Rebekah's Recipe Challenge: Day Four

Dinner Menu:
Hummus with Pita Chips
Grilled Chicken Pitas
Greek Salad

Our dinner tonight was a sampling of several recipes I've gathered over the years.  The hummus is the recipe I acquired from Rebekah, thus making it appropriate for this challenge =).

I've never made hummus before.  I love to eat the stuff though!  This recipe proved to be very good and very easy to make!  You basically dump everything in a bowl and mix together...simple as pie!  It was a great appetizer for our meal and will be a great snack for days to come.  Even Adam said that it tasted good...and he's not the biggest fan of hummus =).

Hummus:
2 cups canned garbanzo beans, drained

1/3 cup tahini
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tsp salt
2 cloves garlic, halved
1 tbsp olive oil
1 pinch paprika
1 tsp minced fresh parsley (optional)

I put the garbanzo beans in a blender with the garlic and pureed them together.  Then I transferred it to a bowl and added the rest of the ingredients.  Stir until well-blended.  The paprika is meant to be added on top as a garnish.  You are more than welcome to add whatever else you want to the hummus...red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, etc.  Serve with pita chips or cracker/veggie of your choice.

On a side note, tahini is a sesame product that kind of resembles peanut butter.  We found a jar of it at Kroger in their health food section, next to the natural peanut butters.

While we were snacking on our appetizer, I got to work on the rest of the meal.  I found the Grilled Chicken Pita recipe from Paula Deen and the Greek Salad recipe from a Southern Living cookbook I have, Easy Weeknight Favorites.  The Grilled Chicken Pitas had a lot of components to it.  Most of the components were easy to prepare.  The chicken needs to be marinated prior to cooking and the bacon needs to be cooked.  Otherwise, everything else either just needed to be chopped or stirred together for future assembly.  The Greek Salad is VERY easy to put together!  Just dump all ingredients in a bowl and toss with dressing!  And I feel like this salad is a great mixture of sweet and tangy.  The peppers and onions provide the tangy-ness and the red wine vinaigrette provides a sweetness to the salad...it's a keeper!  I also think it would be great with grilled chicken on top.

I know...hello lettuce!

The chicken pitas were good.  They kind of reminded me of a fancy Greek taco...if those words can even go together!  The marinade for the chicken was really tasty...not too overpowering.  We had some leftover chicken and I think it would taste good on a salad.  I also thought the bacon was a nice touch...I liked the crunch and salty factor.  Instead of splitting open the pitas, we just wrapped the pita around the "innards."  Here is a breakdown of the individual components that were put on the pita.

Grilled Chicken Pitas:
(courtesy of Paula Deen)

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 Tbsp plus 2 tsp fresh lemon juice, divided
3 Tbsp soy sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tsp dried oregano, divided
2 small tomatoes, finely chopped
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup olive oil

For the yogurt sauce:
8 oz (1 cup) unflavored yogurt
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
1 Tbsp olive oil

Olive oil or olive oil cooking spray
1 large Vidalia or purple onion, cut into thin rings
Pita bread
1/2 head romaine lettuce, finely chopped
1 jar kalamata olives, drained, halved, pitted
Bacon, fried crisp
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Rinse the chicken breast and pat dry.  Combine 3 Tbsp lemon juice, soy sauce, garlic, and 1 tsp oregano in a glass dish.  Add the chicken, turn to coat, and cover with plastic wrap.  Allow the chicken breasts to marinate for 30 minutes at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator.

Combine the tomatoes and feta cheese in a small dish.  Add the remaining 2 tsp lemon juice, olive oil, and 1 tsp oregano, and stir to combine.  Allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.

For the yogurt sauce:
In a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt, garlic, walnuts and olive oil.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Preheat grill to medium heat (I used an indoor grill pan).  Brush pan with olive oil.  Grill the chicken breasts until cooked thoroughly.  Spread the onion rings on grill and cook until they are browned slightly.  After onions and chicken are cooked, spread pita bread on grill and cook on each side until grill marks show.  Slice the chicken into thin pieces.

When ready to serve, put out all of the ingredients to assemble sandwiches.  Take a piece of pita bread and place several slices of chicken on it.  Top with onions, tomato-feta mixture, lettuce, olives and bacon.  Either layer yogurt mixture on the pita bread first or top with yogurt mixture.

Greek Salad
1 medium head iceberg lettuce, torn
1 small purple onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup pepperocini salad peppers
1/2 cup kalamata olives
4 oz crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup commercial red wine vinaigrette

Combine all ingredients in a salad bowl and gently toss.  Serve immediately.

Rebekah's Recipe Challenge: Day Three

Dinner Menu:
Italian Sausage Pasta
Caesar Salad
Garlic Bread
Pound Cake

This meal was served to us one weekend years ago when we were visiting the Louis'.  I remember thoroughly enjoying the entire meal and was so impressed that Rebekah made a cake for us.  What a hostess!  I asked her to send me the recipes so that maybe one day I could make a guest feel as well-fed as I felt that weekend =).  She did and I'm embarrassed to say that I don't think I've gotten around to making the whole meal together before now...shame on me!  I think I've made the cake before but that's about it.  So I was excited to re-create this meal altogether and take a trip down memory lane at all the great times we've spent with our friends!

This meal was a hit with the Blanchers...we're three for three!  Thomas was thrilled because it consisted of his very favorite thing...sausage!  Adam loves anything Italian and kept talking all night about how good the cake was making the apt smell.  He was also a big fan of the garlic bread.  I must confess that this garlic bread was the frozen kind that you put in the oven and cook for five minutes...it was nothing fancy.  We did learn, though, that the Wal-Mart brand of garlic bread is just as good as the Pepperidge Farm brand, FYI.  I really liked how the sauce to this pasta was made with tomato paste and a sundried-tomato vinaigrette.  It tasted really good!  The red onion was also a nice addition.  They cook down well and make the meat sauce hearty.  This would be a great dish to make for a large crowd.  It makes a lot!  And it is recommended to just buy a bag of Caesar salad.  If you want to be adventurous, you are more than welcome to construct one from scratch but in my opinion, the bagged kind is just as good...

The cake is quite scrumptious too.  It's made with two different types of pudding...the cake mix that you buy has pudding in it plus you add a box of instant chocolate pudding.  It makes the cake light and fluffy!  Plus the chocolate chips just add goodness that only chocolate chips can. 

I must show you the finished cake product.  I know there's a picture of a piece of it above but I was so proud of how pretty the cake was so just let me gloat!

Thank you!  Thank you!

Italian Sausage Pasta


2 lbs. ground Italian sausage
1 lb. rigatoni (I've used penne before too, since it's smaller)
1 large red onion, sliced
1/2 c. tomato paste
1/2 c. KRAFT sun-dried tomato vinaigrette dressing
4 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1/4 - 1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese

Brown the meat; drain. Add onion and tomato paste; let simmer on low/med 20-25 min. Add dressing, parsley, and cheese. Toss with cooked pasta.

Pound Cake


1 box Pillsbury yellow cake mix with pudding in mix
5 oz. box chocolate instant pudding
1 cup oil (I use vegetable or canola)
1 1/2 cups water
4 eggs

Combine the above and beat until well-blended. I use a hand mixer for a few minutes until the lumps are gone.

6 oz. chocolate chip morsels

Fold in the chocolate chips. Pour into a well-greased and floured bundt pan. Bake at 350' for 60-70 minutes depending on your oven. I just check with a toothpick for a clean exit. Remove from oven and cool.

When ready to serve, sprinkle confectioner's sugar on top of cooled cake.

Rebekah's Recipe Challenge: Day Two

Dinner Menu:
Mini Meatball Sandwiches
Green Salad with Dijon Vinaigrette Dressing

This meal can be summed up in one word...YUM!  The meatball sandwiches with their cheesy, saucy goodness and the salad with its sweet, tangy dressing left us all with that good, full-up feeling in our tummies!  The meatballs were easy to make up and the sandwiches were easy to assemble...just add cheese and bread.  While the salad had a lot of different components in it, we felt like it was a great compliment to the simplicity of the sandwiches.  Plus what makes the salad so awesome is all of the stuff that you put in it...I'm a big fan of hearty salads!  The dressing is a mixture of Dijon mustard, honey, balsamic vinegar, and a hint of Tabasco...the perfect blend of sweet and spicy! 

Mini Meatball Sandwiches
check it out at The Pioneer Woman website:
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/07/16-minute-meal-3-mini-meatball-sandwiches/
A couple of side notes:
1) this recipe was actually given to Rebekah by our friend Liz...thanks Liz!
2) instead of using rolls, we used small split-top buns

Green Salad with Dijon Vinaigrette Dressing

dressing:
1 Tbs Dijon mustard
1/4 c balsamic vinegar
1 Tbs honey
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
2 shakes Tabasco
1/2 c olive oil

Whisk or shake in jar.

Serve over leafy green salad with thinly chopped purple onions, feta cheese, Parmesan cheese, sliced avocado and toasted pecans.  Sprinkle salad with Tony Chachere's and toss with dressing before serving.

Rebekah's Recipe Challenge: Day One

Dinner Menu:
Zesty Slow Cooker Chicken Barbecue
Oriental Coleslaw

This meal was a home-run with the Blancher family!  I was actually at the grocery store when Thomas ate his dinner but Adam texted me that Thomas nodded enthusiastically in approval when he was eating both the chicken AND the oriental slaw.  This must mean that it really is good because Thomas is not a "salad" fan.  I was quite surprised that he ate a serving of it without any bribes!

The chicken was just about the easiest thing to cook.  Who doesn't like throwing frozen chicken breasts into a crock pot only to end up with tender, juicy yumminess??  The sauce tastes like barbecue sauce with a kick.  The oriental coleslaw has a great crunch to with the addition of the almonds and Raman noodles.  The dressing is sweet and tangy.  The slaw absorbs the dressing really well.  It, too, was very simple to put together.  Both dishes were a win-win in my book and complimented each other really well!

The Blancher's give these two recipes an A+ and will be adding them to our routine dinner circulations!

Zesty Slow Cooker Chicken Barbecue (from Allrecipes.com)
6 frozen, skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
(I just used 4 chicken breasts with the same amount of sauce)
1 12 oz bottle of barbecue sauce
1/2 cup Italian dressing
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons Worchestershire sauce

Place chicken in a slow cooker. In a bowl, mix the barbecue sauce, Italian salad dressing, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce. Pour over the chicken.


Cover, and cook 3 to 4 hours on High or 6 to 8 hours on Low.

Oriental Cole Slaw
1/4 C apple cider vinegar

1/2 C canola oil
dash soy sauce
dash sugar
envelope of Raman chicken soup seasoning
chopped green onions
toasted sliced almonds
package of Raman noodles
16 oz. bag of cole slaw

Mix dressing and add to cabbage. Break noodles into small pieces and add just before serving. ( I usually put the dressing on about an hour before serving.)


Serves 8-10.

Rebekah's Recipe Challenge

My friend, Rebekah, has been consistently great at sending along good recipes to me over the years.  They are usually very easy, family-friendly, and really good recipes that I've enjoyed trying out.  A week ago or so, I decided to actually take stock of all of the emails, links, recipe cards, etc. she's given me throughout the course of our friendship and found quite a collection!  So I thought it would be fun to challenge myself to make up meals for a week from the recipes she's passed along and blog about them.  Think Julia and Julia on a very basic level =).

I also plan on passing these yummy concoctions along to all of you, with Rebekah's blessing of course!  So here it goes...may the first annual Rebekah's Recipe Challenge commence!

Sneaux Days

In the south, we can usually count our encounters with snow on one hand.  I mentioned one of our larger snows last year in one of my recap posts.  This year, we've had a couple of bouts with winter precipitation already...where we can actually see snow falling from the sky and it even sticks!  One happened right at the beginning of the year in January.  There wasn't a whole lot of accumulation on the ground but it sure looked pretty falling from the sky!

Me with my sister, Erin and cousin, Nell

We had our SECOND snow this past week.  This one was a bit more significant where it actually stuck and the world looked white, for a day or so.  Exciting stuff for a bunch of southerners!  Kids had a day off from school, many businesses took the day off, roads were closed, and we all hunkered down in the house, glad to have a day to veg!

Unfortunately, we planned poorly for winter this year and the only "snow-worthy" jacket we had for Thomas was his ski coat from last year.  It fit him ok...maybe a little short in the sleeves...but he refused to wear it!  So we stayed inside and enjoyed the snow from the warmth of the house.

Evan was thrilled.

Thomas liked watching the snow fall at the window.

getting a snow-tutorial from Papa

Evan did rise from his slumber briefly for a quick look outside...still thrilled...

It was really pretty outside.

I think that other parts of the city got more snow.  I've seen pictures of places where it looks like there were a couple of inches on the ground!

We had a lot of fun inside during our snow day.  Mamou was able to brave the outdoor conditions (thanks to Papa's all-terrain tires!) and came over to hang out with us.

deep phone conversations

music madness

Hope everyone stayed warm!  This has been a crazy winter.  The weekend before, we had beautiful, sunny, seventy degree weather.  And more snow has been forcasted for later on this week!  Weird.

An Ode to Oil of Olay

So this is rather random but it came to me one day in the shower...

I am a fan of moisturizer. 

I should be better about using it on my face on a daily basis but I use hand and body lotion ALL THE TIME.  The world doesn't feel right without it.

My love could have evolved from my somewhat obsessive instinct to wash my hands.  Working in elementary schools and being a mother to young children have brought it to my attention how truly germy this world around us is.  (Can we say germ-a-phobe??)  Washing my hands at any given moment gives me some comfort and control of the ever-constant germs.  (I know, I need help.)

This frequent hand-washing causes my hands to become quite dry, especially during the winter season.  Adam affectionately refers to it as a "wash rash."  It's really ugly actually.  So for Christmas, I think Santa was trying to send me a very subtle message...

I also received a bottle of lotion that was the same scent as the perfume that I wear.  It came in a little gift set thingy.  I didn't have a picture of it though.

Now one might get offended by this message.  How dare you suggest that my skin is not baby soft and needs some assistance!?  Oh no, not me!  I love it all!  I was very intrigued by the "Miracle Hand Repair" cream...I wanted to see a miracle take place!  (It did help tremendously, by the way.  Who knew the power of aloe vera?)

I had never heard of this "in shower" lotion from Oil of Olay.  However, I was excited because it would give me the ability to mosturize daily while not taking any extra time because I could do it while showering in the morning.  Great concept!

Let me tell you, this stuff is awesome!  It really does moisturize your skin although it doesn't really feel like lotion when you put it on.  Plus is smells AMAZING!  Well done Santa!

So, in true Kristen-fashion, I felt as if a small poetry sample would be a great way to truly share how much this lotion means to me...my "ode" to Oil of Olay:

Oil of Olay,
I use it everyday,
And I really like the way
My skin feels like a ba-bay's.

The smell is oh, so great,
It doesn't cost more than $4.98,
It's good to use before a date,
Oil of Olay, you're my first mate!

A little much??  Maybe so...but it's good stuff.  You should try it sometime.

Happy moisturizing! =)