After a long delay, I'm back with an easy, fun chicken dinner!

Hello Everyone!!!! I hope all is well with everyone and I hope everyone is having a good start to their week.  Today is my friend Patys birthday so a shout out to her, Happy Birthday!!!  An update on my sweets is 4/14 and then after that it was ruined lol.   I was trying to do good and then I was invited out for a birthday dinner and pie at the end, so yeah I had to have the pie lol.  I am going to start this over soon. I am addicted to Cadbury eggs and every time I go to the store I get one.  I need to get control. So after this weekend I will try my challenge.

As for the 7 hours of sleep, well I have to start that over too.  I missed it by an hour and then getting up early for work messed me up too. I am still looking for a job and I kind of worked out my unemployment issues, but still need to do some stuff with it.  Time is running out for a job and I am not sure what to do.  I am trying to keep my head up, but its hard sometimes.

I haven’t been cooking much due to the fact that I have been closing a lot on my part time job.  I miss cooking. I’m actually excited because I’ve taken recipes and am going to do my take on them. But for tonight  I am leaving everyone with a take on a Rachael Ray dish.  I had left over spinach and walnut pesto in my freezer and while watching a 30 minute meals I saw Rach coat chicken in pesto and then grill it.  Well I pretty much did the same thing but baked it.  It browned in the oven a bit and was really delish!  For a side, just some simple broccoli and lemon and thyme white beans. I saw this in my Cook This, Not That book.  They used rosemary, but I wanted thyme.  Just drain and rinse the beans, throw in a pot with a juice of a lemon and some thyme (and thyme has a lemony taste which is why I used that) and heat through.  Simple and easy as pie! Have a great weekend and enjoy!

Lemon Cake and goals for self

Hello everyone.  I hope all is well with everybody.  Its been a little crazy for me. I am still looking for a job and unemployment is acting crazy. I am going to have to research it, which is a whole days work.
I also decided this week that I am going to try and stay away from sweets for 14 days.  I know this is funny because I am making this post about a sweet.  The only reason why is I eat way to many sweets.  I believe in everything in moderation and once in awhile you should treat yourself.  This is going to be hard for me because I LOVE sweets, wish me luck lol. I am 2/14.  Oh yeah I am also trying to get 14 days of 7 hours of sleep.  This is the hardest, but I want to make sure I get more rest than I do. I am 2/14 on that. Wish me luck on that too.

So anyways how about a quick and easy cake??

Its so easy its from a box! I'm still learning how to bake without a box, but when I do it comes out a little dry and heavy.  Box cake mixes are not bad, its all about what you do to it to made it different. If you buy the Duncan Hines Lemon cake mix, look on the side for a lemon pound cake.  I followed those directions for this and then added some lemon zest.  After the cake came out I let it cool and added a glaze of powered sugar mixed with lemon jucie.  You let the cake cool about 10 minutes, then poor half the glaze on (make sure you poke holes in it) then when you are ready to serve add the rest of the lemon glaze.  I saw this on on my my favorite blogs www.dozenflours.com It was amazing and everyone loved it.  It was super moist and had tons of lemon flavor. I hope you try this and enjoy it.

 

Meal Part 2

Hello everyone! So the job hunt is still on.  I need something soon, I really want to work.  I also want to do something with my life.  I always dreamed that I would be doing something different than what I'm doing now.  The biggest question is is where do I start??? That is the hardest part. Wish me luck!

So if you remember last week I uploaded a recipe and a picture of some soup I made.  Well if you make extra you can turn that soup into a yummy chicken soup. I didn't add noodles, but that would be delish if you did.  What you do is take your left over soup reheat it (I also added some extra fresh veggies and a tad more stock).  In a bowl I mixed a pound of ground chicken breast with, a tbs of grill seasoning, some garlic, parsley, and grated in some onion.  I mixed it all together, made them into small balls and then put them in the oven for about 20 minutes or until cooked. Put them in the soup and top it with some Parmesan cheese and a tad more parsley (basil would be nice too) and eat! I hope you try this and like it!

Back again! A meal for another day!

Hello all! Sorry for the week of not posting, but I am back once again.  As some of you may know I am looking for a job (I work part time). I was laid off from Circuit City almost a year ago when they closed.  I need something soon b/c unemployment is going to run out, and I am not sure if they are going to extend it again or not, plus I want to work full time again.  This sounds crazy, but I do miss it.

So anyways, how about some food talk.  I have a quick and easy meal that you can use for a second meal durning the week.  Here is the first meal and later I will show you the second meal.

This is just a normal veggie soup and this is quick and simple if you don't have much time.   I used two bags of frozen veggies (I prefer fresh, but I want wanted the convenience of something quick and simple) a large box of vegetable stock, a can of butter beans, and I threw in some thyme for good measure (and a little S&P). I let the frozen veggies cook and heat through before I added anything else, once they were cooked threw I added in the rest of the ingredients.   You can throw on some fresh parsley, and throw in some fresh lemon juice just to give it some more life (a little parm cheese never hurt either).  If you wanted you could add some good carbs with this such as, brown rice or whole wheat pasta.  And that is that. Enjoy!

Ravioli with Arugula, Tomatoes and Pancetta and a sweet treat

What's up everyone?! How has your week been so far??  I hope all is well with everyone. Not to much going on in my neck of the woods. I am still looking for another part time job or a full time job which ever comes first. Also I need to learn how to save more money on shopping for groceries! Does anybody have any tips?  I really need to learn some saving tips.  If you have any ideas let me know.  So for tonight's dinner we have a wonderful dish made by Giada De Laurentiis.  My picture isn't the best, but this dish was super simple and very good. It was easy to make and my first time eating arugula.  I would use a little less butter at the end but if you like a simple easy pasta dish try this.  Instead of pancetta you could use bacon or just leave it out. I added roasted cauliflower for a side, its very simple just put the oven on 400 degrees, chop up the cauliflower coat with salt, pepper and Parmesan cheese. Roast for about 20 min or so turning once.

 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/ravioli-with-arugula-tomatoes-and-pancetta-recipe/index.html

For a sweet treat check these out Junior Mints that are in the shape of hearts! This is an awesome sweet treat for the one you love!  Also check out some of the insides on them! Some have red coloring instead of white! I love Junior Mints and this was a great treat!
 

  

  

Whew what a week! I'm back again! Caramelized Onion Penne

Hey everyone! Sorry that I have been gone for a week, but what a week last week was LOL. I was pretty busy. I went to concert on Tuesday night.  The concert was for a Japanese singer/songwriter named Utada, and she was touring so my best friend, her boyfriend and I went. Utada rocked the house, plus she had a great crowd, CHICAGO! It was great and did I mention it was front row standing! I say standing because it was at the House of Blues and yes we had to stand. I have never stood for so long in my life! My dogs were barking the whole night.  The rest of the week was filled with little sleep, finding ways to make some extra cash and working at my part time gig.  Anyways to food.

Now I love a good pasta dish and this is one of them.  Once again another dish by Rachael Ray, but what can I say?  I love a quick meal.  Most pasta dishes will win my heart over and I hope this one will win yours over.  It is Caramelized Onions mixed with pasta!! I KNOW so good right?!  If you like caramelized onions, which I am obsessed with this week then you must try this dish.  I added peas, because I was out of parsley and wanted the green in there.  Also if you don't have anchovy paste then just skip that.  I would pair this with a salad or make it smaller and pair it with some type of meat such as a pork chop. Enjoy!!!

 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/caramelized-onion-penne-recipe/index.html

Stuffed Mushrooms

What a week! I cannot believe its almost over.  After my engine light came on and I found out nothing was wrong with it, my engine light came back on again! I have no idea why and I am to the point where I think I will let it run its course and see what happens. 

Anyways...This is just a quick post but if you are having a party this weekend here is a great appetizer.  Stuffed Spinach and Artichoke stuffed mushrooms. These are amazing!  They are very simple and quick to make and if you need any ideas for an appetizer this is simple, easy and very tasty!

 

Here is the link for where I found these babies http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Spinach-Artichoke-Stuffed-Mushrooms

I forgot to mention I added breadcrumbs to the top.  Let me know if  you try these!

Butterfinger like Cupcakes

Ahh the joys of a Monday morning.  I hope everyone had a nice weekend.  My was filled with games, food and a B-movie.  I love watching B-Horror movies. If you need a good laugh check them out trust me. 

So I wanted to save this for later, but for some reason I have been obsessed with cupcakes lately and wanted to share this one with you. I hope one day I can open a cupcake shop.  How awesome would that be?! So this cupcake is a Butterfinger like Cupcake, its soo good! I saw it in the new Food Network Magazine.   I cheated and didn't make the cupcake batter from scratch due to the fact that I cannot find Dutch Process Coco anywhere in my area. I even tried Trader Joes and they didn't have it.  I used a Pillsbury devils cake mix with pudding added.  It was my first time boiling sugar and I don't think my topping came out like Food Networks, but it tasted really good and everybody still loved it.  So here it is

I will post the recipe soon, but you need to run out and get the February/March addition of the Food Network Magazine.  They have a whole section on cupcakes that tastes like candy bars! YUM!  Enjoy!

Baked Shells Casserole and Pumpkin Whoopie Pies!!

Yay for yummy food! So I am slowly getting used to this whole blogging thing.  Its a ton of fun and please stay with me as I get used to this.  What a day today! My engine light came on, so now I have to bring my car in and make arrangements to get places, but what better way to make yourself feel better then good food!  I saw the Baked Shells Casserole last week on Rachael Ray and I couldn't get it out of my head.  I was so excited to try it.  I normally use whole wheat pasta but I could not find them in the shell form so I went with regular shells.  Overall this dish was amazing! It would be a great night meal or great for entertaining. Trust me you have to try this dish. Also I made these awhile ago, but Pumpkin Whoopie pies.  These are fun and and easy to make, also great for a get together. I hope you enjoy and let me know what you think!

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies!

 

Here is the link for the shells: http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/baked-shells-casserole/

http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/baked-shells-casserole/

Happy New Year! Finally A new post-Thai Chicken Pizza!

Hello to all!!!! It has been quite some time since I last made an update to this blog and I am sorry for that, but no excuses! Its a new year and its time to get movin! I am totally excited to tell you about this dish. It is Thai chicken Pizza from Rachael Ray.  She made this on her 30 minute meal show awhile ago and my mom saw it and wanted  me to make it.  We have been making it for years! My mom was in town last weekend and she asked me to make this and I love it so much I couldn't help but make it.  I did do a few changes.  I put everything on the pizza except for the cucumbers and cilantro and baked it all together.  Make sure you find bean spouts in your produce section.  I used canned, but they just don't taste as good. If you can only find canned (which is why I used canned) just make sure you dry them out really good otherwise your crust will get really wet.    This dish is very easy and I would advise everyone to try it!  Enjoy!.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/thai-chicken-pizza-recipe/index.html