Chicken Breast Supreme

This was another meal that I used to make when I was living at home with my mother and brother. It was one that I thought of and knew that Mike would love it! I was right! It's a simple meal, and it is so good, that it leaves you wanting more! The chicken is super moist and juicy too!

Here's the recipe: Chicken Breast Supreme

2 slices of bacon

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

1 can of mushrooms (your choice on size of can. I use the small one because Mike doesn't like them)

1 can cream of chicken soup

2 tablespoons of dry sherry, if desired.

3 ounces Swiss cheese, sliced.

1 tablespoon of chopped chives

Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp, or to your taste. Remove bacon from skillet and drain on paper towels. Reserve bacon drippings in skillet.

Add chicken to bacon drippings in skillet, cook over medium high heat for  3-5 minutes or until lightly browned, turning once. Transfer chicken to 4-6 quart slow cooker. Top with mushrooms. In same skillet, stir together soup and sherry (if you choose to use any). Spoon over mushrooms.

Cover; cook on low setting for 3-4 hours.

Top mixture in slow cooker with cheese slices. Sprinkle with chives, crumble bacon over cheese. Cover; cook on high for additional 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Enjoy!

Greek Chicken Pita Folds

I know that Mike also enjoys some Greek dishes, and again, I've not had the experiences required to be jumping up and down for those types of dishes, but I have had this one before, and thought that Mike would enjoy it. I had only one the day I made it, and Mike finished the rest! I'm glad that he enjoyed them as much as he did! I think we will be having this one again, but I think I'll be double the meal!

Here's the recipe: Greek Chicken Pita Folds

1 medium onion, sliced or diced
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken
1 1/2 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/4 allspice
pita bread
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 tomato, sliced
1/2 cucumber, chopped

In a 4-6 quart slow cooker, combine onion, garlic, chicken, lemon-pepper, allspice, and oregano; mix together until everything is coated with seasoning.
Cover; cook on low for 6-8 hours.
About 10 minutes before serving, heat pita bread according to directions. Meanwhile, remove chicken from slow cooker, and shred using two forks. Stir yogurt into onion mixture. Spoon chicken onto pita bread, with slotted spoon, transfer onion mixture onto chicken, top with tomato and cucumber. Fold in half and serve.

Enjoy!

Guinness Cupcakes

After the Pumpkin Cheesecake bars became such a hit, I found yet another dessert that would rock Mike's taste buds. I wasn't sure that I was going to like them, but I actually really do! They are very moist and you cannot even taste the Guinness in them at all! They are easy to make, and yummy to eat!

Here's the recipe: Guinness Cupcakes

1 (12 oz) bottle of Guinness Stout
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
3 large eggs
3/4 cup sour cream (I used a little more, but close enough)
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat the oven to 350*.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the Guinness, milk, vegetable oil and vanilla. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Mix in the sour cream.
In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the cocoa, sugar, flour and baking soda. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet Guinness mixture.
Butter or line muffin tins and divide the batter among the tins. (I put only what could fit without baking out of the tins.)
Bake for 25 minutes, until risen and set in the middle but still soft and tender. Cool before turning out of the tins. (I didn't wait until cool because I had to bake the rest before dinner)

You can make your own frosting, or you can buy the pre-made vanilla frosting. I used a pre-made frosting and it's still just as good!

Enjoy!

Turkey Chili

This is a great recipe to make when Thanksgiving has come to pass and you are left with all of these leftovers! I had over six bags of leftover turkey last year, and was desperate to find a way to use them up! In fact, I still had a bag of turkey in my freezer this last week, so I ended up making this again! Mike even jumped in to make a few changes to the recipe, but it was still really good!

Here's the recipe: Turkey Chili

Turkey, cut up into small pieces (Also watch for bones that snuck in!)
Black, pinto or kidney beans (If they are hard, soak them first!)
V8 tomato juice (I use the Spicy flavoring)
Onion, diced
Chili powder
Cayenne pepper powder
Tomatoes, if desired, diced.

Heat the turkey pieces, onion, chili powder and cayenne until warm. The onions will start to cook. Add the beans and V8 juice. Stir occasionally, but simmer on medium to low heat for 30 minutes. If you choose to add fresh tomatoes, add them in about three to five minutes before serving!

Enjoy!

Chicken Tacos

This was something that when I asked Mike what meals he wanted for the week, he requested tacos. He didn't care what kind, as long as it was in the taco family! He then decided that it would be healthier if it was chicken, so that is what I did. It's a simple and quick meal, and it doesn't take any time at all to prepare!

Here's the recipe: Chicken Tacos

1 pound of chicken, diced to bite size pieces
taco shells of your choice
lettuce, cut into bite size pieces
tomato, diced
onion, diced
green onions if desired.

Cook the chicken bits in olive oil until thoroughly cooked. Warm taco shells in the microwave for 10-15 seconds. Place chicken into the shell, followed by your toppings of choice.

Enjoy!

Thai-Style Warm Noodle Salad

As I mentioned in a previous posting, I was going to surprise Mike with a Thai dish of some kind. One of the reasons that I have never made anything like it before, is because I haven't had a lot of experience even eating anything Thai, but I also said that with sushi, and I love it!  Mike was generally surprised and ended up eating the entire batch of this the next day! I guess I should take that as a hit!  =)

Here's the recipe: Thai-Style Warm Noodle Salad

8 ounces uncooked angel hair pasta
1/2 cup chunky peanut butter (I had a ton of smooth on hand, so I used that instead.)
1/4 cup soy sauce (Light or dark, should make a difference, but I used dark)
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (I added much more...mostly by accident!)
2 green onions, thinly sliced  (I used about 4 or 5)
1 carrot (I used a big handful of the baby carrots)

Cook pasta according to package directions.
Meanwhile, blend peanut butter, soy sauce and pepper flakes in serving bowl until smooth.
Drain pasta, reserving 5 tablespoons of the water. Mix hot pasta water with peanut butter mixture until smooth; toss pasta with sauce. Stir in green onions and carrots. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Takes about 12 minutes total.

Note: This salad is very versatile as it is easy to make. It can be prepared a day ahead and served warm or cold- perfect for potlucks, picnics and even lunch boxes. You can also make it into a heartier meal by mixing in leftover chicken or beef.

Enjoy!

Another Long Break

Hello everyone!

Sorry, once again, for the late postings. It's been a rather odd ball month.

I'll spare you all the details, but things are getting better and are starting to look up. I've been slacking in the writing department in general. I haven't even touched my personal journal in about three weeks, and I usually write in it every morning, usually pages upon pages worth, but I've neglected that as well. I really need to set some time aside for this blog.

The weather here has been a constant rain/thunderstorm every evening, and sometimes during the entire day. I love rain and thunderstorms, though I used to hate them growing up, but nothing compares to Mike and my experience in Galway! Nothing comes close to it! I think that when it happened, I told Mike that I would never complain about rain again, and I can honestly say that I don't believe that I have yet!

Our yard is looking green, but as I mow it, I notice that it's all clover and moss in places with sections of good grass, but mostly weeds. I think that eventually, we will have a nice yard, but until then, I can settle with green!

Mike had his first PT session yesterday, and I think it went well. There are a lot of details that I feel shouldn't come from me, but things are fine, so to speak. I will be reminding him to do his daily exercises and make sure that he stays on top of them.

There have been a few new recipes that I have served up to Mike, some with his help too. It's always nice to have his help preparing meals and just being domestic! It may sound silly or even dumb, but I really enjoy those moments with him. It's almost as if we are being romantic in every mundane task in daily living. I think that in order to have a healthy and happy relationship, with anyone, you need that ability to just fall in with one another, whether it's running to the store, cooking or cleaning or even when you decide to shake things up a bit and travel or go out on a date together. All I know, and I'm about to get all sappy, but Mike makes me truly happy and I am so ecstatic to be married to my best friend! I know a lot of people who can not say the same thing, and I wish they could experience what I feel for Mike.

I'll set aside the mushy/sappy stuff for now, and move on. Mike is working a really hectic schedule this month. He's been working 5 days with 2 evenings, with one day off, followed by six days in a row, with one day off, with another five days on....I feel for him. I remember doing a similar schedule when I was working there, and I know that he really needs two days off in a row to recoup, but it seems as if they don't really care. I also know that they are short on staff right now, due to vacations and maternity leave, but still. I just wish that it was more of a set schedule, but unfortunately that is what happens when you work in a hospital. It comes with the job. He has to work holidays too, so it will make getting together with family difficult as it has for the two and half years we've been together. I just wish that everyone would understand that.

So, I will be trying to post more often. I've got a few recipes coming as well, so be sure to check them out!

Until next time!

Pumpkin Streusel Cheesecake Bars

Mike loves pumpkin! I enjoy it too, but not as much as he does! The only downside that I foresaw with trying this dessert out, was Mike not being a fan of cheesecake, but I tossed that aside and went for it. This recipe is super easy, and super yummy! This is great for any time of year, and I see this being a great choice for Thanksgiving!

Here's the recipe: Pumpkin Streusel Cheesecake Bars

Cookie Base:
1 pouch (1 lb, 1.5oz) Betty Crocker Oatmeal cookie mix
1/2 cup cinnamon graham cracker crumbs
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans (Mike doesn't like nuts, so I doubled the crackers)
1/2 cup cold butter or margarine

Filling:
2 packages (8oz each) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin (not the pie mix) {I used the whole 3.5 cup serving size can)
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
2 tablespoons whipping cream (I used heavy whipping cream)
2 eggs

Heat oven to 350*. In a large bowl, stir together cookie mix, cracker crumbs, cinnamon and pecans. Cut in butter, using pastry blender or fork until mixture is crumbly. Reserve one cup for topping. Press remaining mixture in bottom of ungreased 13x9 pan. Bake 10 minutes. Cool 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add remaining filling ingredients; beat until well blended. Pour over warm cookie base. Sprinkle reserved topping. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until center is set. Cool for 30 minutes. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until chilled.
Before serving, drizzle with chocolate and caramel toppings. For bars, cut into 6 rows by 4 rows. Store covered in the refrigerator.

Notes: I didn't use any chocolate or caramel toppings. Instead, I used whipped cream and sprinkled a small amount of cinnamon on top of that.

Enjoy!

Goulash

This is another favorite of the Fahey household. It's simple and provides leftovers!

Here's the recipe: Goulash

1 pound ground hamburger
salt and pepper to taste
cheese (enough to thicken sauce a bit)
1 can tomato sauce
elbow noodles
basil
garlic powder
oregano
onion, diced
1 can tomatoes

Brown hamburger and onion. Drain grease. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook for 30 minutes. Cook noodles separately, drain, and put everything together. Place in a greased casserole dish and bake in 350* oven for 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Beef Stroganoff

When I made this meal the first time for Mike, he looked at it and said," This doesn't look like my mom's!"  Even though it wasn't the same as his mom's, he still enjoys this meal!

Here's the recipe: Beef Stroganoff

1 round steak, cut into 1/2 inch strips or cubes (I use stew meat steak)

2 cans of golden mushroom soup

2 large cans mushrooms with juice (I use only one small can, because Mike doesn't like mushrooms)

1 onion, sliced or diced thin

1 small carton of sour cream

Brown meat and onions, drain grease. Add soup and mushrooms with juice. Simmer 15-30 minutes until well heated. The longer this cooks, the more the flavors blend together. Just before serving, add sour cream and heat through. Serve on rice or noodles.

Cheesy Potato and Ham Casserole

This makes a lot of leftovers! Mike even eats this for breakfast sometimes! This is a recipe that my great-grandmother gave to us years ago! Let me just say that this is so much yummier than hamloaf! ;)

Here's the recipe: Cheesy Ham and Potatoes

5 pounds potatoes
1 ham steak, cut into bite size pieces
salt and pepper to taste

Cheese Sauce:
In skillet, heat 2/3 cup butter. Stir 3 level tablespoons flour. Let it cook a little, but not too brown. Add milk slowly, stirring constantly as it thickens, probably 3 cups. Add 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese. Stir as it melts and thickens a little more. Omit or add milk as you feel necessary.

Cook 5 pounds of potatoes with peeling on, cool completely. Peel and slice or dice, but not too fine. In baking dish, put the potatoes, ham pieces and salt and pepper as you like. Pour cheese sauce over all. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes in a 350* oven. The top should be nicely browned. If it browns too quickly, lay foil on top.

Notes: The more cheese you add, the cheesier the flavor!


Enjoy!

Trattoria Tortellini

I had gotten a cookbook for free at my local grocery store with a purchase of some cream cheese, so I figured I'd look through it first to see if it made sense to get it...sure enough, this is yet another cookbook that we use often! I've added chicken to this meal for some protein and it makes it even better!

Here's the recipe: Trattoria Tortellini with Chicken

18 ounces refrigerated three-cheese tortellini, uncooked
1 cup milk
4 ounces Philadelphia cream cheese, cubed
6 tablespoons shredded or grated Parmesan Cheese
1/4 teaspoon black pepper or to taste
6 ounces baby spinach leaves (I always add more, because it's good for you!)
1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 pound of chicken, cut into bite size pieces and cooked

Cook chicken in a skillet with some olive oil. Set aside.
Cook pasta as directed on package.
Meanwhile, cook milk and cream cheese in a large skillet on medium heat until cream cheese in melted and mixture is well blended, stirring occasionally. Stir in Parmesan and pepper. Add spinach; mix well.
Drain pasta. Add to spinach mixture with chicken and tomatoes; mix lightly.

Notes: Add 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes for an added kick!

Shepard's Pie

When Mike and I went to Ireland, we had the best food there! One of the things that Mike seemed to order a lot of was Shepard's Pie. Once we came home, I found an Irish cookbook at Borders and we use this book often! He loves and requests this meal often!

Here's the recipe: Shepard's Pie

2 medium onions, chopped/diced fine
2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
3 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 pound ground lamb
1 (6oz) tomato paste
1 cup chicken stock/chicken broth
1 heaped tablespoon flour
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup water
pinch of parsley, thyme (or to taste)
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon tarragon (or to taste)
3 large potatoes (enough to cover the top of your casserole dish)
1 stick of butter
3/4 cup of milk
1/2 cup cooked corn (I used a small can of corn)
1/2 cup carrots, chopped fine (I used pre shredded carrots)
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese (optional)

Saute the onion and garlic in the butter over low heat until soft. Turn up the heat and add the lamb, stirring until it is well browned. Drain off any fat and add the tomato paste, broth, and flour. Cook, stirring for one minute before adding the wine and water. Add parsley, thyme, salt, pepper, and tarragon. Simmer gently for 15 minutes. Boil and mash the potatoes. Add the butter and milk, season with salt and pepper. Put the lamb mixture in a large greased baking dish. Spoon the corn and carrots over the lamb and spread the potatoes on top so that the meat and vegetables are covered completely. Sprinkle cheese over the potatoes and bake for 30 minutes at 350*. Place under the broiler for a few minutes to brown the top and serve.

Enjoy!

Round and Round We Go!

Hey everyone!

It's been a long while since I've written anything on the blog. Sorry for the delay!

I've got several recipes, but I think that I've been doing this a little wrong. I should be posting the recipes separately, so they are easier to find and then my blog isn't super long where I might lose your interest, if I haven't within the first few sentences! So, that's what I'm going to try to do from now on. So be on the look out for separate postings for the recipes! Let me know too, if this works better or if the way I have been in the past are better!

So Mike and I spent our weekend rearranging our house. We moved furniture and pictures to the places that we wanted them to be hung, and we still need to do that, but one step at a time! The house is still taking us a little getting used to, but it's beginning to look more like "our" home. So that's nice. We even got to pull out the fountain that Mike's sister and brother in law gave us for Christmas! Now that we don't have a cat that loves fresh water from the tap, we can put it out without fear of the cats drinking from it! It's a bit odd for us to hear water running though, so we still are adjusting!

The weather has been pretty bipolar here too. Thunderstorms and sunshine, sometimes both at the same time! It's crazy!

I tried to enroll for the Fall semester at PPCC, but the school has decided that they only need one classroom per semester to accommodate hundreds of students. First come, first serve. I've been researching other schools and even one-on-one training with other professional photographers to help me in my quest to perfect my talent. I'll be discussing options with Mike later on tonight or this week. I'm not happy with that school, and haven't been in a long while, but what can you do? I just think that they need to be more flexible with the advisers of these programs to be able to fully provide for these potential customers and students.

Bootcamp has been going well. In fact, today we ran with a tire dragging behind us. It wasn't easy, but I don't think it was that difficult for me. I think that my soccer training has helped, but I also know that I'm pretty out of shape still, because I could feel it as I was running. I felt like I was hearing the theme song from Rocky in my head... =) And yes, we even did some boxing today too, so that probably didn't help any either!

Joe, the man who runs the bootcamp and other fitness programs, has asked me to take pictures of each one of his classes, and I agreed to that. So, I finally brought my camera with me last Friday, and there was hardly anyone there, so maybe next time, I'll have more people to actually take pictures of!

I'm almost finished with my picture sorting for the revamp of the site, but I still have a long way to go! I'm still looking forward to the day when I'm done with this project! It's going to be nice to feel some sort of accomplishment!

Mike's schedule has been all over the place, and he'll be working evenings this weekend...not really looking forward to that, but it's the job, unfortunately. The only thing that I can do is to try and make this week and next go by with as little frustration as possible and ease him into the next week.

I still need to compile a shopping list for this next week but I'm not sure what to prepare this coming week. I feel like I've made everything under the sun, though I know that is far from true. Perhaps I will surprise Mike and make something Thai...or something. Any suggestions?

Well, I better get to posting the recipes and start moving forward!

Until next time!

Summer Time Has Arrived!

Hello everyone!

It's officially summer! I have the sun burn to prove it! It's actually not that bad anymore, but two days after getting it was tough, but I've always believed that if you baby your burn, it lasts longer. So, I have a nice awkward tan on my upper back.

My mom and I got together earlier this week to continue our work on the dresser. I think we may be nearing the end of that project! I can't wait for it to be finished! It's tough trying to strip and refinish any piece of furniture. I still don't know why the previous owners felt that they needed to paint this dresser four different colors...and of course, the original wood was a beautiful cherry...it's sad.

I mowed our yard again this week. The weeds exploded with a growing spurt, and I think the rain that we've been getting has helped with that, but still...I just mowed it not too long ago...I wish it would stay short for a while longer. Now that it's all short again, I hope that it takes at least another week or so before I am out there again. I still need to seed, fertilize and kill the moss and weeds, but that will be a project to be done in the early morning when the wind isn't so high.

Today has been a bit of a project day as well. I cleaned the oven, the dishes and laundry. Now I am planning on finishing this blog and working on my photos. I need to finish up with sorting and fixing pictures for my website revamp, and I can't wait for that to be over! It's a lot of work!

Monday is the Fourth of July, and it's my niece's birthday! She will be a year old...where does the time go? It seems like only yesterday when she was born...and now she's a year...crazy! I can only imagine what it will be like when Mike and I have our own kids! I know now that the saying of, "Blink and you miss it," is true when it's your own kids. It is exciting and yet a little scary!

I have only made on new recipe this week. It's more of a drink/shake than anything else. It's great as a snack or something to help cool you off during this season!

Here's the recipe: Oreo Milk Shake

4 teaspoons chocolate syrup
8 Oreo cookies, divided
1 1/2 cups milk
2 cups Vanilla ice cream

Spoon 1 teaspoon of syrup into each of 4 glasses. Roll each glass to coat bottom ad inside of glass. (I only used two tall glasses instead of four small ones). Finely chop 4 cookies; set aside.
Quarter remaining cookies and place in blender. Add milk and ice cream; blend until smooth.
Pour into prepared glasses and top with chopped cookies. Serve immediately.


This week, I am preparing to post more meals on here. I am also hoping to get more projects accomplished this week, but I haven't figured out what else to do. Maybe I will sort through our storage room and re-organize the boxes that the cats love to hide in...hmm.

Until next time!