Italian Wedding Soup...chickenized.

Dear Ina,

I have but one request...

Will you marry me?

Love,
Tan

Ina Garten (aka Barefoot Contessa) has never let us down.  We've been having crazy up and down weather.  Like...really, really, ridiculously crazy temperature changes.  Today we should get into the 90s but yesterday we were in the 60s...but the day before in the upper 80s and the day before that in the lower 60s.  I think you get it.

I've been dying to try the Italian Wedding Soup out of her Back To Basics cookbook.  I've made my own before, but what I had to try was her meatball recipe.  Girlfriend makes a chicken meatball...1/2 ground chicken & 1/2 Italian chicken sausage.

So, I did...and to marvelous reviews and loud slurping.  Another successful Ina creation!

On a side note, make sure you don't buy cooked Italian sausage.  I, of course, being so careful & meticulous would never run through Trader Joe's after not finding chicken sausage in the military commissary, find Italian chicken sausage in TJs, do a quick celebratory dance, load up on many non-essential TJ items, & waltz through check-out.  I would check the item carefully and make sure that I was getting an uncooked meat item since it was to be mixed up with other raw meat and only get what I needed and then check-out

But, since Mama loves her Vita-mix, you can be darn sure that I ground up that cooked sausage and mixed it in with the raw chicken...FABULOUS.

ENJOY!!!!!!

From Tanya Eats

Buttermilk Chicken Tenders

I. Love. Fried. Chicken.

But, guess what?

Besides french fries (from the *gasp* BAG)...I can't fry worth a damn.

But, guess what?  Panko crumbs make EVERYTHING better.

Over the weekend we were trapped inside the house due to the winter storm that swept through the mid-Atlantic.  I believe that was a biggest snow storm this area has received in a long time.  Anyhoo...after making Tyler Florence's Crispy Sesame Chicken & Spinach Salad a couple of weeks back (which I still have to post), I still had a major hankering for fried chicken tenders.  My hankering deepened after my friend Melissa posted a blog entry about healthy chicken nuggets.  But, I wanted to be bad...so bad.  I wanted oily, greasy, not-as-good-as-baking-it-in-the-oven-coated-in-ground-oatmeal-flax-wheat-germ chicken tenders.  

So, I marinated some breasts for several hours...then made them and enjoyed the silence of ravenous carnivores horking down some good arse chicken.

I love you greasy food.

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

YES! I did it! My first cookie that's not flat! Not only was it not flat, but it was puffy! Shoot...I'll just take anything that wasn't flat. Oops...maybe not my first. Starbucks recipe for its Outrageous Oatmeal Cookie was another success. But, I don't think I even took photos of that one. Hmmmm...have to check on that.

Anyhoo...I stumbled on this cookie recipe on one of the blogs I read when I get the time...My Baking Addiction. Besides having me at the words "oatmeal" and "peanut butter chip"...she also had me at "all butter"...no shortening needed to make this cookie un-flat! SCORE!

I doubled the recipe making enough for my fam to hork it down, share some with the neighbors, and send a gallon-sized bag with the hubby to share with the officers on the sub. Yea-uh!

So...make it, love it, and enjoy!

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
adapted from My Baking Addiction adapted from allrecipes
makes: about 18 cookies

½ cup butter
½ cup white sugar
⅓ cup packed brown sugar
½ cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup rolled oats
1 cup mixed peanut butter and chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).

In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, white sugar and brown sugar until smooth. Stir in the peanut butter, vanilla and egg until well blended.

Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; stir into the batter just until moistened. Mix in the oats and chocolate chips until evenly distributed. Drop by tablespoonfuls (I used a medium cookie scoop) on to lightly greased cookie sheets (I used Silpats).

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until the edges start to brown.

Cool on cookie sheets for about 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Kai Bear's 6th Party Menu

This is what I'm planning so far for my baby girl's 6th birthday party up in DC this weekend...I like planning. ;o) Somehow, it's funny since I'm a walking oxymoron...I'm also a huge procrastinator. Hahahaha.

Anyhoo...here it is:

Starters:
*Warmed Brie with Apricot Preserves
*Barefoot Contessa Onion Dip
*crudite, crackers, chips, and Veggie Straws

Entrees:
*Salad (tomato, avocado, red onion, & baby spinach w/tomato dressing)
*Lime-Cilantro rice (white basmati rice)
*Latino-style black beans
*Tacos
*Mild Beef *Spicy Beef *Beans
*Lettuce *Tomatoes *Cheese *Green Onions *Olives
*All of the following in squirt bottles: sour cream/yogurt, aji, taco sauce/salsa, & gauc/avo crema

Desserts:
*Moist golden cake with Strawberry Buttercream
*Chocolate cake w/Vanilla Buttercream (or Choc. Ganache)
*Oreo mini cheesecakes
*Mint-filled Brownie Cupcakes
*Dirt "Cake"

Favors:
*Choc. cupcake pops
*Kiddie goody bags

Taco Lasagna

Tacos were always a family favorite of our's growing up. However, prepping for tacos takes some time and that's something I don't always have. So, last night I threw together my quick version of a non-taco-taco....and came up with my taco lasagna. Obviously, it's not a new dish...I first tasted it when we babysat some kids waaaay back when. This was just a easy, fun, & tasty way to have our tacos & put some veggies in our kids.

Even though I'm all about things from scratch...when it comes to taco seasoning, I ALWAYS use El Paso Taco Seasoning...it's just that good.

Besides this being an uber-easy meal to throw together, I had the pleasure of looking out my kitchen window and seeing these in my backyard:

Tan's Taco Lasagna
Ground meat (I use a combo of turkey & lean beef)
1 medium or large onion, chopped
4-6 cloves of garlic, chopped (more or less depending on your garlic preference)
2 cans of beans, your preference (I used black & dk. red kidneys), drained and rinse
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1-1½ cups frozen corn
1 packet taco seasoning, preferably El Paso
1 T. Adobo seasoning

1 can green chiles
1 can sliced black olives
Green Onions, chopped
Corn tortillas
Shredded cheese (I used sharp cheddar & Sargento's reduced fat Mexican cheese blend)
Olive oil

Toppings: Pico de gallo, sour cream (or if you're in our house, plain yogurt), green onions, chopped jalapeno peppers, chopped cilantro, Tabasco sauce, etc.

*note: I didn't use these ingredients, but they would be mighty tasty in the dish

1. Brown the meat in a large pan (if using a nonstick pan, use a bit of olive oil) & season with pepper (not salt since the taco & adobo seasonings are salty enough). When meat is almost completely brown, add about 1 T. of olive oil and onions. Saute until onions are translucent. Add adobo seasoning & garlic. Add packet of taco seasoning and water (the amount called for on the packet). Throw in beans. Let cook until liquid has reduced. Add tomatoes (and chiles and olives if using) and cook until liquid has pretty much cooked away. Turn off heat and throw in corn.

2. Preheat over to 350°F.

3. In a baking dish (I used glass), grease the bottom of the dish with olive oil. Layer the bottom of the dish with a single layer of corn tortillas. Add meat mixture and top with a light layer of cheese (or more if desired). Add tortillas. Repeat until meat mixture is finished. Top with another layer of tortillas and a thicker layer of cheese.

4. Tent with foil by folding a piece of foil in half, then opening it up and placing it over the dish...thereby having the foil not touch any part of the lasagna but still is protecting the cheese from burning during the cooking process.

5. Bake for about 30-40 minutes. Remove foil and add chopped scallions and bake for another 10 minutes or place under broiler until cheese is nice and bubbly.

6. Serve with assorted toppings or eat it plain...and ENJOY!!