Cookies, Crackers and Cluckers!

Fall is here....which I guess I interpreted as - Falling off the Blogging train!!! I have been busy with nothing and everything, and blogging seemed so easy to let "Fall" by the wayside - But I'm back!!!!
The other night I was faced with the task of eating chicken one more time! In an attempt to be creative - I went pantry diving. Usually my pantry diving is met with "No way Mom", "I'd never eat that combo mom" and my favorite "Well - if you made it - would I HAVE to try it?". This was not the case when I re-entered the kitchen with this combo!



I told my girls I was going to put crackers and cookies on their chicken - and there was applause from the peanut gallery!

I washed and dried my chicken tenders. Blended one sleeve of Ritz Crackers (approximately 35 crackers), 8 Nilla Waffer cookies, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon in my food processor. Dipped my chicken in a beaten egg and then rolled them in the cracker "concoction". I placed them directly on a cookie sheet and baked them for 20 minutes in a 400 degree oven.
My kids and I agreed - it was our favorite nuggets ever! The Pantry diving paid off - and my family actually enjoy another chicken dinner!



Serve this and tell your kids they are getting cookies, crackers and cluckers for dinner tonight!

Libby's Chicken Marinade!

This is one of those posts - where the pictures just don't do the food justice! This marinade recipe came from from my friend Cary's mom. I gave it the title Libby's Marinade, but I also call it that "100 ingredient Marinade". It seems like there are 100 ingredients in it - but it is worth all the work! My whole family agrees that this is their favorite chicken. Twangy and slightly hot it makes your taste buds twang!!! Hope you get the gumption to try it - it's worth it!

Libby's Chicken Marinade
1 Tablespoon Liquid Smoke
1 cup vinegar
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup cooking sherry
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon onion salt
1 teaspoon powdered ginger
2 teaspoon Texas Pete hot sauce
2 teaspoon pepper
1 Tablespoon poultry seasoning

Blend all ingredients together and add 1 cup cooking oil. Mix well. Marinate meat 4 to 6 hours. Grill chicken over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes per side.



Here is a picture of most of the "100" ingredients!

Chicken Nuggets: The Fibrous kind

I've been doing a lot of pantry diving lately. I don't know if that is a good or bad thing - but I'm happy I have been using up some odds and ends. This weekend I knew I had to use up a package of chicken breasts I had bought this week - and when I spotted the panko crumbs I knew I would be making some nuggets. On the way out of the pantry I spotted the Fiesta ranch dressing mix and was excited to put a little kick in those chicks!



I won't even tell you the expiration date on this package for fear they will accuse me of child abuse - however I did smell it and it smelled fine!



I was all set to start ripping, dipping and dunking when I opened the box of Panko crumbs to find only a half of a cup in the bottom of the bag....what to do what to do. No problem. I opened my cereal cabinet to see what I could add to my Panko crumbs.



I chuckled as I ground up about a cup of Fiber One cereal. My kids would die if they knew what I had used but I was anxious to see what they thought of the fibrous nuggets!

Fibrous Nuggets
1 egg
3 Tablespoons milk or buttermilk
1/2 cup Panko crumbs
1 envelope Fiesta Ranch Dip mix, unmade
1 cup Fiber One cereal ground course
4 chicken breasts, cut up in 2 inch by 1 inch pieces

Mix egg and milk in small bowl.
Mix Panko crumbs, Fiesta Ranch Dip mix and Fiber One cereal crumbs and put in bowl by egg bowl.
Set oven to 400. Line baking sheet with Parchment. Dip cut chicken in egg mixture and then roll in crumb mixture. Set on parchment. When complete bake chicken for 20 to 25 minutes. Cool 10 minutes and serve with homemade honey mustard.

Homemade Honey mustard:
2 parts Honey
1 part yellow mustard
Mix and Dip!



My kids LOVED the nuggets! Fiber One cereal has a slightly sweet taste and the kick of the Fiesta Dip mix was the perfect blend! It turned out to be one "Kickin' Chickin'"!

White Chicken Chili!

Did you read Wednesday's post? This was the recipe I talked about. My family loved it and I hope you will too!

White Chicken Chili
1 lb. chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1 onion chopped
1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 Tablespoon oil
2 (15oz) cans Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14 oz ) can chicken broth
1 (14oz) can chopped green chilies
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup whipping cream

Saute chicken, onion, and garlic powder in oil. Add beans, broth, chilies and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in sour cream and whipping cream. Reheat on low if necessary. Serve immediately!

Enjoy!

Tandoori Chicken on Pitas!

This past Saturday was a lazy Saturday around my house - my favorite. Instead of jumping all over the laundry, vacuuming, picking up or dusting I dove right into my favorite form of procrastination - COOKING! I had seen a recipe I wanted to try out in a Light cookbook. My girls loved the chicken - alone- and chose not to "Doctor" it all up in the yummy yogurt sauce (yeah more for me and the hubby)! It was so light and refreshing and perfect! It helped set the mood for a long afternoon of laundry, vacuuming, dusting and picking up!

Tandoori Chicken on Pitas
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 Tablespoons curry powder - I used 1 Tablespoon and 1 teaspoon smokey Paprika since my kids would be eating it.
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts. (I flattened mine so they would cook quickly)
1 Tablespoon Olive oil

1. Mix flour, curry powder, salt and pepper in a plastic bag. Add chicken, close bag and shake to coat. Remove chicken, shake off excess flour.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook, turning once, 10 minutes or until golden and cooked through. Remove to a cutting board.



3. While chicken cooks, mix sauce ingredients in a bowl. Coarsely chop bell pepper, tomatoes and cucumbers. Toast pitas.
4. Cut chicken diagonally in 1/2 inch wide strips. Place a pita on each plate. Top with pepper, tomato and cucumber then chicken. Spoon on sauce; garnish with limes and cilantro.

Yogurt Sauce:
3/4 cup plain lowfat yogurt (I used greek yogurt - because that is what I had)
1 Tablespoon finely chopped red onion ( I doubled because I LOVE red onion)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon each ground cumin and salt

Toppings for sandwich:
1 yellow bell pepper
2 medium tomatoes chopped (I just used grape tomatoes)
1 cucumber chopped

I loved this and will be making this again in the near future! Take your taste buds on an adventure and try this Tandoori chicken Pita!

Denise's Chicken Tortilla Soup

This is my sweet, sweet friend Denise! We have known each other for 8 years now-and our friendship just keeps getting better. This picture cracks me up. It was taken this past year when we went down to the National Mall and did the "Walk for the Cure". We had just run into "Carlos" from Desperate Housewives in a store downtown. Denise - my crazy, always up for anything friend wanted to get our picture with him. She had remembered that he had lost his mother to breast cancer and wanted to use me (her breast cancer friend) as a decoy to get a picture with him! I love her - and on any given day I probably would have been up for it - but I was literally having a panic attack on the spot. My inside voice kept saying, "Your hair looks like a guy, you're 20 pounds over weight, and you would look like an idiot in the picture anyway - so what is the point of taking a picture you wouldn't show any one anyway!" I HATE that little voice. I have since stopped listening to it. Needless to say - today I wish I had thrown myself into "Carlos' " arms and told Denise, "Take a picture". Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda's!! Doesn't she have cheek bones to die for? By the way, she is an AMAZING tennis player and just went to the national level with her Ashburn tennis team.



Denise's Chicken Tortilla Soup
2-3 Chicken Breast Cubed (you can use raw or pre-cooked chicken)



2 Cans of Cream of Chicken Soup whisked with 2 cans of water
2 celery stalks chopped
1 onion chopped
1/4 cup of Fresh Cilantro chopped (I do this in the food processor with the onion)
1 Red Bell Pepper finely chopped
16 oz of Corn
1/2 cup of Cheddar Cheese or Mexican Cheese mix
Tabasco to taste (you may want to add that to only your own portion since it can be too spicy for kids)



4 to 6 hours in Crock Pot (my kids have fun topping the soup) with the following that make the soup a success:

Favorite Tortilla Chips broken
Dollop of Sour Cream
Fresh Salsa (Giant has the best)
Shredded Cheese
Guacamole (if you like)
Tabasco


I love this soup. Denise brought it to me the day after my surgery and I have been hooked ever since. Hope you enjoy it too!

Slow Cooker Thai Wraps

I had the extra tortilla shells left over from my "Best Ever Taco" night and looked through my cookbooks for a recipe to use them. I was so excited when I stumbled across this recipe that my family loves and I haven't made in a million years!



Thai Chicken Wrap
1 pound raw chicken tenders
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
3 Tablespoon creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon curry powder

Place all ingredients in slow cooker for 6 hours on low. Take out and shred. Serve on soft tortilla with broccoli slaw.
My hubby loves this and the great part is - my kids do too!!

The Best Taco filling - EVER!

I'll admit it - I am completely partial to Mexican food. If given the opportunity to go out to eat, I ALWAYS choose Mexican. I am constantly looking for recipes that will give me the flavors I love at restaurants, but also in the comfort of my own home. Well, the other day I hit pay dirt! I dug into my cookbooks and came across this recipe from an elementary school cookbook I purchased last year. It caught my attention when I saw - Slow cooker - but it stole my heart with the first taste!



White Chili Mini Tacos
1 1/4 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs (I used organic chicken tenders)
2 Tablespoons Taco Seasoning Mix
1 (4.5 oz) can chopped green chilies
1 (19 oz) can cannelloni beans, drained
Taco shells

Place chicken in crock pot. Sprinkle with taco seasoning mix. Top with chiles and beans. Cover and cook at low setting for 5 or 6 hours. 15 minutes before serving, shred chicken in crock pot and mix together with beans. Place into shells with favorite taco toppings.

My family ATE IT UP! This recipe will definitely go into the family rotation!

2 Cheap Chicks & $20!

About a month ago my sweet little friend over at Big Red Kitchen, Robin Sue, called me with a challenge. Being the frugal mommies we are - she asked if I wanted to be part of a dynamic duo - "2 Cheap Chicks and $20". The concept would be that we would pick different grocery stores and make a gourmet meal for under $20. As soon as she asked I was all over it! Just a quick note here about Robin Sue. Yes - she is freakishly small, and yes I am freakishly tall. My 6 feet put beside her 5 feet make us look more like Mutt and Jeff rather than a dynamic duo. What can I say - I KNOW good things come in small packages and Robin Sue proves that! Click over to her blog, Big Red Kitchen, to see what wonderful things she did with $20!




The challenge was on. We decided our first location would be Trader Joe's. The rules would be to make 3 dishes to feed 4 people for under $20. Sounded easy enough, so I scoured through cook books trying to find cohesive recipes that would lend themselves to such a tight budget.



We brought our calculators, $20, and imaginations! I had visions of preparing a wonderful meal with a gourmet dessert, but when you start adding up all those little ingredients that go into making just one dish, your expectations readjust slightly.



We slowly filled our carts and headed for the check out while holding our breath. Robin was sure she had gone over while I was completely confident in my math skills. I had checked and rechecked and proudly went through the check out with only my 20 dollar bill. All I can say is thank goodness for the "Take a Penny, Give a Penny" dish. Yikes - I had gone over 6 cents!



Here is the finished meal. If you ask me - it was worth the 6 extra cents! See if you agree.



The first side I chose was Baked Honey Onions. I love onions and I feel they play second fiddle too much of the time. I wanted a recipe to highlight this wonderfully tasty vegetable! The recipe I found in my Giant supermarket magazine was just the thing.



Baked Honey Onions
1 cup chicken broth
1 Tablespoon butter
2 teaspoons honey
1/4 teaspoon lemon rind
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 Tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
3 large white onions, quartered
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 325. Mix all ingredients (except the onions and cheese) together in a bowl. Coat a casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange the onions in a single layer in the dish, and cover them with the chicken broth mixture.
Cover onions and bake for 1 hour. Sprinkle the cheese on top. Return to the oven, and bake for 5 more minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Serves 4.



Green beans are always a hit in my house and what could be better than adding Pancetta to these already yummy morsels!



Green Beans with Pancetta and Brown sugar
1 bag frozen green beans
2 Tablespoons Brown sugar
4 oz Pancetta

Cook Pancetta in fry pan. Continue to remove grease as it cooks but retain it for later use.
Cook green beans in microwave according to package.
Drain green beans and toss with 2 Tablespoons brown sugar. Add cooked Pancetta and desired amount of grease.



Chicken was the last item on my menu. When my hubby and I moved to Rochester N.Y. we were introduced to Chicken Francese. I could not get enough of it when we lived there and sadly - we don't eat it very much anymore. I knew this was the perfect opportunity to introduce my children to one of my favorite dishes. The original recipe calls for skinless, boneless chicken breast, but I was on a budget! Chicken tenders would have to do this time.

Chicken Francese
2.5 lbs. Boneless, Skinless, chicken breasts
2 cups chicken stock
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 olive oil
3/8 cup white wine
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup lightly salted butter
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
Flour for dusting
pinch of salt and pepper

1. Season flour with salt and pepper.
2. Lightly dust chicken breast in flour and dip in beaten eggs.
3. Saute chicken in vegetable oil, approximately 3 minutes per side on medium heat.
4. Remove chicken from pan and deglaze with white wine and chicken stock.
5. Reduce liquid by half and add heavy cream.
6. Finish with lemon juice and adjust seasoning.
7. Return chicken to sauce and simmer for 5 minutes.

Enjoy!


I could not make an extraordinary gourmet dessert - however with $1.50 left over I treated my family to 3 triangles of a Toblerone bar. Not a bad way to end a meal!



I hope you have enjoyed reading about our $20 adventure! Check back Wednesday for a Weight Watcher's meal and then Friday for a recap on our Gourmet Club that met over this past weekend! Robin Sue and the Dude "Himself" hosted a mighty fine Hoe-down! Can't wait to share the pictures!

Rindy's Radar: EAT!'s Chicken Nuggets

Which came first- The chicken or the egg? This is how I served the chicken nuggets, on my deviled egg plate and an Easter ramekin to hold the sauce. I laughed - my children didn't. Oh how we mom's entertain ourselves!
Once in a while a recipe you read on someone's blog will get your attention. That is exactly what happened when I read EAT!'s Chicken Nuggets blog! I could not get those things out of my head. I knew it was a meal my kids would love - but those tasty little morsels looked like I would love them too! I am not a big "fryer" girl. I can't usually work up the muster to make my kitchen into a disaster area (look at pictures below) for the sake of one meal; let alone the smell that lingers through the day whenever you fry something. Those darn chicken nuggets kept "Chirping" in my brain. One rainy day - I decided - today is the day. I have nothing on the calendar and nuggets on the brain, so I decided to make my kitchen a disaster area and my family one happy flock!!!



EAT!'s Chicken Nuggets:
I did not have Penzey's Chicago Steak Seasoning so I bought Sylvia's chicken coating in the store and it was very yummy. The package said it would make Col Sanders cry - so you have to try a product that can even make a dead guy cry - right?


Remove the nuggets from the oil and drain on a paper towel lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt. Serve with honey mustard, barbecue sauce or EAT!'s Dill Sauce.


EAT!'s Dill Sauce:

I added a teaspoon of lemon juice and made it more into a dill tarter sauce - yummy both ways!



My kids opted for the honey mustard route: 2 Tablespoons honey to 1 teaspoon yellow mustard.
More Mayo for me - Yeah! Can you really ever get enough of that "White Butter"?

Rindy's Chicken Salad

Even your carrot sticks will stand at attention when you introduce them to this Chicken Salad!
Over the years I have had my fair share of chicken salad. You've got your salad with celery, with water chestnuts, and with a dozen of wonderful ingredients - but I have never found one I like more then this one. Whenever I make this luncheon treat, I always get asked "What is that taste"? My recipe has the certain ingredient that people can't put their finger on - but they love it! Here's the secret.....Sesame Oil! Try out this summer creation and see if your vegetables don't take notice.

2 cups Rotisserie chicken, cut off and chopped to desired size
1 scallion
1/2 cup green or red grapes, cut into thirds
1/4 cup almond slices
1/3 cup Hellmann's mayonnaise
1 tsp. Sesame oil
salt and pepper to taste



Mix ingredients together and serve on croissant, toast, lettuce salad or even wonton wrapper - see below.
If making a day ahead, leave almonds out until ready to serve.

Place wonton wrappers in greased muffin tins. Bake at 400 for 8 minutes. Let cool and store in an air tight container. You can make 1 to 2 days ahead of time.