03/13/12 - Chicken & Beef Fajitas

I wanted to use up a bunch of produce I've had hanging around in the fridge for a week or two. So we had chicken and beef fajitas.  I just grilled up some chicken breasts and the beef was leftover sirloin steak from our Sunday dinner that I sliced and warmed up with our peppers and onions.

For our extras, we had diced tomatoes, lettuce and slices of avocado and a dollop of sour cream.

Because I am trying to eat a little more healthy these days I had my fajita on a Flatout Multi-Grain Flat Bread that I picked up at Costco a few weeks ago.  They aren't flour tortillas by any means, but they aren't too bad either.

Sausage and Rice Skillet w/a recipe

So a while back I posted about my friend, Jess' Sausage and Rice Skillet, but apparently I never posted the recipe for it.  Thanks for pointing that out Malia.

So here is the recipe straight from Jess - well,  I corrected her spelling... love you girl!

s & r skillet‏

one package sausage
rice to your serving size (now that wyatt [her son]eats more i make two cups of rice)
water to your rice serving
one can cream of chicken (i have started using cream of chicken with herbs much better)
one TBSP butter
one pinch of salt
cheese to your preference

cut up sausage
mix rice, water, butter, salt, cream of chicken in skillet, add in sausage- bring to a boil then simmer for 20 minutes, add cheese on top and simmer for 5 more minutes and then serve.

easiest dinner ever

peace out

Fruit Salad - yummy yummy

Because the weather has been so nice the past couple of days, and with my trip coming up, I was feeling very tropical yesterday.  So I pulled out the remainder of the fruit I had left from my Bountiful Basket and whipped up this light and tasty fruit salad to go with dinner.  It was a HUGE success with the kids!

The best part - all but the mandarin oranges were fresh.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pineapple, diced
• 1 mango, diced
• 2 kiwis, diced
• i can mandarin oranges, drained

A Childhood Memory Night

 

Took the kids to Glade's in Spanish Fork, UT tonight.  We used to go there at least once a month when I was growing up and it was fun to share that tradition with the kids.  We sat in the car and ate our food just like when I was little.  The fry sauce was worth the drive!

my favorite pizza right now

My favorite pizza right now (and it has been for at least a year) is Domino's American Legends® - Pacific Veggie Pizza.

march 7, 2012 - shaved brussel sprout salad with grilled chicken

i ordered a bountiful basket last week and in the basket were a bunch of brussel sprouts and a bag of yukon gold potatoes.  i admit that i have NEVER eaten brussel sprouts before this, so i was a little skeptical that this meal was going to be good.  i was pleasantly surprised.  i really like brussel sprouts.  they taste a little like cabbage and this recipe was good.  even my two older boys ate it and said they like it, then i told them what it was :)

sorry, i forgot to take a picture of the meal.

here's the recipe from KUTV's website. I added a few notes of my own.
Ingredients:

• 16-18 Brussel Sprouts, thinly sliced
• 2 Klondike Rose Potatoes, finely diced (I used yukon gold potatoes because that's what I had handy.)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup onion diced
• Zest of one lemon (not a fan of lemon zest, so I omitted.)
• Juice of one lemon
• 1 tbsp freshly chopped dill (I'm not a big dill fan so I chose not to include this.)
• 1/3 cup toasted almonds (I didn't have any, but it would have tasted even better with them I'm sure)
• 2 chicken breasts, flattened
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Blanche (basically this means boil them for a little bit) brussel sprouts and Klondike Rose potatoes.  Strain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
2. Heat a large sauté pan and add just enough oil to lightly coat the bottom of the pan.
3. Add the onions and garlic. Sauté until fragrant (about 3 minutes).  Add the brussel sprouts and Klondike Rose Potatoes. Sauté for an additional 3-4 minutes. Add the toasted almonds. Salt and pepper to taste. Set aside until ready to use.
4. Lightly salt and pepper each side of the chicken breasts.  Heat a large sauté pan on the stove and add just enough oil to lightly coat the bottom of the pan.  Plan sear each side for the chicken for about 4-6 minutes.  If needed, cook longer.  Be sure chicken is thoroughly cooked through. 
5. Serve pan seared chicken with brussel sprout salad and enjoy!

April 8, 2011 - chicken primavera pasta

i had some awesome  coupons for the new philadelphia cooking cremes and they were on sale so i bought some to try.  on the back of the italian cheese & herb cooking creme was this recipe i decided to try.

chicken primavera pasta

ingredients:
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
2 cups vegetables (i used zucchini, green pepper and carrots- all from my bountiful basket)
1 tub philadelphia italian cheese & herb cooking creme
2 cups hot cooked fettuccine

directions: cook and stir chicken in skillet for 5-7 minutes or until done.  add vegetables and cook 2-3 minutes or until heated through.

add cooking creme, cook and stir 3 minutes.  stir in pasta.

april 6, 2011 - cafe rio pork barbacoa

this cooked on low in my crockpot for almost 24 hours and let me tell you what.... my house smelled awesome!

i got this recipe from my friend collette.  i didn't have regular coke so i used diet coke - don't know if it makes a difference.  also, after about 12 hours (overnight), i shredded my pork and then left it to sit in the gooey goodness for another 10 hours on low.


cafe rio pork

ingredients:
pork roast
1 cup salsa
1 cup brown sugar
1 liter coca-cola

directions:
In a crock pot slow cook pork roast overnight with salsa, brown sugar and coke. When pork is done, shred with two forks.  Additional salsa, brown sugar and coke may be added to enhance flavor or add more moisture.

april 4, 2011 - grilled chicken and pasta with asparagus

i wanted to use up some more of the asparagus i got in my bountiful basket, so i found this recipe: pasta with asparagus.  i also grilled some chicken breasts to go with it.

a few notes about how mine differed from the original recipe.  i used 2 cans of mushrooms since i didn't have any fresh ones on hand.  next time i will use only 1 can and put in more asparagus. 

pasta with asparagus recipe

ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces

1/4 cup chicken broth

1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced

8 ounces angel hair pasta

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

directions:

cook pasta according to package instructions.  heat the olive oil in a nonstick skillet. saute asparagus in the pan over medium heat for about 3 minutes. add chicken broth and mushroom slices; cook 3 minutes more. drain pasta, and transfer to a serving dish. gently toss pasta with asparagus mixture; sprinkle with parmesan and crushed red pepper.

april 3, 2011 - french onion soup

made french onion soup and served it with a thick slice of bread with cheese on top.  it was good, but didn't go over too well with the kids.  they liked the cheese but didn't care for soggy bread or the onions in the soup... oh well.