quick and yummy
Here is the final recipe from my April trip to Chicago. It comes, once again, from Half Baked Harvest, and as usual, slightly altered to use what is available.
May 22, 2023 No Comments
pasta, please
Here is another recipe I made while visiting Max and his parents in Chicago last month. (less than 2 weeks until I go back for his 1st birthday!)
I’ve laid out the list of ingredients slightly differently on this one than I usually do. Generally, I will list the full amount of, let’s say smoked paprika, and if the paprika is used in two different parts of the recipe, I’ll write “divided” after the ingredient. That seemed more confusing than helpful in this case. So the point is, don’t put away those spices right away, you’re going to need them again.
Also, as sometimes happens, this is a do as I say, not as I do recipe. I sautéed everything in a large skillet and then had to transfer it all to a large pot to add the pasta and complete the recipe. Better to simply sauté in the large pot from the get-go.
[Read more →]May 18, 2023 No Comments
More recipes tried in Chicago
I was visiting Max and his parents in Chicago at the end of last month and tried a few new recipes for Mom and Dad, aka Marissa & Jeff.
This first one was from the Half Baked Harvest blog. It could not have been quicker or easier. Also, delicious, so I’ll be making it again and adding in diced chicken breast or thighs for added protein.
Oh, and May the 4th be with you!
[Read more →]May 4, 2023 No Comments
My new favorite recipe
One thing about me, with the exception of holidays, I rarely make a recipe twice, let alone 3 times in the span of a few weeks! This recipe is now a family favorite. I don’t know exactly what it is. Maybe it’s the fact that I don’t often use ground chicken. Ground turkey, all the time, so I may be a bit sick of ground turkey. Ground chicken seems to taste milder to me. It carries other flavors better. I don’t know, I’m just all about ground chicken right now. Then there’s the richness of the dish; cream cheese, Parmesan, mozzarella, pesto; all the good stuff! Give this a try and let me know if it becomes a part of your meal rotation.
[Read more →]March 28, 2023 2 Comments
a new Thanksgiving recipe!
Here we are, 4 days until Christmas and I’m finally posting a Thanksgiving recipe. Obviously, it would be great for Christmas too, so if you’re still searching for a new side dish, I highly recommend this one! I found it on Instagram, posted by one of my favorite cheese providers, Murray’s Cheese. The recipe calls for hot honey and burrata.
Burrata is an Italian cow’s milk cheese made from mozzarella and cream. The outer casing is solid mozzarella, while the inside is stracciatella and cream, making it extremely luxurious and delicious when broken open.
I’m posting both Murray’s photo and my own. Murray’s used kabocha squash and shows the burrata still in its whole form. While I used acorn squash and broke up my burrata a bit more and scattered mine throughout the platter, ensuring all guests were able to have some on their plates. Also, the lighting in my photo is atrocious, taking on the stove, under the stove light! Terrible!
If you’ve never had hot honey, you’re really missing out! The brand most popular is Mike’s Hot Honey, which you can find at most grocery stores. Trader Joe’s has their own brand and you can also easily find burrata there.
[Read more →]December 21, 2022 No Comments
Instant Pot vs. Slow Cooker
At my house, I have an Instant Pot and a slow cooker, also known by the brand name, Crockpot.
As far as small electric kitchen appliances go, I also have a food dehydrator, an air-fryer, a countertop grill, a rice cooker, a waffle iron, a citrus juicer, an extractor juicer, an immersion blender, a Vitamix blender, a three-bowl hot pot, an ice cream maker, an electric skillet, a Cuisinart food processor, a KitchenAid stand mixer, 2 hand mixers, a deep fryer, a commercial coffee maker, a popcorn popper, an electric kettle, a 4-slot toaster, a Raclette grill, a sous vide, and the list goes on and on.
I bring this up not to brag about my plethora of appliances. The opposite, actually. If I hadn’t previously owned a cooking school, this would be embarrassing. The fact that the cooking school has been closed for coming up on 10 years makes it ridiculous! When I return to Arizona I plan to do some purging. One of the first things to go will be the Crockpot. When you have an Instant Pot, the slow cooker becomes redundant. In fact, all of the slow cooker recipes I’ve been posting these last two weeks have been made in Marissa’s Instant Pot on the slow cooker setting. Another thing that will be going to charity will be the popcorn popper. I bet that thing hasn’t been used for 25+ years!
As for the recipe below, Marissa and I discussed how to zip it up a bit more and decided that the addition of a diced bell pepper would be a good addition. That is added to the recipe below, though you won’t see it in the accompanying photos.
Instant Pot Lickity-Split Chicken Burrito Bowls
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
- 3 garlic cloves peeled and minced
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 2 (1.25-ounce) packages taco seasoning
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 2 (15-ounce) cans corn kernels, drained
- 2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups fresh salsa, homemade or store-bought
- 2 (4.5-ounce) cans chopped green chiles
- 2 cups long-grain rice
- 2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese, additional for garnish
- Sour cream, garnish
- 1 diced tomato, garnish
- 1 sliced green onion, garnish
- Chopped fresh cilantro leaves, garnish
- Hot sauce, garnish
Set a 6-qt Instant Pot to “sauté” and adjust to “high” or “more”. Add oil, when heated, add onion and bell pepper and sauté until soft and translucent. Season with salt and pepper, add the garlic, and turn off the pot.
[Read more →]December 5, 2022 1 Comment
Happy Birthday, Marissa!
December 1, 2022 2 Comments
Max and Mushroom Soup
Can you believe that I’ve been here in Chicago with Marissa, Jeff, and Max for all this time, have put up 6 recipe posts, and haven’t shared a single photo of Max? It’s called “Lola Restraint.” Trust me, if this grandma didn’t have that sort of restraint and fortitude, this entire blog would turn into a blog about Max! I will not keep you waiting any longer…
My beautiful 5-month-old boy, Max Cameron! Even with the pain in my knee, I’m enjoying every second of being this sweetie’s Lola.
We even took a walk through the fall leaves to Trader Joe’s to do some grocery shopping on the third day I was here. Although it is only 0.6 miles from the house, a 30-minute round-trip walk, we will definitely be taking the car the next time. My left knee and the right leg, which supports the other, were not happy with me! And it took quite a bit longer than what should have been 30 minutes. There is one more photo of Max and his mama at the end of this very luxurious and luscious recipe. xoxo
[Read more →]November 21, 2022 No Comments
soup for the ailing
Until Saturday, November 12th, all of my immediate family were unicorns. Have you heard of them? A unicorn is now what an individual who has not contracted Covid-19 in these past long 2 3/4 years is referred to.
One of our unicorns has fallen. Jeff, who has been going into the office once again, contracted Covid-19. Upon waking up on that Saturday morning with a fever, he subsequently took a test to learn the bad news. He immediately began quarantining in the master bedroom. Marissa tested and was negative. I did not want to waste a test, since I don’t have as much direct contact with Jeff, deciding instead to only test if Marissa or Max came down with it.
Jeff had a rough Sunday, that is until we got him some Paxlovid. He is feeling better each day, told to quarantine for five days from contraction, so he will be testing again Thursday to see if he is negative and able to join the world again. (masked, for an additional 5 days, in accordance with the doctor’s orders)
As I type this, it is currently Tuesday, November 15th, Marissa tests daily, so far, so good! I fly out on Sunday morning to be home in time for Thanksgiving with my fellow unicorns, Connor, Dave, and my dad. Keeping my fingers crossed that all stays well and that M & M and I continue to be unicorns too!
November 16, 2022 No Comments
slow cooker days
I have been using the slow cooker much more on this trip to Chicago than on my month-long visit when Max was born in June. Mostly because I am his primary caregiver on weekdays while Marissa and Jeff are working. His longest nap is the first one in the morning, so I get everything prepped and into the cooker during that nap so that I don’t need to think about cooking for the rest of the day. The following recipe could easily be done in the oven, but then it would need more attention and I’d rather give all my attention to Max! *I made a half recipe, using only four chicken thighs. I found a Brussels spout sauté pack at Trader Joe’s that I served as the side dish.
[Read more →]November 11, 2022 2 Comments