I Feel Like Chicken Tonight...

New recipe on the new blog, http://easycrockpotting.blogspot.com/.  This one takes me back to my childhood.  I use to love Chicken Tonight!  Enjoy the recipe, my family sure did!

New Recipes!!

I have been doing pretty good at updating my new blog.  Here is the newest recipe that is in the crockpot right now, http://easycrockpotting.blogspot.com/2011/03/one-dish-chicken-supper.html.  It is so yummy and I am so hungry!  I am planning on adding a few more random recipes this week.  I am thankfully swamped with orders right now.

Cooking

This week I am really on top of things, or so I think.  I have been cooking supper every night this week!!  That is a major feat for me.  Monday night we had Brinner (breakfast for dinner) with french toast and fresh local fruit.  Tuesday night I felt like mother of year, we had fish sticks.  Yep that's right, right out the box and fries, that were from the freezer section also.  As it turns out one box isn't enough and there were 18 fish sticks in there.  Wednesday night Andy grilled out steak, veggies from the garden and farmers market and corn on the cob, also from the farmers market.  Then tonight I was really proud of myself!  I made homemade lasagna!  It was so yummy!!  Cale had like 5 helpings!  I have had fixed garlic bread (that was bogo last week at HT) and salad.  In case you want to make the lasagna, which you know for me to make has to be incredibly easy, it is the recipe on the back of the Muellers lasagna noodles.  It is that easy.  Just pick up the box, then get the ingredients, then allow your self about an hour and half or so before dinner and start cooking it.  If I can do it then anyone can do it.  I also use the ricotta cheese in mine because I am not a big cottage cheese fan, but it says you can use either one. 

I have also been on top of the dishes, well most of the time.  Although I have fallen a little behind with the laundry, but today I got all caught up.  I have started getting back to my sewing again.  Two weeks ago I had a little accident with the rotary cutter, I nipped the tip of my thumb.  It is just now feeling almost normal.  Still a little tingly.  Don't you know it had to happen at 9 at night.  Luckily we have some great friends and neighbors that watched the boys so that Andy could rush me to the Urgent care before it closed at 9:30.  I have now made a new policy not to sew after 8:30 unless I have just had a huge cup of regular coffee. 

I am busy sewing getting ready for the Designers Downtown Market in Raleigh on July 17th.  Please come out, if you are local, or spread the word!  Last time I was very very disappointed with the turn out.  I didn't do even half as good as I have in past, but it wasn't because I just didn't have many sales, it was because there really wasn't the crowd there that is usually there.  I was really bummed and it was hot and windy.  I am hoping for nice weather, although I am sure it will be hot, and a really good turn out.  Spread the word!!!  I am going to have some really good deals going on!!!

Friday Findings

I really had no clue what to title this and it is Saturday, but I am going to try and do this on Fridays (we'll see if that happens).  Well this week I realized that our dishwasher has been cleaning really good lately and here is why. 

For a long time it has not been cleaning good.  We bought it new 4 1/2 years ago, after year 2 is when it started not cleaning good.   I couldn't figure out why.  We adjusted everything!  We had the exact same dishwasher at our old house and loved it.  It was like that old commercial where you could put a plate in with a whole cake and it would clean it spotless.  Well this one stopped cleaning!  It was so frustrating have to pre wash stuff.  Defeats the purpose of a dishwasher.  Andy and I were convinced we needed a new one, but stuck it out.  I am glad we did.  This week it hit me, about the time it stopped cleaning good is when I started couponing and switched detergent brands because one leading brand was way cheaper (I will not say the brand, but it is the one that always puts coupons out). Finally not that long ago I was just thinking that I would switch back to the detergent I always used and see what happens.  Well this week it hit me that we haven't taken dirty clean dishes out of the dishwasher in a while.  The only change was...switching back to Cascade!!!  (Andy told me to put that they are not paying me to endorse their product.  They are not, but if they want to I will take their money :) This is totally true! I would not put this about a product unless I firmly believe that it was the detergent.  I will now pay more for the Cascade because it is worth every penny!!!

On to my cooking and health for the week.  We ate at home every night this week!!!  I bought a ham on Tuesday and guess how much an 7lb ham was...$7.00!!!  Harris Teeter rocks!!  We ate that for a couple nights and had brinner (breakfast for dinner for you none Scrubs watchers) one night for dinner.  Then yesterday morning Andy put a Boston Butt in the crockpot to cook and make BBQ for supper.  It was so yummy!!! This is the easiest meal ever!  Just put it in, let it cook on low for about 7 hours, and then shred it and you have pulled pork!!!  I also made homemade Mac and Cheese.  The boys devoured it. I found the recipe on the Kraft Food and Family website, http://www.kraftfoods.com/.  It is so easy and very yummy.  The only thing is I didn't bake it, which it called for.  We like our mac and cheese gooey.  By the way, the BBQ is probably healthy as it has nothing on it except the sauce you choose after it is cooked.  However, the mac and cheese is probably not the healthiest.  I did use 2% milk and 2% milk Velvetta and natural unsalted butter.  I would have used whole grain pasta if I had some, but didn't have any on hand. 

Homestyle Mac and Cheese
2 cups elbow noodles
3 Tbsp of Butter
1/4 cup fllour
1 cup milk
1/2 lb or 8 oz of Velvetta cut in to 1/2 in cubes

Cook your noodles.  In a sauce pan melt your butter on medium.  Then whisk in the flour.  Stirring constantly for 2 minutes.  Then slowly pour in milk.  Stir constantly until it thickens and boils.  Then add Velvetta and stir for 3 mins or until cheese is melted.  Then mix with noodles and yumm-o mac and cheese is ready!!!

There is a baking part, but since I don't do it, I don't know what it is.  You can find this on the Kraft website if you want baked mac and cheese. 

Busy Times and Quick Meals

I haven't posted in a while. There has been so much going on!  I feel like every time I get a few minutes there is always so much to do and then I think of something I want to write about and I am not at my computer and then I forget when I sit down.  That was a run on.  Anyways, we had snow a couple weeks ago and I will post those pictures in a few (it is way faster with Picasa which I don't have open right now).  I have finally figured out this cooking without milk/soy thing---Crock Pot!  I have used mine so much this past month and a half.  I can't believe I didn't use it at all the first 4 years we were married.  I think it was the fact that I had a crappy one at first, but for the past 4 years I have had a nice one and it makes all the difference.  Tonight we are having Super Easy Chicken and it smells really good.  It is a new recipe that I got from the Fix it and Forget it cookbook. 

I love the crock pot so much!!  It really is because I can cook at my convenience, which is very important these days with all the pumping and bottle feeding, and I don't have to remember to monitor it.  I just set the time and when the 4 or 6 hours is up it turns to warm and is ready when we want to eat.  Lately I have been doing a lot of different chilis and soups and stews.  Some have been really good and some ok.  On the side of my blog you will notice the crock pot for a year blog where a lady only used hers for a year.  That is the only way she cooked.  I told Andy I was going to do that and he was shocked.  I'm not really, but must meals will be that way.  Tomorrow night we are having a none crock pot meal--tacos with previously ground beef.  So that should only take about 10-15 mins to prepare.  I now freeze all my ground beef when I buy it and separate it into 1 lb bags.  That makes all meals, especially crock meals fast and easy.   Wednesday I am doing another crock meal and it is Greek Chicken.  I will put that recipe up on Wednesday.  I am going to try to post on the day I cook it then post the next day with what I thought.  I wonder how long this will last ; ) 

Here is tonight's recipe:

Super Easy Chicken
4 chicken breast halves frozen
1 pkg italian season
1 cup warm water or chicken broth (I used chicken broth)

6-8 hours on low

My New Goal

Mack had a doctor appointment this morning because his gastro problems have not really improved at all.  We luckily saw our regular doctor and she was much more helpful than the other doctor he reminded me a lot of Denise on Scrubs (not her appearance).  Mack's whatever they tested was improved a little.  Our regular doctor did explain better that this is an intolerance not an allergy.  That was a relief, because she said a lot of babies out grow it by 6 months and are totally fine.  So what we are going to, and hopefully this will work, is mix breastmilk with the special formula until whatever is aggravating his colon stops bothering him.  Then retry him on breastmilk at 6 months. 

This is a much better goal than before.  Seeing a possible end in sight for him especially has made me feel much better.  It is hard for me because of my love of food, but ultimately I feel terrible for him.  It is so hard to watch your baby struggle and know that you are doing all you can and it still isn't making his tummy better.  Hopefully the formula will help and it was awesome that she gave me four more cans today.  We will be back in two weeks for his 4 month check up and hopefully they can give me some more then.  He is currently taking the longest nap he has in the last couple of days. I think he has been having a growth spurt and his tummy seemed to be bothering him.  Please pray that this breastmilk/formula combo will make his gastro issues stop and that he outgrows it soon.

This has in a way been a blessing (it is good to find a blessing in all things good or bad).  We have eaten at home every night this week and will continue too!!!  My goal is that at the end of the year I would like to have saved enough so that we can either remoldel or get a bigger car which would be a "fancy bye bye" suburban (the boys call my car a bye bye and the bigger version a fancy bye bye). 

Last night I made a yummy Layered Mexican Bake.  I of course omitted the cheese and sour cream, I set it on the table for the rest of the family.  I also used the 10" tortillas instead of the 8.  Also, another tricked I learned lately that was a great time saver was when you buy your ground hamburger to go ahead and brown it and then divide it into 1 lb bags and then freeze it.  That was the best idea ever!! Thanks to whoever gave me that one!

Layered Mexican Bake---Kraft Food and Family  

3/4 lb. extra-lean ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 tsp. chili powder
1-1/4 cups TACO BELL® HOME ORIGINALS® Thick 'N Chunky Salsa
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen corn
3 high-fiber whole wheat tortillas (8 inch)
1/2 cup BREAKSTONE'S Reduced Fat or KNUDSEN Light Sour Cream
3/4 cup KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese, divided
Make It!

HEAT oven to 375ºF.


BROWN meat with onions and peppers in large skillet on medium-high heat. Stir in chili powder; cook 1 min. Add salsa and corn; mix well. Simmer 5 min.



SPREAD 1 cup meat sauce onto bottom of 8- or 9-inch square baking dish; top with layers of 1 tortilla, 1/2 cup meat sauce, sour cream and 1/4 cup cheese. Cover with 1 tortilla, 1 cup of remaining meat sauce and 1/4 cup of remaining cheese; top with remaining tortilla and meat sauce. Cover with foil.



BAKE 25 min. or until casserole is heated through. Top with remaining cheese; bake, uncovered, 5 min. or melted.