Annie's Chicken Pot Pie:
Ingredients:
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Chicken Breast, cubed
Herbed Cream Cheese (chive and onion)
Frozen Mixed Vegetables (I used a mix of cauliflower, broccoli, and carrots in a butter sauce)
Crescent Rolls
Directions: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Brown chicken in olive oil in sauté pan. Mixed cream cheese and frozen vegetables into pan. Pour mixture into a pie plate and cover with crescent rolls. Place in oven until crescent rolls are done.
Verdict: Really yummy! We gave it a 9.
Annie's Crusted Chicken with Creamy Sauce
Ingredients:
4-5 Chicken Breast halves
Herbed Cream Cheese (chive and onion)
Crackers (used Ritz reduced fat, crumbled)
Parmesan Cheese (approx. 1/3 cup)
Egg or Water for pre-coat
Olive oil
Directions: Coat chicken with water or egg and dip in mix of broken crackers and parmesan cheese. Cook in olive oil on high heat in pan; brown and cook. Liquefy cream cheese in pan with stock.
Verdict: I forgot I was going to use the stock and just did the cream cheese alone. I want to try it the other way, but we still thought it was an 8.
Annie's California Chicken Salad
Ingredients:
2-3 Chicken Breast, cubed
2 Avocados
1/4 c. Walnut
1/2 white Onion
1 T. minced Garlic
2-3 ribs Celery
1/2 Tomato
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions: Cook chicken with olive oil and salt and pepper. Combine with other ingredient.
Verdict: We ate it both on bread and with tortilla chips. The chips were better. You could add salsa or feta to get it a couple different twists. We gave it an 8. Remember if you have leftovers to add lemon juice or something to preserve your avocado.
Annie's Chicken Pear Bleu Bites
Ingredients:
Chicken breast strips, cut to bite size 16 pieces (1 large breast or 2 smaller)
1 pear
3 oz. Cream cheese
1/4 c. pecans or walnuts
1 tube Crescent Rolls
1 c. Bleu cheese
Directions: Cook chicken with olive oil and salt and pepper. Mix cream cheese, bleu cheese, nuts. Cut pear into 16 thin slices. Cut the each roll into two triangles. Spread cheese mixture onto rolls and wrap chicken and pear inside and roll up. Cook rolls according to package.
Verdict: We love these as a meal or appetizer. We gave it a 9.
If it's not obvious, I have been in love cream cheese lately!
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Catching up on Eating
This month I've returned to cooking and want to record what I've made and what we thought of it.
Tonight was a Tortilla Cake:
Ingredients
For the Roasted Garlic:
• 4 whole heads garlic
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
•
For the Tortilla Cake:
•
• 1 cup canola oil
• 4 cups finely chopped red onions (about 5 medium)
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 5 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
• 12 large flour tortillas
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Directions
Prepare the roasted garlic: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Cut the top 1/2 inch off the garlic heads and discard. Place the heads on a large piece of foil and drizzle with the olive oil. Wrap up foil tightly; place the package in a small baking dish. Roast until the garlic is soft and lightly browned, 1 hour.
Meanwhile, prepare the tortilla cake: Combine the canola oil and onions in a large saute pan over medium heat. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring (don't over brown). Add the butter and sugar; cook, stirring to caramelize. Remove from the heat and let cool.
Once cooled, mix the onions with the parmesan, mayonnaise and cilantro in a bowl. Squeeze the roasted garlic out of their skins and stir into the onion mixture. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Set aside 1/3 of the onion mixture in the refrigerator for the dipping sauce. Spread 2 tablespoons of the remaining mixture on top of a tortilla and cover with another tortilla. Repeat, spreading and stacking the tortillas; finish with a tortilla with no mixture on top. Wrap the tortilla stack in plastic wrap and let set up for 12 to 24 hours in the refrigerator.
After the stack has set up, cut into 16 wedges. Preheat a grill or grill pan; warm wedges over medium heat until both sides are marked. Combine the reserved onion mixture with the balsamic vinegar to make the dipping sauce.
Verdict: We thought it was too sweet and actually tossed the two remaining pieces (we cut into 8). I think I would try it without carmelizing the onions and maybe add very tenderized grilled chicken or beef. Chris said 6.5; I say 3 or 4.
Tonight was a Tortilla Cake:
Ingredients
For the Roasted Garlic:
• 4 whole heads garlic
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
•
For the Tortilla Cake:
•
• 1 cup canola oil
• 4 cups finely chopped red onions (about 5 medium)
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 5 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
• 12 large flour tortillas
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Directions
Prepare the roasted garlic: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Cut the top 1/2 inch off the garlic heads and discard. Place the heads on a large piece of foil and drizzle with the olive oil. Wrap up foil tightly; place the package in a small baking dish. Roast until the garlic is soft and lightly browned, 1 hour.
Meanwhile, prepare the tortilla cake: Combine the canola oil and onions in a large saute pan over medium heat. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring (don't over brown). Add the butter and sugar; cook, stirring to caramelize. Remove from the heat and let cool.
Once cooled, mix the onions with the parmesan, mayonnaise and cilantro in a bowl. Squeeze the roasted garlic out of their skins and stir into the onion mixture. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Set aside 1/3 of the onion mixture in the refrigerator for the dipping sauce. Spread 2 tablespoons of the remaining mixture on top of a tortilla and cover with another tortilla. Repeat, spreading and stacking the tortillas; finish with a tortilla with no mixture on top. Wrap the tortilla stack in plastic wrap and let set up for 12 to 24 hours in the refrigerator.
After the stack has set up, cut into 16 wedges. Preheat a grill or grill pan; warm wedges over medium heat until both sides are marked. Combine the reserved onion mixture with the balsamic vinegar to make the dipping sauce.
Verdict: We thought it was too sweet and actually tossed the two remaining pieces (we cut into 8). I think I would try it without carmelizing the onions and maybe add very tenderized grilled chicken or beef. Chris said 6.5; I say 3 or 4.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Today was a long one
As stay at home days go. There wasn't much new to do - no new dinner recipe, no visits, nowhere to go. We all slept a LOT last night. Deane actually slept from 4PM to 5:40AM with a couple of short wake ups. We went to bed at 8:45PM, but we all woke up tired. So, today with little to break up the day, it seemed to drag on. Deane tested all boundaries as he's done a lot lately. He's into throwing things and today it was balls at me and his sister. Tonight it was his sippy cup at the wall. Chris has been asleep on the couch since about 8:15PM and it looks like I'll be reading in the bath tonight. Tomorrow we're going to visit Santa. I expect Kate will actually sit on his lap and Deane will not, but we shall see.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Christmas can be wearing
I was very excited about this weekend as the kick off of Christmas for us. We had a family Christmas on my side Saturday night and two of Chris's today. I knew today would be a long day for us at home with people coming and going and my cooking for two meals, but I didn't take into account that the day before would have such an impact.
I went into Saturday's event already very tired, emotionally (not interested in disucssing that here yet) and physically from cooking and caring for the kids. I also stayed up pretty late on Friday, but had a much needed night out with my parents and sister. I so want to be a cool mom that just lets things happen and lets kids work it out, but since my child is always the agressor, I feel I must intervene. I don't do this well sometimes. Last night it took the form of ripping a block out of Deane's hand because I knew he wanted to get into a brand new Christmas gift of his cousin's. He was overly tired and just generally not behaving well. Chris tried to put him to sleep in the basement and he screamed during an otherwise quiet part of the evening so everyone could hear. It was just exhausting for several reasons and sadly, not the family Christmas event I was looking forward to. I think I miss the relaxation of those events mostly.
That's all.
I went into Saturday's event already very tired, emotionally (not interested in disucssing that here yet) and physically from cooking and caring for the kids. I also stayed up pretty late on Friday, but had a much needed night out with my parents and sister. I so want to be a cool mom that just lets things happen and lets kids work it out, but since my child is always the agressor, I feel I must intervene. I don't do this well sometimes. Last night it took the form of ripping a block out of Deane's hand because I knew he wanted to get into a brand new Christmas gift of his cousin's. He was overly tired and just generally not behaving well. Chris tried to put him to sleep in the basement and he screamed during an otherwise quiet part of the evening so everyone could hear. It was just exhausting for several reasons and sadly, not the family Christmas event I was looking forward to. I think I miss the relaxation of those events mostly.
That's all.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
"My Mom Loves These..."
Highlight & Low moment of the day...
Chris and I had the privilege of Christmas shopping today without kids. My mom watched them and they were angels of course. We got done early, completely skipping Toys R Us, and also enjoyed lunch together at Crabby's in Coal Valley. Before Chris arrived in the QC from floor duty in Muscatine, I stopped in Victoria's Secret and this is where the low moment of the day came...
I had a gift card and wasn't sure how much was on it. I am in desperate need of new underwear after two pregnancies in the last three years. I asked about a style I previously had and was directed to them. I looked through the pile and there were no XLs - news flash, I'm an XL and I've been long enough that I don't think it's that shocking. I asked another clerk if they carry XLs (sure they the ones I have are XLs, but thinking it could have been long enough that policy had changed) and they do in the "high waisted cotton brief" - AKA Granny Panty. But these are granny panties from Victoria's Secret so they come in pretty colors. I wasn't sure if I would like these so I grabbed a couple pairs (after they discussed the location of the only XLs in the store over their cute little headsets during one of the busier shopping days of the year) and got in line. The sales clerk who was approximately 4 years younger than I am, maybe 6, informed me that I would get a much better deal if I got more pairs so I obliged. I was sweating at this point because of my embarassment over locating the size and was ready to be done. When I set my five pairs of beautiful, big panties on the counter, she responded, "My Mom loves these." There was no further conversation.
High point:
Chris and I are up after putting the babies to bed. Christmas tree lit, votive candles lit, "It's a Wonderful Life" playing, presents being wrapped, gift tags cut with the Cricut, and the topper...hot chocolate with candy cande pieces and creme de menthe. The best part about the hot chocolate is that Husband is wonderfully brilliant enough to figure out that he should pre-warm the water in the coffee pot. I don't drink coffee and this would never have occurred to me. He's brilliant...and cute. I love him. Back to the wrapping...
Chris and I had the privilege of Christmas shopping today without kids. My mom watched them and they were angels of course. We got done early, completely skipping Toys R Us, and also enjoyed lunch together at Crabby's in Coal Valley. Before Chris arrived in the QC from floor duty in Muscatine, I stopped in Victoria's Secret and this is where the low moment of the day came...
I had a gift card and wasn't sure how much was on it. I am in desperate need of new underwear after two pregnancies in the last three years. I asked about a style I previously had and was directed to them. I looked through the pile and there were no XLs - news flash, I'm an XL and I've been long enough that I don't think it's that shocking. I asked another clerk if they carry XLs (sure they the ones I have are XLs, but thinking it could have been long enough that policy had changed) and they do in the "high waisted cotton brief" - AKA Granny Panty. But these are granny panties from Victoria's Secret so they come in pretty colors. I wasn't sure if I would like these so I grabbed a couple pairs (after they discussed the location of the only XLs in the store over their cute little headsets during one of the busier shopping days of the year) and got in line. The sales clerk who was approximately 4 years younger than I am, maybe 6, informed me that I would get a much better deal if I got more pairs so I obliged. I was sweating at this point because of my embarassment over locating the size and was ready to be done. When I set my five pairs of beautiful, big panties on the counter, she responded, "My Mom loves these." There was no further conversation.
High point:
Chris and I are up after putting the babies to bed. Christmas tree lit, votive candles lit, "It's a Wonderful Life" playing, presents being wrapped, gift tags cut with the Cricut, and the topper...hot chocolate with candy cande pieces and creme de menthe. The best part about the hot chocolate is that Husband is wonderfully brilliant enough to figure out that he should pre-warm the water in the coffee pot. I don't drink coffee and this would never have occurred to me. He's brilliant...and cute. I love him. Back to the wrapping...
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Adventure that wasn't
We came up with a fun little side trip through St. Louis on the way home from the Ozarks today. We had plans to visit the Children's Museum and pick up a Christmas gift at the Cardinals Clubhouse store, but as we approached St. Louis, Deane fell asleep. We made a quick decision to bypass and let him sleep...which he did for about 45 minutes...total. Our 5.5 hour trip ended up being 6.5 hours which was supposed to be broken up with a little "city vacation".
It was a scene that fortunately only Chris had the pleasure of viewing with me sitting between the carseats nursing Kate (she was still in her seat; there's a mental picture) and rubbing Deane's feet so he didn't continue to say "Ma!" every other minute to get some reaction. We got home...I unpacked, Chris did a little work...and now we relax, catch up on the DVR, drink a little wine by the Christmas tree light and we pray for sleeping children for the next several hours.
It was a scene that fortunately only Chris had the pleasure of viewing with me sitting between the carseats nursing Kate (she was still in her seat; there's a mental picture) and rubbing Deane's feet so he didn't continue to say "Ma!" every other minute to get some reaction. We got home...I unpacked, Chris did a little work...and now we relax, catch up on the DVR, drink a little wine by the Christmas tree light and we pray for sleeping children for the next several hours.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Inconsistent
I've realized two things since my last post:
1. Deane will be a good big brother someday. He is a big brother; still working on the "good" part since little sister is sort of an annoyance still at this point. He has shown her some love (about once each day), but generally wishes she wouldn't prevent me from following him everywhere he would like to go and it would be really great if she would not cry.
2. As much as I love reading other people's blogs, I'm incredibly inconsistent about writing my own.
We're in the Ozarks tonight - last night - just relaxing as a family. This is Kate's first trip here or anywhere. She will be 7 weeks on Thursday. She and Deane are both in bed, but Deane figured out how to get out of the crib about an hour ago so this could be a very long night. Fingers crossed that will not be the case!
1. Deane will be a good big brother someday. He is a big brother; still working on the "good" part since little sister is sort of an annoyance still at this point. He has shown her some love (about once each day), but generally wishes she wouldn't prevent me from following him everywhere he would like to go and it would be really great if she would not cry.
2. As much as I love reading other people's blogs, I'm incredibly inconsistent about writing my own.
We're in the Ozarks tonight - last night - just relaxing as a family. This is Kate's first trip here or anywhere. She will be 7 weeks on Thursday. She and Deane are both in bed, but Deane figured out how to get out of the crib about an hour ago so this could be a very long night. Fingers crossed that will not be the case!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)