Lime Chicken Tacos/Burritos with Cilantro Lime Rice

Here is wonderful crock pot recipe for Lime Chicken Tacos/Burritos. It is very easy, cheap, and delicious! I got it from my friend Terra over at Barefoot conTerra who got it from a friend of hers. I only used two chicken breasts (because that is all I had) and it made just enough for my family. Of course, we loaded our tacos/burritos up with the Cilantro Lime Rice, sour cream, cheddar cheese, and tomatoes as well. You could also flavor up some black beans to put in the burrito as well.

1-1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
3 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup chunky salsa
flour tortillas (The size depends on if you want tacos or burritos. I make tacos for the boys and my husband and I make burritos)

Place the chicken in the crock pot. Combine lime juice and chili powder; pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low for 5 hours.

Remove chicken. Using two forks, shred the chicken and return to the slow cooker. Stir in corn and salsa. Cover and cook on low for 45 minutes.

Cilantro Lime Rice
I really wanted Cilantro Lime rice tonight for some reason. So, I looked around on the internet for a recipe. This is a couple recipes put together. If you follow the instructions on how to make the rice, you will be so thankful! This rice is so fluffy and wonderful!

1 c. basmati rice or other long-grain rice
2 tsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1 3/4 c. water
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
2 Tsp. lime zest

Bring water to boil in a medium saucepan. Add olive oil, rice, and salt. Stir just to make sure the grains are separate, then cover and bring to a simmer. Simmer over low heat for about 17 minutes. Check on it at 10 minutes to see how it is doing. You want to cook just until the water has evaporated. When the timer goes off for the rice, remove the rice from the heat, remove the lid, place a couple paper towels over the pan, and replace the lid. This will catch the steam and keep the rice from getting sticky. Let the rice sit for about 10 minutes with the paper towels and lid on.

Remove the lid. Using a fork, fluff the rice gently.

Toss in cilantro, lime zest, and lime juice. Stir gently, just to combine.

Thrifty Thursday: Hungry Girl's Crispy Chicken Sanwich (tastes like Chick-fil-a)

Ok...I am pretty sure that I haven't posted about this recipe. But, if I have, it totally deserves two posts. These sandwiches are AMAZING! You are going to think I am crazy, but they really do taste like Chick-fil-a's chicken sandwiches. Just get them a try...trust me!

If your chicken breasts are really thick, you will want to cut them on the horizontal to make two thin chicken breasts. I do this because thick cuts of chicken freak me out but you don't have to do it : ). If the thin sliced chicken breasts are on sale, then I buy those. Then, I cut my chicken breasts (after they have cooked) in half horizontally. So, out of every chicken breast, you will get two sandwiches. I don't like to have my chicken hanging over my bun so this is why I cut mine in half horizontally. Then, they will fit on the bun. Also, the perdue individually packed chicken breasts are the perfect thickness for this sandwich. They are pretty expensive, but sometimes you can find them on sale.

Now, for the best part! One sandwich is ONLY 283 calories and 3.75g of fat (Chick-fil-a's sandwich is 410 calories and 16g of fat!! AND, if you are going on a trip or are just in a hurry and need your dinner to go, you can wrap these in foil and take them in the car. I am telling you...these are AMAZING!


Hungry Girl's Crispy Chicken Sandwich
1 1/2 cup Fiber One bran cereal (original)
Dash each salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder, or more to taste
1/2 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters Original or you can use egg whites)
1/2 to 1 pound boneless skinless lean chicken breast (depending on how many sandwiches you want to make)
fat-free mayonnaise
hamburger buns (light, if available)
tomato (optional...I usually don't use them because I like it to taste just like Chick-fil-a
dill pickles (extra for me!)
romaine lettuce (again, I don't usually use this)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Using a blender or food processor, grind Fiber One to a breadcrumb-like consistency. Season the crumbs with as much salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder as you like, and mix well. Place crumbs in one small dish and egg substitute in another.
Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with a dash each of salt and pepper. Then, coat chicken on both sides—first with egg substitute, and then with seasoned crumbs.
Place chicken on a baking sheet sprayed with nonstick spray. Top chicken with a light mist of nonstick spray
Bake in the oven for 10 minutes.
Flip the chicken over, and add another light mist of nonstick spray. Cook for an additional 10–12 minutes, until chicken is fully cooked and coating looks crispy.
Spread mayo on each half of the bun. On the bun bottom, place chicken, tomato, pickles, and lettuce, and then top with the other half of the bun. Enjoy!

Sunday dinner: Chicken Pot Pie

Chris and I took a meal to some friends, Daniel and Wendy Simmons, that just had a new baby girl. Daniel is going to be the campus pastor at the new Summit church Raleigh campus. We are so excited about it because they are a precious family! Wendy is a vegetarian so I wanted to find something that I could make for her but that I could also add some meat to for the boys. Enter...Ina Garten's chicken pot pie. I modified it some so that it has more veggies. If you like chicken pot pie, you will LOVE this! It was a wonderful evening with new friends. God is so good.

I made a double batch of this so we would have some in the freezer. A double batch will make 3 regular size pie pans and 6 mini pie pans (at our store, they are actually called "pot pie pans"). We ate one of the regular pie pans, put one in our freezer (which we ate for lunch today), and gave the other to Daniel and Wendy to put in their freezer.

Link to original recipe...
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/chicken-pot-pie-recipe/index.html

Chicken Pot pie (or leave out the chicken steps for veggie pot pie)
3 whole (6 split) chicken breasts, bone-in, skin-on
3 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
5 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
2 chicken bouillon cubes
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 cups yellow onions, chopped (2 onions)
1 fennel (chopped...remove the green stems/leaves)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup medium-diced carrots, blanched for 2 minutes
1 cup potatoes
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup frozen green beans
1 1/2 cups frozen small/pearl whole onions
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley leaves

For the pastry:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1/4 pound cold unsalted butter, diced
1/2 to 2/3 cup ice water
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
Flaked sea salt and cracked black pepper
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the chicken breasts on a baking sheet and rub them with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, or until cooked through. Set aside until cool enough to handle, then remove the meat from the bones and discard the skin. Cut the chicken into large dice. You will have 4 to 6 cups of cubed chicken.

In a small saucepan, heat the chicken stock and dissolve the bouillon cubes in the stock. In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter and saute the onions, fennel, potatoes, and carrots over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until the onions are translucent. Add the flour and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the hot chicken stock to the sauce. Simmer over low heat for 1 more minute, stirring, until thick. Check the carrots and potatoes to see if they are almost soft. If not, allow to cook on low heat for a few more minutes, stirring frequently. Add 2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and heavy cream. Add the cubed chicken, peas, green beans, small onions and parsley. Mix well.

For the pastry, mix the flour, salt, and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add the shortening and butter and mix quickly with your fingers until each piece is coated with flour. Pulse 10 times, or until the fat is the size of peas. With the motor running, add the ice water; process only enough to moisten the dough and have it just come together. Dump the dough out onto a floured board and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic and allow it to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Divide the filling equally among 4 ovenproof bowls (or 1 regular size pie pan and a few mini pie pans). Divide the dough into quarters and roll each piece into an 8-inch circle. Brush the outside edges of each bowl with the egg wash, then place the dough on top. Trim the circle to 1/2-inch larger than the top of the bowl. Crimp the dough to fold over the side, pressing it to make it stick. Brush the dough with egg wash and make 3 slits in the top. Sprinkle with sea salt and cracked pepper. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour, or until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling hot.

Thrifty Thursday: Chicken Spedini

I have been in a grilling mood this week. I have grilled our dinner for the last 3 nights. Last night, I really wanted chicken spedini on the grill. My mom makes amazing chicken spedini on the grill. I didn't have the recipe but was having a major craving for it. So, I tried to remember it and I think I got it pretty close. I might have missed a few ingredients but it is still yummy! When I get the actual recipe, I will let you all know if you need to add an ingredient. The best thing about this is it only cost 5 to 6 dollars! Skewer up some of your favorite veggies and you have a yummy and healthy meal!

4-6 chicken breasts (cut in bite size pieces)
kabob skewers

Marinade:
1/2 cup evoo
kosher salt
pepper
5 garlic cloves (minced)
1 tbsp lemon juice

Mix the ingredients together in a shallow dish and add the chicken. Allow to marinate for at least 30 minutes or longer. I let mine sit for an hour. You can also do this step in the morning or the night before.

Breading:
2-3 cups bread crumbs (I used whole wheat panko crumbs. You can also use regular panko crumbs or plain bread crumbs.)
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
kosher salt
pepper

Mix all ingredients together. Coat each piece of chicken in the breadcrumbs. Make sure to press the chicken into the crumbs to get it completely coated. Place the pieces on the skewers. You can either grill these or you can put them in the oven. If using the oven, place on a broiler pan and bake on 350 for about 30 minutes or until golden (turning once). If you are grilling, grill on medium heat. When the side that is down is golden, flip and grill until the other side is golden (about 10 minutes on each side).

Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese

I got this recipe out of the Food Network magazine. I actually haven't eaten it yet since I just made it this morning for us to eat for dinner tonight but I am posting it for those of you that have asked for it. This evening, I will sit down and post a comment about how yummy it is because I can already tell it will be. Let me say one thing about an ingredient in this mac and cheese...PANKO crumbs! I use panko crumbs on just about every casserole that I make. I love them! If you haven't tried them, then this is the time. Don't just settle for regular bread crumbs...go for the panko. You can get them fairly cheap at Wal-mart.

7 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for the dish
Kosher salt
1 pound elbow macaroni (I use cavatappi or conchigilie)
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup hot sauce (preferably Frank's)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons dry mustard
2 1/2 cups half-and-half
1 pound yellow sharp cheddar cheese, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 3 1/2 cups)
8 ounces pepper jack cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)
2/3 cup sour cream
1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 7 minutes. It depends on what kind of noodles you are using. I usually cook them 2-3 minutes under what the bag says to cook them for them to be al dente. They will continue to cook in the oven in the sauce. You want them to still have a bite to them. Drain.

Meanwhile, melt 3 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chicken and garlic and cook 2 minutes, then add 1/2 cup hot sauce and simmer until slightly thickened, about 1 more minute.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour and mustard with a wooden spoon until smooth. Whisk in the half-and-half, then add the remaining 1/4 cup hot sauce and stir until thick, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the cheddar and pepper jack cheeses, then whisk in the sour cream until smooth.

Spread half of the macaroni in the prepared baking dish, then top with the chicken mixture and the remaining macaroni. Pour the cheese sauce evenly on top.

Put the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl and microwave until melted. Stir in the panko, blue cheese and parsley. Sprinkle over the macaroni and bake until bubbly, 30 to 40 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Thrifty Thursday: My Birthday Meal

Today's Thrifty Thursday recipe is the meal that my mom would make every year for my birthday. I LOVE it and it is SO easy! She normally made it in the oven...cooking it for a while on low heat. I put it in the crockpot because it gives the meat the same moist texture and flavor.

1 pound of chicken breasts
2 (16 oz) containers of sour cream
1 or 2 cans cream of mushroom soup (depending on your taste...I use one)
3 garlic cloves minced
1 small or large can dried beef (found in aisle with canned chicken/tuna)
8 oz fresh mushrooms (Optional...I don't use them just because I like to keep it just like my Mom made it.)
salt and pepper to taste


Arrange the dried beef in the bottom of the casserole pan or crock pot in a layer. Place the chicken on top of the dried beef. Mix the sour cream, cream of mushroom soup, garlic, and mushrooms (if using) together and pour over the chicken. Season with salt and pepper. If in a crock pot, cook either on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours. Both lengths of time will make the chicken fall apart! You can also bake it in the oven for 3 hours on 250 degrees.

Serve it over rice or mashed potatoes.

Chicken Spinach Lasagna

This is a recipe that I adapted from a recipe that I got from my friend, Carlyn. It was passed around her freezer swap group so she passed it on to me. It works great as a freezer meal or as a meal to take to someone. It makes 2 9x13 pans of lasagna or you can split it into 3 8x8 pans. It is absolutely delicious! Now, I haven't actually made it like the original recipe so mine might not be as good as the original : ). If you try it both ways before I do, let me know if it makes any difference. The only differences in mine and the original is that I omitted the cream of mushroom soup (and made my own) and I sauteed the vegetables. The original would be much easier to make and has a lot less steps than the one I made. I just really like the taste of homemade cream of mushroom "soup". However, I will make it like the original next time just to compare.

18 no boil lasagna noodles
EVOO
1 (10 oz) pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed (Squeeze as much liquid out of the spinach as you can using your hand. The rest of the liquid will get cooked off in the skillet)
4 cups cooked, diced or shredded chicken (Season 3 split chicken breasts with salt and pepper and cook in the oven for about 40 minutes on 350 degrees. Cover with foil and let cool. Shred or dice the chicken.)
4 cups shredded white cheddar (You can use any other cheese you like. I just love white cheddar.)
1 onion, diced
8-16 oz mushrooms, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup cream
1 cup chicken broth/stock
3 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tbsp soy sauce
16 oz sour cream
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1 cup pecans, chopped
1 cup Parmesan cheese

Heat skillet with a few swirls around the pan of EVOO. Saute mushrooms until they start getting a golden color. Add the onions. Sprinkle with a tsp or so of salt to help release the liquid. Let the onions cook 3-4 more minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minute. Add the spinach. Sprinkle with flour. Stir and let cook for a minute. Whisk in the chicken broth and then the cream. Let it cook for 6-7 minutes or until thickened. Add the chicken. Take off the heat and let cool to room temperature.

In a bowl, mix together sour cream, mayo, soy sauce, pepper, salt, and nutmeg. Stir in the cooled cream chicken mixture.

In a greased 9x13 pan, place a layer of the cream mixture. Lay down 3 no boil lasagna noodles. Top with more cream mixture. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Place 3 more noodles down. Top with cream mixture. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Place the last 3 noodles down and top with more cream mixture. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Top with pecan/Parmesan mixture.

Repeat in the other 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

You will just need to guess about how much cream mixture and cheese you put on each layer. Just keep in mind that they will be used for both pans. If you have never worked with "no boil" noodles, you will love them! You don't have to cook them at all. Just lay them down. Make sure that every corner has some of the sauce on them. The layer of sauce doesn't need to be thick for the noodles to soften, it just has to be covered. I think you could use the no boil noodles in the original. I will let you know when I try it.


Original Recipe:
24 lasagna noodles, cooked
1 (10 oz) pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained well
4 cups diced chicken(i cooked mine first)
4 cups shredded cheddar
2/3 cup finely diced onion
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 Tbsp flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 cans cream of mushroom
16 oz. sour cream
2/3 cup mayonnaise

Topping:
1 cups grated Parmesan
1 cups chopped pecans

Combine all ingredients in very large bowl. In a large and deep baking dish, layer chicken mixture, noodles, chicken, noodles, chicken. Sprinkle with topping. Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees.

Thrifty Thursday: Pecan Chicken Curry

We love curry in our house. I used to make Rachael Ray's Curry in a Hurry recipe once a week. It is awesome and really cheap because once you buy the two main ingredients (curry paste and mango chutney) they will last a while. Rachael's recipe actually calls for mincemeat but I use mango chutney. Also, I buy Patak's Curry Paste which I think is the best of all the brands. It costs $5 but it will last a long time!

I started making another recipe recently that I got from the online cooking school that I do. I changed it up just a little bit. Chris and I love it! If you like traditional Indian curry, then this is for you! This meal just makes the cut of under $10. It costs around $9.95. Now, if you already have all of the spices, then it will be much cheaper.

Pecan Chicken Curry
4 whole onions (diced 1/4 inch cubes)
1/2 cup ghee (see below) - can substitute butter
2 bay leaves
2 tsp Kosher salt
4 large garlic cloves (roughly chopped)
2 tbsp fresh ginger (roughly chopped - I buy a fresh ginger root and keep it in my freezer. It keeps it fresh and makes it easy to chop.)
2 whole green chilis (seeded and roughly chopped...if you can't find these, you can use one poblano pepper)
1 tsp fresh cracked pepper
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp paprika
1 cup Water
3-6 chicken breasts depending on your family size (diced in 1 or 2 inch cubes)
1/2 cup pecans
3/4 cup cream
1 bunch cilantro

Heat the ghee over medium heat in a large fry pan or Dutch oven and sweat the onions, bay leaves and salt for about 25 to 30 minutes. You want the onions to sweat slowly. If they look like they are going to start to brown, turn the heat down.
Meanwhile, peel and roughly chop the garlic, ginger, chilies and place into food processor and puree.
Once the onions are very soft add the garlic, ginger and chilies and cook for another 3 minutes.
Then add all of the remaining spices and seasoning and cook for another 2 minutes.
Add the water and bring the mixture to a boil.
Reduce the heat to low and cover. Let the mixture simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Add the diced (uncooked) chicken into the sauce, replace the lid on the pot and simmer for another 10 -15 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink.

Grind the almonds in a food processor. Then add the cream and blend until you have a smooth paste. Add the almond paste to the chicken and onions and stir. Check for taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. To finish add the chopped cilantro and serve over rice (preferably jasmine).

Ghee
You can buy Ghee in stores but it is much cheaper to make yourself.
This is just a simple process of removing the milk solids from the butter. It allows the butter to be cooked at a higher temperature without burning.
Take a stick of butter and melt it in a saucepan over low heat. Let it continue to cook until you see the layer of milk solids has separated. You can strain the butter through a cheesecloth to remove the milk solids. I just take a spoon and skim off the milk solids and discard them.

Tip: If you don't have some of these spices, I would suggest you go to a Fresh Market or Earth Fare (if you live near one). They sell their spices in small plastic bags and are WAY cheaper than the grocery stores. Also, walmart has really cheap spices as well.

Menu Planning Monday (On Saturday)

So, I just spent the last 2 hours planning our meals. We have 12 dinners before we get paid. Since money is a little tight, I decided to try to get all 12 dinners (plus lunches and breakfast stuff) out of our normal amount of money for one week of groceries. My plan is to make 6 meals that can all be eaten twice or that I can used to make another meal. So, for all of the meals that are casseroles, I will make the whole recipe and separate it into 2 or 3 8x8 pans depending on how much it makes. We will eat one that night and save the other for the next week. Hopefully, we will like these recipes enough to eat them twice so close together : ). My estimated cost of all of these meals plus lunch and breakfast stuff for my boys is going to be $100. I will let you know what happens!

Sunday - Pizza (I am trying a new technique this week and new dough recipe that is supposed to make the pizza thin and crispy. It uses semolina flour and slow rising overnight. I will let you know how it turns out and pass on the recipe.)
Monday - Sunny Anderson's Chicken Broccoli Casserole
Tuesday - Chicken Parmigiano
Wednesday - Chicken Parm Subs (made from leftover chicken parm)
Thursday - Giada's Ragu with Mint (It is made with ground lamb but I will more than likely use ground beef unless there is an awesome sale on ground lamb...which I doubt.)
Friday - My mac-n-cheese topped with bacon and onions
Saturday - Pizza
Sunday - Sunny Anderson's Chicken Broccoli Casserole
Monday - Giada's Ragu with Mint
Tuesday - My mac-n-cheese topped with bacon and onions
Wednesday - Pan fried Chicken with gravy and rice (Chicken breasts are on sale at Lowe's foods for $1.99 a pound)

Thrifty Thursday: Chicken Tender Parmigiano and Roll Over Meal

This is a great comfort meal that I hope you enjoy!! Thrifty Thursday meals are always a meal for a family of four for under $10. Today, you can get two meals out of this meal by only buying 4 hoagie or sub rolls.

1 1/2 pounds of chicken tenders (or if chicken breasts are on sale you can butterfly them open and then slice into tenders)
salt and pepper
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs
2 cups panko crumbs (you can also use regular bread crumbs but panko makes them crispier)
1 cup Parmesan
2 tbsp thyme (or 4-6 fresh sprigs)
2 tbsp parsley (or a couple of handfuls of fresh)
2 tbsp basil (or 4-6 leaves, chopped)
4 cloves of garlic (finely minced or use microplane to grate)
1 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
EVOO
1 cup cheese or a few slices (mozzarella or provolone)
parmesan for topping
Tomato Sauce

Preheat oven to 375.

Make your tomato sauce ahead of time (takes 45 minutes to simmer). It will be enough to put half of it in the freezer or save it for another meal later in the week.

Heat large skillet over medium high heat. Add a couple tablespoons of EVOO (a few times around the pan).

While it is heating, prepare dipping trays. In one, place the two eggs, whisked. In another, place the flour. In the third, mix together panko, Parmesan, thyme, parsley, basil, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Season each tender liberally with salt and pepper. First, dip tender into flour (shaking off excess). Then, dip it in the egg mixture. Lastly, coat in bread crumb mixture pressing the chicken into the mixture to coat thickly and evenly.



Begin frying your tenders in the EVOO (3-4 minutes on each side until they are golden). They do not have to be cooked all the way through. Make sure to not overcrowd the pan. You might have to do a couple batches. As each batch finishes, place them on a cooling rack with a cookie sheet or paper towels underneath.

In a 9x13 casserole pan, place 1 1/2 to 2 cups of tomato sauce. Place chicken tenders on top of the sauce in a single layer. Put a spoonful of sauce on each tender. Then, top with shredded cheese or slices of cheese. Sprinkle with some Parmesan. Bake for 10-15 minutes. You might want to turn the broiler on for the last 2-3 minutes just to slightly brown the cheese.




You can make this dairy free by just leaving the cheese out of the bread crumb mixture. Then, when you assemble it just leave off the cheese or put cheese on those that can have it and leave a few tenders without cheese.

Great roll over meal: Open hoagie rolls (flat but still connected), place on a baking sheet, drizzle with EVOO and toast in the oven on 425 degrees. Once toasted, rub a garlic clove over each piece. The heat will melt it onto the bread. Spread a spoonful or two of sauce on bottom side of hoagie. Top with chicken. Sprinkle with cheese and put under the broiler in the oven just until cheese is melted. The other night I also put a couple of pieces of pepperoni on top of the sauce (before the layer of chicken) and I caramelized some onions and placed them on top of the chicken layer. YUMMY!!

Menu Planning Monday

If you want to join, Menu Planning Monday, go here and post a link on "I'm an Organizing Junkie" to your MMP blog post!

Monday: Parmesan Crusted Salmon (I am probably going to add some bread crumbs and parsley to the cheese and top it with balsamic drizzle and pesto...recipe to follow) and Truffle Garlic Creamed Potatoes
Tuesday: Engagement Chicken with rice
Wednesday: Grilled Tilapia with lemon butter, capers and orzo
Thursday: Chicken Picatta with rice (I am using a combo of this recipe and a recipe that I have in a magazine.)
Friday: Spaghetti with meat sauce (recipe to come...)
Saturday: French Onion Salisbury Steak (Recipe to come...)
Sunday: Pizza

Talia's Pesto
In a food processor, blend:
1 cup fresh basil (or you can use cilantro during the winter...really good)
1/2 cup pecans (or you can use pine nuts but I prefer pecans)
5 garlic cloves
1/2 cup asiago cheese (or parmesan or a mixture of both)
coarse ground black pepper (about one tsp)
kosher salt

Gradually add 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup EVOO until desired consistency (thick paste). You will want to taste and add salt and pepper as you like.

Thrifty Thursday: Mama Dip's Sunday Chicken Casserole

You have GOT to try this! It is absolutely my favorite chicken casserole! This is a Mama Dip's recipe. She has a (if you are not familiar) restaurant in Chapel Hill (not my favorite place...hehe). My husband and I are going through the "1000 Places to See" book and attempting to go to as many place in the book as we can. Mama Dip's is on that list so, of course, we have been there and came home with a cookbook. This chicken casserole is creamy and delicious. If you try this, I am pretty positive that you will add it to your recipe box. AND, it will cost around $7.95. You could also do a 9x13 pan or 2 8x8 with the same amount of chicken breast (just cut them up...no one will ever know) and double the rest of the indredients which are really cheap.

4 chicken breasts
3/4 stick unsalted butter
1 tbsp flour
1 cup sour cream
3/4 cup water
1 tsp instant chicken broth granules (or 1 cube disolved in the 3/4 cup of water or you can just use a cup of chicken broth/stock)
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 small box wild rice or 1 cup uncooked white rice (cooked according to package)
1 cup grated mozzarella

Cook the rice according to the package directions (I buy whichever is the cheapest). While the rice is cooking, soak the fillets in a little salt and cold water for about 10 minutes. Then, pat them as dry as you can get them with a paper towel. In a frying pan, melt the butter, but do NOT brown (low heat). Place the chicken in the pan and let cook on medium heat until they appear done (about 10 minutes). While the chicken is cooking grease a 8x8 square pan and spread the rice in the bottom of the pan. Remove the chicken in the pan and let rest. Using a wire whisk, stir the flour into the butter in the frying pan. Then, add the sour cream while whisking. Continue to whisk while adding the water and the instand broth. Add the mushrooms (if I buy fresh, I usually saute them in some EVOO until they have a golden brown finish). Let this sauce simmer for 8 minutes. Place the chicken (you can cut up the chicken a bit if you want) on top of the rice and pour the sauce on top. Sprinkle the cheese on top. Bake at 350 for 30 mintues.

I should also note that I add a couple of cloves of garlic (minced) to the butter while it is melting in the pan. I just didn't put it in the list of ingredients because I wanted to keep it true to Mama Dip's recipe. I don't, however, add onions which normally I would. I love the texture of it without onions.

Thrifty Thursday: Chicken and Grits

If you would like to participate in Thrifty Thursday on your blog just post a recipe on your blog that costs $10 or less for a family of four. Then, link back to my blog. Also, enter your link and information at the bottom of this post.

Those of you that are my friends, know that I have never eaten shrimp, fish, or anything for that matter that lived in the water. Here in the last year, I have really been trying to make myself like all seafood. It was my dear sweet husband that triggered this desire in me. See, I have been talking about going to culinary school once all of our kids are in school. Chris' response to that was (in a joking manner), "You think you can go to culinary school if you don't eat any seafood. What would Bobby Flay think about that?" He is really hilarious to me. Even though it was a joke, I am glad he said it. He really inspired me to get over my dislike/fear of seafood and branch out. As of now, I have eaten and enjoyed: tilapia, salmon, sushi, mussels, and baby shrimp (still can't do large shrimp but will work up to it).

Today, however, I am going to share a recipe with you that I came up with to satisfy my desire to like shrimp and grits. Chris loves shrimp and grits but, of course, I would never make it for him. So, I came up with a recipe for chicken and grits. It is SO comforting and yummy! This meal comes out to be approximately $7.72 and that is using a good quality cornmeal. However, the price is figured by using water instead of chicken stock. I highly recommend spending the extra dollar or two and getting the stock. It adds a wonderful flavor to the grits! The flour, salt, pepper and oil are not figured into the cost as I think these are things that you already have in your pantry.

Chicken and Grits
1 pound chicken breasts (cut into small cubes)
3 tbsp flour
kosher salt
pepper
2 tbsp evoo (or any other oil you have on hand)
half onion
2 garlic cloves (minced or thin sliced...however you like it)
2 tbsp chicken stock/broth or water

2 cups milk (preferably whole milk if you have it)
2 cups chicken stock/broth or water
1.5 tsp kosher salt
1 cup coarse ground cornmeal
pepper to taste
4 tbsp unsalted butter (If you use salted butter then leave out the 1.5 tsp of salt until you have finished the dish. Then, taste to see if it needs anymore salt)
1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese (You can experiment with other cheeses as well. I think that sharp white cheddar or smoked gouda would also be good in this.)


Heat the oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Mix the flour, salt and pepper together (about 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper). Dust the flour over the chicken pieces. Add the chicken to the skillet and brown on all sides until done (about 7-8 minutes depending on how big you cut your pieces). When chicken is done, remove it to a plate and set aside.


Add the onions to the skillet and cook for 3-4 minutes and then add the garlic. Cook for a minute more or until you can smell the garlic (you don't want to brown the garlic because it will add a bitter taste to your food). Add the water or stock and return the chicken pieces to the skillet. Cook, stirring, until hot and there is not more water in the skillet.

While you are cooking the chicken, you can start the grits. In a medium saucepan, add the milk, water or chicken stock and salt. Bring it to a boil stirring often to make sure the milk is not burning on the bottom of the pan (Tip: rinse your saucepan in cold water before using it and dump out all of the water but do not wipe it out. This will prevent the milk from sticking). Once it is boiling, slowly add the cornmeal. Using a whisk, mix it into the milk. Once all of the cornmeal is well mixed into the milk, decrease the heat to low and cover with a lid. You must remove the lid and stir frequently (every 3-4 minutes) to keep the grits from sticking to the saucepan. Continue with this process for 20-25 minutes or until it is creamy.


Remove from heat and whisk in pepper and butter. Once the butter is melted, whisk in the cheese a little at a time. Place the grits in a shallow bowl and top with chicken. Enjoy!

Thrifty Thursday

My dear friend, Carlyn, gave me this recipe to use for Thrifty Thursday. I haven't made it yet, but absolutely plan on it. Carlyn is an amazing cook so I am positive that it is super yummy! I am sure you will be seeing many more of Carlyn's favorite recipes on future posts. Make sure you read the entire post because there is also an easy, cheap way to make chicken broth and Carlyn's AMAZING roasted garlic bread. We had her garlic butter the other night and it is out of this world! It will absolutely be my go to garlic butter.

Lentil Soup (adapted from Giada de Laurentiis)
Ingredients
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 4 celery stalks, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 large can of diced tomatoes
• 1 pound dried lentils
• 11 cups chicken broth
• 4 to 6 fresh thyme sprigs or 1 tsp of dried thyme
• 1 cup dried pasta(elbow or rotini work great)
• Salt and ground black pepper
• Shredded Parmesan for garnish

Heat the oil in a heavy large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery. Add the garlic, salt, and pepper and saute until all the vegetables are tender, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juices. Simmer until the juices evaporate a little and the tomatoes break down, stirring occasionally, about 8minutes. Add the lentils and mix to coat. Add the broth and stir. Add the thyme. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and simmer over low heat until the lentils are almost tender, about 20 minutes.
Stir in the pasta. Simmer until the pasta is tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Ladle the soup into bowls. Sprinkle with the Parmesan, drizzle with olive oil, and serve with Carlyn's Roasted Garlic Bread.


This recipe will feed a family of four twice with leftovers. You can immediately freeze half of it for future meals. The cost is $9.01 for the whole recipe (which makes it about 4.50 per meal since it makes two meals) using chicken bouillon cubes because that is the cheapest way to make it with the amount of chicken stock.

However, you could plan a meal that week before you make this soup) that calls for shredded or chopped chicken. Then, you could buy a whole chicken or split chicken breasts and place them in a stock pot. Add 1 onion (peeled and quartered), 2 carrots (cut into 2in pieces), 2 stalks of celery (cut into 2in pieces), 1 leek (dark tops only), 3 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dry), 3 sprigs fresh parsley, 5 whole black peppercorns, 1 bay leaf, and about 4 quarts of water (water should cover chicken completely. Heat to a boil over medium high heat. As soon as it starts to bubble, turn the heat down to low and let simmer for about an hour (until chicken is done).

Remove the chicken from the pot and let cool (cont. to simmer the broth). Once cool, pull the meat from the bones and reserve for your other recipe. Return the bones to the broth and let simmer for another hour. Strain the broth into a large bowl. Place in plastic containers and put in refrigerator (can keep in fridge for 5 days - after 5 days bring it to a boil before using it) or freezer.

Carlyn's Roasted Garlic Spread (YUM!)
• 8 to 10 cloves of garlic
• Olive oil
• ½ cup butter, softened
• ½ cup cream cheese, softened
• 2 T grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
1. Roast garlic: Two methods 1) Sit garlic cloves on a small piece of foil, drizzle with olive oil and then fold foil around cloves(kind of like an envelope) then roast in the oven or toaster oven at 400F for 20 mins. or 2) in a small skillet saute whole cloves in olive oil over medium heat until soft. Keep them moving so they don’t burn.
2. Mash roasted garlic with a fork mixing with olive oil it was cooked in.
3. In a small bowl, combine garlic mixture with all other ingredients. Mix until smooth.
Spread on your favorite bread and toast.
This spread will keep in the refrigerator for weeks.

Menu Planning Monday

Sunday - Domino's pizza (large one topping with extra cheese for 5.99!)
Monday - Easy Lasagna (This was the first lasagna that I made for Chris and I after we got married)
Tuesday - Chicken with BLT Gravy (Rachael Ray 15 minute meal)
Wednesday - leftover lasagna
Thursday - Tomato Chicken Pasta (We were supposed to have this on Saturday, but I forgot we had a Christmas party with Chris' work.)
Friday - Croque Monsieur and Tomato soup with a cake for Jesus' birthday. We are having an easy low key Christmas lunch/dinner. I want to be hanging with my boys instead of in the kitchen all day. Plus, soup and sandwiches in this cold weather will be super yummy!
Saturday - We will be on the road going to my family's house in Greenville, SC for a few days and then up to Asheville to see Chris' family.

Check out I'm An Organizing Junkie for more menu plans or to join in!

Thrifty Thursday

...meals for $10 or less for a family of four. If you would like to participate in Thrifty Thursday on your blog just write a post and link back to my blog in your post. Then, go to the bottom of this post and enter your information and link to your post so that we can read about your yummy, thrifty recipe!

Easy, YUMMY, and cheap chicken pasta with cream sauce:

3/4 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 garlic clove crushed (Take the clove and whack it with a knife then remove the skin. Don't chop the garlic...just through it in the pot.)
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg (Freshly grated tastes so different from ground. I am a little obsessed with freshly grated. You can find it at most specialty grocers...Fresh Market, Whole Foods, etc. Click here to read more about it.)
2 tbsp fresh Italian parsley
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 pound pasta (linguine or capellini)
1-2 pounds split chicken breast (roasted, meat pulled from the bones, then chopped...see Menu Planning Monday for directions)

Bring a large pot of water to a boil (for the pasta). In a small skillet or saucepan, combine heavy cream, butter, salt, and garlic over medium high heat. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon (about 4 minutes). While the cream sauce is thickening, drop the pasta and cook according to package directions for al dente pasta. After the cream sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon, remove the garlic clove and add the nutmeg. Stir in the Italian parsley and remove from heat. Add the parmesan cheese while tossing with pasta. Top with chopped chicken breasts and serve.

This cream sauce is so yummy and so easy! It is also a very inexpensive meal. This meal costs around $7.67 for a family of four!

Menu Planning Monday

There is a great website that I found by visiting my friend, Terra's blog. It is called "I'm an Organizing Junkie". Every Monday, she does "Menu Planning Monday" where over 300 ladies share their menus for the week. I love this idea! My friend and I actually sit down every Monday and get our menus ready for the week so this works great for me. Last Monday, we made our menus for the rest of the month so we wouldn't have to think about anything during the busy holiday season. Then, every Sunday or Monday we go grocery shopping to get our ingredients for the week.

On the menu for this week:

Monday - Chicken and Rice casserole
Tuesday - Mushroom Chicken with pasta
Wednesday - Giada's Baked Ziti that I have in the freezer (yay!)
Thursday - leftover Chicken and Rice casserole
Friday - Boston Butt with sweet potato fries
Saturday - Tomato Chicken Pasta
Sunday - raid the fridge

Since there are three recipes this week that include shredded/cubed chicken (which happens a lot on my menus), I prepared all of the chicken last night. I have started buying split chicken breasts for two reasons...cheap and flavorful. So, I bought two family size packages (about 5 breasts in each pkg). I used my roasting pan and a cookie sheet and placed 5 chicken breasts on each. Then, I patted the skins dry and drizzled liberally with EVOO, salt and pepper. Roast them at 350 for 45 minutes to an hour or until the internal temperature reaches 165. I don't usually measure the temperature. I just watch the skins. Usually, when the skins are golden and crispy...they are done. After that, all you have to do is remove the chicken from the bones, chop, and separate into containers for each meal. I ended up having about 11 cups of chicken. That is a lot of chicken for $10!

Baked Ravioli with Chicken

This was a recipe that was submitted by someone to the first freezer swap that I participated in. So, I made it for the first freezer swap with the ladies from our church. I think it is yummy! I made my own pesto and added some homemade Alfredo sauce (about 2 cups).

2 lb. of cheese-filled frozen ravioli (I used fresh because they were on sale but frozen is usually cheaper.)
1 lb. of cooked chicken breasts in ½ inch slices
2/3 cup of chicken broth
½ cup store-bought basil pesto sauce
½ teaspoon of kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 cup of Parmesan cheese

Place all ingredients into a large bowl and combine. Transfer to a freezer bag.

Thaw. Preheat oven to 350F. Place contains of bag into baking dish (a 9×13 dish sprayed with cooking spray). Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour or until bubbly.