Breakfast dinner!!

Who doesn't love breakfast dinner?? It's delicious, simple and comforting!  Using the fresh veggies I have around the house, I created something that is fresh and more delicious than any restaurant will serve me!


Read this recipe all the way through before beginning!!!  There is some multitasking going on!

Ingredients:
4 eggs
milk
salt
pepper
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
5 potatoes (I used regular old Idaho baking potatoes)
3 green peppers
2 small onions
1 tomato
1/3 tsp Italian Seasoning
1/4 tsp EVOO

1.  Break the eggs into a bowl, add a splash of milk (about 1/3 tsp), a pinch of salt and pepper. Literally, pinch a small amount of salt and pepper and add it to your bowl.  Whisk so all the ingredients combine.

2.  Take one green pepper, one onion and the tomato. Diced them into small pieces. I salt and pepper my tomatoes before I start cooking them so the flavor really bursts.

3. Set all ingredients aside.  Clean your potatoes.  Cut them into quarters, length wise.  Then cut the quarters into bite size pieces.

4. Cut the remaining peppers into strips.

5. Slice the onion in half.  Lay flat on your cutting board and then slice cut vertically into nice hearty slices.  They can be a little bigger.  They will cook down but give the dish great flavor.

6. In a big pan, put 1/3 tsp of olive oil.  Once it's heated, add your pepper and onions.  They should sizzle when they hit the pan.  Sauté them for a few minutes.  Then, add your potatoes. Salt and pepper the dish generously.  Potatoes absorb salt so it may take a few times to get it right.  Add your Italian Seasoning. Cover your dish with a lid.  This will quicken the cooking of the potatoes. 10 minutes in, take the lid off and let the potatoes cook.  Be sure to stir the pan often so the potatoes won't stick to the pan.  Cook until all the potatoes look brown and toasty.

 7.  15 minutes into your potatoes, you should start cooking your egg.  In a smaller pan, put 1/4 tsp of olive oil.  Once hot, add your peppers, tomatoes and onions.  Cook them until the onions are almost translucent AKA see through.  Then, add your egg mixture.

 8. Cook your egg for a few moments.  I take my spatula and put the sides in so the uncooked part can flow over and cook.  I don't make my eggs/omelets folded perfectly like restaurants. I mean, I am completely capable of doing it.  I just don't eat them that way.  I make sure all parts of the egg touch the pan by flipping the egg with my spatula.  It may fall apart, whatever. It still tastes amazing.  Once cooked to your liking, sprinkle your cheese on top.  Take off the heat and cover with a lid so the cheese can melt.

9. Plate everything up and ENJOY!!!!

Any questions or comments, ask away!!
Enjoy!!
xoxo
Kerry

Grilled teriyaki chicken!

I could eat chinese food every day of my life.  I just love it.  Unfortunately it's not cheap nor healthy... Tonight I decided to do my own spin on it.  I had a few different marinades/salad dressings I could use to do my chicken in, I had a ton of veggies and brown rice.  It turned out AMAZING!!! I hope you all enjoy it as much as the hubby and I did!!


Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts, cleaned
1 cup of sesame ginger dressing or marinade (I used a mixture of Lawry's and Ken's salad dressing)
3 green peppers
3 carrots
3 celery stalks
2 small onions
2 1/2 tbsp of butter
1 1/4 tsp fresh garlic
3 Tbsp teriyaki sauce (I used Kikkoman)

Take a fork and poke 4 sets of holes along the chicken breasts.  Put them in a big ziploc bag.  Add one cup of sesame ginger marinade/dressing. Put in fridge and let marinate as long as possible.  I let mine sit for 6 hours.  If you can, move the bag, massage the marinade into the meat a few times while it sits. 

Husband loves to grill so he fired up the charcoals and got the grill to 320.  Cooked the chicken on each side for 10 minutes.  (the other two breasts were a different marinade.  The dark ones are the sesame ginger)

While the meat is cooking, chop up your veggies.  Tale the celery, cut the stalk horizontally all the way up.

 

 Cut the peppers into big chunks

Cut the carrots into slices about 1/8 in thick

Cut the onion into quarters.  Then you have big chunks which is the natural layers of the onions.

Heat a large pan to medium high.  Put the butter in. Once the butter is melted, add the garlic.  This is my favorite smell - EVER.  Stir the ingredients together.

Let cook for a minute.  Then add the teriyaki sauce.  Look cook for two minutes.  Then add all the veggies.  It may seem like a lot in the pan at once, but they cook down.  Also, some juices from the veggies add to the sauce for the vegetables.  Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring often.  You don't want the vegetables to be soggy - just tender.  You want to be able to tell they're fresh and have a slight crisp to them. I added a little pepper to the veggies.  With all the teriyaki sauce, you will not need salt. 

Once the veggies and chicken are done, serve over brown rice.  I put the veggies on my rice so it can soak up all the sauce. The chicken is slightly glazed from the marinades and it gets dark and crispy on the grill.  Mmm mmm mmm!!!

Any questions or comments?
Enjoy!!
xoxo
Kerry

Winner Winner Chicken...salad!

Came home from work (half day Tuesday!) and was starving!  Looked through the kitchen and found just about nothing.. mayo.. celery.. some other veggies.. Looked in the freezer and found some chicken (I ALWAYS save legs and wings from whole chickens I cook and freeze them.. Or buy a pack of legs, cook them up and freeze a few for future recipes!)

Got out of the chicken and decided I was going to make me a chicken salad sandwich! YUM!

Two legs, two wings - meat taken off, bones discarded
Two stalks of celery
half of a small onion
1/2 cup of lite mayo
salt and pepper to taste

Ready for the easiest recipe ever??
1.  Dice the celery

2.  mince the onion, cut up the chicken into small pieces.

3. Add the mayonnaise.  Salt and pepper to taste!

It's best to let it sit in the fridge so the flavors can meld together. I love chicken salad on croissants.. But today was an English muffin with fresh sliced tomato.

Any questions? Comments?
Enjoy!!
xoxo
Kerry

Crockpot Fiesta Chicken

I've said it once and I will say it 'til I am blue in the face.. CROCKPOTS RULE!! Does saying that make me a nerd? Or corny? No, it makes me a smart cook and you should be one too!!

Half day Tuesday was in full effect today. And being that I still felt like crap, I didn't want to cook.. Crockpot to the rescue! I had some chicken breasts left from last night.  Went to the pantry, found some canned corn and black beans and got to work on some Fiesta chicken!

- 1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
-  2 cans (15 oz) whole kernel corn, drained
- 1 1/2 cups salsa (store bought is fine, I made my own... recipe to follow)
- 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut in half
- 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (I use store bought taco mix cheese)

Very easy directions... ready?

In a 3-1/2- to 5-quart slow cooker, mix together the black beans, corn, and 1/2 cup of the salsa.

Top with the chicken breasts, then pour the remaining 1/2 cup salsa over the chicken.

Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours.  (Or until the chicken is tender and white throughout; do not overcook or the chicken will be dry)  5-10 minutes for serving , sprinkle cheese on top; cover and cook until the cheese melts.

I served mine over brown rice this evening...Mmmm!!

 

For my salsa.. I tend to use a store bought one for recipes like this, but kind of panicked this afternoon when I realized I only had like, a quarter of a cup!! Quick to the pantry.. I grabbed my food processor and the following ingrediants...

- 28oz can of whole, steamed tomatoes

- 2 small green peppers (cleaned and cored)

- 1 medium onion, cut into quarters 

- 1 tsp of parsley

- 1/4 tsp chili powder 

- 1/4 tsp white wine vinegar

- salt and pepper to taste.  

Throw all ingredients into the food processor, pulse it until everything is blended.

Make sure you taste it... Salt and pepper will be your best friend. Remember, it is easier to add seasoning than to take it away...

Any questions? If so, comment below! If not, ENJOY!!!

xoxo
Kerry

Chicken Fingers!!

Dinner was the last thing I wanted to make last night.  Stayed home from work, felt awful... Hubby was sick too. A bug had hit our household - no fun!  Unfortunately when I am sick, my appetite is very rarely effected.  I always want cozy, comfort food.  What is better to comfort and cuddle up with than chicken fingers? 

This recipe is so simple and easy - and delicious!  This recipe doesn't have exact calculations.  I am cooking for two so this recipe can be adjusted for a family of more than two!  This is how I made it for two...

- Three chicken breasts, cut into three vertically and in half horizontally (yes, six pieces)
- one egg
- one and a half cups of Italian seasoned bread crumbs
- 1 tbsp Grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- canola or vegetable oil

1.  Wash and clean the chicken out of the package and then cut it as directed above. 
2. Beat one egg in a separate bowl
3. Combine bread crumbs, parm cheese, garlic, salt and pepper on a plate or in a separate dish
4. Pour 1/4 inch oil into heavy skillet. Heat over medium high heat.
5. Coat chicken in egg and toss in bread crumb mixture.
6. Add strips to pan when oil is hot (about 325 degrees). Working in batches, fry until chicken is browned on both sides. You can always tell when it's time to flip when your chicken looks like this:

 See how it is brown at the bottom and sides?  That is when you flip it to brown the other side!
7. Remove from oil; drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with a little salt while still hot and "glistening"!

 How delicious does that look???!! I love homemade chicken nuggets/fingers! I served with some broccoli and mashed potatoes (I cheated with boxed ones - hey I was sick!)

Any questions?  If so, comment away! If not - ENJOY!!

xoxo
Kerry

Whats to come???

Hello everyone! Didn't cook much this week (thanks to Atlantic City Restaurant week!!) I have a bunch of great recipes that I will be posting this week! I can't wait to share them with you!!

Talk to you soon!!

xoxo
Kerry