Student teaching AND working full time = NO life

I am sorry that my blog has suffered the past 2 weeks, but I have a good excuse. My life is no longer my own, until May 9th when I am done student teaching. Unfortunately, that also means that my menu planning and cooking every night will be non-existent. I am very sad about the idea of this lifestyle for the next 14 weeks, but I know I can get through it....and see the good that will come from all of this hard work. I will continue to check blogs, and provide updates about my life....and once in a while, I hope to post a menu and a recipe or two! I will post the picture of my latest January BGEX gift and the goods that I sent as well!

Stay tuned....

JKnottie December BGEX Gift

Well, the BGEX continues, and my secret baker for December was Kristi. The holidays made the BGEX a bit difficult, and unfortunately Kristi got sick as the holidays approached. She was very thoughtful and still managed to make something special for Jared and I, and we got the goods yesterday in the mail. She left me a note to let me know that she forgot to send the recipe cards and ingredients, so I do not know what we are eating. ;) I think the snack on the right is called dog food or puppy chow....either way, it's really good! I have not really tried the other snacks yet, but they smell delicious! I will post the ingredients after I speak to Kristi!

Thanks Kristi -- Jared was excited to try 3 different baked goods this time around!!!

Pork Chops & Scalloped Potatoes

Jared and I were looking for something to different to do with pork chops and I found a recipe that included homemade scalloped potatoes, so it did not take long to add this one to our menu. The preparation for the dinner was really easy and for the most part, it turned out to be a good meal.

Ingredients:
5 potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1 onion, quartered then sliced
2 1/2 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons butter
salt and pepper to taste
5 pork chops (we only made 2 -- and we used bone-in pork chops)

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2) Place the sliced potatoes and sliced onion in a greased 9x13 inch baking dish; mix gently. Cover the potatoes and onions with cheese. Fill dish with milk halfway. Place butter in several places on top of the cheese. Place the pork chops on top. Salt and pepper to taste. Bake 60 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Turn pork chops over halfway through cooking.

Recipe from www.allrecipes.com
Picture from my kitchen

Husband Rating: B
Jared thought the dish was just ok. The pork chops seemed to dry out, which he did not enjoy. He really liked the potatoes! Definitely slice the potatoes thin -- so they are soft. Maybe the pork would have been different if we used boneless pork chops????

Wife Rating: B (Pork) A (Potatoes)
I was content only eating a few pieces of the pork because honestly, I could do without meat sometimes. The potatoes -- delicious! I will never make scalloped potatoes from a box again! (Well, after we use the one box that we have left). ;)

We'll make the potatoes again...not sure about the pork.

Alfredo Bake

Before I talk about tonight's dinner, I must say that I finally figured out how to take a decent picture of our dinner. :) All this time, I have been taking the picture with the flash ON, while tonight I decided to try it with the flash OFF. Well, as you can see above...the correct way is with the flash off.... :) Alfredo Bake is a dish I borrowed from another blogger/JKnottie/JFacie.
http://wineloverscookingdiary.blogspot.com/ I am so glad that we tried this meal. We made a slight modification...

Ingredients:
8 oz. pasta, cooked and drained (we used an entire box)
2 cups broccoli florets
1 cup mushrooms
1 1/2 cups chicken, cooked, shredded or diced (we omitted the chicken to have a meatless dish)
1 jar Alfredo sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons butter

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2) Coat the bottom of a 13x9 pan or a medium size baking dish with a thin layer of Alfredo sauce. In a medium bowl, mix the pasta, broccoli, mushrooms, chicken, garlic, and Alfredo sauce until combined.
3) Place mixture in baking dish and top with mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese. Cut the butter into small pieces and scatter on top of cheese.
4) Bake for 20 minutes or until cheese is hot and bubbly.

Recipe from http://wineloverscookingdiary.blogspot.com/
Picture from my kitchen

Husband Rating: A
Despite having a headache and not feeling so well, Jared really enjoyed the Alfredo Bake. He liked it so much that his exact words were, "I really like this sauce...how did you make it?" And my reply was, "It was from a jar..." ;) I couldn't help but smile...

Wife Rating: A
Pasta and cheese -- I'm sold. I am not usually a fan of Alfredo sauce, but we made extra pasta than the recipe calls for, so it was not completely overwhelmed with sauce.

We found another keeper....next time I will add the chicken.

Ground Turkey Stroganoff

Now that the holidays are over (tear), we are back on the menu bandwagon. I hope this time for good! I was searching for some new recipes for ground turkey and came across a recipe titled "Lazygirl's Ground Turkey Stroganoff." It does not get any easier than this meal! The entire meal cooks pretty fast and the prep is really easy.

Ingredients:
1 (8 ounce) package uncooked egg noodles (we used Healthy Harvest by Ronzoni)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound ground turkey
1 tablespoon minced onion
1 cube chicken bouillon, crumbled
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon paprika
salt to taste (we omitted due to the salt in the mushroom soup)

Directions:
1) Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Place the egg noodles in the pot, cook 6 to 8 minutes, until al dente, and drain.
2) Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Place the turkey and onion in the skillet and cook until turkey is evenly brown and onion is tender. Mix in the bouillon.
3) Stir the cream of mushroom soup and water into the skillet. Cook and stir until heated through. Season with paprika and salt. Serve over the cooked egg noodles.


Recipe from www.allrecipes.com
Picture from my kitchen

Husband Rating: A
Jared thought the dinner was phenomenal. Good comfort food that was tender, juicy, and delicious.

Wife Rating: A
I have to agree with Jared -- this was definitely a good comfort food dish. I think a dash of salt as the recipe calls would be good. If you like a lot of pasta -- add more than the recipe says to cook.

We'll make this again in the future!

Menu: January 14-18

Jared and I fell off the menu wagon as a result of the holidays, but we are back!

Monday: Ground Turkey Stroganoff

Tuesday: Salad

Wednesday: Baked Pork Chops & Scalloped Potatoes

Thursday: BLT's

Friday: Alfredo Bake

The menu may be modified by date depending on our schedules and life in general.

So glad to be back!

The bloggers "in-crowd"

I apologize for the food blog interruption, but the fun continues with the JKnottie/JFacie friends! A game of "tag" has been created, and the results of the game are below. Talk about self reflecting... ;)

What were you doing 10 years ago?
I was 19 years old a freshmen in college (spring semester). I was volunteering with the campus ambulance squad and trying to boost my sad GPA from first semester.

What were you doing 1 year ago?
I was planning the biggest day of my life -- my wedding. I have to admit the hard work was ongoing, but the in the end, it paid off...big time. At this point last year, all of my vendors were booked and I was working on invitations and whatnot.

Five snacks you enjoy:
1) Nachos/Chips & Salsa
2) Fruit (strawberries, apples, and bananas)
3) Granola Bars
4) M&M's
5) Anything crunchy

Five songs that you know all the lyrics to:
1) Big and Rich - Lost in this Moment
2) It's Your Love - Tim McGraw
3) Anything country -- I listen to it all day at work
...I know that is not five...but with all of the country songs...I think I am covered!

Five things you would do if you were a millionaire:
1) Support my family for the rest of my life
2) Build my dream house
3) Travel often
4) Shop, shop, and shop!
5) Donate!

Five bad habits:
1) Checking to make sure everything is off before I leave the house in the morning
2) Not keeping up with my car and the necessary maintenance
3) Stealing the covers at night
4) Slight control freak
5) Not making the bed every day

Five things you enjoy doing:
1) Relaxing with Jared
2) Visiting our families
3) Camping
4) Reading
5) Working out

Five things you would never wear again:
1) Tight pants
2) Short skirts
3) Different color socks (unless they are pant socks for professional dress)
4) Scrunchies
5) I must agree with April on this one....NKOTB gear!

Five favorite toys:
1) My digital camera
2) Computer
3) Cell phone
4) Workout ball
5) IPOD


Now....for the next step...okay friends, you have been tagged!! GO!

Melanie

Alanna

Sarah

We now return to regular scheduled blogging (menus and recipes).... A new menu will be coming shortly. This week has been a bit crazy.

Happy New Year !

Welcome 2008!

Here's to a wonderful, happy, and healthy 2008 full of great recipes, wonderful food, and friends and family to share in the memories.

Bring on the recipes!

Chicken Piccata

Jared and I were looking forward to our chicken piccata, as we initially planned to prepare the dish when his brother was visiting. Our plans changed of course, so we did not get a chance to make the dish until tonight. I was really pleased with how it turned out -- and it was pretty easy to prepare. We served it with a side of green beans and some salad.

Ingredients:
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 egg
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1/4 cup butter
2 teaspoons chicken bouillon powder (we used 2 bouillon cubes)
1/2 cup boiling water

Directions:
1) In a small bowl, beat the egg together with 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice. Set aside.
2) In a shallow bowl or dish mix together the flour, garlic powder and paprika. Dip the chicken in the egg/lemon mixture, then in the seasoned flour.
3) In a large skillet, melt butter/margarine and brown the coated chicken pieces.
4) Dissolve the bouillon in the boiling water, then add the remaining 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. Pour liquid into skillet. Cover and let simmer for 20 minutes, turning chicken pieces after 10 minutes, until chicken is tender. Garnish as desired and serve.

Husband Rating: A
The chicken was moist and held the flavor well. Jared recommends to use chicken cutlets or thinner chicken breasts.

Wife Rating: A
Jared and I agree on this dish -- the chicken had awesome flavor.

We'll make this again.