February is just FLYING by!!
Before we know it, March will be here & I can't WAIT because that means I get to see my family in Florida! Ok, I know that little side track has nothing to do with the title of this post...but I just had to throw that in =) I just love vacation!
I also LOVE pinterest.com & FOOD! I've mentioned pinterest several times already, with decorations I've done or with the mobile I made...etc. but lately I've been working through the new food recipes I've been pinning & I just thought I would share some of my favorite chicken dishes that I have made this month.
We eat a lot of chicken...some pork, some beef, but mostly chicken.
{Winner Winner Chicken Dinner}
THESE are fantastic!! I have included the link to the blogger that posted the recipe. The photographs are all from pinterest as I failed to take any of what I made myself...
(I ate it before I thought to take pictures! haha)
However, mine turned out looking JUST like this. Since Greyson is obviously not joining in on these food favorites, I tend to make a lot of things for 2. This was one of the easiest recipes to cut in half. I ended up using an 8x8 square dish & only used 4 small tortillas instead of halving it with 5. I also bought a block of Monterey Jack cheese & grated it myself. It was sooo creamy!
Matt usually turns his nose up to anything "burrito" like but after one bite he was hooked. =)
Again, I would say mine looked JUST like this. Notice the black, sorta burnt looking part in the pan around the chicken? Well, this is one of the easiest recipes for adding a little something extra to chicken.
All you do is saute` some garlic in olive oil (but I just used canola) & once it's cooked down a little, add 3 tablespoons of brown sugar. It makes the most wonderful glaze.
As it was baking, I took that time to take care of Greyson. While I was feeding him, this wonderful aroma of garlic made its way up the stairs to our bedroom....hmmm...is something burning?
I ran downstairs & opened the oven...smoke filled the room! I just KNEW I had ruined the chicken...
As it turns out, that happens a lot! With the sugar glaze melting off the chicken & down into the dish, it tends to burn a little, but keeps the chicken looking fantastic!
Thank goodness...it was still moist & very flavorful; one of my new favorite, quick & easy chicken fixes.
This is a classic for any Italian lover...which Matt is not. I love Italian food & Olive Garden is like my most favorite restaurant ever...Matt hates it except that he can order steak tips there now =)
Anyway, this was great to make at home.
I loved the butterfly part of the chicken..it made more out of 2 large pieces of chicken I thawed. Instead of using seasoned breadcrumbs, I just crushed up some Ritz crackers to give it more of a crunch. Anytime I need breadcrumbs though, fresh is pretty easy to do. Just take the heals of bread out of your loaf of store bought bread & put them in a food processor! If you need dry breadcrumbs just toast them first...Yeah...I watch a lot of food network =)
Anyway, when I make spaghetti, I tend to use a whole jar of sauce...this doesn't take that much so I was able to have a lot of sauce left over to use on other things. I cooked spaghetti pasta & placed the whole chicken breasts on top to round out the meal. Now...mine looked pretty close to this, but because of the crackers, it was much crispier looking & I did NOT add any type of green leaf garnish =)
Now this is a picture I actually took myself. I added this to pinterest several weeks ago & thought it was worth sharing. Before pinterest, I browsed recipes online all the time & found this one.
Last night, Matt actually requested this for supper. I FORGOT to take a picture of it, but I think it actually looked a little prettier than the above photo...O well...I am not really a food blogger anyway =)
So, there's a lot going on with this chicken that we don't see. Underneath the cheese, bacon bits & green onion, there is ranch dressing & "Teriyaki" sauce. The reason I say "Teriyaki" is because I NEVER have that on hand. SO instead I make a little revision of that by using a little A1 steak sauce mixed with a couple tablespoons of canola oil. That glazes over the chicken first, then the ranch dressing, then everything else. Here you are seeing the green onion, but you can add parsley flakes on top as well. I did that last night & it make it look more sophisticated =)
Thats all I will share today, but I am SURE I will have more to add sooner or later.
Since I've been home with Greyson & only have to work a couple days a week, I have more time to plan out my menus & search new things to try. My pantry has a lot more things stocked in there now to cook with. Working through my pinterest board of Food Favorites, has not only been fun, but more dining IN & less grabbing "quick" things from the fast food chains around town...
Now, that being said, I still plan to indulge in Olive Garden every now & then...in fact that is my Valentines Day request.
I was watching Rachel Ray the other day as she was making a Valentines dinner for 2
(using lamb...but she said you could substitute for chicken...yes please! haha)
Her advice for a more special Valentines was to dine in & cook something special...
Well, since I've been doing my fare share of dining IN...a special Valentines dinner for me would be having someone else do the cooking while I eat all the salad & breadsticks I want! Who can say no to that!! (oh yeah...Matt has to order a special salad with Ranch dressing...)
So, if you plan to stay in on Valentines Day, maybe one of these easy chicken dishes will be just the ticket for you & your sweetheart! As for me, I'll be enjoying Olive Garden with my husband...while Greyson gets entertained by a baby sitter =)
Here's to some fantastic food favorites!
{ENJOY}
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