I think I might Grow Feathers....

I notice I eat a lot of chicken. You can cook chicken in so many different ways, it just makes it easy to cook. I usually stick to the staple recipes, you know, fried chicken, chicken Alfredo, chicken tenders...stuff like that. I found a recipe online while searching for new ways to find chicken and I found one. This recipe called for tons of ingredients, but I made lots of changes to it and only ended up using 5 ingredients.

Honey Mustard Chicken- Chicken (boneless and skinless)
- Bacon
-1/2 cup Honey Mustard
- 1/2 cup Honey
-Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

- Mix Honey Mustard, honey and a sprinkle of seasoning salt in a bowl (add more honey mustard and honey depending on how much chicken you are cooking); whisk well.
- Pound out your chicken to 1/2 inch thickness (use chicken breast or tenders) in between 2 sheets of wax paper using a meat tenderizer or a heavy can.
- Place chicken in the bowl with the Honey Mustard mixture and place in the fridge for no less than an hour, no more than 3.
-while chicken is marinating, fry up bacon; 2 slices per chicken; reserving bacon grease.
-Take chicken out of bowl and place in pan with grease; pour mixture on top of chicken, cook 1 to 1 1/2 minutes on both sides until brownish/black.
-Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray
-Place chicken on baking sheet and cook in the oven for 10 minutes
-Bring chicken out, place 2 strips of bacon on each chicken and add as much or as little cheese as you would like
-Place back in over for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted and bacon is sizzling.

I fixed it with this chicken broccoli mix (which is really good), but you could pair it with potatoes or whatever you feel like. Trust me, this will be one of your favorite dishes!!!

Beef Stroganoff.....like mom made

When I moved out on my own, my biggest hurdle was cooking dinner. At mom and dads, dinner was prepared at a certain time, everyone ate together, sat and talked and cleaned the dishes. Being on my own gave me that freedom that if I wanted to eat Cup of Noodles, I could or a big bowl of cereal, no one would care. That got old after the first week. Real old.

The best gift I have ever been giving was a cook book that has all of my mom's recipes in it. Everything from Scrabble to Pig Pickin Cake. Except for Beef Stroganoff. This was a staple growing up. We could count on this recipe in a sort of two week rotation of dinner (Mom, I know how hard it is to plan food...I appreciate all the meals you made :) ). This is actually one of my favorite meals, and my fiance's favorite too. So, when I was about to make it, I had to call my mom and ask for the recipe. I've seen her make it a gazillion times, but I knew I would leave out an ingredient. Glad I called her :)

Beef Stroganoff
1 pack of Stir Fry Beef
1 Teaspoon vegetable oil
seasoning salt
1 can Beef Consomme
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
Water
1 Small container Sour Cream
Egg Noodles

-In a medium pan, heat up oil. Add meat and seasoning salt. Stir fry until done.
-Add can of Beef Consomme and Cream of Mushroom Soup
-Heat until bubbly, setting to medium heat.
-Add water, small amounts at a time.
-While sauce is simmering, cook egg noodles until done; drain
-Right before serving, add in the sour cream and stir until blended.
-Serve on top of noodles

Loaf de Meat.....ok, it's Meatloaf

OK, so maybe meatloaf isn't everyones favorite. My mom is not a fan at all....she only likes to eat the ends...which she feels in the crunchy part. I, on the other hand, LOVE meatloaf. My dad makes the best, and I mean, THE BEST meatloaf ever. I have always been scared to try to make this meatloaf. You have someones food up here and you rate your food as being down here....not the greatest odds.

Dad's Meatloaf
1 lb hamburger
1 egg (2 if making more than a pound of meat)
1 cup bread crumbs
1 small can of tomato juice
1 pack Lipton Dry Onion Soup Mix

Preheat oven to 350
Mix all ingredients with hands until firm, add more breadcrumbs if needed.  Shape in a baking dish. Cook for 1 hour (cook longer for a firmer loaf).

I served with buttered carrots and beefy rice. I'll share that recipe soon.

I have to say, it was amazing!! EJ even had 2 helpings...and he never eats a lot of meatloaf. So I guess I am doing something right! Just preparing myself for married life and the adventures in cooking.

Saturdays Are Made For Baking

Saturday's are usually set aside for sleeping in late or chilling by the pool. Saturday's, to me, are meant to bake. You heard me right, bake. And that is what I did.

I found myself home alone this weekend. I'm at my mom and dads house while they are off enjoying life. I'm by myself...alone....with the dogs and cats. There are only so many movies I could watch and it seemed like there was nothing on TV....nothing, zip, zelch, nadda. So, I took it upon myself to go to the grocery store and by the ingredients to make a pie. Not just any pie...a home made Lemon Meringue Pie. I've never made one before. And I have to say it was a little intimidating.

So, I found a recipe on Foodnetwork.com , one of Alton Brown's recipes. I have to say, it was pretty easy to follow and didn't really take that many ingredients:

Ingredients
receipe adapted from Food Network, Alton Brown

Lemon Filling:

• 4 egg yolks (reserve whites for meringue)
• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 1/3 cups sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
• 1 (9-inch) pre-baked pie shell
• 1 recipe Meringue, recipe follows
• Directions

Adjust the oven rack to the middle position. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Whisk egg yolks in medium size mixing bowl and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine cornstarch, water, sugar, and salt. Whisk to combine. Turn heat on medium and, stirring frequently, bring mixture to a boil. Boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and gradually, 1 whisk-full at a time, add hot mixture to egg yolks and stir until you have added at least half of the mixture.

Return egg mixture to saucepan, turn heat down to low and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 more minute. Remove from heat and gently stir in butter, lemon juice, and zest until well combined. Pour mixture into pie shell and top with meringue while filling is still hot. Make sure meringue completely covers filling and that it goes right up to the edge of the crust.  Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until meringue is golden. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. Make sure pie is cooled completely before slicing.

Meringue Topping:

• 4 egg whites
• 1 pinch cream of tartar

Place egg whites and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixed fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form and then gradually add sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form, approximately 1 to 2 minutes. Use to top lemon filling.

It was so easy to follow, and smelled so good...and I don't even like Lemon Meringue Pie. I made it for my dad. His birthday is on Sunday and his favorite dessert is a Lemon Meringue Pie. I know he will be bias and tell me it's great, because that's what dads are for.

Can't wait for next Saturday's baking adventure!!

It starts with a glass of sweet tea...

I wasn't always a cooker or a baker. When I was a little belle, I would always wait for mom to call to us, "Alright, dinner's ready!" and we would come running from every direction. We always sat at the large dinner table. We ate family style; everyone passing the plates and we all said the blessing together, true southern fashion. After dinner, and each one of us talking about our day, my sister and I would get up, clear the table and start washing dishes....that's how we would roll.

As I got older, I found myself sitting at the kitchen island while my mom or dad would be cooking dinner. I would talk to them and watch and soak it all in, while sipping on a glass of sweet tea...a southern staple. I would get in close and ask questions. I would even ask if there was anything I could do to help. I also found, that if you help with cooking, you don't have to wash dishes.

I was living on my own when I found my love for cooking and baking. That's all I wanted to do. If I wasn't cooking dinner, I was planning cupcakes, fudge, cookies or some other type of sweets. I subscribed to the Food Network Magazine, I check around 20 blogs every morning. I would print out recipes and try them out; making my own changes here and there. My dream would have to be to have the opportunity to open up a bakery and share my love with everyone.

So, through our journey, I'm going to share some of my favorite memories of my childhood, some shared receipes from other sources, and some ideas I am trying out. I hope you guys enjoy this journey and maybe I will inspire you to get in the kitchen!