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Clearance Deal Meal

The other day I mentioned a few deals that I saw on the clearance shelves at my local Walmart.  Who knew that inspiration for dinner would be there, too?  I lucked out, I guess.

They had a lot of Lawry's Seasoning Mixes marked down to 25 cents each (down from $1.08!)  They're seasoning for a whole meal - these were the Mediterranean Sundried Tomato and Garlic Chicken.  Sounds yummy already.  There are a couple of recipes on the back, but I went with the main one listed (the packet's name sake.)  The recipe on the back of the packet called for a couple of ingredients I didn't have at home, but figured we didn't really need them for it to be good.  Only one of us would eat the olives, and feta cheese isn't exactly in the budget right now.

Here's the cost breakdown of the ingredients used for the meal I made:

about 1/2 a box of pasta (on clearance for 75 cents) = $0.37
1 Lawry's seasoning packet (on clearance for 25 cents) = $0.25
1 can diced tomatoes = $0.54
1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts ($1.88 per pound) = $2.82
Total Cost: $3.98

The total brings this to about $1 per person for my 4 member family!

And here's the recipe (how I made it):

Mediterranean Chicken and Pasta

1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 pkg. Lawry's Mediterranean Sundried Tomato & Garlic Chicken Seasoning Mix
1 1/2 cups Rotini pasta
1 cup water
1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Place chicken and pasta in a 13x9 inch baking dish.  Mix water, tomatoes, and seasoning mix until well blended.  Pour over the chicken and pasta.  Stir to coat.  Cover with foil.

Bake for 35 - 45 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.  You can either cut the chicken up and stir into the pasta, or if you have enough, serve a chicken breast along side some pasta to each person.  Since I have 2 little peamites, I cut theirs up anyway.  I liked how the chicken tasted with a bite of pasta, so I ended up cutting my chicken up into the pasta, too!

 

Easy "Chicken Pot Pie"

Every once in a while when I have no inspiration for dinner, I'll look on the side of the box for a recipe.  Bisquick has several on the back of their box, and I thought I'd give their Easy Chicken Pot Pie recipe a try.  I used quotes around chicken pot pie in the title, because it tastes more like a Chicken and Biscuits recipe, but since that's what the recipe called it, that's what I'm calling it.

I made the recipe per the directions and ingredients, only adding 2 small potatoes since my frozen vegetable blend didn't have them included.  I think it could have used one more can of Cream of Chicken Soup to make it creamier.  As it was, it was just a little moist.

Bisquick has a coupon on their site for 60 cents off or you can go to www.coupons.com for a 50 cent off coupon.  Walmart has their boneless, skinless chicken priced at $1.88 per pound right now, so it's a good time to stock up.

Here it is all baked up and golden brown on top - ready for us to dig in. (Sorry for the crummy picture.)

And here's the recipe with my additions in italics:

Easy Chicken Pot Pie

1 lb bag of frozen vegetables, thawed
2 small potatoes diced small and cooked until almost done
1 cup diced cooked chicken
2 cans of Cream of Chicken Soup
1 cup of Original Bisquick

1/2 cup milk

1 egg

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In a 2 1/2 quart baking dish, sprayed with a little cooking spray, mix together the vegetables, chicken, and soups.  In a separate bowl, mix together the remaining ingredients and pour over the chicken mixture.

Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

 

Enjoy!

Tasty Tuna Casserole

When my husband and I were first married, he had quite an aversion to casseroles.  So, to get him to try this one, I just left off the word "casserole" and called it Tuna Spaghetti.  It worked, and now he loves it so much, he requests it.  No problem with me - it's easy, fast, and inexpensive to make.  As a matter of fact, a lot of the ingredients are on sale right now.

Tuna at Piggly Wiggly is a Smart Shopper special where you can get 5oz cans at 39 cents for every card filled.  OR you could just head over to Walmart and ad match them since their policy states they can match it for a specified price.  The ad runs through today (6/28).  This is half price at Walmart! Woo!

My favorite pasta is the Ronzoni Smart Taste (in the purple box).  It has all the nutrients of wheat pasta, taste of white pasta, and a lot less calories per serving than regular spaghetti.  You can check out Ronzoni's website directly or It Pays to Eat Pasta for coupons.

Lays potato chips are on sale at KMart, CVS, and Rite Aid this week.  Pick up a bag for $1.88 at one of these stores or ad match to get the price.

There are a couple of cheese coupons out there, too.  Here's a manufacturer's coupon through Walmart's website and a store one through Target's website.

Alright, on to the recipe.

Tasty Tuna Casserole

1 1/2 cups broken noodles
1 can of Cream of Mushroom or Cream of Chicken Soup
1/2 cup milk
2 5oz cans of tuna, drained
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/3 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup crushed potato chips

Cook noodles in salted water, drain.  Mix with soup, milk, tuna, cheese and onion in a 2 quart greased baking dish.  Top with chips and bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes or until bubbly hot.

Chicken Dorito Casserole

I tell people about this casserole, and they look at me like, really?  Yes. Really.  It's delicious.  I have converted two non-casserole-eating-people with this recipe. My husband will get very excited when he finds out this is for dinner.  Even Peamite Alpha requests it by name.

My mom's been making this casserole for years now.  I have no idea where she got the recipe, but I'm sure glad she did.

So, get your ingredients together, or a grocery list started so we can make this deliciousness.

Chicken Dorito Casserole

4 chicken breasts

1 medium onion

1 regular size bag of Nacho Cheese Doritos

2 cups grated cheddar cheese

1 can whole kernal corn

1 3/4 cup chicken broth (made from boiling chicken) 

1 can Cream of Chicken Soup

1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup

1 can Ro-Tel tomatoes (I use Original, but put in whatever hotness you can stand!)

Boil the chicken until tender with the onion, salt, and pepper.  Cool.  Skin and debone (if necessary) and cut into bite size pieces.  Spread the chicken in the bottom of 11x13 in baking dish.  Crush the Doritos and spread over the chicken.  Next, spread the onions, corn, and cheese.

Heat the soups with the chicken broth and tomatoes.  Pour the mixture over the casserole.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 - 40 minutes.

If there's any left, be glad, because it's even better the next day when all the flavors have melded together.  Enjoy!  Here's a picture of my little Peamite Bravo enjoying it:

Banana ?Nut? Muffins

It always seems to happen.  You buy the beautiful greenish yellow bananas in hopes that you'll get to them before they're too ripe, but before you know it, they have the black spots indicating they're ripe, or in my case, too far gone.  I'm a little strange, I like my bananas just past green.  I mean - they just turned yellow.  So, I had a bunch of bananas that needed using, because I hate to waste.  It's like that Ziploc commercial where they're throwing money in the garbage can when they throw out their old food.  I feel like that. I know. It's sad.

So, this is what I had on hand:

So, I found a recipe for Banana Bread.  But I didn't have an hour to wait on a loaf of bread to cook.  I needed breakfast relatively soon.  So, I cut the cooking time in half by making them muffins.

So, here's what we do.  I just noticed I've been saying 'so' a lot.  Sorry.  :) So, roll up your sleeves and get to work with me.  Mash the ripe bananas.  It's fun!  See my new masher?  I finally got one!  This was it's maiden voyage.  

Cream the butter and the sugar together.  Then, mix in the eggs and mashed bananas.

Add the flour and salt.  And if you desire nuts (Slap Chop anyone? hahaha) fold them in now.  I typically like pecans in banana nut bread, but I didn't have any on hand.  BUT, I did have some slivered almonds on hand.  They tasted great in the muffins!  I bet walnuts would be a nice addition, too. And if you don't like nuts, or you're allergic, by all means omit them.  That's why the title is ?Nut? 'cause it's totally up to you.  Anyway, don't beat the mixture, gently mix together.  Basically just mix until the dry ingredients are moistened.  If you over mix, the bread will be tough. (Ew)

Get your handy dandy scooper (or tablespoon) and dip the lovely mixture into your greased muffin tins.

Bake at 325 degrees for 25 - 30 minutes until golden brown.  They smell soooooo good baking.  Warm bananas. Mmm.

Pop 'em out and server 'em warm.  They taste great cooled, too, but there's just something about a warm banana nut muffin that is just so right.

 So, (there I go again) would you like the recipe?  Well, here it is regardless.;)

Banana Nut Muffins

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

3 ripe bananas, mashed

2 cups self-rising flour

1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup nuts, chopped

Mash the bananas. 

Cream the butter and sugar together.

Add the eggs, vanilla, and mashed bananas.

Mix in the flour and salt.  Fold in nuts if desired.  (Mix gently until just moistened)

Pour into greased muffin tin.

Bake at 325 degrees for 25 - 30 minutes until golden brown.

BBQ Meatloaf Muffins Mmmmm

Meatloaf.  Hmm, doesn't sound that appetizing does it?  But trust me, these BBQ Meatloaf Muffins are sooo delicious.  The inside is moist and flavorful and with these, more of my favorite part of meatloaf, the crusty exterior.  Aaannd...if it makes you feel better, you can just call them BBQ Meatballs, because hey, that works, too.

To get these muffins of yummy goodness started, grab a pound of ground beef, salt, pepper, and Tony's.

Add an egg beaten with a little milk

Mix some bbq sauce, picante sauce, and worcestershire sauce together in a separate bowl.  I really love what the picante sauce offers - spice, onions, bell peppers, and tomato all in one go.

Add half of the bbq mixture to the meat and a cup of bread crumbs.

Here, take your rings off, and use the kitchen's best tools - your hands - to mix it all together.

Form balls (about 2 inches in diameter) and place in a greased muffin tin.  (Makes 10 muffins)

Now is a good time to use my favorite soap.  Fresh Lemongrass from the Pass Christian Soap Co. 
Looks like I need to go get another bottle before I run out!

Spoon the remaining bbq mixture over the muffins and bake in a 425 degree oven for 20 minutes.

The whole kitchen will be smelling so good, and you'll just be dying to dig in, and then when you do, you'll burn your tongue because you were just a little too eager.  Oh wait... nevermind. 

I really hope you like these as much as we do!

BBQ Meatloaf Muffins

1 1b ground beef
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning
1 egg
1 Tbsp milk
1 cup BBQ sauce
3/4 cup Picante Sauce (Pace)
1 Tbsp Worcestershire
1 cup bread crumbs

Season the ground beef with the salt, pepper, and Tony's.  Beat an egg with the milk and add to the meat along with the bread crumbs.
Mix the BBQ sauce, Picante sauce, and Worcestershire together in a separate bowl.  Add half of the bbq mixture to the meat and reserve the rest.
Mix the meat mixture together and form into balls about 2 inches in diameter.  Place them in a greased muffin tin and top each with the remaining BBQ mixture.
Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes.

Blueberry Muffins. Yum.

Is it sad that I used to think of blueberry muffins as the Martha White dry mix that you just added milk to?  I'm not knockin them...they're good...but they just don't compare to a fresh, homemade muffin.  And they're so easy to make, why not do that instead?  I haven't bought the dry mix since I learned this recipe from my mother-in-law.

The fresh blueberries add a little burst of tartness in the sweet muffin...and the way warm berries taste is 'outta this world' as Paula Deen would say.  I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do.

Blueberry Muffins

1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
2/3 cup milk
1/4 cup oil
1 cup blueberries

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Grease muffin tins.
Mix dry ingredients.  In a separate bowl, mix egg, milk, and oil.
Add the wet ingredients all at once to the dry mixture.  Mix only until flour is moistened.
Fold in the blueberries.
Spoon two heaping tablespoons into each muffin tin.
Bake for 20 - 25 minutes.

Makes about 10 muffins. 

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

I was really in the mood for some Asian flavors last night.  But what in the world would I have at the house that I could whip up?  I looked on the internet for inspiration, but every recipe I found required several ingredients that I didn't have on hand.  Well, I did finally find inspiration...lettuce wraps.  I loved getting them as an appetizer whenever we went to PF Chang's or Cheesecake Factory.   I had the right ingredients...at least for something that I would like, and got to working.

Since I never found a recipe with everything that I had or would like, I ended up just making my own version, and I think they're turned out very good thank you very much.  Seriously good.  I'm actually eating some of the leftover filling right now...yum.  David had 2nd and 3rds last night and bragged on me.  I just couldn't wait to share this with all of you.  Now, go to your kitchen, and make these! (or go to the grocery store and buy the ingredients and promise to make them!)

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

• 2 pieces Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
• 4 Tablespoons Canola Oil (divided Use)
• 1 cup (2 Servings) Minute Rice
• 1 cup Water
• 1 whole Carrot, Shredded
• ¾ cups Dry Roasted Peanuts
• 3 Tablespoons Chopped Onions
• 1 teaspoon Minced Garlic
• 8 leaves Iceberg Or Bibb Lettuce

For the Sauce:

• ¼ cups Sugar
• ¼ cups Soy Sauce
• 2 Tablespoons Vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons Ketchup
• 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
• 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
• 1 Tablespoon Spicy Mustard
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire
• 1 teaspoon Minced Garlic
• 1 dash Crushed Red Pepper

Heat a large frying pan or wok with 3 Tablespoons of oil on high heat and saute the chicken breasts. Remove the chicken and cut into small, bite-size pieces.

Prepare the Minute Rice per package instructions (1 cup rice to 1 cup water). I like to do mine in the microwave for 6 minutes.

For the sauce, dissolve the sugar in water in a small bowl. Add the remaining sauce ingredients and mix well.

In the hot pan/wok, add the remaining Tablespoon of oil, the diced chicken, shredded carrots, peanuts, chopped onion, minced garlic, rice, and stir in the sauce. Saute for a couple of minutes and then serve in the lettuce leaves.

PANCAKES!!

This title has a double meaning today.  First, a story, and then, a recipe.

When we lived in Birmingham, we had a friend that would come over and play video games with my husband.  Peamite Alpha was (and still is) at the age where he repeated everything he heard.  I'm sure many of you know what that means....you have to watch your mouth.

Gamers really get into whatever they're playing.  It could be something as simple as Tetris or as complex as one of my husband's games of NCAA 10.  If something doesn't go just the way they want, they yell.  And yell loudly or in this case, rudely.

I was discussing this with David saying,

I really don't like that he (his friend) uses that language when Peamite Alpha is around.  You know how he picks up on things when you think he's not really listening. 

David responds with, I don't remember him saying that.

Of course he didn't.  David doesn't remember what he wore yesterday.

I didn't feel comfortable "getting on" to his friend, and I thought it should be David's place to tell him to watch it around the peamite.  So, since David said that he doesn't even notice when he says anything out of place, that I should let him know when it happens.

But how to do that without being so obvious?

But I want it to be you that brings it up, not me!

David comes up with the idea of using a code word.

Pancakes!

Huh?

Huh?

That'll be the code word you say when I need to discuss the language situation.

So, from that day forward, that is the word we say whenever our language is not appropriate and the other needs to be reminded to watch their mouth.  It was meant to just point out when this one particular friend was using language in front of my son, but it quickly turned into a code word for both us.  Hey, none of us are perfect.  Afterall, David was a Marine and I have a temper, so things slip out.


Onto pancakes that will have your mouth too full to say anything bad. ;)

I asked David what he wanted for breakfast, and after a few, I don't knows and I'm not a morning person and me saying I'll make you anything you want, he finally came up with pancakes.

Fine, finally, I got something out of him.  Pancakes were no problem.  The kids love them, I love them, and obviously my husband loves them since he requested them.

I wanted to jazz them up a bit with some fresh strawberries that I bought yesterday.  Fresh fruit is so yummy, and it's even better when in season.  I also love how the warm fruit tastes in the pancake.

So, Strawberry Pancakes it is.  This recipe is the one I use for regular, plain ol fluffy pancakes, but in this case I added a cup of diced strawberries.  Feel free to add different fruits, or try without any.

Strawberry Pancakes
1 1/2 cups self rising flour  (you can use All Purpose, but I really like them fluffy)
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup milk
1 egg
1 cup diced strawberries
2 Tbsp butter

Sift all the dry ingredients together.  Beat the egg in the milk and add to the dry ingredients.  Stir until moistened.  (Don't over mix or the pancakes will be tough) Fold in the strawberries.

Melt the butter and add the pancakes to the griddle/pan.  When the pancakes start to bubble around the edges, check the pancake for brownness. Flip and brown on the other side.  Put butter between each pancake. If you're working in batches, keep them warm in a 250 degree oven until ready to serve.

Spinach Stuffed Pasta Shells

I made this dish the other night for a potluck, and they were delectable.  Since my husband and kids were not accompanying me to said potluck, I made sure they had some in their own dish.  These are a bit time consuming to make, so I don't break out this recipe that often, but man, they are good.  To help with time, the filling can be made a day in advance and refrigerated until needed.

I start off defrosting a couple of packages of frozen spinach under running water...

While the spinach is defrosting, I brown the ground meat...

 and chop an onion... (Sorry Dave, but the rest of us like onions)

When the meat is browned, drain off the fat reserving a tablespoon or 2 to saute the onions in until translucent.

Once the spinach has thawed, squeeze all of the water out of it and place in a large bowl with the drained meat.  Add a block of cream cheese to the meat and spinach and stir until blended.

Add in the onions, shredded Parmesan, salt, pepper, and combine.

The kids showed up and said take my picture! So I did. Here are Peamite Alpha and Peamite Bravo.

Now, back to the food. Let the mixture cool and then add the egg.  (Don't want scrambled eggs in your mix...)

If you're on top of things, which I'm usually not, you'll remember to cook your pasta shells in boiling salted water while you're making the stuffing mixture.  That way, when you're done with the mixture, the shells will be cool to the touch, so you're able to get ta stuffin.

Put a little tomato sauce in the bottom of your baking dish...

and place your stuffed pasta shells on top.  Pour the rest of the tomato sauce on top of the shells.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for about an hour.  During the last 10 minutes of baking, remove the foil and sprinkle some shredded mozzarella on top to your liking.  Bake uncovered for the remaining time.

 

Mmmm...yummy.

They were a success.  I didn't have a single one left over from the potluck.  When I got home, my husband informed me that my newly-one-year-old ate 2 shells.  Wow...that's a lot for the little lady! Since I had a brain fart and totally forgot to leave some mixture onion-free, my poor husband didn't get to enjoy them. (he reeeeeaally doesn't like the taste of onions.)  But hey, more for me.  I enjoyed them next day for lunch, too!

Spinach Stuffed Pasta Shells

2 packages frozen, chopped spinach

1 1/2 lb ground beef

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened

1 large onion, chopped

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 large egg

1 (12 oz) package jumbo pasta shells

2 cups tomato sauce (your own or jarred)

1/2 - 1 cup shredded mozzarella

Place the spinach in a colander and run under water until thawed.  Meanwhile, brown the meat and chop the onion.  Drain the meat reserving a tbsp of fat to saute the onions in.  Squeeze all the water out of the spinach and place in a large bowl with the meat and a package of softened cream cheese.  Stir until blended together.  Add the sauteed onions, shredded Parmesan, salt, and pepper.  Stir to combine.  Let the mixture cool and then add the egg.

Cook the shells in boiling, salted water until they are al dente.  Drain and cool.  Stuff the shells with the mixture.  Pour a little tomato sauce into the baking dish and spread around until lightly covered.  Add the stuffed pasta shells and top with the remaining tomato sauce. Cover with foil and bake for about an hour.  During the last 10 minutes of baking, remove the foil and add the shredded mozzarella and baked uncovered for the remaining time.

Peach Orange Banana Smoothie or Peach Banana Orange...whichever you prefer

When I lived in Hattiesburg, I went to Smoothie King all the time.  I had the punch card and it filled up quickly.  I would do a little dance for joy inside my head every time I got another punch...that much closer to a free smoothie..woo!  Ahh, the simple things in life.

So, now, without Smoothie King, I make them in the comfort of my own home.  Which is probably better for me, because I always wanted the really big size, which probably had 10 million calories, but I didn't want to think about that...I just thought about the yummy goodness that was disappearing quickly with each sip of the straw.

Anyway, back to me making them at home now.  I put a cup of frozen peaches and one small banana in the blender.

Then I measure 1/2 cup of orange juice...

Then I add the creaminess - yogurt.  Today I'm using plain yogurt, but if I can find it vanilla yogurt is really good, too.

Then I hit the Blend button and let the blender do its thang.  See? The blender doing its thang?

And here's the end product in all its deliciousness...

And...it was gone in like, 2 minutes.  Well, maybe not that fast, but probably very close.  Great breakfast.

Peach Smoothie
1 cup frozen peaches
1 small banana          
1/2 cup orange juice 
1/2 cup plain or vanilla yogurt

Blend until smooth. Drink. Yum.

 

Salmon with Citrus Vinegar Glaze

I had no idea what to make for supper tonight, as usual. So I started looking up recipes, but nothing jumped out at me. So then I started rummaging in the fridge, freezer, and pantry. I found the salmon fillets I had bought, but they were frozen...surely that would take way too long to thaw out?? I asked David if he was hungry now or if he could wait. Luckily, he said he wasn't hungry, yet, so that gave me some time to prepare. I put the fillets in a plastic bag and put the bag in a bowl of warm water with just barely a drizzle of water coming out of the tap to kept the convection going in the bowl. (This helps defrost faster.) I didn't know it would be that fast...they were defrosted in no time.
While the salmon was defrosting, I started thinking of what would be good with it. I had some tomatoes that needed to be used before they went bad, and so I decided on Mozzarella Stuffed Tomatoes and roasted asparagus.
Of course, since I decided on the stuffed tomatoes, I didn't have any prepared bread crumbs, but that was not to deter me! I found some hotdog buns in the pantry and toasted them in the oven. After browning them a bit, I put them in the food processor to make bread crumbs. It turned out great.
I had the salmon defrosted, and the side dishes working, so now I needed to decide which salmon recipe to use. I have several cookbooks, and most of them have their version of salmon. I found one I hadn't tried before in Rachael Ray's 30 Minutes Meals 2 cookbook. The glaze was so awesome on the fish. It even tasted good with the tomatoes and asparagus!
I thought the meal looked so pretty plated with lots of colors. If you care to try any of the recipes, just let me know!

Salmon with Citrus Vinegar Glaze with Lemon Wedge,
Roasted Asparagus, Mozzarella Stuffed Tomatoes
Picture by Susan Campbell - Nov 2009

The Best I've Ever Made

Tonight was the night that I made the best pork loin roast that I've ever made. Well, technically, it was today instead of tonight since I started it at 11am. I thought this would be the perfect meal for our recent cool weather arrival and plus, it's super easy when you cook with a Crock Pot. So, I was making lunch and supper in one go.

For those that care:
In the Crock Pot, I seasoned the pork loin with salt, pepper, and Tony's and covered it with a can of Cream of Chicken Soup. I set the temperature to 'low' and let it cook for about 6 1/2 hours. With 2 hours left of cooking time, I added potatoes and carrots. If David liked onions, I would have added one of those as well, but he doesn't, so that particular ingredient gets omitted more often than not. I salted the potatoes when I threw them in the Crock Pot and the stirred everything so it was covered with the soup (gravy).

I'm pretty critical of my cooking, and David laughed at me when tonight I was like, "This is the best roast I have ever cooked!" He sarcastically said, "And you say that so humbly." I pointed out that I was indeed harsher on my cooking than he was, and that he's always like, 'This is so good, you should make it again,' and I'm over there thinking, 'Man, that was crap.' lol

Well, until next time, take care.

Susie Q. Homemaker at your service

With this being my first blog, I thought I'd say a little about myself. I'm married with 2 small children and have recently purchased our first home back in my hometown. I have been blessed to be able to stay at home with the kids while Dave gets to watch sporting events everyday. (His job is a lot more in depth and very important, I just like to pick on him.) I liked my previous jobs and learned a lot from them, but I'm also loving my new job of being a full time mom.

I have always loved to cook. I learned at a young age from a wonderful cook - my mom. So, I have been cooking meals for my family since I was in the 4th grade. Hmm...let me think what age that actually is...I tend to remember things based on what grade or job I was in instead of my age... So, I figured I started cooking supper for my family when I was about 9 or 10 years old. I've learned a few tricks along the way, but I'm in no way a chef. I like to keep it simple with lots of flavors.

Tonight's meal was a good southern one. It reminds me of when my Mamaw Ray would make homemade dumplings. I don't even own a rolling pin, so making my own from scratch is out - but that's ok, because I absolutely love this shortcut - flour tortillas. When I first heard of making dumplings from flour tortillas, I was skeptical, but I had them one night at a friend's house, and I would have never known the difference if I wasn't told.
The other main ingredient, chicken, usually is so UNflavorful. I think this is the main reason David was unsure about the meal I had decided to make. I just don't like boiled chicken...the flavors get washed away. So, yes, I dirtied another dish (instead of making this a one dish wonder) by baking the chicken with salt, pepper, and a little olive oil. Voila, chicken with flavor.

The full pot of chicken and dumplings is now an empty pot. Even my little boy had seconds. :)

Alright, it's Netflix time - Monsters vs Aliens.

If any one out there is reading this, feel free to ask questions and give suggestions on future topics. I usually can get going pretty good once I have an idea of what to talk about!