Wordless Wednesday-Honolulu Parade

I'm holding her to be still so I can take the photo...It makes me laugh because it looks like I'm about to choke her. It was a good day :)

Making Tuesday Tasty-Lemon Chicken With Artichoke Hearts

Um, yum! I love tart/tangy food. What a way to spruce up chicken for dinner...Quick and easy to make too.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
3 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken meat, large dice
1 1/2 cups quartered artichoke hearts (canned or jarred - not frozen)
2/3 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup water
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup lightly packed thinly sliced basil leaves
1 teaspoon lemon zest

Directions

Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. When it shimmers, add onion and garlic, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and cook until golden, about 4 minutes. Add chicken and cook, stirring rarely, until well browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Add artichoke hearts and cook until slightly broken down, about 3 minutes.

Add wine, water, and juice and scrape the bottom of the pan to incorporate any browned bits. Cook until alcohol smell is cooked off and sauce is slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in basil and lemon, and serve.

*recipe courtesy of foodnetwork.com*

Giveaways!

Busy Mommy Media blog is giving away a Britax B-Ready stroller ARV $499!! Hurry ends Oct 13, 2010.

The Shopping Mama is giving away a Britax B-Ready stroller ARV $499! Hurry ends Oct 6, 2010!

Two Of A Kind Working On A Full House is currently hosting a giveaway for a Bumbleride Flite stroller! Hurry ends October 18, 2010!!

Wordless Wednesday-My Mom and Brother 1982

Making Tuesday Tasty-Island's Chicken Tortilla Soup

I love this soup! I like to go there especially to get this soup and often their fresh cut french fries too! So Yummy. If you have a weekend free or some day where you just want something delicious and comforting, make this!!!

Instructions

4 pound whole chicken for roasting
2 to 3 tbsps. melted butter (to taste)
1 gallon of spring water
2 cups of diced onion (to taste)
1 cup diced carrot
1 cup diced red bell pepper
3/4 cup diced Anaheim peppers (to taste)
1 tbsp. minced garlic
1/2 cups diced yellow tortilla
3 tbsp. of lime juice
1 tbsp. salt (to taste)
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 tbsp. minced cilantro
Tortilla Strips Ingredients:
6 small yellow corn tortillas
2 cups vegetable oil
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. paprika
3/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. salt (to taste)
1 cup shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
1 cup diced avocado

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place the chicken in a roasting pan with the breast facing up, and pour the melted butter over it, trying to cover the entire breast. Season with a generous amount of salt and pepper. Cook the chicken for about an hour to an hour and a half. The skin will be crispy.

Set the cooked chicken aside on a platter. Drain about one tbsp. of the drippings (more if you choose) and set aside in a bowl. Peel the skin carefully off of the chicken and discard. Next, take the meat off the bones in large chunks and set aside on another platter. Keep the bones in the roasting pan for now.

Put a large saucepan on the stove and fill halfway with water. Add the bones, with some salt and pepper, then bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer for about a half hour.

Scoop out the roasting drippings from the small bowl you set aside earlier, and put in a medium- to large-sized skillet and add the onions, carrot, peppers and garlic. Stir over medium heat about ten minutes, until the vegetables are tender.

Return to the saucepan with the chicken bones that have simmered for 30 minutes. Remove the bones and add the contents of the skillet, along with the meat, cayenne and chili powder, lime juice and salt to taste. Simmer this combination for around 30 minutes, then add the cilantro. Simmer for an additional 30 minutes so until the vegetables and chicken fully cooked.

Meanwhile, create the tortilla strips that will top the soup. Cut the tortillas into 1/4 to 1/3 inch long strips. Heat the vegetable oil in another saucepan, medium- to large-sized. Place the strips in the oil so they are not touching, and fry until they have bunched up a little bit and are crunchy. Lay them on paper towels to drain.

Mix together to chili, cayenne and salt in a small bowl, and toss in the crispy tortilla strips to coat them. This will add a little kick to the soup.

Pour the soup into bowls, and top with a small handful of the tortilla strips, a sprinkling of Jack cheese and the diced avocado.


*recipe copied from ehow.com*

Wordless Wednesday-Missing Sedona

Making Tuesday Tasty-Parmesan Crusted Chicken w/Sides

I love Parmesan chicken! This is a quick and pretty easy recipe. Also, if you don't like or can't eat peppers you can omit them and just use the onions and garlic. This is also one of Rachael Ray's 30-minute meals so it's a quick dinner night!

Ingredients

1 1/2 to 2 pounds fingerling potatoes or red skin baby potatoes

1 small red bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips

1 Italian mild green pepper, cubanelle, seeded and thinly sliced

1 medium yellow skinned onion, thinly sliced

4 large cloves garlic, cracked away from skin

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 cup tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

Coarse salt and pepper

2 cups shredded Parmesan, available in tubs near deli -- make sure to get shredded cheese, not grated

4 (6 to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts

4 plum Roma tomatoes or small, vine ripe tomatoes, seeded and chopped

15 to 20 leaves fresh basil, pile leaves, roll then thinly slice -- chiffonade

Directions

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.

Cut fingerling potatoes into halves or quarters, depending on thickness of fingerlings -- thin, small fingerlings may also be left hole, larger potatoes should be quartered to speed cooking process. If you are using small red potatoes, halve or quarter them in the same way.

Cover a large cookie sheet with foil. Place potatoes on cookie sheet. Combine with peppers and onions, garlic and crushed red pepper flakes. Coat the potatoes, peppers and onions with extra-virgin olive oil just enough to coat vegetables in a thin layer, 2 to 3 tablespoons. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Place potatoes in the oven and roast 20 to 22 minutes, until potatoes are just tender and peppers and onions are crisp at edges. Toss mixture with tongs, turning the potatoes after 15 minutes. When the potatoes are cooked, transfer them to a serving dish and peel the foil off the cookie sheet and discard for super-quick clean up!

While potatoes cook, prepare chicken. Roll out a 2-foot piece of waxed paper or foil near the stove top. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat -- your pan must be very hot when the chicken is added. Pile the shredded cheese on the work surface created with the waxed paper or foil. Season your chicken breasts with black pepper but no salt; the cheese will add enough salt to the taste of the dish. Press the breasts firmly into the cheese. Coat both sides of breasts with as much cheese as possible. Add 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil to the skillet, 1 turn of the pan. Set breasts into the skillet and cook 7 minutes on each side, until cheese forms an even, golden casing around the tender chicken breasts.

While chicken cooks, combine chopped tomatoes with basil in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper, to your taste.

Drain off any excess oil from chicken as you remove it from the skillet. Top chicken with big spoonfuls of raw sauce and serve with potatoes, peppers and onions.

As September 11 Approaches

Here's something to think about...For all the politicians that think this is okay, for all the liberals that believe we should be politically correct. I hate talking politics, but this is so true I couldn't not post it.

Remembering those who have died for this country, those that have fought for us to be where we are today! Thank you for your service.

Wordless Wednesday-Cameron

A mini photo "shoot" I did of my step son the year we were married.

Making Tuesday Tasty-Corn On Cob With Cheese And Lime

In Phoenix there are food carts with just these little babies in them. Super messy, flavorful, corn cobs! A favorite Mexican treat. You can of course adjust these to your liking. Enjoy!

Ingredients

4 ears of corn in the husk
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/8 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
3/4 cup shredded cotija or feta

Accompaniment: lime wedges

preparation

Prepare grill.
Soak corn in husks in cold water 10 minutes. Drain corn and grill on a rack set 5 to 6 inches over glowing coals until husks are charred, about 10 minutes. Shuck corn and grill until kernels are browned in spots, about 10 minutes.
While corn is grilling, in a small bowl whisk together mayonnaise and cayenne. Using the small teardrop-shaped holes on a four-sided grater grate cotija.
Brush mayonnaise mixture onto hot corn and sprinkle with cojita.
Serve corn on the cob with lime wedges.

*photo courtesy of epicurious.com*

Ginsu Knives Equal Love!

CSNstores.com has some amazing stuff! From kitchenware, rugs, curtains,shoes, you name it. They've got a lot of it. I have had the opportunity to work with them a few times and they are always helpful and professional.

I am super excited to talk about the Ginsu knives I received from the site. I cook A LOT for my family and have had dull knives for a long time. We finally bought a *cheap* knife set because I was desperately needing some and didn't really have money at the time for really good ones.

I ordered the Ginsu space saver set which allows you to mount the knife holder on the wall in your kitchen if you desire, or to sit it upright. The first night I received the knives I hand washed them and used them to prepare our dinner. This sounds so cheesy but, I was as in love with a knife as you can be. If you've ever tried to cut vegetables and meat with super dull or badly serrated knives you'll know what I'm talking about. I watch cooking shows all the time and they always have amazingly sharp and precise knives. I was jealous of those knives.

The Ginsu knives of course remind me of the old commercials where it would cut a tomato and then through a pipe! I like that the serrated edges aren't jagged, they are sharp and don't "tear" through the meat. I love that there's a chef knife that doesn't have any serrated edges and cuts like butter into whatever I chop. I really am having fun in the kitchen again, especially since I don't own a food processor and need to chop all by hand!

Go check out csnstores.com, search anything you're interested in, I guarantee you'll find something!

Wordless Wednesday-Wishing For Fall

Even though it's still pretty warm in October here I am DYING for it to be Fall already. I got a little nostalgic yesterday thinking about the crisp air, the events that take place, and the changing of the leaves. I love it! This picture just helps me to think of it more :)