Italian Chicken & Veggies Night

My original dinner for tonight was Chicken & Pasta Primavera...however, someone (okay, okay...guilty) forgot to pick up one of the ingredients from the grocery store, so I decided to whip up my own creation instead.

I still used the veggies I had purchased (cauliflower, broccoli, carrots) to make Seasoned Vegetables Italiano (www.campbellskitchen.com): Add veggies to chicken broth in a saucepan, throw in a little garlic powder and any Italian seasoning, bring to a boil, then let simmer on low for about five minutes.

For the chicken, I sliced up two boneless chicken breasts. Rather than having two whole breasts, I like to slice it up...helps it cook quicker, plus it's a little different. (And more surface area for seasoning!) Speaking of seasoning, I tossed the chicken in my own "Italian Seasoning" concoction. Here's how you can do it: In a large Zip-loc bag, mix about 1/2 tsp basil, 1/2 tsp oregano, 1/4 tsp ground thyme, about 2 tsp olive oil, and garlic salt and crushed black pepper. Add the chicken pieces to the bag, mix it all up, pour into preheated skillet (w/olive oil, a turn of the pan), and cook over medium heat for 8-10 minutes.

I sprinkled the veggies with Parmesan cheese, and served with the chicken and some Italian herb-flavored Rice-A-Roni...the San Francisco treat! (Rice-A-Roni's always a quickly prepared, not to mention easy and yummy, side dish.)

It's a perfect Italian flavor-inspired dinner for two!

EASY Chicken Tortellini

Even if I made the three-cheese tortellini from scratch, this recipe would still be easy! Four ingredients: two chicken breasts (cubed); cheese tortellini; broccoli; creamy alfredo sauce. This meal is ready in 20 minutes or less, depending on prep time. And that's not even the best part...it tastes GREAT! (Recipe found at www.cooks.com.) I must say, this is by far the easiest meal I have prepared. So if you're looking for a deeee-lish meal that quick and easy, this is the one!

Chicken and Sweet Tea

I found this "Famous Butter Chicken" recipe at www.allrecipes.com. (And I had to share it with my sister...it's so incredibly easy! She has two kids and one on the way, so anything that's a "fix-and-forget" meal works well for her.) It takes about 5-10 minutes to prepare, then you just pop it in the oven to bake for 40-45 minutes. Not to mention it only requires a handful of ingredients. Here it is, quick and easy: beat an egg (or two) in a bowl and dip chicken breast into it; dredge chicken in bowl of crushed Ritz crackers (with garlic salt and pepper stirred in); place in baking dish; add pieces of butter all around chicken in dish; bake at 375° for 40-45 minutes. 

I served it with green beans (with a touch of garlic and drizzled with olive oil) and sweet corn. Mashed potatoes would be a good side, too. Make it a real Southern treat and serve it with a sweet potato! Of course, don't forget the SWEET iced tea. Mmm-mmm-mmm...deeee-lish!

London Broil...and Veggies for Mark

My first experience with London Broil was at Easter. It turned out okay, so I said, "Why not...I'll give it another shot." I found several recipes online of rubs and marinades for London Broil. I ended up making my own, more or less, by combining a few key ingredients: chili powder, paprika, oregano, thyme, and S&P (salt & pepper...I'll use that abbreviation a lot). I tuned down the chili powder...I cannot handle spiciness the way some folks I know can. (And next time, I think I may add a little brown (or white) sugar...just a pinch.)

Now, London Broil doesn't refer to the cut of meat. I used a large top sirloin cut, but a flank steak is preferred. And you can grill, pan sear, or actually broil your beef. I chose to broil this one. After rubbing the steak and letting it sit for about 15-20 minutes, I popped it in the oven (set to broil) for about 7-8 minutes on each side (for a medium well center).

Veggies included Dutch-glazed onions (a very sweet treat!) and maple-glazed baby carrots with toasted pecans. These recipes were obtained through www.cooks.com and www.kraftrecipes.com, respectively. Now, I should disclose that I am NOT a vegetable eater...I am a strict carnivore who loves to carb-load, too. But veggies tend to cramp my style. However, I do eat them from time to time...the few that I like. But I did not eat any tonight. (I know, shame, shame. Don't judge me! Remember...I am unorthodox.)

I did prepare some beef broth-simmered rice (and you must know I could survive off of rice if there was no meat in this world), and we both enjoyed a tasty, deeee-lish dinner at home.

P.S. Here's a little question for everyone... How do YOU say "pecan"? Is it peh-KAHN or PEE-can? (Y'all know I'm from the south...I say PEEcan!)

Honey-Ginger Chicken

This is one of my favorites. I think this recipe came from www.cooks.com. (I've seen tons of different ways to prepare this, but I think I liked a recipe I saw on their site best.) The key is to have everything right ready to go into the wok or skillet. If you take too much time preparing any ingredient in between, you risk burning what's already cooking. (Maybe with another year or two of experience I'll be able to multi-task better, though, and prepare ingredients QUICKLY while I cook. Maybe.) This was my second time preparing honey-ginger chicken. Previously, I served it over brown rice; looking to do something different, this time I served this over a bed of spaghetti noodles doused with soy sauce. I've also decided to add a tad more honey next go 'round. Mmmmmm...who needs a Hibachi Express... Deeee-lish!

Pizza Night

Mark and I have enjoyed a fun day in Toledo. And a fun day in Toledo always includes Chick-fil-A. (Our favorite fast food spot...too bad we have to drive 45 minutes to find one!) So we don't splurge too much in one day, we decide to fix a pizza at home with all homemade ingredients. It was pretty adventurous. Mark pounded and kneaded away at the dough.

After the dough sat for about 40 minutes, I punched it down and rolled it out. Now here's where the "Unorthodox" comes in... I didn't have a rolling pin to roll out the dough (and Mark--bless his heart--searched high and low for the one he thought he might have), so I used the next best thing: an aluminum water bottle. Hey, it worked. For the most part. Once I rolled the dough out to about 10" in diameter, I proceeded to toss the dough...my first dough-tossing experience. Ever. (I'll definitely be doing it again!)

Toppings added (you'll see only cheese for me; onions, green/red peppers, and tomatoes for Mark) and 20 minutes later, we have our first ever, made-together, homemade pizza. Yeah, it's not beautiful...but it was deeee-lish!