Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Roast Chicken and the Most Delicious Casserole!

Tonight I made yummy roasted chicken breasts that are very simple to prepare. While they are really simple, that doesn't mean that they are fool proof - I set of the smoke alarm! This is the first time in over three years that I have set it off - I know cause we have been in our place for three years and when they went off I didn't even know where it was! These breasts had a lot of fat that smoked while cooking - be careful!

The highlight of the meal was a Zucchini Casserole that I got from the Food Network made by Paula Dean. Surprisingly it didn't call for a pound of butter! I made a couple of changes but pretty much kept it almost the same. I strongly recommend this as a side dish - the filling was a creamy savory mixture and the crust was nice and crispy! I have been trying to make one new recipe a week and this was a success - not like the chicken tortilla soup I made last week! :)

Squash Casserole
Adapted from Paula Deen
Recipe can be found on the Food Network

Ingredients

  • 6 cups large diced yellow squash and zucchini
  • Vegetable oil
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
  • 1 cup crushed butter crackers (recommended: Ritz)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. (I put mine in a 400 degree oven cause I cooked it while the chicken was roasting.)

Saute the squash in a little vegetable oil over medium-low heat until it has completely broken down, about 15 to 20 minutes. Line a colander with a clean tea towel. Place the cooked squash in the lined colander. Squeeze excess moisture from the squash. Set aside.

In a medium size skillet, saute the onion for 5 minutes. Remove from pan and mix all ingredients together except cracker crumbs. Pour mixture into a buttered casserole dish and top with cracker crumbs. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Meal Plan for the week of January 24th


Along with the rest of the country, we are trying to look at ways to save a little money. One of the ways is to eat more meals at home, I take my lunch into work and we are trying not to waste as much. In addition I do look for coupons and deals when I go shopping.

Here is the plan for dinner this week:

Monday
Roast Chicken Breast and Zucchini Casserole

Tuesday
Leftovers or something easy - hubby is going up snowboarding and that usually means I'm on my own for dinner

Wednesday
Skirt Steak and Crispy garlic Potatoes

Thursday
Pasta of some sort - if there is leftover chicken I will add that in

Friday, Saturday and Sunday
We always eat with my in-laws at least one day a week, I'm hoping for Sushi this week. The others days will probably be a breakfast dinner and something with our friends.

I will post recipes and pictures throughout the week and I hope we can stick to this plan!

Saturday, January 23, 2010

New Year, hopefully new commitment!

Yes, it's the end of January and technically everyone starts their new years resolutions at the beginning of the month, but they say that you shouldn't start a new resolution on an important date cause you are more likely to stop with that resolution. Too much pressure!

I am getting back to blogging - I am going to keep doing it! I am going to fight off fatigue and keep up with it- I promise! It's not like I'm not making delicious and I won't lie, not so delicious items in my kitchen. I just haven't gotten around to adding them...... Yes I've been lazy! So with the sound of my icecream maker in the background - I am recommitting to this blog!

New post will by a recipe that I have wanted to try for a while - Frozen Yogurt! :0)