Well, what can I say about this recipe?? It looked like an easy recipe but, it turned out being a little complicated. Lots of dishes were used, and the clean up was just off. It was a recipe that I found, and just happened to have most of the ingredients already in pantry, so I tried something new....
* 8 OZ uncooked rigatoni (we didn't have this, so I just used the 2 leftover boxes I found in pantry - the spiral noodles)
* 1 T of olive oil (Ok, I'm not an experienced cook so what is T?? Teaspoon or Tablespoon - gesshhh)
* 1 c chopped onion (I was assuming "c" meant cup)
* 1 (10oz) pack of frozen spinach, thawed (I threw it in microwave and cooked it for 4 minutes - that was my way of thawing it)
* 3 c cubed, cooked chicken breasts (didn't have any chicken breasts so used tenderloins. Didn't cook enough so I made my cubes very small)
* 1 (14 oz of Italian - style diced tomatoes, undrained - I used rotel and some stewed tomatoes cut up- that's what was in the pantry)
* 1 (8 oz) container of Philadelphia chive & onion cream cheese (I only had regular cream cheese - it would have been soooo much better to have the chive & onion one)
* 1/2 T salt, 1/2 T pepper (I absolutely LOVE pepper but I tell ya, this was waaayyy too much pepper.... It's actually ALL I tasted... I would suggest not using that much pepper)
Now this is where it got complicated. The directions were just so hard to follow that I had to re-read and re-read. So I'm going to just include what the original recipe said, then I will add my opinion afterwards.
Prepare rigatoni according to pkg directions. Spread oil on bottom of 11×17 in baking dish; add onion in a single layer. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes or just until tender. Transfer onion to large bowl, set aside.
Drain chopped spinach well, pressing between paper towels. Stir in rigatoni, spinach, chicken, & next 4 ingredients into onion in bowl. Spoon mixture into dish & sprinkle evenly with shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake covered at 375 for 30 minutes; uncover & bake 15 more minutes or until bubbly.
My suggestion is to spread the oil on bottom of baking dish, add onion in single layer. Cook 15 to 20 minutes on 375. Place onions in a large bowl. Set aside. Drain the spinach using paper towels. Put the spinach in large bowl with onions. Throw the cooked pasta, cooked chicken, philadelphia cream cheese, salt, and pepper into the same large bowl. Stir it up -- it helps if the noodles are still warm because it helps to melt the cream cheese. Spoon mixture into a baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake covered for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 10 more minutes or until bubbly.
I will have to say for the most part that this was a quick meal. I'm not sure what happened with the pepper taste. But it's all i could taste!! My husband wasn't home so I will find out if he likes it tonight -- since there is a whole lot of leftovers!!
For more information on recipe: http://www.savingmoneylivinglife.com/2010/06/chicken-spinach-pasta-bake.html
The picture in the link above is pretty darn accurate to what it looked like!!
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Outside
Well, like all children, my baby loves the outdoors...
We spent almost all weekend outside having fun and making memories!! I told my Mom yesterday that this was the most I have been outdoors since I was a kid!!
Alex was in such a pleasant mood on Saturday he was just too much fun. We walked around the neighborhood. Started really early in the morning because I wasn't sure how warm it would get. We started hitting some neighborhood garage sales where I met a neighbor of us who just inspired me, even if was just for a few minutes...
I walked up to her house and she told me that she was having a garage sale because she was having financial problems and needed a new roof. She sold her wedding bands, jewelry from her husband, even her own teeth. This woman was elderly and had lived a full life. She told me that she had been married for 58 years, her husband just passed away last year. She had 4 children in 4 years, which she mentioned wasn't uncommon in those days. At this point she has 8 grandchildren and quite a handful of great grandchildren. Her advice was simple, yet meant so much.
She told me that I have to live my own life, I can't rely on anyone, especially your husband to make you happy. You have to make your self happy. She also told me that since I have a child now, there is no option for divorce. You have to make it work no matter what. She prayed that we were in a financial situation that didn't have us struggling (she mentioned that they did save but, the economic hard times, and her husband's illness hit them hard). The last bit of advice she gave was to live your life, and life it well. You only have one life to live, and it is too short to not enjoy it!!
So needless to say, I left her house in tears. Even though her situation was sad, sometimes people just come into your life at that exact moment that you need them.
Alex and I continued on our walk after meeting our neighbor, and hit some garage sales in the area. We played and played and played!!
Sunday was another wonderful day. Alex was a little more fussy but still in good spirits! It was hot enough to get his little pool out so we hooked it up and watched him play! Alex's Grandma Carol gave him a swing set and we are just waiting for Jason to hook it up!! It's too cool and I know A will have a great time.
We had Alex's grandpa over for a cook out and just hung out on the back patio for the evening!
Monday was a scorcher so we played in the pool and also in the sprinkler!! Alex really enjoyed the water. He almost seemed amazed at the water and the way it fell.
We spent almost all weekend outside having fun and making memories!! I told my Mom yesterday that this was the most I have been outdoors since I was a kid!!
Alex was in such a pleasant mood on Saturday he was just too much fun. We walked around the neighborhood. Started really early in the morning because I wasn't sure how warm it would get. We started hitting some neighborhood garage sales where I met a neighbor of us who just inspired me, even if was just for a few minutes...
I walked up to her house and she told me that she was having a garage sale because she was having financial problems and needed a new roof. She sold her wedding bands, jewelry from her husband, even her own teeth. This woman was elderly and had lived a full life. She told me that she had been married for 58 years, her husband just passed away last year. She had 4 children in 4 years, which she mentioned wasn't uncommon in those days. At this point she has 8 grandchildren and quite a handful of great grandchildren. Her advice was simple, yet meant so much.
She told me that I have to live my own life, I can't rely on anyone, especially your husband to make you happy. You have to make your self happy. She also told me that since I have a child now, there is no option for divorce. You have to make it work no matter what. She prayed that we were in a financial situation that didn't have us struggling (she mentioned that they did save but, the economic hard times, and her husband's illness hit them hard). The last bit of advice she gave was to live your life, and life it well. You only have one life to live, and it is too short to not enjoy it!!
So needless to say, I left her house in tears. Even though her situation was sad, sometimes people just come into your life at that exact moment that you need them.
Alex and I continued on our walk after meeting our neighbor, and hit some garage sales in the area. We played and played and played!!
Sunday was another wonderful day. Alex was a little more fussy but still in good spirits! It was hot enough to get his little pool out so we hooked it up and watched him play! Alex's Grandma Carol gave him a swing set and we are just waiting for Jason to hook it up!! It's too cool and I know A will have a great time.
We had Alex's grandpa over for a cook out and just hung out on the back patio for the evening!
Monday was a scorcher so we played in the pool and also in the sprinkler!! Alex really enjoyed the water. He almost seemed amazed at the water and the way it fell.
Cook out
Well, little has been done around the kitchen lately.
It is actually quite sad that nothing has been cooked, by me at least!!
I tried some baked BBQ chicken last week. Not hard, right? Just season the chicken, bake, and throw some BBQ sauce on top of it, let it bake some more...
Nope, not that easy for me... You have to remember, This Mama Can't Cook... The chicken may have came out much better if I hadn't forgotten about it. We had a few tenderloins left over so I put them in the baking dish frozen. I seasoned it well, turned the oven on 350 and went about my business. I typically ALWAYS put the timer on but this time since I was doing things in the kitchen, I thought I would remember. I fed my baby his dinner, took him on a stroller ride (yes, I know not safe to leave oven on while not in the house), came back in and we played and read some books. It wasn't until my stomach growled did I remember that I threw the chicken into the oven!!
My tenderloins shrunk to the size of nuggets!! Thought I could cover it up and just throw some Sweet Baby Ray's on top of it... Nope, it was pretty darn tough!! Not burned but just real tough!
So after that entire situation, I unofficially declared a break from the kitchen.
We have been taking advantage of the nice weather and have been cooking out lately. Besides popping open a can of baked beans, or boiling some rice in a bag, I haven't been involved with the cooking. Tomorrow though I plan on cooking this new chicken dish I found. I bought some corn on the cob at the grocery store so maybe we will have that as on of our sides! Found a recipe for that too which includes milk, brown sugar, and some other things I just would not have expected to go with corn on the cob.
It is actually quite sad that nothing has been cooked, by me at least!!
I tried some baked BBQ chicken last week. Not hard, right? Just season the chicken, bake, and throw some BBQ sauce on top of it, let it bake some more...
Nope, not that easy for me... You have to remember, This Mama Can't Cook... The chicken may have came out much better if I hadn't forgotten about it. We had a few tenderloins left over so I put them in the baking dish frozen. I seasoned it well, turned the oven on 350 and went about my business. I typically ALWAYS put the timer on but this time since I was doing things in the kitchen, I thought I would remember. I fed my baby his dinner, took him on a stroller ride (yes, I know not safe to leave oven on while not in the house), came back in and we played and read some books. It wasn't until my stomach growled did I remember that I threw the chicken into the oven!!
My tenderloins shrunk to the size of nuggets!! Thought I could cover it up and just throw some Sweet Baby Ray's on top of it... Nope, it was pretty darn tough!! Not burned but just real tough!
So after that entire situation, I unofficially declared a break from the kitchen.
We have been taking advantage of the nice weather and have been cooking out lately. Besides popping open a can of baked beans, or boiling some rice in a bag, I haven't been involved with the cooking. Tomorrow though I plan on cooking this new chicken dish I found. I bought some corn on the cob at the grocery store so maybe we will have that as on of our sides! Found a recipe for that too which includes milk, brown sugar, and some other things I just would not have expected to go with corn on the cob.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
First Mother's Day and...
I had such a wonderful Mother's Day!
I figured that since I never get to sleep in, I decided to wake my husband up at 6:15 when I heard our baby boy up talking to himself in his crib!! I just woke hubby up and said, you take over for today!! I went back to sleep and then a couple of hours later I was pleasantly awaken by Jason and Alex! Alex was waving around a piece of paper and had such a big smile on his face. I took the paper from Alex and it was a poem from Jason, written in the words of Alex. It's all I asked for for Mother's Day and it was the best gift ever!!
Jason ran out to run some errands and I made plans to grab lunch with 2 mom friends. We went out for sushi and had some wine, and just chilled and talked on a bar patio for a few hours. Such a well needed, and well deserved afternoon!! I was very thankful to be able to share Mother's Day with 2 good people, just chilling and talking about how great being a Mom is!
Alex gave me his belated Mother's Day gift yesterday evening. I was in the kitchen cooking some dinner when Jason calmly said, "Kelly come in here, but come in here slowly, Alex is crawling!!" So I walked in "naturally" and sat on the couch with Jason. With cell phone in hand I was able to capture Alex crawling for the first time!!! Of course I cried and was so proud of him! Now if he would just stop wanting to "walk" so much that would be just wonderful!!
I figured that since I never get to sleep in, I decided to wake my husband up at 6:15 when I heard our baby boy up talking to himself in his crib!! I just woke hubby up and said, you take over for today!! I went back to sleep and then a couple of hours later I was pleasantly awaken by Jason and Alex! Alex was waving around a piece of paper and had such a big smile on his face. I took the paper from Alex and it was a poem from Jason, written in the words of Alex. It's all I asked for for Mother's Day and it was the best gift ever!!
Jason ran out to run some errands and I made plans to grab lunch with 2 mom friends. We went out for sushi and had some wine, and just chilled and talked on a bar patio for a few hours. Such a well needed, and well deserved afternoon!! I was very thankful to be able to share Mother's Day with 2 good people, just chilling and talking about how great being a Mom is!
Alex gave me his belated Mother's Day gift yesterday evening. I was in the kitchen cooking some dinner when Jason calmly said, "Kelly come in here, but come in here slowly, Alex is crawling!!" So I walked in "naturally" and sat on the couch with Jason. With cell phone in hand I was able to capture Alex crawling for the first time!!! Of course I cried and was so proud of him! Now if he would just stop wanting to "walk" so much that would be just wonderful!!
Asian Honey Chicken
This recipe is just so good - and really easy!!
If you haven't already noticed, I'm a beginning of the week type of cook... As the days go on throughout the week, I'm doing less and less cooking... By Thursday, I'm pretty much ready for some take out... Unless it's Sunday dinner, I typically don't take out a pot or pan over the weekend. Wait, I take that back, I ALWAYS take out the coffee pot because it's a necessity!!
So, yesterday evening (Monday) I wanted something good but, didn't want to necessarily experiment with anything new. I wanted to spend some time with my baby, so the crock pot sounded easy, so, I decided on making a dish that we have done before, and really enjoyed it!
Ingredients:
For more information on this recipe go to: http://mmmcafe.blogspot.com/2010/01/honey-sauced-chicken.html
If you haven't already noticed, I'm a beginning of the week type of cook... As the days go on throughout the week, I'm doing less and less cooking... By Thursday, I'm pretty much ready for some take out... Unless it's Sunday dinner, I typically don't take out a pot or pan over the weekend. Wait, I take that back, I ALWAYS take out the coffee pot because it's a necessity!!
So, yesterday evening (Monday) I wanted something good but, didn't want to necessarily experiment with anything new. I wanted to spend some time with my baby, so the crock pot sounded easy, so, I decided on making a dish that we have done before, and really enjoyed it!
Ingredients:
* 3/4 pound chicken (of your choice, I used frozen skinless/boneless breasts)
* 1/2 tsp. salt
* 1/4 tsp. black pepper
* 1/2 cup honey
* 1/4 cup soy sauce ( I used the low sodium)
* 1/8 cup chopped onion (or 1/16 cup onion flakes - I used the chopped onion and I did 1/4 cup because my husband and I LOVE onions)
* 1/8 cup ketchup (yes, ketchup)
* 1 Tbs. vegetable oil (I'm not sure what I used, it was in the pantry with no label but it was some type of oil)
* 1 clove garlic, minced (used the stuff out the jar (1/2 tsp.?)
* 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (don't have any so I used just a little sprinkle of the red pepper - I don't like things too spicy and the last time when I cooked this I used too much)
Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper, put into crock pot. In a small bowl, combine honey, soy sauce, onion, ketchup, oil, garlic and pepper flakes. Pour over chicken. Cook on low for 3 hours or on high 1 1/2 hours (I cooked on high for 2 hours - our chicken was frozen so we needed some more time). Chicken into bite size pieces, then return to pot and toss with sauce. Serve over rice or noodles.
To bake chicken as a 30 minute meal:
Dice chicken and season both sides with salt and pepper, place in 8x8 pan. Pour sauce over chicken and bake at 350 for 20 minutes, stirring after 10 minutes.
Serves 2.
For more information on this recipe go to: http://mmmcafe.blogspot.com/2010/01/honey-sauced-chicken.html
Friday, May 11, 2012
So ready for the weekend!
Thankfully this work week has flown by!
I am looking forward to spending the weekend with my baby!!
His curiosity and excitement and learning new things just amazes me! He is such a good little boy, he just brings me so much joy!
I'm loving that I can leave him in a room now and get somethings done around the house. Our living room peeks into the kitchen and it's so nice to be able to wash some dishes, peek through to "window" to make sure he is ok, and then continue working.
Alex is still all about pulling out every single toy, shaking it, and then flinging it down somewhere! He is so close to crawling, we both can feel it. After he tries getting on his knees, he makes sure he looks up at us as if to say, "look Mama, you see me??"
Being Alex's mother has just been the best experience so far in life!! We are both growing, each and every day!!!
Happy Mother's Day to all!! I'm so excited since this is my first real one. I'm hoping Jason remembers, and possibly writes me a poem like he did last year!! His poems are the best!!
I am looking forward to spending the weekend with my baby!!
His curiosity and excitement and learning new things just amazes me! He is such a good little boy, he just brings me so much joy!
I'm loving that I can leave him in a room now and get somethings done around the house. Our living room peeks into the kitchen and it's so nice to be able to wash some dishes, peek through to "window" to make sure he is ok, and then continue working.
Alex is still all about pulling out every single toy, shaking it, and then flinging it down somewhere! He is so close to crawling, we both can feel it. After he tries getting on his knees, he makes sure he looks up at us as if to say, "look Mama, you see me??"
Being Alex's mother has just been the best experience so far in life!! We are both growing, each and every day!!!
Happy Mother's Day to all!! I'm so excited since this is my first real one. I'm hoping Jason remembers, and possibly writes me a poem like he did last year!! His poems are the best!!
No time for cooking...
This week has been just extremely busy!
I cooked on Monday, we had leftovers for Tuesday. Had take out for Wednesday (leftover from my lunch at work), and yesterday we did takeout again (Mediterranean food is one of our favorites).
So unfortunately I'm slacking on the cooking area. What will I do when my baby starts eating table foods?? No more slacking I'm sure!! One good thing about slacking is that I build up a craving for what I want to cook next. I'm thinking we are going to attempt a pasta dish. Crockpot of course because it just makes things so much easier. Now the key is to find out what day we will attempt this new dish...
I cooked on Monday, we had leftovers for Tuesday. Had take out for Wednesday (leftover from my lunch at work), and yesterday we did takeout again (Mediterranean food is one of our favorites).
So unfortunately I'm slacking on the cooking area. What will I do when my baby starts eating table foods?? No more slacking I'm sure!! One good thing about slacking is that I build up a craving for what I want to cook next. I'm thinking we are going to attempt a pasta dish. Crockpot of course because it just makes things so much easier. Now the key is to find out what day we will attempt this new dish...
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Sweet Baby Ray's Chicken
So maybe the key to cooking is to just throw food items into the crock pot and let it do all the hard work??? Then, you don't have to worry about appearance, burning anything, and most often you don't have to worry about over cooking!
So, last night I made a Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ chicken dish, in the crock pot!
Easy as pie -- well, probably not for me considering I can barely cook, I have no intention on tackling baking...
INGREDIENTS:
* 4 - 6 pieces of boneless skinless chicken breasts (I used a mixture of tenderloins and breasts. I even threw them in frozen because I didn't think ahead)
* 1 bottle of BBQ sauce (Sweet Baby Ray's is our favorite but, I'm sure any kind would work)
* 1/4 cup vinegar (I had no clue what kind of vinegar to use so I just used the regular white distilled stuff that was shoved in the back of the pantry)
* 1 tsp. red pepper flakes (we don't have red pepper flakes so I used red pepper - I'm not into spicy so I just sprinkled a little over the mixture - no measuring)
* 1/4 cup brown sugar (Now, I have cooked chicken with brown sugar before and I just don't like it. I was hesitant to use it but, used it since it was going to be prepared
differently)
* 1/2 to 1 tsp of garlic powder (I like garlic so I used 1sp)
Mix the BBQ sauce with all of the ingredients listed under it.
Place chicken in crock pot. Pour sauce over it and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours (if you are unprepared like me, you can also cook on HIGH for 2-3 hours and everything will still turn out delicious). You don't have to stir it, but we did anyway!
We served it with cheesy tater tots and some green beans.
It was so easy, yummy (even with the brown sugar), and had very minimal clean up!!
I was so hungry I forgot to snap a picture of the final result! Here is the picture that was apart of the blog I found it on. Mine did not look like this - the chicken was not caramelized looking at all. So maybe, even after a delicious meal, This Mama Can't Cook.
For more information on this recipe: http://forkinit.blogspot.com/2010/09/crockpot-barbecue-chicken.html
So, last night I made a Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ chicken dish, in the crock pot!
Easy as pie -- well, probably not for me considering I can barely cook, I have no intention on tackling baking...
INGREDIENTS:
* 4 - 6 pieces of boneless skinless chicken breasts (I used a mixture of tenderloins and breasts. I even threw them in frozen because I didn't think ahead)
* 1 bottle of BBQ sauce (Sweet Baby Ray's is our favorite but, I'm sure any kind would work)
* 1/4 cup vinegar (I had no clue what kind of vinegar to use so I just used the regular white distilled stuff that was shoved in the back of the pantry)
* 1 tsp. red pepper flakes (we don't have red pepper flakes so I used red pepper - I'm not into spicy so I just sprinkled a little over the mixture - no measuring)
* 1/4 cup brown sugar (Now, I have cooked chicken with brown sugar before and I just don't like it. I was hesitant to use it but, used it since it was going to be prepared
differently)
* 1/2 to 1 tsp of garlic powder (I like garlic so I used 1sp)
Mix the BBQ sauce with all of the ingredients listed under it.
Place chicken in crock pot. Pour sauce over it and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours (if you are unprepared like me, you can also cook on HIGH for 2-3 hours and everything will still turn out delicious). You don't have to stir it, but we did anyway!
We served it with cheesy tater tots and some green beans.
It was so easy, yummy (even with the brown sugar), and had very minimal clean up!!
I was so hungry I forgot to snap a picture of the final result! Here is the picture that was apart of the blog I found it on. Mine did not look like this - the chicken was not caramelized looking at all. So maybe, even after a delicious meal, This Mama Can't Cook.
For more information on this recipe: http://forkinit.blogspot.com/2010/09/crockpot-barbecue-chicken.html
Monday, May 7, 2012
Busy as a Bee...
Alex has just been a social butterfly lately!
We had nothing planned for the weekend, yet we did a lot of different things!
On Saturday Alex and I got up late (9 am woo hoo)!! We hung out and watched some Golden Girls and just played and read some books. Jason was working for most of the day so it was just the two of us. I started making funny faces and Alex really showed his personality and just giggled and giggled. He has a stuffy nose so he attempted to "blow" his nose but blowing the boogies out of his nose. His facial expressions were just classic.
It was pretty much a day of learning and experiencing new things. I put a blanket over our heads and we did "light and dark." He thought that it was funny to be under the blanket and was curious to peek his head out to see the light. Alex also discovered that he can pull things out of his baskets and make a great mess!! He would grab a toy (or a diaper) and he would shake it, then fling it to the side. We are also working on crawling. He was very cautious about getting on his knees, but by the end of the weekend he was making a lot of progress!
Saturday evening we went to our friends house for a play date! Alex got to meet Emerson (11 months) and play with Nolan (3 years) and Sydney (16 months). When we first arrived, Alex was a little hesitant and slow to warm up. He sat on my lap and just observed! After a few minutes he was wiggling off my lap so that he could get down and sit with the kids. After just a few more minutes, he was ready to play with his toys! By the end of the night, Alex was trying to give hugs, kisses, and feel everyone's face!! He did such a good job playing and really enjoyed himself! I was proud to see him interact with other children!
Sunday was another day of fun! We walked down to our friends house and Alex got to play with Jon Jr. Jon took him in the wagon for a ride and everyone enjoyed themselves! That evening we went out to celebrate Grandpa Jim's birthday! Alex was a little fussy (well, maybe more than just a little) so we had to take turns walking him around the restaurant. Of course he had a messy diaper so I had to use the public restroom baby changing table for the first time. Thankfully it was a very very clean restroom yet, you know I was a mess!! We did it though, and we made it out in record time!!
We had nothing planned for the weekend, yet we did a lot of different things!
On Saturday Alex and I got up late (9 am woo hoo)!! We hung out and watched some Golden Girls and just played and read some books. Jason was working for most of the day so it was just the two of us. I started making funny faces and Alex really showed his personality and just giggled and giggled. He has a stuffy nose so he attempted to "blow" his nose but blowing the boogies out of his nose. His facial expressions were just classic.
 |
| Alex trying to clear his nose |
It was pretty much a day of learning and experiencing new things. I put a blanket over our heads and we did "light and dark." He thought that it was funny to be under the blanket and was curious to peek his head out to see the light. Alex also discovered that he can pull things out of his baskets and make a great mess!! He would grab a toy (or a diaper) and he would shake it, then fling it to the side. We are also working on crawling. He was very cautious about getting on his knees, but by the end of the weekend he was making a lot of progress!
 | |
| Working on crawling |
Saturday evening we went to our friends house for a play date! Alex got to meet Emerson (11 months) and play with Nolan (3 years) and Sydney (16 months). When we first arrived, Alex was a little hesitant and slow to warm up. He sat on my lap and just observed! After a few minutes he was wiggling off my lap so that he could get down and sit with the kids. After just a few more minutes, he was ready to play with his toys! By the end of the night, Alex was trying to give hugs, kisses, and feel everyone's face!! He did such a good job playing and really enjoyed himself! I was proud to see him interact with other children!
Sunday was another day of fun! We walked down to our friends house and Alex got to play with Jon Jr. Jon took him in the wagon for a ride and everyone enjoyed themselves! That evening we went out to celebrate Grandpa Jim's birthday! Alex was a little fussy (well, maybe more than just a little) so we had to take turns walking him around the restaurant. Of course he had a messy diaper so I had to use the public restroom baby changing table for the first time. Thankfully it was a very very clean restroom yet, you know I was a mess!! We did it though, and we made it out in record time!!
 | |
| Alex and Jon Jr. |
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Italian Dressing Chicken
Last night was a quick fix dinner night.
No recipe to give but just a few ingredients.
INGREDIENTS:
* ITALIAN DRESSING
* ITALIAN SEASONING
* CHICKEN (BONELESS SKINLESS WHATEVER KIND IS GOOD - I USED TENDERLOINS BUT I HAVE MADE IT WITH BREASTS TOO)
INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350. Put chicken in baking dish.
Sprinkled some Italian Seasoning over chicken. Use as much as you like - to your taste.
Squirted some italian salad dressing (zesty italian kroger brand) over just to coat the chicken.
Stuck in the oven for 30-35 minutes - I flipped over after about 20 minutes. Chicken was frozen so if yours is thawed then may take less time.
Served with rice and green beans.
It turned out as expected! It was sooo good the first time I made it but now it's just one of my go-to-quick-and easy This Mama Can't Cook Meal!!
No recipe to give but just a few ingredients.
INGREDIENTS:
* ITALIAN DRESSING
* ITALIAN SEASONING
* CHICKEN (BONELESS SKINLESS WHATEVER KIND IS GOOD - I USED TENDERLOINS BUT I HAVE MADE IT WITH BREASTS TOO)
INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350. Put chicken in baking dish.
Sprinkled some Italian Seasoning over chicken. Use as much as you like - to your taste.
Squirted some italian salad dressing (zesty italian kroger brand) over just to coat the chicken.
Stuck in the oven for 30-35 minutes - I flipped over after about 20 minutes. Chicken was frozen so if yours is thawed then may take less time.
Served with rice and green beans.
It turned out as expected! It was sooo good the first time I made it but now it's just one of my go-to-quick-and easy This Mama Can't Cook Meal!!
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Slow Cooker Chicken Parm
Saturday was a rainy day so we spent most of our time indoors!
As the day went on, I decided that since we had take out the night before, I better prepare something for dinner at home.
Italian sounded good to me and we just happened to have all the ingredients, which saved me a trip to the store in the rain! Since I have never really cooked anything Italian except for some spaghetti noodles with Prego/Ragu sauce, I decided to be adventurous and make chicken parm.
Since this Mama Can't Cook, I didn't want to have to worry about the appearance of our dinner so I decided to find a crock pot recipe to fit my craving for chicken parm! Listed below are the Ingredients and instructions.
INGREDIENTS:
* 1 EGG
Just one word of advice for this recipe.... *** PLEASE REMEMBER TO PLUG IN YOUR CROCK POT WHEN MAKING THIS RECIPE. OR AT LEAST HAVE THE SENSE TO KNOW THAT IF YOU DON'T SMELL YOUR DINNER COOKING AFTER ALMOST 2 HOURS THAT SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT ****
For more information on this recipe please visit:
http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/slow-cooker-chicken-parmesan-with-penne-pasta/b6853c8c-f258-4971-b7f6-74b0565064e2
(Sorry no pictures - it went too fast. My husband who doesn't love Italian - even though he is Italian really enjoyed this meal)
As the day went on, I decided that since we had take out the night before, I better prepare something for dinner at home.
Italian sounded good to me and we just happened to have all the ingredients, which saved me a trip to the store in the rain! Since I have never really cooked anything Italian except for some spaghetti noodles with Prego/Ragu sauce, I decided to be adventurous and make chicken parm.
Since this Mama Can't Cook, I didn't want to have to worry about the appearance of our dinner so I decided to find a crock pot recipe to fit my craving for chicken parm! Listed below are the Ingredients and instructions.
INGREDIENTS:
* 1 EGG
* 1/3 CUP PROGRESSO® PLAIN BREAD CRUMBS
* 1/3 CUP SHREDDED PARMESAN CHEESE
* 1/2 TEASPOON ITALIAN SEASONING
* 1/4 TEASPOON SALT
* 1/4 TEASPOON PEPPER
* 4 BONELESS/SKINLESS CHICKEN BREASTS (ABOUT 1 1/4 LBS) - I USED A MIXTURE OF CHICKEN BECAUSE I HAD A BAG OF TENDERLOINS THAT NEEDED TO BE FINISHED
* 1 JAR OF TOMATO PASTA SAUCE (26 OZ) - I USED 24 OZ JAR OF PREGO/RAGU
* 1/2 CUP SHREDDED ITALIAN CHEESE BLEND (2 OZ.) - I ONLY HAD MOZZARELLA SO THAT'S WHAT I USED
* 2 2/3 CUPS UNCOOKED PENNE PASTA (8 OZ.) - I DIDN'T MEASURE. JUST MADE ENOUGH FOR 2 PEOPLE AND ALSO FOR LEFTOVERS.
INSTRUCTIONS:
- 1 Spray 2- to 3-quart slow cooker with cooking spray.
- 2 In small shallow bowl, beat egg until foamy. In separate shallow bowl, mix bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Dip chicken into egg, then coat evenly with bread crumb mixture; place in cooker. Spread pasta sauce evenly over chicken.
- 3 Cover; cook on Low heat setting 5 to 6 hours.
- 4 Sprinkle Italian cheese blend over top. Cover; cook on Low heat setting 10 minutes longer. Meanwhile, cook and drain pasta as directed on package. Serve chicken with pasta.
Just one word of advice for this recipe.... *** PLEASE REMEMBER TO PLUG IN YOUR CROCK POT WHEN MAKING THIS RECIPE. OR AT LEAST HAVE THE SENSE TO KNOW THAT IF YOU DON'T SMELL YOUR DINNER COOKING AFTER ALMOST 2 HOURS THAT SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT ****
For more information on this recipe please visit:
http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/slow-cooker-chicken-parmesan-with-penne-pasta/b6853c8c-f258-4971-b7f6-74b0565064e2
(Sorry no pictures - it went too fast. My husband who doesn't love Italian - even though he is Italian really enjoyed this meal)
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