Apricot Chicken

Now if you're familiar with Cranberry Chicken, you'll recognize this as being extremely similar. I found this recipe popping up in a few different books and online, and since Bobby and I like Cranberry Chicken so much, I thought it couldn't be too bad to try!

It's very good, but sweeter than Cranberry Chicken--apricots don't really have the tang that cranberries do. But all-in-all it is quick, easy, can be made the night before and refrigerated, and really good.

Apricot Chicken

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 package dry onion soup mix
1 cup (ish) of Fat Free Catalina dressing
1 jar of apricot preserves (we used Sugar-free and it was plenty sweet)

In a mixing bowl combine the dry onion soup mix, the Catalina dressing, and the apricot preserves. Mix until blended. Pre-heat oven to 400, and Pam a 9x13 baking dish. Use a paper towel to pat down each chicken breast, and place in the baking dish. Cover with all of the apricot mix. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes for 3 breasts, or longer for additional.

Serve over rice or quinoa, and spoon extra apricot mix onto the chicken. Pair with a green salad or veggie and Yum!

And if you want to make the Cranberry version--substitute the apricot preserves for a can of whole berry cranberry sauce, and pat the chicken breasts with a little bit of garlic salt.

Mom's Chili/Frito Pie

I triumphantly return from yet another leave of absence. But with a completely legit excuse because believe it or not, hand surgery doesn't make you feel up to extra typing at the end of the day! While I'm not going to include a pre-op picture (because this blog is for hungry people, not those looking to lose their appetites), but I have included an embarrassing iPhone pic of Shadow smothering me while I was on pain killers. But for those purely interested in food I'll keep the life updates brief: My hand is healing, I have a cool scar; I work, Bobby works, we work (you see the fun pattern?); Bobby is on Internal Medicine and has ruled out specializing in Kidneys; Shadow and Gus are sad the weather is changing and walks and screen door time are becoming more infrequent--but otherwise good.

The blog is also blue--in effort to sooth me into what will surely be a blustery winter--or perhaps more because I got tired of green. I'm also going to try to post a photo with each new recipe so the two I post today will have photos--as well as the Cajun Mahi-Mahi.

So in the spirit of Fall, I made Mom's chili. Taylor would again call this a non recipe, but it varies from the package directions so I think it counts. And I DID take a photo of the chili itself, but you know, the funny thing about photos of chili is that they're never really appetizing. So instead I'm including an "action shot" of the Frito Pie in the making.

For you non-Southerners (and I don't categorize myself as such, but more of a pseudo-Southerner since I'm not without full-functioning use of Bless-Her-Heart's and Shake-A-Leg's), Frito Pie is the best thing that happens to chili. It's when the spicy hot goodness blends with shredded cheddar and a handful of Fritos. Mmm Mmm Mmm.

Mom's Chili/Frito Pie

1 package Carol Shelby's Chili Mix (in KY they come in double packages, so make sure you split it in half and save the rest in a ziploc bag)
1 lb lean ground beef
1 can chili beans
8oz tomato sauce
16oz water

The back of Carol Shelby's Chili Mix will tell you to add different things, but just stick with what my mother does. Brown the ground beef in the bottom of a dutch oven or soup pot. Once fully cooked, add the water, tomato sauce, chili beans, and mix. Carol Shelby's mix comes with flour for thickening, cayenne pepper for spice, and salt. I mix in the flour and about half of the cayenne. Cook covered on med-low for at least 45--but an hour is better.

Before serving, put a handful of Fritos in the bottom of your bowl, and top it with a handful of cheddar cheese. Then pour the chili over it to melt the cheese thoroughly. It should get enough salt from the chips and cheese, but you may need to add a few extra sprinkles if the meat was really lean. And there you have Frito Pie--the best thing you can do for your chili.

Cajun Mahi-Mahi

And no, "Cajun" is not a euphemism for "burnt."

We had this earlier in the week and I thought I should probably post it before I become a hunt-and-peck gimpy typist for a few days! We've started doing a little more shopping at Whole Paycheck--I mean, Foods--and this past week we found some delicious-looking Mahi Mahi. Using all possible recipe-providing iPhone apps I still couldn't find a recipe I liked so we decided to try blackening it (our favorite way to order it in a restaurant). But it turns out you need a cast-iron skillet to blacken things and I'm pretty sure Calphalon does not equal cast-iron. So as we do with just about everything, we turned to the trusty George Foreman Grill and some serious spices.

Cajun Mahi-Mahi

1lb Mahi Mahi filets (2)
2 tbs Chili Powder 1 tsp Garlic Powder
2 tsp Onion Salt
2 tsp Thyme
2 tsp Paprika
1 tbs Creole Seasoning

Cut the fish into two fillets. With Mahi-Mahi, make sure you cut the fillets around the vein line to avoid a fishy flavor (thank you Food Network!) Mix all spices in a medium to large shallow bowl. Dredge each fillet in the spices, and add to *extremely* hot grill (to make it seem blackened). Fish should be ready in 5-6 minutes and you'll want to make sure you have some Popsicle for dessert! I should note I pretty much made up the measurements for the spices and went for a more dump-and-pour method...but I think that's pretty close. Just don't over-do the chili powder because then a whole box of Popsicles won't save you. Serve with steamed green beans.

Favorite Steamed Green Beans

2 handfuls of washed green beans with ends cut off
2 tbs Asian salad dressing (Kraft light)
1 tbs low-sodium soy sauce
1 tbs sesame oil

Steam green beans over the stove or in microwavable Ziploc bag. While they're steaming, mix dressing, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Pour over steamed green beans. The pairing of the Asian flavor actually compliments and almost cools-off the Cajun fish. Could also do this with Tilapia...

Creole Fried-Rice

I admit it. I completely lost the original Southern Living recipe for this, and instead made it up this past week. But it's still good, so I'm sharing it anyway. Perhaps like all things Creole, it's a bit of a "kitchen sink" recipe, so I'll tell you how we make it, and other potential variations for you (to the best of my memory!)

Creole Fried-Rice

1lb chicken tenders, grilled, diced
1/2 lb kielbasa (we have discovered turkey kielbasa works well), grilled, sliced
1/2 lb shrimp, peeled
NOTE you can use any combo of the above based on your preference. For example, I'm not much of a shrimp eater thanks to a bad experience in Mexico, so we combine the sausage and the chicken.

1 can chicken broth (reduced sodium)
1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 small to medium yellow onion, diced
2 cups rice or 1 cup quinoa
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
Tabasco
Creole seasoning
Olive oil
**Other add-ins include sliced okra or fresh jalapenos

Prepare rice or quinoa according to directions, substituting chicken broth for water. While rice/quinoa is cooking, grill chicken or sausage on outdoor grill or George Foreman. Or if preferred, you can use one large skillet. I'll reiterate that you should adapt this recipe for your preferences. Brown the onion and garlic in a large skillet with a few tablespoons of olive oil. If cooking chicken or shrimp in the same pan, add those in at the same time with hefty few shakes of Creole seasoning (I'm pretty generous with my seasoning). Once meat is cooked and/or onions and garlic are soft, add in sausage, previously grilled chicken if applicable, and diced peppers with additional shakes of Creole seasoning. The general rule of thumb I invented is: whenever you're adding meat to the skillet, add more seasoning. Stir for a few minutes until everything is heated through and peppers begin to cook. Add rice or quinoa with several dashes of Tabasco, and stir all-together in the skillet until you hear the rice or quinoa sizzling. Serve immediately.

So as you can tell, there's not really any strict way of putting this together, but if you dump and pour all of the ingredients and somehow everything gets cooked, it's delicious! As if Southern Living would print something that wasn't right? I just read my Fall issue this morning and am now dying to decorate chocolate moon-pies with jack-o-lantern faces. I think I'll give them out at work during October. In reality, as much as I hate the fact that Fall leads to into the season I HATE and refuse to name--I can't hold that against Fall now can I? So with that, I think I'll go find some mums for the porch. OH I will also try to start taking pictures of my recipes. You know me--always in such a hurry to eat!

Southwestern Salad w/ Chicken

The only bad thing to say about this recipe is it makes a TON! And of course, salad is a little difficult to save. But it's absolutely delicious and something fresh and light as we go into Fall. I should also note that my mom doesn't make it with chicken, so it can be a completely vegetarian-friendly dish all on it's own. BUT since Bobby has his whole "no-meat-no-meal" philosophy, I throw in some diced chicken tenders. Oh, and my mom layers it too and it's really very pretty. I just dump and pour--but either way use the largest salad bowl you have.

Southwestern Salad (w/ Chicken)

1 head of romaine lettuce, shredded
5 plum tomatoes, chopped
15 oz can of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 small purple onion, chopped (or bunch of green onions, chopped)
80z of shredded Mexican cheese blend
1 lb of grilled chicken tenders, chopped
15 oz can of Mexican corn with green and red peppers, drained
6 oz can of sliced ripe olives, drained (we have to omit these for Bobby)
2 cups of crushed Baked Nacho Doritos

Cook chicken tenders on George Foreman, regular grill, or chop and heat in skillet. Layer in this order, or "dump and pour". Top with Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette (see below).

Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette

1/3 c fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 c olive oil
1 tsp sugar (I use Splenda)
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 c lime juice
1/2 c sour cream
1/2 tsp salt

Ideally, process all ingredients in a food processor or blender until smooth. I usually don't read all the way to the end of my mom's instructions and just mix together in a Pyrex measuring cup. The downside of that is the cilantro stays large, but I LOVE cilantro, so I'm OK with it.

Top salad with dressing and either serve in layers or stir stir stir with really large or heavy duty salad tongs. I need some. Stocking-stuffer hint.

Trust me on this

And for my final post of the week (Bobby went to bed at 8 tonight after downing a package of Lean Pockets like a college freshman, and is on call tomorrow, thus no more cooking) I give you a Gibbons staple! This is one of the fastest, easiest things you can possibly make, it's not too terrible for you, and it reheats excellently--I've had it twice for leftover lunches this week. This was first served to Bobby and I by Whitney Blocker Mashburn, and it was introduced to us merely as "Cheesy Beefy Thing." I thought titling my blog post "Cheesy Beefy Thing" was probably a bit weird, so really you have to trust me (and Whitney). As further proof this should be incorporated into your dinner rotations, Colleen trusted me and she and Ryan have had it several times. So there.

You can do a lot of substitutions so I'll present all the options.

Cheesy Beefy Thing

1 lb ground beef (OR substitute ground turkey or chicken--this week we opted for turkey)
2 cups rice (white or brown, OR substitute 1 cup quinoa)
1 large jar of your favorite pasta sauce (Whitney opted for Ragu with veggies, while Bobby and I go strictly for Paul Newman--we switch it up between his Marinara, Four Cheese, or this week we used his Garlic and Fire-Roasted Tomato)
2 cups shredded mozzarella (2% is good)

Cook rice or quinoa according to package directions. While your starch of choice is cooking, thoroughly cook the ground beef, turkey, or chicken. In a large mixing bowl combine the cooked meat, the the rice or quinoa, the entire jar of sauce, and the 2 cups of mozzarella. Stir, stir, stir. Pam a 9x13 Pyrex or other baking dish and pour in mixture--spread evenly. Top with sprinkled additional mozzarella or Parmesan if desired, and cover with tin foil. Bake covered at 350 for 20 minutes, then remove the foil. Bake for an additional 10 minutes.

So I get that you wouldn't normally combine rice, beef, and marinara sauce, but seriously just trust that it's quick, yummy, and can reheat all week long--so make it on Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday. And the lighter version with ground turkey, quinoa, and 2% cheese is JUST as good. Or ya know...as close as you get with ground turkey :-) I'll also note that since Bobby gets to make requests, so do readers. So if there's something that you recommend, or want more chicken recipes in general, or know of something I make and want the recipe for...feel free to submit!

Pulled Pork (Tenderloin)

Well our A/C is out and while I wait on maintenance in our now-80 degree apartment, I'm beginning to feel little bit like last night's dinner in the slow-cooker! First off, if I haven't said it before, a slow-cooker is the workweek's best friend. It may sound antiquated or just plain hard to lift from the bottom shelf of the pantry BUT it's worth it. And I've found a few recipes that work year-round, so you don't just have to lug it out in the winter.

So this was an Anne and Bobby creation last night and a first round attempt at making pulled pork for 2 from a pork tenderloin. BBQ aficionados will note that most pulled pork is actually pork shoulder, but we're not really trying to feed an army around here--so tenderloin it is. We had some hiccups BUT I've modified the following and it should be delicious, and perfect for homemade pulled pork sandwiches.

Pulled Pork (Tenderloin) Sandwiches

1 pork tenderloin (plain is preferred, followed by peppercorn) *Note* Plain pork tenderloin often comes in packs of 2, so be sure to freeze the other one. We made this from a frozen leftover and it took about a day and a half to thaw out.
1 bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce (we use and swear by Jack Daniels)
Chili Powder
Crushed Red Pepper
1 cup Bourbon (we use and swear by Four Roses)
1 cup water
1/2 cup honey

Pam your slow cooker. Pat the tenderloin down with a generous handful of chili powder. Regular blog readers might note Bobby and I like spicy food, but feel free to use less. Place tenderloin in the center of the slow cooker and sprinkle generously with crushed red pepper. Put honey in a microwavable bowl or Pyrex measuring cup, add Bourbon. Microwave for 30 seconds to thin out the honey, and stir well. Stir in additional 1/2 cup of BBQ sauce and pour over tenderloin. Rotate tenderloin in pan to ensure coating is all over. Pour the cup of water in the slow-cooker but not directly on the tenderloin (don't want all the seasoning to come off!) Cook on LOW heat for 6-6.5 hours. If you'll be home during the day, set the timer for 3 hours and rotate the tenderloin halfway through. It may look a little charred at the end, but once you take it out and begin forking it apart, it'll be perfectly done inside!

Strip the tenderloin apart with a fork (if the outside is tough use your kitchen scissors) and add to a toasted sandwhich or hamburger bun. Top meat with additional few tablespoons (or globs, whatever) of BBQ sauce. Serve with Mac & Cheese (1st blog recipe, or Velveeta) and a fruit salad and you're good to go!

I've already made tonight's dinner, but I'll post that tomorrow. I don't think people who like a good pulled pork sandwhich would sign off with "Bon Apetit!" Julia-Child-Style, so I'll leave you with a CHOW DOWN Y'ALL!