Healthy Stir Fry

I know that most of you don't know my mother ... you should ... but if you don't there is one thing you have to know about her ... when she likes something she goes all in ... like ... all in ... example ... Dave Ramsey ... enough said ... go check him out if you need more info. Anyway ... I knew we might be in trouble when the dear woman started talking about this new book she was reading ... never a good sign ... what was this book about you ask? A new diet of course! First, mom NEVER diets ... she is a firm believer in everything in moderation combined with exercise ... second, this diet is all fruits and veggies ... uh ... I eat healthy enough without 95% of that stuff thank you very much. I could see it coming ... this move was already going to hit me like a mack truck ... now I had to completely change my eating style ... uh ... kill me now.

I digress ... Dr. Joel Fuhrman ... author of the Eat to Live diet ... my new diet ... he professes that you can get all nutrients you need from fruits and veggies ... ok ... so he is right ... I am absolutely a buyer of what he is selling ... just don't make me eat it.

Well ... luckily for me I happen to be the chef for the family ... we may have gone and spent almost five hundred dollars on a bum load of fruits and veggies (did I mention that you are supposed to eat two pounds of salad per meal ... yea) ... but we didnt go and buy the little things that are needed to complete the recipes ... so I improvised ... using only what is allowed according to that book ... however, adding in lean meats (ever diet needs to be modified per user ... diets are not a one size fits all thing) and the occasional beef ... I have managed to make some pretty stellar meals ... yanno ... for only having fruits and veggies to work with.

With that I bring you ... a totally Eat to Live diet accepted dinner in the form of:

I know ... my pictures need a little work right now ... it'll get better!

2 red bell pepper
1 white onion
5 stalks celery
5 cloves garlic
1 (head ... huh?) of broccoli
4 chicken breasts
1/2 c. low sodium soy sauce
2 c. brown rice

Boil and then shred chicken. Chop up all the delicious veggies. Mince garlic. Add veggies, garlic, and soy sauce to skillet and sautee. When veggies start to turn a bright color add chicken to the mixture. Cook for about another five minutes to incorporate flavor into chicken. Serve over rice.

Simple ... delicious ... and super duper ridiculously healthy ... and even I liked it!

Hope you enjoy!

Goodnight my friends!

Cheesy Chicken and Rice Skillet

Hey friends!

So this little ditty was something that I found here at the picky palate website. Lets be honest here ... I have been a picky eater my entire life ... even to this day I only eat three forms of meat consistently; Chicken, cow, and occasionally turkey (which has become a lot more often as R and I try to eat healthier) ... the only kind of pork I like is bacon and a ham sandwich every now and again. Basically what I am saying here is that this website has become one of my favorites ... what can I say ... she caters to the picky in me.

I stumbled across this recipe over the summer and have made it a couple of times ... our family loves it! It may not be the healthiest ... picky palate isn't known for it's healthy recipes ... at least ... not to me ... she has some amazing sweet recipes ... like ... to die for. Anyway, I have been meaning to post it ... but I always get too wrapped up in the prep and the eating of this to get a picture! I recently ... last week ... made this for my in-laws so that I could compensate for me being over there all day to make decorations for Es impending birthday ... thank goodness for creative mother in laws who allow me to use their resources ... that's all I have to say. Thank goodness I finally got a picture ... even if it is a terrible picture (and by terrible I mean completely awful ... deal) ... I mean ... this recipe should be shared with the world ... who cares what the picture looks like ... if you want to see pretty pictures go to the picky palate website ... amazing pictures!

The recipe makes a lot ... that is why I chose to make it for the in laws ... There is a lot of prep work. This may be an easier thing to make, but it will take you a while if you do all the prep work at once. It is completely worth it though ... it is cheesy and creamy ... with bacon ... who the heck can resist bacon these days? That's what I thought! So,without any further ado ... here it is:

Cheesy Chicken and Rice Skillet:

1 pkg. turkey bacon
4 tbsp. butter
1/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 c. chicken broth
1 1/2 c. cheddar cheese
1-2 tbsp. hot sauce
2 c. shredded chicken
4 c. cooked white rice
1 c. cheddar cheese

Cook bacon. Leave all excess fat in pan and set aside. In medium sauce pan melt butter on medium heat. Once butter is melted whisk flour and pepper into it until smooth and bubbly. Slowly whisk in chicken broth. Increase heat whisking continuously until sauce has thickened. Reduce heat to low and stir in 1 and 1/2 c. cheddar cheese. Stir in hot sauce. Simmer then set aside. Rip bacon into bits. In pan where you cooked your bacon combine rice, chicken, bacon bits (about 3/4 of the bacon), and sauce. Top mixture with the cup of cheese and the rest of the bacon bits. Broil for around five minutes.

I hope you enjoy this dish as much as my family does!!

have a great night!

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Hello friends!

I know I said I was going to lower the amount of recipes there would be ... but I am not going to abolish them completely! I still love creating new flavors to sing within our mouths ... I won't let a silly little budget stop me from doing that entirely! I plan on doing one to two recipes a week ... hopefully!

So this little number I bring to you tonight is absolutely fabulous! I know that soup season is just about over ... but I just had to post this ... besides ... who doesn't love a good chicken soup when they are sick ... and this one is perfect for that because it is easy and healthy ... win win! If you are looking for a super simple yet awesomely delicious recipe for chicken noodle soup look no further ... this soup may not contain homemade noodles and a lot of veggies ... but the rice and the chicken make it so filling and divine!

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup:

3 c. water
1 can chicken broth (14 ounce)
1 can reduced fat and reduced sodium cream of chicken soup
2/3 c. wild rice
1/2 tsp. fresh thyme
1/4 tsp. pepper
3 c. (aprox. three to four breast) chicken shredded
2 c. fresh chopped spinach

Shred Chicken. In crockpot combine all ingredients except for chicken and spinach. Cook on low for seven to eight hours or on high for three to four and a half hours. Right before serving add chicken and spinach.

Easy right! I told you you'd love it!!!

Have a good night my friends!

Easy Chicken Over Pepper Salsa

Tonight I have a special treat ... you will have to check out my next post ... but I have to say ... it will be FABULOUS! But first ... here is yet another recipe to ... brought to you in part by the insistence of the hubby ... and Midwest Living. This recipe is loosely based around the one that I just linked ... due to the fact that I couldn't find blackened steak seasoning ... and ... well ... I'm picky ... so I just went with my gut as to what would taste good ... it seemed to work! Not only was this dish delicious and healthy but it was also beautiful ... and easy!! seriously .. you would not believe how ridiculously easy this is!

Easy Chicken over Pepper Salsa

4 chicken breasts

rotisserie chicken seasoning

Montreal steak seasoning 

1 red bell pepper

1 green bell pepper

1 orange bell pepper

1 yellow bell pepper

cilantro

2 tbsp rice vinegar

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp cumin

1/2 pack dry Italian dressing mix

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Season chicken with both rotisserie and steak seasonings (to your hearts desire ... go a little lighter on the steak seasoning ... it't super salty). Place chicken into skillet and brown on either side (give it a nice sear). Put chicken into oven and cook for 15 minutes. While chicken is cooking cut up peppers and cilantro. In a bow whisk together vinegar, oil, cumin and dressing. Stir in peppers and cilantro. From here you just plate you chicken on top of your pepper salsa! 

See ... Easy! Are you dying yet? Well ... wait until you try it! 

Recipe Group: Pressed Italian Sandwiches

I am really excited about this one! Last night was recipe group ... which of course means great people, good laughs, and amazing food! I really look forward to this little group of people getting together ever month! it makes my month! This month my dear friend Amanda called the theme and it was sandwiches ... holy good idea batman! E is a sandwich person ... as long as that sandwich is peanut butter and honey ... I have been needing some variety ... I am getting majorly sick of peanut butter and honey ... and I don't even eat it! Basically, the theme of sandwiches couldn't have come at a better time!

Since E is addicted to one single kind of sandwich I am not exactly an expert in this field. But, recipe group is  all about expanding your food horizons ... therefore I took to pinterest to find something that seemed worthy of the group. I found this little number to be most appetizing ... I have been obsessed with Italian subs lately ... I mean ... hello ... have you tried the vito at Jimmy Johns ... heaven in a sandwich! But here is a version of an Italian sub that is just as good and you can add your own spin to it (I mean ... I went to go and buy ingredients yesterday morning ... apparently Smiths does not have as much variety as I would have liked ... but ... with the snow storm my choices were limited as to which store to go to ... either way they turned out pretty great). So here we go:

Pressed Italian Sandwiches

6 small Ciabatta rolls (or you can use large buns or bread and slice up after … I used a giant roll)
2-3 Tbsp. butter
3 red peppers
1 large bunch of arugula, rinsed and patted dry
1 ball fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced.
Assorted Italian cold meats, about ¼ pound each (I used Genoa Salami, Pepperoni, and Hard Salami)
Balsamic Vinegar
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Roast peppers … To roast the red peppers: Set your oven to the Broil setting. Slice the sides off the red peppers and place skin side up on a baking sheet (trim the ends so they lie as flat as possible). Place under the broiler until very well charred (black) on top, about 10 minutes (watch closely after 5 minutes. You’ll want them to be mostly blackened on top.) Remove from the oven and immediately place the peppers in a plastic ziploc bag. Pop in the refrigerator for 30-40 minutes. Remove peppers from bag and peel off the blackened skin with a knife. Discard the skin and place the peppers into a small bowl. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Set aside. Cut your ciabatta in half and butter each piece (or you could brush with a bit of olive oil, if you prefer, but butter will help prevent moisture from getting into the bread … especially butter well under the red peppers if your sandwiches will be sitting for more than a day.). Place a layer of red pepper on bottom slice of bread. Top with a generous layer of cold meats (5 or 6 layers ... don't do what I did and do 11 ... way too many [I thought my bread was thicker than it was ... kill me]). Top the cold meat with a layer of the mozzarella slices. Drizzle some balsamic vinegar over the mozzarella slices and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with a generous layer of arugula. Cover with top slice of ciabatta. Wrap each sandwich tightly with plastic wrap and place on a platter or baking sheet. When all the sandwiches are prepared, place the platter in the refrigerator. Place a heavy skillet on top of sandwiches to apply weight (if you don’t have a heavy skillet, top with another baking sheet and place some large cans on top for the weight).Refrigerate at least 6 hours or ideally, overnight.

Chicken Parmesan

Hey everyone!

Finally I am back on the recipe train! It helps that I asked R to play his xbox instead of the computer ... I am now able to blog! So ... why not jump back in with a bang as far as recipes go! I am super duper excited about this one is because it was my own recipe! I decided that I wanted to make Chicken Parmesan but didn't feel like making the same boring recipe of bread crumbs and Prego ... and so I decided to try something new ... totally worth it! Wait until you try it! This little puppy is packed with flavor ... so get excited for a party in your mouth:

Parmesan Chicken

bread crumbs:
1.5 slices bread (I used whole wheat)
2 tsp Italian seasoning (not the dried dressing ... the other stuff ... dried spices)
2 cloves garlic
1 c. shredded Parmesan cheese

sauce:
1.5  c. traditional Prego sauce (it's quicker that way)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp Italian seasoning

3-4 chicken breasts
1 c. milk
1 tbsp olive oil
mozzarella cheese (as much as you want!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Throw all ingredients except for Parmesan cheese into food chopper (I minced the garlic first so it would be super fine). Chop until basically pulverized. Stir in Parmesan cheese and put on a plate. Stir together all ingredients for the sauce. Submerge chicken in milk then coat with breadcrumbs. Put oil in pan and heat on medium heat. Add chicken to pan to brown. Once browned put chicken in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes. When your last five minutes of cooking hits take the chicken out and put sauce mixture and then mozzarella cheese over the chicken. Put chicken back in the oven and cook for remaining five minutes.  Enjoy!

yummy looking huh! We decided to go almost full blown Olive Garden Tour of Italy!

That's it! I hope you enjoy this episode as much as our family did! 

Lasagna Rolls

Hola friends!

Tonight we had a fantastic dinner ... lasagna rolls! I Have never ever made homemade lasagna before ... I have heated up that Stouffers stuff ... which is pretty yummy ... but I have never made it from scratch. Even my daddy ... fabulous amazing chef that he is ... I can never remember him making lasagna (he makes ziti ... which I honestly thought he invented because out of everyone he cooked it for no one had ever heard of it when we were growing up [just a side note ... Olive Garden aint got nothin on my dad ... if you ever get the chance to taste his you will never be able to eat Olive Gardens again {I don't know how my sister does it} ... I'm going to post the recipe on here when I am down for Christmas ... when I get to take a picture of it ... we always make dad make it!]). Anyway ... so ... no lasagna ... but I have been noticing that lasagna rolls have been all the rage on pinterest as of late ... and I must admit they look so super delicious that I had to pin it ... not only pin it ... but try it! So that was our dinner!

Now, I wanted a classic lasagna roll ... and the Life as a Lofthouse blog provided that for me. It is super good! Tasted exactly like lasagna ... I will say that the cheese spread in the middle was a little bland ... I would add real garlic (two cloves) instead of garlic salt the next time make these. Anyhow, here is the recipe!

Lasagna Rolls: 

1/3 c. parmesan cheese
15 oz ricotta cheese
1 c. mozzarella cheese
1 egg, beaten
1 1/2 tsp parsley (I used fresh ... I think that helped a lot)
1/2 tsp onion powder (I honestly didn't have this ... so I used cumin ... but its such a small amount you can't taste it really)
1/4 tsp garlic powder (I would substitute both powders and use two clove garlic, minced)
jar Prego spaghetti sauce (normal/medium size ... don't feel like getting up to see the ounces ... whoops)
1 lb ground beef (we used ground turkey)
9 lasagna noodles
1 c. mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix first seven ingredients, cover, and put into the fridge. Brown meat and then mix with sauce. Cook noodles. When cooked (usually takes about 8 minutes when being boiled) lay out on wax paper so they don't stick. Dump half the meat and sauce mixture into your baking dish. Spread cheese mixture into lasagna noodles, roll and put into baking dish. Dump the rest of the sauce over top of your noodles and top with cheese. Cook for 25-30 minutes. Enjoy!

Hope you have a great evening! This will be my last post of the night, promise!

P.S. I know that my writing hasn't been on par as of late ... but I swear ... it is these stupid glasses! I don't know what it is! When I wear my glasses I am a slower thinker, and I am for sure not as smart ... I can't even think of ways to describe all the affects that it has on me ... ha ... all around I struggle when I wear these bad boys! Hopefully I will get out of them soon, I will find out on Wednesday!

Summer Salsa

This summer my mommy, sister, and I traveled to my favorite place in the entire world ... New York ... I have a lot of family on Long Island ... One of my very beautiful cousins was getting married. When we were there My sister introduced all of us (aunt, cousins, and us) to her creation of Summer salsa ... super delicious ... not like regular salsa that heats up your mouth and belly, this salsa is cool and refreshing ... just what we needed to beat the humidity (that and a very amazing pool provided by a very amazing aunt) ... I don't know what it was about this past weekend ... be it the devastation from hurricane Sandy ... or the anxiety and worry I felt for my family back there (and my best friend ... who happened to be visiting there ... and is still stuck there) ... or just because I miss that place on a daily basis ... but I started craving some New York summer salsa.

And so I made it ... and posted a picture on Instagram because it is soooo colorful and delicious ... and I got a request from an old friend for the recipe ... and I realized that not only for the wonderful AmyAnn did I need to post this recipe ... but to show my support and encouragement for New York ... it has just been devastated by a stupid hurricane ... but the people of New York are amazing and resilient and will come back bigger and stronger than ever! And so to honor New York and show the many city, towns, and people my love and support here is the summer salsa recipe (you will just die at how easy this is):

Summer Salsa:

1 green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
1 orange bell pepper
1 red onion (if you like a sweeter taste do a white onion)
Newmans Own brand Italian dressing (trust me)

Cut up pepper and onion as small as you like (remember it is salsa ... so really small is best). Add dressing to taste.

Seriously ... that is it ... and you will just die at the taste of it ... delicious ... refreshing ... and super duper easy!

About the Italian dressing ... it really needs to be the Newmans Own brand ... I have tried other brands ... its ok ... but never as good as Newmans Own ... like ... not even close ... not even on the same planet of taste ... that is how important it is to get Newmans Own Italian dressing (not the creamy kind either).

Have a great night! I think that two posts is enough for one night!

Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken

So ... this is just going to be a random post .. I may throw a recipe in at the end ... I mean ... I have around three to publish ... I have just been a slacker in the blog department!

Oh my heck ... another place I have been a slacker ... picture taking ... no joke ... I could wring my own neck for all the photo ops I've missed these past two days along (if you follow me on instagram ... or facebook ... I have been going on a photo binge for the past couple of hours ... sorry ... ok ... not sorry ... they are cute [I may be bias]). I mean ... there have been some fun happenings at the Combe residence ... Yesterday we had some kiddos and their mommies over to bake and decorate sugar cookies (all thanks to my friend Sarah who put it together [OH ... and no joke ... totally had to go grocery shopping an hour before because not only were we out of food ... but we were out of toilet paper ... try having people over like that! ... fastest shopping trip ever]) ... really though ... the flour was everywhere (especially on the shirts of the little ones) ... frosting was flying (purple, green, orange, black, and blue) ... orange, purple, and black sprinkles were dumped all over some cookies then sparsely laid over others ... faces were all smiles through crumbs and frosting as the kiddos tasted their very first cookie. What a day ... thank you moms for bringing your kids ... and yourselves ... you all filled our home with joy, laughter, and good company ... we will for sure have to do it again some day soon ... Christmas cookies maybe (I guess that doesn't make for a soon get together ... but I couldn't think of another holiday [if we even need a holiday ... because I don't think we do] off the cuff that you make cookies for)!

Another thing I forgot to take pictures of (I know ... if I wasn't kicking myself enough already for the cookie party) was our family trip to the pumpkin patch! This was the first time R and I took E ... Her eyes were so wide as she riffled through the boxes of "baby" pumpkins (really the medium sized ones) that I could have sworn they were about to pop out of her head! She carefully picked out her pumpkin ... which I refer to as the runt of the box ... seriously ... the smallest "medium" pumpkin I have ever seen ... She held that pumpkin like a baby ... sometimes talking to it (no joke) ... patiently ... as she waited for R and I to pick our own ... when we got into the car she refused to let us put it in the trunk with the other pumpkins ... she had to hold it on her lap ... yes ... she did get dirt everywhere ... but what is a little dirt to the safety of a baby pumpkin right? When we got home she gingerly laid it down in front of the pumpkins around out front door ... "fits right in" she said ... tomorrow we will bring all our precious finds over to grandmas where they will wait for the impending competition that comes every year at grandma's annual Halloween party (yes ... R wins every year ... yes ... his family hates him a little for the following half our ... yes ... we love it)!

So that's it! See what I did there ... I tried to paint a picture with my words ... get it ... because I had no pictures ... ha! But that was our last couple of days! I hope you enjoyed!

And now a recipe ... I wanted to post the recipe to the sugar cookies and frosting we used to tie it in ... but not only did I not take pictures ... but I think I should get clearance from my beautiful mother-in-law who provided me with the recipes ... and so rather I will give you the recipe to this chicken that has been floating around pinterest ... found originally over at food.com ... which is also known as Es favorite chicken ... but for the benefit of the public who read this blog we will just call it:

Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken:

4 chicken breasts
4 cloves garlic
3 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp brown sugar 

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Let chicken thaw. Mince garlic then sautee in olive oil. Once Garlic is goldeny-brown stir in brown sugar. Place chicken in baking dish and spread garlic/sugar mixture over the chicken. Bake for 15-30 minutes. Devour (believe me ... you will)

And finally ... For some of you this picture will be a repeat ... but Es face kills me ... so I had to post it. Our little four year old is so independent that I let her help mince the garlic ... its her favorite job:

Creamy Crock Pot Chicken

Hello again friends! I have another new recipe ... get excited because it is super good ... Rs plate is still out so I can take a picture of what it looks like after he finished eating this meal ... its worth it ... promise.

So E takes ballet every Tuesday from 3:15 to 4pm ... now ... one thing you should know about her place of ballet instruction is that it is the community center here in Logan ... for those of you not living here you should be made aware that there is a gigantic playground outside. E always wants to go and play after class but I always have to go home and cook dinner so it can be ready for when R gets home from work. This week I decided that with winter coming E really needed to get out there and play ... and now we have introduced into the Combe family Crock Pot Tuesdays!!! Today was the first crock pot Tuesday ... so I wanted it to be great ... However ... E slept in until about 9:15 today ... no joke ... so R and I did too ... score! This also meant that we were a little lazy until about 12:30 today ... yup ... so I needed something simple ... this is when I remembered pinning this recipe from the stick a fork in it blog (which happens to also be one of my moms favorite movie quotes) a couple of weeks ago! hallelujah! easy ... yummy ... cheap ... just what we like in the Combe family!

Creamy Crock Pot Chicken:

2-4 frozen or thawed chicken breasts

8 oz. cream cheese

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 pkg. dried Italian dressing seasoning

2-4 servings of rice (we prefer jasmine rice the best ... suuuuper yummy with this)

If cream cheese is still hard (like mine was because it has been sitting in the fridge) then combine cream cheese, cream of chicken soup, and Italian dressing seasoning and cook in crock pot on low for 30 minutes (this softens the cream cheese enough to stir everything together). Next, add chicken and cook until your own chosen dinner time (high = 4-6 hrs, low = 6-8 hrs). Cook rice. Serve chicken (we shredded our chicken after we got it onto our plates) and sauce over rice. Enjoy!

In the words of E ... this dish is delish (delish is her new favorite word ... apparently children can pick up attributes of the step parents too ... sweet ... she gets my vocab! love it!)! This is what Rs plate looked like after dinner was over:

Yes ... he did lick it clean ...

Ok ... have an awesome night you guys! Tomorrow I am starting an experiment with E and her fit throwing using all the different ideas given to me by my wonderful friends ... one week trials with each (I think R put the kibosh on spanking ... dang ... isn't that one supposed to be the fun one ... ha!) ... we will see how it goes!

Easy Breaded Parmesan Chicken

ok ... I'm going to make this post short, just like the chicken of which recipe I am posting! R, E, and I were at a wedding all day (I will post a picture of the place after this recipe ... it was amazingly beautiful!!) ... this was chicken that I made the other night ... but worth a post. So this chicken was pinned on pinterest with the name "OMG Chicken" ... but I'm not gonna lie ... I hate that phrase ... So I call it "super easy yummy chicken". Now ... I did not alter the recipe at all (ok ok ... except for making the breadcrumbs from scratch) ... however, I do have some suggestions (in some ways this chicken was a little bland) ... I'll post them after the recipe too ... but it was super easy to make and that is usually important to all mommies out there (I know it is to me).

Easy Breaded Parmesan Chicken:

link to original recipe here

4 chicken breasts
1/2 c. sour cream
1/4 parmesan cheese
italian breadcrumbs (to your hearts content ... again I made and used fresh ... if you need to know how to make them look to my Chicken in Basil Cream Sauce recipe for directions)

Mix the sour cream and parmesan cheese. Spread mixture over chicken. Sprinkle as many breadcrumbs as suits you over top. Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

See ... Easy! Now ... it would not hurt to add a little salt to taste ... to be honest it tasted a little cinnamon-y at first bite ... I am not quite confident enough in my cooking skills to throw out what would compliment that ... if you have any idea what would help please let me know! Otherwise, my only thought would be salt or even a clove of garlic minced ... that would be yummy! Either way ... it is easy ... and that is important!

Now ... pictures from this amazing wedding (R's cousin Kelli just got married ... her venue was up Sundance Canyon in Provo, UT ... it was at a cabin that looked up onto Mount Timpanogos ... seriously gorgeous ... my party planning senses were tingling!)

View that was behind the couple as they were getting married  ... a little inversion ... but beautiful!

Not the best pic of R and I ... but had to prove that that was the view!

Congratulations to the beautiful couple!!! Thank you so much for letting us be a part of your special day!!

Just for good measure I had to throw this picture in of E ... very few times does she actually show people her mad ballet skills ... yesterday she decided to show them! Here is a picture of her showing her moves at grandma's house ... Enjoy!

Crock Pot Loaded Cheesy Potato Soup

It's fall time everyone ... yanno ... thought I would announce it just in case you didn't notice ... but that means that recipes shift! It is now not sooo blazing hot outside that turning on your stove makes your house become Hell itself. Aside from that, it means that it is soup time! Yes ... there is a preface to even this story ... so ... I am not so much a soup person ... I like it just fine when given it (you know ... no other options type thing) ... but never really been one to seek it out ... until today. I have joined a recipe exchange group (thank you so much Sarah for inviting me!) that some of the girls in my ward started (two reasons - maybe get out of the whole chicken and pasta thing that I always do ... and two - make more friends[Thanks girls! It was so much fun])! Super exciting ... I know.

Well, the theme for this month was fall soups. "Ok ... Ok ... if I have to" (internal monologue) ... so began my journey to find an amazing soup (you know when you first start in a group and what you do/say has to be quality ... yea ... that way they don't "forget" to invite you next time ... that was my mindset). First, I called my best friend (I really need to come up with a name for her on here so I stop just saying "my best friend" ... I mean ... I talk about her enough) ... she is an AMAZING chef ... seriously ... way better than me ... and she told me of this soup that she had just made ... holy crap it looks amazing ... heck ... I'm even going to link the recipe ... I was planning on doing this lasagna soup ... but then I realized that I hate tomatoes ... yup ... I said it ... I think they are yucky ... everything from ketchup to pizza sauce ... can't stand them ... so why would I make a soup that has a tomato base? Sorry Christen ... I couldn't bring myself to do it ... you'll have to make it for me to convince me otherwise. And then this lil beauty fell into my lap (original found here)... seriously ... I was on pinterest for maybe two minutes before I heard it calling to me (almost literally ... I'm so not joking) ... it was potato (which I love) ... it was easy (which I also love) ... therefore it was mine. As always I have made some changes that I really feel make it phenomenal ... maybe you will have to try it both ways and tell me yourself which way is better. Anyway ... here it is:

Crock Pot Loaded Cheesy Potato Soup:

funny about this picture ... I actually forgot to take a picture until I had already put the soup into the freezer ... so I hurried and took it out and put the garnish on it ... just to scrape the garnish out and dump it back into the tupper ware to go back in the freezer ... yup ... what I do for this blog

5 lb russet potatoes (peeled or not ... your choice ... I peel mine) diced
3 tbsp fresh garlic minced
1 whole onion chopped (best to use white or yellow ... I used white)
64 oz chicken broth/stock
16 oz cream chees
2 c. (1 pkg) cheddar cheese
4-8 slices of bacon (I used turkey bacon ... I only needed four...my feeble attempt to be healthy) ripped up
bacon, sour cream, chives, or shredded cheese (all for garnish)

Combine first 4 ingredients in crock pot (low = 8 hrs ... high = 5hrs). Once cooked use hand mixer to combine cream cheese and contents of crock pot. Stir in cheddar cheese and bacon bits. Garnish with sour cream, chives or even more cheese or bacon ... or even all four!!

Super simple right!!! seriously ... I was amazed at how well it tasted ... I mean ... this was the first soup I have ever made ... I think it worked ... one for the books ... perfect to the perfect fall day ... enjoy (I know you will)!

Chicken in Basil Cream Sauce

dinner ... oh dinner ... sometimes you can be the bain of my existence ... sometimes you have me make something so good that it is worth singing about (no ... things I try don't always come out good ... but I only blog the good things ... hence why recipe blogs are not that often!) ... since this is the internet and you can't hear my (cough) great (cough) voice I will just give you the recipe instead!

no ... that is not puke on the chicken ... it's cheese ... you will deal when you try it

This, my dear friends, is Chicken in a basil cream sauce ... or, as E likes to call it (R also has a cute name for it ... lick the plate chicken ... I just like Es better) ... Cheeto chicken ... that is how good the sauce is ... it tastes like cheetos ... no joke.

I found this recipe over at favfamilyrecipes.com ... deliciouso (in the voice of Dora). Per usual there are minor changes that I have made that do not affect the integrity of the flavor ... just enhance it ... in my humble opinion.

1 c. milk
1 c. homemade Italtian breadcrumbs (promise ... homemade are so much better ... see end of this post for "recipe")
4 chicken breasts cut into half
1/4 c. butter
1 c. chicken broth
2 c. whipping cream
2 tsp. fresh basil minced
1/8 tsp ground pepper
1 c. grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Pound chicken (if you don't have a meat hammery-thingy and the chicken is thick enough you can butterfly it). But butter in a skillet on the stove on medium heat. Once butter is melted dip chicken in milk then breadcrumbs and put them in the skillet. cook until breadcrumbs become golden brown on both sides. Put browned chicken into a 13x9 pan and set in the oven (no timer needed ... just take it out when sauce and other sides are done). Now it is time for the sauce ... in the same pan that you warmed the chicken in (without even wiping it down) add chicken broth and stir to loosen browned bits. Stir in whipping cream, basil, and pepper. Let boil for one minute stirring constantly. Stir in parmesan cheese. Pour sauce over chicken (on your plate so you get just the right amount) and enjoy!!!

We like to serve sauceless noodles and just use the sauce that this makes for them ... I mean ... get ready ... this is not a low calorie dinner ... but holy crap ... seriously ... it is worth is! lick. the. plate. cheeto. chicken. ... HA ... see what I did there ... combined the two names ... that's right ... blamo ... it is worth that too!

OH RIGHT ... breadcrumbs ... ok ... "recipe" right ... well ... get your food processor out ... if you don't have one of those then you can use a blender ... and if you don't have one of those then you are SOL ... sorry ... anyway ... I use the heals of my bread ... because lets be honest ... no one likes the heals for sandwiches ... so ... to every 2 heals of bread use 2 tsp. of Italian seasoning ... blend those together and Viola ... homemade Italian breadcrumbs. Usually you are supposed to let them dry out before use ... but I honestly like using them fresh ... It seems to absorb more of the butter and create a more moist and richer flavor.

Ok ... have a great night lovelies! MAKE THIS RECIPE ... you will love me forever if you do!

Lettuce Wraps

Dinner tonight = ultra exciting ... well ... for me at least ... tonight I made something of my own creation ... just went for it ... and ... again ... patting my own back ... it didn't turn out disgusting ... in fact it was positively edible! what was it you ask ... ok ... if you read the title I am going to call you a cheater and you will be immediately disqualified (no you don't win anything if you guess ... but cheating will be on your conscious forever) ... DRUM ROLL PLEASE ...............

Lettuce Wraps!!! (ok ... so R and I are trying to be more healthy ... sue us ... they are good!)

look at those bad boys! nice thing ... they only took about fifteen minutes (I had cooked my chicken last night)! You know you want the recipe ... so ill give it to you!

1 head of lettuce
3 chicken breasts
1 green bell pepper
1/2 white onion
4 cloves garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp chicken stock
1 chicken bouillon cube (smashed up)
1 heaping tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika (maybe a little more than a tsp)
1 tsp seasonal salt
1 heaping tsp rosemary
parmesan cheese

Boil chicken then shred once cooled. Cut bell pepper and onion to bite size pieces. Mince onion. Saute onion and pepper in olive oil. After about two minutes add garlic and saute until garlic turns golden. Add chicken, chicken stock, and all spices. Cook for five minutes stirring constantly. Serve on a leaf of lettuce with parmesan cheese on top ... enjoy!

What's nice is that they are salty and fresh all at the same time!

OH! side note - do NOT try to break up the bouillon cube with your hands ... use the back of a knife or something ... or else your finger will turn out like mine did:

yes ... that is a blood blister on my thumb from trying to break up that stupid bouillon cube with my hands ... those suckers are tough!

Red Pepper and Garlic Pasta

Tonight we had this:

Delish looking I know. This little number is from our friend over at the Eat Yourself Skinny blog ... If you look there and then you look here at my recipe you will notice that I made some minor adjustments ... but overall the flavor is all her ... and boy is my family grateful! I was super worried that E wouldn't like this one ... luckily she isn't as picky as I was (ok ok ... as picky as I still am) ... she LOVED it. I hope you will too!

3/4 box spaghetti noodles
1 red bell pepper
4 cloves of garlic
(a little less than) 1/4 c. olive oil
3 tbsp butter
2 tsp lemon juice
red pepper flakes (to your hearts content)
1 c. parmesan cheese
salt (again ... just however much you feel like)

Mince garlic and cut red pepper into strips. Boil water and put spaghetti in. While pasta is cooking, saute garlic and red pepper in olive oil and butter, until garlic turns golden brown and pepper is tender. Add lemon juice and red pepper flakes to mixture and keep warm. When pasta is al dente drain and immediately add cheese. Follow this closely with adding the garlic/red pepper mixture to pasta. Give a good toss around the pan ... taste and add salt as you like. Voila ... yummy easy pasta!

I put on the table more cheese, salt, and red pepper flakes ... that way everyone gets it as spicy or savory as they like it!

P.S. I started working on a new craft today:

But I'm not going to finish it until Friday because I can't decide where to put it ... which would affect the orientation of it ... therefore look forward to Friday night (or Saturday morning) on seeing the final project and tutorial!

FINALLY - I just had to leave you with a face we all know and love ... lil E here ... cute even when making her angry face!

yes ... she did just get back from ballet ... yes ... I did that wicked awesome bun (patting my own back)