I am SO behind!!

Ok, I realize that I haven't posted in quite a while, but to be honest, I haven't done much cooking. I did some baking around Christmas, but we were so busy that I didn't cook much. Then, on December 19th, my husband came down with pnuemonia and between that and tonsilitis, he was sick for 22 days. So I was on my own most nights for dinner. I started doing Weight Watchers a week ago, and I am really excited about it. I've lost 2 lbs already, and I feel very motivated. I will be going grocery shopping later this week, and I have lots of exciting recipes coming up. I have several from Cooking Light that I can't wait to make, as well as some WW recipes. So hopefully, I will have some updates very soon!

Cheeseburger Stuffed Mushrooms

So tonight is my Bunco night, and I decided to take 2 things. I am going to be making my version of herb& cheese monkey bread (recipe to come tomorrow, if it doesn't suck!), but I don't know how it will turn out, so I wanted a back up. I had torn out a page from one of my Rachel Ray magazines that had several different stuffed mushroom ideas, and this was one of them. I've done the prep work already, so when I get home from work all I have to do is stuff them and bake them. I'll let you know how they turn out.

Cheeseburger Stuffed Mushrooms
16 stuffer mushrooms
1/2 lb ground beef
1 small onion, finely chopped
olive oil
worchestershire sauce
american cheese

Saute onions in a little bit of olive oil until tender. Add ground beef. When cooked through, drain grease. Add a couple tablespoons of worchestershire sauce and salt & pepper. Stuff each mushroom with hamburger mixture. Top with a 2 inch square of cheese. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes. Top with a dollup of ketchup.

Stuffed Pepper Casserole

So I sort of just made up what I cooked for dinner Friday night. It is WAY past time for me to go to the grocery, but I just haven't had time, so I worked with what I had. I had actually bought the stuff to make stuffed green peppers a few weeks ago, but never got around to it. So my peppers weren't in great shape, but they were still usable, so I didn't want to just throw them out. Here's what I came up with...

1 lb ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
4 green peppers, chopped in quarter size chunks
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
garlic salt to taste
onion salt to taste
black pepper to taste
Italian seasonings (my diced tomatoes weren't seasoned, but if you used the kind with italian seasonings, you might not need as much of this)

Brown ground beef in a skillet with onions. Drain grease and add green peppers, diced tomatoes, 1/2 can of tomato sauce, and seasonings. Cook on med-low until everything is heated. Pour into a baking dish and cover with remaining tomato sauce. Put in 350 degree oven for about45 minutes.

Sesame Chicken

While I have a spare moment, I figured I would go ahead and post the recipe for our dinner tonight. I've made it several times already, and it has been awesome every time. I found the recipe on Carrie's Sweet Life, and almost every recipe that I have gotten off of her blog has been phenomenal. So anyway, here it is...

Sesame Chicken (Nestie: TexasSmith)
1 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. toasted sesame seeds, divided
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. Chinese five-spice powder
1.5 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 package chicken breast strips, cut into chunks
8 tbsp. teriyaki sauce
6 tbsp. honey (I ended up using a little bit more, because I'm impatient and want my sauce thick!)
oil for frying
In a large ziplock bag, combine flour, 1/4 c. sesame seeds, black pepper, red pepper and Chinese spice. Place chicken in bag and shake to coat.
Heat oil in large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Place chicken into skillet and brown on both sides, about 5 minutes per side.
Remove chicken from skillet and empty excess oil from pan. Reduce heat to low and return chicken to skillet. Mix in teriyaki sauce, honey and 1/4 c. sesame seeds, and stir until sauce thickens.

I serve it with white rice or fried rice, whichever I happen to be in the mood for.

I need some help.

I am so behind right now, not just with my blog, but with EVERYTHING! I cannot believe that it is already December 10th. I haven't accomplished anything this month. I do have my Christmas tree up, and my wreath on my door, but that is literally the extent of what I have done. I've bought ONE Christmas present, and the only reason I've done that is because I ordered it online. So needless today, next week is going to be a CRAZY week for me. My goal is to go out every evening after work and do a little at a time so that by Saturday, I will have all of my gifts bought, and I can spend the day wrapping and doing my Christmas baking. Because I have so much to do, I'm not going to have the time or money to put into my grocery shopping next week. What I would like is to try to plan the next 2 wks worth of meals with things that only require a couple of ingredients. So that is where the "help" comes in. I need dinner ideas. Low cost, quick dinner ideas. So if there is anyone that actually reads this...HELP ME!! :)

My Best Friend

This past Tuesday, my husband & I celebrated a special day. It was our 9 yr "dating anniversary"!! It's hard for me to believe that we have been together for 9 years. In some ways, it has gone by super fast, but in other ways, I feel like I have been with him my whole life. We started dating when I was 21 yrs old, so I have actually been with him all of my adult life. We have made so many great memories over the years. We have also faced many struggles. But if I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't change it for anything, because our relationship is what it is today because of the good AND the bad. He is truly an incredible person and my very best friend. Every day is an adventure. He is my sounding board and my biggest fan. He pushes me when I need it, and he steps in when he knows I've had all I can take. He protects and defends me. He laughs at me when I say or do something ridiculous, and he holds my hand when I cry. I don't know how I got so lucky. I feel truly blessed to have spent the last 9 years with him, and I can't wait to see what the future holds for us.

Chicken Enchilada Dip

Yesterday, I mentioned one of my favorite blogs, Home With Mandy. Let me just say again, that I love love love her blog. For the last couple of weeks, I had been looking for something to make for my Bunco group. I found several things that sounded good, but I kept going back to something I had seen on her page...Chicken Enchilada Dip. It was a lot different than anything I had ever made before, so I liked it even more. I had bunco on Tuesday night, so on Monday night I assembled the dip and put it in the fridge overnight, that way I could just pop it in the oven when I got home from work on Tuesday. Here is the recipe:



8 oz. cream cheese

1/2 cup mayo (she used spicy mayo, which I couldn't find, so I just added a few drops of Tabasco

to my mayo.)

16 oz. shredded mild cheddar cheese

1 can diced green chile peppers

2 jalapeno, finely diced (remove ribs and seeds)

Half a bundle of green onions, chopped

1 tsp. of Cajun seasoning

1 tsp. Garlic powder

1 lg. can of all white meat chicken



Mix all ingredients together and spread in a serving dish. I put mine in the oven on 375 for about 30 minutes, just long enough for the cheese to get melty and bubbly! Serve with tortilla chips.



This dip was such a hit with my bunco group! I was a little uncertain before I baked it, because it smelled like chicken salad, but after it cooks, it is Awesome!