SANTA BABY: XMAS LIST

It's one of my favorite times of year CHRISTMAS TIME. I already have my list of kitchen appliances that I have been eyeing. I know I'm getting a food processor for sure! I have been really wanting to try out different soup recipes that require food processors. Hopefully Santa will be good to me this year! Oh..and how cool is the indoor grill? I need this in my kitchen for 2012 : )

Items in this set

	waffle maker at Target $40 - target.com
	Hamilton Beach 25325 Mealmaker Automatic Express Grill - Walmart.com $24 - walmart.com
	Walmart.com: Black & Decker 8-Cup Food Processor: Appliances $24 - walmart.com
	Black & Decker 10-Speed Die-Cast Red Blender - Walmart.com $29 - walmart.com

PAULA DEAN'S RICE AND CHICKEN CASSEROLE

Hey guys, I know it's been a little bit since my last post but I'M BACK!
I decided to come back with one of my favorite dishes me to make...a casserole! I love casseroles because they don't take long to make and they get more and more delicious as the days go by. I came across this rice and chicken recipe from Paula Dean. We all know Paula Dean isn't known for health conscious dishes so if you are about eating healthy then this dish isn't for you. HA! It includes a ton of cheese and a ton of mayo.


INGREDIENTS
2 cans of green beans
3 cups of diced cooked chicken
1 cup of graded sharp cheddar
1 cup of mayo
1 medium onion diced and sauteed in butter
1 can of pimentos, drained
1 box of long grained rice
1 can of condensed cream of celery soup
Pinch of salt

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Mix all ingredients together and pour into a greased 3 quart casserole dish. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly

SPINACH STUFFED CHICKEN BREAST RECIPE

 

 A  few weeks ago Hurricane Irene decided to pay the east coast a nice little visit. Since I knew I was going to be stuck inside all weekend I decided to whip up some grub. I skimmed through my collection of recipes and came across this one for spinach stuffed chicken breast that I had saved.This meal was quick and cheap to make. Most of the ingredients I already had in my cabinet. It only took about a hour to make.  I had a taste tester that weekend and he liked it as well. : ) If your not a fan of bacon you can just nix the bacon, it will taste just as yummy!

1 (10 ounce bag) of Spinach and 4 boneless chicken breast

                                                 Cook the Spinach and add chopped garlic

 

Mix in 1/2 cup of sour cream

                                                                      Mix in 1/2  cup of cheese

                                                   Add a pinch of salt and pepper

Roll up each chicken breast to enclose the spinach mixture. Then wrap one strip of bacon around each chicken breast.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and bake uncovered for 35 minutes then increase heat to 500 degrees, or you can use the oven's broiler to cook for an additional 5 to 10 minutes to brown the bacon.

3 boneless chicken breast

    1 (10 ounce) package frozen spinach

    1/2 cup sour cream

    1 teaspoon chopped garlic

4 slices bacon

1/2 cup of cheddar cheese

TRADER JOES: CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA: NOM

$3.49

I have been meaning to try Trader Joe's frozen Indian food for a while and I finally pulled the trigger and purchased their Chicken Tikka Masala. I saw pretty good reviews online and decided to try it out myself. Of course like most microwavable meals the food is much bigger on the box than it is inside. You only get about three pieces of meat inside and the portion of rice is pretty small. What's great about this meal is that it's fast! Like any microwavble meal. Quick and Easy! What I didn't like about it was the fact that it is pretty bland. Indian food is suppose to be pretty flavorful but this pretty much tasted like air. One the box it says "Authentic Indian Recipe"I would really beg to differ. : /

GIRLS NIGHT IN: THAI CURRY FISH RECIPE

Over the weekend my friends and I decided to have a girls night in and cook up a meal. Sometimes these nights are just needed plus it was pouring outside in NYC so it was the perfect night to stay in. I came across this recipe for Thai Curry Fish. I'm a big fan of Thai food and never tried making it before. This meal was very quick and easy to make. It took no longer than 30 minutes to make!

•  INGREDIENTS:
• 3-4 fillets of fresh or frozen fish - any type
• 1 red bell pepper, de-seeded and diced
• 1 can of coconut milk
• 2 table spoons of brown sugar
• 1 to 2 table spoons of fish sauce
• 1 table spoon of salt
• 2 table spoons of red curry paste
• 1 table spoon of vegetable oil
• Freshly cooked rice
• Half a bag of spinach (optional)

We took a trip to the supermarket to pick up a pound of cat fish. You can use any type of fillet fish of your liking.

 Add fish, spinach, and red pepper. Stir well. Reduce heat to medium-high. Cover and cook 6-8 minutes

Place fish and curry sauce on top of a bowl of white rice and voila! NOM NOM NOM. Hope you guys enjoy this meal as much as we did.

QUICK AND EASY: BACON WRAPPED ASPARAGUS

Anyone who knows me knows I have an intense love affair with bacon. I'm convinced everything takes better when bacon is added to it. I was having a friend over to watch the Real World/ Road Rules challenged ( yes I still watch that) and decided to make a nice appetizer for us to munch on during our little viewing session. I came across this simple and easy recipe for bacon wrapped asparagus. It was not only quick to make but also very cheap! I cooked them in an oven but you can also place them on a grill. This would also be a great treat to make during a BBQ. You need skewers to wrap the asparagus and bacon in, so just always remember to soak the skewers in water for 30 minutes before placing them on a grill. A three alarm fire really kills any BBQ. Hope you guys enjoy this recipe as much as I did. NOM NOM NOM : )

Ingredients

• 1 pound medium asparagus
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Salt
• 1 pound hickory smoked bacon (do not use thick cut)

Directions

Special Equipment: Wooden skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes. 

Preheat your over at 300 degrees

Trim the asparagus of the woody ends. Place on a sheet tray and drizzle with olive oil. Season with freshly ground black pepper and salt.

Wrap bacon slices around each asparagus spear. Skewer both ends of asparagus on each side to secure the bacon. Add 3 to 4 asparagus to each skewer.

Heat until the asparagus is tender and the bacon is crisp about 15 minutes; halfway through the grilling flip the asparagus. Transfer to a platter, remove the skewers and serve. NOM NOM AWAY!

STUFFED CABBAGE ROLLS

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons  olive oil 

1/2 cup diced onions 

 1½ teaspoons kosher salt 

1 large head Savoy or green cabbage, including outer leaves 

• 1 pound of ground beef
• 2 eggs , lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup uncooked white rice
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1/4 of parsley 
•   Hot and Spicy marinade and stir fry
• STUFFING
• 1 pound of ground beef
• 2 eggs , lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup uncooked white rice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 cup of parsley 
• Hot and Spicy marinade and stir fry

First place one head of cabbage into a pot of boiling water. Make sure you remove the core prior. The cabbage leaves will slowly start to get soft and become easy to peel off the cabbage.

In a big mixing bowl place all of the stuffing ingredients and mix. Cabbage rolls are usually made with tomato sauce but I used Hot and Spicy marinade and stir fry. I used the brand Szechuan.

Make sure the cabbage is tender and then begin to place the stuffing mix into the cabbage leaf. Fold the top of the leaf down over the stuffing, fold the sides of the cabbage leaves toward the center and roll up to enclose the filling.

Pour some of the marinade sauce over the cabbage rolls before placing in the oven at 350 degrees for 1 hour. The rice and meat will cook inside the cabbage.

....then VOILA! NOM NOM NOM