Sunday, March 15, 2009
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Dinner Delish!!
I'm forever looking for new things to cook. I eat basically like a toddler with little variety. This causes RF no small amount of stress because he does not eat like a toddler and doesn't like over half of the things I cook. Truth be told, I don't like half of what I cook either because I have about 16 meals that I cycle through every 2 weeks. This means the same stuff over and over and I SICK TO DEATH of it all.
In my many hours on Facebook, I ran across an ad for Bust a Meal. I thought, what the heck, I might as well take a look to see if anything appeals even a little bit. When you go to the site, it offers you an option to sign up for the site or sign in using your facebook ID. I chose to use my FB ID because the last thing I need is another site to log into.
Once I signed in, it had me fill out a survey about my food preferences, including how often we eat various meats, allergies and things you just don't like. After filling out the survey, it generates a list of meals. I went through the list of meals and ranked them all either "yum" or "yuck" (there is no "meh" option for that might be ok but look a little dicey). In addition, you can quick list things that really look good so you can find them easily. I quick listed several items that looked tasty. Once all that is done, it emails 3 meals a week to try. Once you elect to try them, it emails you the shopping list and recipes. All of that can be found on the site, if you don't the emails, but I found it easier to have it in my email. With the shopping list, you can go through, on the site, and check off things that you already have so it doesn't send you things that you don't need.
Tonight I tried my first meal from them and it was super fab! It took longer than I like to cook (1 hour 10 minutes including prep and baking) but the end product was WELL worth it.
A few things to note, I don't eat chiles so I left those out completely. Also, 15 minutes to cook the chicken is a total joke. Try closer to 30 minutes. Of course, our chicken breasts are about 2 feet thick. I ended up cutting them up to help them cook faster. In the future I will cut the first so it doesn't take so long (this would be a really good dish for left over grilled chicken as it gets warmer). Because of the extended cooking time and the fact that I didn't add the chiles, I had to add some extra chicken broth (about a cup and a half all told and I wouldn't do more than that because it would have been soupy) and still had NO cooking liquid left over. Instead, I cooked the onions, and then the mixture, in the same pan as the chicken to the get the flavor. And because I believe there is no such thing as "enough" cheese, I used more than the recommended ammount of cheddar.
The only other thing I would do would be to possibly pre-fry the tortillas because the edges got crispy from baking but the middle was a little mushy. If they were a little crispy to start, that would make something great even better. I ate 3 pieces of it and am nearly sick from so much food but I'm seriously considering having another one. It is just that good!
In case you can't tell, this isn't Weight Watchers or other diet friendly. It could be better by using lower fat items but I'm not into that :)
Mexican Chicken Casserole
Active: 30 min Cook: 30 min Marinate/Stand: 10 min Total: 1h10m Serves: 8
Serve this casserole when friends are coming over or prep it before a busy week to cover two weeknight meals.
Click Here if you're going to cook this, so we can track it for you. That way, we won't suggest it again too soon.
Ingredients
1 cup chicken broth
2 (4.5-ounce) cans chopped green chiles, divided
1 3/4 pounds skinned, boned chicken breasts
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup evaporated milk
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 cup (2 ounces) cream cheese
1 (10-ounce) can enchilada sauce
12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
1 ounce tortilla chips, crushed (about 6 chips)
Preparation
Prepare Ingredients
Preheat oven to 350°.
Chop 1 onion to yield 1 cup.
Crush about 6 tortilla chips to yield about 1 oz.
Combine and Cook
Combine 1 cup broth and 1 can chiles in a large skillet; bring to a boil.
Add chicken; reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until chicken is done, turning chicken once.
Remove chicken from cooking liquid, reserving cooking liquid; cool chicken.
Shred meat with two forks, and set aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
Add 1 can of chiles and onion; sauté 3 minutes or until soft.
Add reserved cooking liquid, 1 cup milk, 1 cup Monterey Jack, 1/4 cup cream cheese, and enchilada sauce; stir well.
Stir in shredded chicken; cook 2 minutes; remove from heat.
Place 4 tortillas in the bottom of a 2-quart casserole coated with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
Spoon 2 cups chicken mixture over tortillas.
Repeat layers twice, ending with chicken mixture.
Sprinkle with 1/2 cup cheddar cheese and chips.
Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated.
Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
.
In my many hours on Facebook, I ran across an ad for Bust a Meal. I thought, what the heck, I might as well take a look to see if anything appeals even a little bit. When you go to the site, it offers you an option to sign up for the site or sign in using your facebook ID. I chose to use my FB ID because the last thing I need is another site to log into.
Once I signed in, it had me fill out a survey about my food preferences, including how often we eat various meats, allergies and things you just don't like. After filling out the survey, it generates a list of meals. I went through the list of meals and ranked them all either "yum" or "yuck" (there is no "meh" option for that might be ok but look a little dicey). In addition, you can quick list things that really look good so you can find them easily. I quick listed several items that looked tasty. Once all that is done, it emails 3 meals a week to try. Once you elect to try them, it emails you the shopping list and recipes. All of that can be found on the site, if you don't the emails, but I found it easier to have it in my email. With the shopping list, you can go through, on the site, and check off things that you already have so it doesn't send you things that you don't need.
Tonight I tried my first meal from them and it was super fab! It took longer than I like to cook (1 hour 10 minutes including prep and baking) but the end product was WELL worth it.
A few things to note, I don't eat chiles so I left those out completely. Also, 15 minutes to cook the chicken is a total joke. Try closer to 30 minutes. Of course, our chicken breasts are about 2 feet thick. I ended up cutting them up to help them cook faster. In the future I will cut the first so it doesn't take so long (this would be a really good dish for left over grilled chicken as it gets warmer). Because of the extended cooking time and the fact that I didn't add the chiles, I had to add some extra chicken broth (about a cup and a half all told and I wouldn't do more than that because it would have been soupy) and still had NO cooking liquid left over. Instead, I cooked the onions, and then the mixture, in the same pan as the chicken to the get the flavor. And because I believe there is no such thing as "enough" cheese, I used more than the recommended ammount of cheddar.
The only other thing I would do would be to possibly pre-fry the tortillas because the edges got crispy from baking but the middle was a little mushy. If they were a little crispy to start, that would make something great even better. I ate 3 pieces of it and am nearly sick from so much food but I'm seriously considering having another one. It is just that good!
In case you can't tell, this isn't Weight Watchers or other diet friendly. It could be better by using lower fat items but I'm not into that :)
Mexican Chicken Casserole
Active: 30 min Cook: 30 min Marinate/Stand: 10 min Total: 1h10m Serves: 8
Serve this casserole when friends are coming over or prep it before a busy week to cover two weeknight meals.
Click Here if you're going to cook this, so we can track it for you. That way, we won't suggest it again too soon.
Ingredients
1 cup chicken broth
2 (4.5-ounce) cans chopped green chiles, divided
1 3/4 pounds skinned, boned chicken breasts
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup evaporated milk
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 cup (2 ounces) cream cheese
1 (10-ounce) can enchilada sauce
12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
1 ounce tortilla chips, crushed (about 6 chips)
Preparation
Prepare Ingredients
Preheat oven to 350°.
Chop 1 onion to yield 1 cup.
Crush about 6 tortilla chips to yield about 1 oz.
Combine and Cook
Combine 1 cup broth and 1 can chiles in a large skillet; bring to a boil.
Add chicken; reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until chicken is done, turning chicken once.
Remove chicken from cooking liquid, reserving cooking liquid; cool chicken.
Shred meat with two forks, and set aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
Add 1 can of chiles and onion; sauté 3 minutes or until soft.
Add reserved cooking liquid, 1 cup milk, 1 cup Monterey Jack, 1/4 cup cream cheese, and enchilada sauce; stir well.
Stir in shredded chicken; cook 2 minutes; remove from heat.
Place 4 tortillas in the bottom of a 2-quart casserole coated with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
Spoon 2 cups chicken mixture over tortillas.
Repeat layers twice, ending with chicken mixture.
Sprinkle with 1/2 cup cheddar cheese and chips.
Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated.
Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
.
Music suggestions
Ladies and gents, I'm asking for music recs.
This
is my new absolute favorite song. I LOVE it and I listen to it all the time. Angry (not angsty, which is totally different) girl rock makes me happy!
So I'm asking all of you for suggestions of songs along these lines. I know there are songs that I like but I'm drawing a blank and "angry girl" isn't a genre that is really searchable. :)
PS, this is the same band that did the Twilight songs, which are kind of "meh" and definately NOT what I'm looking for.
Thanks
This
is my new absolute favorite song. I LOVE it and I listen to it all the time. Angry (not angsty, which is totally different) girl rock makes me happy!
So I'm asking all of you for suggestions of songs along these lines. I know there are songs that I like but I'm drawing a blank and "angry girl" isn't a genre that is really searchable. :)
PS, this is the same band that did the Twilight songs, which are kind of "meh" and definately NOT what I'm looking for.
Thanks
Saturday, March 7, 2009
LMAO
TB went to the monster truck show tonight, with my dad. When he got home, he was telling us about it and RF asked him about the mega-saurus (or whatever name they gave the robot dino this year)and he says "yeah, it was there, but it was completely new, totally redone, refurnished, structured settlement..." That was when I got to laughing so hard I couldn't breathe and he couldn't tell us the rest of the story.
Then, I told him he needed to head for bed because we have a busy day tomorrow. I said "in the morning, we are going to the movie then we'll have lunch, then we'll go to K's party". He started dancing around the living room singing "I'm going to a party, I'm going to a party, I'm going to a party, at exactly 2pm" LOL
Then, I told him he needed to head for bed because we have a busy day tomorrow. I said "in the morning, we are going to the movie then we'll have lunch, then we'll go to K's party". He started dancing around the living room singing "I'm going to a party, I'm going to a party, I'm going to a party, at exactly 2pm" LOL
Friday, March 6, 2009
Too much Star Wars?
Tonight at our meetup, TB was talking to Special K about the Wondertwins and they had the following discussion:
TB: Hey, they look the same. Are they clones?
SK: Well, they have the same DNA so I suppose technically they are clones. They were one and then they split apart into two.
TB: *looking at her seriously and nodding* In a cloning machine?
SK: Well, I suppose, again, technically.
TB: Ok
I'm thinking her might be watching a BIT too much Star Wars LOL
TB: Hey, they look the same. Are they clones?
SK: Well, they have the same DNA so I suppose technically they are clones. They were one and then they split apart into two.
TB: *looking at her seriously and nodding* In a cloning machine?
SK: Well, I suppose, again, technically.
TB: Ok
I'm thinking her might be watching a BIT too much Star Wars LOL
Shopper moms
I'm reaching out to you. I'm looking for little big girl dresses (size 5-6x) with short sleeves, not sleeveless. I'm looking mostly for ply type dress, so nothing fnacy, just plain cotton or whatever.
I'm also looking for girl's sport style sandles (something that she can run and play in, tromp around in the mud, etc, nothing white or "pretty") in size 10 1/2 and boys sport type sandles in 12/13
If anyone sees any of those things anywhere in town, could you drop me a comment? I'm having no luck finding anything and it starting to get to the point that I NEED to find these things :)
I'm also looking for girl's sport style sandles (something that she can run and play in, tromp around in the mud, etc, nothing white or "pretty") in size 10 1/2 and boys sport type sandles in 12/13
If anyone sees any of those things anywhere in town, could you drop me a comment? I'm having no luck finding anything and it starting to get to the point that I NEED to find these things :)
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
You know they die, right?
So I like the song "Love Story" by Taylor Swift
If you don't know, the lyrics are
"Little did I know
That you were Romeo; you were throwing pebbles,
And my daddy said, "Stay away from Juliet."
And I was crying on the staircase,
begging you, 'Please, don't go.'"
And I said,
"Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone.
I'll be waiting; all there's left to do is run.
You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess
It's a love story - baby just say 'Yes.'"
The other day, it was on the radio and RF says "Uh, how far do you want to go with this Romeo and Juliet theme? You know they die right?" But the thing about Romeo and Juliet is that it is supposed to be the ultimate love story. They were willing to die instead of be apart.
Personally, I think that it is the ultimate in stupidity. I remember reading it in high school and how all the girls were ga-ga over the the thought of someone loving them enough to kill themselves. I always just rolled my eyes at them and maintained my low opinion of the idiots I went to school with.
I never understood the motivation of R&J. Why did she take the fake poison? If she was old enough to marry, why didn't she tell her parents to suck it, she wasn't marrying Paris? Or why didn't she just suck it up and marry him and have a wild affair with Romeo like every upper class person in the world? (if you've read either "Sex with Kings" or "Sex with the Queen", you'll know what I'm talking about).
And when he thought she was dead, why was his only course of action to kill himself? Had he never heard of grief and maybe suffering through and getting on with his life? I get it. He couldn't bear the thought of life without her but dude, could he be anymore melodramatic?
The only death in the whole thing I even sort of understood was her actually killing herself after she took the fake poison and he died. It was totally her fault that he died (obviously, he did it to himself but if she hadn't been stupid and taken the fake poison, he wouldn't have felt compelled, thus her fault) Dying was an acceptable punishment for her stupidity in the whole thing.
Big thanks to Quigs for correcting my memory about the sequence of events in the story. It has been awhile since I read it (either Freshman or Sophomore year of high school) and obviously, I didn't like it much so I didn't retain the exact details
If you don't know, the lyrics are
"Little did I know
That you were Romeo; you were throwing pebbles,
And my daddy said, "Stay away from Juliet."
And I was crying on the staircase,
begging you, 'Please, don't go.'"
And I said,
"Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone.
I'll be waiting; all there's left to do is run.
You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess
It's a love story - baby just say 'Yes.'"
The other day, it was on the radio and RF says "Uh, how far do you want to go with this Romeo and Juliet theme? You know they die right?" But the thing about Romeo and Juliet is that it is supposed to be the ultimate love story. They were willing to die instead of be apart.
Personally, I think that it is the ultimate in stupidity. I remember reading it in high school and how all the girls were ga-ga over the the thought of someone loving them enough to kill themselves. I always just rolled my eyes at them and maintained my low opinion of the idiots I went to school with.
I never understood the motivation of R&J. Why did she take the fake poison? If she was old enough to marry, why didn't she tell her parents to suck it, she wasn't marrying Paris? Or why didn't she just suck it up and marry him and have a wild affair with Romeo like every upper class person in the world? (if you've read either "Sex with Kings" or "Sex with the Queen", you'll know what I'm talking about).
And when he thought she was dead, why was his only course of action to kill himself? Had he never heard of grief and maybe suffering through and getting on with his life? I get it. He couldn't bear the thought of life without her but dude, could he be anymore melodramatic?
The only death in the whole thing I even sort of understood was her actually killing herself after she took the fake poison and he died. It was totally her fault that he died (obviously, he did it to himself but if she hadn't been stupid and taken the fake poison, he wouldn't have felt compelled, thus her fault) Dying was an acceptable punishment for her stupidity in the whole thing.
Big thanks to Quigs for correcting my memory about the sequence of events in the story. It has been awhile since I read it (either Freshman or Sophomore year of high school) and obviously, I didn't like it much so I didn't retain the exact details
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