

1. Below is my best cooking tool ever!  It slices, dices and even kisses the cook!

   
   

   And I’m afraid I got the only one, so that just reeks for the rest of you… too bad!  Seriously, finding someone who likes to cook will be your best asset in the kitchen, plus you can spend more time together in your hectic schedules.

2. My sweet little Braun coffee maker… oh how I love thee! (especially around 6 AM or when we’re serving up a fresh from the oven apple pie or brownies)
3. Speaking of oven/stove, I love it.  I can’t cook without it.  Well, I could, but I’m not into cooking over a fire or rubbing sticks together to start the whole production…  How else would I make my mind-numbing, smile-enducing apple pies?
4. I must say that I absolutely adore living in a time and place when I can have a refrigerator.   It keeps my cream for my coffee cold and my ice cream bars frozen.
5. Frozen… oh yes – my upright freezer, which is not in my kitchen, but rather just outside the door to my garage, is a blessing beyond measure.  Without it, I could not take advantage of meat, cheese and vegetables sales.  (And blessed we are!  Right now it’s packed to the gills with food just waiting to be made.)
6. Also not in my kitchen but on the back porch is the grill.  When the weather is nice, you will often find our grill in use.  Steaks, chicken, pork, shishkabobs, ribs, vegetables – we grill them all.
7. My favorite spice by far is garlic.  I use it in as many recipes as possible.  Breath mint anyone?
8. I’ve fallen in love with the Cascade 2-in-1 action pacs.  Doing dishes has never been so easy… (And I fill the rinse dispenser with vinegar – no smell and no spots!)
9. You really need a great (not good, GREAT) set of knives in your kitchen.  Save up and purchase ones that will last your lifetime.  After a good amount of searching, reviewing and researching, we settled on JA Henckels, which we’ve loved since day one.
10. I love my Calphalon pans.  Did you know that they come with a lifetime guarantee?  I
    received my set as a graduation from college present from Mr. Right, which I’m sorry to say was quite a while ago.  Sigh.  It seems like just yesterday that I was in high school… but I digress.  At around the 10th year of ownership, I discovered that I could send them back for replacements.  I did and now I have an entirely new set of pans which are actually better than the ones I bought originally because they sent me the ones with the latest updates.  I love a great deal!
11. I like to cook all sorts of things.  Entrees, baking, sides… all these things appeal to me.  One of my favorite things to do now is to ask the kids to help me with these tasks.  I’m hoping to pass on the love of cooking/baking to both of my kids – my daughter so that she can later enjoy taking care of her future family and my son because I don’t want to send him out of our house thinking that it is only something girls do well.  With Mr. Right as a role model, I have a feeling that it is a scenario that will never happen.
12. Lastly, I like to play in the kitchen.  Recipes are great and all, but sometimes I like to throw caution to the wind and make stuff up.  And we’ve discovered some fantastic new recipes that the entire family asks to have again and again.  I’ll even share with you my most recent foray into the realm of the unknown (which the family promptly deemed “a winner!”

Apple Pork Roast  

(Realize that I’m guessing on some of the measurements since my method of cooking that was “a little of this, a bit of that”…

3 lbs. pork loin roast (or any other, but the leanness added to the texture and flavor)

2 apples, peeled, seeded and quartered

1 1/2 c apple juice

1/2 c brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp allspice

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground cloves

Put roast and apples in slow cooker.  Mix remaining ingredients and add to slow cooker.  Cook on low all day.  (If you’re home while it’s cooking, turn roast a couple of times to keep all the meat flavorful and moist.)  Slice or shred meet and serve with stewed apples.  (A gravy can be made from the juice if desired.  Use cornstarch and water to thicken juices and ladle over meat.)

Now I tag Big Mama, Barb, Stacey, Jeana and Ashley.  Go to it girls!

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Saying Thanks

Man! When y’all come out in force, y’all really come out. I don’t think I’ve seen that many comments in forever and a day. Well, let me be a little more accurate. I see that many comments at other places all the time, just not at mine.

Anyway I want to thank you all for the prayers and the kind words on my last post. I had some loverly ladies call me to make sure that I’m doing okay. I’ve corresponded one on one with some others who wanted to reassure me that, yeah, it sucks to feel like this, but giving it to God is the best move I could make. Letting you all pray for me was the second best one.

And let me tell you that I can feel them working.

I told another blogger that getting it all out was probably the best medicine towards remedying me. That and a good cry. I can thank Jeana for that one. Thanks Jeana. I feel better.

And if I haven’t asked for enough, would you please pray for my mom? I just found out today that she goes into the hospital on the 24th for exploratory surgery on her small intestines. Somethings not right on the x-ray and she’s in pain. Don’t know what to expect for the outcome because the doctor isn’t sure what it is, but if you all would pray for her, I’m be so grateful once again.

As a show of thanks for all your good hearts and acts of valiant service on my behalf, I am hereby divulging my top-secret, consider-it-the-food-of-angels, even-Boomama-will-shed-tears-of-joy-and-euphoria-over-this-macaroni-and-cheese-recipe-while-Barb-will-wonder-how-in-the-world-she’s-cooked-so-long-without-knowing-this-divine-recipe recipe.

(GiBee asked for the recipe and I told her that “With it comes great power, so it can’t be used lightly. I’m serious. You’d better be prepared to rule the world once you make it. You will be made queen, they will tote you around on their shoulders and those who eat it will fall at your feet to kiss them for you and all your cheesy goodness. At least that happens at my house…” And I even told her that should there be any leftovers, we fight over who gets to eat it. Because we’re all about being great Christian examples at our house. Ahem. Moving right along… )

Anyway, you have been warned: Don’t make it unless you want to have world dominion. It’s that good.

Old-fashioned Mac and Cheese

• 3 cups uncooked Barilla elbow macaroni (yes, use Barilla because it’s the best pasta out there)
• 1/4 cup butter (or margarine)
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp dry mustard
• 1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 1 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup parmasan cheese

Heat oven to 350. Spray/grease bottom of 13 x9 pan or 2 quart oven-safe dish.

Cook macaroni as directed on package; drain and reserve.

Heat butter in 3-quart saucepan over low heat until melted. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and bubbly. Using a whisk, stir in milk and cream. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir for 1 minute. Add cheese; cook, stirring occassionally, until melted.

Pour macaroni and cheese mixture into cooking pan. Stir gently until completely mixed. Bake uncovered 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly. Turn oven to broil. Lightly brown top of mac and cheese to give it some great crunchy texture and “browned” flavoring.

Serve with LeSeur baby peas (the only peas worth eating in my opinion), pickled beets and onions and let the praising begin.

Thanks you guys. Seriously, thanks and I love you for being here.

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WFMW – Dinosaur Eyeballs

Long ago, when I wasn’t so terribly busy with work, I promised Gayle from Grace For Gayle that I would post this wonderfully delicious, yet healthy (oh, please don’t let that stop you from trying it) recipe. Well it’s only been two months since she asked for it, so I think I’m in the right timeline for things… Ahem. (No, not THAT ahem!) Well, let’s just continue, shall we?

This recipe gets its name from my son. He took one look at them and then said, “We’re going to eat dinosaur eyeballs? Cool!”

And the name has stuck ever since.

INGREDIENTS
4 large eggs
4 large slices or 8 small slices Canadian bacon
1/3 green bell pepper, diced
1/3 red bell pepper, diced
1/3 onion, minced
1 tablespoon canola oil
salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Heat oil over medium-high heat, and saute onions to soften before adding in peppers. Cook, stirring often, until slightly softened but colors are still bright. Remove from heat.
3. Lightly grease/spray 4 cups of a muffin tin and insert one large slice or two small slices of Canadian bacon into each cup.
4. Divide bell pepper mixture among the 4 cups and carefully crack one egg into each bacon cup on top of the peppers. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
5. Bake in center rack of oven for about 15-20 minutes, or until whites are set but yolks are still slightly runny (We actually bake longer until the yolks are hard too.)
6. Broil for a few minutes, just enough to brown the tops a smidgen and creating a bit of crispiness to the egg cups.
7. Carefully remove by gently scooping out bacon cups. Serve hot.

This recipe will serve two adults so you can adjust it as needed to fit your needs. And although it sounds a bit odd, trust me that it’s good. And I’ve got the kids’ smiles and full tummies to prove it…

Head on over to Shannon’s for some additional ideas to make your life a bit easier.

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WFMW – Almond Crusted Chicken

This recipe is a favorite of our from the South Beach Diet. It’s the one diet way of eating to lose weight/lower cholesterol that I’ve tried a and really liked.

You don’t have to fry your chicken to get that fried taste.

This dish is cooked in the oven and has a subtle nuttiness from the almonds.

Yields: 6 main-dish servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: About 20 minutes

• 1 cup whole wheat bread crumbs (Use 2 slices whole wheat bread; toast, then pulse in a food processor.)
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (1 ounce)
• 1/4 cup almonds, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves or 1 Tsp dried parsley
• 1 garlic clove, crushed with press
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• Pinch ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken-breast halves, pounded to 1/2-inch thickness and cut into 12 pieces

1. Preheat oven to 400° F.

2. In medium bowl, stir bread crumbs, Parmesan, almonds, parsley, garlic, salt, thyme, and pepper until mixed. Pour oil into pie plate.

3. Dip chicken in oil, then in bread-crumb mixture to coat. Place chicken on cookie sheet. Bake 20 minutes or until juices run clear when thickest part of chicken is pierced with tip of knife. (Do not turn chicken over.)

4. Arrange chicken on warm platter.

This recipe is easy as pie and delicious. We had it with mashed half potatoe and half sweet potatoes and it was wonderful! Add a caesar salad and you are set to go.

If you need the breakdown: Based on individual serving.

Calories: 383 Total Fat: 16 g Saturated Fat: 4 g Cholesterol: 91 mg Sodium: 730mg Carbohydrates: 15 g Fiber: 1 g Protein: 41 g

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