Creamy ranch Chicken & Rice

That's what I made for dinner - here's how I did it. Now, I have seen recipes for something similar that include cream cheese and sour cream, but I didn't have either of those. I cooked my rice (NOT instant) with a packet of ranch dressing mix. Then, I sautee'd 1/2 a pack of bacon, diced. Cooked the cut up chicken in the bacon grease, then strained it all. I made a white sauce (roux & milk), and added a pack of ranch mix to that to create a sauce, then added the chicken and bacon back in to the sauce -served it over the rice & YUM! The dish was lacking a bit in texture, so next time I'll try to come up with something to add to it.

WOW

I cannot believe I slept so late! I woke up to get Clay off to school, then laid back down b/c I was just exhausted. Tossed and turned for about 1/2 anhour, then finally fell back to sleep - until 10:30! I feel SO lazy! Anyway - had my first Culinary Arts II class last night. It was basically a rewiew of 1st semester. Can't wait to get in the kitchen. Really looking foward to this semester. I'm going to be doing my Intro to Business class online today, and I have tons of cleaning to do, so it'll be a busy day. I successfully made a wonderful Pork Tenderloin for dinner on Sunday - Tom kept going back for more! Still deciding on what to make tonight. It's that time of the month when food choices are limited, so it's time to get creative with what we've got. More later!

1/9/2009

I'm sorry for the lack of a post yesterday, wasn't feeling great. Anyhow, Today is Saturday, time to get some cleaning done. My best friend and her hubby are coming over this afternoon (hopefully so he can look at my leaking fridge). He requested Monte Cristo sandwiches for dinner, I had to respectfully decline, as I have none of the ingriedents and am very low on funds. So, I think I'll be making Chicken Cordon Blue instead. I'm stiing here now with the heating pad on my neck, it always seems to be at it's worst in the mornings now. And, as long as I use the heating pad for about 30 minutes, I'm usually good to go. I'll be posting again tonight, and let you all know how dinner went

We have SNOW!

Biggest snowfall this season - looks to be about 4 inches, but I haven't measured exactly (not bringin my butt out in that cold!) Kids are so upset I won't let them go outside. I know, I must be the worst mother EVER for not letting them go play in the snow, even though the wind chills are in the negatives right now.

Making Gooey Caramel Rolls for breakfast (I know, NOT healthy - but I'm only going to have 1, with an orange). This is a favorite of ours that I have not made in a few years, and oh so easy! Just simmer brown sugar with whipping cream, pour into a 9 X13 pan, sprinkle with chopped pecans (I only do 1/2 the pan as the kids don't want nuts) - and finally, top with Rhodes frozen cinnamon rolls, let rise overnight, then bake @ 375 for 20 minutes. Invert onto serving platter, and you're done!

Dinner tonight I will be making my chicken and dumpling soup, another favorite. Well, actually, it's mine & Tom's recipes combined. He does the dumplings, I do the rest. I'll put pictures up later today.

So, my poached egg attempt is put off until tomorrow - that will be breakfast tomorrow. I'll come up with something new to try today and let you know later what I did. Until then...

1/6/2010

So, I was feeling a bit better as the day went on - didn't try anything astronomical, but I did create a fruit salad with Mangoes, Asian Pears, Mandarin Oranges & Kiwi, sprinkled with a little spearmint - it was fabulous! Another easy dinner (and oh so NOT healthy) - we had BBQ rib patty sandwiches (the frozen patties), fries, and our fruit salad. Anna fixed HERSELF a peanut butter sandwich, and had a piece of her ocsar Meyer turkey & kraft cheese - and some canned fruit cocktail. I do believe tomorrow I will attempt egg poaching, both the regular way, and in the tomato sause (Eggs in Purgatory). Doubt the kids will have school, as we're supposed to get 3-5 inches of snow

Win a BedLounge!

http://ascendingbutterfly.blogspot.com/2009/12/win-bedlounge-valued-at-127.html#comment-form

On Hold

Until I can get my neck feeling better, I have decided to put my cooking goals on hold, for the most part. I'm still going to be eating healthier and such, but as for trying new recipes, etc - I need to be able to move freely, which I cannot do with my neck like this. I am actually quite upset with the thought of putting things on hold, and am also very tired of being in so much pain (I can't even turn m head or lift my right arm) I will continue to keep you updated on my progress. Now, off to have a bowl of cereal!

Day 1

Ok, so today I failed miserably. I woke up in so much pain I could hardly move (thank you,
stiff-as-a-board mattress). The pain in my neck still hasn't let up, in fact it was worse today, and the pain is migrating to the left side now as well. I wonder if maybe I have a pinched nerve or something? SO, I didn't eat breakfast, hurt too much to excercise, and we're having fish stick sandwiches with tater tots and mac & cheese for dinner. So, not off to a good start, but tomorrow is another day. I am keeping my fingers crossed that my neck will be better by next Monday, as it's time to start classes again, and I'll be back in the Culinary Arts kitchen. Oh how I wish I could afford a chiropractor, or at least a Dr visit for some muscle relaxers or something. On a positive note, I have decided that tomorrow I am going to attempt to poach an egg - 2 ways. Gonna do a regular poached egg for breakfast - and found a recipe for "Eggs in Purgatory", which is an egg poached in tomato sauce and served over pasta or bread. Sounds delish! I'll take pics and let you know how it turns out.!

My famous wings

Resolutions

I'm usually not one to make New year's resolutions, as I don't think I have EVER kept one. however, I am setting "goals" this year. By setting small, managable goals for myself, I think I may be more likely to succeed.

My first goal is, obviously, to get my body healthier. I am obese, and a smoker - NOT a good combination. And now, with having no medical insurance, it is more important than ever to take care of the body I have been given. I have read numerous places that a very important part of a healthy lifestyle is eating breakfast every day. Since this is something I RARELY do, that will be my first goal - to eat a HEALTHY breakfast every day. In addition to this, I am going to attempt to get in SOME type of physical activity every day. Wether it be Yoga, Dancing like an idiot, or just walking up the street, it will be an improvement over what I do now.

Secondly, I have set myself the goal of trying something new as often as possible in my culinary adventure. I watched the movie "Julie & Julia" last night, and was inspired. No, I'm not going to cook my way through Julia Child's cookbook in a year. Rather, I am going to try a new recipe or a new preparation method as often as possible. As ideal as doing this every day would be, I am realistic. I am a full time student, a mother, and wife to a disabled man. My plate is already full. for now, I am going to say that my goal is once a week, but I will strive to do more. I will keep you updated as to my progress, and the results (pleasant or catastrophic).

Stay tuned for updates, and PLEASE help keep me on track (I get distracted easily, lol)