Quick & Easy Glazes September 29, 2011

Now that I’m a working mom, I’ve realized most of the recipes Andy & I love are extremely time-consuming!  Who has time to make filled chicken breasts anymore!?  …ok, occasionally I do, but I just happened upon a trick for quick glazes you can use to spice up your tired chicken breast, pork chop or tenderloin.  So easy, you won’t even have to write this down!

Ingredients

• Any jelly/jam you have in the fridge.  I like apple as a base, mom has been using apricot.
• Add in ideas:  finely chopped tomatoes, red peppers, onions, garlic, stone ground mustard, crushed red pepper flakes, splash of apple vinegar, brown sugar, etc.
• Mix it up and brush on the meat of your choice on the grill or in the pan.  Simple. Easy. Tasty.

Example recipe:  3 T apple jelly, 1 T of stone ground mustard, 1 t of brown sugar.  Glaze over chicken, serve with fresh greens topped with apples and vinaigrette. 

• Mix

If YOU are domestic – shop here September 22, 2011

I love finding new websites for inspiration and online shopping.

There are several of these “daily deal” websites you can become a “member” of.  I’m on RedNook, OneKingsLanding, Zulilly, Totsy…to name a few.  But, the only one I regularly buy from is the Foundary.

They carry everything from home decor (my fave) to kid’s gear and kitchen essentials (and more!).  Sometimes it’s a great deal like my end table and chair in the sunroom, other times not so much.  It’s a great place to find inspiration, one of a kind pieces and gift ideas. 

You get an email every morning with that day’s sale events.  Their return policy is also awesome. 

Click here to join.

Strawberries May 10, 2010

It’s summer, and Kroger had their first strawberries for $1.50 sale last week!  This means, the cost of Andy’s breakfast for a week just went down by $6 and I stocked up hoping I’d have time to make Strawberry Shortcake sometime this week (as mentioned in my previous post about my Mamacita).

Ok so really I have three things to say about strawberries today:

1. Remember the Strawberry Shortcake doll?  She smelled like strawberries! …which is all my chubby younger self needed – a toy that smelled like food.  At least it was fruit I guess.
2. Did you know that “wild strawberries” are actually very annoying weeds that spread worse than the poison ivy in our yard!?  Then they produce these dried out, pea sized strawberries that are just a real tease because they have zero taste.  Do NOT plant wild strawberries as ground cover, I’ve spent several nights the past few weeks picking them out of my prickly bushes in the front yard!
3. Finally, the best part about strawberries:  Strawberry Shortcake.  This is my Mom’s recipe (passed down from Grandma Annie).  This is basically 10 times better than using pound cake and 100 times better than using the spongy round disc things they sell in the produce section.  Katy Peat also says that you can make mighty fine shortcakes out of Bisquick, and I typically trust her domestic opinion.  Without further blabbering here’s the super easy & quick recipe:

2.5 Cups Flour

1/3 C Sugar

1 T Baking Powder

1/2 C Crisco (cut in with a fork)

1 C Milk

Mix the first three ingredient, then cut Crisco in with a fork (smoosh the shortening into the mix until it’s mixed in).  Add milk & stir.  Dollup in 5-6 clumps on a greased (or Pam’d) cookie sheet/pizza stone.  Bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes.  In the meantime cut up your strawberries and sprinkle a little sugar over them.  Mix it in and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes.

To truly experience this recipe this dish is to be eaten as a meal, not desert.  Crumble one shortcake in a bowl and top with berries, finish with a little milk & enjoy!

If you try this recipe (or are related to me and also make it) I want to hear from you!!!  Comment with how you like it or how you make your own shortcake!

Do not fear the stainless steel! March 16, 2010

If I was domestic…I wouldn’t be afraid to use stainless steel cookware.

So everyone seems to be so excited about stainless steel lately, and I found yet another Pampered Chef recipe to try (I love their books!).  It calls for using a stainless skillet.  Fortunately like 8 years ago Santa brought me a set of stainless pans that I’ve never really used up until this point because stuff always sticks to the bottom!  …which I’ve now learned is kind of the point?!

Enter new recipe.  This sounded quite tasty and has artichokes in it which I love but never know how to prepare.  A little tip – although almost everything about Costco is..awesome one thing that is not so great is their mondo jar of artichoke hearts.  They are soaked in oil which sucks for those of us counting calories.  Just stick with canned hearts packaged in water.  They actually carry them at our ghetto Kroger so you can probably find them anywhere – probably even a gas station.

Moving on-

Tip #2 turn on your fan before begining – it was like a smoke bomb in the kitchen.  You may say I did something wrong, I may not disagree but turn your fan on.

The recipe is below, it is Andy tested & approved (if you aren’t a regular reader this means your average 5-10 year old will like it).   Best of all this is something actually  different you can do with a chicken breast.

If you try this one please comment and let us know what you thought!

The skillet actually cleaned up nicely!

Artichoke Chiken with Roasted Potatoes

from Pampered Chef 29 Minutes to Dinner

Potatoes & Chicken

3 small red potatoes

1.5 C water

1t Salt

2 boneless chicken breasts halved

2t rosemary

2t olive oil divided

Artichoke Topping

1/2C chopped artichoke hearts

2t chopped parsley (fresh if you are fancy)

1 oz Parmesan Cheese divided

2t Mayonnaise

 

1.  Pre-heat broiler on HIGH.  Meanwhile, cut potatoes into quarters.  Place potatoes, water & salt into a microwaveable dish on HIGH for 6-8 minutes or until tender.  Drain & set aside.

2.  For artichoke topping, chop artichokes and place in a small bowl with parsley.  Grate cheese (or dump from canister).  Set aside 2 T for later use.  Add remaining cheese and mayo to artichoke mix and mix well.

3.  Flatten chicken to 1/2″ with meat hammer.  Sprinkle both sides of chicken with rosemary to taste.

4. Add 1t of oil to stainless steel skillet (do not use non stick cookware) heat over med/high heat 1-3 minutes or until shimmering. Add remaining 1 t of oil and rosemary mix to the potatoes – stir to coat.

5. Place chicken and potatoes cut side down into skillet. Cook 3-4 minutes or until chicken is golden brown. Turn chicken & potatoes over; cook an additional 3-4 minutes or until chicken is golden brown and no longer pink in the middle.

6. Remove potatoes from skillet. Set aside & keep warm. To finish spread chicken with artichoke topping evenly then sprinkle with reserved cheese. Place skillet as close as possible to heating element; broil 4-6 minutes or until topping is deep gold brown. Carefully remove skillet from broiler (use a hot pad dummy!). Serve with potatoes.

Yields 4 tasty servings.

Must Have Registry Items February 23, 2010

If YOU are (or wish to be) domestic…add these things to your wedding registry, or Christmas list for 2010!

These are some of my very favorite wedding & shower gifts we received.  The things I use on a daily basis…or love to make an excuse to get out!

Crate & Barrel Pot Rack

We had just moved into our new place and there is an island in the kitchen that was begging to have a pot rack above it.  This one is perfect – the perfect size and very sturdy, I keep 6 good-sized pans on it along with 3-4 smaller items.  Functional and part of the decor!  Thanks to a gift card from Andy’s co-workers at his last job we were able to get this just hung up right before the Rehearsal Dinner!

William Sonoma Butcherboard Cutting Board

OK, this one isn’t exactly like ours.  Ours is featured in many of the photos I’ve already posted though.  I leave it out on the counter all the time.  Two tips, don’t cut meat on yours, then you’ll never know if it’s truly sanitized and second, start treating your wooden cutting boards with Mineral Oil immediately!  It’ll keep them looking pretty!  We had originally registered for the C&B version but my Grandma Marg & Aunts thought this one was a better fit.  I agree!

Roulette Dinnerware from Crate & Barrel

I have to be honest, I loved the Chirp pattern from Lenox, and would still really like to have a set…but Andy said no china with little birds on it!  We opted for this classic set for C&B for our registry.  It has nice detail around the edges but is very simple.  I like it because it looks great in a hutch and you can pair it with anything!  I’m planning to put it with some of my Fiestaware for some parties and will someday get some fun Holiday dishes to go along with it.  Andy’s grandparents got us our set, such a great gift as we’ll always think of them when we use it for special occasions!

Quality Knives Set

For some reason Andy was very interested in making sure we registered for a nice knife set.  I’m SO glad he did though!  These came before the wedding, a gift from Andy’s awesome Great Aunt & Uncle sent them to us.  I didn’t open them immediately…I was actually thinking I could trade them in for some bedding if we didn’t get everything we needed!  Andy wouldn’t have it though, and I’m so happy as I literally use these every day.  If you like to cook, you need a nice knife set.

And…a couple of awesome surprise gifts from the parents-

 Personalized Wooster Clock

These clocks are so cool – really neat heirloom type pieces.  Andy is originally from Wooster so this was the perfect, personal gift for us.  Our has “Thompson Family Est. 2008” on it under the clock arms.  They come in a variety of colors and ours hangs proudly over the fireplace in our Family Room.

Paddle Boat

Mom & Dad Summers got us a very cool 5 seater paddle boat.  The summer before we got married we moved to a house on a little lake.  That whole summer we “floated” around the lake in little rafts, so we were super excited by this surprise!  We were able to check out the entire lake and take Charley with us on boat rides.  It’s been great fun as visitors like to take it out on spins when they are over swimming.  Ok…so no, ours is NOT a huge swan but this cracked me up and I had to include it.

PS:  Yes I realize the format on this post is all screwed up.  I have messed with it for days and can’t figure it out – sorry!

The Little Black Book February 10, 2010

If I was domestic…I’d be too classy to open a post with this story.

In high school I was a cheerleader.  I also dated a lot of boys.  Some would call me “boy crazy,” some, like my cheerleading coach (Amy – I hope you read this one!), liked to tease me for it.  One year the coaches bought me a jumbo spiral bound notebook with a black cover.  They wrote on it “Steph’s Black Book.”  So since I’m now married and no longer have a use for my black book, I’ve replaced it with a RECIPE BOOK!  I know, I know, just as exciting!

Andy got me this cookbook for Christmas 2007.  I had just started cooking and thought it would be neat to have a book you can write in.  My dream is someday my daughter or granddaughter will have all our favorite recipes in my handwriting.  Fun right?  I’ve almost filled my first one, but luckily my cousin Michelle had the same idea and made me another one for our wedding! 

This particular journal is really cool.  It’s got all the lines to fill in and on the back of each page there is an area for notes.  I love jotting down memories about special occasions or funny things that happened surrounding the recipes.

You can get your own like this here.  Our friends the Broyles had the same brand of Guest Book at their River House.  Very nifty!

Secret Ingredient February 3, 2010

If I was domestic…my “secret ingredient” would be more interesting than a green pepper.

When Andy and I started dating he was the cook in the relationship.  Our first “home cooked” meal together was a frozen chicken meal from Trader Joe’s he poured out of a bag, into a skillet, and on to a plate.  Later he made me french toast, and he was always grilling something.  We met in early July so this arrangement worked until the Indiana winter prevailed and someone had to figure out how to use indoor cooking methods.

Between throwing a Pampered Chef party and my natural “nesting” instincts kicking in I began to keep an eye out for interesting recipes that Andy might actually eat (he’s pickier than a second grader). 

Now I consider myself to be a decent cook – I can follow a recipe and have put together a list of 25-30 dishes that are proven winners in our house.  I do struggle with creativity though.  Seriously, my fave ingredient to add to any recipe is a green bell pepper.

Here are two of our faves:  turkey meatloaf & Italian pizza patties.  Both are low calorie too!  Just be sure to finely chop the “secret ingredient!”

Stuffing Chickens February 2, 2010

If I was domestic…I wouldn’t call it a meat hammer.

In high school, I dated a guy from another school briefly.  We went to a few parties at his buddy’s house – I can’t remember his name but his dad was a taxidermist.  Yes, he stuffed animals for a living!  There were all these strange animals all around the house, very creepy.  This isn’t the type of stuffing I’m talking about though…

I’ve found multiple “stuffed chicken” recipes that we LOVE.  But I gotta be honest the first few I read kind of scared me because it sounded really difficult – but it’s not!    So here’s the ‘dummies’ version of how to make a stuffed chicken recipe.  If you don’t need the play by play skip down to the bottom for the actual recipe.  Please give it a shot and comment with what you thought!!  This recipe is Andy approved which means even your picky 5 year old should like it.

So here’s the deal with prepping chicken to “stuff.” 

1.  Take your thawed chicken breast and cut it down the middle, by the middle I mean fillet it horizontally.  See pics below. 

2.  Beat your chicken fillet down with a meat hammer.  I think they are also known as a meat tenderizer.  Don’t make it mushy or anything, just make it a little thinner so you can roll it up and it cooks faster.

Bonus Tip:  Costco is awesome for a million reasons, but they sell chicken breasts 2 in a pack, 6 packs in a unit.  You can freeze them separately – so for singles or couples it’s awesome.

3.  Make your filling.

4.  Put the filling on the wide end of the chicken and roll tightly.  Throw it in the pan.

Look at all these yummy ingredients!

Spinach Stuffed Chicken

I got this recipe somewhere, I’d love to site it…but it’s been several years – and my memory isn’t great.

1/3 C Water

2 T Kraft Roasted Red Pepper Italian Dressing (soo tasty!!)

2 C Fresh Chopped Spinach

2/3 C Stove Top for Chicken (comes in a canister)

3T Roasted Red Peppers chopped

2 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved

1C 2% Shredded Mozzarella (or Pepper Jack for a kick!)

Pre-Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Bring water & 1T dressing to a boil in a large skillet over medium high heat.

Stir in spinach, stuffing and peppers.  Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes.

Pound chicken to 1/4″ thick.

Spoon mixture on to wide end of the chicken.  Starting at the short end roll tightly and place seam side down in casserole dish (spray with Pam first).  Brush with remaining dressing

Bake 35 minutes.  Sprinkle with cheese and bake another 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Enjoy!

Dismantled Pie January 23, 2010

If I was domestic…I wouldn’t have to serve a pie in a cake pan.

Obviously I’ve just started this blog so I’m calling on past experiences with my domesticity training.  In the future I’ll be sure to take actual photos when possible.

This was our first Thanksgiving as a married couple.  We were heading to Wooster to spend time with Andy’s family for the holiday, and since we were now “adults” I decided I would bring desert.

Making the pies actually afforded me several domestic challenges.  I used the food processor that’s been in our pantry for  a year for the very first time and used fresh cranberries in a recipe.  These were things I thought might give me trouble, I didn’t think transporting the masterpieces when they were done would be the issue.

Here’s the real problem, out of all the random serving dishes and kitchen gadgets I have accumulated…I have no means of pie transporting.  I decided a large Macy’s bag and a piece of cardboard for in between the two pies would do the trick.  It didn’t.  As I shoved both pies at once into the bag – the pumpkin one on top slowly fell from my hands to the hardwood floors below, exactly upside down.

The girls quickly rushed in to take advantage of food on the ground, but the noise coming out of me stopped them in their tracks.

Don’t worry this story has a happy ending.  The plastic wrap on top saved the pie from the floor and I quickly flipped the pie into a cake pan before either dog got a lick.  I went ahead and took it to Thanksgiving, and although Andy’s family may question my domesticity, it still tasted damn good.

Although the pie survived my new Crate & Barrel pie plate did not.  It even had the little grooves around the edge so you don’t have to figure that out on your own.

I’m sure you are more interested in the actual pie recipes than the pie on the floor story.  They came from Pillsbury Holiday Baking – GREAT book!  I tried Paradise Pumpkin Pie and Streusel-Topped Cranberry-Pear Tart (except I didn’t realize there was an actual tart pan, yet another thing I didn’t know I needed).  Leave me a comment if you’d like either or both recipes & I’ll share.

Canisters January 21, 2010

If I was domestic…I would have had flour & sugar in my canisters.

In 2005 I finally closed on a cute little builder home just north of where I worked.  It was a real labor of love and frustration getting to that point, so you can imagine how proud I was to move in.  After I finally got things put together the entire family came over for a cook out.  

Mid afternoon my cousin opens one of my canisters.  Before going on, let me ask – when was the last time you went to someone’s home and opened their canisters?  I can honestly say, never have I done that.  If you are going to snoop is this where you would choose to do it?  Anyway, she opens the canister and says to my mom “There are dog treats in here, where does she keep her flour?”  Umm…I didn’t have any flour to keep. 

You can actually cook quite a bit without ever keeping flour in the house, but no one was hearing that from me.