2 new

2 new what? 2 new recipes...new to me anyways. both of these have been sitting in my mental 'what to make for dinner' file for a while now, so i finally got around to them this week. first mexican chicken (i don't know where i picked this up, so if it's yours, thanks...take credit in the comments!). second stromboli.


mexican chicken
4-5 boneless/skinless chicken breast (I semi thaw and chunk them in approx 2 inch cubes, but you can leave whole frozen, I just found that if I leave them whole, we only get 2 meals out of this, if I chunk them, we get 4 meals)
1 can corn, drained
1 can black beans (I do not drain or rinse)
1 can ro-tel tomatoes (don’t drain)
cumin to taste (I love cumin so use approx 1 teaspoon)
garlic powder to taste (same note as above)
Option: If you have a lime hanging around, you can squeeze the lime juice in the pot too… or add a bit of the zest.

All in the pot.
Cook on low 7-8 hours or on high 4-6 hours in crockpot.
Serve over white rice with some shredded cheese, sour cream and diced avocados.
*notes in () are from the original author.

my notes: we quite liked this. i only used 1 chicken breast because that's all i had on hand, but it was still good. i did cut them into chunks, which i would do again, but i would also shred it about an hour before serving. i used frozen corn, just in case you were wondering. also, i served it over brown rice, just because that's what we prefer. i'll definitely make this again, mostly because it was super fast to throw together.


stromboli
*This recipe is courtesy of kristyn...thanks!

1 loaf Rhodes frozen bread dough, thawed but still cold
2-3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/3 pound thinly sliced ham
1/3 pound thinly sliced cheese of choice
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese
garlic salt or garlic bread sprinkle, optional

On a lightly oiled surface, roll bread dough out into a 10x15 inch rectangle. Leaving 1-inch boarder on each side of bread dough, spread with mustard. Arrange slices of meat and cheese on dough, leaving 1-inch space along edges. Starting along one long side, roll Stromboli up "jelly roll" fashion. Pinch edges together to seal; fold ends under; brush top and sides with beaten egg; using a sharp knife, cut 1/2-inch deep vents along top; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and optional garlic salt. Place Stromboli on a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick spray, seam side down. Cover with plastic wrap which has also been sprayed with non-stick spray; raise 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove plastic wrap and bake 30-40 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. Cool 10-15 minutes, cut into 6 pieces and serve warm.


my notes: so technically this is not a new recipe. pretty sure mom made it in some form or another when i was growing up. also, i've made it several times into a pizza roll (also very good). but it was the first time i made the ham/cheese version. we also liked this one...it was a good week at the z's.

not dead

so...i'm alive. not dead. (you were glad to hear that i'm sure.) just uber busy with the thesis and the rest of life. so i guess that i could title this post 'attempt at surviving', but i won't. between our trip to orlando, cub scouts, thesis, thesis, thesis, thesis, thesis, thesis, and keeping our life running, not too much time is left for any projects. (although, i am currently giving up diet coke, so maybe that's a project.)

just wanted to say hi and for the record...i'm not dead.

shredded beef tacos

mmmmm....


2.3# beef round roast
2 cloves pressed garlic
2 small cans green chilies
1/2 white onion, chopped*
2-3 t cumin
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 can beef broth**
275F
5 hours***

add black beans.colby jack cheese.guacamole.salsa.lime.cilantro.

among the many things i love, i love shredded beef tacos. pure goodness.

and since this was just one of those "attempts" here are a few notes for next time:
*that's all i had, otherwise it would have been a whole onion
**i would use additional fluid [water or beef broth], it was slightly dry, but still tasty
***though it was tender enough, if i had added more fluid, it could have cooked for another 45 minutes and been even more tender without being overdone

this recipe brought to you by bec and james...their recipe, slightly modified by me (only for time and temperature). thanks guys!

bit the dust

the basil bit the dust today. i had a glimmer of hope that it would make a miraculous recovery (especially since there was no real reason that i can think of that it was dying). but that was not the case. sad. maybe i will try again...

in pursuit of...basil

i love love love fresh basil.

i love it on pizza.


i love it in soup.

i love it in just about anything.

i also love growing it.

and sometimes i am successful.


and sometimes i am not.

after having such a fabulous growing experience this summer with my basil (see green gorgeousness above), i just couldn't resist the following. while searching out some of the fresh herb last week for a few recipes, i ran across a live basil plant. it was green. and growing. and i am a sucker for live plants. i need those living things. they are cheery. they bring outside in. they make me happy. and generally, i'm a successful indoor plant grower.

however...this little dude is not doing so well.


i have a feeling it was doomed from the beginning. it's only been under my supervision for 10 days now...and it started this limp behavior from day 2. i kept the soil nice and damp. i put it in the sunniest place in my house. i did everything right...so really, i'm not crediting the demise of this sad little guy to a failure of my green thumb. i'm chalking this one up to...well not me.

any tips out there for growing herbs indoors? i'd love to hear them!

branching out

one of my goals this year is to branch out a bit as far as recipes go. it's been an interesting process during the last year of cooking for 2. combining tastes and preferences isn't all that easy when you've both created habits during your long single existence. so...it's been (and continues to be) a process of trial and error to find things we both like.

here are a few of the recent recipes i've tried.

lion house rolls -- so this was the first time i have ever attempted rolls...and i must say, they turned out quite tasty.

pw mashed potatoes -- the last time i made mashed potatoes...not good. so i took the challenge and mastered the mashed potatoes. they were good, but i have a feeling it had more to do with the cream cheese and half and half than me. good, but neither of us have a real love for mashed potatoes, so...these won't be repeated very often.

crock pot pork chops -- these were fine. not fabulous. but fine. i don't think i'll make them again though.

lemon rosemary salmon -- so good. and very pretty. in honor of our engagement anniversary, salmon was on the menu (but no snails this year). we were both quite impressed with this recipe. easy and tasty.

my goal is to try something new each week...so far so good. i'll keep you posted.

fumbles

i've quilted before. i've pieced a quilt before (see the lovely little number above). i've had my fair share of figuring out many a different patterns. and quite successfully i might add.

but today, today is not a successful day. just now, i spent the better part of an hour marking a quilt top. it's a simple little thing. cute. easy. but for some reason, i'm just not using my quilting brain today. i marked the two ends of the quilt completely wrong. and i'm frustrated. frustrated that i didn't figure it out until i was almost finish marking it. frustrated that now there are pencil marks all over my quilt top that are completely incorrect. frustrated that i didn't take one simple step (comparing the two edges before marking lines across the entire top, which didn't quite line up, but i thought it was just because the fabric was slightly stretched and that I had missed a marking here or there) to avoid all of this. okay, so now that i've vented...i guess i'll figure out how to fix my brainlessness.

that's all. just wanted the rest of you to know that you're not alone in your fumbles. (at least i hope someone else out there fumbles...at least that's what i'm telling myself right now.)