Honey Roasted Chicken

A few years ago, when David and I got married, my grandfather gave us a small chest freezer. It has been one of the best gifts we've ever gotten. I really enjoy stocking my freezer and I feel a little safer knowing it's full of food. But sometimes, I forget about things I put in there. A couple of winters ago, we got a huge ice storm and I was off work for a few days because my workplace had no electricity. I took some of my time off to make an inventory of my freezer and pantry. Keeping it up to date lasted about 3 days. I did do a good job of cleaning it out, and I think I've kept up with it pretty well.
Fast foward quite some time (over a year or so). While in Costco one afternoon, I spotted a really good deal on whole chickens. I don't remember the price, but I know I got two 4 lb. chickens for a steal. We had one for dinner and froze the other one. I forgot about the frozen one and "found" it when we unloaded the chest freezer to move!
Usually, when I have a whole chicken, I do the "beer butt" chicken on the grill. But I recently saw this Honey Roasted Chicken on My Kitchen Cafe and knew that it would be the recipe I'd use for my whole chicken. I think she got the recipe from Cook's Country, so you know it's good! I've recently discovered how much I love to cook with honey, and this seemed simple enough. It certainly isn't a recipe that I could pull off one day after a day at work, but since I'm on staycation this week, I knew the time was right.
This chicken is moist and flavorful, and the crispy sweet skin is just delicious! Please, please be sure that you let your chicken rest before you slice into it...it's well worth the wait. Without the rest, all of the juices will run out, leaving you with dry chicken. Nobody wants that! The recipe also includes a wonderful sauce, which has a lovely flavor thanks to some crushed thyme.

Honey Roasted Chicken

My Kitchen Cafe/Cook's Country

1 tablespoon salt

2 teaspoons pepper

1 teaspoon paprika (I used smoked)

2 whole chickens (3.5 - 4 lb. each), giblets discarded (I only made one)

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1/2 cup honey

5 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 cup low-sodium chicken broth

2 teaspoons dried thyme

2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces and chilled

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and make sure the oven rack is in teh middle of the oven. In a small bowl, combine the salt, pepper, and paprika. Pat the chickens dry with paper towels and rub the spice mixture under the skin and over the outside of each chicken. Tuck the wings behind the back and tie the legs together with kitchen twine.

Stir the cornstarch and 1 tablespoon water together in a small bowl until no lumps remain; set aside. In a small saucepan, bring the honey and 4 tablespoons of vinegar to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cook until the mixture is reduced to about 1/2 cup, 8 - 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Slowly whisk the cornstarch mixture into the glaze. Return to a simmer and cook for one minute.

Arrange the chickens, breast side down, on a V-rack set inside a roasting pan. Roast until the chicken are golden, about 35 minutes. Remove the roasting pan from the oven and carefully, with a wad of paper towels, flip the chickens so they are breast side up. Raise the oven temperature to 450 degrees. Pour 1 cup water and the broth into the roasting pan. Return the roasting pan to the oven and roast until the thigh meat registers 165 - 170 degrees, about 35 - 45 minutes. Brush the chickens evenly with a thick layer of the glaze (you'll have some remaining to brush on later) and continue to roast until the glaze is golden brown, about 10 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and brush with the remaining glaze and let it rest for 15 minutes.

While the chicken is resting, pour pan juices and any accumulated chicken juices into a saucepan and skim any fat. Stir in the thyme. Bring to a simmer and cook until the sauce is slightly thickened and reduced to 1 cup, about 15 minutes. Off the heat, whisk in the butter and remaining vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Carve the chickens and serve, passing the sauce at the table.

Greek Chicken Pitas and The Winner!

The Blogiverary Giveaway winner is all the way at the bottom of the post. I know you can't wait to see if you won...but stick around here first to see what we've had for dinner recently!
When I was younger and still living at home, I can remember Mom asking, "What do you want for dinner?" And pretty regularly, my response was, "Something fun to eat." And Mom would get exasperated and say, "What's fun to eat?!" And you know what, I didn't know. I didn't have any idea. Now, I think that by "fun," I meant "different." These Greek chicken pitas are very different from what David and I have on a normal evening, and by different, I mean fun! When David pulled the pitas out of the grocery bag Sunday afternoon, he said, "Oh! We've never had these before!" I think he was excited to try them.
I really enjoyed these sandwiches, but I wish I had stuffed my pita with more chicken and less lettuce. The lemon/garlic marinade on the chicken was really good, and it's something that I'll definitely use again...maybe just on chicken breasts to grill. The lemon flavor was pronounced, but not overwhelming.

I also served Greek rice with the pitas, and it was delicious! This stuff was so good...I liked it better than the chicken. For lunch the next day, I mixed some of the chicken and rice together, and that was a great lunch! The Greek rice also has lemon juice in it, which is a perfect complement to the herbs and onions. This one is a keeper, for sure!

Greek Chicken Pita Pockets

Heather's Website

1/2 cup lemon juice

4 Tbs. olive oil (you can probably get away with a little less)

1 1/2 Tbs. garlic, minced and divided

1 tsp. ground mustard

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch strips

shredded lettuce

1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

black olives

pita pockets

Combine lemon juice, oil, 1 tsp. of the garlic, the mustard, and the oregano in a gallon zip top bag. Add chicken and seal bag. Turn bag and gently move chicken around to distribute marinade evenly. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.

Greek Yogurt Sauce

Heather's Website

1/2 cup cucumber, chopped

1/3 cup nonfat yogurt, plain

1/4 tsp. dillweed

In a small bowl, combine cucumber, yogurt, dill, and remaining garlic (from the pita recipe above). Cover and refrigerate until serving. (NOTE: Cucumbers have a lot of moisture in them, so if you want your sauce to be less runny, squeeze as much water from your cucumbers as possible.)

To Assemble the Pita Pockets:

Saute the chicken for 7-8 minutes or until the juices run clear. Fill pocket with lettuce, black olives, onion, and chicken. Top with cucumber sauce.

Greek Rice

Taste of Home Message Board (Redraspberrygirl)

2 cups water

2 Tbs. lemon juice

1 cup brown rice

1/2 tsp each: thyme, oregano, and rosemary, crumbled

2 tsp. olive oil

1/2 tsp. salt

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion

1 Tbs. chopped kalamata olives

Combine water, rice, oil, salt, and garlic in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover, and simmer until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Serves 6.

Now, for the winner of The Sweet Life's Blogiversary Giveaway! Suburban Prep was the reader chosen by the random number generator. Please send me an email (no later than Wednesday, April 7th) with your name and mailing address. You can email me at erinssweetlife[at]hotmail[dot]com.

Thanks so much to all who entered! I love reading your comments and getting to know you all! I appreciate all your encouragement!

Chicken Barley Bake

It was another quick and easy dinner night, and another brand new recipe. I've mentioned before that I went on a whole grain kick awhile back, which left me with Mason jars full of "exotic" grains (at least they're exotic to me): pearled barley, whole wheat couscous, bulgur wheat, steel cut oats, etc. I'm slowly but surely working my way through my supply, and it's been exciting to find new recipes and try new things. Tonight's recipe features pearled barley, which is very tender and mild. I think it's kind of like puffy, chewy oatmeal, but in a good way.

For this recipe, I combined my pearled barley with onions, carrots, garlic, chicken broth, and poultry seasoning. I sweated the onions, garlic, and carrots, then added my barley to the skillet, just to toast it a tiny bit. I added the chicken broth and poultry seasoning, then brought the whole thing to a boil. The barley mixture is dumped into a 9x9-inch pan, some skinless chicken thighs are plopped on top, and then the whole mess goes into the oven for about an hour. Then, you get this:
It looks kind of boring, and it doesn't have over-the-top flavor, but it was good. It could use some doctoring up, which is what I plan to try in the future. I'd like to add some broccoli and spinach to the barley mixture. It also needed some salt, and next time I'll certainly add some Greek seasoning. That should help.

Why have I not been using chicken thighs for the past three years? I've always thought that I didn't like dark meat, but I've discovered that it's really my favorite! There'll definitely be more chicken thigh purchases in my future...and they're cheaper than chicken breasts. More flavor for less money...it's a winner!

If you're interested in introducing whole grains into your diet, this would be a great place to start. I actually found pearled barley in my regular grocery store (Kroger), instead of having to go to Whole Foods! Kroger keeps the pearled barley with the dried beans, just in case you need a little help finding it.

Chicken Barley Bake

Adapted from a recipe from Heather's Site

1 cup chopped onion

3/4 cup chopped carrots

3/4 cup chicken broth

3/4 cup pearled barley

1/4 tsp. chicken bouillon

1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 chicken thighs, skinned (1.5 lbs)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium saucepan, sweat onions, carrots, and garlic, just until the onions are translucent. Add barley and toast for about a minute (don't let it burn!). Add broth, barley, bouillon, and poultry seasoning. Bring mixture to a boil, then pour into a 9x9-inch baking dish. Arrange chicken thighs on top of mixture. Season chicken thighs with salt/pepper and any other seasonings you'd like. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for about 45 minutes. Uncover chicken and continue to bake for an additional 15 minutes.

Balsamic Chicken and Mushrooms

It's awfully late for me to be posting, but I've neglected my little blog for far too long. It's almost been a week since I left a post, and I can't stand it. This won't be much of a post, but at least it'll be something!
David and I went to Homecoming at LWC this past weekend, and we went a little overboard on eating. We did okay for breakfast Saturday morning, since we had a 5K race to run, but at lunch, we went hog wild. We went to Tray's Garden, a delightful little Chinese buffet, and we put the hurt on it. But we were so hungry! We didn't do so well on the car ride home, either. We split some nachos while watching the ballgames (we sat on the bleachers for 5 1/2 stinkin' hours...and suffered through a double-overtime!), then just ate junk in the car on the way home...pretzels, popcorn, and pepperoni pizza flavored Combos. Tonight, we needed something flavorful, but light.
So we had chicken! I think we've had this recipe before, but tonight it tasted so much better! I love balsamic vinegar and mushrooms, so I didn't figure I could go wrong with this flavor combo. I found the recipe from Heather's Website, which is one of my favorites when I'm looking for a recipe that's light, healthy, full of flavor, and sure to push me out of my comfort zone. This one didn't really require any strange ingredients or unusual flavor profiles, but it was easy to throw together with things I had in my pantry/fridge. The only thing I needed to purchase were the mushrooms.

I served the Balsamic Chicken and Mushrooms with green beans and roasted new potatoes. (We LOVE new potatoes and could eat them roasted every night...but we try not to!) Be sure you try this yummy recipe soon...I think this might go into our regular rotation.

Balsamic Chicken and Mushrooms

Heather's Site

2 tsp. canola oil

3 Tbs. balsamic vinegar

2 tsp. Dijon mustard (I used coarse grain...it was all I had)

1 clove garlic (I used 2 big ones)

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 cups mushrooms, quartered (I used baby portobellos)

1/4 tsp. thyme, crushed

1/3 cup chicken broth

Heat 1 tsp. oil in a nonstick skillet. Mix 2 tbs. balsamic vinegar, mustard, and the garlic. Add chicken and turn to coat.

Transfer chicken and marinade to skillet. Saute chicken until cooked through, about 3 minutes on each side. Transfer chicken to skillet and keep warm.

Heat remaining tsp oil in skillet. Add mushrooms and saute 1 minute. Add broth, thyme, and remaining Tbs. of vinegar. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are deep brown, about 2 minutes longer.

Serve chicken topped with mushrooms.

White Chicken Chili

It's definitely fall in Kentucky! The leaves are turning colors and there's a nice chill in the air. Fall is without a doubt my favorite season of the year. I love the colors, the chilly weather, wearing sweaters and sweatshirts, drinking hot chocolate, and sneaking afternoon naps to the sounds of football. I love the flavors and foods of fall, too. Probably one of my favorite fall and winter foods is soup. And, believe it or not, I used to be intimidated by making soup. For some reason, I always thought that making soup was really difficult. I don't know where I got that idea, but I'm glad that I forged ahead and started making soup, because now it's one of my favorite things to make! Poor David...I'll probably soup him to death by the time Spring rolls around, but I can't help it. It's the perfect cool weather supper! Saturday, I decided to make one of our very favorite soups...White Chicken Chili.
I got this recipe last fall while we were on vacation in Florida. We had flown down for a few days to see David's mom and dad, and I cut this gem out of the Bradenton Herald. It was hard to be in the mood for chili while visiting sunny Floria, what with all the fishing, boating, and sunning on the beach, but I knew we'd be back in chilly Kentucky before long, and this soup sounded so good! I'm so glad I saved this recipe. We've made it a dozen times since then, probably, and I even make it for last year's Spring Soup Supper at our church (not to be confused with the Chili Supper), where it was very well received. It's so simple to make, and the flavors are wonderful. As with most chilis, the flavor is even better the next day! I wish I knew who to give credit to...I only know that the recipe was titled "Michelle's White Chicken Chili" and was featured in the Bradenton Herald last fall. If you know Michelle, please let her know that her White Chicken Chili is wonderful!

White Chicken Chili

Michelle/The Bradenton Herald

2 packages McCormick White Chicken Chili seasoning mix

1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces

2 Tbs. olive oil

1 can navy beans

1 can cannellini beans

1 can great Northern beans

1 can black beans

1 can cream of chicken soup, undiluted

1 can Ro*Tel tomatoes with mild green chiles

4 cups chicken broth (or more, depending on the desired thickness)

Heat the oil in a large soup kettle. Add the chicken. Cook and stir about 5 minutes until no pink remains.

Drain and rinse all the beans. Stir in the seasoning mix, beans, soup, tomatoes, and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, partially cover and simmer about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to blend flavors.

Erin's Notes: I usually use the leftovers from a whole roasted/rotisserie'd chicken instead of cooking chicken specifically for this soup. If you've got smoked chicken, by all means, use it. I had some and used it in a pinch one time last year, and it makes the flavor out of this world. It makes for the best.soup.ever. I also don't use the Ro*Tel tomatoes...just plan ol' diced tomatoes. David and I are wusses when it comes to spice, and whatever spice is in the flavoring packets is plenty for us. But if you like a little kick, by all means, go for the Ro*Tel!

Mama's Birthday Dinner

David's grandmother, who is called "Mama" by all the grand- and great-grandkids, is our next-door neighbor. She is also my chief taste-tester. Her birthday was last weekend (on the same day as the big dove shoot I wrote about last week). She kept saying that she didn't want any gifts, so I knew exactly what our gift to her would be.

Chicken Pot Pie! Mama first had my chicken pot pie about a year ago, I guess, and she always says that it's the best thing I make. I think that's a pretty high compliment from someone who cooks and bakes as well as Mama! We had her over tonight for a very late birthday celebration (due to my crazy work schedule), and I think she was very pleased with how it turned out!
I have no idea where I got the recipe. I apologize if it belongs to you, and I don't give you credit. If it's yours, please let me know! But I have a feeling that it's from the Bisquick people, because the original recipe calls for a Bisquick topping, but I made my biscuit dough from scratch, using this recipe.

Mama's Favorite Chicken Pot Pie

Unknown (Pot Pie)/Pinch My Salt (Biscuit Topping [adapted])

For the Pot Pie:

3 cups cooked diced chicken

16 oz. frozen mixed vegetables

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 cup chicken broth

1/4 tsp. pepper

For the Biscuit Topping:

1 1/4 cup cake flour

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 cup butter, chilled and cut into small chunks

3/4 cup buttermilk

4 tbs. butter, melted

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

For the Pot Pie:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 2-quart baking dish. Spread chicken and vegetables evenly in prepared dish. Stir together soup, broth, and pepper in small mixing bowl; pour evenly over chicken mixture.

For the Biscuit Topping:

Whisk together all the dry ingredients. Add butter and cut into flour using a pastry blender, two knives or your fingertips, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the buttermilk, and mix with a fork until the dough becomes shaggy.

Assembling the Pot Pie:

Melt the butter. Add garlic powder and stir. Spread the biscuit dough over the pot pie. Brush with the melted butter. Bake, uncovered for 45-50 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Southwestern Chicken Roll-ups

Sometimes, you have high hopes for a recipe, and then you're disappointed with the final result. That's what happened with these Southwestern Chicken Roll-ups.
A couple of weeks ago, David and I went to our local library, which is brand-spankin' new and supremely awesome. David found a couple of Louis L'Amour books he hadn't read (which is unbelievable), and I found a couple of cookbooks. One of them was the 2005 Cooking Light Cookbook, which apparently has every recipe that Cooking Light printed in 2005. I thought this sounded good, so I decided to give it a try.
It's very simple, really. You take some chicken breasts, cream cheese, salsa, and cilantro and roll it all up. Then you dredge it in breadcrumbs and bake it. My review: meh. They were more like cream cheese-cilantro roll ups. The "Southwest" was unnoticeable. They were fine, don't get me wrong, but nothing that I'd rave over. I want to try to make them again, to jazz up the flavors. I'll put the recipe below, but I'd like to hear from you guys! What would you do differently? I think I definitely need to use some salsa that's got more "kick" than the mild stuff we keep here. Help me out...what changes would you make to the Southwestern Chicken Roll-ups?

Southwestern Chicken Roll-Ups

Cooking Light

6 (6-oz) boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

6 Tbs. Neufchatel cheese (reduced-fat cream cheese)

6 Tbs. picante sauce

6 cilantro sprigs

6 Tbs. Italian-seasoned bread crumbs (I just dumped some out and rolled the chicken in it)

Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Top each breast half with 1 tablespoon cheese, 1 tablespoon picante sauce, and 1 cilantro sprig. Roll up jelly-roll fashion, beginning at narrow end (I used a toothpick to keep them rolled up).

Dredge chicken rolls in breadcrumbs. Place rolls, seam sides down, on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray; lightly coat rolls with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until chicken is done.

Honey-Lime Chicken Enchiladas

The kiss of death here at The Sweet Life is for me to mention something I plan to make. Inevitably, I never get around to making it, or I post it much later. I've been talking about making something "honey-lime" for about two weeks now...and here's the final result...finally! Honey-Lime Chicken Enchiladas!

I don't really know why I decided I wanted to try the "honey-lime" flavor profile. I've been using a lot of honey lately in my cooking (marinades, etc.), and the idea just hit me while I was in Kroger one day. I had no idea what I'd end up making with this flavor profile, but I knew I could find something online. I originally kind of planned to make some kind of a marinade for flank steak, but I stumbled along these enchiladas instead. They come from The Sisters' Cafe, which is a great little blog! It belongs to a group of five sisters who take turns posting delicious recipes. They've got a little bit of everything to choose from, and they've become one of my "go-to" sites when I want to try something new.

The recipe is super-simple to prepare. The toughest part of the whole thing was finding the green enchilada sauce at Wal-Mart! I finally found it on the clearance aisle. I guess folks in rural Kentucky don't eat a lot of green enchilada sauce. David and I had these last Saturday, after a very busy day of doing...nothing! They were the perfect ending to a perfect, lazy Saturday with my husband!

Honey-Lime Chicken Enchiladas

Brittany, of The Sister's Cafe

Marinade:

6 Tbs. honey

4 1/2 Tbs. fresh lime juice (I just juiced 2 limes)

1 Tbs. chili powder

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Enchiladas:

1 lb. shredded cooked chicken

flour tortillas

Mexican cheese blend, shredded

10 oz. green enchilada sauce

Mix first 4 ingredients together and toss with shredded chicken. Let it "marinate" for at least a half hour (I let it marinate for most of a day). Pour some green enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 10x10 casserole dish or 9x13 pan. Fill flour tortillas with chicken and shredded cheese. Pour the rest of the can of green enchilada sauce over enchiladas then sprinkle with more cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. (Put it under the broiler at the end to make the cheese brown and crispy on the top.)

Garlic Chicken Pasta with Spinach

Before I begin, I owe many thanks to Amanda (of Amanda's Cookin') for helping me figure out what's wrong with some of my pictures. If you look at these pictures, and especially the ones of the Classic Banana Bundt Cake, you'll see a bright, blurry spot right in the center of the pictures. I've had a heck of a time figuring out what that was! Amanda asked if I had a smudge on my lens, and lo and behold, that was the problem! I'd never thought of that! Thanks Amanda, for helping out a newbie! I appreciate it!
Now let's get down to business...the food! When David and I got married, we ate lots of pasta. I don't know why. I guess because it's quick and cheap. But it can make you chunky if you eat too much of it, which is what started happening to us. We cut way back on pasta, switched to the whole wheat variety when we do have it, and started eating more lean meats and veggies. But we still love the stuff, so we have it about once a week or so. As you probably know by now, I can easily get bored cooking the same things over and over again, so I'm developing a rather large file of recipes to try. Light and healthy pasta recipes seem to be few and far between, so when I find one, I snap it up and try it out as soon as possible. And, since it's summer, I'm not really feeling heavy meat sauces. The last few pasta recipes I've tried have nary a tomato in sight, and they're great!

I found this recipe on Melanie's site, My Kitchen Cafe. I can't even remember how I found her and her wonderful little corner of the Internet, but I'm so glad that I did. I've tried several of her recipes, and they've all been absolutely delicious! She has no idea, but she got David and me through Bible school week (when I was gone pretty much every night) on her healthy crockpot meals! Because it was Bible school, I didn't get pictures of the dishes, but they were so good that they're definitely on the "make again" list. I turned to her again this week when I needed a healthy, quick dish for supper. The Garlic Chicken Pasta with Spinach was wonderful, and so easy! I think she originally got the recipe from Cook's Country and did some tweaking.

Garlic Chicken and Pasta with Spinach

My Kitchen Cafe

6 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

6 Tbs. olive oil (I cut this back to about 4 Tbs.)

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts

salt and pepper to taste

1 lb. penne pasta (I used whole wheat)

5 oz. baby spinach

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil or 1 Tbs. dried basil

6 Tbs. freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil. Meanwhile, combine garlic, pepper flakes, and oil in a small microwave-safe bowl and microwave until the garlic is golden and fragrant, about 1 minute.

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and cut into bite-sized pieces. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer 1 tablespoon of the garlic/red pepper oil to a large skillet and heat over medium heat until oil is rippling. Add chicken and cook until well browned and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and tent with foil.

Add 1 tablespoon salt and the pasta to the boiling water and cook until tender but still lightly firm (al dente). Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water. Drain pasta and return to pot. Stir in chicken, spinach, basil, lemon juice, parmesan cheese, and remaining garlic/red pepper oil, adding reserved pasta water as needed. Season with salt and pepper serve immediately.

Chicken and Onions Italiano

When it comes to my food, I get bored easily. I love to cook, and I'm a huge collector of cookbooks and recipes. I won't live long enough to make all the recipes I have earmarked in a manila folder in my kitchen, but I'm working on it! I found this recipe online last week, and I had (almost) everything on hand to make it. It was interesting...I'm not sure that I loved the large amount of cumin involved, but it was tasty, nonetheless.
It didn't take long at all to put together. Originally, the recipe called for pork tenderloin, which I had, but it was still frozen solid. I subbed chicken for the pork, and thought it was delicious.

David and I have made the switch to whole-wheat pasta. At first, it was a little chewier, but now we don't notice any difference at all. Really, I only buy whole-wheat pasta now, unless I'm making a dish for a potluck...then I go with the regular stuff.

Chicken and Onions Italiano

Adapted from Heather's Recipe Site

1 to 1.25 lb. chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

2 tsp. cumin

2 tsp. oregano

1 Tbs. olive oil

1 medium onion, cut into slices

14.5 oz Italian-style diced tomatoes

Whole wheat spaghetti or linguini

Grated parmesan

Toss chicken with cumin and oregano. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add onions and chicken and cook 7-8 minutes, or until onions are softened and chicken is just pink on the center. Add tomatoes; cook until heated through. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain. Top pasta with chicken-onion sauce, and top with cheese.

Serves 4

Confetti Chicken

This past Saturday, David and I went over to his parents' house for his brother Patrick's birthday. While we were there, we ventured out into Shirley's garden. I came home with a basket full of home-grown produce. Earl issued me a challenge. He said he wanted to see every item on my blog this week. Okay, Earl! Here's the first of many meals featuring some of the bounty from Shirley's garden! Today, I present to you...Confetti Chicken. It's kind of a loosey-goosey interpretation of a dish I found in a Kraft Food & Family magazine a couple of years ago. I can't find the magazine, but I was able to remember a few of the ingredients. Here's what you'll need:
You'll need some black olives, garlic, an onion from your mother-in-law's garden, a red pepper, and feta cheese (pretend that there's a block of feta cheese on the cutting board).
Cut up all your ingredients, stir them up together, and spread them out over some chicken breasts that you've liberally seasoned with Greek seasoning (or the seasoning blend of your choice) and placed in a greased baking dish. Bake in a 350-degree oven for about 30 minutes (depending on how thick your chicken breasts are).It turned out really well. It was a very light main dish, but it was full of flavor! I just fixed some green beans to go with it (Shirley's aren't ready yet), and we had a delightful, healthy meal in about 30 minutes! Yum!

Coming up tomorrow: Parisian Apple (and Nectarine) Tartlets. It's TWD time!

Pesto Pasta with Grilled Chicken and Veggies

I've been reading food blogs for some time now, and I've been so impressed and inspired by what I see on them. There are tons of super-talented people out there doing awesome things with food. I see all these fabulous dishes and desserts that people just put together with what they have on hand, and I wonder, "Could I do that? I'm not sure I can." For most things I make, I sort of follow a recipe. I usually don't pay a lot of attention to quantities of ingredients, but I'm pretty reliant on recipes to help me put something together. This weekend, I decided that I was going to go out on a limb and create my very own dish from my own imagination! NO RECIPES ALLOWED! I've got to admit, it took me all weekend to mull it over in my head to decide exactly how I would approach it. I found that it came to me in little pieces at a time. First, I decided that I wanted some pasta, mostly because it seems like I haven't had pasta in awhile. Of course, I knew grilled chicken would be involved, because I always have chicken. I also realized that I still had a package of Chet's homemade pesto in my freezer, so I started craving that. But what could I do to make it special? Well...we've still got asparagus from Mama's garden, so I thought I should include it. From there, I just started thinking about things that might taste good together. Here's what I came up with:

we've got the whole-wheat pasta, the super-yummy pesto, a jar of roasted red peppers, Paula Deen's house seasoning, some sliced baby portobello mushrooms, some freshly cut asparagus, and garlic. I also added some chopped red onion, but I forgot to get it in the picture. Sorry!
I also apologize that there are no process pictures, because I can't get any decent light in my kitchen. I don't even try to get pictures in the kitchen anymore. It's useless. They turn out all yellow and muddy-looking. But here are some pictures of the finished product:
I warned David before we sat down to eat. He was fully aware that this was created from my imagination and no recipe was followed, so I couldn't make any guarantees that it would be edible! I was very pleasantly surprised! I thought it tasted great! It was just very fresh and spring-like. I think pesto smells like spring, anyway. I think David liked it, but I'm not sure. He ate several bites before he said anything. He's kind of hard to read. He said he liked it, so I'll have to trust him on it. I really enjoyed it, and will definitely make it again. I'm so proud of myself!

Pesto Pasta with Grilled Chicken and Veggies

Erin Orr's first original recipe!

9 oz. whole wheat penne pasta

20 oz. chicken breasts

Paula Deen's House Seasoning

8 oz. baby portobello mushrooms, sliced

fresh asparagus, cut into 2" pieces

1 jar roasted red peppers in olive oil

red onion, chopped

fresh garlic, minced

8 0z (or more) pesto

Cook whole wheat pasta to al dente. Keep warm.

Season the chicken breasts with Paula Deen's House Seasoning. Grill and keep warm.

Heat a tablespoon or so of the olive oil (from the red peppers) in a non-stick skillet. Add onions, garlic, and mushrooms. Saute until mushrooms begin to brown. You may need to add some more olive oil. Add the asparagus and continue to saute. Once they are crisp-tender, add the roasted red peppers and heat through. Once everything is warm, drain any accumulated liquids.

In a large bowl, combine the warm pasta and grilled chicken. Add the sauteed vegetables. Pour the pest over the pasta, chicken and veggies. You don't need to warm the pesto, because the heat from your other ingredients will take care of it. Toss to combine and coat all the ingredients with the pesto.

Serve topped with freshly grated parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

General Tso's Chicken and Roasted Asparagus

Tonight, I made two of our favorite things for dinner...General Tso's Chicken and roasted asparagus. This isn't the General Tso's chicken that you know and love from your local Chinese buffet, though. You see, a little over a year ago, I started making a conscious decision to lose some weight. A year later, I've lost about 20 pounds, and I've learned some ways to enjoy the foods I've always loved, just in a little healthier way. Real General Tso's chicken is deep fried and covered in a spicy-sweet sauce. Let's take a look at how we'll give him a healthier twist. You'll need some chicken breasts that have been diced into bite-sized pieces:

You'll also need some green onions and some minced garlic:

And yes, I used all that onion and garlic in this recipe. We like onions and garlic! They make everything better! (I used to use cheese that way...lots of cheese makes everything better. But garlic and onions are healthier!)
For the sauce, you'll need a few simple ingredients:

cornstarch, ground ginger, chicken stock, soy sauce, white wine vinegar, and sugar substitute (if that freaks you out, please feel free to use regular sugar. I do not fear the sugar substitute. Not even the dreaded Sweet 'N Low.)
Next, you'll mix all that stuff up into what's called a "slurry" I think. It'll look like this:

It looks a little like peanut butter, huh? Doesn't taste anything like it, though.
After you've sauted your onions, garlic, and cooked your chicken, you pour in the slurry and mix it. Since it's got that cornstarch in it, it's gonna thicken up pretty good. And it should look like this:

Mmmm! Spoon that over some cooked brown rice, and you've got some healthy Chinese deliciousness! Now, let's move on to the best part of the meal...the asparagus.
Check that out. Beautiful, huh? And it came straight out of Mama's garden (it's pronouned Mamaw, but no one spells it like that). She says the secret is planting male asparagus. I didn't know asparagus could be male or female, but I know I love the end result! Fresh asparagus is the best part of spring. I think David and I could each eat our weight in it every night! To get lovely, delicious roasted asparagus, just drizzle the asparagus spears in some olive oil and toss it around to coat it. I also sprinkle on some Greek seasoning, because that stuff is good on anything. Then, roast it in a 425-degree oven, until it's a tiny bit crispy, and you're ready for some good eatin'! Make sure you sprinkle some freshly grated parmesan over it, too.

Doesn't that look absolutely fabulous? Even though the flavors are a little disjointed together (Chinese with Greek-seasoned asparagus?), it's a great, easy, healthy weeknight meal.

General Tso's Healthy Chicken

recipe found at www.freewebs.com/hwc1973

For the sauce:

3/4 cup chicken broth

2 Tbs. cornstarch

2 Tbs. sugar substitute

2 Tbs. low-sodium soy sauce

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1 Tbs. white wine vinegar

Whisk all ingredients together in a medium bowl; set aside.

For the Chicken:

6 green onions, chopped (use the white and green parts)

2 medium garlic cloves, minced

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

2 cups cooked brown rice

Heat oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add green onions, garlic, and pepper and cook 2 minutes. Add chicken and cook until browned all over, about 5 minutes.

Add the reserved sauce and simmer until sauce thickens and chicken is cooked through, about three minutes. Serve chicken and sauce over rice.