Hey everyone! I'm sorry for my recent absence. I haven't been cooking a whole lot. Money is really tight around here right now. The state cut our food benefits down to less than 1/4 of what it was, & neither Ryan nor myself have ANY money right now. It completely sucks but we will make it through. We always do.
I have a few recipes that I will be posting soon. When we had a blizzard here a week or so ago, I made some yummy last minute spicy veggie beef soup that was delicious! I also made some hot onion dip that I got from a Cat Cora recipe awhile back. I've even got 2 amazing slow cooker recipes to share soon; pork chops in mushroom sauce & fix-it-&-forget-it beef stroganoff with a surprise ingredient to make it super think & creamy, with just a little bit of tang. So good!
Keep checking back, I promise I will share all of these recipes this week!
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Friday, February 4, 2011
Chicken Picado (Like Carlos O' Kelly's)
Anyone who knows me, knows how addicted to Mexican food I really am, & one of my favorite Mexican restaurants is Carlos O' Kelly's. For about 5 years, I would always get the same thing from there, Chicken Picado. Just recently, I've started expanding what I eat from their menu, but I still always crave the Chickemn Picado.
Awhile back, I was really craving the dish, but couldn't afford to make the trip to the restaurant, so I searched forever online for a similar version I could make at home. What I found isn't quite the same, but it definitely cured my craving! Now, I may even like this at-home version better than that from Carlos O' Kelly's! Here's is my slightly adapted version of what I found on www.recipelink.com.
For the picado sauce:
1 cup milk
1 8oz. container sour cream
1 1/2 sticks of butter, room temperature
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 cloves minced fresh garlic
Corn starch mix to thicken sauce (2 tsp corn starch mixed with 2 tsp water)
1 tomato, diced & drained (save juice)
For the chicken:
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes
6-10 green onions, sliced thin (whites from greens after slicing)
1 green pepper, diced
Also needed:
16 oz. shredded monterrey jack cheese
1 package small flour tortillas
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
Melt 1/2 stick of butter in saute pan over medium heat. Saute the white portions of the green onions, bell pepper, and chicken. Cover & cook until chicken is completely white. Set aside.
Combine milk, sour cream, 1 stick of butter, salt, pepper, and minced garlic in skillet over medium heat. Stir and heat till sauce starts to boil. Transfer sauce to blender & puree until smooth. Transfer back to skillet. Continue to heat till boiling. Add cornstarch mixture & stir. Add tomato juice from diced tomatoes & stir. Transfer back to blender & puree. Cover and set aside.
In a glass baking dish (I use an 8x8) put the chicken, peppers & onions mixture in the bottom of the pan, & cover with picado sauce puree. Top with LOTS of monterrey jack cheese, the green onion & diced tomato, & bake in the oven until cheese is melted, & the sauce is golden & bubbling around the edges, about 30 minutes.
Warm 2-3 tortillas per person in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Ladle the chicken picado in the middle of the tortillas, fold, & enjoy!
Serves about 2 people.
Awhile back, I was really craving the dish, but couldn't afford to make the trip to the restaurant, so I searched forever online for a similar version I could make at home. What I found isn't quite the same, but it definitely cured my craving! Now, I may even like this at-home version better than that from Carlos O' Kelly's! Here's is my slightly adapted version of what I found on www.recipelink.com.
For the picado sauce:
1 cup milk
1 8oz. container sour cream
1 1/2 sticks of butter, room temperature
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 cloves minced fresh garlic
Corn starch mix to thicken sauce (2 tsp corn starch mixed with 2 tsp water)
1 tomato, diced & drained (save juice)
For the chicken:
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes
6-10 green onions, sliced thin (whites from greens after slicing)
1 green pepper, diced
Also needed:
16 oz. shredded monterrey jack cheese
1 package small flour tortillas
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
Melt 1/2 stick of butter in saute pan over medium heat. Saute the white portions of the green onions, bell pepper, and chicken. Cover & cook until chicken is completely white. Set aside.
Combine milk, sour cream, 1 stick of butter, salt, pepper, and minced garlic in skillet over medium heat. Stir and heat till sauce starts to boil. Transfer sauce to blender & puree until smooth. Transfer back to skillet. Continue to heat till boiling. Add cornstarch mixture & stir. Add tomato juice from diced tomatoes & stir. Transfer back to blender & puree. Cover and set aside.
In a glass baking dish (I use an 8x8) put the chicken, peppers & onions mixture in the bottom of the pan, & cover with picado sauce puree. Top with LOTS of monterrey jack cheese, the green onion & diced tomato, & bake in the oven until cheese is melted, & the sauce is golden & bubbling around the edges, about 30 minutes.
Warm 2-3 tortillas per person in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Ladle the chicken picado in the middle of the tortillas, fold, & enjoy!
Serves about 2 people.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
From One Frugal Foodie To Another
Okay, okay. So I am not a chef, & I won't claim to be. I'm just a 22 year old with a very tight budget for 2 people. I love to cook, but I love to eat more. Being on such a tight monthly food budget has taught me several things. Leftovers can be your best friend. Coupons, coupons, coupons! But most importantly, you don't have to have a gourmet chef's budget to cook like one.
I have a few goals in mind when starting this blog. I want to be able to share my food journey with my family & friends. I've discovered lots of delicious & budget-friendly recipes over the last few years that I just can't seem to keep to myself. I always have people asking for my recipes, so why not put them out there for all to use? I don't cook every day of the week. Sometimes, dinner consists of a frozen pizza & reality tv. All of my posts I will have prepared myself, exactly as I share them with you. I'm not going to lie & post a recipe that I claim to be delicious, when even my cat probably wouldn't eat it (which I highly doubt would ever happen; my cat is an even bigger foodie than I am).
Don't expect anything "all-natural" or anything that is remotely skimping on flavor. Life is too short to not be fully satisfied, especially when it comes to what you eat. Just be prepared to be very full & very satisfied after you try my recipes.
We are expecting blizzard-like conditions for the week here, so be prepared for crock pot meals this week. I have a feeling you won't be disappointed with what I have in store for you...
I have a few goals in mind when starting this blog. I want to be able to share my food journey with my family & friends. I've discovered lots of delicious & budget-friendly recipes over the last few years that I just can't seem to keep to myself. I always have people asking for my recipes, so why not put them out there for all to use? I don't cook every day of the week. Sometimes, dinner consists of a frozen pizza & reality tv. All of my posts I will have prepared myself, exactly as I share them with you. I'm not going to lie & post a recipe that I claim to be delicious, when even my cat probably wouldn't eat it (which I highly doubt would ever happen; my cat is an even bigger foodie than I am).
Don't expect anything "all-natural" or anything that is remotely skimping on flavor. Life is too short to not be fully satisfied, especially when it comes to what you eat. Just be prepared to be very full & very satisfied after you try my recipes.
We are expecting blizzard-like conditions for the week here, so be prepared for crock pot meals this week. I have a feeling you won't be disappointed with what I have in store for you...
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