KABAM! Chicken, otherwise known as Jalapeno Popper Chicken

When I'm grocery shopping every week I will usually only buy meat that's on sale. Lets face it, with 4 kids, I have to stretch my dollar as much as possible. I buy tons of chicken since it's usually on sale. The kids are sick of chicken.
Reminds me of when I was growing up, my parents worked long hours so I had to help take care of my brother a lot.
Every Sunday my mom would make 5 days worth of meals and freeze them for the week. They would have instructions on how to cook them and each day I would pull one out and cook it for my brother and I. It was usually a chicken dish....well, not usually, it was always a chicken dish.
My dad and I still talk about how we ate chicken every day for a year! I hated chicken for a long time after that.
Now, I love chicken again and I laugh when my kids complain that all we ever eat is chicken. One day they'll look back with fondness at all the chicken we eat. Not just because it's a memory but they will hopefully think about how lucky they are to have a home cooked meal most days of the week (just like I did growing up).


In the midst of all the chicken in my home, I'm finding myself remembering how creative my mom would get (and still does get) with her food. Always thinking about a different way to cook it, in hopes that we wouldn't realize we were eating chicken.....again.
I came across a recipe for Jalapeno Popper Chicken and thought that sounded pretty good so I took it, changed it a bit to make it my own and what happened was pure magic! Ok, maybe not really magic but it was damn good!

When we sat down to eat I was saying I needed to think of a name for this since Jalapeno Popper chicken is just too boring. Ally says we should call it Daddy's chicken because Dad loves Jalapeno poppers. Then Bradley yells out "KABAM! Chicken" and he says that when you say it you have to yell it. So, here's the recipe for KABAM! Chicken.....

5 Chicken Breasts (or as many as your family needs)
8 Oz Cream Cheese, softened
3/4 Cup Monterey Jack, shredded
1/4 Onion, diced
1 Bell Pepper (I used a yellow bell but any color is fine)
2 cloves garlic, diced
2 (or 3) jalapenos, seeded, deveined and diced
1 Egg
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Powder
Cayenne
Tony's
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled.

Preheat oven to 375.

Saute Onion, bell pepper,  jalapeno, and garlic until soft.

 

Mix together Cream Cheese, egg, and seasonings.

Stir in onion mixture to cream cheese mixture.

At this point, if you have chicken breasts that are a bit thicker you can split them and stuff the filling in the middle. My chicken breasts were too thin to do this so I just spread the mix on top of the chicken. (Don't forget to season your chicken breasts!)

Sprinkle with Monterey Jack.
Cover with foil and bake at 375 until almost cooked through. Uncover and add bacon, cook another 10 minutes or so.

Lemon Cake Pie

One of my favorite websites is Pintrest! I love scrolling through pages of pictures for everything from home furnishings, Holidays, Gardening, and of course, Food! I find a ton of recipes on Pintrest. Some of the recipes are delicious and some are not so good.

Yesterday Bradley was cooking up Mawmaw's Gumbo and I figured since it was Sunday I'd make a dessert. (Really, being a Sunday had nothing to do with it. I would make dessert everyday if I never gained a pound from it!) Last week I bought a ton of Apples and a ton of Lemons with grand plans for them. Once I got home with them, I forgot what those grand plans were. (4 kids will do that to your brain.) So, I started searching on Pintrest.

I scoured through pages and pages of lemon bars and eventually came across this recipe for Lemon Cake  Pie...... Lemon Cake Pie?!

I opened up the page to see the words "Grandmothers recipe box".  No one cooks better than a grandma so I knew this had to be good.
This recipe is so easy to make and OH MY GOSH is it good! It's like a lemon bar and a lemon cake had a lemony baby! The original recipe calls for Pie crust. I omitted it because I was lazy and didn't feel like making one. It was a bit soft on the bottom but still delicious (and I was able to eat it with my hands!)

So, off to the recipe!

 1 Pie Crust (you can get a store bought one or make one yourself), I left this out.
1 1/2 Cups Sugar
2 Tablespoons Melted Butter
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp grated lemon peel
6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 eggs, separated
1 1/4 cup milk (I used half and half because I was out of milk)

Preheat oven to 375.
In a medium bowl mix together sugar , butter, flour, salt, lemon peel, and lemon juice.
In another bowl beat egg yolks and milk then add to flour mixture.
Beat egg whites until soft peaks form then fold gently into lemon bowl.

Since I left out the crust, I baked mine in a brownie pan, you can also do individual servings in ramekins.
Bake about 45 minutes or until center jiggles just slightly. Let cool before eating.

Here's the link to the original recipe! I can't wait to try Dana's other recipes!!
http://cravingcomfort.blogspot.com/2011/06/lemon-cake-pie.html

Let me know what you all think!

Chicken and Dumplings anyone?

I know, it's been so long since I've posted a new recipe! I always plan to, then I forget to take pictures or I get busy with the kids....blah blah blah. Life.... So, in the midst of all the craziness going on here, the kids have started back to school, I started not one but 2 business ventures, and I'm going to try to get back to blogging.

My husband has asked me to make chicken and dumplings numerous times throughout the years. I didn't grow up eating this so really have no idea what a good chicken and dumplings is. Sad, right?
Every time I've attempted it, I hear, "It doesn't taste like Mawmaw's". Mawmaw made so much delicious food but never really had a recipe for any of it. (a pinch here, a half a handful there.) So trying to make chicken and dumplings is like cooking with one arm behind my back.
Yesterday he asked if I'd make it. I said I would try and then send a text to his cousin (there's a rumor going around that his cousin, Wes, makes some good chicken and dumplings). When I asked Wes how to make the dumplings his reply was "go to the store and buy them from the frozen foods sections because they are a pain to make". Well, I went to the store with every intention of buying them and not telling Bradley that they were store bought but just letting him think I'm an amazing cook that finally figured out how to make dumplings. That's not wrong is it?
Got home from the store and realized I forgot the dang dumplings! UGH! That's like when you go to Wal-Mart for toothpaste and you leave with $100 worth of stuff and no toothpaste. Oh well, Guess I was making them from scratch after all.

Onto the recipe!
1 whole chicken ( or you can use chicken quarters)
1/2 onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 stalks of celery, diced.


 I took a whole chicken and boiled it in water with salt, pepper, tonys, and garlic powder.
I also add a bit of chicken base or bouillon to the water to give it a little more chicken flavor since I was going to use the broth also.
Once the chicken was cooked through I let everything cool then I shredded the chicken and set it aside. (Don't forget to save the broth)

Dice the veggies and  sauté these in a little Extra virgin olive oil.
While you are waiting for the veggies to soften you can go ahead and start your dumplings.

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp. cold butter, cubed
1 cup chicken broth or milk

Mix together flour and baking powder and salt.
Using a pastry cutter or fork, cut in the butter.
Add in broth or milk (I used broth because I thought it would give the dumplings more flavor).
Mix together until combined.  (At this point I covered the bowl and let the dough rest about 30 minutes but I assume it would be ok to roll out right away)

Put flour on your work table and your rolling pin and roll out the dough to about 1/4 in thick. The dough shouldn't be sticky. If it is, add more flour. If its too dry, add a little more liquid.
I used a pizza cutter to cut the dough into squares. You can do them as big as you want.

 Once the veggies are soft, add the chicken stock to the pot. I'm sorry I don't have measurements on the chicken stock....I can tell you that my stock pot was about half full. Let it come to a boil.
Add the Chicken to the pot and let cook about 10 more minutes. Then when the broth mixture is at a rolling boil, gently add the dumplings in.
Allow to cook about 20 minutes or so. The broth should start to thicken up some and its ok for your dumplings to sink to the bottom.
Add in any additional seasoning. I added more salt and more Tony's.
The flavor was good but I do need to work on this recipe to get the broth thicker.

If any of you make this recipe for yourself, share pictures and any think you changed!

Chicken Marengo

Finally a new recipe! I find a lot of recipes on Pinterest. Some good, some not so good. This one was really good! Perfect for a chilly winter night (which is obviously not now, in June, in mississippi)!

1 whole chicken , boiled until cooked. Remove meat from bone and set aside. Save the broth.

1/2 onion diced

2 cloves garlic diced

1 can Italian diced tomatoes, drained

1/2 cup diced black olives

1/2 cup white wine

1 cup chicken broth

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp onion powder

2 tsp parsley

2 tsp basil

2 tsp oregano. 

(You can use fresh or dried seasonings)

Add a little olive oil in the bottom of a Dutch oven (or pot) and sauté onions until soft. Add in garlic and cook a couple more minutes. 

Put in white wine and cook down until almost evaporated. 

Add in tomatos, olives, broth, and seasoning. Bring to a boil. Add in chicken. Cook until heated through. 

Serve over mashed potatoes. 

It's been a while!

Life got busy so it's been a long while since I've posted a new blog! 

The kids are out of school for summer break. We started our summer out with a bang by traveling 14 hours away (yes, we drove and this is how afraid I was of driving that far with these two "crazies")

to see my brother in Kansas City because he was getting married! It was a wonderful occasion with Elena's parents, Dan and Lumi, my parents, my sister, my grandma, Alice, and all of us "crazies". 

Before the ceremony, my brother asked me to be a witness for him. It really made me feel special! 

The ceremony was beautiful with tears shed by some and lots of smiles and laughs! 

(This is beautiful Lumi trying to pin Josh's boutinerre on!)

(This is Dan. The flowers really bring out the color of his eyes!) 

I am so blessed to have gained another sister!

I want to wish josh and Elena all the happiness and love in the world! (Although I'm sure they don't need my wishes because they will have it with to without it!)

Gluten Free cheese biscuits

My mom has been trying her hand at gluten free biscuits for a while now. Her one complaint is that they don't rise enough. I can't make a biscuit to save my life....yep, it's true. My biscuit making would make Bradley's MawMaw cringe and shake her head in shame. So, what girl in her right mind, who can't make a regular biscuit, would try making a gluten free one? This girl! I figure the gluten free ones can't come out any worse than the regular ones do.

For Christmas, Alice got me the new Jamie Deen cookbook "Good Food". He's got a bacon cheddar biscuit recipe in it that was easy and that I had all the ingredients for. Well, almost all. I am out of bacon and cheddar cheese, but I have gouda cheese and garlic powder so I improvised. 

Preheat oven to 400. 

1 1/2 cup Domata all purpose flour (or 1 3/4 cup regular all purpose flour)

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

4 tablespoons butter (or margarine), chilled and cut into cubes

3/4 cup grated cheese

3/4 cup buttermilk

8 ounces cooked bacon (although I didn't put it in mine)

In a large bowl mix together Flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt. 

Add in butter and cut in with a fork (or pastry cutter) until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. 

Stir in the cheese. (and bacon if you adding that)

Make a well in the center of the flour and all in butter milk (if you decide to add bacon you can also add the bacon drippings)

Mix until the dough is sticky and not completely mixed together.

Flour your work surface and dump contents of bowl out. Knead 3 or 4 times or until the mixture comes together. Pat into a rough round shape and press until it's about 3/4 to 1 inch thick. Use a biscuit round (or as you can see in my case, a glass)

(in true Christen fashion. I forgot to take a picture of this step, so here's the mess from after where you can see the cup I used.)

Place on a greased baking sheet and brush tops with a little buttermilk. (I sprinkled a little garlic powder on top also). 

 Bake for about 15 min or until they are lightly browned. 

I hope you all like this one. If anyone elver has any changes they make please keep me posted because I'm always up for making things even better.