My mom is pretty sweet, and she set up a dinner with my old babysitter Piper and her family. I've known them forever, but it's been so long since I've seen them. This was the coolest thing ever! Thanks mom!
Piper is in the purple, her arm is around her son Andrew and behind him is Jason. Going the other way you have Piper's mom Chris, son Jamie and dad Keith. Buddy the dog is in front. They were loads of fun to have dinner with! It was great to sit around and just catch up with some of the coolest people on the planet.
I Kinda cheated and I'm re-doing a meal because it was so good! But don't you worry, because of the extra special meal I made with Maddi on Day 11 I still met my goal of 30 meals for 30 families in 30 days! Boo-ya Kasha!
I re-did the Jessie-Famous Johnny Carino's Bowtie Festival. Yum:
Johnny Carino's Bowtie Festival
Ingredients:
For Alfredo sauce:
1 quart heavy whipping cream
1 cup Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp black pepper
1/4 cup milk
For bowtie Festival:
1 oz melted butter
1 tsp chopped fresh garlic
1/8 cup diced red onion
1/8 cup diced cooked bacon
1/4 cup diced Roma tomatoes
3 oz. sliced cooked chicken
1 oz heavy (whipping) cream
1/8 cup Asiago cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
10 oz precooked bowtie pasta
Method:
For Alfredo sauce:
Saute heavy cream , milk and black pepper to a consistent boil. Remove cream mixture from heat and fold in Parmesan cheese. Store completed sauce in refrigerator until use.
For bowtie festival:
In a heated saute pan combine butter, garlic, onions, bacon, tomatoes, chicken and spice mixture.
When onions begin to turn translucent, add heavy cream and Asiago cheese.
Once cheese and cream have reduced by 1/2, add in Alfredo sauce and bowtie pasta. Toss until well combined and remove from stove. Allow to cool for a few minutes so the cheese and sauce thicken.
Just kidding... Apparently there are no existing pictures on the internet of these 2. Maybe they are in the Witness Protection Program. In that case, I cooked for Brian & Dorrine. :) Today's meal didn't start off as well as I'd hoped! I was planning to be over to Ryan & Corrine's between 12-1. HOWEVER, Tyler had a flag football game and I went & then we had to get super sweet pictures printed. Obvi! So I didn't end up getting there until around 2! OYE! The meal went well, UNTIL the sauce was supposed to thicken, and DIDN'T. After about 20 minutes trying to thicken it I gave up. I have no idea what the trick is. :( I hope that the meal was still delicious. I'll find out Monday at work from Ryan.
My Mom would be totes jelly if you tried this one:
Chicken Pot Pie Penne
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter or olive oil 1 medium onion, finely chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 10 ounces white or cremini mushrooms, thinly
sliced 1 tablespoon all purpose flour 2 cups low sodium chicken broth 1 cup half & half or heavy cream 1 rotisserie chicken, shredded into bite sized
pieces 1 cup frozen peas & carrots mix 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme 1-2 cups whole wheat dry penne pasta (or any
penne pasta will do) water for boiling pasta
Method:
1. Cook the pasta according to package
directions. When done, place hot penne pasta in a large bowl and set aside.
2. Melt the better (or oil if using) in a large
skillet over medium high heat. Cook onion, garlic and mushrooms in the skillet
until golden brown.
3. Sprinkle in the flour over the mushroom
mixture in the skillet and stir. Cook for a few seconds to rid the floury smell
then add the broth, half & half (or heavy cream) to the skillet.
4. Deglaze the skillet, scraping up any bits of fond at the
bottom of the skillet. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, uncovered
until the liquid is slightly thickened.
5. Add the chicken, frozen peas and carrots mix,
lemon juice, and thyme to the skillet. Cook until heated through and season
with salt & pepper to taste.
6. Add the cooked penne pasta and toss to coat pasta.
I'm not sure why, but I like cooking for large groups. Case-in-point, our young adults dinner!
That's right... I cooked for a group of 10 last night. Should have been 13, but a few didn't show. This was BY FAR my favorite night of this whole project. Not even because of the meal. I just had such a good time hanging out with my fellow "Young Adults" at our "Adult Happening" haha. Thank you Funny Bones!
Oh yea, speaking of, Funny Bones is this way cool game. Perfect for our little group. What you have to do is, lay all the cards face down on the floor. Pick a partner (someone close in height is a good choice, boy or girl doesn't make a difference). Then in rotation one person on each team picks up a card and it will say a variety of different things. For example, "nose bone connected to the shoulder bone". What you have to do now is hold the card between your nose & your partners shoulder. Crazy right?? Then the next team goes, does the same thing and so on. When it gets back to you, you & your partner have to stay connected and bend down to pick up another card. It's kinda like twister, only instead of putting hands and feet on colors, you put body part on body part. Each card is worth a certain amount of points and if you drop 2 the round is over. Kayla & Amy won.
Here is a funny ad for the game, basically looks like us last night!
THEN, we played a game called Qwelf.
Here's an overview of the game and what each card means:
Quelf is the unpredictable party game that gives Random a new name!
Whether you're answering hilarious trivia, performing ridiculous stunts, or obeying silly rules, Quelf will inspire you to use your creativity, wit and sense of humor in ways you've never imagined.
As you move around the game board, as one of eight quirky characters, crazy things start to happen. Your friends start talking strangely. Your mom's face is wrapped in toilet paper. Your dad is acting like Dracula. And you are reciting a poem about your armpits.
Rulez - rules you must follow: snort like a pig when you laugh, say everything twice, roll the dice with your elbows
Scatterbrainz - choose one of two topics and everyone gives answers until no one can think of a valid one ("Ways to get your leg out of a spring-loaded, steel bear trap" or "Brands of Lipstick")
Seriously!! Another perfect game for our crazy group. I won't even explain any further, there are videos, I will show you when I get them from Sam.
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM... Try me!
Baked Cheesy Chicken Penne
Ingredients:
6 tablespoons butter, plus more for baking dishes kosher salt and black pepper 1 pound penne rigate (I used a 14.5 oz box of Ronzoni Smart Taste Penne Rigate) 1 teaspoon olive oil 2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 8 ounces each), halved horizontally (I used some leftover cooked chicken) 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour 6 garlic cloves, finely minced 6 cups whole milk 10 ounces white or cremini mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced (I used 8 oz of button mushrooms) 1 cup sliced oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained 1 1/2 cups shredded provolone (6 ounces)(I used an italian blend that had provolone in it) 1 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan (about 6 ounces)
Method:
Preheat oven to 400. Butter two shallow 2-quart baking dishes. If you’re going to freeze one, use a disposable foil pan. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta 3 minutes short of al dente; drain pasta and set aside.
While pasta is boiling, heat oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Season chicken with salt and pepper; cook until opaque throughout, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Halve each piece lengthwise, then thinly slice crosswise. While chicken pan is still hot, toss the mushrooms in and saute until golden brown (3-4 minutes). Use a little extra olive oil if needed.(Since I used left over chicken, I just cooked the mushrooms in the olive oil)
In a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot , melt butter over medium. Add flour and garlic; cook, whisking, 1 minute. While whisking constantly, gradually add milk; bring to a simmer. Keep whisking frequently as sauce thickens, about 1 minute more. Add mushrooms and tomatoes; cook 1 minute. Take the pan off the heat and and gradually stir in provolone and 1/2 cup Parmesan.
Add chicken and pasta to pot; season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide pasta mixture between baking dishes. If freezing, place remaining parmesan cheese in a zip-top baggie. If cooking, sprinkle on top.
Bake, uncovered, until top is golden and bubbling, about 25 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Freezer instructions:
To freeze, prepare through step 4 and then let pasta cool. Cover pan well with plastic wrap. Place extra cheese in baggie (for topping) on top and then cover entire pan well with foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. To bake, preheat oven to 400. Remove foil and plastic from pan and set cheese baggie aside. Place foil back on pan and bake for about 1 1/2 hours. Remove foil, stir pasta, and top with cheese. Return pan to oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes (I only did 10 minutes) or until mixture is hot and bubbly throughout.
Queso Chicken Pasta
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
8 ounces penne pasta 2 teaspoons vegetable oil 1 cup diced onion 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 jalapeno, minced 1/2 teaspoon cumin 1/4 teaspoon coriander 1 tablespoon flour 1 1/3 cup milk, 2% or higher 1 teaspoon salt 3 tablespoons cream cheese 6 ounces colby-jack cheese, divided 1/2 cup drained Ro*Tel tomatoes 2 cups cooked shredded chicken
Method:
Heat the oven to 350 F and spray a medium casserole dish with non-stick spray.
Cook the pasta according to the package directions, but reduce the cooking time by two minutes.
In a medium pot heat the oil over medium heat. Once it begins to shimmer add the onion, garlic and peppers. Cook until they begin to soften, about three minutes. Add the cumin, coriander and salt and cook for an additional two minutes, or until the spices become fragrant.
Add the flour and cook for three minutes, stirring constantly, until all the flour is moist. Gradually whisk in the milk and stir until smooth. Bring the mixture to a simmer and allow to thicken.
Turn off the heat and add the cream cheese and 4 ounces of the shredded cheese and whisk until melted. Stir in the Ro*Tel tomatoes.
Pour the pasta into the prepared casserole dish, stir in the shredded chicken and sauce. Top with the remaining shredded cheese.
Bake 20 to 30 minutes, or until the pasta is bubbly and the cheese has melted. Let stand five minutes before serving.
So I let my inner 14 year old girl out... What of it!
But one question Biebs... Why you no use the real-deal Selena Gomez instead of a look alike???? Woulda made the video that much better... Just. Sayin'.
Ok, I gave you my prediction last night. (because I actually watched the night it was on. Go. Me. :) And here is what I predicted:
Bottom 3: Hollie Cavanagh
Josh Ledet
& Jessica Sanchez.
Eliminated: Hollie Cavanagh.
I'm about to start the show to see if I'm right. Just waiting on my slow poke mom to finish the performances. She seems to think my boy Philly Phil is in trouble. Oye! Silly mama... Ok here we go!
J-Lo & Steven Tyler are wearing matching silvery/goldy metallic outfits.
Bleh... J-Lo makes me want to kick puppies.
No opening song, threw me off. I was all set to get my judge on.
There only doing a bottom 2, that threw me double off! So I guess my prediction do-over is Hollie & Jessica in the bottom 2, Hollie is still my pick to go home.
Josh is up first, and he is NOT in the bottom 3. I was wrong. This feels weird. haha I guess he wasn't as bored as he looked, and America made the wrong choice, AGAIN.
COLDPLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY! I love you Chris Martin, you can play piano and sing to me about Paradise ANY. DAY. Gwenyth who?
Side Note: sweetest instrument decorations, EVER! Someone give them a cookie.
Up next is Hollie & Phillip. Ouch with the harshness Jimmy. Maaaaaaaaan!
Hollie's in the bottom 2, Phillip is SAFE! A-DUHHH (Take that mom! I'm in for at least another week. Boo-ya Kasha!
Carrie Underwood performed. She looked stunning. I didn't love the song. Moving on...
Final results are Jessica & Skylar. Fun Fact: My mom has Hollie, Jessica AND Skylar, so one of her people are DEFINITELY going home tonight. HA
Jessica is SAFE and Skylar is in the bottom 2.
So I'm 50/50 on my bottom 2 and I get to listen to Colplay sing again. Night. Is. Made.
Eliminated: Skylar Laine. I WAS WRONG!! How can this be? I'm always right, I'm a girl!
There you have it folks, all my thoughts on the American Idol elimination show.
I mean seriously...
How many songs do you need on the same EXACT topic! Get a hold of
yourself Usher... You're better than this... Kinda... You are getting
pretty old. Maybe it's just time to call it quits and cut your losses.
You could always fall back on that acting career... Oh wait... ;)
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