BBQ Baked Chicken

As you can all probably tell by now, we love chicken in this house. Well I do anyway. I don't eat much red meat so when I do cook it, it's usually for the boys and then I make something separate for myself. Anyway, we unfortunately do not own a grill and I love BBQ chicken. So I decided to try something new. I'm sure someone has done this before somewhere so if I inadvertently ripped off your recipe, I apologize.

Ingredients

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 bottle of BBQ Sauce

1 bottle of Guiness

Directions

Place the chicken breasts in a baking dish, pour BBQ sauce and beer over the chicken. Let marinate overnight in the fridge.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Bake chicken in sauce for about 25 minutes or until cooked all the way through.

I served the chicken with a baked potato, and french style cut green beans. It was a fantastically easy and very delicious dish.

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Chicken and Biscuits

Chicken and Biscuits happens to be one of the recipes I loved growing up. I unfortunately lost the recipe my Mom gave me, (I will ask her for it again), so I went on the prowl for the recipe to try and find it. I found several different recipes and I found one that looked promising, but I however do not remember where I found it. With that said, here is the recipe and if you know who came up with it, please let me know so I can give credit where it's do.

Ingredients

1 can condensed cream of celery soup

1 can condensed cream of potato soup

2/3 cup milk

1/2 tsp poultry seasoning

1/8 tsp ground black pepper

2 cups frozen mixed vegetables

2 cups cubed cooked chicken or turkey

1 package refrigerated biscuits (I didn't have this on hand, so I made Bisquick biscuits. The recipe is on the side of the box. If you would like a copy of the recipe, please let me know and I will send it to you.)

Directions

Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Stir the soups, milk, poultry seasoning, black pepper, vegetables and chicken in an 11 x 7 x 2 -inch baking dish.

Bake for 20 minutes or until the chicken mixture is hot and bubbling. Stir the chicken mixture. Top with the biscuits. (This is where I deviated from the recipe. I baked the biscuits seperately and then spooned the mixture over the biscuits when serving. I baked the chicken mixture for about 25 minutes.)

Bake for 15 minutes or until the biscuits are golden brown.

 This recipe came close to what my Mom used to make, but it just wasn't there. I will have to try it again with a few changes to see what I can come up with.

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The Purple Monster of a Quilt

I've never really been a crafty person. I am such a perfectionist that even the tiniest flaw in anything that I am making frustrates me and I want to give up. So I put away the thoughts of doing anything crafty as it intimidated me way too much.

A few years ago while I was living with my parents and learning how to live life as as a single parent I decided that making a quilt would be a good idea and a good time waster. I had no clue what I was doing. I forgot pretty much all the basics to sewing I learned in home mech in junior high, but I didn't care. I was going to do this project no matter what, and if there were flaws, I wouldn't let it get to me. So I packed up the boy child and off we went to Hancock Fabrics. I really had no plan in mind, but I figured buying a beginners book to quilting and the fabrics I liked plus all the tools I needed, I would be good. Two hours and two hundred some odd dollars later, the boy child and I left Hancock fabrics with everything I needed to make this amazing quilt.

We got home and I layed everything out, and setup a little sewing station. (By the way Mom, thanks for letting me use your sewing machine!) I flipped through the book and figured out a design and set out to measure, cut, and iron all the pieces. When I was done, I started to sew the beginnings of my quilt.

I worked on this quilt nearly every day for a month. Buying and cutting more fabric. Learning and trying to maintain a 1/4 inch seam. It's a lot harder then it looks to maintain a perfectly even seam. I even used a strip of white tape as a guide line and I still manage to flub it in places. But I was told that was to be expected when doing your first quilt anyway.

I started off with three different fabrics and unfortunately, I used an old camera phone to take these photos so the pictures don't really do it justice.

I started out with cutting two of the fabrics into squares, and the other one into four strips as a border. I layed them out on the floor to get a feel as to what it will look like when finished.

 Using 1/4 inch seams, I sewed all the squares together and in this photo, only two of the sides. 

As much as I loved the look of the quilt, I felt like it was missing something. So to continue on with the project, I ended up buying five more different styles of fabric. I unfortunately do not recall how many yards of fabric I got for each fabric. Once I had the fabrics, I surfed the internet looking for a way to put it all together. That's when I got the idea to log cabin all this fabrics.

The two different log cabin squares sewn together

After completing all the squares, I layed it out next to the completed portions of the quilt. As you can see, the corner squares I combined different fabrics including the fabric from the inner squares.

So there you have it. My unfinished quilt. Stay tuned for the finished product. (Which I hope will be soon.)

Chicken Stir-fry

Everyone loves a good stir-fry right? I know I do. It's a quick dinner to make especially on those nights where you are running around like a chicken with its head cut off. The following is a recipe that I have experimented with over the years.

Ingredients

1/3 c soy sauce

2 Tbsp brown sugar

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 tsp ginger

1 tsp cornstarch

1 1/2 lb chicken (cut into bite size)

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 mixed bag of stir-fry veggies, frozen

Directions

Combine first six ingredients with 1/4 cup water in a bowl, mixing well. Marinate chicken in sauce for 10 minutes. (You can marinate overnight if you desire) 

Drain chicken, reserving marinade. Heat oil in skillet. Add chicken in small amounts to prevent crowding. Stir-fry until brown. Remove from skillet and set aside.

Add frozen veggies to hot skillet, stir-fry for 1 minutes. Add 1/4 cup water, cover and steam for 3 min or until veggies are tender crisp. Return chicken to skillet, adding marinade, heat through stirring constantly.

Serve over rice.

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Cinnamon Raisin Bread

The other night I was hankering for something sweet and very yummy tasting. I wasn't sure what I wanted, I just knew I didn't have much on hand to make any kind of dessert. I had an apple pie filling, but I really didn't want to make any pie shells. I saw we had a bunch of raisins though and then the idea formed that I wanted cinnamon raisin bread. So close to midnight, I embarked on an insane late night baking frenzy. I found this recipe here.

This recipe makes a total of 3 loaves.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup milk

1 cup warm water (must be between 110-115 degrees)

2 (1/8 ounce) package active dry yeast

3 eggs

1/2 cup white sugar

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened 

1 cup raisins

8 cups all-purpose flour

2 Tbsp milk

1 cup white sugar

3 Tbsp ground cinnamon

2 Tbsp butter, melted (approx)

Directions

1. Warm the milk in a small sauce pan on the stove until it just starts to bubble, stirring occasionally.

2. Remove from heat.

3. Let cool until lukewarm, about 120-125 degrees.

4. Dissolve yeast in warm water and set aside until yeast is frothy, about 10 minutes or so (make sure your water is at the correct temperature or the yeast won't activate.) Then mix in egg, sugar, butter salt and raisins (stir in the cooled milk slowly so you don't cook the egg.) Add the flour gradually to make a stiff dough.

5. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for a few minutes until smooth.

6. Place in a large, buttered, mixing bowl and turn to grease the surface of the dough.

7. Cover with a warm, damp cloth and let rise. Allow to rise until doubled, usually about 1 1/2 hours.
(It was at this point that I was wondering just how sane I was to embark on this baking expedition.)

8. Roll out on a lightly floured surface into a large rectangle 1/2 inch thick.

9. Moisten the dough with 2 tablespoons milk and rub all over the dough with your hands.

10. Mix together sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle mixture evenly on top of the moistened dough.

11. Roll up tightly (the long way)

12. The roll should be about 3 inches in diameter.

13. Cut into thirds, and tuck under ends and pinch bottom together.

14. Place loaves into well greased 9x5 inch pans and lightly grease tops of loaves.

15. Let rise in warm place, uncovered, again for about an hour.

(This is where I was starting to get loopy and had to reread the recipe three or four times to make sure I wasn't seeing things.)

16. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until loaves are lightly browned and sound hollow when tapped. (I set my timer for 30 minutes and checked the bread. I ended up pulling it out at 35 minutes and it was done)

17. Remove from oven and let cool on rack.

18. Take melted butter and spread over tops of loaves.

19. After about 20 minutes, lay loaves on their sides and remove from pans.

20. Allow to cool before slicing. ( I didn't make it to the cutting part as it was nearly 330am and I was falling over exhausted. But when I tried it the next morning...yummy!)

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R.I.P. MCA

I'm sure by now that everyone has heard that Adam 'MCA' Yauch from the Beastie Boys passed away yesterday due to complications from cancer. This was a sad sad day for the music industry...well...they were the voice of a crazy and hectic generation in the 80's and for those of you who grew up in the 80's know what I'm talking about.  As such, in remembrance of MCA, here is our 80's teenage and young adult anthem.

French Bread Pizza

Ingredients:

French Bread loaves

Pizza Sauce

Shredded mozzarella Cheese

Whatever toppings you want.

If you want to make your own french bread, you can find the recipe here


Cut the French Bread loaves in half lengthwise. Then cut to whatever size pizza you want to make. I cut mine in thirds so the slices would be smaller for the kids.

Spread them with the tomato sauce. It's good to be a little stingy here, because you're putting tomato sauce onto a very porous surface, and if your heavy-handed with the sauce, your pizza will be on the soggy end of things. Sprinkle the pizzas with mozzarella cheese and add whatever toppings you like.

Bake in preheated 400 degree oven for 10-15 minutes, or until the crust is crispy and the cheese is melted.

If you like a browner topping, you can put these under the broiler for an extra minute or two.

I hope you all enjoy it as much as we did!

Crock Pot BBQ Ribs

I ended up finding some beef ribs on sale when I went grocery shopping last weekend so that was a great way to continue my quest of making foods I don't like but that my two boys would love. I found this recipe on Food.com.

Ingredients

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp white pepper

1/3 tsp cayenne pepper

5/8 tsp ground cumin

1/4 cup brown sugar

5/8 Tbsp Paprika

1 tsp salt

2 1/2lbs beef ribs

1 bottle of barbecue sauce

Directions

1. Combine rub ingredients mixing well.

2. Rub on all sides of ribs.

3. Place ribs meaty side up in crock pot. (I had to break my set of ribs in half and set one on top of the other as they all didn't fit into the crock pot.)

4. Cover, cook on low for 6 hours.

5. Drain the grease from the crock.

6. Place the ribs back in and cover with bbq sauce.

7. Cook for another hour.

By the look on his bbq covered face, I'm thinking these were a hit. What do you guys think?

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Pork Chops

So I forgot to take pictures again, but I at least got a picture of one of the chops before it got consumed.

I'm sure this will come as a big surprise to all of you, especially since this blog is mainly focused on cooking, but I am a horribly picky eater. I've tried over the years to overcome my lack of a matured palate, but really to no avail. I have broadened some in what I eat. Like I now eat onions and bell peppers mixed in with food without any problems. But when it comes to meats, I still have a hard time and it's primarily a texture issue and not always a taste thing. For example, I can't eat steak. I gag every time I try it. Same thing with pork chops and tenderloins. I just can't eat them. However, it doesn't mean I won't cook them. In fact, pork chops is the boy child's favorite meat. So for the love of my child and my husband (who is quickly getting tired of me making chicken all the time.) I embarked on a new territory this week. Making pork chops. From the looks of the empty plates and the finger licking, I am assuming this meal was a huge success.  Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp soy sauce (I used the reduced sodium version)
2 Tbsp vegetable oil (I used extra virgin olive oil)
1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp ketchup
6 pork chops, trimmed

*A quick note about this sauce. I reduced it thinking that it would be too much for just two pork chops. I was completely wrong. I barely had enough to cover both sides. I would suggest that for 4 or 6 chops to double or triple the ingredients to get more sauce.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In a small bowl, thoroughly blend soy sauce, vegetable oil, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, brown sugar, and ketchup.

Place pork chops in a medium baking dish, and spread with 1/2 the sauce.

Bake pork chops 30 minutes in the preheated oven. Turn, and spread with remaining sauce. Continue baking 30 minutes, or until internal temperature of the chops has reached 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).

Rosemary, Sage and Olive Oil Potatoes

I discovered a few years ago that my favorite herb is rosemary due to some delicious rosemary, olive oil crackers my brother had at his house. Since then, I vowed to cook more with those two ingredients specifically. Since I really didn't dive to much into cooking until the last couple of months, I really didn't get a chance to fulfill that vow until now. I made this recipe before using red skinned potatoes and with a few slight variations. This time I used russet potatoes and they tasted fantastic! Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

4 large russet potatoes

2 Tbsp dry rosemary

1 Tbsp dry sage

2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

I know it seems like over kill. In fact, that could probably coat 6 potatoes instead of 4, but since it's only the three of us, I don't use nearly as many potatoes.

Directions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Peel and thin slice or cut the potatoes into small wedges. Rinse potatoes and dry thoroughly. Put dry herbs and olive oil in a large zip lock baggie. Dump potatoes into the baggie, seal and then shake vigorously until the potatoes are evenly coated. Spread slices onto a cookie sheet and then bake for about an hour or until the edges are crispy and the potatoes are glistening.

Chili Mac

I am a huge connoisseur of all things chili. Even though it gives me heart burn like you wouldn't believe, I still love it and will eat it anyway. Because of my love of all things chili, I'm a huge fan of Hamburger Helper's Chili Mac. But damn those boxes are expensive and they never make enough for left overs. So I went on a quest to make my own and found a recipe for it here: Southernfood.about.com. I was skeptical at first looking at the ingredients. I mean, I make a pretty mean chili so I wasn't positive that this would turn out all right. But what the hell I love to experiment in the kitchen. Even if it turns out to be a huge flop at least I got to try a new recipe. And well, as it turns out, this recipe was a huge hit even though I didn't have all the ingredients. It tastes 5 times better then Hamburger Helper ever could.

Ingredients

1 to 1 1/2 pounds ground chuck, browned and drained well

2 cans (14.5 oz each) diced tomatoes with juice

1 can tomato paste (6 oz)

1 envelope taco seasoning mix

2 teaspoons ground cumin (I didn't have cumin so I substituted with cayenne pepper)

1 can (15oz) beans (pinto w/jalapenos, black, etc.) - (I used a can of black beans)

1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels, or 1 (16oz) can whole kernel corn, drained

1/2 cup chopped green pepper

Crushed red pepper to taste (optional)

2 tablespoons instant tapioca (I couldn't find instant tapioca at the store so I left this ingredient out)

1 package macaroni and cheese or shells and cheese, deluxe type (I didn't have the deluxe, so I used two boxes instead of one.)

Directions

Combine first 10 ingredients in a 3 1/2-quart or larger Crock Pot; cover and cook on low 6 to 8 hours. Cook macaroni and cheese according to package directions and combine with Crock Pot mixture after it is done cooking (may need a separate large bowl). Add salt and pepper as desired.

Serves 6 to 8.

Anyway! Enjoy this meal. I'm sure it will be huge hit with the kids as it was with mine!

Oh My God, Mommy, You Weigh A LOT!

One of the blogs I follow, Moms Who Drink and Swear, shared this: Oh My God, Mommy, You Weigh A LOT! on facebook. I think this a must read for every parent.

What a very meaningful post to all parents as body image effects boys just as much as they do girls. I see it in my 7 yr old son when he talks about healthy foods and all the things his grandparents taught him about exercise and being healthy. In fact, a few months ago he told me he was fat. He barely weighs 50lbs... I think what this mom posted, is what I need to start doing with the boy child as well as I don't want him to have an unhealthy relationship with his body like I do.

Gold Fish Cracker Fail

I think it's safe to assume that we all love the little yellow fishy shaped crackers of cheesy goodness. I know in our house that if I buy a bag, it doesn't last a day. Because these suckers are expensive to buy, I scoured the internet to find a recipe for them. I was thrilled when I found the recipe here. It seems so simple to make. Especially with my nifty Ninja food processor. (By the way, if you don't own a Ninja, you must buy one. I don't know how I lived without mine.) I made several mistakes while trying to make these, but I'm positive now that I know what I did wrong, I should be able to make this again without ruining them in the process...or so I hope. One thing to make note of for myself. Trying to bake when tired equals some serious issues.

Here is the recipe and where I went wrong.

Ingredients

8 ounces weighted sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
4 Tbsp of butter, cubed
1 Cup flour
3/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp of water

Directions

Pulse everything together (except water) in a food processor until the dough resembles coarse sand. (Mistake #1...I had shredded 8 ounces of cheddar cheese...it wasn't enough.)

Pulse in water 1 Tbsp at a time.
(Mistake #2...I didn't use enough water, resulting in a crumbly dough)

Remove dough from processor. Wrap in plastic and chill for 20 minutes.




Roll out the dough and cut into desired shapes. You can use a toothpick to make the eyes and the smile. Place on parchment lined cookie sheet.
Bake at 350 degrees F for about 15 minutes or until crispy.
(Mistake #3...I should have set my timer for 10 minutes as 15 was too long.)

As you can see by the picture on the right, the crackers look a little over cooked and are not exactly the right color. My husband thinks they are great. I, however in my perfectionism think they could be sooo much better.

 I will try this recipe again in a couple of weeks after I get over the fact that I can't be perfect in the kitchen 100% of the time.

According to the recipe, the dough should make close to 7 dozen crackers. I didn't count, but I'm assuming I got close to that.

Homemade Hamburger Buns

I've been on a huge kick to try and reduce our grocery bill each week by as much as I possibly can. So to help reduce that cost, and to enjoy a more organic way of cooking, I decided to try my hand at baking Hamburger Buns. I was daunted at first like I usually am when dealing with baking breads until I stumbled on this recipe from allrecipes.com.

Burger or Hot Dog Buns

Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Cook Time: 10 Minutes
Servings: 12

Ingredients:

1 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup butter
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 (.25 ounce) package of instant yeast
 2 Tbsp white sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 egg

Directions:

1. In a small saucepan, heat milk, water and butter until very warm, 120 degrees F (50 degrees C).

2. In a large bowl, mix together 1 3/4 cup flour, yeast, sugar and salt. Mix milk mixture into flour mixture, and then mix in egg. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.









3. Divide dough into 12 equal pieces. Shape into smooth balls, and place on a greased baking sheet. Flatten slightly. Cover, and let rise for 30 to 35 minutes.

4. Bake at 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) for 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown.

**For Hot Dog Buns: Shape each piece into a 6x4 inch rectangle. Starting with the longer side, roll up tightly and pinch edges and ends to seal. Let rise about 20 to 25 minutes. Bake as above. These buns are pretty big. I would make 16 instead of 12.

I'm looking at the pan of hamburger buns right now and thinking that I should have made 8 instead of 12. The buns are about average size. I usually like mine a little bigger then this, but that's alright. They smell and taste delicious!