Stroke of Genius

First, Scotty won American Idol!!!!! I was getting so worried that I may have to boycott the show, but that won't be a problem now.  For dinner this week I got a little fire up my toosh and decided to make an appetizer, marinade chicken on the fly, and make an Asian noodle salad. 

For the appetizer, I decided to make How Sweet It Is Crispy Portobello Mushroom Fries.  These were so tasty!!! The smoky cheddar parm dip is just divine.  Perfect appetizer for any party or gameday, but make extra because they will go fast.  Mr. O and Sully loved snacking on these while I finished up getting dinner ready.

For dinner I made Iowa Girl Eats Asian Noodle Salad. I knew that I wanted to add chicken to this flavor explosion.  So I'm standing in the kitchen, thinking about what kind of marinade I should make and then it just came to me. 

Asian Chicken Marinade
-1/4 c soy sauce - I used reduced sodium
-4 tsp. sesame oil
-2 tbl. honey
-2 tsp. fresh ginger
-2 tsp. fresh garlic

After marinating the chicken I sauteed it in canola oil.  The chicken turned out so yummy!!!! Mr. O even said it tasted like the free samples of chicken that the chinese restaurants give out in the food court.....I think that is a complement :).  Some other modifications I made is that I used rice noodles and added asparagus. 

This meal was another homerun.  I made plenty for leftovers and I'm glad that I did becuase Sully couln't get enough of it.  He just loves the noodles.  Summer is right around the corner and I'm glad that we have been making lighter recipes.  I bought Sully an inflatable pool today and we have a community pool.  He is a little waterbug.  We enrolled him in swim lessons at 6 months old and I'm so happy that we did.  He is very comfortable in water and he even puts his mouth in the water and blows bubbles!!!  With the start of summer this weekend, and my birthday I am very excited.

Lighter Fare

In addition to saving money on Tuesday, Mr. O and I just ran errands, and I did yard work.  Both of my parents have green thumbs and well I have a black thumb.  One time I managed to kill lucky bamboo…I think that is near impossible, but I did it.  We have a patio with three flower beds.  For the past couple of years we’ve been trying to plant easy low care plants.  Due to all of the rain we have been getting the weeds were out of control!  After a couple of hours the patio it looking much better and I see signs of dahlias coming through.  For dinner we were feeling salads since we had gone to Chick-fil-a for a late lunch.  Again I turned to Gina’s Skinny Taste for inspiration and we I made her Basil Green goddess dressing.  It was so light and refreshing; it is the perfect dressing for summer.  I tossed the dressing with spinach, tomato, avocado, onions, and grilled chicken…… and viola!  It was the perfect salad for little tease of summer that we have been having.   



I have some big savings planned….stayed tuned to find out what I get!

Back on the Wagon

After Mr.O’s birthday, Imagination Movers, Coheed and Cambria, our anniversary, and Easter , Mr. O and I made dinner after a two week hiatus.  For dinner this week I chose How Sweet Eats Crunchy Honey Chicken.  The recipe was another home run! I had all of the ingredients in my pantry and just had to run to the grocery store to get fresh veggies, eggs, and the Royal Wedding People Magazine.   I followed this recipe to a T, however, I doubled it so I could have leftovers.  I did serve it with brown rice, but I think next time I will try rice noodles.  Mr. O and I need to work on cooking rice. 

Veggies

Chicken cooking

First batch of chicken

All finished!

New Mexican

So as Mr. O and I made our way to Nordstrom Rack yesterday we brainstormed ideas for dinner.  So far I had made Thai and Greek inspired food, so we continued with the down our version of take-out path and choose Mexican.  We usually make a marinade with a taco seasoning package and then grill the chicken.  However, we wanted to try something new.  I turned to my favorite website Gina's Skinny Taste and searched Latin inspired recipes.  If you haven't figured it out, I like recipes that have a lot flavor and that are healthy.  We choose Chicken Ropa Vieja with Cilantro Lime Rice and corn and black bean salad.  We had been out all day running errands so using the slow cooker wasn't an option.  So we simmered the chicken on the stove.

Chicken simmering on the stove

Rice cooking

So we followed the recipe up until this point.  We forgot a couple of ingredients at the store and wanted to finish making our dinner.  We took out the chicken and set it aside on a plate to be shredded.  Then I took all the ingredients that were cooking in the pot and put it in the blender.

Once the ingredients were pureed I placed it back on the stove so the sauce could reduce.  I added 1/4 cup white wine, 2 cups of chicken broth, 2 tsp. cumin, 2 tsp. garlic powder, and a dash of Cholula hot sauce.  I turned the stovetop on high and let the sauce reduce.

Once the sauce started to reduce, I put the shredded chicken in and let it simmer together.

  

And the finished product! Shredded chicken, cilantro lime rice, guacamole, corn and black bean salad...major yum!!!  I am really enjoying cooking and sharing my recipes.  I have to warn you next Tuesday is my anniversay and Mr. O and I are going to a concert, so no cooking.  Hopefully, the rain will go away and we can break out the grill. 

2 for 2

Mr. and I had another successful dinner at home this week.  I know what you are thinking; Mrs. O only has to cook one day week...how hard is that?? Well, when your husband works in a restaurant 6 days a week the last thing he wants to do is cook and clean up afterwards.  Mr. O and I love Greek food! We love the flavors and there is something about Greek food that is refreshing.  After a couple minutes of deliberation we decided to make Greek meatballs and serve them with pita and homemade tzatkizi.  This week I adapted Gina's Skinny Taste meatballs.  We substituted ground beef for ground turkey, and left out the zucchini.  I made the meatballs a bit larger, so after I cooked them in the frying pan, I finished them off in the oven just to make sure they were cooked thoroughly.  I also made tzatkizi to accompany the meatballs.  The tzatkizi recipe is something that I have come up with on my own.  The recipe is all follows:

Tzatkizi

-1 cup Greek style yogurt

-Half of a peeled cucumber, diced with seeds taken out

-Juice from half of a lemon

-3 sprigs of fresh Dill, I like a little extra dill

-1 tsp. of Kosher salt

-Mix ingredients together and refrigerate until ready to serve

This dinner is perfect for the warmer weather that is upon us.  Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures of our fabulous Greek feast.  I hope to keep the streak going next week.