Day 11 - The Fullmer/Florenzano's

Today was kinda a special day. I had a special helper, Maddi and we cooked not 1 but 2 meals! Both of them were drop off meals so I thought it would be suuuuuuuuper easy peasy! Boy was I wrong! We cooked for HOURS! 

One meal we cooked tonight was for a guy from my work named Bill. This is the second meal I've made for Bill. He is sort of my fill in guy, see I have 2 days that I CAN'T cook. I have prior commitments I just can't get out of. So I thought to myself "Self, talk to Bill. You can bring the meals into the shop and he can take them home and heat them for him & the kids" So that is exactly what I did! Technically speaking, Bill is Day 14 and Day 25. :) First meal for Bill was Mexi-Mac & Cheese. It sounded kinda sicknast to me, but Bill said they enjoyed it. The meal we cooked tonight was Coconut Chicken Tenders with Cheesy Au Gratin Potatoes. Maddi & I snuck a tendie, Don't. Tell. Bill! Haha We wanted some potatoes too but I think he would notice a scoop of potatoes missing. 

The other meal we cooked today was actually "Day 12" and that was for the Florenzano/Fullmer clan. They had Chicken Roll-ups with Veggie Rice Pilaf. The chicken roll-ups looked sooooooooooooooooooo good! I wanted to eat one, but again, I think they would notice a chunk missing!

SO! We made a special recipe just for us. We took some of the leftover chicken filling from the chicken roll-ups and stuffed it in some leftover bread bowls from yesterday's brinner (Breakfast at Dinner;) Can I just tell you seriously... SERIOUSLY... it was one of the best things I've ever had! 

That is actually the only picture I have for tonight, unfortunately. I will need to get one from Bill and one of the Florenzano/Fullmers. 

Are you ready for a boatload of recipes? GOOD

Chicken Rollups

Ingredients:

2 (8 oz) cans Pillsbury Refrigerated Crescent Dinner Rolls

1 (10 3/4 oz) Cream of chicken soup, undiluted

3/4 Cup grated cheddar cheese (or any cheese of choice)

1/2 Cup milk

For Filling:

4 oz cream cheese (very soft)

2 tbsp butter (very soft)

1/2-1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp minced onion flakes

2 large cooked chicken breasts, finely chopped (or use about 2 cups, can also use Turkey)

1/2-3/4 cup finely grated cheddar cheese

1/2 tsp seasoning salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

2 tbsp milk

1-2 cup grated cheddar cheese (for topping)

Method:

1. Set over to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Mix together Milk, 3/4 cup cheese and undiluted chicken soup and set aside.

3. In a bowl, mix the very soft cream cheese with the very soft butter until smooth, then add in garlic powder.

4. Add the chopped chicken, onion and cheddar cheese; mix well until combined.

5. Add milk; mix to combine (add a little more if the mixture seems to dry)

6. Season with seasoning salt & black pepper to taste.

7. Unroll the crescent rolls, place one heaping tbsp chicken mixture (or a little more) on top of each crescent triangle, then roll up starting at the thicker end.

8. Drizzle a small amount of the soup mixture in the bottom of the pan.

9. Place crescent rolls in pan, seam side down, and pour the rest of the mixture over the top. Top with 1-2 cup of grated cheddar cheese.

10. Bake for 30 minutes.

Veggie Rice Pilaf

Ingredients:

1 tbsp margarine or butter

¾ cup uncooked regular long-grain rice

¼ tsp dried basil leaves, crushed

1 can (14 ½ oz) Swanson clear vegetable broth

¾ cup frozen peas & carrots

¼ cup sweet red pepper, chopped

(Serves 4)

Method:

1. In 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat, in hot margarine, cook rice and dried basil until rice is browned, stirring constantly.

2. Stir in broth & heat to boiling.

3. Reduce heat to low, cover & cook 10 minutes.

4. Stir in peas, carrots & pepper.

5. Cover; cook for 10 minutes or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed.

Coconut Chicken Tenders w/ Honey Marmalade Dip

Ingredients:

Honey/Marmalade Dipping Sauce:

1/2 Cup Honey

1/2 Jar of Marmalade

Chicken:

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast; cut into tenders

1 1/2 cups Panko bread crumbs (I used the Japanese style)

1 cup shredded sweetened coconut

1 egg

1/2 can condensed milk

1/2 cup orange juice

salt, pepper & garlic to taste

Oil for frying

Method:

Honey/Marmalade Dipping Sauce:

1. In a small bowl, add honey & marmalade.

2. heat in microwave for 1 minute, and stir until mixed well.

Chicken:

1. On a baking sheet, season chicken with salt, pepper & garlic on both sides & set aside.

2. In medium bowl, mix orange juice, condensed milk and egg until your "wet" mixture in well incorporated.

3. In another bowl, mix coconut & bread crumbs.

4. Heat oil in medium pan or skillet on medium-high heat. (fill pan about a 1/2 inch of oil.)

5. Dip and fully coat each chicken tender in the egg mixture first and then the panko/coconut mix.

6. Fry each tender for approx. 6-8 minutes, until golden brown.

Cheesy Au Gratin Potatoes

Ingredients:

Potatoes:

3 tbsp butter

1 large yellow onion, chopped

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 cup milk

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp dried thyme

2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (8 oz)

26 oz bag frozen shredded hash browns

1/2 cup light sour cream

Topping:

3 cups corn flakes, slightly crushed

2 tbsp butter, melted

Method:

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until the onion is softened and translucent,a bout 5-6 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for about a minute. Combine the chicken broth and milk in a liquid measure and slowly whisk in the mixture. Add the salt, pepper and thyme. Stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring frequently, until the mixture is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

Take the pot off the heat and stir in the cheese until smooth. Mix in the frozen hash browns, lifting and folding the mixture until well combined. Finally, stir in the sour cream.

In a medium bowl, toss the lightly crushed cornflakes with the butter until evenly combined. Scoop out the potato mixture into a 9X13-inch baking dish and top with the buttered cornflakes. If baking the potatoes by themselves, bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, until hot and bubbly around the edges. If baking the potatoes with a ham (my ham recipe bakes at 300 degrees), bake the potatoes for 90 minutes at 300 degrees then crank the oven to 400 degrees and bake the potatoes for 10 minutes more. In both baking situations, let the potatoes rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Now! For the extra special recipe Maddie & I made:

Chicken Bread Bowl Surprise

Ingredients:
For Filling:
4 oz cream cheese (very soft)
2 tbsp butter (very soft)
1/2-1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp minced onion flakes
2 large cooked chicken breasts, finely chopped (or use about 2 cups, can also use Turkey)
1/2-3/4 cup finely grated cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp seasoning salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp milk
1-2 cup grated cheddar cheese (for topping)
Dinner rolls, hollowed out


Method:
1. Set over to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a bowl, mix the very soft cream cheese with the very soft butter until smooth, then add in garlic powder.
4. Add the chopped chicken, onion and cheddar cheese; mix well until combined.
5. Add milk; mix to combine (add a little more if the mixture seems to dry)
6. Season with seasoning salt & black pepper to taste.
7. (Here's the easy part) Scoop chicken mixture into bread bowls & top with cheese.
8. Bake 5-10 minutes, until cheese is melted.


It was seriously heaven on earth! You will not be disappointed. PROMISE!

Day 4 - The Eagle's

Mental check lists just SO aren't my thing! I am just one of those people who need to write everything down, and even then I forget something! ha. 

Today, I remembered the corn, forgot my camera. Way to go Jess, part of this whole process is the taking of the picture! Get it together girl!

Sorry... Inner monologue took over.

So, tonight I cooked for the Eagles. Jerry, Carla and their grandson Bryce. They are uber awesome, and have lots of old school stuff in their house, which I LOVE!

Sorry about the camera phone quality, if you recall I am super forgetful and left my camera at home. Such a great place for it right?

Anywho, we had a super delicious dinner consisting of Chicken Rollatinni stuffed with zucchini & mozzarella, Parmesan Potatoes, Corn (oh yea, I totes remembered it!) and garlic bread.

I was seriously worried about this one! A.) It's super detailed and I've never cooked anything like it. & B.) Zucchini??? Really??? Me eat that green stuff??? 

Can I just tell you how super-amazeballs it was?? Because it seriously was so delicious my mind can't even make words come together to form a clear sentence. It was THAT GOOD!

I also need to give a MAJOR shout out to my sidekick chef Bobbi. I loved having her there to cook with me, especially since she has more cooking experience than me & knows all the tricks! We make a great team and I am so excited to cook with her again soon!

Oh and can I just make a suggestion. More of a do it or you'll regret it, but not in a threatening bodily harm kind of way. Anyway, When you are making the potatoes dip one in the butter, than the Parmesan and eat it. The pan won't miss it, your family won't know. It is seriously, SERIOUSLY delicious and a chef's right. In the Chef's handbook even. Don't believe me? Google it!

Here's the recipes; eat'em & weep.

Chicken Rollatini stuffed with Zucchini & Mozzarella

Ingredients:

1 tsp + 1 tbsp olive oil

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 ½ cup (1 medium) zucchini, shredded

¼ cup + 2 tbsp Romano cheese (or Parmesan)

3 oz skim mozzarella, shredded

8 thin chicken cutlets, 3 oz each

½ cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs

1 lemon, juice of

Salt & pepper to taste.

(Serves 8)

Method:

1. Wash & dry cutlets, season w/ salt & pepper. Preheat oven to 450 degrees & lightly spray baking dish with nonstick spray.

2. In a large skillet, heat oil on medium-high heat. Add garlic & sauté about a minute, or until golden.

3. Add zucchini, ¼ cup Romano cheese, salt & pepper and sauté about 3-4 minutes longer, stirring occasionally.

4. Set aside to cool. When cool, add mozzarella cheese & mix to combine.

5. Lay chicken cutlets down on working surface and spread 3 tbsp of zucchini-cheese mixture on each cutlet. Loosely roll each one and keep seam side down.

6. Combine breadcrumbs and grated cheese in one bowl; in second bowl combine olive oil, lemon juice and pepper in another bowl.

7. Dip chicken in lemon-oil mixture, then in breadcrumbs and place seam side down in a baking dish and lightly spray with cooking spray.

8. Bake 25-30 minutes & serve immediately.

Parmesan Potatoes

Ingredients:

4 large potatoes

½ stick of butter, melted

1 can of parmesan cheese

(Serves 4)

Method:

1. Boil potatoes for 45-50 minutes or until slides off fork. Remove from pot and set aside to cool slightly. Preheat over to 350 degrees. (TIP: if you 1/4 the potatoes it only takes about 25-30 minutes or less.)

2. Melt butter in one bowl and pour Parmesan cheese into 2^nd bowl.

3. Slice potatoes, dip in butter than dip in parmesan cheese and place in baking dish.

4. Bake for additional 20 minutes.

Day 3 - The Smith's

GUESS WHAT!?!?!?! 

I forgot the corn... 

JUST KIDDING! 

My mom made sure to throw it in my box for me. She's so awesome!

Moving on... Tonight I cooked for my best friend in the whole widest world! Stacie, her husband Gabe and their kids Ahlayna, Landon and Lily (Let's be real... Lil ate nothing becuase she's a mere 5 weeks old, but she's still part of the family!!!)

Aren't they so fun??

We had delicious Cheesy Chicken Tenders w/ Maple Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Corn and Garlic Bread. MMMMMMMMMMM and don't forget the BROWNIES!!! Thanks again Juanita!!! 

I am getting so good on my timing! Everything came out at the exact same time tonight, that's a first! I think that is the biggest thing I need to work on. I like to make one thing THEN start the other! Can't do that when you're cooking a meal, especially for somebody else!

After dinner I got to spend some quality tummy time with LB. 

She's seriously the cutest.

Don't you just wanna eat her up!!

I guess it was a good thing we were all super full after dinner! Oh speaking of... Here's how you know when you made a really good dinner... They pass out on the couch!

Here's the recipes. Cook it. Eat it. Love it.

Cheesy Chicken Tenders

Ingredients:

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast

2 cups cheesy crackers (crushed)

1/2 cup shredded cheese

1 egg

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Clean chicken and slice into small strips.

3. Whisk egg in one bowl, crush crackers and put in 2nd bowl and add cheese to the 2nd bowl.

4. Dip chicken tenders in egg, then toss in cracker/cheese mixture and place on baking sheet.

5. Spray with cooking spray(Optional) and bake for 15 minutes or until pink is gone. 

Maple Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces (about 8 cups)
• 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Method:
1. Preheat over to 400 degrees.
2. Arrange sweet potatoes in an even layer in a 9x13 inch glass baking dish.
3. Combine Maple syrup, butter, lemon juice & salt in a small bowl. Pour mixture over the sweet potatoes; toss to coat.
4. Cover and bake for 15 minutes. Stir & cook, stirring every 15 minutes, until tender and starting to brown, 45-50 minutes more.

Day 1 - The Halls & Matt

As promised, here is my post for day one of my "30 Meals for 30 Families in 30 Days" project. Unfortunately I forgot to take any pictures, so all you get is a boring wordy post. :( Hopefully at tomorrow's dinner I will remember! 

Someone remind me!

Today I cooked for the Pastor of our church Jon, his lovely wife Amy and our Youth Pastor Matt. Maybe I can scrounge up some pictures from Facebook so you can see who I'm talking about, not just read their names.

FOUND SOME!

Pastor Jon & Amy Hall

This is the only picture I can get of Matt, because we're not Facebook friends. YET!

So now that you know WHO I cooked for I can tell you WHAT I cooked them!

We had pretzel breaded chicken, scalloped potatoes and yummy garlic bread! Oh, and dessert, Yummy Yummy brownies made by a very awesome lady from our church! Melt in your mouth brownies! They were the perfect end to a perfect dinner! Well almost perfect. I realized when I got there that I had forgotten the corn. Quote of the night; "What I lack in corn, I make up for in brownies!" haha All in all it was a wonderful night, and a great time was had by all! 

Cannot wait until tomorrow when I get to cook for my Sister, Brother-in-Law and my crazy niece & nephew!

Here's tonight's recipes:

PRETZEL CHICKEN WITH HONEY DIJON SAUCE

Ingredients

Chicken

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
2 eggs, whisked
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper

Breading

2 cups pretzels, ground in the food processor (until they are the consistency of bread crumbs) (sourdough pretzels work best)

Vegetable oil for frying

Sauce

1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup Dijon mustard

Method

1. Combine mustard and honey for sauce. Mix well and set aside.

2. Preheat oil to 350 degrees. Combine eggs with spices in a large bowl. Mix well and add chicken.

3. Add pretzel crumbs to a large bowl. When oil is hot, bread chicken and fry in oil until deep golden brown. Chicken should be firm and have an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Place on paper towels or cooling rack after removing from oil.

Cheddary Scalloped Potatoes 

Ingredients:

2 tbsp margarine or butter

1 small onion, sliced and separated into rings (about ¼ cup)

1 can (10 ¾ oz) Campbell’s condensed Broccoli Cheese Soup

1/3 cup milk

1/8 tsp pepper

4 medium potatoes (1 ¼ lbs) cooked and sliced (about 3 ½ cups)

3 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (optional)

Snipped fresh parsley (optional)

(Serves 4)

Method:

1. In 10-inch skillet over medium heat, in hot margarine, cook onion until tender, stirring often.

2. Stir in soup, milk & pepper. Add potatoes; stir gently to coat. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low. Cover; cook 5 minutes or until hot & bubbling, stirring occasionally.

3. Sprinkle with bacon & snipped parsley.