My New Favorite Summer Time Drink

There is nothing worse than going back to work (or to school) after spending five wonderful days aboard one of the beautiful Disney Cruise Line ships.  My family and I just returned from sailing on the Dream, and believe me, it was a dream.  We have been very fortunate and blessed to sail before with Disney, and each trip only gets better and better.

It's not wise to leave your drink tray on our table

The Monkey and a duck

Watching the waves roll by

Each day on the ship brings beautiful weather, family fun, and the much anticipated Drink of the Day.  I fell in love with one drink in particular, and I’m not ashamed to tell you that I drank a lot of these….I just won’t define what “a lot” actually is.

Photo found on Pinterest

On the ship, the drink is called a BBC, which I found out is Baily’s Banana Colada.  It is the best drink to sip on while sitting at the pool (or in your garage, which is what I did last night!). 

Bailey’s Banana Colada

5 oz. Bailey’s Irish Cream

16 oz. Pina Colada Mix

1 fresh ripe banana (peeled, of course)

1 ½ scoop of crushed ice

Put crushed ice in the blender.

Add the Irish Cream, Pina Colada Mix, and banana.

Blend for 30 seconds or until smooth.

Pour into a glass (or a coconut if you have it!), and enjoy!

This is definitely going to be my drink of summer!

Until next time....

My Adventures in Freezer Cooking

Oh, little blog…do not think that I forgot about you.  Life has just gotten in the way.

Freezer cooking.  Ever heard of it?  It’s all the rage on Pinterest right now.  Find a bunch of recipes, make a list of what you need, hit the grocery store, put all the ingredients into a freezer bag, and stuff your freezer.   There are site dedicated to this concept, which is great for someone like me – the person that doesn’t want to do the work.

There are actually businesses that will do the work for you.  They also fool you into doing the work by calling it a Girls Night Out.  You and a bunch of your peeps spend the night putting together these meals (the business does all the shopping, cleaning, and cutting) while enjoying a few glasses of wine.  These Girls Night Out do not come cheaply!

I am not ready to dedicate an entire day in my kitchen, especially since the weather is getting nicer.  I am ready to try one or two of these types of meals, which is what we did last night.  I made Slower Cooker Black Bean and Corn Salsa Chicken, which I found at Six Sisters Stuff.  If you haven't been to their site, do yourself a favor and check it out.  It's great.

Slower Cooker Black Bean and Corn Salsa Chicken

Ingredients:

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed

2 cans corn, drained

1 pkg. taco seasoning

1 cup salsa (mild, medium, hot – your choice)

¾ cup water

1 lb. boneless chicken breast

Place all the stuff in a freezer bag, and stick in your freezer.   Allow the contents to thaw in your refrigerator the day before you want to serve it.  Place in your crock pot, and cook on low for 7-8 hours.  Shred the chicken before serving.

Food doesn't have to look pretty.  It just needs to taste GOOD!

I made nachos – simply place a few scoops on top of some tortilla chips, and top with sour cream and shredded  cheese.  My husband made burritos using this chicken mixture.  I will tell you that he said it reminded him of vegetable soup.  Not sure what to make of that.  He did say it was good, so I do know what to make of that!  

I pulled a bag out of our freezer last night..I'll tell you all about it later this week!

Until next time.....

Having a Blast (Buffalo, That Is)!

Sometimes you just have to make a wrong turn!  Case in point…my attempt at making the Cheesecake Factory’s Buffalo Blasts.  Have you ever had them?  They are THE BOMB.  Seriously, they are awesome.  Their menu, which is the size of a small novel, describes them as such: Chicken, Cheese, and our Spicy Buffalo Sauce all Stuffed in a Spiced Wrapper and Fried until Crisp.  Served with Celery Sticks and Blue Cheese Dressing.

We ordered these the last time we were at the restaurant, and my sister-in-law said that these reminded her of the buffalo chicken dip I make.  We talked about it, and figured that the appetizer was basically deep fried dip.

I set out this past weekend to try to replicate the blasts, but ran into a small snag when I discovered the grocery store was out of wonton wrappers.  I picked up the egg roll wrappers, and decided that when life give you lemons, you make lemonade.  Instead of making the blasts, I decided to make Buffalo Chicken Egg rolls instead.  

Here’s what you need to make them yourself:

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast; cooked and shredded

**you could probably use canned chicken, but that stuff freaks me out so I avoid it

**I cook the chicken in a crock pot for 2 hours.  I found this makes the chicken super tender, and easy to shred

1 cup hot sauce

1 (8) oz. block cream cheese, softened

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Egg roll wrappers

**these can be found in the produce section of the grocery store

Panko crumbs (totally optional)

Cup of water

Oil for frying

In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese and hot sauce.  It will look like a clumpy mess, and that’s a good thing (just like Martha).

Add the shredded chicken and shredded cheese to the mess, and mix well. 

Lay an egg roll wrapper out on a flat surface.  Add a spoonful (eyeball it) of the chicken mixture to the middle of the wrapper.  Bring up the bottom end of the wrapper to cover the mixture.  Fold in the two sides of the wrapper, and then bring down the top of the wrapper.  Wet your finger with water, and gently blot the seals of the wrapper.  This will help to seal the roll.

Optional: You can coat the egg roll in panko seasoning to add a little extra crunch to things.
 

Heat the oil to 350 degrees.  Carefully add the egg rolls to the hot oil, and cook on each side for three minutes.

Remove from oil, and drain on a paper towel.

Serve hot, with blue cheese dressing and celery on the side.

I was able to make 20 normal size egg rolls with this recipe.  My husband and I ate them for dinner (so not healthy!).  You could easily cut these in half, or into threes, and serve them at a party.

I apologize for the funky pictures.  I took these using my iPhone, and no matter how hard I try, I can't rotate them.  So, just turn your head ever-so-slightly, and admire the beauty.

Until next time.....

Mock Hawaiian BBQ Chicken

While surfing the web one night, I came across this recipe from Six Sisters Stuff.  I’m all about finding recipes that can be put together in a blink of an eye, and this one definitely fits the bill.

This is what their recipe called for

• 1 20oz. can pineapple chunks, drained
• 1 bottle Archer Farms Hawaiian Style BBQ Sauce (from Target)
• 4-6 boneless chicken breast

This is what I used

2 20 oz. cans pineapple chunks, drained (I love pineapple)
1 bottle Hunt’s Honey Hickory BBQ sauce (I grocery shop at the Shop-Rite, and they don’t sell Archer Farms products.  I went with what I *thought* would be a sweet sauce)
Pkg of frozen Perdue chicken breast

If you have one, use a crock pot liner before placing your ingredients in the crock.  It makes clean up a breeze.  Dump everything in the pot, put the lid on top, set the temperature up to high, and go about your business.  If you cook this on high, which I did, allow 2-3 hours to cook.  If you cook it on low, allow 4-6 hours to cook.  

When the time is right, you can shred the chicken while it is still in the pot, or you can remove it like I did.  I found it easier to remove the chicken, shred it on a plate, and then return it to the pot.  

Serve over rice (which is how I ate it), or serve it on its own (which is how my husband ate it). 

I found the sauce to be a little runny, and I think it was because I added the extra can of pineapple.  To fix this, I sprinkled in some cornstarch.  This thickened the sauce up so it was almost like a gravy, which I prefer.  The meal also had a “bite” to it, which I attribute to the BBQ sauce I used.  If I used the sweeter sauce, which is what the original recipe called for, I’m sure the “bite” would be missing.

If you get the chance, check out Six Sisters Stuff.  It’s got a ton of recipes and craft ideas, and the sisters are too sweet.

Until next time…. 

Mommy Mac-and-Cheese

I make this meal for my family twice a week.  I'm sure the monkey would want to have this five days a week.  It's the one meal that we all eat.  See, the monkey is a picky eater.  Let me say that another way.  She is a super crazy, not to be messed with, P-I-C-K-Y eater.  Here's her food list: hot dogs, noodles, and pancakes. 

This is real easy to make.  Seriously, look at what goes in it.  To tell the truth, the monkey makes this.  I boil the pasta, but she takes it from there.

I call it the "Working Woman" because, well, that's what I am.  I work full time 8-5, and then come home to take care of my family.  I have to find meals that a quick and tasty, and that do not require me to go through a drive thru.

Working Woman's Mac-and-Cheese

(a.k.a. "Mommy Mac-N-Cheese")

• 1 lb. rigatoni
• 1 jar Ragu Double Cheddar Cheese sauce
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 8 oz. block extra sharp cheddar cheese, cut into cubes

Cook the pasta according to directions.  Drain, and return the pasta to the pot.  Add the cheese sauce, and stir to coat.  Add the remaining cheeses.  Cook over a medium heat, stirring continuously for five minutes.  Remove from heat, and serve immediately.

It's not pretty, but it's tasty...and this is all that is left at the end of the night

On another note....we decided things weren't hectic enough with work, school, and Girl Scouts so we signed the Monkey up for softball.  She showed a true interest in it, and after I forked over the registration fee, I told  her she better like it or pretend she likes it because she is not allowed to quit.

Taking swings in the batting cage