The 'Rejected, Neglected & Dejected' Fork

(Photo credit)

I have a feeling that this print pretty much sums up my unintentional blogging hiatus.

My hope is that my blogging drought is almost over!

I am almost back!!!!

Yay!  I can't tell you how excited I am about this.

*Yippee*

Chicken Fajitas

My Dearest and I had gone to the store the other day together.

In the grocery section, we saw chicken breast that had been marinated in fajita seasonings.

It looked good so we decided we'd have Chicken Fajitas for dinner.

We picked up some black beans and Uncle Ben's Taco Rice to go with it.

It turned out really delish.

I can't wait to make them again....maybe with steak or shrimp.

I have no idea how to make fajitas so I make up my own recipe, if you wanna call it that.

Garlic Clove, Red Pepper and Green Pepper sauteing in the Dutch Oven.  Isn't it pretty?

This is what I ended up with, not too shabby, huh?

Chicken Fajitas

(Recipe created by Yours Truly)

INGREDIENTS

1 T olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced

1 green bell pepper, cut into strips

1 red bell pepper, cut into strips

½  yellow onion, cut into strips (My Dearest & I aren't fans of onions, so I didn't use a lot)

1 pound Fajita Marinated Chicken Breasts, cut into strips (I forgot to look at the brand...oops)

Flour Tortillas

Heat olive oil in a dutch oven over medium heat.  Add garlic, peppers and onion and saute for a couple minutes.  Add chicken and cook until chicken is completely done. (I wanna say it took approx 20-25 minutes until the chicken was done.)

I heated my cast iron grilled, sprayed it with a little olive oil on it and threw on a tortilla one at a time.  I kept it on the griddle long enough to warm it up then flipped it.  I thought it made all the difference in the world.  But maybe I'm biased. 

Rosemary Roasted Chicken with Potatoes

I had been eye-balling these little spice packets by McCormick for some while now.

One day, I decided that I was no longer going to gawk at them in the grocery aisle,

imagining how delicious the food looked any longer.

I wo-manned up and bought one.

The Rosemary Roasted Chicken with Potatoes, to be exact.

Boy am I thrilled that I'm no longer a gawker!

This was probably one of the best meals I've ever had.

The best part is - obviously the back of the Recipe Inspiration has the recipe

but since I have all of these spices on hand, I don't have to buy the packet any longer!

Which means that I no longer stand in the aisle gawking.

Um, well, I still gawk.  

Now I gawk at the Apple and Sage Pork Chops and the Garlic Lime Fajitas.

My Dearest isn't a fan of "sweet" or "fruity" ingredients in his savory meals.

He's weird like that, he doesn't like the little extra flair that fruit adds to a meal. 

I don't particularly like that about him, because I'm all about a little fruit flair in my meals.

I will continue to love him regardless of his lack o' fruity flair.

I will continue to make him flairless foods.

(Photo from McCormick)

Rosemary Roasted Chicken with Potatoes

(Adapted from the McCormick Kitchens)

INGREDIENTS

2 tsp Paprika

1½ tsp Crushed Rosemary Leaves

1 tsp Minced Garlic

½ tsp Coarse Ground Black Pepper

2 tsp. olive oil

1 tsp. salt

6 bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed (about 2lbs)  (I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts)

1½ lbs. small red potatoes cut into 1-inch cubes

Mix oil, all of the spiced and salt in a large bowl. Add chicken and potatoes; toss to coat well. Arrange chicken and potatoes in single layer on foil-lined 15x10x1-nch baking pan sprayed with no-stick cooking spray.

Roast in preheated 425ºF oven 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and potatoes are tender, turning potatoes occasionally.

Prep Time: 15 Minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 6 Servings

Chewy Lemon Cookies

Just before Christmas, a co-worker brought in cookies she had baked.

They were absolutely yummy!

Lemony, chewy, tart yet sweet.

Perfect in every way.

She gave us the recipe, um, can you say easy peasy?!

I decided to make a batch the other day.

Definitely super easy, but I will mention now, it can be a sticky situation fast.

Chewy Lemon Cookies

(From the Kitchen of B.K.)

1 boxed lemon cake mix

1 egg

1 container of cool whip (I used FF)

Powdered Sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix together the cake mix, egg and cool whip; mixing well.  Using a tablespoon, drop cookie mixture into the powered sugar.  Roll the cookie batter around in the sugar until completely coated.  Place on greased cookie sheet.  Pop in the over and bake for 10 minutes.



Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole

This is definitely a crowd pleaser and it is really simple to make!

You do all your leg work the night before, let it sit overnight. 

Then pop it in the over about an hour before your want to serve.

Yumm-O!

(Photo from Southern Living)

Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole

(Adapted from Southern Living 2003)

INGREDIENTS
1 lb hot sausage

¼ c onion, chopped

2 ½ c frozen hash browns, cubed

5 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 c. sharp cheddar cheese

1 ¾ c milk

1 c all purpose baking mix

¼ t salt

¼ t. pepper

Cook sausage and onion in skillet for 5 minutes until meat crumbles. Stir in had browns and cook 5-7 minutes until sausage is no longer pink and potatoes are slightly brown. Drain on paper towel, spoon into a greased backing dish.

Stir together eggs, cheese, and next 4 ingredients; pour evenly over sausage mix, stirring well. Cover and chill 8 hours.

Bake covered at 350ºF for 45 minutes uncover and bake 10-15 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes. Serve w/ salsa and sour cream.

Yield: 8 servings

Three-Cheese Twists

These cheese twists are absolutely fantastic.

They would be a great compliment to any meal, especially Italian dishes.
I ended up only making half of this recipe, 2 dozen twists for 2 people is a lot of leftovers.

(Sorry for the photo, I can't seem to get my finished photo to upload.  But doesn't these twists look delish even prior to cooking?!?!)

Three-Cheese Twists

(Adapted from Taste of Home – Heartwarming Soups)

INGREDIENTS

½ c. butter, melted

¼ t. garlic salt

1½ c. finely shredded cheddar cheese

1½ c. finely shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

¾ c. grated Parmesan cheese

1 T. dried parsley flakes

24 frozen bread dough dinner rolls, thawed

In a shallow bowl, combine butter and garlic salt. In another shallow bowl, combine cheeses and parsley. On a lightly floured surface, roll each dinner roll into a 10-in. rope. Dip in butter mixture, then in cheese mixture.

Fold each rope in half and twist twice; pinch the ends together to seal. Place 2-in. apart on greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise in a warm place until alost doubled, about 30 minutes.

Bake at 350º for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Yield: 2 dozen

Mini Meatball Sandwiches

Matt and I love meatballs.

Whether it be a meatball sub, meatballs served as a finger food,

or spaghetti with meatballs, we love them all.

I had been perusing the Pioneer Woman Tasty Kitchen website when I happened upon this recipe.

I made a few tweaks here and there. (see below recipe for my adpatations)

This recipe as a whole was fantastic and rather quick meal.

I was surprised at how fast the meatballs were done.

I will say that I was rather stressed about having to touch the meat and mix by hands.

But I overcame my fear and rolled up my sleeves and tackled the turkey with the best of them!

*gasp!*

My mother would be so proud.

Please excuse the horrible appearance of myself.  I look horrible....and my arms look like they are about to eat the top of my tank.  PLEASE IGNORE me....just focus on the fact that my hands are in the meat mixure. 

I rolled all of these BY MYSELF!

*pardon me while I try to keep from gagging.*

Meat-a-Balls cooking away.

First batch of meatballs done, prior to having the marinara poured on them.

Voila!  Finished product.  I realize now I should have left the top off one of them.  O-well.

I also promise that they are actually on a plate, it's just clear.

Mini Meatball Sandwiches

(Adapted from the The Pioneer Woman Cooks)

INGREDIENTS

1lb Turkey

½ c. Panko

1 garlic clove, minced

½ t. salt

½ t. pepper

½ FF milk

2T olive oil

½ whole medium onion, diced

1 jar marinara (homemade or store bought)

12 dinner rolls

4 slices Provolone Cheese

Mix meat with bread crumbs, garlic, salt, pepper and milk. Knead together with hands. Roll into heaping tablespoon-sized balls.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add onions and cook for 1 minute.   Add meatballs with the onions and brown for 1 minute.  Pour in marinara sauce, shake pan to mix. Put lid on and simmer for 20 minutes.

Cut dinner rolls in half. Place wedge of Provolone cheese on the top and bottom halves.   Spoon meatball and sauce onto  the bottom bun.   Top with other half of bun.

Serve immediately.

MY ADAPTATIONS:
* The original recipie calls for ground chuck, but I opted to use ground turkey to make it a little healthier.

* I also used fat-free milk instead of whole milk.

* I threw in a little marjoram, fennel seed and oregano to give them a little more of an Italian flare.