Cilantro Lime Chicken

Mmm… this chicken was good! It was spicy so it’s unusual that I would like it but I ate twice my normal portion of chicken and had no room for a side! In case you haven’t noticed I love trying marinades but because this had lime juice I knew the chicken couldn’t be in this marinade longer than a couple hours. So I made the marinade in a ziploc the night before and added the chicken to the ziploc only 2 hours before cooking, but man-o-man was this flavorful! I think the marinade sitting overnight really caused the flavors to fuse. Besides fanatically trying new marinades lately I’ve also been fixated on flattening my chicken breasts and cooking them stovetop on high heat. I love the caramelized color it gives the chicken and it’s done and ready to serve in 10 minutes (which is a dream come true for a working mom)!

Ingredients
4 chicken breasts
2 teaspoons grated lime peel
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons of diced jalapeno (I use jarred jalapenos)
1 minced garlic clove

Directions
To make the marinade combine all ingredients except chicken in a ziploc bag or dish. Let the marinade rest in the fridge overnight. In-between pieces of plastic wrap place each chicken breast and gently pound with flat side of meat mallet or rolling pin until about 1/4 inch thick. Add chicken to marinade; turn to coat completely, refrigerate for 1-2 hours. Remove the chicken from the marinade and cook on high heat in a skillet for 5 minutes on each side or until cooked through (resist the urge to flip the chicken for 5 minutes though so you get a good caramelized color). While cooking I sprinkled each side with a little salt and pepper.

Easy Mexican Quiche

There are a couple things I can’t cook.

• Anything with yeast-I always mess up the rising process.


• Fried foods- When I have a pot of oil on my stove I will start a grease fire, without fail (I’ve started like 3 so take my word for it).


• Omelets and Crepes- I can’t figure out the flipping and folding.

So when we went to Colorado last year and Justin fell in love with a Mexican Omelet my heart ached because I knew I would never be able to reproduce it at home. However, I can cook a quiche so I got to thinking… I tinkered with the Bisquick quiche recipe, adding some Mexican flavors and it turned out great! Justin told me he was surprised how good it turned out (as if he has reason to doubt me, ha)! We all ate two slices and it was so easy I am already planning on having it again next week!

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups milk
3 eggs
3/4 cup Bisquick mix
1 (4 ounce) can of chopped green chiles
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon Cholula (or any hot sauce)

Directions
Heat oven to 400 and grease a 9-inch pie plate. In a large bowl wisk together milk and eggs, add bisquick and wisk until the large lumps are gone. Stir in the remaining ingredients and pour into the pie plate. Cook for 25-30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve plain or with salsa (the pepper bellied boys liked the salsa, I liked it plain).

Chocolate Chip Pudding Cake

This simple cake is one of our favorite desserts. No icing is needed because they are full of milk chocolate chips! This is first on our list of holiday foods and snacks to take on vacations. It’s our comfort dessert that we make just for us and devour immediately. We made cupcakes this week because this was the first week in a longtime that we were all home together (aside from the evening we had to go buy a new dishwasher). We watched The Dark Knight and The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian while snacking on these cupcakes; Abbott’s commentary about The Joker was hilarious!

Ingredients
A box of yellow cake mix (and the eggs, oil, etc. to make it)
1 package of instant pudding (vanilla if you want the cake yellow or chocolate if you want the cake brown, you don’t really notice a flavor difference)
1 package of milk chocolate chips

Directions
Mix the cake according to the directions on the box and stir in the instant pudding powder. Fold in the chocolate chips and cook according to the cake box!

Chicken Noodle Soup

This was my first attempt at homemade chicken noodle soup. I modified Michael’s Soup which is from Tyler Florence's cookbook. I made everything from scratch, roasted my own chicken, stewed the broth, and even made the noodles using Grandma’s noodle recipe, we liked it but it seemed like it was missing something. My friend Nick ate some and he just thought it needed pepper, so all in all I would label it a success! I finished the soup just in time for our dishwasher to break, sigh… Merry Christmas!

Ingredients
1 roasted chicken (you can buy one at the store deli or roast your own)

8 cups water

2 carrots, washed and sliced into circles

3 celery ribs, roughly chopped

2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only
1 bay leaf

Salt and pepper

2 cups pasta noodles (dried, frozen, or homemade)

1/2 lemon, juice only

Directions
Place roasted chicken in large stockpot and add water, carrots, celery, garlic, bay leaf, and thyme. Place over medium heat and slowly bring to a boil to extract flavors of chicken. Reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes, then remove chicken. Remove meat from chicken; shred meat. Discard bones and skin. Season chicken stock in pot with salt and pepper; add chicken and pasta. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until pasta is cooked. Finish with lemon juice and parsley.

Red Lobster Cheddar Biscuits

The boys and I love Red Lobster and it’s usually our restaurant of choice for birthday dinners. I have a good story from my Birthday at Red Lobster last year but I don’t think it’s for everyone (especially if you have a weak stomach), so I will post my story as a comment to this post if you are interested click “comments” below. Anyways, back to the biscuits! I found this top secret recipe on the ABC News Website and gave it a try. Of course it’s not as good as the real thing but they were the best biscuits I’ve ever made!

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups Bisquick baking mix
3/4 cup cold whole milk
4 tablespoons butter (1/2 stick)
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1 heaping cup grated cheddar cheese
Dried parsley flakes, sprinkled on top

Directions
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Combine Bisquick with butter in a medium bowl, add cheddar cheese, milk, and garlic salt and mix until combined. Drop approximately 1/4 cup portions of the dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet (I put them on non-stick foil) using an ice cream scoop. Sprinkled parsley flakes over the top of the biscuit balls and bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until the tops of the biscuits begin to turn light brown.

Trish’s Cornflake Chicken

Trish is my mother-in-law and cornflake chicken was Justin’s favorite type of chicken when I met him. So much so that he requested it as the meal for our rehearsal dinner at our wedding (his last dinner as a free man, dom dom dom). Justin and the boys eat it with ketchup; I like it plain or with white pepper gravy.

Ingredients
Chicken Breasts (however many you need for your family)
2-3 cups cornflakes
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup melted butter

Directions
In a large ziploc bag combine the cornflakes, salt, and pepper and seal. With a rolling pin or cup, crunch the cornflakes (or let your all too willing children smash the bag in their fingers). Dip the chicken in the melted butter and then put it in the ziploc bag. Shake the bag until the chicken is coated with the cornflakes. Put the chicken in an uncovered baking dish and cook at 375 for 45 minutes.

Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole

This casserole has been one of my favorite sides for years and years. I can remember bringing this to potlucks after my son Andrew (who is now 10) was born. It easy to throw together and everyone always asks for the recipe. Ok... so I know it is terrible for you, but the irresistible comfort flavor helps you overlook the fat content.

Ingredients

1 (1.5 pound) package frozen hashbrown potatoes, thawed

1 pint sour cream

1 can cream of chicken soup

2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

1/4 cup melted butter

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl combine the sour cream, soup, cheese, butter, salt and pepper. Press the excess water out of the hash browns and then add them to the soup mixture and mix well. Transfer to a 9x12 inch casserole dish. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until golden brown.

Banana Dog

There’s really no recipe to this one, but it’s a fun snack/meal idea (especially for kids). Whenever we eat hot dogs we always have leftover buns so this is a convenient way to use them up, not to mention delicious! I love banana, peanut butter, and jelly sandwiches, yum yum!

Ingredients
Banana
Hot Dog Bun
Peanut Butter
Strawberry Jam

Directions
Spread peanut butter on the inside of the hot dog bun. Put the banana in the bun and top with jam.

You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch Pie

I never posted an update on my blog but I actually won last month’s pie challenge with my Tie Dye Fashion Pie, how crazy is that! As the winner I have to pick January’s pie theme which is a lot of pressure so let me know if you have any good ideas! December’s pie challenge theme is holiday music, make a pie inspired by your favorite holiday song.

Yikes! I was at a loss of ideas for this one but my brother-in-law Chad suggested “You’re a mean one, Mr. Grinch” so I have to give him the credit and kudos for the idea! I wish I would have had more green food coloring on hand so it would appear even more Grinch-ish, but you get the idea. This green pie is a twist on a Grasshopper Pie, it has an Oreo crust, layer of hot fudge, and a mint marshmallow filling.

Ingredients
Oreo cookies (about15 cookies)
2 tablespoons butter
1 package of marshmallows
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon mint extract
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
6 drops green food coloring
1 jar of hot fudge

Directions
Chop cookies finely in a food processor and mix with melted butter. Press cookie mixture into the bottom of a pie tin or spring foam pan. Microwave the jar of hot fudge and pour on top of the cookies. Place crust a in freezer to harden while making the pie filling. In large saucepan combine marshmallows, milk, and mint extract. Stir over medium heat until the marshmallows are completely melted. Chill until mixture holds its shape when dropped from a spoon. Beat the whipping cream in a chilled bowl until it forms stiff peaks. Fold whipping cream into marshmallow mixture, mine didn’t fold so easily so I beat them together for a couple seconds with the mixer. Spread into pie crust. Cover and refrigerate or freeze. My pie seemed to melt (as you can see in the picture) so I would suggest serving it semi-frozen at least.

You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch.
You really are a heel.
You're as cuddly as a cactus,
You're as charming as an eel.
Mr. Grinch.


You're a bad banana
With a greasy black peel.


You're a monster, Mr. Grinch.
Your heart's an empty hole.
Your brain is full of spiders,
You've got garlic in your soul.
Mr. Grinch.


I wouldn't touch you, with a
thirty-nine-and-a-half foot pole.

Corn Casserole

This casserole is a classic family favorite served at potlucks for as long as I can remember. Justin now prefers cheesy corn but I still like the good ole corn casserole. Through the years I started getting lazy and mixing all the ingredients in the same 9x13 dish it would cook in. Let me advise against that! If you mix this well in a separate bowl and pour it in the cooking dish it yields a much better product! This was my contribution to our Thanksgiving meal yesterday, yummy!

Ingredients
1 box of cornbread muffin mix
1 can creamed corn
1 can whole kernel corn (drained)
1 egg
1 cup of sour cream,

Directions
Preheat oven to 350. In mixing bowl combine ingredients and stir well. Pour mixture into a baking dish and cook for 45 minutes - 1 hour, or until it gets golden on the top and knife comes out clean.

White Chocolate Rice Crispy Treats

Justin didn’t like the idea of this recipe “you can’t improve upon perfection” he said to me (about the rice crispy treats, not about me personally) but he ate his words! I only used a 1/2 cup white chocolate chips and it added a subtle sweetness. You wouldn’t taste the white chocolate unless someone pointed it out to you but they are delicious!

Ingredients
1/4 cup butter
16 ounce bag miniature marshmallows
7 cups rice crispy cereal
1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Directions
In a large pan on medium heat melt the butter. Stir in the bag of marshmallows until they are almost melted and then add the white chocolate chips. When everything is melted add in the rice crispies and mix well. Press the mixture into a buttered 9x13 pan, the trick is to dampen your hands with water and press down on the mixture (it won’t stick to you hands this way). Let cool and serve!

Creamy Mashed Potatoes

These are the best mashed potatoes I’ve ever had! Last year Justin’s Aunt Nancy made these for Thanksgiving and while I was waiting for the gravy I snuck a quick bite and about fell out of my chair! On my list of Top 10 comfort foods these potatoes are near the top!

Beware… this recipe uses a 5 pound bag of potatoes and feeds 4 people. My boys have 3rds of these potatoes and then come back for dessert potatoes later on! These are heavenly on their own and cross over into dangerously good when topped with gravy. You run the risk of only eating potatoes at that point (which is why I use Grandma’s Chicken and Noodle gravy and call it “dinner”).

Ingredients
5 pound bag of russet potatoes
8 ounces cream cheese
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup butter, cut in pieces
salt and pepper

Directions
Peel potatoes and boil in a pan until fork tender. Drain potatoes well and add cream cheese, sour cream, and butter. Mix until smooth with an electric mixer. Mix in salt and pepper (stop to taste and add in more salt and pepper). Serve quickly before you eat them all while tasting the salt and pepper!

Reaheating Directions
Who are we kidding, you aren’t going to have any leftovers… but in case you made these the night before here are directions for reheating (the potatoes are just as good reheated)!
Put mixture into a buttered 9x13 pan, dot with butter and cover. At this point, potatoes can be refrigerated for up to three days (the longest 3 days of your life). Bring to room temperature before baking. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven until heated through, about 30-45 minutes.

Italian Cheesy Spinach Pasta

Ok, I know this isn’t the most appetizing picture we’ve ever taken, and to be honest this isn’t really an inviting looking dish but… this was good, sinfully good (although it has spinach I am sure it is quite fattening). Justin and I continuously popped cheesy bites of spinach shells into our mouths while we read our Twilight books (for the second read this month, it’s an awesome book). We both ate so much we feel like we’re going to be sick!

Ingredients
1 (12 ounce) package medium seashell pasta
1 (8 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 minced garlic clove (I was out of garlic today so I used 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder)
2 eggs
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
1 jar tomato pasta sauce
1 (8 ounce) package shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente and drain. Rinse the pasta with cool water and drain again (so when you add the egg it doesn’t cook it). In a small pan saute the spinach, italian seasoning, and garlic until warm and tender. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and oil. Toss the pasta with the cooked spinach, egg mixture, and bread crumbs.

Cover the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish with 1/3 of the pasta sauce. Pour the pasta mixture into the baking dish and cover with the cheese. Pour the remaining sauce over the cheese and bake for 40 minutes in the preheated oven, or until bubbly and lightly browned.