Alice Chicken

Despite the name, I didn't come up with this. My MIL sent me an email one day with a link to this recipe. http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Alice-Chicken/Detail.asp

Have you ever used the broiler in your oven? I hadn't until this recipe, and if I had read all the way through the recipe before buying all the stuff to try it, I would probably still have no broiler experience :)

This recipe takes bacon, cheese, mushrooms and honey mustard dressing. When I was frying the bacon for the recipe, my husband walked through the kitchen looked around and said, "Whatever this is, I want some!" Can't beat the smell of frying bacon, I guess! And when he did have some, he LOVED it. We all did. Here it is served with asparagus sauteed with garlic... yum.

NEXT TIME:
1. Broiler is fine, but GRILL! That way I don't have to do the cooking :)
2. Make sure not to cook the bacon too crispy. Mine got a little too crispy due to child interruptions. Oh well!
3. Timing is everything: I'd be sure to saute the mushrooms and cook the bacon while the chicken is cooking. That way everything is hot when the chicken is done... once again, child interruptions!
4. I'd probably coat the mushrooms with the dressing leaving it a little runny like a sauce and heat it up a tad. Otherwise it's like you put salad dressing on your chicken. It tastes the same either way, but sometimes presentation is important.

Well, that's all I have to say about that... well, that and we'll definitely be making this again ;)

Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken with Biscuts

I swear, as soon as it warms up the slow-cooker recipes will be minimal! But as I was at Kid City (this store-front-turned-playspace) with my kids, I picked up March 2011s edition of Real Simple (I LOVE REAL SIMPLE!). And what should be on the cover other than the words "amazing slow cooker dinners"?! Truly amazing, in my mind. Here's why: Real Simple uses mostly fresh ingredients in their recipes. Barely any canned food (like cream-of-______ soup). That's one thing I hate about crock pot recipes, which is why I happily found this recipe in the magazine:

http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/slow-cooker-creamy-chicken-with-biscuits-00000000052389/index.html 

(If this link doesn't work sometime in the future, let me know and I'll type out the recipe.)

This is a sophisticated chicken and biscuits you could feel good about serving to guests. I'd never used poultry seasoning before this recipe - man, that stuff is good! And the white wine - I used chardonnay. It makes all the difference, so don't skip it or just substitute more chicken stock. I didn't make the Easy Drop Biscuits since I had some I needed to use up or they were going to end up in the trash. This was truly easy and a great comfort food to feel less guilty about since there's no canned soup in it... now, about that heavy cream... ;)

Easy Marble Brownies

I've said before that I make brownies however it tells me to on the box. Well, I experimented a bit and made brownies how it told me to on the inside of the Philadelphia cream cheese box :) It's easy, it's good and it makes looks like you put some effort into dessert! Nothing to change in this recipe, unless you want to try drizzling caramel over your finished product.

RECIPE
1 pkg (19-21 oz) brownie mix (13x9 inch pan size)
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/3 c sugar
1 egg
1/2 t vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Prepare brownie batter as directed on package; spread into greased 13x9 inch pan.
3. Beat cream cheese with mixer until creamy. Add sugar, egg and vanilla; mix well. Drop by tablespoonfuls over brownie batter; swirl with knife.
4. Bake 35-40 min or until cream cheese mixture is lightly browned. Cool completely befre cutting to serve. Keep refrigerated.

Note: For best results, do not use brownie mix with a syrup pouch.

It's been a while

So, you may have noticed I haven't posted anything lately. It's not because I haven't been trying new recipes - it's because we went on VACATION! And, as many of you with children know, it takes about a week to get ready for vacation, then you go on vacation, then you recover from vacation, then you can get back to real life ;) I should have more posts for you in a few days. So you can have something to look forward to, I'll have reviews for a sophisticated chicken and biscuit recipe, a slow cooker chocolate pudding cake, and a shrimp dish perfect for your beginning to spring (thanks to Karla!) and a couple more. Like I said, I've been cooking, just not blogging! Now, to recover from vacation...

Blueberry Apple "Crisp"

So, I have a hard time passing up a good sale, and if it's at the grocery store that's even better because food doesn't clutter up the house - well, at least not for long. For this recipe, it was blueberries. Buy 1 package get 2 free??? Yes. I will buy 1 get 2 free. And I'll figure out what to use them for later.

Here's the recipe I found for a Blueberry Apple Crisp http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Blueberry-Apple-Crisp/Detail.aspx Now, if you read the reviews, some people are completely outraged because this isn't a true crisp. It's more of a cobbler. I was not offended because this recipe has almost 5 stars on AllRecipes.com, and let me tell you, it deserves all those stars! It was AMAZING.

**PLEASE NOTE: The measurement of brown sugar is INCORRECT. It says 2 T. It really needs 1/2 CUP, which is what I used. Yeah... much better.

This was easy to make and wonderful to eat. Eat it warm with some vanilla ice cream - oooooo! So good!

NEXT TIME: As many reviewers suggested, I'm going to try other fruit combos... blueberry peach, pear raspberry - yes, the possibilities are endless. I can hardly wait for another irresistible sale! I hope you find some sale ingredients to make this for less money because it needs to be made over and over again!

Spicy Thai Peanut Noodles

Have you ever started making something and said to yourself, "Oh no. This can't be right. This is gonna be gross." Well, that's what I said while I was making this, but thank goodness I was SO WRONG! This is surprisingly easy and good! It comes from The $7 A Meal Cookbook by Linda Larsen.

RECIPE
1 T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 pkg spaghetti pasta (I used whole wheat... adds more nutty flavor)
2/3 c chicken stock (or water) (I used chicken stock)
2/3 c peanut butter
1 t ground ginger
2 T brown sugar
3 T soy sauce
1/8 t cayenne pepper
1 c chopped peanuts
1/2 c reserved pasta cooking water

*to make this even spicier, you could add a minced jalapeno pepper, or some crushed red pepper flakes if you have some on hand

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook and stir until tender, about 5 min.
2. When water comes to a boil, add the spaghetti and cook according to package directions until al dente. Meanwhile, add stock, peanut butter, ginger, brown sugar, soy sauce and cayenne pepper to onions. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring for 3 min.
3. When pasta is done, drain, reserving 1/2 c pasta cooking water. Add pasta to saucepan; cook and stir until pasta is coated, about 1-2 minutes. Add reserved cooking water as needed to make a smooth sauce. Sprinkle with peanuts and serve immediately.

See what I mean, sounds a little gross, but really, it's good!

NEXT TIME
This needs chicken and some veggies. I think I'll get some cabbage and those tiny carrot sticks... does that make sense? Maybe I should look up some other recipes to figure out the veggie aspect of this dish. :)

5 Minute Chocolate Cake in a Mug

So, I assume you've heard about the blizzard... or the blizzaster, or snomg or snowzilla or whatever other made up word you've heard. Let's just say it was CRAZY! Over 50 mph wind gusts and almost 20" of snow here in Chicago. My husband is a police officer and worked last night. He said it was awful and probably the hardest shift he's ever worked. It took him over an hour to get to work (he had to leave in the middle of the blizzard) - a trip which usually takes him 15 minutes. There were abandoned cars in the middle of the street and the only way to get to work was to drive on sidewalks! It took him over 2 hours to get home due to some massive accidents on the expressway. Then when he finally got to our street there was a semi jackknifed a block away. Overnight there was one call after another to help citizens stuck on the road. There was one call that was a domestic, but there was no way to drive to it. Because they are required to respond, he and his partner had to walk 3 blocks in the blizzard and snow up to their knees (they can't wear snow pants, mind you), then when they get back to the car they have to dig it out. Hopefully the people weren't just fighting over what channel to watch on TV (because they do that... and then call the police... no joke). Here are some pics of our patio.

  This is a before pic - we got about 1.5 inches the night before the blizzard. This is our fire pit, grill in the corner and a little of our steps.

Here's after... you can't see the last 3 steps or the fire pit

There's our grill... covered in a snow drift

Anyway, I thought I'd post a recipe perfect for a snowed in day like today, although it's not new to me. You should have everything in your house (that is if you went to the store before the storm hit!).

5 MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE
4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional) *I don't recommend chocolate chips... maybe peanut butter??
a small splash of vanilla extract
1 large coffee mug

-Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well with a fork.
-Add the egg and mix thoroughly.
-Pour in the milk and oil and mix well.
-Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again.
-Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes on High.
-The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed!
-Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired (it takes a while to cool if you leave it in the mug... be careful!).
-EAT! This can serve 2 people if you want to share the calories!!

Disclaimer, it doesn't look pretty, but it's good in the tummy! This may be this the most dangerous cake recipe in the world because now we are all only 5 minutes away from chocolate cake at any time of the day or night! So, make with caution (and don't tell Michelle Obama ;) ).