Chey Can Cook!

Oh, Red Sox...

2011-09-29T23:25:00.000-04:00

No blog last night...too distraught by those silly Red Sox!! Seriously, worst September I can ever remember! My facebook status even said, "Dear Lorena, I'm so sorry that your first season watching the Red Sox ended so painfully...I guess our extra Take Me Out to the Ballgame during tubby time didnt help...Don't worry, next year will be better. Love, Mama" ;) Ugh...

Anyways, tonight's meal surely took our mind off the Sox, at least for a little while:) I had never made this meal before, but knew it was something I could definitely pull off with baby in tow! Easy ingredients, and made the house smell wonderful all day long!

Sweet and Sour Chicken - crockpot!

1-1.5 lbs boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 carrot, sliced
1 celery stalk, sliced
1 onion, sliced
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup Catalina dressing
1 tsp ground ginger
1 can pineapple - pieces and juice both
1 each red and green pepper, sliced
Extras - water chestnuts, pea pods, etc

Place onion, celery, and carrots on bottom of crockpot. Place chicken on top of veggies. Stir together brown sugar, soy sauce, dressing, and ginger and pour over chicken. Cook on low 7-8 hours. After the 7-8 hours has elapsed, add peppers, pineapple with juice, and any extras (I added water chestnuts) and cook on high 30-45 minutes longer. Serve with rice and enjoy!

See how short that paragraph is?? That is how easy this is! My husband loved it, so we'll be making this again very soon! Only wish I had added cashews! Next time!

And btw, who else has these dishes? Don't be shy...I think everyone has them!

Now, my fave C food - so hard...chocolate or cheese, chocolate or cheese??...how about chocolate covered cheese!!

I hate the dentist

2011-09-27T23:11:00.000-04:00

I don't even know why, I've never had any kind of traumatic experience that I can remember, just the thought of someone in my mouth, ugh...anyways....

I'm sure my husband was relieved that I could eat, and therefore still was making dinner after my appointment:) Buffalo chicken pizza, sorry no picture again...I seriously need a sticky note! Buffalo chicken pizza, the cheated way...Archer Farms frozen buffalo chicken which are actually so good, a Boboli wheat pizza crust, some sauce and cheese, and there you go! Baby wants/needs to eat b/w 5:30-6, husband home after that, equals craziness at dinner time! Anyone else go through that? I love family dinners at the table, altogether, with the baby chattering away at us:)

B: blueberries! Pancakes, muffins, bread, anything! Especially banana blueberry nut muffins!

Am I back for real this time??

2011-09-26T22:02:00.001-04:00

Hi, everyone! I thought a lot about my blog and I really am going to try to "be back" for real this time:) Taking care of Lo is very time consuming, but the older she gets (she's 9 months now, it's flown by!) the more fun it gets:) But, I realize I need to do some stuff that I enjoy too, like my blog:) I apologize in advance if I talk about cooking/baking a little and baby alot;)

So, for my first entry back, let's see....today Lo tried pancakes and garlic bread for the first time...not together of course.

I also tried a new spin on my chicken parm recipe, sandwiching it with garlic bread and topping it with parmesan cheese - yum! Of course, b/c I'm out of the blog frame of mind, I forgot to take a picture; oops!

Hmm...and for fun, what's your favorite food beginning with every letter of the alphabet??

A: avocados! Love guacamole!

I'll be more interesting tomorrow...for now, back to my to-do list!

Hi!

2011-05-03T20:47:00.000-04:00

Hi, everyone! First of all, thank you for all of the congratulations! What an amazing venture this last 4 months have been! Since I'm sleeping again, and have somewhat of a routine with the lil' one, I hope to get back into my blogging, b/c, yes, I still cook, bake, etc;)

Hope all is well with everyone! Here is a recent picture of Lo:)

I've had the baby...for 5 weeks;)

2011-01-26T15:29:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone! I apologize for the lack of posting, but I've been quite busy with our newest family member, Lorena! Yup, I had a girl! I thought I was having a boy...so much for motherly intuition;)

I went into labor on 12/19 around 4:45am, and after 18 hours or so of labor, had a c section and delivered her 12/20 at 12:29am, 7 lbs 11oz, 19", and completely healthy:) We have loved this first month with her, and can't believe how much she changes daily, in looks, personality, abilities, etc!

I'll try to post recipes as much as I can, but they may be few and far between for awhile. And yes, I am still cooking dinner, 4-5 times a week at this point. Thank goodness for great friends and family members who continually bring us dinners, desserts, breakfasts, etc!! Thank you!

Hope all is well with all of you, and that your holiday season was as memorable as ours! Here's to 2011!

Still no baby!

2010-12-18T11:57:00.000-05:00

Happy Saturday, everyone! Just an update that I'm still prego...I've tried spicy tacos, walking, had a few bumpy car rides, but lil one seems content in the heat of my body...I'll have to see if I have some old recipes I can share, because right now I'm making pretty basic stuff:)

Wish us luck and for a baby really soon:)

Happy day AFTER due date to me;)

2010-12-16T19:04:00.000-05:00

Yum, whole wheat pasta, spicy turkey sausage, and garlic bread...all hoping, if I go into labor soon, this will give me energy, like a marathon runner;)

Happy Due Date Day to me!

2010-12-15T13:34:00.001-05:00

Happy Wednesday, everyone! Stillll pregnant! Because I'm still pregnant, I obviously need to keep eating treats! I needed something that didn't need to be baked, because what if I go into labor while it's baking? Would I forget to turn the oven off and burn the house down?? I would hope not....

So, I made this lovely treat from one of my fave blogs in 20 minutes flat! Sweet and salty goodness! And you can eat it in the morning because it has peanut butter, right? ;)

No-Bake Peanut Butter Cookies, made exactly as Jessica posted:

1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup corn syrup (or maple syrup or brown rice syrup)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch of ginger
1 oz Baker's chocolate, melted

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix together. Trust me, as Jessica said, it will be very very crumbly! I ended up adding another 1/2 cup of peanut butter to make it stickier. Continue to mix until it's sticking together, then roll into 1" balls. Place the ball on a plate or baking sheet, covered with wax paper, and press with a fork to flatten. Cover with as much of the melted chocolate as you like. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and then eat them up, before anyone else knows you made them;) My batch made 15 cookies. I tried one at the 30 minute mark, but it was still a bit warm/crumbly, so I tried another again one hour later, and it was sooooo good!

Thank you, Jessica for this recipe! Everyone visit her blog linked above - it's amazing and always a great read!

And btw, if I had Smartfood, I probably would've put a piece of popcorn on top of each peanut butter cookie then put the chocolate on top...yes, that is what prego me wants...

It's getting hot in here!

2010-12-14T20:32:00.000-05:00

Spicy-ness wise;) Happy Tuesday, everyone! Still here, still pregnant! Tomorrow is my "due date" so fingers crossed for some Christmas magic!

This week I'm trying to use up a lot of foods we already have in the fridge/freezer/cabinets, but also making sure we get a lot of good, substantial, meals in, just in case I do go into labor - need that energy! Tonight I tried a new recipe, found at cooks.com, for Cajun Shrimp Casserole! It took quite a bit of time to make, but it was very simple, and perfect for this very cold New England day! Well, according to everyone else it was cold...prego me thought the 30 degree temp was quite nice;)

You will need:

3 stalks of celery, diced
1 small white onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
3 tbsp butter
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 lb raw shrimp, cleaned
1 can of cheddar cheese soup
2 cups cooked yellow rice
Cajun seasoning - I used cajun seasoning and also a Goya seasoning packet, with some CRP
1/2 cup bread crumbs

Phew! That's a lot of ingredients!

Heat a large pan with the butter over medium heat. Add the onion, pepper, and celery, and saute until soft. Add mushroom soup and diced tomatoes, simmering on low for 15 minutes.

Add shrimp and cheddar cheese soup, turning up the heat to medium, and cook for 15 minutes, stirring everything together.

Looks...interesting, right? I thought so, anyways! Trust me, the textures and tastes together are perfect! Once those 15 minutes have elapsed, add the cooked rice and seasoning, stirring it into the rest of the mixture.

Pour into a 13x9 pan and bake 20 minutes. After 20 minutes have elapsed, broil on high in your oven for another 4 minutes, so that the bread crumbs get a bit crispy on top.

I used a little too much bread crumbs, so definitely don't go overboard with those! We enjoyed this warm comfort food, that really wasn't too spicy, with some nice clam chowder and rolls. Definitely filled me up, and finally now, about 2 hours later, I'm craving more food:)

I'll definitely be making this again, and adding cut up sausage! Now, where's my ice cream...

Who doesn't love a good Christmas survey?!?

2010-12-13T09:30:00.001-05:00

Stolen from the bff's awesome blog!!!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?

I am the worst wrapper ever...tons of tape, bad edges, and I like to get it done fast! But I wrap more than use gift bags:)

2. Real tree or Artificial?

Always had artificial growing up, which I loved. Now, the husband and I get a real tree, which I love the smell:)

3. When do you put up the tree?

Usually Thanksgiving weekend or shortly after - especially this year with the baby coming in December!

4. When do you take the tree down?

Early January :(

5. Favorite gift received as a child?

Probably anything Barbie!

6. Hardest person to buy for?

My dad

7. Easiest person to buy for?

husband, the motha, brother, bff, anyone except the fatha!

8. Mail or email Christmas cards?

Mail for sure - who doesn't like getting a card in the mail??

9. Favorite Christmas Movie?

Original Miracle on 34th Street, It's a Wonderful Life, any Falalala Lifetime movie;)

10. When do you start shopping for Christmas?

Pretty much right after Thanksgiving! So fun to find a perfect gift for someone!

11. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?

I don't think so

12. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?

the motha's Christmas cookies! Also, all the appetizer foods!

13. Lights on the tree (colored or clear)?

Clear

14. Favorite Christmas song?

O Come All Ye Faithful, All I want for Christmas is You...etc...pretty much anything but anything by the Carpenter's!

15. Travel at Christmas or stay home?

Usually we travel to one of our parents' homes...this year, family will be coming to our new home:)

16. Angel, star or ribbon on top of tree?

Star!

17. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?

12:01am Christmas morning;) At least we did that one year, the year the husband proposed!

18. Most annoying thing about this time of the year?

People that look miserable while shopping, decorating, etc...complaining about all they have to do. It's not about that stuff, it's about spending time with family and being thankful for everything we have in our lives!

19. What do you want for Christmas this year?

A healthy baby!

20. Traditional colors (red and green) or other colors?

Mostly tradional, it's so pretty!

So there it is! Now, how about you? Please let me know if you decide to fill out these questions, I'd love to hear your answers!

Falalala Fudge!

2010-12-12T14:52:00.000-05:00

Remember this post? How I promised I would post a picture when I made it again during the holiday season? Oops, never did post a pic, did I! Here are those pics since I made some yesterday for my dad's birthday...and because I love fudge and the chocolate-y breath it gives you!!!

Ingredients, minus Pam butter spray

Melting together the choc chips, 1 oz chocolate, and sweetened condensed milk

No, you do not dump in DD's hot chocolate...the awesome husband bought me a large one Friday night, so I drank half then, and half while making the fudge:)

Keep stirring so it will keep melting together!

Nuts and vanilla added once melted together, and poured into the pan to chill

This may or may not be my tongue mark...

The leftover fudge for us to have here at home:)

Everyone should make and eat fudge as soon as possible! Next time, I'm going to try to add some peanut butter I think!

Oh, and happy online due date to me (doctor's due date for me is 12/15)!!

The best muffins I've ever made!

2010-12-11T12:09:00.001-05:00

Seriously.

So, on Friday nights we usually catch up on our DVR (hey, I'm pregnant, how fun can I be?)...so while watching Boardwalk Empire, I like to think happy thoughts during the gruesome parts. What did I think about last night while a man had his neck slashed in the barber chair? Breakfast of course! I made blueberry muffins last weekend with blueberries from my parents blueberry bush/garden thing, and was all out, so I decided I would try the cranberry orange muffins I came across this week at For the Love of Cooking. Amazing site, and amazing muffins!

Again, seriously, the best. They look "perfect", the insides are nice and soft while the top of the muffin is so nice and toasty golden with a bit of crunch. I may never make another kind of muffin again!

Seriously. Another thing I loved about making these muffins? How quick and easy they were, and how you could work on multiple steps at a time! Also, cleanup was a breeze!

You will need:

2 cups of flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup orange juice
one package, or around 1 cup, dried cranberries
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg

Heat orange juice and cranberries over medium heat, roughly 5-7 minutes - according to For the Love of Cooking, it will plump up the dried cranberries, which I believe it did! While this is doing its thing, preheat oven to 400, and combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl, mixing it together.

Once the OJ/cran mixture has heated up, put that into a separate large bowl, adding the veg oil and egg, mixing that together as well. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture, mix together, spoon into muffin tin, and bake for 15-20 minutes (mine took 18), or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Phew! Easy, right!? You will see if you compare my ingredients to the blog I got the recipe from, I omitted the orange rind and raw sugar. To me, all the other ingredients were sweet enough that I didn't feel I needed these.

What a great way to start a Saturday! The husband has gone for a run...I could eat them all and he would never know...

Remember how I said last night would be my last night cooking a real meal...yeah right, shrimp tacos!

2010-12-09T20:47:00.001-05:00

Happy Thursday! Still here, still pregnant, and still crazy! Today I decided I had to clean out all of our cabinets, rearrange them, etc...after cleaning a bathroom, doing laundry, etc. I should be resting, right?? I sure pay for it later when back is in so much pain it feels numb!!

Enough of that...I still had to make dinner! I swore after last night that was it, no more meals which required me to be on my feet for a long time. Shrimp tacos and spanish rice were on our weekly menu, and when I thought about the last time I had made them, it didn't seem like it would be too bad. Well, I wasn't 39 weeks pregnant, then! They're so yummy, though, they're worth it!

This is an adapted recipe from foodnetwork.com called Chipotle Shrimp Tacos with Salsa Verde. The shrimp cooks so quickly that I always make the salsa first. Plus, you can always dip some nachos, or your finger, in the salsa while the shrimp cook;) You will need:

1 small onion, cut into pieces, don't really need to be that small
1 jalapeno, cut into about 4 pieces
a few small pieces of tomato
1 avocado, peeled and seeded, cut into chunks
1 1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cilantro leaves, as big or small as you'd like

Put the onion and jalapeno in your food processor and finely chop. Add the tomatoes, avocado, and salt and chop again until combined and in pieces that are to your liking - I chopped it up pretty well, but some like their avocado pieces bigger. Put into a bowl, add cilantro, and stir to mix together.

Yum! The husband is lucky there is any of this salsa left as I make the shrimp! Warning, it's very spicy!!

The shrimp part is so easy - take as many large shrimp as you'd like, place in a large bowl, and mix with 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp chili powder, and 1 tsp salt. When the shrimp are coated, cook them in a fry pan on medium low heat until cooked through. Look at these!

Sooo good, I could eat these with a fork and be happy! You can either enjoy just the shrimp and salsa on a whole wheat wrap, taco shell, etc, or add all the fixings! On mine, I added cheddar cheese and lime juice; the husband added sour cream, lettuce, taco sauce, and cheese. I could eat these everyday, and I may, if it would help get this baby out...

Oh, and remember how I was craving Hershey's cookies and cream candy bars? Well they do still make them, and thanks to the bff, I now have 1 in my possession! I did have 3, but I already ate 2 of them...OH! and don't forget to vote for your favorite holiday cookie!

This pregnant lady might've just cooked her last "regular" meal...

2010-12-08T21:13:00.001-05:00

Yes, I know cooking with a crawler, when that day happens, will probably be much much more difficult, but cooking tonight was really, really hard! Baby has decided to drop more it seems, which yes is very good, but walking/moving around the kitchen for an hour, cutting, dicing, testing, well today it was a lot! Okay, rant over, just enjoy our dinner photo below:) No real "recipes" for any of the items, just a pork loin rubbed with salt, pepper, and Montreal Steak seasoning, and fingerling kinda steak fry things with olive oil, salt, pepper, and chili powder:)

Oh, and I'm also craving the picture below our meal picture...something I probably haven't had since 1998; do they even sell them anymore??

So I didn't make cake...

2010-12-07T17:53:00.000-05:00

But I didn't eat frosting, either:) Look what I had already done to this poor frosting container the last few days!

So this morning, after my bagel and fruit, which pre-pregnancy I wouldn't even have been able to finish, and still hungry, I decided it was time to bake before I went back to the poor frosting. I didn't want to make the boxed cake I had because, really, do I need to make a whole cake just for me (the husband would probably only eat a piece at most), and really, did I have enough frosting left to frost the cake?? Probably not.

So I looked at what I had, and then really started wanting those snowball cookies with the nuts and powdered sugar...didn't have all of the ingredients for those and didn't feel like going to the store; have I mentioned how scared I am now that my water may break at the grocery store?? Anyways...

I found another recipe for Icebox Snowball cookies on cooks.com, had all the ingredients, and went at it. I have had a few, and I like them more and more as they are chilled even longer, but they are certainly not my favorite. They need something...crushed pretzels instead of coconut maybe? Definitely something salty. Take a look and let me know what you think. Oh, and btw, all these snowballs did was made me crave cheese.

What you need:

1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 milk
3 cups rolled oats
4 tbsp cocoa
1 cup coconut, or any other topping you'd prefer - I would go with something with some saltiness to it...but I get that they're probably able to be called "snowballs" because of the white coconut...

Heat butter, sugar, and milk in a saucepan to a boil. Add oats and cocoa, let cool. Roll into balls (it's really sticky, so it's more like glop it together into a ball), roll into coconut, and place on wax-paper covered cookie sheet. Chill in fridge.

Again, they aren't bad or inedible by any means, and the one I just had was way better than the one I had after just an hour of chilling. If/when I ever made these again, though, I would definitely use a topping with salt! Or that could just be my prego brain;)

Chinese takeout time...I'm now craving shrimp tempura! Have a great night!

Is it bad that all I want to eat is cake???

2010-12-06T17:59:00.000-05:00

Yes, that's right, cake. Vanilla, chocolate, lemon, pistachio, black forest, peanut butter, anything! I've always had a sweet tooth, and during this pregnancy has been no exception, but during the last week or so, it is totally out of control!

This piece would maybe last about 5 seconds in front of me. Anyways...

I've resorted to even taking a few bites of frosting, with a spoon at least, out of a container of frosting in the fridge...I'm a lost cause at this point.

I have a boxed vanilla cake in the cabinet that I can make...should I?? I'm afraid if I don't, at this point, I'll just keep eating the frosting!

This is so out of control! Does anyone else crave cake?? Does anyone have any cake they can deliver to me?? ;) If you could make a cake right now, which kind would you make; does anyone have any great cake recipes I can/will try??

I'm off to make pepperoni and mushroom pizza for dinner...not cake, as I must remind myself to eat real food for the baby inside me...and if my husband came down to a dinner of cake, he wouldn't be very happy.

A new holiday staple - Oreo Truffles!

2010-12-05T21:14:00.002-05:00

Happy Sunday night, everyone! Hope everyone has enjoyed a holiday movie or two today:)

As I mentioned in my previous posts, we had a housewarming party to go to last night, and I wanted to bring something really yummy! Well, I received my holiday season Kraft Magazine and right on the inside cover was a recipe for Oreo Truffles - the picture made them look so picture perfect and yummy I had to try them! Oh, and I could use my mixer, another bonus;)

Hooked yet?? So easy, and actually pretty fun to make, besides my swollen feet/ankles/legs and aching back! I knew for this chocolate yummyness it would be well worth the pain, though:) These would be very fun to make with kids!

You will need:

8 oz cream cheese, softened for 15 seconds in your microwave
1 pkg of Oreo cookies, crushed (yes, that is my crushing method up above;))
2 pkgs, 8 squares of chocolate each, of Baker's semi sweet chocolate, melted

Combine cream cheese and 3 cups of the crushed Oreos in your mixer and blend until well combined. Cover a large baking sheet with wax-paper. Roll the cream cheese/Oreo blend into balls of any size - I made mine 2-bite size and was able to make 25 - dip into the melted chocolate, and place onto the wax paper. Cover with your favorite topping - chopped nuts, coconut, the rest of the crushed Oreos, sprinkles, crushed candy canes, anything will work! Refrigerate until firm, about one hour, then enjoy!!

The two I saved for the husband and I, which didn't make it very long!

I loved loved loved these, as did the party-goers! My husband kept an eye on them, and my choco/coconut/walnut cookies, while I sat with my feet up in a comfy chair all night, and happily told me when they were all gone:) Another successful dessert recipe to add to my binder! Hope you'll try them and let me know of any other textures you use on the inside - peanut butter maybe?? Yum! - or outside!

Oh mixer, why didn't I try you sooner??

2010-12-04T10:57:00.000-05:00

Morning, everyone! Hope everyone is having a fabulous weekend so far!

I am embarrassed to share this, but I just used my Kitchen-Aid mixer for the first time yesterday....after receiving it in April 2009 from my lovely bridesmaids, who... probably have been really angry that they got me this mixer and I never used it...sorry ladies:) After the husband kept asking me when I was going to use it, rather than just stare at it on our counter, I finally buckled down, read the booklet that came with it, and decided to go for it. Why did I wait? New appliance I'm not used to, afraid it would splash stuff everywhere, and I never rushed to try it because it didn't bother me to mix batter by hand. Well, now that I have tried it, I have to say I will not be mixing batter by hand very often! I couldn't believe how smooth the batter got so quickly, how quiet it was, as I remember my mom's mixer growing up being really really loud, and how evenly everything mixed together! I'm now hooked, and can't wait to make more batter, - cookie, cake, you name it - breads, etc! Sorry again, ladies, and thanks for the mixer;)

Mixer, in the box, where it stayed for a long time...

BM's minus one - thanks Katie, Melissa, Amanda, and Jen!

notice how I only have it on stir = scared!

Yum yum yum! On a cupcake platter, yes, and I know they aren't cupcakes:)

Totally out of practice!

2010-12-02T20:16:00.000-05:00

So, I'm totally out of practice in regards to blogging, and/or I have prego brain! I remember telling myself yesterday to get my camera out to be ready to take pics of tonight's meal, but did I do it? Nope! Oops!

Like I said, I've been trying to make meals that we can also freeze for post-baby quick/easy meals, but also I've been trying to make easy enough meals so I'm not on my feet for too long. Hence, a lot of crockpot use, which I love even when not prego:) Tonight was BBQ kielbasa in the crockpot with sides of mac and cheese, cornbread, and green beans! Here's the closest picture I could find:

So easy - buy an uncooked piece of kielbasa, about 1 lb or a little more, slice it just like above, and put it into the crockpot. Cover it with 1 cup bbq sauce, 12 oz Coca Cola or beer (Coca Cola in our case for now, even if it's just for cooking!), and 1/2 cup brown sugar. Cook on low 6-8 hours and enjoy! So easy, not only because there are limited ingredients, but also because it involves ingredients you most likely already have! Also perfect for a day where I was busy like a bee making our holiday cards for friends and family!

Today's craving of choice - Papa Ginos' Cheesy Breadsticks! I am usually not a fan of Papa Ginos (sorry to my bff and husband who love PG's!) but after another friend mentioning she was having it for dinner last night, I craved them so bad I could smell them! Oh pregnancy!

Off to get my fill of my nighttime snack - Friendly's Jubilee Roll - yum!!! Please help with crockpot meals, and also some more meals I can freeze:) Also, we have a housewarming party to go to this weekend, and I'm bringing a dessert - any recommendations for a large, possibly spread out time-wise crowd with some holiday cheer?

Glad to be back!

Still here, still pregnant!

2010-12-01T12:54:00.001-05:00

Hi everyone! Long time, no write!! The last time I posted, it was the exciting news that I was pregnant! Well, still prego, but almost to my due date! According to online, my due date is 12/12; according to the doctors, 12/15. I'll take 12/12;) The pregnancy has definitely had its up and downs - lots of nausea and other gross stuff, dizziness, and mucho mucho swelling, but I have loved all the baby movement and will miss that when the baby is "out" :)

I've still been cooking of course, and lots of baking since I've been craving sweets like crazy! I'm trying to do meals where I don't have to be up and around the kitchen too much because of the swelling, but also trying to make meals I can make extra batches of and freeze for when the baby comes. So far I've made turkey chili, lasagna, chicken, and pulled pork. Any suggestions??

I hope to be around more often - crazy that I feel like writing again now when the baby will be here so soon! I'll leave you with what the craziest thing I've eaten and latest cravings! Hope you'll all stay in touch and I'm looking forward to getting back to reading your blogs!

Craziest thing I've eaten - mixed cheez its, walnuts, and choc chip morsels in a bowl and ate it with a spoon;)

Fave things to eat/crave lately - skinny skinny onion rings (like from a seafood shack), coffee cake, pumpkin pie, bittersweet chocolate, jubilee roll, lots and lots of cheese, and bagels! Oh, and shrimp sauce! haha!

Oh - I'm at the point where I'm slightly scared to go anywhere - what if my water breaks at the grocery store?? hehe...I still keep going, though, just hoping it doesn't happen - grocery store, mall (Christmas shopping must get done, and thankfully it almost is!), church, you name it, it would be embarrassing!

New recipe!

2010-06-03T14:17:00.000-04:00

In my belly that is;) I haven't been around much because the smell of food and researching recipes (so sad)/seeing pictures of food hasn't been going over that well....the husband and I are expecting our first baby! New recipe = bun in the oven:)

We are beyond excited and cannot wait! We are due in December, and are not going to find out the sex, so it's going to be the best Christmas present ever!!

So please, share your wisdom with me!

Here are some food-related things:

Things prego Cheryl likes:

lettuce
cucumbers
anything cake-like
lemonade
anything fruit/fruity tasting like popsicles
chicken fingers
pickles

Things prego Cheryl can now not stand that she used to like!:

tomatoes
hamburg
corn and most other veggies
saltines - I thought they were supposed to help!

So, there it is! I am 12 weeks, so hopefully my stomach will come back and my puking/nausea will be exiting! I have actually been diagnosed with pregnancy hyperemesis - has anyone else ever had this?

Hopefully be back soon:) In the meantime, feel free to leave me wisdom/tips, and share your stories - what foods you did/didn't like during pregnancy, etc:)

See, my husband isn't starving:)

2010-05-21T16:01:00.000-04:00

It's been almost a month, I can't believe it! Just a quick post for all you worrying that the husband may be starving - he's not;) Hopefully I'll be back soon with some good updates:)

I'm a bad blogger!

2010-04-23T20:45:00.001-04:00

Happy Friday, everyone! I'm sorry I've been really really really MIA this week! Working a ton, sleeping, work some more, throw a Red Sox game in there and some other fun stuff and you get it:) I've been cooking here and there, but nothing like before with new recipes every night:( I'm sad about it, but this busy time will pass and I'll get back to it:) I did have one opportunity to be a little creative this week - when I made a pork loin, I rubbed it with soy sauce, olive oil, salt, and pepper, and brown sugar - yum! How exciting huh - not really;) I hope to be back Sunday night with a new recipe for you - what would you like me to try making that maybe you haven't had time to try??

Holy Wow, House Hunting is Crazy!! Part 3

2010-04-19T18:00:00.001-04:00

Weekend 3 of searching...still fun, but getting to be a little crazy. The weather, like I said, has been perfect, which is great for house hunting, but it's also great for doing other things - like walking around Boston, taking a day trip, going for a walk...;) House hunting will be worth it, right???

Is that perfect house out there? 2 floors, garage, big kitchen, dining room, 3 or more bedrooms, yard, 2 bathrooms...hello out there, where are you?? Help us find you!

This day was by far the hardest/worse day of searching. Every house had great things, but too many things that we weren't looking for, didn't want to do/fix, or was just not right in our guts. We started with this house, about 10 minutes from where we are now. Great kitchen and yard, but the neighbor's house on one side was less than desirable, and we just couldn't stand it. Sorry would've been-neighbors, I'm sure you're lovely though.

So, strike one. Off we headed to the next house, only about 5 minutes away, but on a much quieter street, really quite a nice neighborhood. Again great kitchen, and this one had a nice flow, but they had turned the garage into a room that we weren't quite sure what to do with, the pool was a mess, as was the roof (and that's just from looking at it from the ground), and I just wasn't feeling it. I think the husband was at first, but the more he walked around, the more problems he saw.

Next! I had high hopes for this next one, as it has that really old look that I like. Surprise, surprise what comes with that look is sometimes a mess! Like dirty dirty (we didn't know it was a short sale until we went to the appt), water in the basement, I'm "outta here".

Strike 3:( I guess a day like this was bound to happen. Better luck next time out, right? Needless to say, this day didn't help our confidence much, made us re-think our offer on the house we "lost" last time out, and just overall was yuck! Gotta keep your head up in the house searching process, though!

When you've house-hunted, have you ever had a day like this where you didn't like anything?

Ahh Sunday:) What's on tap for the week ahead??

2010-04-18T17:01:00.000-04:00

Happy Sunday, everyone! Our taco/brownie dinner last night was amazing, unlike the Red Sox;) Now as I'm sitting here writing this I can smell the crockpot a-going (Orange chicken, anyone!?)...poor husband can't smell it though, as he is down and out with a horrible cold/flu thing:( Get better soon, babe!

Here's our lovely menu for the week - you'll see some are links as I've made some before - it is hard to be creative/make new dishes when you're in the middle of house stuff, but hopefully that will be over and done with soon so I can get back to new dishes every night!

Sunday - crockpot orange chicken with white rice and steamed broccoli...and more coconut brownies;)
Monday - chicken caesar wraps with fries - easy Monday meal after a long workday:)
Tuesday - sox game = no cooking for me:)
Wednesday - teriyaki pork tenderloin with onion soup roasted potatoes and veg - new one!
Thursday - beef with broccoli and white rice - I've made it before, but never blogged about it:)
Friday - gross, but Cheeseburger Hamburger Helper, salad, and rolls - the husband loves it!

So besides a couple new recipes, I'll be writing about the Asian Dumpling cooking class Melissa and I went to last week!! Hope you enjoy the rest of your Sunday and look forward to my posts this week:) Anyone else enjoying this fab/crazy Lifetime movie right now?? ;) Hey, I've earned it, I cleaned a lot yesterday and today;) Also hope your house smells as good as mine right now:)

Saturday night dinner!

2010-04-17T20:51:00.000-04:00

I see nothing wrong with this;) Did you all have a wonderful Saturday? I cleaned, watched Lifetime movies for the first time in forever, and took a nap:) Have a great night, everyone! Go Red Sox!

Photo courtesy of tenalicio.us

Photo courtesy of farm1.static.flickr.com

Cold, wet, New England weekend...what should I make?

2010-04-16T19:57:00.000-04:00

I'm shaking cold! For the first time in over a week I've had to put the heat on! Come on weather! I've gotten so used to wearing my cute sandals (yes, toe nails painted), and cute spring shirts, sweaters, and pants...not to forget shants too! If you want to know what shants are, reply to this post;) Tonight it's a balmy 40 degrees with a windchill of about 32 with cold cold rain. Sounds wonderful, doesn't it. The husband is braving it at Fenway...die hard right there. I'll be there Tuesday when it's sunny and about 25 degrees warmer;) And no, I am not a fair weather fan, I just don't want to get sick. Period. I am a huge fan.

Anyway, what should I make this weekend to keep us warm? I'm thinking tacos tomorrow night, if we don't go out into the nastiness, and Crock Pot Orange Chicken for Sunday, but what about the inbetween? Hot grilled cheese? But we have no soup to go with it. Coconut brownies? But I love ice cream on top, but it's too cold for that! Cinnamon rolls? Cupcakes? Nah, we had these recently. I wish I had bought spaghettio's at the grocery store last night. Those are nice and warm.

So what should I make/bake while I'm staying inside as much as possible and cleaning, reading, and watching TV? Oh yes, and going thru my Us Weekly as well. What are your favorite things to make/bake during a rainy weekend? Do they differ from a snowy weekend? What are your favorite rainy weekend movies?

Please have a nice thought for my husband who is sitting in the rain at Fenway...he's a trooper.

Holy Wow, House Hunting is Crazy!! Part 2

2010-04-15T19:00:00.001-04:00

Welcome back for another edition of house hunting is crazy! We've searched on Saturdays, Sundays, and weeknights; had our own private appointments and gone to open houses. I prefer Saturdays and private appts - what do you prefer when house hunting?

Our second house hunting adventure was on a Sunday and included an Open House and some private appointments. We've been so lucky that everyday we've looked at a house(s), it's been sunny out, but has followed some rain storms so we can check out the basement for wet spots;)

Today started with this awesome yard...which had a house on it too:)

I think we would have put an offer on this house if 1. the living room was functional/front door was moved a bit and 2. and 2 nothing! The living room was a huge deal breaker. The kitchen was brand new, had a covered porch out back, huge yard, and wonderful baths/bedrooms with walk in closets. But the doorway/living room. When you walked in the door - which if you look at the above picture is to the left of the window on the right - you walked down a small hallway, and then there was a very large opening to the LR. This made positioning the living room furniture, and TV, almost impossible. If they had just positioned the doorway all the way to the right w/out that long hallway, it would've been a great house for us! Here are some more pics:

Aww, it's still too bad - you saw in my last post about my worries in backing out a driveway onto the street - this one had a very long driveway shaped in a U - no worries there. Darn living room.

Next we moved onto this house:

Our second love, after the red house with the cows across the street. This house was amazing - on a quiet street, but close to amenities, like Papa Ginos which the husband loves;) Heated work area above the attached garage, big enough yard, sunken living room, huge kitchen, amazing bathroom with a skylight, and a basement already sectioned into rooms - what more could you ask for!?!?

So since we loved it so much, what did we do? We went to our next appointment as scheduled

In a town that has great schools, but holy wow did this house need work - hence the price. If we wanted to do a lot of work, or were very handy ourselves, this would've been a great project - lots of space, pool in the backyard, but a funny neighborhood with a school, nursing home, and houses. To me, strange. So we hurried hurried hurried back to our realtor's office and made an offer on house #2!! Guess what, so did some other people! Not surprising because the house was great. Not a 2-story, which is what is optimal of course, but was an amazing ranch. Guess what - we didn't get it:( Our first house hunting disappointment. How did you feel after putting an offer on a house and not getting it? Did it break your spirit? We just kept trucking along...check back for the next installment to see what happened during the next time out:)

Wicked Cheap Wednesday presents Maple-Pecan Chicken!

2010-04-14T21:08:00.000-04:00

Happy Wednesday, all! Hope your week is going great!

I'll get to the recipe in a minute, but I just wanted to give a shout-out to the cooking class Melissa and I took last night! I'll be posting the recipe I made another night, but I just wanted to say how interesting it was - felt totally over my head, and it tested a lot of my fears - cooking in very hot oil, sharp and large knives, and cooking in front of people, but it was fun and a nice new experience...maybe I'll even take another one:) Check out the site here - we took the Asian Dumpling class, but I think I'd like a dessert one;) You get to taste everyone's recipes and take a ton home!

So on to tonight's recipe! It was nice to make something new! I thought about the flavors all day and wondered how they would work. Turns out, they worked great! Husband gives it a 10:)

Maple Pecan Chicken from Betty Crocker!

What you'll need:

3 boneless skinless chicken breast pieces, cut in half
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 tbsp mayonnaise
1/2 cup panko or regular breadcrumbs
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. If you like, pound meat into thinner pieces, or keep thick (I kept them thick).

In a shallow dish mix together maple syrup and mayonnaise (I hate mayonnaise, I pretended it was butter while I stirred it in!)

In a shallow dish, mix together breadcrumbs and pecans. Dip chicken into syrup mixture, then nut mixture, then place on foil. Spray tops of chicken with cooking spray as well.

Bake 25 minutes, or until cooked thru.

It was crunchy, sweet, and filling! Using what I had in our cabinets/freezer, I made some green beans, teriyaki noodles, and crescent rolls!

Chicken - 1.25 lb - $5.50
rolls - $2.00
pecans - $2.00

= $9.50! I had everything else, but if you didn't, add on about another $3-$4 - love it! So easy, too, so I could make our weekly grocery list while everything was cooking...and watch a rerun of The Office;)

What did you eat tonight?

Holy Wow, House Hunting is Crazy!! Part 1

2010-04-12T21:29:00.000-04:00

That's right, folks, it's crazy! Fun, but crazy! Where before weekends consisted of cleaning and fun, they now consist of house hunting and...that's pretty much it. You get so emotionally attached to some houses, and even the process, and it's so hard to not let it get the best of you. But you can't, because that perfect first house is out there for everyone:)

The first part of course is to find a realtor that is right for your personality. We were so lucky to be referred to Margaret Snow Reagan, a realtor with over 30 years of experience in the area we wanted to look in. You're bored? Okay, on to the houses!

I think we've seen 20 houses or so...we started with this gem

I bet when I said "gem" you thought it was going to be ugly, right?? No, we loved this house - open floor plan, huge closets and bedrooms, amazing yard, and a garage! We knew going in this house had an offer on it that was already accepted, but we still wanted to see it, just in case that offer fell through - admit it other house-hunters, you sometimes hope other people's offers fall through for whatever reason...we all have that evil side when it comes to house hunting! The problem with this house, the cows across the street. Don't get me wrong, I love me some cows, and we even had one when I was really little that I fondly remember, but the smell in the summer...ehh not the best. Here are some other photos of this house - again pluses were huge bedrooms/closets and open floor plans...minuses were probably a smaller size kitchen and the cow smell:)

I apologize in advance for this and all posts in relation to house hunting that show photos - I don't know how those realtors/whomever make their house photos look so amazing - I am BAD at taking house photos!

The same day we also saw this lovely house...lovely downstairs, for short people only (okay for me, not okay for the husband) upstairs - it was built in the 1800's!

The downstairs of this house was amazing - 2 offices, beautiful floors, a beautiful sunroom, and a huge pantry. Upstairs broke my heart - small bedrooms/closets and very low ceilings. If only the husband wasn't so tall;) A great house for someone though:) But oops, looks like I've deleted the rest of my pictures from this house!

The final house of this, our first Saturday of searching, was amazing - picture a cute yellow Cape...yes, I forgot to take a picture of the outside - oops! Beautiful yard, amazing open kitchen to a family room, 4 bedrooms, and the biggest dining room with fireplace that I've ever seen. The problem - the red blinking light thing about 30 feet from the driveway...and a single-car wide driveway - no good! Backing into the road is never a good idea! Here are the highlights:

See, I told you my pictures were bad - I didn't even get the fireplace in this one! You'll all have to let me know if Part 2's pictures are any better:) Expect that later this week, as tomorrow night Melissa and I are taking a cooking class - thanks for the awesome birthday present bff!

Per Kacey's Request - what I want to cook/make in our dream kitchen!

2010-04-11T21:18:00.001-04:00

Thank you for the great idea, Kacey! As you know, with all the house hunting, the meals I've been making are either duplicates of recipes I've posted before, or simple, like hotdogs. Yum. I'm sure you all want to hear about that, right...no. :)

So instead, tonight's post will be about what I can't wait to cook/make/bake in our dream kitchen! And yes, our first home will be our dream kitchen, for now:)

1. Anything grilled. Okay, so yes, that won't be done in the kitchen, but on the deck/outside. See, since we've lived in our rented townhouse, so the past 2 years or so, we haven't been able to grill; it's just not allowed. See, before we moved into this area, per rumors, another townhouse renter, or maybe even owner, was grilling outside, as it was allowed then. They decided it would be smart to put the embers/coals/whatever it was in their closet after the fire went out...yes, you read correctly, their closet. Well, of course ever so surprisingly, there was a fire, big renovations needed = no more grilling for anyone. So we CANNOT WAIT to grill! But of course, we have to buy a grill...how much do those cost??

2. Homemade spaghetti sauce. I've made it once in a crockpot before (I don't remember how, it was a snowy day and we just used what we had), but I can't wait to experiment. That is one thing I know I don't have to buy at the grocery store, and if I make a huge mess and stain the countertop, it's my own countertop that I own stained, not someone else's:)

3. Thanksgiving dinner. I've made a small one before, but I can't wait to make a big one for like 20 people! Insane, right??

4. Sharyn's homemade mac & cheese - bacon, gruyere cheese, yum yum yum - this may be the first thing I make there - it will make this dream kitchen smell wonderful!

5. Brownie sundaes. Just because;)

Also....how would you decorate your dream kitchen?? If I had to buy 3 things to make my kitchen homey and useful, what do you suggest they be?

I hope you check back tomorrow night for the first in a series of "Holy wow, house hunting is crazy" posts:) I meant to get to it today, Sharyn, just too busy:) Goodnight all!

I'm sorry - I'm here!

2010-04-09T20:47:00.000-04:00

Hi blogger friends! I apologize for not posting much this week. Work is crazy, house hunting is crazy - life is crazy! I've been cooking, but nothing to write home about hehe;) I'm hoping next week to at least get you 3 new recipes and a couple other random blog posts - what do you want to read about?? You tell me:)

Sorry again - don't forget about me during this crazy busy time!

Update! Veggie Tart recipe from the motha!

2010-04-06T21:03:00.000-04:00

Enjoy - I don't know where she got it from, but it's amazing! I can't wait to make it A LOT this summer!

SUMMER VEGETABLE TART

Olive oil spray
Ready to bake pie crust, or home made 9" crust.
1 tomato
1 zucchini, sliced
1 summer squash, sliced
mushrooms
Sliced carrots
Sliced onions
1 cup goat cheese
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp dried rosemary
1/4 tsp salt, or to taste
1/8 tsp black pepper, or to taste

In a 9" tart pan, bake crust, unfilled, according to pkg directions. Let cool.

Preheat oven to 375. Lightly coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
Place zucchini, squash, mushrooms, sliced carrots, & sliced onions on baking sheet and lightly coat with cooking spray. Bake until tender, about 20 minutes. Remove & let cool.

Mix together goat cheese, herbs, salt & pepper in a small bowl. Spread evenly over tart crust.

Starting at center of crust and working outward, arrange slightly overlapping, alternating rings of vegetables until crust is completely covered. Add a few slices of tomato at this point. Return to oven until heated through, 5-10 minutes. I also sprinkle a little goat cheese over the top of all the vegetables.

Oh, and if you're wondering, we celebrated our fave team, the Red Sox, tonight with steamed hotdogs - fancy dinner huh?;) Hey, we were celebrating the Sox, Fenway, everything we love about baseball, etc. Can't wait until we go to our first game of the season next Friday!

Any other Sox fans out there??

Can I post an entire blog during a DWTS commercial break?

2010-04-05T20:40:00.000-04:00

I'm challenging myself! Pretty easy since we had enchiladas tonight (following the box directions), leftover buffalo chicken dip, and leftover veggie tart the motha made for Easter lunch/dinner. The motha, when you see this, please post your veggie tart recipe:)

Is anyone else in a chocolate or jelly bean fog yet??

Happy Easter, everyone!

2010-04-04T21:29:00.001-04:00

Woohoo, what a great day/weekend! I hope everyone had as great an Easter as the husband and I did - it's always great to visit with fam on a beautiful day, and beat that family at Catch the 5 ;) And the motha made an awesome Ham, or Hamarama as the husband and I have been calling it, late lunch/early dinner, with amazing cannoli's that my dad and brother picked up yesterday. Couldn't have asked for a better day! Did I mention I got some Cadbury hard eggs and black jelly beans - yes! AND it's Red Sox Opening Day, well night - Beckett better get it together, though!

Aww, such a wonderful day! Paired with looking at more houses yesterday, a nice Easter Vigil and dinner out last night with friends, it couldn't have been better! Can you believe tomorrow is already Monday, eek!

I have to watch my Sox, so no recipe tonight, but I'll link you to the appetizer I made and post a picture of the dessert - my brother ate 3 of them in one sitting, so I think they were okay;)

Buffalo chicken appetizer

Yes, they are on a Christmas plate...I ran out of room on my cupcake plate!:) It was my first time dying coconut, so I apologize for some of the darker green coconut - that is more St. Patty's day:)

What was your favorite part of your Easter weekend? Do you have any traditions that you follow every year? What did you make?

PS - please Red Sox start playing better - and I'm so happy I just saw the Giant Glass man - I always look for him in his seat:) Do you have a fave baseball team??

Gimme that ... fish taco...gimme that fish, woo!

2010-04-03T16:23:00.000-04:00

Hi all! Sorry to be a little MIA!! With some wonderful weather, long hours at work, house hunting, and having much needed relaxation time with the babe/husband (same person;)) last night, I've gotten a little behind! I believe it to be very much worth it, though:) It is considered relaxation time when you're watching The Pacific together and it's all about war and very intense? I think so:) I love this series! Are you watching it?

So you're probably wondering with all this busy-ness if I've been cooking - of course! Last night I made fish tacos. I read a bunch of recipes online, but kinda just threw together what I thought would work. And it did! I was so proud of myself for just winging it:) They were very quick to make too, which was great since we ate dinner at about 8:30:)

You will need:

1 pound fresh cod loin
1 pkg taco seasoning - I know, I know, I could make it myself, but again this was 8pm at night!
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup each chopped red onion, purple cabbage, lettuce, and tomatoes
1 avocado, chopped
taco sauce
tortilla wraps

Heat a fry pan over medium high heat. Spray with Pam and add fish. Cook for about 4 minutes on each side, until it starts to flake, pretty much crumbling at the touch. Add the taco seasoning and water and let sizzle/cook together for about 10 minutes, until almost all of the water has evaporated. Top with your favorite taco toppings...that go with fish...and enjoy!

And of course we paired it with our non-healthy Friday night treat, nachos with that is it fake or not Tostitos spicy cheese, yum!

Yum. I love making Mexican food, it's my fave for sure. Do you have a favorite "cuisine" to make?

So we've had a super busy day, up and at em since early on, and it's continuing with Easter Vigil and dinner out tonight. I'm "hoping," if I don't get too distracted by the nice weather or my DVR, that I'll get the switching of the winter to spring clothes done and the frosting for my cupcakes for tomorrow - wish me luck!

How are you prepping for Easter?? Are you hosting or going elsewhere? I can't wait to have a house of our own so we can host:) Bye for now!

Thanks Meghann, fun things you have done!

2010-04-01T19:00:00.000-04:00

Thanks, Meghann! I love these things! The things I've done are in red:)

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars - does outside, but in a tent, count??
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to DisneyWorld
8. Climbed a mountain - back in the day with 4H or something
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo - I don't think singing in my car counts!
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables - peas when I was little!
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied - I am satisfied with what we have though!
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started your own business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been a passenger on a motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican

82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year’s Eve
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous - does Katie Teft count? Does anyone know who she is? Throw in Kim Zmeskal, Dominique Moceanu, Nadia Comaneci, etc etc ;)
92. Joined a book club
93. Got a tattoo
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a lawsuit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee - I sat on it!

Meghann, we had a lot of similar ones!

Wicked Cheap Wednesday - Mediterranean Style Chicken, Pasta, and Veg!

2010-03-31T20:38:00.000-04:00

Seriously, how good does this look? Just enough sauce to mesh everything together, and just enough summer veggies to remind us of what's coming! How did I make this WCW meal? Well, it took an hour, but it was worth it!

You will need:

2 cups pasta, cooked and covered to keep warm
olive oil for cooking
2 small green zucchini and 1 yellow squash, cut in half lengthwise, and cut into bite sized pieces
2 cups (or more if you'd like) of cooked chicken, seasoned with salt and pepper - this was about 1 lb of small chicken pieces, cut up after cooked
1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes with chiles, undrained
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
pitted olives
crumbled feta cheese - we used feta cheese that incorporated tomato and basil

Cook and drain pasta as directed; cover to keep warm. Easy enough right? Cook chicken in olive oil or Pam and cut into bite sized pieces - set aside.

Heat olive oil in a large fry pan over medium heat. Cook zucchini and squash for 2 minutes in the oil. Add the chicken, tomatoes, and tomato sauce and cook until veggies are tender (it was about 15 minutes), stirring occasionally.

Serve chicken mixture over the pasta and top with olives if you so desire (not me!) and feta cheese - yum yum yum! The chiles gave it a kick, the sauce a good taste, the veggies some texture, and the feta - oooh the best part! Why did it take so long? Cooking the chicken took time, cutting up the veggies took time, you get it right? I don't prefer to eat dinner at 7pm...I think it just means I'm working too late:)

I like it enough I'm even bringing it for lunch tomorrow. You know me, I am NOT a fan of leftovers, but I could eat this over and over! Served with a side salad, it was a great meal! Cost, even better!

Chicken - $4.00
pasta - .88
zucchini and yellow squash - $2.00
canned tomatoes with chiles - $1.00
tomato sauce - .33
olives - $1.00
feta cheese - OOPS! $5.00 - worth it though, it made the dish!

Okay so about $15, not that cheap, but not too bad? Better than the cost of 2 meals and salads at a restaurant! But trust me, I enjoy my Sat night-no-cooking-restaurant-meals!!

So, Easter is right around the corner! Do you have ham? What is your favorite way to make it and what are your faves sides to serve with it? CCC, yes me, has never made a ham, but I do plan to buy one since they'll be on sale and make it another time an I need your suggestions:)

Have a great night - I'm off to enjoy my funny shows and wii!

So so so tired!

2010-03-29T21:39:00.000-04:00

Too tired to blog.
Too tired to blog.
Too tired to blog.

And I made another of the husband's faves tonight, fajitas, and I've blogged about it before;) If you were to make a week (let's say 5 nights) of your significant others fave meals, what would they be? I think the husband's would be

fajitas
chicken parm
crockpot chicken cacciatore
meatcake
cheeseburgers!

DWTS and bed
DWTS and bed
I always say I'll go to bed early and I stay up way too late - do you all do this too??

Also, I can't stop thinking about house hunting!! When you bought your first home, what were the 3 most important things you were looking for? I think mine are a functional kitchen with storage, a yard that isn't too big or too small, and storage!

Until tomorrow! Sorry this was very random = tired!

It's Sunday (night) already??

2010-03-28T21:21:00.000-04:00

Oh how I love and hate Sunday all the same - love it because it's usually the day I can relax the most; hate it because it means back to business tomorrow - it goes so quick!

Tonight we had our fab crockpot chicken cacciatore meal that I've blogged about before, so what do I blog about now?? Another celeb survey? About our house hunting adventures? About how I'm watching Titanic AGAIN because it's on TNT all the time?? About how we watched Gangs of New York last night and it was very strange?? None of those sound blog-worthy tonight. Tonight I'm going to blog about a couple of things - Easter goodies/food and 5 staples, we, and you, keep in your cabinets/pantry at all times:)

Easter goodies - I cannot wait! I look forward most to peanut butter bunnies, black jelly beans, and hard cadbury mini eggs - hate peeps and the gooey eggs! We are going to my parents' this year, and I'm thinking I'll make a buffalo chicken dip and maybe some Easter-ish cupcakes - I see all these posts about dying coconut green to make it look like that grass and want to do that so bad! The only thing is my dad wants to get cannoli's, and a lot of them, from a great cannoli place, so we may have too much dessert - what am I saying, there can never be too much dessert!!! We'll play cribbage and/or catch the 5 and have a jolly ole time!

So what do the husband and I keep in the pantry at all times? Probably all stuff that I could make myself!

Pasta
some sort of rice
chicken broth
peanut butter
flour/sugar - the normal baking supplies

What are you looking forward to during the Easter celebration, or anything else you may celebrate? What about your pantry? What is ALWAYS in it??

Another fun Saturday post

2010-03-27T12:00:00.000-04:00

Saturday's are for husband time, house hunting, shopping, cleaning, nights out, and me time, so I generally don't have a recipe to share with you. Here's a fun thing, since I'm so into movies lately, that I hope you'll fill out:) Enjoy YOUR Saturday!!

Your fave...

Sandra Bullock movie? Mine, Forces of Nature (haven't seen Blind Side yet)
Kate Winslet movie? All of them! Revolutionary Road for the acting side of it
Leo DiCaprio movie? The Departed
Matt Damon movie? All of the Bourne Movies
George Clooney movie? Up in the Air
Sex and the City character? Carrie
Jane Austen novel? Sense and Sensibility
"Girly" author? Jennifer Weiner or Elin Hilderbrand
Scarlett or Melanie? Scarlett!
5 movies of all time? Sound of Music, Original Parent Trap, Departed, Titanic, and Up in the Air; #6, American Pie;)

Please feel free to add questions that the next responder after you can answer:)

What kind of seafood dish did we have tonight??

2010-03-26T22:41:00.002-04:00

Happy Friday - you made it! I woke up this morning initially to rain, then an hour later my windshield was covered with snow. By this afternoon, it was sunny - oh crazy New England springs!

Tonight I tried a new recipe that my mom had emailed me awhile back - I have soooo many recipes in my email "recipe" folder, I need to start deciding if I'm going to keep them or not before it gets completely out of control! I think this is a keeper - Shrimp Bake!

What you'll need:

1 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup lemon juice
3/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp pepper
as much CRP as you'd like
1 tbsp hot sauce
1 1/4 lbs large shrimp, uncooked, peeled and deveined
rosemary twigs
1 white onion, cut into chunks or slices, whichever you prefer

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix together first 7 ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Look how good this looks already!

Layer shrimp on the bottom of an 8x8 or 9x9 pan. Cover first with the onion pieces, then the sauce, then some rosemary twigs. Bake for 25 minutes, or until shrimp are fully cooked thru.

I took this out, and was like yes, this smells great (mixed with the lemon lavender Yankee candle I was burning in the living room), it looks yummy, we're going to really enjoy this with our crescent rolls - a nice, light meal for my ever-improving gastric system:) The husband, when he arrived home, said "something smells weird" (he meant the candle) and "shouldn't this go over pasta or something?" I responded, of course not, the recipe didn't call for pasta or anything like that, you just eat it on your plate - that's it! Well, come to find out, after me eating it off my plate, the husband eating some, deciding it wasn't enough food, and eating a frozen bean burrito instead, that yes Cheryl, you are supposed to serve it over pasta or rice. Oops ;)

the burrito

Come to think of it, it would be a really good alternative to the standard shrimp scampi sauce/way of cooking it - next time;)

Enjoy your Saturday and Sunday! Any fun plans? We (the motha and bff) are going to the outlets - woot woot! I just hope that, as my stomach has gotten better as the day has gone on tremendously, that it will keep up!

What did everyone eat for dinner tonight? Did you forget a MAJOR part of your meal like I did?;) Bye for now!

Who doesn't love homemade blueberry muffins??

2010-03-25T10:30:00.000-04:00

We sure love them here! I ran out of breakfast bars, and needed something I could have for the rest of the week, and of course for the husband too, to break up his oatmeal routine a bit;) Luckily I had all the ingrediens and off I went! Where did I get blueberries that aren't $5.00/pint at the grocery store? Frozen, from my parents blueberry bushes - thanks parents! I love to eat blueberries, just not pick them:)

I followed the Frozen Blueberry Muffin Recipe from allrecipes.com to a T, just added more blueberries than just 1 cup - come on now, it's the best part! You will need:

2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup - no way, I used 2! - blueberries

**I did not do the topping, but if you choose to do it, it's only 1 tbsp sugar and 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg mixed together and put on top of the muffin mix before baking**

Preheat oven to 375. Mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside. In another mixing bowl, stir together the melted butter and sugar. Add the eggs, milk, and vanilla to the butter and sugar and mix well. Add the flour mixture to this, and stir until just moistened. Fold in frozen blueberries.

Fill greased or lined muffin cups 2/3 full - I like to overstuff mine:)

Gotta love these bendy muffin/cupcake liners I received as a wedding shower gift - thanks Mrs. Bacon - they are amazing!

Bake for 20-25 minutes (mine were 25) until a toothpick comes up clean.

I ate one almost immediately - it was the one thing that sounded edible to my stomach - it was soooo good! I tried to take a pic but I ate it too fast - I'll try to take one next time I eat another;)

What are you favorite types of muffins, or breakfast foods, to make or eat? I like to make omelets and muffins; like to eat omelets, muffins, and cinnamon buns!

Have a great day!

Wicked Cheap Wednesday...kinda - Salmon cakes with broc mac & cheese!

2010-03-24T21:43:00.000-04:00

Happy Wednesday, all! How are you all doing? I'm alright - I feel like I'm getting better, as I felt I could eat a little bit more today, but it's still all funny in there! GRR! I have to go back to work tomorrow so I'm hoping it won't be too bad - no fun to be running to the bathroom all day! And I'm sure not that appreciated:)

Tonight I made a new recipe from my latest Kraft Magazine. I have to say this issue looks full of promise and I can't wait to try a bunch of these recipes! To me, tonight's was a little time consuming and at times frustrating, but worth it in the end:) Paired with simple and mac and cheese and steamed broccoli, I felt it was a balanced meal, somehow;)

Salmon cakes - you will need:

1 can, or 14.7 oz salmon, drained, and with no skins or bones ***I used 3 cans, 6 oz each, of the salmon***
1 6oz pkg of stuffing mix for chicken
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup water
2 green onions or half a red onion, chopped
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp lemon juice

Mix all ingredients:

Yes, it has mayonnaise, and I had to touch it!

Form into patties - I was able to get 11 patties out of this much mixture, but more egg shaped than circular - place on a plate, and refrigerate for 10 minutes.

Heat a large, nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Spray with Pam. Once the 10 minutes are up, cook the patties until browned on both sides. It took me about 20 minutes, and 2 batches, to make all 11.

So, they don't look as they did in the magazine, of course, and they fell apart a bit, but they were easy to patty-back together once cooked. From the little I ate, they tasted great, like from a restaurant! I would make them a little more golden all around next time (it's tough, b/c the stuffing is what seems to brown, and how do you spread that out evenly??), and try to think of a dipping sauce to go with them - what kind of sauce are you thinking to go with them?? Husband loved them, so I'm happy:)

The cost wasn't the best WCW I've ever done, but it was $7.50 for the 3 cans of salmon, $1.50 for the stuffing, and I had the rest, so not bad, because I had the other ingredients already. It's not something I'd make every Wednesday, though:)

How was your Wednesday? Anything exciting happen? Hope you'll give these salmon cakes a try and/or suggest a dipping sauce! Fingers crossed I feel better and better each day!

Gastroenteritis is not fun!

2010-03-23T21:15:00.000-04:00

Hey all! No meal tonight, as I finally told, well asked the doctor, nicely to see me today as I still wasn't feeling right - turns out, it's gastroenteritis, not just a stomach bug! Fun times! He's hopeful, as am I, that since I've had this for over a week now, that I'll be a-okay by the end of this week!

I'll be back tomorrow night with a recipe I hope - until then, stay well!

How good do these look for late night?

2010-03-23T00:30:00.000-04:00

Thanks to the husband for modeling his cheeseburger with carmelized onions, and of course ketchup and mustard. The onions gave the burger such a great taste. I think this will be a new "thing" for us - trying different things on burgers - next up...?? Any suggestions?

Thank you to Baking Bites for this fun recipe! Easy to make, pretty easy cleanup, but very sweet - have a cold glass of milk ready for this one! I left out corn syrup (only b/c I didn't have any, oops) and used honey roasted peanuts instead of just plain salted peanuts, but other than that I followed her recipe accordingly. A nice followup to the burger, though:)

My stomach is making funny gurgling noises (last of the bug I'm hoping!) so I'm out for now...I'll be back Tuesday or Wednesday around dinner time with a new, and it kinda looks challenging, recipe - wish me luck!

Slow cooker Sunday! Kielbasa!

2010-03-21T22:00:00.000-04:00

Happy Sunday, everyone! My stomach is finally feeling pretty much back to normal, now I'm just in the tired zone - hopefully with resting today (besides a Wii workout and some cleaning!) and a good night's sleep tonight, I'll be back to fully "normal" tomorrow:)

So what's cooking over here you're wondering? Slow cooker kielbasa! Kielbasa was on sale this past week buy one, get one free, love those! So last night, while we watched Pride and Prejudice, I defrosted a pound of kielbasa. I think we both could've eaten it, once defrosted, and since it's bought pre-cooked, just like that but we held ourselves back:)

I read soooo many different recipes online about how to make it - with beer, with soda, with different jellies, different sauces, etc etc etc. So I first decided to make it with these ingredients:

Yup, a jar of grape jelly, a cup of brown sugar, and a jar/12 oz of chili sauce. Once I put these ingredients into the slow cooker, I wasn't fully satisfied, it needed something more, but what! So I added these:

A tablespoon or so of horseradish mustard and about 1/4 cup bbq sauce. After mixing up all of this, I added the cut up kielbasa, crossed my fingers, and said see ya in 5 hours (on low) and I hope mixing these tastes/textures together works out!

Well, it worked! About 4 hours in I added a 1/2 cup more brown sugar to try to give it a gristly texture, and in the end it was amazing - flavorful, nice to look at it, and different!

I hope everyone has a great rest of their weekend! I'm off to read for a bit before, hopefully, a great night's sleep to start the week off on the right foot!

Also, hopefully you'll share your own kielbasa recipes with me - I'd love to hear about them!

A quick Saturday post for you! 10 fast food/chain restaurant food items you can't live without!

2010-03-20T16:00:00.003-04:00

Everyone has them, not just me, right, those fast food/chain restaurant food items that you crave?? What are your 5/10/50??

My top 10 are:

1. Croutons from Ruby Tuesdays - love that salad bar!
2. Peanut Butter Pie from Uno's
3. Any pear/candied walnut/chicken or turkey salad with cranberries, but usually from the British Beer Company
4. Wendy's fries, Jr hamburgers, and cokes - they're all from the same restaurant, so they count as one;)
5. TGI Friday's mac and cheese!
6. Any soft taco from taco bell - no sour cream, please!
7. Papa Gino's cheesy breadsticks!
8. Dunkin Donut's brownies!
9. Outback's bread!
10. and last, but not least, Burger King's frozen soda thing - I don't even know if they still have it, that's how long it's been since I've been to BK (don't really live near one anymore) - but those were worth the stop!

Friday night seafood night - Pan seared tuna and onion soup mix/roasted potato things:)

2010-03-20T00:35:00.000-04:00

Happy Friday, everyone! Usually I say happy Friday because it's the end of a hard-worked work week:) This week I say it because I finally am feeling a little better, and even a little hungry! Yippee! I was able to eat about a half portion of what I usually eat for dinner, with a few "snacks" during the day - think banana chips, rice, and fat free frozen yogurt - so that is pretty much more than I've eaten all week! Yay Yay Yay! The husband and I were discussing how he always seems to get colds, where as I always get stomach bugs, but we never seem to give them to each other. At least one of us is usually healthy:)

Hasn't this weather (we're in MA) been amazing?? I haven't been able to enjoy it of course, but I'm hoping to be able to tomorrow, and that the nice weather will continue! I've got to start on my couch potato to 5k plan (eeek) and I need to be better to do that!

But anyways, enough late night blabbering - how did I make tonight's meal you say? E-A-S-Y!

I marinated 2 regular-size tuna steaks and 1 really small one in about a 1/2 cup of soy sauce, 1/4 cup honey, and crushed red pepper for 2 hours. I then pan-seared it over medium high heat, in about an 1/8 cup of olive oil, for about 4 minutes per each side. They were a little more "cooked" than I would've liked (the husband agrees) but I love pan-seared seafood! And I always love these potatoes!!

Fingers crossed that I wake up tomorrow early (errands and mucho things to catch up on) and feel better than today! I'd like to eat a 3/4 portion meal please;)

husband's first helping/plate

my sad plate - it's super close up, so it looks like more;) I want more food!

Have a great night and weekend, everyone! I'll be back Sunday with a new crockpot recipe for you:)

Smelled so good, wish I could've eaten it - Cajun Chicken and Rice!

2010-03-18T17:30:00.001-04:00

Simple and easy again tonight, as I'm still sickly - ugh, how annoying! Positive thoughts that tomorrow I'll feel better! I must've subconsciously known something was going to be up this week because even though the menu has new things on it, they're quite simple, phew!

Tonight I modified a recipe off the side of a Zatarain Spanish Rice box. I can't wait to have it again since it smelled soooo good and the husband loved it! Since I'm disappointed I couldn't eat it, I'm hoping it's a sign my stomach is coming around:)

What you'll need:

3 boneless chicken breasts, cut in half
Cajun seasoning, as much as you'd like
2 tbsp margarine
1.5 cups cut up tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1.5 cups water
8 oz spaghetti sauce
1 box Zatarain Spanish rice

Heat the margarine over medium high heat in a large skillet until melted. Coat chicken with as much Cajun seasoning as you'd like, then brown the chicken pieces in the margarine. Once brown, remove from skillet and set aside.

Add rice, water, veggies, and spaghetti sauce, mix together, and put the chicken back in. Bring to a boil, then cover, turn to medium low, and cook until until done, about 25 minutes. How easy was that! The little bit of thickness the spaghetti sauce brought to the rice mixture smelled so wonderful - again, hoping it's a good sign over here. It's hard to cook when you don't want to taste things!

Fingers crossed for tomorrow! Also, has anyone else seen this advertised or been the previous 2 years they've toured? I love this show, and have never heard of this "tour" but I'm thinking maybe I would like to go - it would be so fun!

Wicked Cheap Wednesday - non-St. Patrick's Day related, oops!

2010-03-17T17:45:00.001-04:00

Sorry to all of you hoping for a St. Patty's Day post - not a fan of cornbeef and cabbage...any recommendations I can try for next year?

Since I'm still using what's in our freezer/cabinets, I made/improvised a recipe from the side of a can of turkey gravy. It became a hot turkey and stuffing sandwich! Yes, yes, I forgot the cranberry sauce and have profusely apologized to the husband - I apologize, again! Will not happen again! See what happens when I don't put something on my list - it gets forgotten! Does this happen to you?

You will need:

1 lb turkey breast pieces - either deli meat or cutlets - I used cutlets - $5.50
1 10.75 oz can of turkey gravy - $1.00
1 box turkey stuffing - $1.50
bulky rolls - .75 cents
1 box of frozen breakfast sausage - $1.00 on sale

Plus salad stuff and fries we already had = $9.75! I didn't eat it because I was/am still down and out with the bug, but it smelled good, I think;) The husband ate 2 sandwiches (hefty ones) and there was enough left for at least 2 more. Very simple, thank goodness because I didn't have the energy or attention span to put too much thought into this one!

Preheat oven to 350. Make stuffing as directed on the box. While that is pretty much making itself, cook the entire box, 10 pieces, of breakfast sausage in the microwave for 5 minutes. When done, cut into very small pieces, add to the cooked stuffing, and place all of it in an 8x8 pan and bake for 15 minutes, or until crispy.

While that is happening, heat the can of gravy to a boil in a skillet. Once boiling, add the turkey pieces and cook until done. Once both that and the stuffing are done, load as much as you'd like onto any kind of bread/roll you'd like and eat up!

And oh yes, cranberry sauce...

Here's hoping tomorrow night I can eat the recipe I make :(

Sorry about the lack-of followup post!

2010-03-16T14:13:00.000-04:00

Hey all, sorry about the lack-of followup about Sunday's meal. I've been hit with a lovely bout of some sort of stomach bug and food, um, isn't that appealing right now. I will force myself, quickly, to post the outcome of Mexican Fiesta.

The husband liked it - gave it a 9 I think. I should've known I was getting sick when I couldn't stomach looking at it or eating it...

I still think it looks horrendous - I know I'm still sick, though. This is what I tried to eat that night:

It didn't go well...I ended up eating a salad, which didn't even sit well (sorry for the details). I think this recipe would definitely have been better as a kind of appetizer/dip for nachos. It was more a like a Mexican stew. With eliminating some of the liquid, either from the beans, or tomatoes, or maybe one of the soups, I don't think it would've been so soupy and to me, yuck looking. I'll have to try it again when I don't have a stomach bug on the horizon!

Hopefully I can eat something normal, not toast or Cheerios, soon! Have a great day, everyone! Wish me luck and good health!

Happy Pi Day!

2010-03-14T21:53:00.000-04:00

That is to you, my husband, and your friends;) I love my computer man genius:)

How is your weekend everyone? Great over here! Got to finally enjoy Up in the Air (to me, who knows nothing about the craft of acting, it was amazing), Frost/Nixon, and Precious - yes, it rained all weekend;) Precious was intense but I see now why Mo'nique won an Oscar, etc.

Oh yes, I did cook this weekend;) Tonight I'm making Mexican Fiesta in the crockpot, and an Ultimate Carrot Cake, just for the man:) I'm going to post the recipes and pictures below, then let you know we thought of them tomorrow night:)

Mexican Fiesta - what you'll need:

1 lb hamburg
Pam spray
1 can red kidney beans
1/2 bag white corn tortilla chips
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 15oz can diced tomatoes and chiles
extra small can of chiles if you like extra spice
2 tbsp chili powder
1/2 cup red onion, chopped

Brown the hamburg, and once browned, mix in the beans, undrained. Spray the inside of the crockpot with Pam Spray. Place half the tortilla chips in the bottom, then put half of the hamburg/bean mixture on top of that.

In a separate bowl, mix together the soups, tomatoes/chiles, chili powder and onion. Place half of this mixture on top of the hamburg mixture, then put half of the shredded cheese on top. Repeat steps one more time, then cook on high for 3 hours.

How do you think it will come out?? It's Mexican food and in a crockpot, what could go wrong??

Ultimate carrot cake! How will this turn out?

You will need:

1 box of carrot cake mix, for example, Pillsbury
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1/2 cup any kind of chopped nuts - I used almonds
10 oz pineapple, not drained
1/2 cup shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 13x9 pan with butter Pam Spray and then sprinkle with flour. Mix together the carrot cake mix, water, oil, eggs, and pineapple. Beat for 30 seconds on low and 2 minutes on medium. Once mixed, add the nuts and coconut, then pour into the pan.

Bake for 40 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for at least one hour, then frost with whatever type frosting you like - I used cream cheese frosting, just for the husband, and keep refrigerated until serving.

I'll give you a sneak of how we liked this one - I topped mine with the Purely Decadent Coconut Milk ice cream stuff I've been loving and um um um! I scraped off my frosting though;)

So this continued the spring cleaning of sorts of our fridge/cabinets - another success in that aspect! I'm so proud of us! Grocery bills have gone down, and we're being creative:)

I've got some spreadsheets to make in regards to houses we're going to see soon, and I've got to watch Up in the Air again...love it so much:) Then it's off to finish my book and start a new work week! Lots of exciting things going on around here:) What's exciting in your life? What's in your pantry or freezer that want to use and what do you want to use them for.

Here are 3 things I'm still trying to figure out what to do with:

can of chickpeas
2 cans of mushrooms
flaxseed

Help!

See you tomorrow night - enjoy what's left of your weekend. Is anyone as cranky about losing an hour's of sleep as me??

Yes, I'm still cooking from the freezer/cabinet leftovers:)

2010-03-12T20:19:00.000-05:00

Happy Friday, everyone! We made it thru another week! The freezer is looking great, and next week will be the week I really tackle the cabinet with the canned items and boxed items! Woohoo, how exciting;)

Last night I made Baked Pork and Shrimp Wontons with leftover ground pork and shrimp. As I suspected Wednesday night, it was time consuming, and since I grocery shopped, had to put that stuff away, etc, we ate dinner at 8pm. I am not a fan of this. I like to eat around 6:30. I felt like I ate and it was time for bed!

Nonetheless, they were pretty tasty - I say pretty tasty because I felt they needed something more...maybe once you read the ingredients you can suggest something - a veggie, a sauce, a seasoning, something was just missing. Husband gave them a 9.5 - I need a 10!

What you'll need:

1 package of wonton wrappers - I used about 25 of them and had plenty of mixture left with l lb ground pork - I was sick of folding them, though!
1/2 lb - 1 lb ground pork
1/2 lb small shrimp, uncooked, but de-shelled, and minced
8 water chestnuts, finely chopped
2 scallions finely chopped
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 lg egg, beaten
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp cornstarch

Preheat oven to 375. Combine all ingredients and let sit for 10 minutes. Lightly spray a baking sheet with Pam. Put 1 tsp of the mixture on each wonton wrapper and fold into somewhat of a pocket; seal with a small amount of water. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until crispy and cooked thru.

Sounds easy right? Well spooning that mixture onto each (about 20) wonton wrappers and folding them up takes a lot of time, too much for when you're starting to make dinner at 6:50!

Did I forget to mention I have a steamer, which would be great for these things, but I'm scared to use it!?!

The best part of the meal to me was the Beef Rice-A-Roni. All stuff from the freezer/cabinet makes me very happy though:)

Tonight was frozen flounder with crab stuffing that I did buy fresh last week and froze. Easy, and nothing fancy because it's Friday night, and you know what, I am t-i-r-e-d!!

I'm going back to watching the Bourne Identity with the husband hopefully followed by Up in the Air:) See you all later this weekend AND please give me suggestions for those wontons - I'll post a picture of them later.

Last but not least - it's a Friday night, what's your drink of choice? Mine you ask?

credit

Kinda Wicked Cheap Wednesday while cleaning out the freezer!

2010-03-10T20:54:00.000-05:00

Happy Wednesday! Another gorgeous day up here, but I'm ready for the rain to come so I can lay around, at least for a little bit this weekend, and watch movies in comfy clothes!! AND sleep in!!!

Tonight was a meal I haven't made in a very long time - Spicy Peanut Bake Chicken with Jasmine Rice and green beans. Easy easy, and yummy yummy! And again I got to use things from the freezer, cabinets, and leftovers:)

What you'll need for the chicken:

1-2 lbs boneless chicken breast - I had about 1.5 lbs, or 3 breasts, each cut in half
one package, which has 2 envelopes, of A Taste of Thai Spicy Peanut Bake mix

Yup, that's it! Preheat oven to 350. Place chicken pieces into a baking dish and coat with both envelopes of the mix, turning chicken to coat both sides. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until chicken pieces are fully cooked thru (it was about 27 minutes for mine).

While this is baking, I prepared a cup of A Taste of Thai Jasmine Rice as directed on the package. Once cooked, I added a can of pineapple chunks (from pineapple juice, not syrup, as learned at the Univ of Lissy) and some honey roasted peanuts - yum! Paired these with green beans and wallah - dinner! Oh yes, and leftover cornbread from last night;)

I love this meal and I don't know why I don't make it more often! The spice mix is the pefect blend of sweet and spicy!

I know a lot of you make your own seasonings (taco, chili, etc) at home, but do you have a favorite packaged seasoning you use, or what is your favorite seasoning to make at home? Does anyone else out there like A Taste of Thai at home items?

Tomorrow night is NOT well planned - grocery shopping after work and then making a new, scary to me, meal...this could be dinner at 8pm, or Wendy's at 8:30pm;)

Have a great night everyone - I'm off to eat some more Purely Decadent Coconut IC! Oh, and my cookies were a hit at work today...as usual;)

Night 2 of cleaning out the freezer a success, and a cookie recipe:)

2010-03-09T22:06:00.000-05:00

Helllllo readers! Today is a special day, as it is Melissa's bday - make sure to stop by and wish her the best of days!

It was sunny again today, we got pre-approved and can start looking for houses, it's our 10 month (wow, huh?;)) wedding anniversary, and night 2 of cleaning out the freezer was an even bigger success! Leftover frozen hamburg, spaghetti sauce we already had in the fridge, can of red kidney beans, and a chili seasoning packet (yes, I know, I can make it from my own seasonings at home quite easily, next time!) = easy! Topped with avocado and a side of homemade cornbread and nachos with cheese, and we were good and happy, eating away our Mexican food, laughing at Seinfeld, and talking house business:)

Chili: you need -

1 lb hamburg
1 15 oz can red kidney beans, drained
1 packet of chili seasoning
20 oz of spaghetti marinara
1 cup water
1 avocado

Brown hamburg over medium high heat until cooked thru. Once cooked thru, put into small medium sized pot. Add chili seasoning, the spaghetti marinara, the drained kidney beans, and 1 cup of water. Stir together and bring to a boil.

Once boiling, reduce heat to medium low and let cook for 9-11 minutes, stirring occasionally, until all ingredients have mixed together and are cooked thru. So easy, and a great way to use stuff you already, most likely, have!

Now onto the good stuff - cookies! All I do is follow the Tollhouse recipe and add a cup of coconut flakes - that simple! You just have to make sure not to use too much coconut, as it cooks faster and sometimes makes it more difficult for the dough to stay together.

Off to hopefully read some blogs and watch a DVR'd Project Runway before sleep:) I hope my old boss, who we're having a surprise birthday party for tomorrow at work, is so surprised and happy! And I know my co-workers all love these cookies, so I hope they are happy with them:)

Tomorrow night - a meal recipe/photos for, oops, not so Wicked Cheap Wednesday! See you tomorrow!

The week of using every leftover in the freezer begins!

2010-03-08T21:35:00.001-05:00

Happy Monday - hope everyone made it thru;) Mondays, oh Mondays, they're tough ones!

This week, the husband and I are doing our best to use all of our leftovers/frozen meats in the freezer - you don't realize what adds up in there! Tonight I was using a chicken stew type thing I made months ago - chicken, corn, peas, carrots, and I honestly don't even remember what the liquid-y part was made of! I took this mixture, an additional can of cream of chicken soup and 2 pie crusts and made a pot pie with it! Yes, night 1 a success! Spring cleaning can start in your freezer, right??

Has anyone else had wicked nice weather (sorry, wicked is a MA thing) the past few days - 50's and 60's, I'll take it! Totally put me in the mood to get the spring cleaning going this weekend! Sunlight always makes me happier:) Rain coming this weekend, though, so I'm thinking it's going to be a full weekend of movies!

If you could choose to watch 3 Oscar movies, out On Demand now, this weekend, which would you choose? Help me out!!

Tomorrow night I'll have a dessert for you; Wednesday, a real meal recipe :) See you all then!

PS - Is anyone else watching The Bachelor wedding? Molly's lipstick/makeup is out of control!

Happy Sunday! Can't wait for the Oscars!

2010-03-07T13:33:00.000-05:00

Hello blog friends! Hope you're having a wonderful weekend! This weekend has been fab for CheyCanCook - yesterday my mom and I went to the Tyson American Cup, the best international gymnastics meet that the USA hosts! Mucho fun and a great meet!

Then last night, the husband and I then went and celebrated Melissa's bday! Happy almost birthday, BFF! We will celebrate some more when we've all had more sleep:)

So tonight it's back to cooking for me, AND the Oscars! Granted, I've only seen one of the movies nominated, Inglorious Bastards, but I plan on seeing the others when they come out on DVD/On Demand:) I love the dresses, interviews, and the people-watching! I wish I had thought of it sooner, because I would love to try to create the same menu that Wolfgang Puck is making for the Governor's Ball after the Oscars, with my own spin of course - note to self, remind self of this next year! Create Wolfgang's menu, watch all nominated Oscar movies, and friends commit to do the same, and host an Oscar party - sounds like a plan to me! Next year!

Tonight, instead of chicken pot pies, smoked salmon, and baked Alaska, we'll be having this beef stew that I've made numerous times before. I guess beef stew wouldn't be the perfect Oscar meal because of the chance it could drip down your gazillion dollar dress:) But we'll eat our beef stew and italian bread and enjoy the Oscars all the same:)

Do you love the Oscars? What is your favorite part? Who do you want to win/which movies have you seen?? Does anyone host a party?

Talk to you all later - it's time to clean!

Another award, eek/yay!!

2010-03-05T14:00:00.000-05:00

A huge thank you to one of my favorite bloggers, Laura! I love reading about her scrapping, her baby/husband, etc etc - always a fun read that you know you'll smile during:)

As always, there a rules for this award! And they are:
1. Thank the person who nominated you for this award. - Thank you, Laura!
2. Copy the award & place it on your blog. Done!
3. Link to the person who nominated you for this award. Done!
4. Share 7 interesting things about yourself. See below
5. Nominate 7 bloggers. See below

Ok, so seven interesting things about me:

1. I do single lutz's (a figure skating move) in our living room - I never fall...but I don't have skates on...and they're singles
2. I collect shot glasses - I have them from places I've been, and other people bring them back from where they've been for me too:)
3. I would love to have a daughter someday and name her Brinley. The husband is not a fan of this name whatsoever!
4. I prefer the old Office episodes much more than the last couple of seasons.
5. I DVR awful reality shows and watch them during free moments or while I'm cleaning - everything from Celeb Rehab to Project Runway
6. I miss twirling flag - I can still make up routines in my head to music on the radio
7. When shopping, I always gravitate towards shirts and pocketbooks, rarely pants and shoes

The 7 sites I'm recognizing are:

1. Daisy - http://adaisychaindream.blogspot.com/
2. Meghann - http://meghannslittlecorner.blogspot.com/
3. Lisa - http://fashionablefabmom.blogspot.com/
4. one of my new fave sites - http://funandfearlessinbeantown.blogspot.com/
5. http://allthingsyummyforfoodies.blogspot.com/
6. A lovely "Diva" :) - http://montrealaise-en-californie.blogspot.com/
7. Jasmine - http://eatmovewrite.blogspot.com/

Wicked Cheap Wednesday - oops Thursday - Baked Cod!

2010-03-04T19:46:00.000-05:00

I'm back, and have much more energy - always seems to happen towards the end of the week, and maybe that Diet Coke I just had helped! I won't be cooking again until Sunday, so I'll be posting about some other stuff, but just wanted to tell you tonight about what I made for our WCW last night - baked cod! So easy, and so cheap!

Preheat oven to 400. For the cod, I bought fresh, thin (probably about 3 inches wide and almost a foot long) cod pieces (2 of them). I mixed together bread crumbs, grated parmesan cheese, paprika, and Odobo seasoning - mostly bread crumbs, with tbsps of the other stuff just until it looked like enough - I know Melissa will be so proud of me for "eying" the recipe rather than following each measurement exactly:) I also mixed together some white wine and lemon juice. I dipped each cod piece into and thru the liquid, and then into the breadcrumb mixture. Spray 9x13 baking pan with Pam spray and place each cod piece in the pan. Bake for 25 minutes, or until fish is crispy and flakes easily.

While this was baking, I put together a salad and some Green Giant frozen rice pilaf. Once the cod finished, I turned the oven down to 375 and made some Stop and Shop brand crescent rolls while the fish cooled. Oh, and I heated up some Campbell's clam chowder on medium low heat on the stovetop. Quite the filling, but yummy meal! I had planned to have this Friday (Lent = need more seafood recipes!) And cheap!

Cod - .75 lbs = $4.00
Green Giant frozen rice pilaf - on sale, as usual, for $1.25
Campbell's clam chowder - on sale = $2.00
Crescent rolls = $2.00

Everything else (bread crumbs, lemon juice, WINE, etc), we already had = $9.25!!! The other ingredients are items I always have on hand. Sometimes, it's so easy to look at what you have, throw it together, and have a great and inexpensive meal at home!

Like I said, no more cooking until Sunday for me, but I'll posting other stuff. Tonight I'm wondering, what seafood recipes do you make a lot during Lent?? Also, does anyone else watch High School Reunion on TVLand - love that show!

And, I don't have many, but here are some pictures from Croptopia last weekend - highly recommended! I am going to try this weekend to get some pictures taken of the pages I made so I can share them with you:) Check out Melissa's page for her pics too!

my wine glass - note the C so we would know who's glass belonged to who - great idea, ladies!

Sara and Katie:)

Melissa and I = comfy clothes all weekend!

just a quarter of the room - look at the people and their stuff! I brought one tote!

Happy birthday, Katie! Wonderful cupcakes from The Bean Counter!

Talk to you tomorrow:)

Have you ever been soooo tired....

2010-03-03T21:22:00.002-05:00

You just couldn't do anything, not even blog? That's me tonight - sorry everyone - long week and so tired! I will post my Wicked Cheap Wed. meal tomorrow night...night all!

Hi everyone!

2010-03-02T21:05:00.001-05:00

Sorry, no new recipe tonight, just good ole spaghetti, meatballs, salad, and garlic bread over here! After some crazy Olympic country meals, it's nice to have a relaxing week. Don't worry, though, I'll be back tomorrow with a Wicked Cheap Wednesday meal:)

So this week I'm thinking about what "stuff" I wish I either could make, or could make better:

1. sushi!
2. mashed potatoes - I just can't get them right! What would be even better is garlic mashed potatoes like at TGI Friday's!
3. chocolate mousse - how the heck do you separate the whites and yolks from eggs correctly??

What do you wish you could make in general or better? Also, when you have frozen leftovers, like ground pork, turkey, etc, what are your best go-to recipes when you're trying to use up what's in the freezer??

I'm off to clean out my scrapbooking tote - it's a disaster after Croptopia this weekend! See you tomorrow night! I also have to get some pictures of my new pages up - all in good time:)

Oh! Who's psyched about the dwts new lineup? What about Jake and Vienna? Sorry, tv blogging;)

I've received an award!

2010-03-01T19:30:00.002-05:00

Thank you so much to Alison!! What you do is you list 10 things that make you happy, then pass it onto 10 other bloggers:)

1. My husband, because he's my best friend, takes care of me in every way possible, and well, because he's my husband!
2. My bff Melissa, because our personalities bounce off eachother quite well - also the rest of my friends of course:)
3. Family - mom, dad, and brother especially!
4. shopping!
5. scrapbooking!
6. traveling, especially cruises and Caribbean island visits!
7. a great dessert - pb pie, cookies, anything, just not anything minty
8. Red Sox games!
9. Artsy sports, like gymnastics and figure skating - and the Olympics as a whole!
10. Last but not least, doing this blog, my readers, the posters, and everything that goes with it. How far I've come!

Congrats to the below 10 blog(gers) that I've chosen to give this award to!

http://sunlight-simplicity.blogspot.com/

http://sharyncarlson.typepad.com/

http://www.cookiemadness.net/

http://www.howsweeteats.com/

http://tasteofhomecooking.blogspot.com/

http://www.kaceyskitchen.com/

http://fortheloveofcooking-recipes.blogspot.com/

http://highheelsandaprons.blogspot.com/

http://momskitchencooking.blogspot.com/

http://thescrappytree.blogspot.com/

Thanks again, Alison for the award! I hope the fantastic blog(gers) I've picked will accept this award and have fun with it!

Cheycancook is back from Croptopia!

2010-02-28T22:33:00.000-05:00

15 scrapbook pages later, I'm back from our Croptopia getaway in CT! So much fun, and so relaxing - a big thank you to the husband who surprised me with a gift card to get a massage at the spa while I was there!!!

I'll be back tomorrow night, after a good night's sleep hopefully tonight, and a long work day tomorrow, to share some more about Croptopia and upcoming cooking things for me:) I can't wait to catch up on all of your blogs that I am 3 days behind on - sorry!

BTW, is anyone else sad/crying because the Olympics are over?? Vancouver did an amazing job! Did anyone else watch old Michelle Kwan videos on Youtube during the Olympics just for the heck of it/to torture themselves?? That is me:(

Talk to you tomorrow night!

Night 14 of Olympic Meals - Netherlands!

2010-02-25T21:20:00.000-05:00

Yes, 2 posts in one night, and this will probably be my last Olympic post, food wise, since I'll be at Croptopia all weekend (don't worry, I'll squeeze in some Olympic TV time!), Netherlands! The husband and I both agreed we would like these better if they weren't so oily...and the husband also now states he can't wait till I start cooking "normal" food again next week - he would like Italian and Mexican every other night ;)

Netherlands = Fried ham and cheese roll ups!

You will need:

thin bread - I used Rye, maybe not the best choice as it isn't the thinnest
1 cup shredded Gouda cheese
2 tbsp dijon mustard
deli sliced ham
vegetable oil
1/2 cup flour for coating
1 egg, beaten, with 1 tbsp milk
1 cup breadcrumbs
toothpicks

Heat 2 inches of vegetable oil over medium heat. While that is heating, mix together the cheese and mustard and spread, or in my case it was more like, press it onto one piece of bread. Top with one piece of ham, roll up, and pin with a toothpick or two.

Coat the sandwich with the flour, then dip in the egg/milk mixture, coat with breadcrumbs, and put into the oil. My pan fit 4 of these, so I made 4:) Flipping a couple times, they took about 10 minutes to crisp up.

Crisp up they did, but they stayed mighty oily, even after paper-towelling them off (is that a word?). Too bad, b/c I think if I cooked them like I was making a grilled cheese just with Pam spray, they would've been wonderful with this type cheese! I'll definitely make them again, just with sliced Gouda and no oil!

I hope you have all enjoyed my Olympic meals and posts! I am so excited about figure skating tonight, and then Croptopia this weekend! Please keep posting and sending suggestions for meals from different countries, and I'll be back to posting next week!

Have a great weekend and try to stay dry! We are getting crazy rain here! Better than snow!

Night 13 of Olympic Meals - Japan!

2010-02-25T20:56:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the late post, everyone - I fell asleep last night about 9:30 - this Olympic late night-ness is getting to me! I must be getting old! Anyways, I hope you enjoy this post and the next (for tonight's meal) - unfortunately they'll be quick, as I must pack for my and Melissa's Croptopia getaway! Scrapbooking alll weekend, woohoo! Should be fun, but I will miss the husband, and it sounds like a party he's going to have while I'm gone...

So what did I make? Low-cal Japanese chicken was the name, but it seemed pretty "normal" to me. I paired it with some Jasmine rice and yummy sushi (purchased from our fave Asian place, Asia Bistro) and all was good:) The chicken was a little bland, but always worth it to try new things, right?

You will need:

3 large chicken breasts, a little over 1 lb total, cut in half
1 cup low fat lemon yogurt
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup soy sauce

Mix all ingredients together, then coat each chicken piece in the mixture. Place foil over a 13x9 baking dish and place chicken pieces on the foil. Place in a cold oven, then set to 425 and cook for 45 minutes.

The chicken ended up with a little bit of a crispness to it, and was definitely juicy, but just alittle bland. With all that lemon I thought it would have such a nice lemon flavor, but it didn't really...I sure did enjoy my Jasmine rice and sushi though:)

Can anyone recommend any other Japanese recipes I should try? I really have to learn how to make sushi!

Night 12 of Olympic Meals - England!

2010-02-23T21:00:00.000-05:00

I bet a lot of you are saying finally! Yes finally, England! I couldn't do all the expected countries in the same week;) So what did I make - Bangers and Mash! I'm hoping one of my mom's best friends, who posts comments on here, tries my recipes more than anyone else, and sends me dessert recipes will critique me and tell me how it's really supposed to be made since she's from England!

What you'll need:

Enough mashed potatoes for 6 servings
1.5 lbs beef sausage
1/2 cup diced onion - my pieces were a bit chunkier
1 (.75 oz) packet dry brown gravy mix
1 cup water

Preheat oven to 350. Make mashed potatoes as normal, or if you're like me and for some reason can't make good mashed potatoes, make them out of the box:)

In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the sausage in about a 1/2 inch water, sprayed with Pam, covered, until heated thru. Remove from pan and set aside. Fry the onions in the leftover water until tender.

Mix gravy packet with 1 cup water and add to the skillet with the onions. Heat to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Once thickened, turn down heat to low and simmer for about 1 minute to let it thicken even more.

Pour half of the gravy mixture into the bottom of a 9x9 pan. Top with sausages, then the rest of the gravy mixture, then the mashed potatoes. Bake for 20 minutes, or until potatoes start to brown a bit on top.

Yum! The husband can't wait to go tell his English boss what he had for dinner tonight;)

I'm very nervous about tomorrow night! Any guesses? Is anyone else soooo tired from staying up watching these Olympics?!? I love them, but I can't wait until I can start going to bed early again! And catch the finale of the Bachelor;)

See you all tomorrow night:)

Night 11 of Olympic meals - Jamaica!

2010-02-22T20:47:00.000-05:00

Hello all! Good guesses, but how could I not throw in the Cool Runnings country??

I'm sure you all know by now, CCC likes to keep Mondays very simple - I don't always have a lot of energy after a full Monday at work, and I just want to relax mostly, but we can't starve over here...so I cook:)

Tonight = very simple! Jerk chicken wings with leftover white rice and green beans, a veggie medley, and, to much excitement, fried plantains! I can't say for sure the plantains are "Jamaican" but it seems like in every Caribbean country I go to, there are always delicious fried plantains.

For the wings, I just bought about 3 lbs of chicken wings and marinated them in Caribbean Jerk sauce, store-bought (remember, it's Monday!) and some soy sauce all day while I was at work. When I came home tonight, I tossed them on a rimmed baking sheet and broiled them for 45 minutes in the oven. So yummy and crispy; the husband was a real fan! I'm more of a BBQ wing fan, and I'd like to try to make my own sauce or rub for these next time...but it was Monday and my lazy night!

Onto the plantains - are they supposed to be so hard to peel?? I had 2, so I peeled both and cut them into 1/2-1 inch slices. I heated a fry pan over medium heat, adding 2 cups of vegetable oil. Once the oil was heated I added the slices and cooked them in the oil for 20 minutes, stirring/flipping occasionally. You want them brown, but not too brown, b/c then they'll get too chip-like. After the 20 minutes, add a 1/2 cup sugar, stir it around, turn the heat to low, and simmer the plantains for another 10 minutes or so. Drain on a plate in paper towels and enjoy! Mine got a little too crispy, so next time I'd cook them a little less, but they were great and I'm so happy this whole meal was so easy!

Any guesses for tomorrow night?? Why are they interviewing Michael Phelps - show some figure skating! And why does there have to be a chance of snow everyday for the next 5 days?!?! Have a good night, all!

Night 10 (night 9 was a night out for italian food) of Olympic meals - France!

2010-02-21T20:59:00.000-05:00

I bet Melissa is especially happy about this one, since she's been guessing France for days now:) This was a fabulous meal, unlike the German meal I made, that I'll definitely be making again! What did I make you ask? Bay Scallops with Almonds and white rice and Apricot, Brie, and Pecan Tarts:)

So so easy, just a lot going on at the same time - at one point I think I had all 4 burners and the oven going! This is a lot for me! I also set the fire alarm off...twice;) The butter you cook the scallops in gets smoky, people!

For the bay scallops, you will need:

1 cup chardonnay
1/2 cup claim juice or fish stock - I used clam juice
1 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 lb or more of bay scallops
1/2 cup toasted almond slivers

Preheat oven to 350. Toast the almond slivers and pecan halves (that you'll use for the tarts) for 7 minutes. In the meantime, combine the wine and stock, bringing to a simmer over high heat. Add cream and cook until thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. Add salt and pepper, and then remove from heat and let sit.

In a large non-stick skillet, heat butter over high heat - this will bring on some smoke just to warn you! Add the scallops, and cook over high heat until browned and cooked thru, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper, and drain in a colander. Add drained scallops to the sauce and mix to coat. Add cooked white rice to your plate, then the scallop mixture, and then top with the toasted almonds = yum!

Now while this was going on, I was making the tarts too, inspired by a friend, Ms. Caitlin Barrett, who made something similar on New Years Eve! You will need:

pecan halves, about 25
1 (8 oz) pkg of brie, chilled
1/2 package of a 17 1/4 oz frozen puff pastry sheets, so one sheet, thawed
1/3 cup apricot preserves

Preheat oven to 425 after you have toasted the pecans at 350. Remove rind from cheese and cut into 12 pieces and set aside. Roll thawed pastry sheet out onto a floured surface or pan, cut into 12 squares, and fit squares into muffin tins, extending corners slightly above the rim for easier removal.

Bake pastry at 425 for 10-12 minutes, or until they begin to brown and puff up. Remove from oven, and gently press the handle of a wooden spoon into the center of each pastry, pushing the puff down and making more of a tart shape. Spoon apricot into each shell, then top with a piece of cheese and as many pecans as you'd like. Bake 5 more minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Heaven! Even the husband loved these things, which I wasn't sure he would. The mixture of the pastry with the sharpness of the brie and the sweetness of the preserves is amazing! I think I may make these again this week for a work food-day thing we're having!

Here's my plate (yes I made a few bacon wrapped scallops - if I made scallops and DIDN'T make a few of these I think the husband would divorce me) - I could eat this meal everyday!

I'm so happy to be back on track! Only a week left of the Olympics, so sad:( but the great recipes will continue and continue:)

Any guesses for tomorrow night? Go USA!

Night 8 of Olympics meals - Norway!

2010-02-19T22:39:00.000-05:00

Sorry, no England or France yet! Norway tonight! Quite simple, which was great since I worked all day, then grocery shopped after work, and smelled up the downstairs of our place great! I would definitely make this again, but probably making the "side" alittle different - I'll explain below

Herbal Baked Salmon, what you'll need:

enough salmon for however many people you are serving - I bought a small piece of salmon fillet for myself and a larger piece for the husband, about 1.25 lbs total
fresh rosemary, chopped
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tbsp lemon juice - used 2 separate times
ground sea salt
ground black pepper
aluminum foil
veggies - we used red pepper, broccoli florets, yellow squash, and red potatoes

Preheat oven to 350. Place a long sheet of aluminum foil on a large baking sheet. Cover the aluminum foil in the olive oil. Place the rinsed and dried fillets on the aluminum foil, skin side down, and cover with 1/2 tbsp lemon juice, salt, pepper, and rosemary sprigs. Add the veggies you are using, cut into bite or two-bites sized pieces, and place on top of the salmon. Spritz lemon juice on the veggies with a little bit of salt. Fold the foil around the salmon and veggies. Bake for 30 minutes, or until veggies and salmon are fully cooked through.

Yum yum yum! It was so light and refreshing, it made me feel full of goodness, not full of grossness! The sweetness of the red pepper, mixed with the salmon, lemon, and other veggies was outstanding. The veggies weren't fully cooked when the salmon was, hence why I said I would do the "sides" a little differently - I think I would either do the veggies in their own foil pocket, or just steam them on the side, then put them with the salmon and lemon mixture for just the last few minutes of the baking or so. Loved it though! Oh, and we added lemon slices, tomatoes, and avocado on top/on the side as well on our actual dinner plates - love avocado with salmon:) Yay Norway! This put me in a much better mood than German night did!

Tomorrow night will be another night off, this time planned, for a night out with the husband, but I'll be back Sunday! Any guesses?? Enjoy the Olympics - this ice dancing with one dance then commercials, one dance, another commercial, is annoying though!

Night 7 of Olympics Meals - what do you think??

2010-02-18T20:00:00.000-05:00

Takeout! haha...I forgot to take the meat ingredient out of the freezer before work and by the time I got home it was too late to defrost it then make the dish, so it's been bumped to next week. My buffalo fingers and the husband's italian sub were great though;)

Back to Olympic meals tomorrow night - I won't forget to take out what I need before work;) And atleast this morning I didn't shut my alarm off like Wednesday mornign!

Go USA and Olympics!! Who does everyone want to win the men's skating competition tonight??

Night 6 of Olympics Meals - Germany!

2010-02-17T22:09:00.001-05:00

Let me tell you, this was a di-sas-ter. Maybe I picked a bad recipe for a Wednesday night - 2 hours of cooking after a very long day at work is not suggested, but that's what I did, and poorly. I followed the directions for both the Beef Sauerbrauten and the potato dumplings, but the meat was very tasteless, surprising b/c of all the ingredients in the sauce, and the potato dumplings were just awful. I'm not even going to post that recipe. So, at this time, Cheycancook is feeling down.

When I, Cheycancook, am feeling less tired and frustrated, and less hungry, maybe I will be funnier and full of wit, but tonight, it'll just be some pics and a the recipe. Any guesses for tomorrow night? Please also hope that tomorrow goes better than tonight!

Beef Sauerbrauten - you will need:

1.5 lbs beef, cut into stew size pieces
2 cups water
1 cup cooking sherry
1 white onion, cut into whatever sized pieces you'd like
2 tbsp pickling spice
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp salt
10 black peppercorns, crushed
2 bay leaves
sauce - 1 cup reserved mixture, 1/4 cup gingersnap crumbs, and 1/4 cup sour cream

Brown beef pieces in a Dutch oven, coated with cooking spray, over medium high heat. While that is cooking, combine water and next 7 ingredients. Reserve one cup of this mixture, and pour the rest of the mixture over the beef. Reduce heat to medium, bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes.

While this is cooking, make your sauce - combine the 1 cup of reserved mixture and 1/4 cup gingersnap crumbs (I just broke up some gingersnap cookies) in a small saucepan and cook on medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened. Reduce heat and stir in sour cream, cooking over low heat until heated through.

Once the meat is cooked thru, discard the bay leaves, drain the mixture, and serve meat topped with your sauce.

Bland, yuck, sauce too gingery, lucky we had leftover cheesy potatoes and chicken parm is all I have to say! You can't get a 10 every night right?? Can anyone recommend any German recipes I could try another time?

Night 5 of Olympic Meals - Italia!

2010-02-16T21:12:00.000-05:00

Good job, the Motha, you guessed it right!

Every night, not only do I cook a fabulous, Olympic inspired meal, but I've also been teaching the husband facts about each country - tonight we learned Italians drink an average of 26 gallons of wine a year! That sure is alot!

So what do you think I cooked? Pizza because of Naples? Spaghetti and meatballs? Lasagna? Something I've never made before...? Nope, good ole chicken parm, a fave of almost everyone I know! I'm sure I make it pretty similar to everyone else, because really, how different can you make chicken parm? This is how I make it (it's a big hit over here!)

You will need:

boneless chicken breasts - for us (for tonight and leftovers) I used 3 hand-sized pieces cut into thirds
2 tbsp italian dressing
2 cups of breadcrumbs
2 tbsp garlic powder
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
olive oil
any type of spaghetti sauce you'd like
1 8oz bag of shredded mozzarella cheese
BEST ingredient - CRP!

Preheat oven to 350. Heat oil in a large fry pan over medium high heat. Cut chicken into sizes you would like and squirt italian dressing on them, spreading it over the entire surface of the piece of chicken; let dressing soak in for a good 10 minutes. While that is soaking, mix together breadcrumbs, garlic powder, and parmesan cheese.

When the chicken is done soaking and the oil has heated, dip chicken into breadcrumb mixture and place all pieces into the fry pan, turning once. Cook until both sides are browned. Place chicken in a 9x13 pan, cover with as much spaghetti sauce as you'd like, then wait, before the cheese, add as much CRP as you'd like! THEN top with mozz cheese and bake for 45 minutes. It smells so good, is so nicely browned and bubbly and the surprise of CRP in the bites is a shock factor - but a great one!

Tonight I served the chicken parm over a mixture of rotini and ziti with some nice garlic bread and salad. I hope this is italian enough! If I had had more time, I would've bought some ice cream, as the Italians created the ice cream cone:)

Phew! I feel like I typed this so fast! I think it's the lack of Olympic time sleep catching up to me! Enjoy the rest of your night and the Olympics tonight! Go USA men and Plushenko in skating! My fantasy skating team is tied for 65th so far, after pairs, out of about 1000 - yay!

Any guesses for tomorrow night??

Night 4 of Olympic Meals - U...S...A!!!

2010-02-15T20:42:00.000-05:00

I couldn't leave out our great homeland! Especially on a Monday night after a long day at work; I planned this well for myself;) And yes, the list has been pre-determined already:)

So what did I make? Bacon cheeseburgers and cheesy potatoes b/c, we, as Americans, eat crappier than anyone else in the world:) Sad huh? Maybe after Olympic meals, I'll do only healthy meals...that would be a good idea:)

Bacon cheeseburgers - easy - heat up the good ole George Foreman grill, and cook some burgers. I cooked maple flavored (there you go, Canadians!) bacon on the side in a fry pan. The trick is to add the white deli cheese to the burger AFTER you take it off the grill - they're so hot, it'll melt just like that.

This time, we only ate half the pan of the cheesy potatoes, compared to last time where I'm pretty sure ate the whole thing = this made us realize that night back in September we were very hungry! Click here for the cheesy potatoes recipe:)

So, easy for a Monday right? I hope none of you feel I cheated by including USA! Any guesses for tomorrow night? And if you could only make one "American" meal for the rest of your life, what would you make?

Yay Bode Miller! But I'm getting angry, Bob Costas, show figure skating!

Night 3 of Olympic meals - Russia!

2010-02-14T19:52:00.000-05:00

Sorry Melissa, you guessed wrong tonight:( but keep trying!

So, as kind of a prelude, I'm not really sure if this is Russian. I googled "Russian food for crockpots" and this is one of the recipes that came up. Could it be "Russian" because of one ingredient - possible, and that one ingredient probably isn't very Russian at all. Read this thru and let me know what you think:)

So tonight, I made Russian Dump - yes, that is what it's called. Let me tell you, it smelled nothing like a dump; there was actually a wonderful aroma in our house starting at 11am today:) I was very scared of this one because I don't like salad dressing, but it's another crockpot chicken winner!

You will need:

boneless chicken thighs - I had about 3 lbs
1 bottle Russian salad dressing
1 jar of apricot jam or preserves (I used the smallest jar in the grocery store)
1 envelope of onion soup mix

That's it. Doesn't seem very Russian, huh? But with Russian in the name, I went with it:) Place the chicken in the crockpot and cover with all ingredients.

Cook on low for 6-8 hours (I cooked it for 7) or high 3-4 hours. Serve with rice and enjoy!

Pretty easy huh? Uh huh! But so tasty - it tasted smoky with a sweet flavor, and was so tender - chicken, like I always say, cooks the best in the crockpot no doubt.

I'm off to enjoy more Olympic coverage - go Shen and Zhao!! Gotta love fantasy skating;) Is everyone else enjoying the Olympics? What is your favorite event? Oh and I think I'll have some more nanaimo bars;) Have a great night everyone, and don't forget to guess what country I'll cook for tomorrow night!

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone:)

2010-02-14T16:30:00.001-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day! I am not a huge fan of this day, even though I have the best Valentine of course (hehe, we all do ladies, right!?), but I do love getting a card (but I get cards other days too) and the random sweet I get every year - some years it's Easter candy, other years St. Patrick's Day cupcakes, this year Ghiradelli chocolates:) BUT, to me, a Valentine should treat you the same, and with the same love, everyday...or as many days as possible;)

I did make Sunday big breakfast as usual, just with a Vday spin on it ;)

Can you tell they're heart pancakes? I put pink sprinkles on mine;)

So there you go:) Hope you're all enjoying it in whatever way YOU like:) And how about those Olympics! Great job by the USA last night! Figure skating starts tonight - I'm sooo excited and my fantasy team is ready to go!

Be back later with a new country/meal - any guesses as to what country night 3 is??

Canadian Dessert that was supposed to be for night one, but became a snack during Day 2, oops! Nanaimo bars!

2010-02-13T22:22:00.000-05:00

Just a quick post about the Nanaimo bars as I'm too busy scoffing them down to type;) Yum yum YUM! My only "complaint" is that adding the chocolate to the top, you'll see when you read the recipe, makes them too sweet, even for me - once took that part off, I enjoyed them much more! I'm loving learning about new foods and recipes!

Nanaimo bars are 3 layers, so by layer, you will need:

First layer:

1/2 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups crushed graham cracker crumbs
1 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

To start the bottom layer, grease a 9" pan. Combine the butter, sugar, cocoa, egg, and vanilla in a medium sized sauce pan and heat on low, stirring continuously, until the mixture becomes thick. Add the graham crackers, coconut, and walnuts to that mixture, stirring to combine, then pour into the pan, and press into the pan.

For the second layer, you will need:

1/4 cup butter, melted
2 cups confectioner's sugar
2 tbsp instant vanilla pudding powder
3 tbsp 1% milk

Mix together all ingredients in a medium sized bowl and beat until creamy.

Spread this mixture over the graham cracker mixture.

Refrigerate for one hour. After that hour has passed, melt 1 tbsp of butter with 4 oz semi-sweet chocolate morsels in a small sauce pan - if you're better than me, you will take it off the heat before it gets too hard and be able to drizzle this mixture over the bars, If you are like me, you will get distracted by Celeb Rehab on VH1 and let this mixture cook a little too much, and end up having to put the chocolate "drizzle" on more like crumbles;)

Refrigerate for another hour atleast, cut, and enjoy:) Like I said, the chocolate on top is a little sweet for me, but I'm thrilled with the other 2 layers - I'm off to eat another one now:) Thanks, Canada!

Chinese New Year is tomorrow? Darn, one night early! Night 2 of Olympic Meals - China!!

2010-02-13T22:02:00.002-05:00

Melissa, how did you know?

Happy Saturday night! Almost Valentine's Day for those that love Vday, almost Chinese New Year for those that love to celebrate that, and night 2 of the Olympics too! Woohoo! I've been very much looking forward to making this meal, as it includes one of my fave sides that I've written about before - fried rice - and because I'd be making the dish my husband always gets at our local Asian restaurant - Spicy Szechwan beef!

I've never had it before...so I always find it a little difficult and daunting when I taste it - is it right? How do I tell? I just went with my gut and it turned out fabulously - the husband loved it and gave it a 10!! Just be prepared to spend about an hour total cooking both of these items:)

For the beef, you will need:

1.5 lbs steak slices - I used meat that was already sliced for stew and cut it into thinner pieces
tsp ground ginger, or 1/2 inch fresh ginger, finely chopped
4 tbsp soy sauce
1.5 tbsp rice wine
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp granulated sugar
1 tsp ground Szechwan pepper *** I could not find this in my local grocery store, so I ended up using Szechwan packaged seasoning ***
1 tsp salt
1 large red pepper, cut into thin slices

Place the beef, cut into small pieces or thin slices in a large bowl. Add the ginger, soy sauce, rice wine, sesame oil, sugar, Szechwan pepper or powder from packet (I used the whole packet for an extra kick), and salt. Mix thoroughly and let meat sit in the marinade for atleast 20 minutes. Add the red pepper to the mixture once the 20 minutes are up.

Heat a medium to large fry pan over high heat and add a tbsp of olive oil. When the oil is ready to cook, add the beef mixture, including the marinade, and cook until the beef is cooked to your liking (for me, it was about 10 minutes). I decided to also add cans, both drained, of water chestnuts and baby corns.

I have to say, I love how this came out, and how well it paired with my fried rice I love to make. The sauce in this dish thickened during the cooking process, which I was happily surprised about! Also, when you first add the mixture to the hot oil, do not be surprised as there will be quite the sizzle - made me nervous for a sec!

I, who rarely has seconds, enjoyed 2 helpings of this! You might catch me go back for more late night if I get hungry...or maybe not, since this morning I made our Canadian dessert that I didn't have time to make last night - Nanaimo bars! Check out that blog post too:)

Can't wait to see if the American mogul skiers can beat the Canadians, and if Apolo can win a medal in the 1500 and start his trek to have the most medals ever by an American in the Winter Olympics - go USA!

O Canada! Night 1 of the Olympics and Olympic-inspired meals!

2010-02-12T22:22:00.001-05:00

Happy Friday night, everyone! And happy first night of the Olympics! I hope everyone takes a moment to think about and pray for the family of the Georgian luger that lost his life today:(

On a happier note, tonight starts what I've been so excited for - meals inspired by Winter Olympic Countries! I've really enjoyed the research I've done so far, and I'm hoping all of these meals turn out alright! Please Please PLEASE provide tips and feedback, and if I make a meal from your country incorrectly, let me know:)

Night 1: Canada! Poutine and Meatpie!

Meatpie, have made it a bunch of time, no problem, but always thought it was French...well doing research, found out it's Canadian, but I would guess French Canadian:) But first, let's start with Poutine. As soon as I told the husband my idea to do these Olympic meals, his first request was Poutine. I have to say, I took the easy road on this one as I kept finding recipes asking for cheese curds...what the heck are cheese curds?? Anyways, this was super easy and the husband loved them and ate the whole tray! Success! All you need is:

bagged french fries - I used about a 1/4 of the bag since it's just the 2 of us and it was just an appetizer
one jar of homestyle beef gravy
parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 450. Bake fries at 450 for 15 minutes, or until they are to your liking. At the same time, heat gravy in a sauce pan over medium heat, covered. Once the fries are cooked thru, remove them from the oven, cover with the gravy, and then cover both with parmesan cheese. Place the fries back in the oven with the mixture on top and bake an additional 5 minutes, or until cheese slightly melts. NOTE - I used grated parm cheese - I would suggest, and next time I would try, shredded parm cheese, because I think it will melt better:)

Now, the main dish, a favorite in my family, meatpie! So easy and so yummy! I can't remember if I've blogged about this before, but if I have worth, so what, it's worth repeating:) You will need:

1 lb hamburg
1/2 lb ground pork
1/2 lg white onion, grated or cut into bite sized pieces
3-4 large potatoes, peeled, and made into mashed potatoes
2 ready-made pie crusts

Cook hamburg, ground pork, and onion in a medium fry pan, sprayed with Pam, over medium high heat until meat is cooked thru.

At the same time, make your mashed potatoes. Once both are made, combine the potatoes and meat into a large bowl and mix together.

Place one of the pie crusts into the pie plate, and dish the meat/potatoes mixture into that crust. Cover with the 2nd crust and bake at a pre-heated 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes, or until the top crust is browned to your liking. I like to eat it plain like this, some people, I won't mention any names, cover it with ketchup, which I think is "nasty." But to each their own;)

Yay! So happy to be off on this adventure! Now if only I was an actual Olympian...I can't skate, or ski, or bobsled though....curling? Maybe next time!

See you all tomorrow night for night #2!! Which country do you think will be next?? Oh and I'm hoping to get up enough energy while watching these wonderful Opening Ceremonies to make Nanaimo bars! If not, early tomorrow;)

CCC is back - Aruba pics, a restaurant review, and what's coming up!

2010-02-10T20:43:00.001-05:00

Bon Bini, everyone! So the husband and I are back from Aruba - tanned, well sort of tan for me, rejuvenated, and ridiculously in love, even moreso than before if that is possible:) It was one of the best trips of my life and I can't wait to go back someday! From the amazing food and drink, to basking in the Aruban sun, or under a palapa reading Revolutionary Road, to Carnivale, to etc etc etc ;) Here are some of my fave pics:

So, more than a few, I apologize;)

I must say I was pleasantly surprised, even thrilled, with Aruba. All of the people were so nice and helpful, the weather was perfect, as there was always a breeze, and the Aruba Ariba's, ahh! You never know how it's going to be going to a new place, especially one you had reservations about, but I'm glad I put those aside and went - best and most relaxing vaca of my life:)

I wish we had more time for everything - more sightseeing, more excursions, but especially more restaurants! There were restaurants everywhere, and we only got to a sample a few. I'm going to talk about one below - definitely let me know if you have questions, or if you have been there before too and want to add your two cents:)

El Gaucho - http://www.elgaucho-aruba.com/ - definitely make a reservation ahead of time! Very large restaurant with very nice, Argentine-feeling decor. The mood is set by a wonderful mariachi pair, and the wonderful sound of people having a great time! We started off with their complimentary garlic bread (much better than the garlic bread we had the night before at Gianni's) and their "appetizer" ribs - seemed more like a meal to me!

10 huge ribs, dipped in their awesome sauce = heaven! I was full already, and I only had 3! But, next came our wonderful meals, and might I say the drinks/app/dinner/dessert were spread out so nicely, we never felt like they were pushing anything at us. But back to the meals - the husband had a huge rib eye with mashed potatoes, broccoli, and corn on the cob - not a huge fan of the sides, but the rib eye, he says, was the best he's ever had! I had a beef tenderloin with fries, corn on the cob, and my fave, fried plantains - I loved mine, loved it, but I must say I enjoyed my tenderloin the week earlier at Grill 23 a little bit more, like maybe 5 points more, based really on the seasoning. Still, loved it, and would definitely eat it again!

Dessert = flan topped with coconut - so good, but too big for me to finish! Must have been all that other stuff;)

As you can see, we really enjoyed this restaurant because of the food and the overall atmosphere! I would give it 9 out of 10 stars!! Like I said, I would definitely eat this again, but most likely would try something else just to have more to rate the restaurant as a whole on!

What's next for CheyCanCook? The Olympics! Starting this Friday night 2/12, I'll post about the different, country-themed meals I'm making in accordance with the Olympics, and some facts to go along with it - I can't wait - for the Olympics AND the food:) I hope this work! I'm working on finishing up the menu tonight...but am a little stuck on Russia - any suggestions??

Glad to be back! Now to catch up on all of YOUR blogs:)

CCC is off to Aruba!

2010-02-02T19:41:00.001-05:00

Just wanted to say BYE for now before we head out for our trip:) Anyone have any last minutes suggestions of things to do/places to eat?? Talk to you all next week! I'm as excited for the Olympics to start!!!

Slow cooker Sunday after a surprise 30th bday party! And oh, it's Chicken Cordon Bleu:)

2010-01-31T19:27:00.001-05:00

Hi everyone! I hope you've had a great weekend! Remember how I mentioned friends were coming over last night for a belated 30th bday party for me? Well turns out they planned a limo into Grill 23 in Boston! Amazing food that I would 5 stars to, no doubt! I'll blog about that another time;) Here's a couple pics from the night:)

Oh, and here's a pic from the Race to Anyplace event earlier in the day:)

So a big day yesterday! Thank you to everyone who donated for the race, and a big thanks to the husband Ron, Amanda, Mike, Melissa, Barrett, Jen, Jason, Katie, and Kevin for my surprise!

Back to tonight! I allowed myself quite a relaxing day today, as I usually try to do on Sunday's:) Nothing but watching some golf, sleeping in, laundry/packing for our upcoming Aruba trip, reading, and some TV:) Of course, all while the Chicken Cordon Bleu was simmering away in the slow cooker! So easy = perfect for today!

You will need:

skinless, boneless, chicken breast, 3 lbs - I bought this is thin strips and just put 'em on in the crockpot - you could less chicken of course, I just wanted to make a large amount, so I could freeze some:)
1/2 lb deli-sliced cooked ham
1/2 lb deli-sliced swiss cheese
2 10 3/4 oz cans cream of chicken soup
1 box dry chicken stuffing mix, prepared according to the box

Layer all ingredients in the crockpot exactly as they are listed.

Cook on low for 6-8 hours, or until the chicken is cooked thru (for me, it was 6 hours) - easy, huh!!

Now, I know it's not as pretty as usual chicken cordon bleu, which is known for it's wonderful colors and layout (is that the right word to use???), but the taste is the same, and even better in my opinion. The way the cheese melts into the entire pot is my favorite part! The ham doesn't melt, so I'm sure you could pick out the ham slices, put those on the plate first, and then cover it with the rest of the mixture and wrap it up for a different look, but I'm just going to do that myself with each bite:)

I'm off to enjoy it now...and then to enjoy some of Melissa's leftover cupcakes (that she should blog about!) and her boyfriend's wonderful ice cream cake that he made me from scratch! I'm a lucky lady:)

And btw T-3 days until Aruba!!!

Chey-no-cook tonight:)

2010-01-29T23:43:00.000-05:00

Happy Friday night everyone! Nope, no cooking today - husband out to dinner = me having a Wendy's salad (and small fries, oops), grocery shopping, and cleaning! Tomorrow night we are having people over to celebrate my belated bday, and I want this place spick-and-span! Is that how you say it?

Anyways, before that, my husband, myself, and many of his family members are riding in this to help raise money and awareness for leukemia - please think of all of us while we ride b/w 9am-3pm! I'll be back Sunday with a new Sunday slow-cooker meal - until then, have a great weekend!

I love this meal! Sausage, tuna, shrimp, and pasta alfredo! Keep reading!

2010-01-28T20:45:00.000-05:00

Happy Thursday! I made it thru the day without getting into a car accident again, so that was a plus;) I was really looking forward to making tonight's dinner, as it's something very different than what I usually make/we usually eat! 10 10 10 10! We both gave it a 10! I got the inspiration from a tuna and pasta alfredo recipe in the Better Homes and Garden cookbook (yes same cookbook as last night), and I would make it again in a heartbeat! It's quite filling and warm, so it was great comfort food for this snowy night:)

What you'll need:

1 lb hot and spicy sausage, in 6 separate links
1 box of rotini, cooked as directed on the package
1 tbsp butter or margarine
2 cups broccoli, fresh or frozen - I used frozen
1 red pepper, chopped
1 15 ounce bottle of Alfredo pasta sauce
1 tbsp (or more) of fresh dill, chopped
1 can of tuna (packed in water, not oil), drained, and broken into chunks
as many small, cooked, shrimp as you'd like - we had these leftover from the other night, so they were already prepared
CRP

This is definitely a recipe more many pans are going at one time! First, prepare the pasta as directed on the box. As that is cooking, heat a large pan or skillet over medium heat, spraying with Pam when heated. Add 3 tbsp of water, the sausage, and cover, cooking until cooked thru. Once cooked thru, cut into bite-sized pieces. So yes, that's 2 things going at the same time. While this is all going on, heat a tbsp of margarine or butter in a medium sized skillet. Once heated, add 1/4 cup water, the frozen broccoli, and pepper - cook until tender.

By now, your pasta should be done cooking, drained, and returned to the pot, with a smidge of olive oil, and covered to keep warm. The sausage should still be cooking. Once the broccoli/pepper mixture is tender, drain the water and add the alfredo sauce and chopped dill, mixing everything together. Drain any grease from the large sausage skillet, and add veg/alfredo mixture to the sauce. Add the pasta also into this large skillet, and then the chunked tuna as well (and shrimp or anything else you're adding that is extra) = everything ends up in the sausage skillet you started with b/c it's the largest! Mix everything together, add the CRP, mix again, heat on medium for 7 minutes, and admire! I couldn't believe how awesome it looked, and then to taste it, yay! I was so excited! I really went with my gut on this recipe and was so happy with how it came out. It was a lot of pans and dishes, but well worth it!

I feel like I just babbled on for this recipe, so please let me know if there are any questions:) I'm off to finish up some laundry, watch some HGTV, make our grocery list, ARUBA list, and read:) Happy almost Friday!!

CheyCanCook...and Drive...unlike others...Spicy Turkey Stirfry still made, though:)

2010-01-27T19:59:00.000-05:00

Hi world - today I started my day as I always do - up and at em, breakfast, warm my nice, damage-free car up, and drive the 35 minutes to work...oh wait, today I made it 10 minutes before another wonderful driver ran a stop sign and hit my car! My car is damaged, my arm is a little sore because my body jerked when she hit my car so hard, but I'm overall a-ok. But what the heck! Not how I like to start my day. But, I handle accident claims for my job, so I know how it goes, what to do, etc, so I'm just glad I'm okay. Now I can tell all my people that hey you got in an accident, so didn't I!

I rested all day because of the arm soreness and headache (from stress I think), but luckily had planned a quick, Wicked Cheap Wednesday meal that I still had the enthusiasm (well half enthusiasm) to make:) I really really liked it, one of my fave recipes in awhile, and I can't wait to make it again...but then again, maybe this meal is bad luck...anyway...

What you'll need:

1 lb turkey breast meat, I bought mine in thin strips, like you'd use for a scallopini, and cut the pieces into bite-sized pieces
2 tbsp olive oil
8 oz frozen red, yellow, and green peppers
Asian 5-spice (I had never heard of it, and couldn't find it in the grocery store), so I used my own 5 spices - dashes of CRP, cinnamon, poultry seasoning, ground ginger, and ground coriander
salt and pepper
1 package of Knorr Asian sides teriyaki noodles, prepared as directed
honey roasted peanuts, chopped or whole, whatever you prefer

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add one tbsp oil - when heated, add peppers and cook/stir for 3 minutes. While those are cooking, place the bite-sized turkey pieces into a bowl and cover with all 5 seasonings and salt and pepper. Stir to coat.

Once the 3 minutes are up, add the other tbsp of olive oil, then the turkey, cooking about 15 minutes, or until the turkey is cooked-thru.

While this is cooking, cook the teriyaki noodles as directed. When both are finished, place the noodles on your plate, then the pepper/turkey mixture, and then the peanuts - sooooo good, and very light, a definite keeper!!

This recipe was adapted from a Better Homes and Gardens cookbook I received as a wedding shower gift last year = loved it, and loved that I could put my own spin on it:) Here is the cost breakdown:

turkey - around $5.00
1/2 package of 16 oz of peppers - .85 cents
noodles - $1.50
peanuts - $2.50

= $9.85! I already had all the spices, or it would've cost a bit more, but I'll take it!

Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day for me! Tomorrow I really need to get in the mindset for this that is on Saturday - keep us in your thoughts as my husband, myself, and a lot of his family members do this for a very worthy cause!

Enjoy your night:)

I caught myself a trout and made it Asian!

2010-01-26T22:22:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I didn't catch a trout, I bought it at the market, but I did make an asian sauce for it! This was a new type of fish for me to work with, and a new sauce, but per the husband, he gave it a 9! Great for a new fish and sauce! Too garlic-ky for him;)

What you'll need:

1/2 lb - 1 1/2 lb of trout, or any flaky-type fish you like - depending on the amount of people - the husband ate about 3/4 lb of trout
1 15 oz can of black beans, drained
3 tbsp teriyaki sauce
2 tbsp hoisin sauce
1 clove of garlic, chopped very small, or garlic you buy in a jar in the produce section - my garlic happened to be in the teriyaki sauce
Pam spray

Literally so quick and easy! Pat your fish dry with paper towels. Heat a fry pan on medium heat. When heated, spray with Pam Spray. Cook fish 4 minutes on each side, or until a bit browned. While this is cooking, make your sauce.

To make the sauce, combine the drained beans, teriyaki sauce, and hoisin sauce into a food processor. Pulse until the sauce is almost smooth.

After the fish has cooked on both sides, pour sauce into the pan and bring to a boil.

Yes, there is fish in there!

Once boiling, cover and let cook 8 more minutes, or until the fish is flaky (for me it was exactly 8 minutes). Then, enjoy! Sooo easy! I paired it with a cheddar rice and salad, and yum!

This is bad, but me, CheyCanCook, was scared of the trout - not because it was bad, but just because I dont' really like...fish! I wish I had tried it, and I planned to try a bite, but the husband ate it all up! I had a lovely shrimp topped salad instead - all I did was use some small shrimp, and covered them with lemon juice, lime juice, and lemon pepper seasoning, and broiled them for about 10 minutes:)

Enjoy the rest of your night - I won't be so scared of trout next time;) Sorry this post is so quick, but I can't wait to go keep reading Scarlett!!

GuacamOLE!

2010-01-25T21:24:00.000-05:00

Remember I dreamt about making guacamole? Well, tonight was taco night, so I decided to give my hand a try at it! I reviewed a bunch of recipes and kinda just went with my own. I'll tell you what I did and what I think I would do differently next time:)

Yum, right? My favorite word on here! We topped our tacos with them AND some nachos - we (the husband and I) both looked forward to taco night alllll day at work - helped us get through our Monday's:)

What you'll need/what I used:

3 very ripe avocados
lime juice or juice of a fresh lime
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 chopped white onion
chopped tomatoes, as much as you'd like
1/4 tsp cumin
CRP!!!
salt and pepper to taste

Cut and scoop out the avocado goodness and place into a container. Cover with lime juice and mix in the olive oil ***Note - I used 2 tbsp, but I think I would only 1.5 tbsp next time b/c in one bite, yes just one bite, I could taste too much olive oil***

Now mush mush mush! Mush these ingredients with a fork to the size/texture you'd like. Add the rest of the ingredients, stirring after each addition. Enjoy with your fave Mexican dish, with nachos, or just with a spoon like I did...about 4 times;)

I'm very happy with how it came out - my only "complaint" was the one bite I had that I could taste the olive oil. Overall, a success, and an easy one at that!

Well, after a busy busy Monday I'm off to wrap up my night and prepare for tomorrow! I hope you'll try this recipe or post some other variations - thank you to all who have posted so many guacamole recipe so far!

And PS: has anyone ever made mole sauce for enchiladas - the kind with the chocolate?? How did that go for you??