Chicken Mug Pie

Chicken Mug Pie

Aloha!  Long time no see!  How were your holidays? Tell me all about it.

I'll wait.  Go ahead....

Well that sounds [insert appropriate adjective].

OK my turn.  Chris and I had so much going on throughout the holidays that we knew we would have to squeeze in quality time together wherever we could, so on one particularly chilly night, I made us some chicken mug pie.  Originally a Rachael Ray recipe, but I've worked it over to make it the easiest chicken pot pie you'll ever eat.

What you'll need:

• 1 tube jumbo biscuits
• Sweet paprika, for sprinkling
• 2 packages of pre-cooked grilled chicken breast (like Perdue or Tyson)
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup of pre-cut celery
• 1 cup of frozen, diced onion
• 1 12oz bag of mixed vegetables (carrots, peas, corn)
• Salt and pepper
• 2 teaspoons of Adobo all-purpose seasoning or poultry seasoning
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup frozen shredded potatoes, ready to cook hash browns from the freezer aisle
• 1 pint half-and-half
• 1 quart chicken stock

What's about to get dirty:

1 large pot

1 wooden spoon

+1 sheet pan lined with wax paper

What to do:

Prep biscuits according to package directions on pan, sprinkle with paprika before putting them in the oven, continue to cook according to package directions.

In a large pot, melt the butter, add your chicken just to heat it up.  Then add veggies.  Season and cook through.  Sprinkle the flour on top and cook for 2 minutes.  Add potatoes, half and half, and chicken stock.  Bring the soup to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.  Cook for another 10 minutes or until the soup is thick.

And that's it!  Scoop into a mug, top with a biscuit and enjoy!

Yum!  What do you guys like to make on cold nights?

Spicy Mexican Inside-Out Burgers

Yummy Mexican Goodness

Another blast from the past, mystery recipe!  This one I don't remember making because CHRIS made it!!! I know! Read on:

I live for my griddle/grill pan.  A great cast-iron, double-burner, reversible grill/griddle is one of the greatest investments any chef can make in their kitchen.  Using one pan, you can cook a whole meal, and it's great for apartment cooks who don't have the luxury of being able to grill.  We now have a grill and we use it ALL. THE. TIME. but with winter approaching, I'll probably be pulling my grill pan out more often.  In light of that, I decided to ask Chris how he made these burgers for us.

No, you didn't read that wrong.  This is Chris' burger recipe.  If you've been following along for a while now, you'll know that Chris is far from a master chef, but burgers are actually his specialty.  He makes the BEST inside-out cheeseburgers.  My theory is that because his hands are so big, he can form the patties and stuff them with cheese without over-handling the meat, as where I struggle because I have teeny tiny hands.  Seriously. I buy gloves from the kids department.

Anywho, here's what you need:

What's about to get dirty:
1 grill pan
1 spatula
1 mixing bowl

What you'll need:
1/2 lb of 85% ground beef
1 tbsp soy sauce
sriracha sauce to taste
2 1oz chunks of manchego cheese, broken into small pieces (1/4-1/2 inch)
1/4 cup of re-fried black beans
Optional: a few spoonfuls of guacamole, addtl toppings like raw red onion or tomato
2 burger buns

Let's get started:


Combine the beef, soy sauce, 1 tbsp of re-fried black beans, and sriracha (we used about 2 tsps for extra kick) in your mixing bowl.  Be gentle and try to mix as little as possible, while still incorporating the ingredients.  The more you handle the meat, the tougher it will become.  No need for salt since soy sauce and refried beans are high in sodium and the manchego will add some saltyness as well.

We made sliders, and Chris put extra cheese on his!

In your hand, form half the meat mixture into a large disk.  Place 1/2 your cheese at the center of the disc and fold the edges of the disc over it to make a cheese-stuffed meat pocket (sounds yummy, doesn't it! lol). Pinch the meat shut so the cheese doesn't ooze out all over the place. Repeat to make the second burger.

Grill the burgers until they're at your preferred done-ness.  Reserve a little area of the griddle to reheat your remaining refried beans.  Top the burgers with remaining black beans and whatever other toppings you prefer.  Construct your burger and voila!

Another mystery recipe bites the dust.

What's your SO's best recipe?

Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo

I HAVE A VERY IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT......

I think I may have found the source of the mystery shrimp pictures!!!!!!!  Using skewers to quick-flip grilling shrimp in order to prevent overcooking? Genius.  And if I didn't think of it already, I should have.  I'm pretty sure I did.

Oh man you guys, seriously, I'm not 100% sure that's how I cooked the shrimp, but if it isn't, that's how I should have cooked them. Skewers. What a great idea.  You know what? I just decided that's how I cooked them.  Who's going to argue?  Go ahead and try to prove that I didn't. I dare you.  Show me the proof, I say!

Yeah, that's what I thought. Punk!  Haha, ok now I'm getting carried away.

I am sure that this is how I made the alfredo sauce though, because I've made it the same way since my freshman year when Chris brought home a jar of Ragu brand alfredo sauce.  For realzies. I know. You're all surprised I'm still with him. I know.  But he's so darn cute!

Look! He climbs! lol

Anywhoot, down to business.  This was also one of my recipes inspired by the Great Fridge Clean Out of 2011.  Has anyone else noticed that the Fridge Clean Out involved a lot of pasta?  Yeah, and we still have a dufflebag full of it. A duffle bag.  I can't stop myself when pasta is 10 boxes for $10.  I like pasta, and it's not like dried pasta goes bad.  I may have a problem.  A pasta buying addiction.  I guess step one is admitting it.  I'm not quite at step one though.  I said I may have a problem, not that I do have a problem. Deny, deny, deny.  I can stop whenever I want.

So yeah, super simple recipe.  The only trick to it is timing.  Alfredo sauce is no-bueno unless it's right off the stove.

I feel like I say that a lot: "The only trick is...."  Maybe I should just add that to my little recipe list. Like  a little feature spot where I let you know what the hardest part about the recipe is going to be in advance.  What are your thoughts?

What's about to get dirty:
1 whisk
1 sauce pot
1 colander
1 pasta pot
1 grill pan
1 medium bowl
1 grater
(Sounds like way more than usual, right?  No worries, you can totally do this in one pot, and sub out the shrimp for some leftover grilled chicken)

What you'll need:

• 2 cloves garlic, grated
• 3 tbsps olive oil
• 1/2 lb raw shrimp, tail on, peeled and cleaned 
• 
  
• 1 pint heavy cream
• 1 stick of salted butter
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 
  
• salt and fresh cracked pepper 
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• What to do:
• 
  
• You could accomplish this in one pot by following my one-pot lasagna strategy, but I happened to still have 2 pots unpacked at this point in time, so I used them.  I also had my grill/griddle pan out from breakfast, so I reused that too.
• 
  
• Start your water boiling and cook your pasta of choice according to package directions until al dente.  Drain into a colander and toss in olive oil to keep the pasta from sticking together.  You can do this while you prep the rest of the meal since water takes FOR-EVS to boil (at least I think so).
• 
  
• For the shrimp: Start by combining the olive oil and garlic in a bowl and tossing your shrimp in the mixture.  Allow the shrimp to marinade for about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Then you should totally skewer them, because it's a fabulous idea and makes them really easy to turn on the grill all at once.  Genius.

Mystery Shrimp: that totally looks like olive oil and garlic, right?

While the shrimp are marinating and pasta is boiling, start preheating your grill pan over medium heat and also get the sauce going.

The sauce is REALLY simple.  Heat up your cream over medium-high heat until it begins to simmer, then add your butter.  Once melted, add your cheese (just before you add the cheese is a great time to start grilling the shrimp, btw).  Season the sauce with fresh cracked pepper.  Make sure to give it a taste.

This is my super basic alfredo sauce recipe and I've dressed it up a million different ways, but my favorite is adding fresh parsley, garlic and pinch of paprika to it. De-lish!  So do your own dress up if you want.  Don't have cream? Start with a roux and add some regular milk to it.

Sauce should be thick and creamy. I like a LOT of pepper in mine, if you couldn't tell.

As previously mentioned, just before you add the cheese to your sauce, you should set your shrimp skewers on the grill.  Shrimp is the easiest thing in the world to overcook, and most people who don't like shrimp say they don't like the texture.  These people have only ever eaten overcooked shrimp.  So watch them.

Put them on the grill pan and flip as soon as they turn pink.  Not a few seconds after they're pink, not pink with golden brown grill lines--just pink.  Do the same on the other side and then take them off the heat.  

There's nothing worse than over cooked shrimp (ok, there are totally worse things, but you know what I mean).  And just like anything else, it continues cooking when it's off the heat, so don't worry about them being raw. They won't be.  Shrimp literally take seconds to cook.  My biggest advice to you is not to walk away from them.

The last step is just combining the whole shlew of ingredients.  Pasta and sauce first, shrimp on top. 

Voila!  One mystery picture down.  I think I'm going to try re-tackling fish tacos this weekend, since everyone wanted me to remember that recipe, but honestly, it's the one I remember the least because there was SO much to it.  The veggies were tossed in a vinaigrette, I remember their being like a tangy tarter-y type sauce lining the tortilla....the fish was tempura-ed.....I know I topped it off with my famous guac, 'cause I had it left over from that post (seriously that's how long ago it was).  Aaaah! I just can't remember.

Has anyone head over to my new blog, www.fearlesslyfree.com? If not, you totally should. It's awesome over there. lol

New blog!

Don't worry, I'm not done being the Lazy G in the Lazy K, but I am branching out a bit. Follow me on my new blog, www.FearlesslyFree.com , where I talk about life, love, wedding planning and more.  If you love me here, you'll love me there too!  ;)

I have no idea how I did these...

So one of the greatest things about making up my own recipes is that I don't have to measure and I don't have to follow any set of rules.  I season as I see fit, using whatever catches my eye on the spice rack.  However, after starting this blog, I've found a lot of....let's call them "mystery pictures" in my archives.  I've boiled their origin down to the following equation:

2x(My atrocious memory)  +  (My inability to write anything down) + (My impatience for measuring) = pictures like these:

Some kind of Mexican burger? 

I have no recollection of ever making shrimp kabobs.  I can only assume that's what these are.

I know this is turkey chili...that I did something different to....I think. Chocolate? Beer?

Fish tacos?? I think these were really complicated which is why I put off writing about them

BBQ Chicken. Definitely.  I have no idea how I did them though.  Beer brine? Marinade? Dry rub?  Did I make the sauce from scratch? Who knows.

Since I don't follow recipes, and I don't write my own down anywhere other than here, I often forget exactly how I made something.  And if I don't write the post about it quick enough, the process becomes really vague in my mind, so I don't want to commit anything in writing because I don't remember how much of anything I used or how long something spent cooking.  And then more time passes, and before you know it, I don't even remember cooking some of these things!

I'm a hot mess.

I promise I'm going to pour over these pictures and see if I can remember how the I made these (and in some cases, what the hell they are).

Any preference on which recipe I should start with?  The worst part about this is that these pictures totally stress me out.  I can't believe I spent all that time posing the food for pictures and I can't even remember them enough to write a quick post about it.  All that time wasted!!!  

Did you ever whip something up that turned out to be really good....and then you forgot how you made it? Or it somehow never turned out the way it did the first time?  Come on, I can't be the only one.

Parmesan Broccoli Casserole

Parmesan Broccoli Casserole

I'm not even sure that I'm 100% correct on my perception of what a casserole even is, but that's what I'm calling this dish, so let's go with it.

This is one of my mom's recipes that is frequently requested, especially for Thanksgiving dinner, that is often left out of the final menu by "Mom: the menu editor".  Sometimes it gets left out because she forgets she made it and then someone discovers it in the microwave.  That's happened so many times with this particular dish that it has become a running joke at our Thanksgiving meals to ask mom where the broccoli is--which also makes it a great argument diffuser (<--- Word? I think so).  So, with that in mind, I give you.....

"Thanksgiving with my family: A short play"

Sister: What's up with your hair?
Me:Why what's wrong with it?
Sister: It looks weird.
Mom: Eet would luke betterr eef joo had makeup on (<---read: thick Spanish accent)
(Mom Translation: It would look better if you had makeup on)
Me: How would my hair look better if I had make up on?
Mom: Yesseeka, joo luke like junk!  Eets Thangsgeeveen.
(Mom Translation: Jessica, you look like junk. It's Thanksgiving.)
Me: WHERE'S THE BROCCOLI, MOM?

The End.


HAhahahaha. Good times (not really).

Anywho, I jazzed up the casserole by adding some fresh Parmesan cheese I had laying around, and some garlic.  This is another recipe I made during the Epic Fridge Clean-out of 2011 and I managed it all in one tiny 4x8 loaf dish...because that's all I had that wasn't packed.  Impressive? YOU DECIDE.

What's about to get dirty:
4x8 glass "loaf" dish
1 coarse hand grater
1 fork
1 knife

What you'll need:
1 lb bag of frozen broccoli, florets and stems
3 tbsp butter, separated
1 clove of garlic
1/2 tbsp flour
1.5 cups of milk (2% or higher) or cream
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
salt and pepper

What to do:


Preheat your oven to 375.

Start by placing 1 tablespoon of butter in your dish and sticking in the microwave for 30 seconds.  You want it to be REALLY hot and bubbly when it comes out.  Be prepared with your garlic and grater when it comes out.  You want to grate the fresh garlic right into the bubbly butter and give it a stir with your fork.

Next, add your flour, give it a quick stir with your fork and then add your milk/cream.  Put the whole thing back in the microwave for 1-2 minutes on high.  Stay close and keep an eye on it because you don't want it to bubble over.

Once hot and bubbly, remove it from the microwave and dump in your cheese and stir with your fork until all the cheese is melted.  Season your sauce with salt and pepper, then add your frozen broccoli and toss in your bechamel using your fork until the broccoli is thawed and your casserole starts looking cheezy and delicious:

Sprinkle a good handful-about 1/2 cup- of breadcrumbs over top of your casserole.  Then cut up your remaining 2 tbsps of butter into chunks and place them over your breadcrumbs, evenly.

Place on the bottom rack of your oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, until the sauce is thick and bubbly, broccoli is tender, and breadcrumbs are golden brown.

Top it off with some extra, fresh shredded Parmesan and serve.


Now, I normally don't condone cooking in your microwave, but I didn't have any pots or pans that weren't packed, soooooo this is what happens when you don't have those essential cooking tools at your disposal.  I know it's moving season--so am I the only one who had to do this kind of thing?  Ever have to make a meal with makeshift tools because you didn't have the right tools at the ready?  I would love to hear any tricks you've come up with!

We're gettin' hitched!

You'll have to forgive me for not announcing this sooner, but I wanted to make sure that everyone in our families knew before I posted it here.  We didn't want our ENGAGEMENT to start off on the wrong foot because some family member or other had to find out via Facebook/Blog/Twitter.  But yeah, me and Chris, aka my Dishwasher, we're engaged!!!!!

How. Cute. Are we.

Totally bananas, right?  I mean, its only been SEVEN YEARS (and 1 month!).  Haha, I guess that's why nobody's really surprised. Boo.

Whatevs. I'm ecstatic, Chris still giggles whenever he sees me looking at my ring, and there is general happiness gushing out of us at any given moment.  

I know I said here that we were postponing our 7th anniversary celebration AGAIN because of the storm, but that sneaky fiance (I KNOW) of mine decided to move the celebration up a day instead.  So on Friday, he popped the question in front of our dream house after giving me the most beautiful speech about our lives and goals and future together. I cried, he laughed at me, it was awesome.  Then we went home and bunkered up for the impending hurricane.

I'm definitely going to blog about the wedding planning process, but haven't decided if I should just blog it here or make a new site.  Probably I should make a new site, yes?  But what to name it?

Any ideas!?

I lurve this man. Also, my eyelashes are ridic in this picture.