Taste of Home Cooking

Back when I was just starting to love cooking - I subscribed to the some of the Taste of Home cooking magazines.  I learned lots of different tips & cooking ideas from real people.  The photos are always lovely.  I finally had to quit subscribing when all the magazines & cookbooks threatened to take over my life!

Saturday morning when I was thinking about making my grocery list and meal planning for the week, I didn't feel like sitting up at my desk to do the planning and since our laptop is sick right now (the battery charger broken and we are waiting for a new one to arrive)...... I said to "KK bring me a cookbook, anyone - I don't care which one."  She said which one has "lemony chicken" in it?  That would be "Best of Country Cooking 1998", one her favorite chicken recipes.  I decided to do a recipe from the cookbook for every night this week!

Monday - Baked Lemon Chicken has been a favorite of KK's since I first made it 2-3 years ago.  She loves lemon chicken and the sauce on this is very good.  I usually use thighs and legs with this instead of breasts - cooking time is longer but ohhhh.... soo... juicy! I will serve it with our new super favorite rice dish.

Tuesday - This Mexican Chili Pie caught my eye.  It looks simple for a random Tuesday night along with a good salad.

Wednesday - I still have a couple of my little boneless pork roasts from Costco in the freezer and this little rendition of Herbed Pork Roast sounds like a good use of it.  I will cook it in my fancy new crockpot with the temperature gauge to instead of roasting in the oven.  I hope it works!

Thursday - I love a good casserole - but sadly I think I ignore side-dish casseroles way too much. I think this Carrot Casserole will go pretty good with some baked tilipia.

Friday - Usually by the time Friday's roll around - I have to really really really like what I have on the meal plan or it is has to be super-duper easy or we end up eating random things.  I am hoping this Pantry Shelf Salmon Chowder is going to fit both of my needs for Friday dinner!

Saturday - KK is going to be gone all day to a field trip for young woman to a nearby college about different career choices.  She is looking forward to the astrology, pre-flight (navigation & flight plans), and design your dream house seminars.  I hope she has a great day and comes back full of ideas of what she might like to do someday!  While she is gone, SS will hold down the fort and make some roasted chickens and Orange Rice Pilaf .

Sunday - To finish off our week from the Taste of Home cookbook from 1998 (when KK was only 1 and SS was still a few months away from making her appearance) I decided I need a good white chicken chili in my repertoire - I've tried a few in the past, but nothing memorable.  Maybe this Spicy White Chili will be the one to become my favorite!

I hope everybody is has a great week - whatever the world is bringing your way!

My Bad

I just wasn't feeling the meal plan love this past weekend.  Which, as we cruise into Thursday, I highly regret!  I've learned my lesson - no more just "winging" (and not the good kind dipped in spicy sauce!) it for me.  I'll be back on Sunday with a great new plan of action for next week.

Time Flies!

WOW.... February is zipping by!  I am going to be really busy this week at work, so we are keeping it simply and easy this week, plus maybe a little healthier?  I'm feel the effects of the potato chips I've been buying lately - we need a little more veggies with our dinners!

Monday - I didn't get to town with the chickies yesterday, but made it today.  All of our belly's are full of sushi and we are a happy family.  :)

Tuesday - Back to reality.  KK has her last basketball game of the season and I hope we are going to be having a victory dinner!  She loves just a plain chicken breast grilled up with a ton 'o garlic, some boxed noodles, and some broccoli.  To up that veggie intake we might have some canned peas too. ;)

Wednesday - Piano lessons per usual.  SS is going to ask her piano teacher if she can learn the "Star Spangled Banner".   She loves the piano and I love hearing her progress!  We never got to those potatoes that are their last stand last week, so it is potato soup and grilled cheese.  SS was really happy to see this and said "We REALLY get to have it this week, right?"  LOL

Thursday- Another quick and easy favorite for us... Sloppy Joe's.  SS's request this week.... she loves her some joes.  :)

Friday - I am happy to report that I'm a proud new of owner of a slow cooker (whew!).  It's that a fancy looking thing?  I had a coupon for 15% off at overstock so it made the total price with shipping less than $50!  The one that just quit working, only after 3 years, was close to $100!!  I hope we are going to have a happy, long life together.  LOL It's inaugural voyage will be with Italian Beef in Bucket.  Usually skip the mixed veggies and just go for pepperocini rings (that way you don't have to dig out stems!!).  PW had a similar recipe around for her Superbowl eats, but I think I will stick to the one with the dressing mix.  I love me some italian dressing mix!  LOL

Saturday - Okay.  I really, really, really have to make spaghetti sauce.  I am totally out.  The chicken are so ohhhhh very lonely without their saucy pals to hang out with in freezer!

Sunday - I'm sure we are going have ton 'o pepperocini beef left from Friday (after all.... it was a 5 lb. roast I got for only $10 - score!).  You know what the best use of that leftover beef is...... burritos!  I will cook up a big batch of pintos, mix in the leftover beef, put in a tortilla, a little shredded cheddar, wrap the whole thing up and call us a happy!  YUM!  That roast is so big - I bet we will have leftovers of this too.  I'll just throw this in the freezer with the spaghetti sauce and chickens for some random Wednesday night to come!

I hope all my friends who are suppose to live in a warmer climate than me finally get some good weather!

Chicken Noodle Soup

I spent the day making more of my "Sassy Chicken Noodle Soup".  KK snapped this picture.  I think you get some of the best pictures when you aren't even trying!

Are you guys tired of my blue bowl yet?  LOL

Dulce de Leche

My cooking friend, Dishy loves Dulce de Leche.... you must check out her posts about different recipes and the uses she has for the finished product.

I wanted to give it a try and wanting to live a little bit on the wild side - I decided to go with the unopened can method.  Check out A Year of Slow Cooking and her recipe (and disclaimers!!) about making it in the crockpot.  I put a slow cooker liner in my crockpot just in case the cans wanted to leave rust rings.  It worked like a charm!

All I can say this stuff is deadly to a diet!!! Make it at your own risk (both to caramel on your ceiling and bulges on your hips!)

Mid-Winter Break!

YEA!!  It's a four-day week for me this week, and only a 3-day school week for the Chickies.  PLUS, a four-day weekend!  YEA!

Monday - I have some cube steaks that need to be eaten and instead of just the same old chicken-fried steak, I thought something different for us like Cube Steak Parmigiana might be good.  I'll use my homemade sauce instead of what is listed.  I think the Chickies will like it!

Tuesday - KK requested the Hamburger Stroganoff.  It is her favorite thing currently.  I'm not sure how it replaced the shake n' bake pork chops, but she loves this stuff!

Wednesday - Piano lesson day!  I have a few potatoes that are starting to go south, so I figured potato soup and grilled cheese.  Simple and easy and well-loved by all!

Thursday - I found a bag of chicken hind quarters on sale for $4.99 (a ten-lb. bag).... I need an intervention for buying chicken on sale!  I swear I have 6 or 7 whole chickens, these hindquarters, PLUS a huge bag of boneless, skinless breasts.  At any rate, Simply Great Chicken will be a great use of those hindquarters.  I'm also in lurrrrrrrvvvvvveeeeee with Dishy's Herbed Rice Pilaf. I've made it a few times, added different veggies on their last stand in the fridge and the Chickies love it too!  A very nice side dish to any meal.

Friday - I thought we'd try something different for us..... PIZZA!  I'm not a huge fan of pizza.  GASP! SHOCK! HORROR!  I will be home on Friday and might try my hand a making a pizza dough.... recommendations on a easy yeast dough would be appreciated.  I will make Easy Pizza Sauce and have go for basic pepperoni.

Saturday - Shamefully hanging my head.  I still haven't made tilapia with baked lemon pasta.  I need to make it or the lemons I bought specifically for this will have had a wasted life.  Poor lemons, we can't do that to them!

Sunday - Valentine's Day!  I don't know what we are gonna do - I thought and thought and thought about what I wanted to make - nothing was jumping out of me.  I might just take my Chickies out for dinner.  :)