Tag: chicken

“If there’s cheesecake in the house, I’ll have some.” – Kelly Ripa

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How was everyone’s Labor Day??

Mine was awesome. Spent the day at the Birmingham Zoo and because of the cloud cover it was very pleasant all day! Then it was off to The Cheesecake Factory for dinner where I showed great restraint when I ordered only a Skinnylicious Caesar Salad! Granted we did order a slice of the new Oreo Dream Extreme Cheesecake!!!

(before you start shaking your finger – it was split 3 ways)


Can you say awesome???

One of the best desserts I’ve ever had.

So – like I said – great day!

It was back to the ol’ grind today and after a trip to the gym (that makes twice in 4 days – thankyouverymuch) I started on dinner.

On the menu tonight is a recipe I adapted from the blog Relative Taste.

It looked interesting, all the ingredients were things I really liked and it seemed fairly simple. Because of this I thought it would work well for a workday dinner and since I had I postponed the Peanut Gallery meal until tonight due to the holiday I thought it would be perfect.

Teriyaki-Ranch Chicken

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • ½ cup teriyaki basting sauce
  • ½ cup light Ranch salad dressing
  • 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
  • 3 green onions, chopped
  • 1½ ounces bacon bits

In a bowl mix together teriyaki sauce and ranch. Next salt and pepper your chicken, and using the vegetable oil, lightly brown the chicken on both sides.

Place in baking dish.

Pour sauce mixture over chicken.

Top with cheese.

Sprinkle bacon bits and green onions.

Bake uncovered at 350° for 30 minutes.

I served it with rice (pour a little pan sauce over the rice) and top with the chicken breast.  Any green side would be great.

This was VERY, VERY good. The flavor was unbelievable! I was kind of surprised because it was so simple.

This will definitely be one of my “go-to” quick dinners.

Until next time!

abp

“I love a rainy night, I love a rainy night, I love to hear the thunder, Watch the lightning when it lights up the sky. You know it makes me feel good.” – Eddie Rabbitt

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I hate that I have been MIA for the passed few days but I worked late on Thursday and then the weekend was just crazy busy! In a good way – there just was not any time to sit down at the computer.

Also, I did try a cookie recipe but it was a FAIL. So I didn’t post about that. 😦

It’s been quite rainy here and I love it. Maybe I’m weird but rain makes me happy. Granted I would not want it all the time but I welcome it most anytime – as long as I’m not on a trip sightseeing. Or at the beach. Or Disney World. Or driving a long way. Ok, well maybe I just like it to rain when I’m home or at work or at church. There is something comforting about it.

As fun as the weekend has been and as much as I love to go out and eat, I’m happy to be back in the kitchen.

Tonight I’m trying a Paula Deen recipe. Two actually.

Quick Italian Salad and Chicken Pesto Pasta

The salad is simple.

Grab a bag of Italian blend salad mix and a cup of halved cherry tomatoes. Toss.

(I totally forgot to add the tomatoes in – duh)

Next whisk up the following in a bowl.

  • 1 envelope of zesty italian dressing mix
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons of prepared ranch dressing.

You then drizzle the dressing over salad and refrigerate any leftovers up to 2 weeks.

Of course I must add Parmesan cheese and croutons.

For the Chicken Pesto Pasta you will need:

  • 1 (16-ounce) package fettuccine (didn’t have – so used linguine)
  • 1 pound fresh chicken tenderloins (I used cutlets)
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 small onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
  • 1 yellow squash, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
  • 1 zucchini, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • ¼ cup prepared pesto (I used around a ½ cup)

First, cook fettuccine according to package directions, drain, set aside.

Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat.  Season chicken with salt and pepper and cook for 2-3 minutes per side, or until golden brown.

Remove and cut into ½ inch pieces.

Add onion and bell pepper to skillet and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until tender.

Next, add squash and zucchini and cook and additional 3-4 minutes.

Stir in cream and pesto and cook for 5 minutes – so it is slightly thickened.

Add pasta and chicken, toss to coat and to warm back up.

Serve with garlic bread or these Parmesan Knots that I really like to do – I’ll have to share that recipe with you sometime soon!

As I mentioned last week – the peanut gallery will not be getting dessert since they are getting dinner but I do hope to be making a Creamy Peanut Butter Tart later in the week they can taste test for me!!! Keep an eye out for that!

****This is my take on the pasta (fyi – the peanut gallery loved it), I think the sauce was missing something. That was one reason I added more pesto. I believe it needed to be finished off with wine or chicken broth to give a little more flavor, maybe saute some garlic with it too. It was a little bit too much just cream for me. Get what I’m saying? – no kick. It was really good but next time I make it – I will doctor it up. But hey – that’s just me, some people like it more on the tame side. ****

I hope everyone had an enjoyable weekend. These weeks are just flying by!! Christmas is just around the corner and that makes me hyperventilate.

Don’t get me wrong – Christmas is my favorite time of the year! It’s just that I will be hosting Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner – that plus 3 trees and a Christmas village. Whew. I’m tired just thinking about it……..

~Catch ya later~

abp

“There’s no such thing as a bad carbohydrate.” – Don Kardong

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Hopefully after a very painful shot in the bottom, I will feel better tomorrow!!!!

This is getting old.

But something that will never, ever get old – PASTA!!

I crave carbohydrates and there is no better way to fill that need than with PASTA (pasta with heavy cream is even better)

I was a trooper and I did not disappoint my peanut gallery, even though there were several times in the day I thought I might just have to postpone dinner. But I am soooo glad I did not. This is another fabulous recipe that will definitely work it’s way into a monthly rotation.  My house still smells like a mexican restaurant but I don’t care. Nothing a little pine-sol can’t fix.

Cajun Chicken Pasta – another Pioneer Woman creation – that women is phenomenal. There is nothing of hers I do not like.

CAJUN CHICKEN PASTA

  • 3 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, Cut Into Cubes
  • 3 teaspoons Cajun Spice Mix, More To Taste
  • 1 pound Fettuccine
  • 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
  • 2 Tablespoons Butter
  • 1 whole Green Bell Pepper, Seeded And Sliced
  • 1 whole Red Bell Pepper, Seeded And Sliced
  • 1/2 whole Large Red Onion, Sliced
  • 3 cloves Garlic, Minced
  • 4 whole Roma Tomatoes, Diced
  • 2 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
  • 1/2 cup White Wine
  • 1 cup Heavy Cream
  • Cayenne Pepper To Taste
  • Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
  • Salt To Taste
  • Chopped Fresh Parsley, To Taste

First cook your pasta according to directions (al dente – do not over cook), drain, set aside.

Then sprinkle chicken with 1½ teaspoons of cajun seasoning (I used Zatarans). Brown chicken in a large skillet with butter and olive oil until cooked through, remove with slotted spoon to clean plate.

Add a little more butter and olive oil and sauteé onions, peppers and garlic (adding remaining cajun seasoning) until soft and slightly black. (This is why my house smells like a mexican restaurant – just like cooking fajitas) Now add the tomatoes and cook for about 30 seconds.

Remove vegetables from skillet and on high heat add the wine and chicken broth and cook for 3-4 minutes, scraping all the goody off the bottom.  Reduce heat to medium-low and pour in cream, stirring constantly until it starts to thicken.  (mine didn’t really want to thicken up, so I ended up whisking in about a tablespoon of flour)  At this point add in more cajun seasoning, cayenne pepper and salt to taste. (I like it spicy)

Now add back in the vegetables and chicken, stir and cook for 1-2 minutes or until it’s hot and bubbly.

Toss in fettuccine and combine.

Serve with fresh parsley. Voilà!!!!

eew wee dog!!!!!

This is some kind of wonderful!!!! I have been meaning to try this recipe for months and I’m sorry I didn’t try it sooner.

All 3 members of the peanut gallery that were in attendance were very pleased. I would tell you their comments but to be honest – I was in a cold medicine haze and I don’t remember! 😉

They all had big smiles though!

Hope everyone had a terrific Tuesday!

abp