Chicken Marsala

{Chicken Marsala}

o   3/4 cup butter, divided

o   2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

o   4 portobello (or a couple handfuls o f baby bellas) mushroom caps, sliced

o   1 clove garlic, chopped

o   3/4 cup all-purpose flour, divided

o   1 (14.5 ounce) can beef (chicken or vegetable)broth -->I use Chicken

o   1/2 cup dry Marsala wine -->you can buy this at any grocery store

o   kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste--> I use regular salt

o   6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - pounded to 1/2 inch thickness ---> or chicken tenders

DIRECTIONS

   1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

   2. Melt 1/2 cup butter and heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir the mushroom slices in the skillet until tender. Remove from heat, cover to keep warm, and set aside.

   3. Melt the remaining butter and heat the remaining oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook and stir the garlic until tender, then gradually whisk in the flour. Increase heat to high, and pour in the beef broth and Marsala wine. Season with kosher salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to low. Mix in the mushrooms, reserving remaining butter and oil in the skillet. Cover saucepan, remove from heat, and set aside.

   4. Season chicken with salt and pepper, and dredge in the remaining flour. Over medium heat, reheat the remaining butter and oil in the skillet used to cook the mushrooms. Cook the chicken 2 minutes per side, until browned. Arrange the chicken in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish, and cover with the sauce and mushroom mixture.

   5. Cover baking dish, and bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until chicken juices run clear.

I just cook the chicken through and finish it all in the skillet. The oven is just one more step. Sometimes I serve this over mashed potatoes or pasta. Either way it's good! 

* I use Baby Bella’s instead because I buy them in bulk and always have them in the fridge.

Baked Zitti

Baked Zitti

I don't really have a fancy recipe for this. It is pretty simple. I throw sketti sauce in the slow cooker. Sometimes I make it from scratch and use real tomatoes and sometimes I use canned and dress it up some. It is whatever you like. So I brown some ground beef ant throw it in with the sauce as well. I usually sprinkle it with garlic powder or garlic salt for added flavor. I let that cook all day till about 45 minutes before Steven gets home.

I use a casserole dish coat the bottom with olive oil then mix the cooked Zitti in with the sauce and beef. I then mix handfuls of Mozzarella cheese and Parmesan. I then beat 1-3 eggs (depending on the size of casserole dish I use). I mix the eggs with the zitti mix.

I bake the whole thing at 350 till the cheese is brown and bubbly. Then I serve up with some garlic bread and a salad.


Not fancy but tasty.

What's for Dinner?

Tonight: 

Baked Ziti

Friday: 

Chicken Marsala with a green salad

Saturday: 

BLT's with Avocado on Wheat Bread

Tuesday: 

Egg Foo Young

Terriyaki Chicken


That is as far as I can plan since I have to work. Not bad for the days I will be home right?  On the nights I work we usually do something easy or eat leftovers.

If you would like recipes let me know. They aren't anything fancy but they tasted pretty good!

Quick Meals

TURKEY BAGEL

• Whipped Cream Cheese

• Jellied Cranberry (Sometimes I use my homemade Jalapeno Jelly instead)

• Turkey Lunch Meat

1.Toast the bagel. 2. Smear the bagel with cream cheese and craberries. Add turkey and place top of bagel on sandwich.

VEGGIE SANDWICH

• Tomato-sliced
• Light Mayo
• Mustard
• Vinegar or Sweet Vinegar
• Cucumber
• Red Onion
• Black Olives-sliced or chopped
• Spinach
• Avocado-mushed up and salt and pepper to taste
• Sprouts
• Artichoke Hearts-Seasoned kind not plain. The plain kind is gross. 
• Slice of cheese- I like mild/new Cheddar from the Cheese factory or Gouda. 

Use bread, bagel, or wrap.  Spread mayo and mustard. Place cheese, spinach,  tomato, onion, artichoke hearts (I slice or chop them to make the sandwich less bulky), sprouts. Mix the avocado and black olives (sliced or chopped) and top off the sandwich with that. 

De-lish! Promise! I love these in the summer. 

FRUITY JELLO

• Jello of Choice

• Fruit of Choice

Make jello as normal. Place fruit inside jello after it has been in the fridge for a while so that the fruit floats in the gelatin instead of sinking to the bottom. 

*I like to use canned peaches with obviously peach jello. Or strawberries from my garden that I keep frozen for things such as this. Raspberry has to be my fave though....

Black Bean and Corn Salsa

X   1/3 cup fresh lime juice

X   1/2 cup olive oil

X   1 clove garlic, minced

X   1 teaspoon salt

X   1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

X   2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained

X   1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels

X   1 avocado - peeled, pitted and diced

X   1 red bell pepper, chopped

X   2 tomatoes, chopped

X   6 green onions, thinly sliced

X   1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

X   Place lime juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, and cayenne pepper in a small jar. Cover with lid, and shake until ingredients are well mixed.

X   in a salad bowl, combine beans, corn, avocado, bell pepper, tomatoes, green onions, and cilantro.

X   Shake lime dressing, and pour it over the salad. Stir salad to coat vegetables and beans with dressing, and serve.

I like to use this as a filler for a Quesadilla instead of on salad. Try it! You won't be sorry.

Flemmings Chipotle Mac and Cheese

Chipotle Mac and Cheese

Ingredients:

Servings: 8-10

Servings Size

·        

Update

• 1 lb pasta (cavatappi or curly)
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup onion, 1/2-inch dice
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 3 cups half-and-half
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon white pepper (ground)
• 3/4 lb smoked cheddar cheese, grated
• 1/4 lb cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon dried chipotle powder (chipotle chili powder)
• 3/4 cup panko (chunky bread crumbs)

Change Measurements: US | Metric

Directions:

Prep Time: 25 mins

Total Time: 50 mins

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large pot, bring 1 gallon of water to boil. Add 2 teaspoons salt and pasta and cook for 8 - 9 minutes
2. Drain pasta and cool under cold running water. Pasta should be slightly firm. Toss drained pasta in oil and reserve.
3. Melt butter in a large sauce pot over medium heat. Add onions and saute for 4 - 5 minute.
4. Add flour and cook 1 - 2 minute but do not brown.
5. Add cream, half and half, kosher salt and white pepper.
6. Bring pot to a simmer. Cook until sauce is thick, about 5 - 6 minute Blend cheese into sauce and add cooked pasta.
7. Pour pasta and sauce into a 9 x 12" baking dish. Reserve.
8. In a saute pan over medium-high heat, add oil and chipotle chili powder. Heat for 30 seconds, until pan starts to smoke. Remove from stove and stir in bread crumbs.
9. Sprinkle bread crumbs over the pasta and bake for 15 - 20 minute until golden. Cool slightly before serving.

I found it online and we made it for Christmas. It was awesome! 

Toni I posted this mostly for you and Jake! It's time consuming but it is awesome!

Quick No Recipe Meals

BBQ Chicken

Put frozen chicken in the crock pot with bbq sauce and some water. Let cook all day. Eat over rice, potatoes, on bread or alone with a side salad. You can use any kind of meat! Try it! 

Salad

Grab some lettuce wash it and pull it apart into bite size pieces. Open your vegetable drawer and chop up some cucumbers, onions, carrots, radishes...You get the idea. I like to throw feta cheese on mine with a Ranch and Italian dressing mix. 

Fruit Salad

Cut up some kiwi, honey dew, cantaloupe, strawberries, apples....Again, use what you have. Mix together as is or add some cool whip. YUM! 

Kiwi Salsa

Try it! It's delish!

Kiwi Salsa

• 6 kiwis, peeled and diced
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, diced
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon curry powder

Mix kiwi, onion, jalapeno pepper, lime juice, olive oil, honey, cumin, and curry powder together in bowl. Cover and allow to rest for 1 hour at room temperature. Refrigerate until ready to serve. 

Can't Eat Due to the HEAT!

Yes when it is scorching hot outside I can't eat, neither can Mr. Rad. It is too uncomfortable. So what does that mean for us? We can't starve ourselves? Here are a few of my fave Summer foods that are cool and light.

Broccoli Salad

1 1/2 C Fresh Broccoli
3/4 C shredded cheddar cheese
4 bacon strips
1/4 C chopped onion (I like to use my cheese grater so it gets really small and fine)
3 TB Lite Mayo
2 TB white vinegar
1 TB white sugar
1/4 C sunflower seeds (optional)

Combine broccoli, cheese, bacon (crumbled), and onion. In a separate bowel mix mayo, vinegar, and sugar. Pour over salad and mix well. Sprinkle seeds over salad and serve.


Pea Salad

1 1/2 C frozen peas
1/2 C cheddar cheese
2 TB finely chopped onion (I use the cheese grater)
1/4 C mayo
1 1/2 teaspoon mustard (I like to use fancy dijon but you can use any)

Combine all ingrediants, chill and serve.


Cranberry Salsa

Bag of Cranberries

1/3 White onion chopped

1-2 Jalapeno

Cilantro
Sugar to taste

Blend ingredients into a semi mush, chill, serve with chips.

And The Winner Is......

Watermelon was the Summer fave. I found a recipe I haven't made for a long time and thought I would share it with those Watermelon lovers!


WATERMELON ICE
- 6 tablespoons sugar
- 4 lime leaves (kaffir leaves) (I have no idea what these leaves are but I add lime juice to taste instead. Just go by your taste-buds)
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 1/2 pounds seedless watermelon

* In a sauce pan, over medium-low heat, add water, sugar and lime leaves. Heat until sugar dissolves and remove from heat; pour in a large bowl and allow to cool.
* Remove watermelon rinds and place water melon chunks into a food processor and pulse until it becomes slushy. Add watermelon slush to the sugar mixture.
* Chill 4 hours. Strain and freeze until firm.
* Thaw in the refrigerator for 1/2-hour before serving.

Organic Groceries

Okay guys I need your help. What whole wheat, high fiber, organic, non-hormonal, foods do you purchase that you love? I am going to start introducing carbs back into my diet slowly but I want to do it right. I also want to implement organic non-hormonal dairy. Let me know if you have anything you would suggest. If you find a link or blog send me that too!

Thanks guys! Wish me luck!

Eating Less Feels Amazing!

What have I cut out of my diet:
Diet Coke -It's true I did. I had one day of headaches and after that hurdle I haven't even thought about picking another one up.
Carbs- Other than a few saltines they are gone!
Sugar- I buy a natural sweet herb called Stevia.
Soda- not just diet coke but all sodas are gone!
Juice- Juice is just as packed with sugar as soda so it is gone for good!
Large Portions- Yep I only eat 4 ounces of meat with each meal. It is a lot more than you would think.
Oil- I do not cook with oil at all. Not even EVOO.

Products I have changed:
all my beauty products are natural and organic now. Everything is oil-free as well.

Example of what I eat:
Hamburgers= 4 ounces of meat divided into two patties. Lettuce leaf as my 'bun' and a huge slide of tomato. It was so good!.

How I feel:
I feel amazing. I have cut out a lot of junk. You would think I would be hungry all the time but I am doing okay. If I get hungry I drink more water. I only eat at meal times so I don't snack.
I have more energy and my moods are more.....chipper I guess.

Cutting out all the crap I used to eat feels amazing. Fresh fruits and veggies are the way to go.

Wish me luck. I have a long way to go.

p.s. I will post pictures soon hopefully (I need to work up the courage to show you how tubby I have gotten).

Whiskey Steak

Okay so I don't actually have a recipe for this...I usually just mix it up and it usually tastes great!

What you need:

Fave cut of meat
White Onion
Garlic
Food Processor
Rosemary (preferably fresh)
Cracked Pepper
Sea Salt

How you make it:

Combine whole onion, a few cloves of garlic, rosemary, pepper, salt, and whiskey. Put it in the food processor. You want it to be a little runnier than a paste. Throw your steaks in a zip log baggie with the marinade. You can wait an hour or over night before you cook your steaks. I prefer to wait over night.

These taste great so try it! Let me know if you add anything to it. :)

Tequila Lime Chicken

* 2/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
* 2 tablespoons coarse black pepper
* 2 teaspoons garlic powder
* 2 teaspoons onion salt
* 1/2 cup margarita mix
* 1/4 cup lime juice
* 1/4 cup orange juice
* 3 tablespoons tequila
* 3 tablespoons triple sec
* 2 tablespoons honey
* 1 cup light olive oil
* 6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1. Place cilantro, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder in the bowl of a blender. Pour in margarita mix, lime juice, orange juice, tequila, triple sec, and honey. Puree on high speed until smooth, then reduce speed to medium-low, and slowly add the olive oil; blend until creamy. Place chicken breasts in a resealable plastic bag or glass bowl; pour marinade overtop and toss to coat. Refrigerate for 5 hours.

2. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat and lightly oil grate.

3. Remove chicken from the marinade, shake off excess, and discard remaining marinade. Grill the chicken until tender and juices run clear, approximately 7 minutes per side.


--I LIKE TO MAKE THIS AS KABOBS.

Grilled Asparagus

1- go buys some asparagus (our local farmers market has had awesome asparagus)
2- rinse it off and snap it.
3- lay asparagus on a sheet of tin foil and cover with olive oil.
4- sprinkle with Grill Mate of your choice or salt, cracked pepper, and garlic powder.
5- there are many options for cooking. a. put asparagus (on tin foil) on a cookie sheet in the oven. b. put skewers through garlic and put on bbq (so they don't fall through the cracks) c. put asparagus (on tin foil) in the bbq
6- cook them till they are to your consistency of choice (Mr. Rad hates mushy asparagus so I don't cook it very long)
7- enjoy!

Here is a picture of what it should look like:

I had to steal this pict from Google because I have never taken a picture of my asparagus.

The One Good Thing About Provo

My Perfect Pesto Sauce

I hope you like it as much as I do....

Pesto Sauce

3 cups fresh basil leaves
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts (optional) {I have used pine nuts and almonds in the past and it tasted way better than walnuts)
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese {I buy the shaker thing}
1 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste {sea salt and cracked pepper is way better}

DIRECTIONS

1. In a food processor, blend together basil leaves, nuts, garlic, and cheese. Pour in oil slowly while still mixing. Stir in salt and pepper.

And The Winner Is......

Black Bean Salsa and My Yummy Queso Dip

Thanks for voting. I hope you like these recipes as much as I do. :)

Black Bean Salsa

* 1/3 cup fresh lime juice
* 1/2 cup olive oil
* 1 clove garlic, minced (I buy the Costco jar so my hands don't stink)
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
* 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained (you could use any bean you want but the black is my fave)
* 1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels (I used canned)
* 1 avocado - peeled, pitted and diced
* 1 red bell pepper, chopped (red, yellow, orange or green...it doesn't matter)
* 2 tomatoes, chopped
* 6 green onions, thinly sliced (I love these onions but you can used your fave instead)
* 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

# Place lime juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, and cayenne pepper in a small jar. Cover with lid, and shake until ingredients are well mixed.
# In a bowl, combine beans, corn, avocado, bell pepper, tomatoes, green onions, and cilantro. Shake lime dressing, and pour it over the salsa. Stir salsa to coat vegetables and beans with dressing, and serve.

##The dressing is good on taco salads too!


Queso Dip

*1 (8 ounce) package processed American cheese, cubed (I normally hate this stuff but other cheeses DO NOT work)
*1 (8 ounce) package mild Cheddar cheese, cubed (I use mild because of the yummy milky taste you get)
*1 (7 ounce) can mild, chunky salsa
*3/4 (15 ounce) can chili (I use meatless mostly, not sure why but I do)
*1 (8 ounce) container sour cream (I use fat free)
*1 teaspoon chili powder
*1 dash hot pepper sauce (ex: Tabasco...use whatever kind you have or leave it out)
**Jalapeno is optional but it adds a great kick (I like using this over the hot sauce)


DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the processed American cheese and Cheddar cheese.
2. When cheeses are melted and thoroughly blended, mix in salsa, chili, sour cream, chili powder and hot pepper sauce. Cook and stir 10 to 15 minutes before serving warm.

I HOPE YOU HAVE FUN WITH THESE RECIPES. THESE RECIPES ARE MIXTURES OF LOTS AND LOTS OF OTHER RECIPES. I LIKE TO MIX AND CREATE SO FEEL FREE TO DO THE SAME!

Chicken Marsala

I will be cooking this delicious dish for dinner tomorrow night. Here is the recipe if you are interested.

* 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon butter, divided
* 2/3 cup sliced fresh baby bella mushrooms
* 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
* 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
* 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 1/8 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 pound skinless, boneless chicken meat - cut into 12 pieces
* 2/3 slice bacon, diced
* 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon cold water
* 1/4 teaspoon cornstarch
* 2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons dry Marsala wine

1. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a medium skillet. Saute mushrooms until soft, remove from skillet and place in a small, covered bowl.

2. Mix flour, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a shallow dish or bowl. Dredge chicken in flour mixture. Place bacon in same skillet and cook over low heat until cooked but not crisp. Add 2 tablespoons butter to skillet and saute coated chicken over medium heat for 2 minutes each side, adding remaining butter as needed to prevent burning.

3. Place chicken on a dish, cover and keep warm. In a medium bowl, slowly add water to cornstarch and mix together, then mix in wine. Pour liquid mixture into skillet, together with reserved mushrooms. Heat until mixture begins to boil and thickens, then pour over warm chicken and serve.