Spicy Tequila Lime Chicken Quesadillas

Cooking:

First, I almost forgot how to spell quesadilla.  My confusion may come from the fact that I totally forgot that I made these AND I made them back in October (if the date stamp on my camera can be trusted).  Or I'm tired.  One of the two.

I marinated these chicken breasts in a plastic bag with tequila, lime juice, cayenne pepper, olive oil, and minced garlic for about 4 hours.

I grilled my chicken, then my peppers and onions, in the same pan (so the veggies would pick up some of the seasoning from the marinade).

I topped one flour tortilla with sliced chicken, onions, peppers, and shredded Boar's Head three pepper colby jack cheese (I am OBSESSED with this cheese).  Then topped it with another tortilla and threw it on my grill.

We enjoyed these tasty treats with light sour cream, habanero salsa, and homemade margaritas.  It didn't suck.

Reading:

So you're clearly all going to think that I only read really weird books.  Or books with dark characters.  Or books with murder.  Or whatever.  And I'm ok with that, because I always let people know that the books I tend towards are different before I make recommendations.  I give you the same disclaimer, peeps.

Sharp Objects is good.  The characters are interesting (if a little exaggerated in their imperfections) and the setting is well-described and spot-on.  I felt a little like Gillian Flynn fought too hard to make the reader go "WTF!" with this one, and so I didn't love it.  (For the record, I felt this way about Gone Girl, too, but not as strongly).  Given that this was her first novel, though, it was excellent.  And her mind must be a VERY dark and twisty place, which is nice for people like me who like dark and twisty (and slightly depressing) things.

Wearing:

The fun-spending ban is still on, and since I don't consider working out to be much fun, I don't consider purchasing this tank a violation.

via

But a girls' gotta keep herself in shape (for me, to keep myself from going absolutely CRAZY [or crazier than my normal nature]) so bring on the bar(re).  Boo.

Baked Chicken Taquitos

Have a mentioned things have been crazy?

Oy.

But I can't leave you hanging for much longer, peeps, so I present to you baked chicken taquitos.

Preheat the oven to 350 and combine the following:

4 cooked, shredded chicken breasts,
6 oz. softened cream cheese,
4 oz. shredded Mexican blend cheese
half a jar of jalapenos
1 can rotel (I used the super spicy stuff)
white pepper, cayenne, chili powder, salt, and cumin to taste

I piled my "stuffing" onto a small corn tortilla, rolled it up, placed it on my baking sheet and baked them for about 20 minutes.

The results were cracked and crispy and totally delicious, if not particularly lovely to look upon.

Unlike these.

Valentino via Neiman Marcus

These are lovely.

Chicken and Broccoli Quinoa Mac and Cheese

I believe this blog is a testament to how much I like to cook; I hope that each of my readers understands that, despite my typically awful pictures and penchant for taking bites out of my food before I photograph it, I do care a lot about what I put on this blog and like to let you glimpse in at my successes (and failures!) in the kitchen.

I also like to confess, from time to time.

Today's confession:  I freakin' LOVE Kraft Macaroni and Cheese.

And if it's spiral mac and cheese - even better.  I LOVE IT.  (image)  With that said, I don't make enough money to support my mac and cheese habit, and I understand that processed, powdered cheese stuffs probably aren't the best for my diet.  A reinvention is obviously in order.

So the answer is obviously additional fake cheese stuffs.  I know, I know.  Not good.  But this recipe only uses two ounces of Velveeta.  Two lousy ounces.  How can you go wrong?!

1 1/2 cups fully cooked quinoa (about 3/4 cup dry)
2 chicken breasts, shredded or sliced
1/2 head broccoli, cut into small florets and steamed
2 ounces Velveeta
Tabasco, salt, and pepper (to taste)

Steam your broccoli until it's fork tender (I did this while I cooked my quinoa) and set aside.

I seasoned my chicken breasts with salt and pepper and grilled them on the stove top, then allowed them to cool, briefly, before shredding/slicing them.  Again, I did this while my quinoa was a-cookin'.

Since I cook my quinoa in the microwave, the next step was the easiest:  as soon as the quinoa was done, I threw the chicken, the broccoli, the Velveeta, and a bunch of Tabasco into the bowl that I used for my quinoa, stirred it all up until it was well-mixed and the cheese was nice and melty.  I seasoned it with salt and pepper, and then I sat my happy ass down and ate it.  It doesn't get much better than that.  Well, it does, but I'll need to buy stock in Kraft to see a return on my Mac & Cheese obsession.  Getting paid (in a roundabout way) to eat spiral mac and cheese WOULD be better. 

About that I cannot lie.

Nor about this:

Fendi via Bergdorf Goodman

WTF.

Crispy Fried Potatoes and Roasted Chicken

In an attempt to clean out my drop box, I have come across a LOT of pictures of things that I made months ago.  Months as in pre-honeymoon, pre-wedding, pre-wedding diet, the whole thing.  PRE.

This entire meal was so simple.  It required the following basic ingredients:

Bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts (I made two huge breasts)
Yukon gold potatoes
kosher salt
pepper
olive oil

Easy peasy, am I right?
I sprinkled the chicken with olive oil, salt, and pepper and placed it in my baking dish.  I roasted it at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes.  Nothing to it.

I shredded my potatoes using the julienne blade on my mandolin/slicer/thing, then tossed them with olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Very difficult.  Then I tossed them into a pan, let them get crispy, flipped, crisped, and served!

We ate our roast chicken and potatoes with spinach salad.  It was so quick and easy and everything had a lot of flavor, despite minimal prep time and ingredients.  It's a great meal to keep in your back pocket, for days when you don't want to prep anything too involved.  As someone who is known to plan big meals and end up too tired to cook them at the end of the day, it's never bad to have a fallback like this!

And speaking of fallbacks:

 Christian Louboutin via Barneys

Can you ever go wrong with a pump like this?  Ever?!

Quickie Friday: Slow Cooker Balsamic Chicken

A lot of the crockpot recipes that are in my comfort zone include cream soups.  In an effort to change that, I went this route, and am glad that I did!

Slow Cooker Balsamic Chicken
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cloves thinly sliced garlic
4 frozen, boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 can diced tomatoes (I used garlic and oregano seasoned tomatoes)
red pepper, salt, and black pepper to taste

Set your crockpot on low for 8 hours, and enjoy a warm, light dish when you get home.  I served ours over orzo mixed with parmesan and spinach.

In other exciting news, we got new plates for the wedding, so the pics will continue to improve.  HOORAY!

These totally fake stingray sandals from F21 are good news, too.

via

When Mr. Mustachio (aka Daniel) got booted from Project Runway this season, I pouted over not being able to see more of his stingray accents.  These will scratch that particular itch quite nicely (and cheaply!)

Quickie Friday: Cream Cheese & Jalapeno Stuffed Chicken

I am always looking for new things to do with chicken, especially during the week when I'm often pressed for time (and starving after a day in the library!).

For this recipe, combine:

6 oz. cream cheese (I used fat free)
2 green onions
2 large jalapenos
salt, pepper, and garlic to taste

Cut a large slit into the sides of four chicken breasts (be careful not to slice them all the way through) and spoon the cream cheese mixture into the chicken and use bamboo skewers (or kitchen twine) to secure the closures.

Pan-fry the chicken in a fat of your choosing (I used some of my compound butter) until it's browned on all size.  Then pop the frying pan in the oven for about 15 minutes (at 350 degrees). 

I served the chicken on top of 2 cups of white rice that I combined with one can of Rotel and shredded cheese.  Not the best picture, but it's an easy meal that can be thrown together in no time!

I have been on the hunt for some mid-heel pumps for quite some time (for the days when the library is REALLY crazy) without success.  Until now . . .

via Zara

These are, of course, sold out in my size, so the search continues.  Do any of you have a mid-heel pump that you recommend?

Turkey Parmesan Meatballs

When my mother and aunt were in town, way back in October (where did the time . . . year! . . . go?) I decided to try my hand at a turkey parmesan meatball recipe of my own creation.  I am not going to lie, it turned out well. 

First up, the red sauce.  I started by sauteing a half cup of red onion in a little olive oil, then adding four cloves of minced garlic garlic once the onions became slightly translucent.  At that point, I added one 28 oz. can Cento tomatoes (whole), sugar (about 2 tablespoons), as well as oregano, basil, red pepper, salt, and pepper (to taste).

I crushed the tomatoes as the mixture simmered, to ensure a nice thick, rich sauce.  I then covered the sauce and set to work on my meatballs (first step, preheat the oven to 350 degrees).

1 lb. ground turkey
1 egg
1/2 c. parmesan
1/2 c. breadcrumbs
one medium red onion
1/4 c. chopped parsley
4 cloves garlic
To taste:  oregano, basil, red pepper, salt, pepper

Combine the ingredients in a mixing bowl and use your hands to combine well.  Shape the mixture into racquetball-sized meatballs.

I browned my meatballs as best I could on all sides.  And set them aside, momentarily, to drain any residual fat.  I poured a few large spoonfuls of my red sauce into a 9x13 baking dish, then placed the meatballs on top.

I poured the remainder of my sauce over the meatballs, and added a few slices of fresh mozzarella for extra credit (cheese never hurts, especially fresh mozzarella!).

After baking for about 20 minutes, I served the meatballs with some sauteed spinach and a mixture of orzo and shredded zucchini.

That photo does not do the meal justice.  The meatballs were filling, yet light, and the side dishes accompanied the cheesy flavor of the meatballs perfectly.

I think that these wedges would accompany my spring wardrobe nicely:

Pollini via Saks

I'm not familiar with Pollini, but at this price point and with shoes that are this gorgeous, I suspect we'll be great, lifelong friends. 

Happy Turkey Day!

It's official (or more official, anyway).

I'm a dork.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving - regular posts return Monday!

Slow Cooker Stuffed Peppers

Let me preface this post by informing you that you will not get a photo of the final product.  To say that these stuffed peppers are nothing to look at in their final, edible form would be an understatement.

This recipe, which I discovered on pinterest, naturally, did not indicate that one should pulverize the vegetables in a food processor to begin, but that is exactly what I did (not intentionally - but I got distracted and things happened).

I had to really smoosh my peppers into the crock pot. but smoosh them I did, and they fit just like the recipe said they should.

I used ground turkey in my recipe instead of beef or pork, and I also left out the tomato paste in favor of dumping a can of tomato sauce over the top of my peppers.

I set my crockpot to cook on low for 9 hours, then threw some cheese on top when I got home from work for a little extra something.  The peppers were good, but I have one caveat:  you really need to season the stuffing MUCH MORE than the recipe says.  They were bland.  I added extra seasoning to mine, and they were still bland.  And nobody wants a bland pepper.  Otherwise, they were super-filling and easy, so I plan on trying them again.  I will report back.

These, however, are in no way, shape, or form bland:

B Brian Atwood via Bergdorf Goodman

I am loving the subtle color-blocked snakeskin and think these would be amazingly versatile.  Happy birthday to me?!

Quickie Friday: Crockpot Chicken Fajitas

Fajitas in a crock pot.  Need I say more:

Throw a bunch of onions, a bunch of peppers, and whatever fiesta-ish spices you have in your house (I used cumin, cayenne, a little oregano, chili powder, white pepper, and garlic salt) in the crockpot with 4 frozen chicken breasts and 4 cups of chicken broth, turn it on low and let it go for 8-10 hours.  Shred the chicken, throw it on a tortilla with whatever fixins' you like, and have a margarita cuz dinner's ready. 

Oh wait, before you eat, please run to Target and get some of these:

I have no idea what a boot sweater is, but I'm cracking up that that's what these things are called.  Go forth and conquer with your boot sweaters, peeps, and please report back.

Slow Cooker Turkey Meatball Stroganoff

This recipe arrived in my inbox one fine day, a few weeks back, and I couldn't resist giving it a shot.  Having never been a fan of traditional stroganoffs, however, I decided to make a few changes and make this extra spicy.

I used spicy brown mustard instead of dijon, and added plenty of white pepper and tobasco to my sauce to make it as spicy and flavorful as possible.

I also had a hard time finding light french onion dip, so I used the heavy stuff.  That was a decision that, while not good for the waist-line, I definitely recommend, because the flavor was tremendous.

And I've never met an egg noodle I didn't like, so while I would've preferred to serve this atop some sort of healthy somethingorother, the egg noodles were an obvious choice.

My inner horseback-riding-loving North Dakota girl totally came out when I saw these boots:

via

These are totally the boots that fashionable Ash would have worn to horse camp, lo those many years ago.  And she would have rocked the shit heck out of them - so much so that I think I need them now, to reconnect with my youth.  My birthday is creeping up, and feeling 12 again wouldn't be so bad (without the things that made being 12 so awkward, that is).

Chicken and Black Bean Grilled "Burritos"

As I sat down to write this post, I began to think about what makes a burrito just that . . . is it a sauce?  Is it the composition?  Is it just an arbitrary moniker given to delicious, meat (or cheese!)-filled tortillas? 

I don't think it really matters, but I'm curious for your input, peeps.  On an unrelated note - these are the VERY LAST of my crappy pictures from cooking in my crappy apartment!  HOORAY!

The filling for these tortilla treats consisted of sour cream, onion, black beans, shredded chicken, and a variety of spices (cayenne, cumin, garlic, oregano, white pepper, salt, etc.).  I simply rolled the filling in a whole wheat tortilla, threw it in my grill pan to crisp up, and served!

A little salsa and avocado on top (not shown) and this made a perfectly filling and easy meal!  The leftovers would be great on tortilla chips or in a pita, too.

This weekend marks the first big wedding event since we got engaged:  my bridal shower!  I'm flying home to ND, and thanks to the F I have these fabulous shoes to wear all over town (and I'll be over-shoed.  Obviously.  While not always overdressed in ND, I am always over-shoed).  If I wanted to take it up another notch, I think these would be great:

Jimmy Choo via Neiman Marcus

Perhaps I'll but these out for my next trip north.  They're the most logical choice, after all.