I don't want to hear the words "Ear Infection" for a long time...

Dempsey has been a handful and a half.  He has been incredibly fussy which has had us at the doctor twice in the past week, only to find out he's perfectly fine and his ears are clear.  I was surely convinced his ear infection had not gone away, but instead I had two doctors, a husband, daughter, and son looking at me like, "What's up with this overreacting mom?"  Sheesh, it's enough to put a wine glass in both hands and one around your neck. 

Oh and let's throw in the fact that we are attempting to have second graders take their first official test on the computer this upcoming week.  Whoever came up with this ingenious idea should be thanked and then held captive in a second grade classroom with no internet connection and attempt to have all the students log on and try to take an online test.  I am just praying to the good Lord the internet is working perfectly and everyone remembers their log on names and password come Monday morning.  Thank goodness Spring Break is only a week away.

In the midst of all the craziness, coming home to wonderful meals is one of the many highlights other than the hugs from my hubby and two little ones.  Feel free to try some of the recipes and let me know what you think!

Chicken Fajitas adapted from Food Network magazine
These were easy and delicious!  Corn tortillas make all the difference!

1 tsp chili powder
3/4 tsp ground cumin
salt and pepper
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 bell peppers (any color) sliced
1 red onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 tsp grated lime zest, plus wedges for serving
8 corn tortillas
1/2 cup prepared pico de gallo or fresh salsa
1/3 cup crumbled cotija cheese (I have no idea what this is, so I did not use it)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Mise the chili powder, 1/2 tsp cumin, and 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper and rub on the chicken breasts.
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large skilet over medium high heat.  Add the chicken and cook, turning, until golden 4 to 5 minutes.  Transfer to a baking sheet, reserving the skillet, and bake until just cooked through 10 minutes.  Transfer to a cutting board to rest, 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil in the reserved skillet over medium heat.  Add the bell peppers, onion, garlic and the remaining 1/4 tsp cumin and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are lightly browned, 8 minutes.  Stir in the lime zest and 2 tbsp water.  Season with salt.
Wrap the tortillas in aluminum foil and warm in the oven, 5 minutes, then divide among plates.  Slice the chicken.  Top the tortillas with the chicken, bell pepper mixture, salsa, and cheese.  Serve with lime wedges.
372 calories, 13 g fat, 75 mg cholesterol, 779 mg sodium, 33 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 32 g protein

Farfalle With Sausage, Tomatoes, and Cream found on epicurious.com
My husband complains that I don't make a dish more than once.  That's not true, because I KNOW I have made this a few times since it's one of his faves.

2 tbsp olive oil
1 pound Italian sausage, casings removed (use any kind you like)
1/2 tsp dried crushed red pepper
1 cup chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 28 oz, can crushed tomatoes with added puree
1/2 cup whipping cream

1 pound farfalle (bowtie pasta)
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
Freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese (Who has this on hand?  Not me.  just use Parmesan)

Heat oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add sausage and crushed red pepper.  Saute until sausage is no longer pink, breaking up with back of fork, about 5 minutes.  Add onion and garlic; saute until onion is tendeer and sausage is browned, about 3 minutes longer.  Add tomatoes and cream. Reduce heat to low and simmer until sausage mixture thickens, about 3 minutes.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite.  Drain, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid. (This seriously makes a huge difference in any pasta dish you make)  Return pasta to same pot.  Add sausage misture and toss over medium-low heat until sauce coats pasta, adding reserved cooking liquid by 1/4 cupfuls if mixture is dry.  Transfer pasta to serving dish.  Sprinkle with basil.  Serving, passing cheese separately.

Slow Cooker Chicken Adobo Recipe found on chow.com
This was yummy!  I served it with rice (Basmati) and green beans.

4 medium yellow onions, halved and thinly sliced
4 medium garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
1 (5-inch) piece fresh ginger, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 bay leaf
3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
3/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Place the onions, garlic, ginger, and bay leaf in an even layer in the slow cooker.

Remove and discard the skin from the chicken. Arrange the chicken in an even layer on top of the onion mixture.
 Whisk the soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, and pepper together in a medium bowl and pour it over the chicken.
 Cover and cook until the chicken is cooked through and falling off the bone, about 4 to 5 hours on high or low. Remove and discard the ginger pieces and bay leaf. Serve with steamed rice.


Southwest 20 minute Noodle Bowladapted from Better Homes and Gardens cookbook
This was easy and fast.  If you want it to be more filling add some cooked chicken or ground beef.

1 14 oz. can reduced sodium chicken broth or lower sodium beef broth
1/2 cup salsa
2 cups frpzen sweet peppers and onions. 2 3 oz. packages ramen noodles (any flavor, broken)
Corn chips

In a large saucepan combine broth and salsa.  Bring to boiling.  Stir in frozen veggies and noodles (discard seasoning packet).  REtun to boiling; reduce heat.  Simmer, covered, for 3 minutes or until noodles and vegetables are tender.  Divide noodles and broth amond four bowls.

293 calories, 12 g fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 532 g sodium, 39 g carbohydrates, 3 g fiber, 8 g protein

Sunday is for Suppers: Convenience Cooking- Quick Chicken Tacos, Crunchy Chicken Strips, 20-Minute Noodle Bowls

We are getting ready for a hurricane.  Yes, Hurricane Sandy is supposed to hit sometime tonight and into tomorrow morning.  It will make landfall mainly by New York and New Jersey, but we will feel the effects all the way down here in good ol' VA.  School has already been closed, so this means my Sunday was full of family time and no blues about work starting back up on Monday.  With that being said, the dinners for this week are kinda up in the air.  We are wondering, are we going to have power?  Luckily, my hubby has learned how to grill just about anything, so the grill is our back up this week. 


We always have chicken on hand-who doesn't?  You'll see that this week's meals are full of chicken since we need to either get rid of it or have something quick to eat.

Quick Chicken Tacos (adapted from Better Homes and Gardens) 
I love cooking with anything that can be turned into a taco!  I love making these because it's basically just assembling the toppings that takes the most time.

Ingredients:
1 16-ounce can refried beans
2 6-ounce packages refrigerated cooked chicken breast strips, cut into bite-size pieces
1 10.5-ounce package 6-inch flour tortillas (10)
2 cups shredded Mexican-style four-cheese blend
2 cups shredded greens or iceberg lettuce
1 large chopped tomato
1/2 cup bottled salsa
1/2 cup dairy sour cream

Directions:
In a saucepan, cook refried beans over medium heat until heated through, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, heat chicken breast strips according to package directions.  Spread about 2 tablespoons refried beans on each tortilla.  Top with chicken, cheese, lettuce, and tomato.  Fold tortillas over filling.  Serve with salsa, sour cream and lime wedges.

Crunchy Chicken Strips (adapted from Better Homes and Gardens)
Goldfish and Ranch dressing are two of the ingredients?!  How can you go wrong when you have to cook for kids?

Ingredients:
Nonstick cooking spray
7 cups bite-size cheddar fish-shape crackers or 14 cups pretzels (14 ounces)
1 1/2 cups bottled buttermilk ranch salad dressing
2 pounds chicken breast tenderloins

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  Line two 15x10x1-inch baking pans with foil.  Lightly coat foil with cooking spray; set aside.
Crush crackers (put them in a freezer bag and roll a rolling pin over them) and transfer to a shallow dish.  In another shallow dish place the 1 1/2 cups ranch dressing.  Dip chicken tenderloins into dressing, allowing excess to drip off; dip into cracker crumbs to coat.  Arrange chicken in prepared pans.  Lightly coat chicken with cooking spray.
Bake uncovered, for 10 to 15 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink, rotating pans halfway through baking.  If desired, serve half of the chicken strips with additional ranch dressing.
Cool remaining chicken strips for 20 minutes.  Place in an airtight container, cover and chill for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month.  To reheat strips, preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Arrange chilled or frozen strips in a single layer on a baking sheet.  Bake, uncovered, until heated through. (allow 15 min. for chilled and 20 minutes for frozen strips)

20 Minute Shrimp Noodle Bowls(adapted from Better Homes and Gardens)
Very often, we have shrimp in the freezer because our local grocery store always has it on sale.  These are soo so good.  Just thinking about them makes me want to cook them up right now!

Ingredients:
1 14-ounce can reduced sodium chicken broth or lower sodium beef broth
1/2 cup bottled peanut sauce
2 cups frozen stir-fry or mixed vegetables
2 3-ounce packages ramen noodles (any flavor, broken)
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
Cooked shrimp

Directions:
In a large saucepan combine broth and peanut sauce.  Bring to boiling.  Add grated ginger.  Stir in frozen vegetables and noodles (discard seasoning packet).  Return to boiling; reduce heat.  Simmer, covered, for 3 minutes or until noodles and vegetables are tender.  Stir in cooked shrimp and heat through.  Divide noodle mixture among four bowls.