Roasted Lemon Thyme Chicken & A man who just doesn't understand!

Ah, another great comfort food for me is Roasted Chicken. Fall is all about comfort foods for me; I love the chilly evenings with something hot, filling, yummy and full of goodness simmering on the stove or baking in the oven. 

For dinner; I decided to roast a chicken, and jazz it up with lemon thyme butter!

Delicious Lemon-Thyme Roasted Chicken

This turned out spectacular! The aroma of the thyme, lemon and butter just filled the house, and my daughter was just excitingly anticipating dinner. When it was ready, I took my time to make it look presentable and pretty; the man said "It looks good already, Men don't care if it looks pretty on the dinner table, we just want to dig in and eat!" hmph... men; they will never understand! I of course proceeded to make it look pretty before digging in to eat =) Oh! and Mothers this was child approved; my daughter helped herself to seconds and proclaimed this was the best chicken she has EVER had in her whole (entire 9 1/2 years) life.

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken

1 lemon

1- 1 1/2 tsp fresh thyme (or dried)

1 stick of butter

salt/pepper

 Directions:

Rinse chicken/pat dry, sprinkle salt/pepper according to your taste, and set aside. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place soften butter in a bowl, mince thyme and grate lemon zest (about 1- 1 1/2) place in the same bowl as butter. Mix the ingredients together until everything is incorporated. Carefully loosen the skin around the chicken so you can rub the butter mixture in between the skin and meat evenly. Take the rest of the mixture and rub it all over the outer side. Take your lemon, cut in wedges or halves and place inside the cavity; along with some sprigs of thyme. Pop it in the oven and let the roasting begin! It'll take 40-45 mins depending on how big your chicken is. Feel free to make it as pretty as you want; enjoy!

 

The makings of a wonderful dinner!

Name one quirk you have; that your man will never understand? =) 

It's mid-week ladies, hang in there! 

 

Pumpkin Spice Cookies & a time to relax

Saturday was just one of those Pumpkin kind of days; when you see bright orange Pumpkins everywhere you go, and the colorful Fall leaves scattered all around town reminding you that Autumn is here, making you just want to sink your teeth into a nice yummy pumpkin pie with lots of whip cream. Instead of making Pumpkin Pie, I decided to make Pumpkin Spice Cookies! Oh let me tell you; they were perfectly soft and chewy on the inside, and tasted just like mini Pumpkin Pie bites. I topped it off with some Pumpkin Spice Hershey Kisses, and that made it even more delish! A perfect Fall treat, and a big hit at the pot luck I brought these to on Sunday.

Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Pumpkin Spice Cookies Recipe

Ingredients:

Basic sugar cookie recipe

1 tsp of pumpkin spice

1 tsp of cinnamon 

1tsp of vanilla extract

1- 1 1/2 cups of pumpkin in a can

1 bag of pumpkin spice hershey kisses

Directions: 

Follow your basic sugar cookie recipe, or you can always just use premixed sugar cookie. Add pumpkin spice, cinnamon, vanilla extract and pumpkin in a can into the mixture and mix and fold until all ingredients incorporate and get to know each other very well. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees, Then take your cookie sheet and line it up with parchment paper; scoop about a tablespoon of dough and drop it on cookie sheet. Bake until golden brown; take it out and let it cool for about a minute before pressing down the hershey kiss. 

Tips:

Pumpkin spice hershey kisses melt a lot faster than regular hershey kisses, so you will want to place them in the freezer while mixing and baking your cookies, once cookies has cooled for about a minute, then take out the hershey kisses, peel and gently press into the cookie. It will melt a bit onto the cookie, but it will harden back up once it's cooled. Place in the fridge to help harden.

On another note; I have been day dreaming of a weekend of alone time with just  only me and nothing but the sounds of the waves crashing. A time of solitude, a moment to relax with some peace and quite, be refreshed and rejuvenate. Do any of you ladies feel this way? I think women lead such busy hectic lives taking care of everyone and everything; that they tend to forget about themselves. I think once in awhile; it's okay to just step away for a moment to refresh ourselves so we can come back ready to take on everyday happenings. Below is a picture of one of these moments for me; one where I got to do just that. A weekend of just over looking the beach at the beach house; with nothing but just me and the sounds of the wave crashing. No time to worry about, no running around like a headless chicken trying to get things done. No rush hour traffic, no phones, no work emails. Stress-free and relaxing weekend so I can come back the best person I can be for everyone in my life =) 

Relaxing @ Seaside, OR

 

There's nothing like waking up on a cold Fall morning; after the rain fall at the beach. Sitting on the balcony of the beach house and sipping on a hot cup of tea; listening to the waves. I absolutely love our beaches; they are so peaceful and beautiful. There's a sense of peace every time I come here; I never want to leave! 

What are ways you take time for yourself?

Happy Monday everyone! Make this a wonderful week =)  

Fall weather brings soupy days!

We have been having some awesome Sunny warm days up until today; it's dark, gloomy and yes it's raining outside. It's chilly, but not too cold to turn on the heat yet. How else to warm up on a chilly day? Make a big pot of Chicken pot pie soup! I found therapy in chopping the veggies, shredding the chicken and yes even stirring the pot. The heavenly aroma filled my house; oh it was lovely!

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

This hearty yummy soup is perfect and warms up my soul; it really is comfort food! Filled with veggies, protein and packed with flavor; even my daughter who isn't so fond of peas, gobbled it up with not one complaint of eating peas. Winning!

I actually made this pot last night, and let me tell ya... this was the perfect ending to my day. The stress and exhaustion from work  fled my mind as soon as I helped myself to a bowl of comfort. The best part is; this will be waiting for me when I get home later, and I know it will even be more fantastic! Foods like this are always better the next day! 

A bowl of comfort!

Chicken Pot Pie Soup Recipe

Ingredients:  

2 cups potatoes peeled and chopped

1 onion chopped

1 -1 1/2 cup celery chopped

1 bag of frozen mixed vegetables  (carrots, peas, corn, green beans)

1 tbsp. fresh chopped thyme

2 cups of skinless cooked chicken breast 

4 cups of milk

1/2 cup flour

2 cups chicken broth 

2 cubes of chicken bouillon

Salt/Pepper to taste 

Directions:

In a pot, add some water half way in the pot and bring to a boil, add your chicken breast and let cook (15-20 mins) Then take out the chicken breast and set aside to shred later. In the same pot, add your potatoes, onions, celery and chicken bouillon and slowly simmer until veggies are fork tender. Add your frozen veggie mix, thyme and continue to simmer. Take the chicken breast and shred them and adding them into the pot. Pour in 1 cup of chicken broth; and pour the rest of chicken broth in a small pot with flour on medium high heat, whisking and slowly pouring in milk until all ingredients are nice and smooth. When it starts to thicken up, pour into your big pot of soup, letting it simmer until the soup thickens. If your soup is too thick, just add more chicken broth or if you want it thicker, just add about 1/4 cup of flour and let it simmer longer until it thickens to your liking. Add salt and pepper to taste according to your preference. 

I hope you will enjoy this bowl of comfort along with me! 

 

Tell me one of your favorite comfort foods?

Happy Friday everyone, have a wonderful weekend!

 

 

Reeses Peanut Butter Bars

Last night I made these yummy Reeses Peanut Butter Bars. They were delish, and It really did taste like Reeses Pieces! I like peanut butter on occasion, but I'm not a real big fan of it, so I'm not sure where I got my sudden Peanut Butter cravings from? I've been on a PB&J frenzy lately, so I was ecstatic when I came across this recipe, because I absolutely adore Reeses Pieces!! 

This was so easy to make and SO yummy it totally fulfilled my Peanut Butter cravings! See below for the receipe =)

Ingredients
1 cup butter melted
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup + 4 tablespoons peanut butter
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions
In a medium bowl, mix together the melted butter, graham cracker crumbs, confectioners' sugar, and 1 cup peanut butter until well blended. Press evenly into the bottom of an ungreased 9x13 inch pan. In a metal bowl over simmering water, or in the microwave, melt the chocolate chips with the peanut butter, stirring occasionally until smooth. Spread over the peanut butter layer. Refrigerate for at least one hour before cutting into squares. 

I tweaked this recipe a little to my liking. I only used about 1 1/2 of confectioners sugar because I didn't want it too sweet. I also added a tad bit more peanut butter to the mix; I'll say 1 cup and 4 tablespoon of Peanut Butter for the mixture and stuck with the 4 tablespoon of Peanut Butter for melting and incorporating with the chocolate chips. 

Adapated from:  Let's Dish

What is your favorite candy bar?

Have a wonderful day!

Chicken Laab Gai Recipe

 Happy Monday everyone! Isn't this little desk calender cute?! I came into work this morning, and my boss gave these out to each one of us. Last week, my boss was traveling in Hong Kong and picked up these hand painted desk calenders for us.

  I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. For me, I was once again a busy bee, but that didn't stop me from making this Chicken Laab Gai for dinner last night. This is one of my favorite dishes because it's spicy, sour and full of wonderful flavors. To eat this with sticky rice is just Ah... heaven! 

Ingredients

1lbs of organic ground chicken (you can use shredded chicken breast)

1 cup of organic low sodium chicken stock (you can use water in place of stock)

1-2 tablespoon fish sauce

1-2 tablespoon lime juice

1/2-1 cup of cilantro

1/2-1 cup of mint leaves

1/2-1 cup of green onions

1 tablespoon hot red chillie flakes

2 tablespoon of toasted ground rice

2-3 shallots thinly sliced

1/2-1 tablespoon of red thai chillie peppers

1-2 tablespoon of wet tamarind (soak in a bowl of water and mush around til you have a brown liquid)

Directions

Pour a cup of chicken stock into your wok or pan and bring it to a boil, add your ground chicken and cook thoroughly, add fish sauce and turn off the stove. Pour the ground chicken with the juices into a good size mixing bowl, let is sit for a bit to cool down, then add your shallots, cilantro, mint leaves, chillie flakes, chillie peppers, lime juice and wet tamarind juice (only use the juice) and toasted ground rice. Mix everything together; adding more fish sauce or lime juice and peppers to your liking. I used Romain lettuce leaves and scooped some of the Laab Gai onto the leaf, sprinkled it with some paprika for a pop of color and garnished with some Mint leaves and a wedge of lime. Eat as is, or enjoy it with some sticky rice!

Enjoy!

What's one dish that makes you say "ah... this is Heaven!"?

Have a lovely week everyone!

Happy Friday!

I apologize for the lack of post; I've been so busy for the past couple of weeks getting things in order for my daughters first day of school. Making sure she has everything she needs and shopping like a mad woman; scouring the stores for the best school supply deals etc. I really don't enjoy back to school shopping; it's full of chaos and bodies everywhere I turn, squeezing in between aisles... oh the agony! I literally had to walk away from busy aisles a few time just to have a moment to breathe... and then the lines I tell ya! So glad all of that is over with.

While waiting for my daughter to pick out a backpack; I saw this huge backpack and thought I'd take a picture of it? It doesn't look ginormous in this picture, but in person it was ginormous!

After 3o minutes of convincing my daughter a cross-body backpack will only hurt her shoulders and back because she's in the fourth grade now; meaning she will be carrying a lot more things around and it will get heavy. She finally agreed and after 3 days of school and carrying everything in her back pack, she came up to me and said "Mommy, you were right it's so heavy!"  Yes my child... I was too once a child lugging a heavy back pack around -_-

Anywho... the first week of school went well, she likes her teacher and made new friends and met old friends. She's excited to be back at school and I am excited to have her back in school! I feel like this mom here...

This photo does not belong to me. All rights and credits go to the original owner.

I decided to treat myself by making this yummy spinach and artichoke dip with my favorite whole wheat flax seed and quinoa tortilla chips. YUM is all I can say!

 

Spinach and Artichoke Dip Recipe

(This recipe is for 8 servings)

2 packages (8 ounce size) cream cheese
2 cans (14 ounce) artichoke hearts, drained & coarsely chopped
1 cup frozen spinach chopped
1/2 cup mayonnaise (real mayonnaise )
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup Romano cheese 1/2 garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried basil
Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Cream cheese should be room temperature, add Mayonnaise Parmesan, Romano cheese, garlic powder, dried basil, and salt/pepper together and mix until creamy. Drain artichoke and spinach very well and add into the mixture mixing all ingredients together. Put your mixture in an oven safe bowl and sprinkle some Parmesan on top if you like and bake it until nice and bubbly and the top is golden brown. 

What is your favorite appetizer?

Have a great weekend everyone!

Ciabatta Brat Sandwich w/roasted tomato burger sauce

I love to cook, and I've been on a cooking spree lately. I don't have much time to slave over a stove, but when I do... I try to take advantage of it. This wasn't one of those slaving over the stove meals, but it was a pretty darn good lunch.

Burger Sauce Recipe

Ingredients:

1/2 cup mayo
2 tablespoons french dressing
4 teaspoons sweet pickle relish
1 tablespoon finely minced onion

2-3 roasted tomatoes minced
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and refrigerate for a few hours or over night until all the flavors mingle and get to know each other well. You now have your very own burger sauce!

Spread it on your ciabatta bread (or your bread of choice or even your burger!) Then pile on your brat of choice (I used Johnsville's spicy brats) your cheese of choice (I used swiss cheese) and your favorite leafy greens (I used a spring salad mix w/ spinach) and tomatoes. You could most certainly add avocado and anything else you like. Enjoy!

Wash it down with the Peachy Blueberry Iced Tea

 

This weekend, I am going to have a life changing event occur. I'm anxious, a bit nervous, and excited. I'm ready to take my life into the next step =) 

What's one thing you look forward to on the weekend? 

Have a great weekend everyone! 

 -Msee

Braised Chicken w/baby portobello mushrooms and onion

My daughter has been complaining about how she's tired of eating chicken; however she was singing a new tune after I made this for dinner the other night. She said "Okay Mommy, I admit... you make the best chicken EVER!" 

So here I present to you; what my daughter calls "The best chicken EVER" It's a pretty simple dish, with yummy flavors and satisfied little tummies. My daughter likes most vegetables; however there are certain ones I just can not get her to eat... two of them being mushrooms and onions. She ate the chicken and skipped out on those two things. I will try to sneak it in one of these days, and she WILL eat it and love it =) 

Recipe for Braised Chicken w/baby portobello mushrooms & onions

Ingredients:

4 chicken thighs (I used a whole cornish hen cut up into quarters) 

1/2 teaspoon of sea salt & fresh ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder

3 Tablespoon of olive oil

1 Tablespoon tomato paste

1 cup dry red wine

2 cups oraganic low sodium chicken broth

1 large yellow onion (or 2 medium onion)

1/2 pound of organic baby portobello mushrooms 

Directions:

 Pat dry the chicken thighs and season with salt and pepper.

In a large pan or dutch oven, heat olive oil on medium high heat.

Brown the chicken thighs on both sides, then transfer onto a plate.

Discard some of the juices in the pan, leaving some of that brown gunk of goodness, then throw in your onions and baby portobello mushrooms and sauté until onions are translucent and mushrooms are soft, add tomato paste and cook for a minute before adding red wine to deglaze; bring to a boil until reduced by half. Add in the chicken stock and chicken thighs making sure the browned skin side is not fully submerged. Reduce the heat and cover with lid for about 40-45 mins. until chicken is cooked thoroughly  and the sauce has thickened. 

The only other thing I did differently was (because the asian in me told me to do so) use a 1/4  cup of oyster sauce and thinned it out with a 2 teaspoon of water, and brushed it on my chicken before putting it back into the pan, and then brushing it one last time just before I turned off the stove to get that glistening affect.

Tips: You can most definitely skip the red wine and just use more chicken stock. You can also choose to throw in some spices to kick it up a bit.  Chop up some cilantro and throw it on the top for a pretty presentation. Place it on a dish of pasta or brown rice. You can even had some spinach into this dish; I most certainly would have if I had it on hand. 

I hope you try this out and enjoy it. Let me know if you do decide to give this a try =)

What is one vegetable you can not bring yourself to like?

(for me it's Brussels sprouts)