Holy Cheeseballs!

The weather has been so beautiful the last couple of days! Spring has finally arrived in the Adirondacks.  Everything has started sprouting and budding. I actually have some tulips and daffodils popping out of the ground.  I need to get outside and start getting my yard ready for planting and gardening.  There is raking to be done and it is not going to get done by itself. (But wouldn't that be nice!) I have a beautiful gardening board on my Pinterest, now I just need to cull it for ideas to put into practice.  My wonderful husband has promised me raised beds for my vegetables this year.

Because the weather has been so nice, I have been spending time outside with my Beauty. Once homework has been finished we head outside to ride her bike, scooter or play in the backyard. I have been looking for fun quick dinners.  I found this Grilled Cheese Pull Apart Bread by Oh Bite It on Pinterest a couple days ago and tonight I made it!

All I have to say is OMG!!!!!!!! This was super gooey, super yummy and SUPER bad for you.  It is definitely a "sometime" food to quote my good friend Cookie Monster.

There were a couple of little tweaks I made to this recipe to try to make it a little more healthful and cut down on the calories and fat.  Once I made it I realized that you could probably cut the butter down to 1/4 of a stick and still get the same effect and flavor.  It might even be possible to eliminate it completely from the bottom of the pan (spraying it of course with non stick spray or lining your pan with parchment paper) and just brush the tops of the biscuits.

The original recipe calls for you to use an entire biscuit for each dough ball.  I split each large biscuit into thirds. Also, the original calls for the use of 3/4 of the Velveeta and I cut it down to 12 ounces.

Grilled Cheese Pull-apart Biscuits

1 package Pillsbury Grands Flaky Layers Biscuits 8 biscuits

1/2 stick butter (1/4 cup) 

12 ounces Velveeta 2% Milk cut in 1/2 oz cubes

1 tsp garlic powder (optional) 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a 9 inch round cake pan melt 1/2 stick of butter.  Cube the Velveeta into approximately 1/2 oz portions you will need 24 cubes (I cut each 3 oz square into 6 cubes).  Split each using the layers into 3 portions.  Place a cube of cheese in the center of each biscuit round.  Draw the dough around the cheese like a little purse.  Place each dough ball in the pan.  You will have 24 dough balls.  

Once all the biscuit balls are in the pan.  Place in the oven and cook for 12 minutes.  After the 12 minutes take pan out of the oven and brush the tops with butter.  You will be able to use the butter from the bottom of the pan.  Sprinkle the tops with garlic powder if desired and return to the oven for another 12-15 minutes until biscuits are golden brown.  

Let cool 5 minutes before serving.  

This would be a fun recipe served after a day of playing out in the snow with a cup of tomato soup.  We had them with salad.  I can tell you that a little goes a long way.  Because of the butter and the Velveeta they are very rich.  I had enough for my family of 3 and then called my girlfriend to come get the rest to feed her family of 4 on her way home from softball.  

Paradise by the Magnalite

It's here! I finally have a Magnalite pot in my house! Generations of Guillory women in my family have and still cook with Magnalite cookware. My grandmother taught me how to make gumbo it one.  My mother taught me how to make chili in one.  Most recently, my wonderful cousin Patricia taught me how to make her easy crawfish etouffe recipe in one. (One of the biggest Magnalites I have ever seen by the way!)

Four generations of Guillory women. 

 I have seen its re release to the public but refused to use anything but vintage. (Yes, I am a pot snob.)  On my most recent visit to Louisiana and Florida I drooled over all the Magnalite being used to cook Easter dinner.  I tried like the dickens to sneak a pot or two out to our car (believe it or not we drove from New York to Louisiana!).  But to no avail, I left the Sportsman's Paradise Magnalite-less.

I had all but given up my quest when, on the last day in Florida, along with some hand-me-down wall hangings for my house...there it was. Quietly sitting at the bottom of the pile.  My mother's Magnalite GHC 5 quart stock pot. (squee!)  I could barely contain my joy.  OK, I didn't contain my joy. Truth be told I danced around the kitchen with it and then kissed it.

Now my Magnalite is home and sits on my stove.  I can't bring myself to put it away yet.  Tonight I am cooking Patricia's etouffee.  I know it is crazy but my Magnalite makes me feel connected to all the strong, beautiful Guillory women who have come before me. And one day soon, I will teach Keely how to cook her first meal in my Magnalite pot.

Sorry, forgot the Ro*tel. 

Patricia's Easy Crawfish Etouffee

1 lb crawfish tails with juices 

1 can Ro*tel (diced tomatoes) 

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can cream of celery soup

½ cup white wine

½ cup chicken stock

1 large onion (chopped)

1 green pepper (chopped)

2 or 3 garlic cloves (minced) to taste

2 or 3 Tbsp parsley (chopped) to taste

1 stick of butter

Tony Chachere’s Creole seasoning (to taste)

In a 4 quart pot over medium heat saute onions, green pepper in butter until soft (about 25 minutes).  Add garlic and cook another 3 minutes stirring constantly so garlic does not burn.

Stir in cream of celery, cream of mushroom, wine and chicken stock.

Increase heat and bring to a boil stirring constantly.

Reduce heat to medium and stir in crawfish and Tony's seasoning(to taste).

Cook for about 10 minutes and reduce heat to low. Sprinkle parsley on top.

Serve over hot rice. 

Being the Yankee Cajun that I am I do not like spicy food.  I put very little heat in my food when I cook it, so I serve this with a bottle of hot sauce. 

Dear St. Jude...

Dear St. Jude, I really would like to make chili.  I am not asking you to help me find the chili but rather my can opener that I need to get into the 7 cans that go into my chili.  Love, Kim

As you can see I have lost my can opener.  I did not realize how much I actually used my can opener until I found myself without it.  Every meal I have thought to cook this week requires said can opener. Chili being the worst offender. I did not realize it was missing until Tuesday.   I went to make the creamed corn to go with our tamales.  I got the corn out of the cabinet and looked where my can opener should be... no can opener. I glanced around the counters...no can opener. What the what?  Think Kim, when was the last time you used it?  Friday, self. I used it Friday to open a bazillion cans of sauce, crushed tomatoes and paste for me to make the 6 gallons of meat sauce for the Girl Scouts spaghetti supper. *HEAD SLAP* Oh no, I left my beloved and apparently hardest working kitchen tool at the spaghetti supper!

So I have been operating this week with one of those little poke and push can openers.  The creamed corn looked like something came and chewed the top off.  Wednesday we had chicken parm with spaghetti and I used a jar of Classico sauce (if I can't make my own sauce this is the only sauce I will use.  Right now one of the grocery stores around here has a great deal on Classico sauces so I have allotted $10 in my shopping budget to get 5 jars every time I go to the store until the special is over.).  Thursday we went out to eat after going to the movies (Jack the Giant Slayer at our second run theater in town.  Such a good movie.) My initial thought was to have chili waiting in the crock pot when we got home then I remembered my missing can opener. Tonight I made cheese enchiladas.  I am getting better with my poke and push can opener it only took me 10 minutes to open this can.  Hopefully someone picked up my can opener at the dinner. Until then my sister (who lives down the block) loaned me one, apparently she has 3!

It has been a little while since I posted a recipe (I have a bunch coming. I went to Louisiana over spring break and got to cook with my family!) So here is my Enchilada recipe from dinner tonight.

Easy Cheesy Enchiladas

8 - 6 inch flour tortillas
16 oz queso blanco
1 cup shredded cheese blend
28 ounce mild red enchilada sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spray the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.  Pour just enchilada sauce to cover the bottom of the baking dish.
Cut the queso blanco cheese into 8 2 ounce strips.
Roll cheese tightly in tortillas placing them seam side down in baking dish.
Pour remaining enchilada sauce over of rolled tortillas and top with shredded cheese.

Cover dish and bake for 30 minutes until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly.  Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.  Enchiladas will sort of flatten out.

Serve with spanish rice and refried beans.

Food Prep

It is no secret I have been trying to save money this year.  My savings projects are going well. I am right on track with my 52 week savings plan and we all know my $5 project got a nice boost.

Cooking with fresh ingredients combined with my pantry is going well. We have cut our ordering out down to once a month and eating out by 75%. When we do go out to eat we try to make it a really big deal. Keely still gets her Monday Happy Meal after aqua therapy that is her reward for working hard. Saving at the grocery store is going well. Coupons combined with Ad Match is saving me $50-$75 from my bill each trip. I have been using my slow cooker quite a bit. One of the things about the slow cooker I hate is having to cook something on the stove before adding it to the slow cooker... My solution to that is precook and freeze. The biggest offender in this pet peeve is ground beef. So now I will buy 10 pounds of ground beef and cook it in 5 pound batches. I then pour the cooked ground beef into my over the sink strainer to let it drain and cool. (this also allows me to buy ground beef with a higher fat content = cheaper and not have to worry about the extra fat getting into my food) Once it has cooled I bag it in 1 pound portions and freeze them. I can get 7 portions out of 10 pounds of ground beef.

Another way I try to save a little is to buy my chicken with the bones still in it.   I don't cook with a lot of breast meat but when I buy it that is always boneless and skinless.  I can cut them into cutlets, tenders and nuggets but deboning a breast with all those ribs... my butchering stills are not that good.  However, I do use a lot of chicken thighs.   They are purchased with the bone and skin still intact.  I get my bulk package home and debone and remove the skin.  I then wrap them individually and freeze them in a zip bag.  I can then portion out what I need when I need it. The skin and bones are then frozen to add to the pot when I make my chicken stock. (Another money saving enterprise.) 

Sometimes I wonder if all this is really saving me money.  I am not working right now, so my job is to work at ways to cut costs and save money in my household.  

Last night I used some of my chicken to make Quick Chicken Marsala.  I used Campbell's Skillet Sauces Marsala packet.  (I got a great deal with my coupons plus I hit a sale.) 

Quick Chicken Marsala

1 pound Chicken Thighs

1/4 cup flour

2 tablespoons butter

1 package Campbell's Skillet Sauces Marsala 

Dredge chicken in flour and saute in butter until chicken is browned.  Stir in sauce and heat to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes until chicken is cooked through. 

Serve with sides of your choosing.  Pasta, rice or potatoes are all nice and the Marsala sauce tastes wonderful over any of them. 

Winter Fake

It is winter break here in the great northeast. I can't think of a worse week for the kids to be off.  It is too cold to send them out to play, most often the weather is wet or snowy.  I would rather get off a week early in the summer.

I was looking for a little fake sunshine here.  Why not provide it with food?  Since I can't be in Florida, how can I bring Florida to me... ORANGES!

Orange Marinated Chicken Thighs

4 chicken thighs skin on
2 cups orange juice
1 1/4 cups orange marmelade
2 tablespoons chopped roasted garlic
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
Seasoned salt to taste

In a gallon zip bag combine orange juice, 1 cup marmelade, garlic and mustard.  Add chicken and marinate over night in refrigerator.

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees.  Remove chicken from marinade and season with Seasoned Salt to taste.  Place chicken in baking dish with about a 1/2 inch of marinade.  Brush the top of chicken thighs with 1/4 cup of reserved marmalade.  Bake for 45 minutes or until internal temperature is 165 degrees.

This was so yummy and delicious. It made the house smell wonderful and perfect for forgetting a snowy night.

Real Men Eat Quiche

My nose is so stuffy. Whatever it is I have has settled squarely in the middle of my face.
I can't breathe. My mouth keeps drying out from having to breathe through it. Blech!  Cooking has been hard.  As I told you before I cook by taste and when you can't smell you really can't taste.  It has been a challenge.

Tonight for dinner I made a quick quiche. It is my own recipe. Matt and Keely both love it.  I use hash browns as the crust.

Ham and Cheese Potato Quiche

1 cup shredded potatoes
3 ounces chopped deli ham
3 ounces chopped prosciutto ham
1 1/2 cups shredded swiss cheese
6 eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder
butter (for pie dish)


Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Butter the sides and bottom of pie dish.  Press 1 cup of shredded potatoes into bottom and sides of pan to form a crust.  Bake for 20 minutes to set.

While crust is baking. Finely chop 3 ounces of deli ham and 3 ounces of prosciutto.  Beat together eggs, cream, garlic and onion powder.  Layer ham, prosciutto and cheese over potato crust.  Pour egg mixture over top and bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.  Turn oven down to 350 and bake until set approximately 30 more minutes.  Quiche is set when middle is slightly soft and sides don't move when pan is jiggled.  

Not to be Negative...

It was -11 when I woke up this morning. NEGATIVE ELEVEN!!!! That is just wrong. WRONG WRONG WRONG. Clearly I am living in the wrong half of the United States. Anyone want to send me somewhere warm and tropical? I will give you a nice write up.

What the what? 

Joy and I quickly ran one errand today and beyond that we stayed in the house.  I know I sound like a big baby but it is just too cold to be outside.

After homework was finished I showed the girls the Aristocats on Netflix this afternoon. Watching old Disney films is like watching Pixar films today in that they seem to recycle their actors.

As you can see it was a very low key day. My Beauty made another 100% on her spelling pre-test so she does not have to take the actual test tomorrow.  I think this makes 8 in a row for the pretests and her 12th 100%.  She has never made less than a 90%. It astounds me how quickly she learns her spelling words.  For someone who does not have the physical capability to "sound out" a word I am amazed. Although, I have no idea what she hears in her own head. Perhaps she is sounding the words out.

Dinner tonight was Philly Cheese Steak Stuffed Peppers. I pinned the recipe from Quick and Easy Recipes.  As I am still trying to cook mainly from my pantry I had a couple of tweaks.

Also, I am allergic to raw onions, so I very rarely use them in something like this. Onion powder is my go to substitute but today I tried something a little different. Cooked onions are OK but they have to be cooked completely clear (think French Onion Soup onions).  I did not feel like cooking an onion for 30 minutes, so I winged it a bit. I drained a can of French Onion Soup and used those onions. We liked they way they came out and it added a nice bit of flavor.  I am going to include the fresh onion here but know there is a tasty substitute if anyone has the same problem. (I did not waste the soup. I saved what I strained. Tomorrow I will have french onion soup with no onions for lunch which is how I like it anyway! (silver lining)

Cheese Steak Stuffed Pepper

2 whole green peppers
1 onion
1 small can sliced mushrooms
1 package thin and lean roast beef
8 slices provolone cheese
2 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste


Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Thinly cut onion. Saute over medium heat with olive oil, mushrooms and a little salt and pepper. Saute until onions are caramelized. About 25-30 minutes.

While onions are cooking cut peppers in half lengthwise, remove ribs and seeds. Line the inside of each pepper with a slice of provolone cheese and place in a walled pan. Next cut roast beef into thin strips and add to the onions and mushrooms once the onions have caramelized. Allow to cook 5-10 minutes. Remove mixture from heat.

Fill each pepper with meat mixture until they are nearly overflowing.

Cover your pan with foil and bake for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes top each pepper with another slice of provolone cheese. Bake uncovered another 8-10 minutes, until cheese is golden brown.

Note: I added a couple dashes of Worcestershire sauce to mine once I added my roast beef to the onions and mushrooms.

It's All Greek to Me

I am writing tonight tucked up in my new Sunbeam Electric Throw! I will be wearing this everywhere until spring. Now I just need to find an extension cord long enough. It is cold here with a capital C and we are not expected to make it out of the teens all week. I am trying to figure out of I need to leave the house before Friday night for Keely's skiing at the Double H Ranch.

We had a wonderful day today. We celebrated the 2nd birthday of a very special little boy at the Children's Museum at Saratoga.  It is such a great space. So many different activities for the children to do. Keely spent quite a bit of time in the Cafe. She loved cooking, taking orders, handing out checks. She was a regular Flo and just need a "kiss my grits". (I bet that just aged me! Ok 41, I am 41.) She also really liked the fire truck.  My nieces Joy and Elise loved it too!

My Mommy is in town for two weeks. I am very excited to be spending time with her.  That is another one of those silver linings about losing my job last year.  I get to see my mom all day when she is in town.

Dinner tonight was Chicken Gyro Burgers with Tzatziki sauce. I love Gyros! They are my fair food of choice.  In fact, it is what I get everyday I am at the fair. No matter how many days I go. I think the cold has me craving summer.  To me nothing says summer like a day at the fair. This is sort of an amalgam of all the Gyro and Tzatziki recipes I have tried over the years and now it is my own.

Chicken Gyro Burgers with Tzatziki sauce

1 package of Perdue Ground Chicken Patties  (4 4oz patties)
4 pita pockets
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp sweet paprika
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp plus 1 tbsp garlic powder (or one clove finely chopped garlic)
2 tsp Lawry's Seasoned Salt
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup finely diced cucumber
1 tomato
remaining cucumber sliced thin
olive oil

Spoon Greek yogurt into a bowl.  Add lemon juice, cucumber and 1 tbsp of garlic powder or fresh garlic if you prefer. Mix to combine and place in refrigerator to chill until ready to use.

In a small bowl combine cumin, paprika, oregano, Seasoned Salt and 1/2 tsp of garlic powder.  Generously apply seasoning mixture to both sides of chicken patties.  In a flat skillet heat olive oil (just enough to keep chicken patties from sticking. Cook patties over medium high heat 5 minutes per side (or until cooked through if you have chosen to make your own patties)

Remove chicken patties from heat.  Split pita to create pocket. Insert chicken patty, cucumber slices, diced tomato and tzatziki sauce.

Notes:

1. I cut my burger into thin strips and assembled my "burger" like a taco on top of the pita then folded the entire thing in half.  
2. You can also mix the spice blend with ground chicken and 1 egg to form your own patties.  If you make your own patties please note that cooking times will vary depending on the thickness of your burger.  As a rule poultry needs to be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees.   
3. Finally, if you choose, brown ground chicken and spice blend as you would taco meat.  I like to do this and toast pita triangles to make Gyro Nachos. It is nice with a little feta cheese and black olives.  

Company Weekend

I love company!  Nothing makes me happier than having visitors, I don't care if it is fourteen people for Christmas dinner or one friend visiting for the weekend.  I am a nurturer. As an Italian/Cajun momma, I have an almost pathological need to feed you. Mangia! Sick? Let me bring you soup! Had a baby? Here is a couple of frozen casseroles! Someone dies? Pasta for your family. You get the picture.

Friday night I got my house ready for company: guest bed changed, room cleaned, floors swept and mopped, my house is smelling Fabuloso! It is now of course 9:00 PM and I still have not eaten.  Matt and Keely had Salmon Teriyaki packets from Schwans. Unfortunately, I really don't care for cooked salmon, sushi...yes, lox...yes, cooked salmon...no, so I did not eat with them. Off to Pinterest to find something quick and easy.  Here it is - Bacon Avocado Cups from Primally Inspired

Their picture looks so much prettier than mine.

This was probably one of the easiest things I have made in a while of course I took their recipe and adjusted it just a bit.

one avocado diced and removed from skin

2 slices of bacon, 

Monari Federzoni Balsamic Glaze drizzled over top

So yummy and perfect for that time of night. 

Saturday is company day!  My bestie and her wonderful husband arrive.  They meet with my Girl Scout troop. It was a wonderful presentation and my girls would have sat and listened for three hours instead of the one I scheduled.  My sister and her family then joined us for dinner.  I started with this recipe I pinned for Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole from Six Sister's Stuff.  I knew however I wanted to stretch the recipe so I Kimified it a bit... This was my final result:

Kim's Chicken Pasta Cordon Bleu

1 pound chicken diced cooked chicken breast

1 box tri-color rotini pasta

1 box Stove Top chicken stuffing mix (6oz) 

1.5 cups shredded swiss cheese

8 slices Sargento Ultra Thin swiss cheese

8 ounces deli ham diced

1 can condensed cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup prepared dijon mustard

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare stuffing and pasta according to package directions.  Mix pasta, chicken, shredded cheese, ham, soup, milk and mustard together in a 9x13 casserole dish.  Layer swiss slices on top and then spread stuffing over it all.  Bake casserole for 45 minutes. 

Note: I actually marinated the chicken in 1/4 cup dijon mustard and 1/8 cup lemon juice overnight then sauteed the diced chicken before adding it to my casserole it gives a nice depth of flavor. 

This morning my Beauty wanted chocolate oatmeal for breakfast.  I have not bought packets of oatmeal in 6 months. I have been making my own. It is super easy and super CHEAP! I pinned the idea from Amylovesherlife. 

I actually got a great deal on 42 oz of Quaker Oats (2@$5) this past week.  I have a metric ton of Nesquik chocolate powder that I got a super deal on (50 cents!) so I have not had to buy chocolate powder in over a year (it expires in 2014 in case your curious).  I got the zip bags at the Dollar Tree and I reuse until I can't close them anymore (heh, I call it being green). 

Chocolate Oatmeal Packet
1/4 cup quick oats
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon chocolate milk powder

Combine 3 ingredients in zip top baggie.  That's it.  Seal up the bags and be done.  I make 14 packs at a time we store them in a panda bear cookie jar with a hollow head. After I empty the packet in the bowl I put the empty bag in the panda head. 

To make the oatmeal, add 1/2 cup of milk or water and microwave for 1 minute. If it seems a little thick add more liquid 1 tablespoon at a time. 

Excessive Time in Waiting Room Fee

In my previous life I worked for a medical group, I understand that sometimes doctors get behind.

Today I showed up with Keely at 3:50 PM for her 4:00 PM  ENT (Ear Nose and Throat) appointment,  I know that this doctor consistently runs late. I have actually had to reschedule after sitting in the waiting room because I had to leave to make it to another appointment.  We have been patients there for 6 years, he is a wonderful doctor who I feel genuinely cares about my child and her well being.

We waited and waited and waited and waited. At 4:45 they finally called us from the waiting room to the exam room where you guessed it, we waited some more.  It took almost an hour to be seen.  Once we were with the doctor he took his time, asked all the right questions, reviewed our history and then (God bless this man for doing it) cleaned out Keely's ears.  

My poor Beauty has the waxiest ears on the planet.  They sort of remind me of how Shrek made a candle by sticking something in his ear. Unfortunately, this also makes her prone to ear infections. She hates to get her ears cleaned (she actually calls the ENT the "Scrapey" doctor). Since she really can't tell me what is going on, I am not sure if it hurts her or the noise bothers her, but whatever it is she screams like he is trying to suck her brain out of her ear.  She always tells me in advance that there will be crying. 

Today's results...double ear infection with a Z-pak and drops prescribed.  I am so happy for the Z-pak, meds are hard for us. She can't swallow a pill, most liquids taste terrible and the doses are pretty large.  I strongly feel that all medicines should come in strip or dissolving tablet form.  I can tell you that I literally cried they day I realized they stopped making Triaminic Thin Strips. The Z-pak is 5 days and we are done! 

So it was a good thing I put dinner in the crock pot this morning! I had a frozen teriyaki pork tenderloin, teriyaki sauce, orange juice and orange blossom honey..... 

Slow Cooker Orange Teriyaki Tenderloin 

1 Hormel Always Tender Teriyaki Pork Tenderloin

1 bottle La Choy Teriyaki Marinade and Sauce

1 cup orange juice

1/4 cup orange blossom honey 

1 Dole Mandarin Orange 4 oz. cup

In crock pot mix teriyaki sauce, orange juice and honey.  Add pork tenderloin, turning in sauce to coat, spoon sauce over tenderloin.  Cover crock pot and cook on low for 7-8 hours, if you like you can turn meat once during cooking. 

When done cooking remove tenderloin from crock pot and either shred or slice. Serve over rice and garnish with orange slices. 

Note: After shredding my tenderloin I made a slurry of 1/4 cup orange juice and 2 tablespoons cornstarch and added it to the liquid in the crock pot to thicken. I then put the shredded pork back in the  crock pot and served from there. 

This was a big hit! Matt and Keely both enjoyed it and the pork stayed so tender that I was able to eat some myself.  The picture is my plate... it is actually a saucer.  I am back with the little plate program of eating. 

Tell Me Why I Don't Like Mondays

"I went to sleep with gum in my mouth and now there's gum in my hair..."
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Did you ever have one of those days where nothing seems to go smoothly? I feel like that was my day today. First I forgot to pack Keely's library book to go back to school today. Then every task seemed to take twice as long as it should because somewhere in the middle there was some sort of glitch or I discovered something leading to another related task.  "I will just take a second and load the dishwasher...oh shoot, there are clean dishes in the dishwasher that need to be unloaded." That sort of thing.

It seems my Beauty had the same sort of day.  She was not quite feeling herself this morning after yesterday's gastrointestinal ordeal so she had a bad morning in school and had to "move a stick" there by causing her to miss 5 minutes of recess (a big deal to a 9 year old).  Then at lunch she dropped her sandwich.  Her aid got her a new one, she ate about half and then spilled her milk all over the rest.  Poor peanut. Her mother forgot to pack her library book so she did not get a new one from the library.

Her afternoon seemed to get better.  She had to write an "essay" about what she would do if she found a dinosaur in our backyard.  Apparently she would pet it, then ride it to school. *love it* I am thrilled that she is getting better at thinking of things to write. There was a time where she would not be able to come up with anything.  I wonder sometimes if she takes advantage of her silence as a way to hold back the world?  Easier to shrug her shoulders than put the work into writing something or using her device to answer a question.

We got all her homework done and actually made to it Aqua Therapy early today. She had a wonderful  therapy session and was beautifully behaved.  While she ate dinner and watched Horseland, I finished picking the rotisserie chickens I got this weekend for the Chicken and Gnocci soup.

I love grocery store rotisserie chicken! I can honestly say I would not be able to roast my own chicken for $4.99.  I only buy them when they are on sale and then I will get several at a time. If you work your chicken right you can get a good 3 meals out of it. If I have more than one I separate the meat into light and dark and freeze it.  Then I boil the carcass and make chicken stock.

I let it cook down quite a bit. When I started it the liquid was up to the top row of holes.  Now I have a wonderful stock that I can use later this week or freeze for use further down the line.

While that was boiling away I finally got Matt's breakfast burritos done. Like the freezer sandwiches I try to keep them under 200 calories.  You really have to watch the calorie count on the flour tortillas, they can get up there.  If I can get them on sale I will use the Flat Out flat bread for 100 calories. Here is this rounds ingredients.

Breakfast Burrito
16 servings
2 packages Old El Paso 8 inch flour tortillas
16 medium eggs
8 slices Sargento Ultra Thin colby jack cheese
16 slices Oscar Mayer Deli Fresh black forest ham
salt and pepper to taste

Scramble the eggs 8 at a time and allow to cool (hot fillings will leak through tortilla wrap).
To assemble lay one tortilla on a piece of plastic wrap. Place 1/4 cup of scrambled egg 1/3 of the way from the bottom of the tortilla, add a slice of ham and half a slice of cheese.  Fold the bottom of the tortilla over the filling and fold in both sides making a pocket. Roll away from you until you reach the farthest end of the tortilla keeping the sides tucked in as you roll. Wrap in plastic wrap and tuck in the sides.

Again simple and easy.  You can add whatever fillings you want shredded cheese, shredded potato, chopped bacon, salsa, veggies.  Just remember the more stuff you add the larger the tortilla you are going to need.

Tomorrow is going to be a crockpot day.  We have an appointment for the Beauty with the ENT.  I always make her appointments for the very end of the day, this way when they clean out her ears her screaming does not scare any of the other patients.

Lazy Sunday

After a long cold day outside watching Keely ski yesterday at the Double H Ranch, angels in the snow,  I was looking forward to a nice lazy Sunday.

The lazy day I got was not quite the one I bargained for.  Sure I spent the day snuggled up on the sofa watching movies and Netflix, however, the circumstances were less than ideal. My poor Beauty has a tummy bug.

She and I spent the day watching movie after movie. Return of the Jedi and Labyrinth followed by lots and lots of Horseland.

Thank goodness she seems to be much better. I guess Horseland and Popsicles go a long way towards recovery.

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I did get to some cooking this weekend.

Friday I made a pan of Baked Farfalle Florentine, Saturday morning was a pot of Creamed Chicken Gnocci soup and I did get all of Matt's freezer sandwiches done.

I promise to get you the pasta and soup recipes soon but really I can't put them up because they consist of instructions like add milk, mix grated romano cheese, throw in some chicken.  I need to focus on measurements the next time I make them so I can share them with you.

One of the ways we save money is that Matt brings his breakfast and lunch every day.  For breakfast he has a breakfast burrito that I make in bulk sessions and freeze.  In the morning he grabs one and heats it up while he makes his lunch and coffee.

Lunch is a freezer sandwich.

These are so simple and easy to make and for around $1 and less than 200 calories he has a sandwich he can just grab and go.

Freezer Sandwich

Arnold Bakery sandwich thins
Oscar Mayer Deli Fresh turkey
Oscar Mayer Deli Fresh ham
Sargento Ultra Thin colby jack cheese slices

Each sandwich consists of one sandwich thin, 3 slices turkey, 3 slices ham and 1 slice of cheese.

Wrap in foil and freeze.

It is that simple. Matt throws his in his lunch bag with a greek yogurt, baby carrots, banana, Emerald Breakfast on the Go pack and an apple or pear.  It keeps his yogurt cold and by lunch time it is thawed and ready to eat. He keeps a little bottle of mustard at his desk and puts that on the sandwich. Done. Better for you than fast food and much less expensive.
For a while I was making my own breakfast on the go packs for him but he prefers the pre-made ones so I get him those only when they are on sale and only when I have a coupon. :)

Shrimp, Scallops and Sleeping Babies

Day 2 of inventory continues... I confess I did not get as far as I could have because I am a sucker for a sleeping baby. I love love love it when Joy naps on me. Did I mention that I love it? She gets all warm and snuggly and gives off that sweet sleeping baby smell.  Her little hand will reach up and touch my cheek every once in a while *melt*, well, you get the idea.

So today I only got to my side-by-side in the kitchen.  This is also a great way to do some purging and get your cabinets and refrigerator clean (although, I am a maniac about keeping my refrigerator clean and organized).  Where was I? Freezer, right.

One of the many things I discovered in my freezer were some giant sea scallops left over from our Christmas La Vigilia. Score!  About 6 months ago I found the most amazing shrimp recipe on Pinterest.
We love shrimp and if I can get a good deal on the 16/21 count bags I will stock up. I can honestly say that I make this at least 3 times a month. I have searched and searched to give the original pinner credit but my pin only links to a photo.  Here is my write up of the recipe.

Amazing Shrimp

1 pound peeled, deveined 16/21 count shrimp
1 stick butter
2 - 3 lemons thinly sliced
1 packet Good Seasons Italian Dressing mix

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in oven in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Once butter has melted layer the lemons over the butter. (I like to have one round lemon slice per shrimp.) Add shrimp to baking dish and sprinkle with Good Seasons Italian Dressing mix.  Bake for 15-17 minutes.

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That is it! It is so simple and so yummy. 15 minutes seems to be perfect for 16 shrimp if there are more the time my take a little longer. You want to check frequently because you don't want rubbery shrimp! Before I serve it I give everything a nice stir and give the shrimp a nice coating of that melted lemon butter.  I have also been known to layer some really thin asparagus spears on the bottom between the butter and the lemon, as well as add a 1/2 cup of white wine.  That is the beauty of cooking, you get to play!

Well, along those lines I wondered how my amazing shrimp recipe would be if I turned it into Amazing Scallops!  If you guessed amazing... you are right! So here it is:

Amazing Scallops

1 pound sea scallops
1 stick butter
2-3 lemons thinly sliced
1 packet Good Seasons Italian Dressing mix

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in oven in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Once butter has melted layer the lemons over the butter. Add scallops to baking dish and sprinkle with Good Seasons Italian Dressing mix.  Bake for 13-17 minutes depending on the thickness of your scallops.

Notes: I cut my scallops in half and gave them a quick sear on both sides so they would have a nice golden color. Taking into account the thickness and sear time I only baked my scallops for 8 minutes and they were perfect.

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Again, so simple, so easy and super delicious.  Unfortunately, my husband has contracted the bug that started at my sister's house and he really was not able to fully enjoy the yumminess, so I plan to make this again for him as soon as he is feeling better.

I served the scallops with a multi grain pilaf and creamed spinach. My Beauty ate hers right up and asked for seconds. I am very lucky that I have a child who will eat just about anything I put in front of her.  When people ask me my secret I tell them it is because I have always just fed her the same things we were eating.  Don't get me wrong the child has a love of noodles that is almost pathological but I can put anything in the noodles and she will eat it.

Tomorrow is a day in the kitchen for me.  I am making a soup to bring to the Double H Ranch with us on Saturday (the Beauty has another ski day), I am making a baked pasta dish for my girlfriend who had a death in her family, my husband is out of breakfast burritos and freezer sandwiches so those need to be made as well.  I guess tomorrow will be another recipe post.

Baby It's Cold Outside

So, to say it is cold outside is an understatement... it is positively frigid up here in the great white north! The weather app on my phone tells me the temperature is 1. ONE!!!!! I don't even want to stick my hand out the door to get the mail out of the mail box.

My big project for today is to de-Christmas-fy my house. All things Christmas are to be put away with the exception of the lights on my archway. (I call them fairy lights and then I can keep them up all year.) So out with the Santas and in with the Snowmen in the Milligan household and since we will most likely have ground cover here until mid March the snowmen stick around a while. 

Once that is done I need to prepare for my Girl Scout meeting tonight. I know nothing like waiting until the last minute. We are going to start getting ready for World Thinking Day in February. Our country this year is Russia. So the girls will need to come up with some information for our display and decide on what food to make for everyone to try. Lucky for me the meetings take place at my house so I still can avoid going outside today. 

I thought I would share my Chili recipe with you for those who are interested. Sharing a recipe that is uniquely mine is tough because I am a cook by taste person and not really a measuring person (which is why I can't bake, all baking done at Chez Milligan is done by Mr. Milligan). 

Kim's Famously Delicious Chili

1 pound lean ground beef

2 packets taco seasoning

3 cans beans of your choosing (light pink kidney, cannelini, black, pinto, garbanzo, butter, etc) 

1 large jar mild salsa (I don't do spicy foods so if you do use hot salsa) 

1 large can crushed tomatoes

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon onion powder

Brown ground beef in stock pot with taco seasoning. Once meat is browned, drain and add beans to pot, add salsa, crushed tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, garlic and onion powder. Stir and cook on low heat at least 3-4 hours uncovered. Should make 8-10 cups of chili. 

Thats it. You see why I make this at least 3 times a month in the winter. 

You can also brown the ground beef and put everything in a crock pot and cook on low. The longer it cooks the better.