New Cookbook

So.... I am patiently awaiting the arrival of my new $10 Taste of Home cookbook. How could I resist?! I can't help that a letter came in the mail for a $10 Taste of Home cookbook. Anyway, It's been a couple weeks & I haven't gotten it yet! I don't know why I'm fretting. It's not like I do much cooking these days anyway. It's no fun cooking only for myself!

Baked Chimichangas

Chimichangas are my favorite thing to order from Mexican restaurants. Last night I was in search of something to cook... I had tortillas left over from the Fish Tacos, and chicken in the freezer. I was thinking of whipping up my own concoction of chicken fajitas with ingredients I had in house. I flipped through a cookbook for guidance and came across Baked Chimichangas. I had all the ingredients, almost. I substituted mozzarella cheese for cheddar and had to use milk instead of half and half. Oh, and green chili's. I used green peppers instead. I cooked the shredded chicken w/ salsa and some seasonings like cumin and oregano. Added chopped green pepper and onion. Made a sauce for topping consisting of a chicken bouillon cube, chicken broth, and the usual flour, etc. Once everything was assembled I took some of the chicken mixture and folded all 4 sides of the taco. I placed them upside down in a baking dish and baked for 15 minutes. The topping was good, although next time I might use the white sauce recipe instead. It reminded me of Salsa Chicken. Which also gave me the great idea to add the seasonings to Salsa Chicken next time to spice it up. This was really good! All I was missing was Spanish rice & a margarita.

Fish Tacos

I have always been curious about Fish Tacos. Although, I will admit, they sound disgusting. I found a recipe in a issue of Taste of Home magazine. My final opinion? DELICIOUS The recipe called for Talapia along w/ guacamole and salsa sauces, topped w/ shredded cabbage. It barely had a fish taste. I wish I would have ate w/ someone else so I could have tricked them regarding the fish.

Dinner Guests

Two friends came for dinner last night. The menu consisted of meatloaf, cheddar & parmesan scalloped potatoes, and broccoli & cheese. Deviled eggs were also supposed to be served, but they did not boil all the way... I was terribly upset. My deviled eggs are awesome! It was fun being back in the kitchen. I haven't been doing much of it lately.

Recipe Sites

Where does everyone go in search of the perfect recipe? Here are the sites I've joined recently. Taste of Home Betty Crocker Campbell's Kitchen Pillsbury

Grilled Pesto Chicken Salad

I ordered a chicken salad from Mellow Mushroom once... that had pesto. This was my first encounter with pesto. I ran across a recipe for pesto the other day while leafing through my Country Cooking cookbook. So, for last night's dinner I created a rather nice salad... 2 chicken breasts - grilled on a Griddler Jr shredded Parmesan cheese romaine lettuce croutons pesto sauce Ceasar Dressing 2 hard boiled eggs - sliced I made the Pesto and heated it in the microwave. Cut up the grilled chicken, and mixed w/ pesto. Added to salad. Yum!

BLT

Mmmm... it had been so long since I had a BLT sandwich, so that's exactly what I had for dinner last night. I also came across a delicious recipe I didn't include on my "What's for Dinner?" list. I knew this would happen!

What's for Dinner?

Aunty Carol's Chicken BBQ Chicken BBQ Pork Sandwiches - Crock Pot Beef Stew - Crock Pot Beef Stroganoff Beer-Cheese Soup BLT's Breakfast for Dinner Burgers (Ranch) Cheeseburger Chowder Cheesy Chicken - Crock Pot Chicken & Stuffing Bake Chicken Bouya Chicken Fajitas Chicken Finger Salad Chicken Fingers Chicken Stir Fry Chili Chili Cheese Fries Creamy Chicken/Pork Chop Bake Eggplant Parmesan Fettichini Alfredo French Dip Sandwiches French Onion Soup Garlic Pork Chops Greens & Gemilli Hamburger Chop Suey Hot Dogs (Chili Cheese) Italian Chicken - Crock Pot Lasagna Meatloaf Mexican Pizza (Paula Deen) Oven-Pepper Steak (Sonya Doyle) Parmesan Chicken Parmesan Dijon Chicken Personal Pizzas Pork Chop Marsala Potato Chip Chicken Potato Soup Ribs Salisbury Steak Salsa Chicken Sloppy Joes Spaghetti & Meatballs Spinach Manicotti (Stuffed Shells) Steak Steak Fajitas Stuffed Green Peppers Tacos Tommy's Chicken Marinade Tuna Cassorole Veal Marsala

Inspired

I opened my mother's cabinet and taped to the inside of the door was a list of "Meals to Make." I have seen this before, a gift from one of her sisters... but it had been so long ago. It has inspired me to make my own Meals to Make list. I'm often searching for new recipes to try, I forget about the fantastic ones I've already discovered. I will post my list once it's completed. I will not include side dishes. Although, I do like the idea of making a seperate side dish list. I also realize this list will frequently get updated. I recently purchased a Taste of Home Baking Cookbook. I prefer to cook, not bake. However, I realized I need to spruce up my baking skills. I've convinced myself this will be my one and only baking cookbook to use for all of my days, along w/ recipes handed down from my mother. I have browsed the pages, but have not attempted anything yet. So much to choose from! I have joined the sites of a few of the popular cookbooks I own, and enjoy rating & reviewing the recipes I've tried... along w/ searching for new ones, as always.

A Re-Vamp of Sorts

Sigh........................................................ I always wanted to be great at blogging, but never was. I can't even navigate this site correctly.

Steamed Veggies

I need help learning how to steam veggies.......