Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Thursday Date Night...At Home!


Ever since Vann and I went to the beach a couple of weeks ago, I have been wanting to try my hand at making some fish at home. I have only tried making fish one time, and it was a disaster. The fish wasn't as fresh as it should have been, and the cooking method was supposed to be on the grill. But considering at the time we did not have a grill to cook said fish on, I settled for cooking it in our toaster oven...DI-SAS-TER. It ended up taking forever to cook, and even after what seemed like a million years in that poor little oven, it was still all soggy and the coloring was more than a littly funky. I consider myself to be a pretty awesome cook, and usually will try a recipe more than once if I fail the first time (which is rare....haha! Cocky much?!?). But my fishy failure was more than enough to discourage me from making anything from the sea for years now. However, I have decided to put my big girl pants on and take a new recipe head on. So, below is our Thursday In House Date Night Dinner Menu...best of luck to me!

I would also like to mention that I am a little nervous about the banana daquiri. I have absolutely no recipe to go on, just a description from the Fudpucker's menu. A creamy vanilla milkshake infused with banana rum... yeah, it was delicious! So delicious that I am ready to come up with my own recipe to knock Vann's socks off. Let's hope it works :)

* Banana Daquiri
* Dijonnaise Tilapia
* Wild Rice
* Green Beans cooked with onion, chicken bouillion, and bacon
* Dinner Rolls

Monday, February 1, 2010

White Chicken Chili


2 lbs. chicken boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 packets McCormick White Chicken Chili Mix
4 (15 oz.) cans Great Northern Beans, not drained
2 (11 oz.) cans White Shoepeg Corn, not drained
2 (10 oz.) cans Original Rotel
Sour Cream
Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Boil the chicken until done. Let cool and shred. In a large pot, combine all ingredients except for the sour cream and shredded cheese. Bring to a boil, then let simmer for about 30 minutes. Place in serving bowls, and top with sour cream and shredded cheese. Mix until thoroughly blended with the chili.

When Vann and I went to the beach, his sister and brother-in-law watched our two little fur babies for us. So, after I got off work on Friday, I headed to Birmingham with the pups in tow, and had a girls' night with the hopefully-one-day-sister-in-law :). For dinner, Michele made this, and it was love at first bite! I know that the picture doesn't look extremely appetizing...and I wish that I could take another one, but my camera has been quite the little turd lately and this is the only one I could get. Please do not judge this meal based on my poor picture taking. I couldn't resist going ahead and posting this recipe, so you will just have to deal with the picture I have given you :) I wasn't sure if Vann would like this, but he LOVED it, and has requested that it be added into our regular rotation. I love to put tons of sour cream and cheese in with mine, while Vann likes only a hint of sour cream in his, but tons of cheese. Either way it is absolutely incredible, even if you just want it as is! I would also like to note that the recipe above is double the original recipe given to me. This meal freezes amazingly well. It's the perfect dish to have on hand on a night you just don't feel like cooking. Pull it out of the freezer, stick it in the microwave and defrost, then cook to desired temperature. And, it goes great with a grilled cheese sandwich! There is nothing easier than boiling and shredding some chicken, and then opening a few cans and throwing everything into a pot! Thank you, Michele!

On a different note, I have not had a chance to work on the toilet paper holder as planned. With a meeting every day last week, along with 2 banquets, I never had the energy by the time I got home. And when I finally had a night off, I got to spend some quality time with my brother, which was much needed and thoroughly enjoyed! I'm hoping that I will have a chance to work on it this weekend, but again, I will see what work has in store for me before making any promises!