Blackened Chicken with Avocado Cream Sauce

I cannot say enough good things about this recipe!  I would happily eat it every week!

4 (4 ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 tablespoons blackened seasoning

For the sauce:

1/3 cup plain 0% Greek yogurt

1/2 avocado

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

1. Place the chicken breasts and blackened seasoning in a large resealable bag.  Seal and shake a few times to evenly coat the chicken.

2. Lightly coat a large skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat.  Add the chicken and cook until cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes per side.

3. In a food processor, combine the yogurt, avocado, lemon juice, garlic powder, and salt and pulse until smooth and creamy.

4. To serve, top each chicken breast with 2 tablespoons of the creamy avocado sauce,

From Skinny Suppers cookbook.

Turkey (Chicken) Wild Rice Casserole

 When I recently went home to visit my mom, I "stole" many of her cookbooks, with her permission of course.  The first thing I made from those cookbooks was turkey with wild rice casserole.  We used chicken though because it is easier to find!  This recipe was probably more of a comfort food and less of the healthier foods I am going for.

4 slices of bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 lb turkey breast tenderloins, cut into 1/2-1 inch pieces

1 cup coarsely chopped carrots

1/2 cup coarsely chopped onion

1/2 cup sliced celery

1 cup uncooked wild rice

1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup

2 1/2 cups water

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram leaves

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1. In 10 inch skillet, cook bacon over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until almost crisp.  Add turkey, carrots, onion, and celery; cook about 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until turkey is browned.

2. Spray 3 1/2 to 4 quart slow cooker with cooking spray.  Spoon turkey mixture into cooker.  Add remaining ingredients; stir to combine.

3. Cover; cook on low heat setting 5 to 6 hours.

From Pillsbury Pot Pies & Casseroles.

Chicken and Tarragon Pesto Pasta

 10 oz dried penne pasta

1/2 cup olive oil

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup pan-toasted pine nuts

1 large bunch of fresh tarragon, leaves stripped from the stem and chopped

1 unwaxed lemon, grated zest and freshly squeezed juice

1 garlic clove, chopped

3 cooked chicken breasts, sliced

4 oz arugula

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1) Cook the pasta for 8-9 minutes, until al dente.  Drain and refresh the pasta in cold water, then drain again and toss in half the olive oil.

2) To make the pesto, put the parmesan, pine nuts, tarragon, lemon zest and juice, garlic, and remaining oil in a bowl and puree until smooth with a stick blender.

3) Put the pasta, pesto, chicken, and arugula in a serving bowl, season, and toss well, coasting the pasta and chicken evenly with the pesto.

4) If you're taking this on a picnic, don't add the arugula until just before eating or the oil will make it wilt.

This pesto didn't really seem to come out how it should have, but it was decent anyway.

Recipe slightly adapted from Lazy Days and Beach Blankets.

Sheet Pan Chicken and Broccoli and Mushrooms with Rice

 1 (3.5-4 lb) whole chicken, cut into pieces

1/3 cup olive oil

3 teaspoons kosher salt

2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper

2 (8.5 ounce) pouches microwavable ready to serve rice (We used cheese flavored rice)

1 pound fresh broccoli

2 (8 ounce) packages fresh cremini mushrooms, sliced (We only used one package)

1) Preheat oven to 425F

2) Rub the chicken pieces with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil; sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of the salt and 1 teaspoon of the pepper

3) Spread the rice in an even layer on a heavy duty aluminum foil lined baking sheet, breaking up the clumps of rice

4) Cut the broccoli into florets.  Toss together the florets, 2 tablespoons of the oil, and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper in a medium bowl; spread in an even layer over the rice.  Toss together the mushrooms and the remaining oil, salt, and pepper, and spread over the broccoli and rice.

5) Place the chicken pieces, skin side up, 1.5 inches apart on the broccoli and mushrooms.

6) Bake at 425F until a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the chicken registers 165F, about 1 hour.

7) Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Recipe slightly adapted from One Sheet Eats cookbook.

New Year's Resolutions

Every January, I try to start blogging again, but life gets busy and it doesn't last for long.  So for this year, I just want to get my New Year's resolutions down.  Even if I don't write another post all year, I at least want to have this one. So without further ado, here are my resolutions:

1) Read 100 books


2) Go through all of the boxes in my house and garage, at least one per week


3) Exercise regularly and walk the dog regularly


4) Cook some new recipes


5) Spend more time taking my little animals (guinea pigs and leopard geckos) out of their cages




What are your resolutions this year?  Do you usually stick to them?

Cheesy Cheddar Quick Bread

I really enjoy making quick breads.  Because I made a resolution to cook a new recipe every week, I went searching for a recipe for one, and this one from Crafty Cooking Mama looked delicious.

Cheesy Cheddar Quick Bread

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar
1 cup milk
1 large egg beaten
2 tablespoons butter melted

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350°
Grease/spray a loaf pan.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar, garlic powder and salt. Stir in shredded cheese. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, egg, and butter.
Add liquid ingredients to bowl of dry ingredients. Stir until just combined. Do not overmix. Spoon/pour into loaf pan.
Bake for 45-50 minutes. Top should be a golden brown.
Cool on wire rack.
Remove loaf from pan, slice, and serve.

The dry ingredients

The wet ingredients

The batter all mixed up

The finished product! :)

I am bringing this to work in the morning to share with everyone, so I haven't tried it yet.  It looks really good, and I hope it tastes as good as it looks!

Back to Blogging / New Years Resolution / Two Recipes

I love blogging, but I seem to do a bad job of being consistent with it.  But...my New Year's resolution is to cook at least one new recipe per week.  My blog seems like the perfect way to hold myself accountable to that while sharing good recipes with everyone!

This week I made Easy Cheesy Chicken in the Crockpot from Go Grow Go blog and Lemon Cake Cookies from A Cowboy's Wife blog.

Easy Cheesy Chicken in the Crockpot

Ingredients: 
4-6 Boneless Skinless Chicken breast halves
Salt and pepper to taste (I only did pepper because the soup is salty)
1 Teaspoon of garlic powder
1 can of Cream of Chicken Soup
1 Can of Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 can of Cream of Cheddar Cheese Soup (I couldn't find this so I used Campbell's Cheddar Cheese)
8 oz Sour Cream

Preparation:
Sprinkle the chicken with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Place the chicken in the crock pot. Mix together the three cans of soup and pour over the top of the chicken. Cook on low for about 6-8 hours. Stir the sour cream in right before you serve.

I forgot to take pictures while cooking, but you can see how the chicken just falls right apart.

Lemon Cake Cookies

Ingredients:
1 box lemon cake mix
2 eggs
⅓ cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon lemon extract
⅓ cup confectioners' sugar

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375
Mix cake mix with eggs, oil and lemon extract until well blended.
Drop dough by the spoonfuls into a bowl of confectioners' sugar.
Roll them around until they're lightly covered.
Place on an ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake 6-9 minutes, til golden.

I only tasted one because I am bringing the rest to work tomorrow.  They are delicious and lemon-y!

What are your New Year's resolutions?  Have you kept to them so far?

January Books Read

I surpassed my reading goal for January!  I managed to read 7 books!  I always keep track of the books I read every year on my blog sidebar, so feel free to follow along with my reading!

The Ice Cream Makers by Ernest van der Kwast was the only book I didn't really like.  I read the whole thing because I was curious about the story line, but it took a lot of effort for me to pick up the book.

The Gatecrasher by Madeleine Wickham was a light and fun book.  It followed the story of a woman like no one you have ever met before!

Spring Fever by Mary Kay Andrews was an amazing story!  I could hardly put it down.  It is the story of a family and their friends, running an independent soda company in a small town.  I would highly recommend this book!

Mind Tryst by Robyn Carr was also really good.  She normally writes more romantic type books, so I was excited to read a suspense book by her.  It is about a woman who moves to a small town to get away from her past, but then she starts having problems.

Wired by Julie Garwood was another really good book.  It is about a super genius computer programmer.  It doesn't talk about programming really, so you don't have to be a computer nerd to love this book.  If you are like me, you will find yourself rooting for her!

The Summer that Made Us by Robyn Carr was also fantastic.  It is about sisters and cousins and the lake house they grew up in.  Books like this are the reason Robyn Carr is one of my favorite authors.

The Store by James Patterson felt like the future, when Amazon takes over the world.  It is a good reminder to all of us to remember not to let the internet, Amazon, etc take over our lives!

I hope my short by sweet book reviews have maybe given you an idea or two for your next book to read.  If you have any great books for me, let me know!

Red Pavilion in Meridian

When my mom was visiting me a few weeks ago, we tried a Chinese restaurant called Red Pavilion in Meridian.  I had heard some good things about them and wanted to check them out.

They start you off with a big bowl of crispy noodles and sweet and sour sauce.  I could just eat that and be happy LOL

This was honey almond chicken.  It was different from anything I have had before, but it was good!

This is something similar to fried rice.  It looked mild, but was actually really flavorful.

This is chicken egg fu young.  The sauce was a bit spicy,but the flavor was great!

I just wanted a picture of the food on my pretty leaf plate LOL

I have really struggled to find a good Chinese restaurant in Idaho.  I think this is the best so far (minus the buffets).

My First Time at a Dog Show

A few months ago, I went to the Treasure Valley Dog Show, a local dog show.  They have agility and traditional show ring competitions.  It was my first time ever going to a dog show, and it was the coolest thing ever!

When we first walked in, there were young children and teenagers using balloon animals to do a mock dog show.  It was one of the cutest things I have ever seen in my whole life!

I had to get a picture of a cocker spaniel with a show cute since my Hunter will never look like this! LOL

When I was a little kid, Bedlington Terriers were my favorite breed of dog.  I thought they looked like sheep and I really wanted to own one.  I was really excited to see one here.

I honestly think I took a picture of this Dalmation for my mom.  They used to be so common years ago, and now I feel like they are actually kind of rare.

Who could resist a picture of this Poodle with a full show cut and brush out?  I work at a veterinary clinic, so we mainly see pets who are cut fairly short.  It was amazing how different all of the dogs look with completely different hairstyles.

I honestly cannot wait to go back this year.  I would like to spend more time there next time just watching all of the breeds compete.  This really was heaven for a dog lover like myself.

Campos Market in Nampa

Everyone knows I love trying out new restaurants.  I had a friend bring me to an authentic Mexican restaurant a few weeks ago and it was so delicious!

My friend ordered the mojarra dorada (a whole fried fish).  She said it is her favorite thing there.  I don't think I could eat a whole fish though lol

I ordered chicken flautas.  They were amazingly delicious.

I'm not always a huge fan of Mexican food, but I would happily go back to Campos Market anytime.

What's your favorite Mexican food dish?

New Year's Resolutions

I decided to once again try to start blogging. What better time than the new year????  I normally don't even make new year's resolutions, but these are some things that I would really like to happen in the coming year.  I don't think any of them are extremely difficult to achieve, so hopefully they will all happen!

1. Blog at least once a week
2. Read at least one book per week
3. See my local family more often
4. Go to bed consistently earlier on work nights
5. Stop using the snooze button on work mornings
6. Hold Jack and Lenny (my guinea pigs) more often to see if I can get them to like me
7. Go to the gym at least twice per week
8. Go to yoga at least twice per week
9. Take Hunter (my doggy) to the dog park at least once per week (weather permitting)
10. Stay current on entering giveaways (through online-sweepstakes.com)

Do you have any resolutions this year?

Deli Days or Jewish Food Festival

Now that the weather is warmer, all of the fun food festivals are happening!  After the success at the Greek Food Fesitval, I knew I had to try Deli Days this year!  I rounded up a group of friends, and off we went!

This is a photo of the original Congregation Ahavath Beth Israel temple.  It was moved from its original location to its current location.  I can't even imagine how you move a whole building!

I picked an all beef hot dog on a challah roll for lunch.  I only ever eat turkey dogs so this was a delicious treat!

My friend Lauren ordered a hot pastrami sandwich and a kosher pickle.

We shared a potato knish. I need to learn how to make these because they are delicious!

In order to get my cute little Israeli flag, I had to eat a really bad piece of gefilte fish from a jar.  I have only ever had cooked loaves of gefilte fish, and I will be sticking with those from now on.  But at least I have a sticker to prove I did it!

Much like at the Greek Festival, I used all of my leftover tickets to buy desserts.  They seemed to have desserts from every Jewish holiday through the year, but I tried to buy things that I don't have all the time.

This was a random cookie and I have no idea if it is Jewish or not, but it did taste good!

This is a hamentaschen filled with chocolate.  I didn't get any on Purim this year, and this one was especially delicious!

They also had music to listen to while you ate.  We were there during the time that Chava Mirel was singing, and she was really good!

Have you ever tried any Jewish foods before?  Do you have a favorite?

Book Reviews: My (not so) Perfect Life, The Trophy Child, and The Apartment

I go through phases where I barely read, and then I go through phases where I finish a book every few days.  Right now I am reading a book every few days.  Getting a library card when I moved to Idaho is one of the smartest things I have ever done!

I haven't read a ton of books by Sophie Kinsella, but "My (not so) Perfect Life" was on display at the library and sounded good, so I gave it a try.  It is about a woman around my age who lives in England and pretends to have a perfect life.  Her facade kind of unravels as the book goes on, but it is nice to get to know the real her instead of the person she pretends to be.  Reading this book made me want to read more books by Sophie Kinsella.

"The Trophy Child" by Paula Daly was also on display at the library.  Coincidentally, it also takes place in England.  It is about a "helicopter" or "tiger" mom, and what she puts her family through.  I have never read a book by Paula Daly before, but it was so not what I expected it to be that I will be looking for more books by her in the future!

"The Apartment" by Danielle Steel was a typical book by her, but I absolutely loved it.  It is about 4 friends who share an apartment in Hell's Kitchen in New York.  I love the friendships and romances in her books.  It didn't hurt that the characters in the book were all right around the same age as me.

I have 5 more library books sitting on my dresser waiting to be read, so be ready for more book reviews/recommendations!