Chicken Marsala And Some Impromptu Advertising

Hey everybody! Sorry I've been MIA for the last two weeks, I've been really busy and I had a serious case of writers block. Seriously, I've been trying to write a post for the last week and just failed completely. While I was considering what to do about this case of writers block, I created this video! It's an impromptu ad for The College housewife. Send it around, tell your friends! For some reason, blogger won't let me put up a video, so here's the link until I get the video working.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6Ejhs4I90w&hl=en_GB&fs=1

You may have noticed that this video connects to The College Housewife Youtube page. That's right people. This blog now has a video channel. Which means that I finally have a way of putting up videos for you all! Check it out!

And now for food! This is something I made over winter break and it was a rousing success. This recipe for Chicken Marsala had been in my "try this stuff" folder for a really long time and I finally decided to make it for my family. Everybody loved it! The only thing I would do differently is to perhaps add more wine and butter to create a richer sauce. I was serving 7 people, and there wasn't quite enough sauce to go around. I also added a sliced onion because it seemed wrong to not have caramelized onions involved. So, if your in the mood for some fancy Italian food, try this out.

Chicken Marsala

Adapted from The Comfort of Cooking

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/2-1 cup flour

salt and pepper

4 slices of bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 onion, sliced

2 cups white mushrooms, sliced

1 tsp tomato paste

1 1/2 cups marsala wine

Juice of 1 lemon

4 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp parsley, chopped

1 lb pasta, cooked and drained according to directions

Prepare chicken breasts by patting dry and dredging in flour, salt, and pepper. In a hot skillet, add about 2 Tbsp of vegetable oil and fry dredged chicken until cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate and put in a warm oven.

In the same pan, fry the bacon (or pancetta if you're feeling fancy) until brown and crisp. Transfer bacon to a paper towel lined plate, then cook the onions in the bacon grease. If there's a lot of grease left over and it makes you uncomfortable to eat that much delicious fatty goodness, go ahead and take some out. Cook the onions until soft, then add the mushrooms. The mushrooms should cook until they begin to brown, about 5 minutes. At this point, the onions will also start to caramelize. Add garlic, tomato paste, and cooked bacon and stir for one minute.

Then turn off the heat. I repeat. Turn. Off. The. Heat. I will not be responsible for singed eyebrows. Once the pan is off the heat, add the wine. Then turn the heat on high and scrape the bottom of the pan, getting all the delicious brown bits off of it. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes until reduced by half. Then add the lemon juice and stir. Whisk in the butter 1 Tbsp at a time until the sauce is thickened. Serve mushrooms over pasta, then add a chicken cutlet and chopped parsley. Make sure to get plenty of sauce on there!

XOXO

Natalie

Chicken Tikka Masala

There is a simple reason for why I haven't posted this recipe. That reason is: bunk beds. You may be saying to yourself: But Natalie, a bunk bed is an inanimate object that is not sentient or conscious and cannot possibly want to harm you. Well if you were thinking that, you would be wrong. Bunk beds are evil. They are too high and the ladders are inconvenient. In the event of an earthquake, I would not be able to climb under the bed and save myself because I would be 5 feet off the ground holding onto the water pipes for dear life. My bunk bed didn't even come with a railing! Luckily, some of my floormates had an extra railing. Thank god my boyfriend is in the engineering school and knows how to fix anything with duct tape. So right now, my safety is assured only by a duct-tape railing. I fear for my life on a daily basis.

"What if the duct tape won't hold?"

"Oh my gosh, I'm so tired I can't see, I hope I don't fall off this ladder."

"Why can't I feel a ladder under my feet? Oh, that's right. It's on the other side of the bed."

If I had a nickel for the number of times I have rolled onto the rail in my sleep I would have...well, probably about a dollar fifty. But still- if that railing wasn't there, I would be dead or in a coma right now.

The point is, bunk beds are horrible things that prevented me from writing this post. I climb into bed about to write this awesome post about Indian food...and I am so far away from my recipe book. Of course I can't get down because I know that I will eventually fall off the ladder and I'm not going to push my luck by climbing up and down all willy-nilly and with complete disregard for statistical probability. So then I sigh and say: well, this will have to wait until next time I get off this bed. Then I get off the bed in the morning exhausted and not seeing straight and forget to grab my recipe book.

Luckily, I have a paper to write tonight, so there is no need to climb onto the bunk bed quite yet. So, I am sitting at my desk where my recipe book happens to be. And here you go! Chicken Tikka Masala!

Chicken Tikka Masala

Adapted from Pioneer Woman Cooks

3-4 chicken breasts

ground coriander and cumin, to taste

1/2 cup plain yogurt

6 Tbsp butter

1 whole onion, chopped

4 clives garlic, minced

1 2" piece fresh ginger, grated/minced

2 1/2 Tbsp garam masala

1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes

1 Tbsp sugar

3/4-1 cup heavy cream

2 cups basmati rice

turmeric

frozen peas

cilantro

Season the chicken breasts with salt, coriander, and cumin on both sides, then coat the chicken breasts in yogurt. Set the chicken on a metal cooling rack over a foil lined baking sheet. Put the sheet pan under the broiler and cook the chicken 5-10 min per side. I ended up cooking it a bit over 10 minutes because the chicken pieces were pretty thick. Make sure that the chicken is completely cooked through, it won't be cooking much longer after this.

In a large pan, melt 2 Tbsp butter, then cook the onions until they are tender. Add the garlic and ginger and let cook for a minute. Add the garam masala and the tomatoes, stir, then add the sugar. Let the sauce simmer for about 5 minutes, then stir in the heavy cream. The original recipe called for 2 cups of cream, which seemed like way too much. 1 cup was plenty and I think if I had added anymore, it would have really messed up the consistency of the sauce. Chop up the chicken breasts and add to the sauce. When the chicken is warmed through, stir in some chopped cilantro.

While you are doing all this, have some rice going in the rice cooker. I made the rice that PW recommend, and it went really well with the chicken. Basically, throw the rice and water into the rice cooker, add 4 Tbsp butter, and then a healthy does of turmeric. (You can make this on the stove too if you don't have a rice cooker) When the rice is done, stir in the frozen peas and let it sit for a minute so that the peas can cook through.

XOXO

Natalie

Chicken Noodle Soup

As a busy person who likes to spend her spare time watching tv/playing video games/sleeping, I am always looking for meals that I can put on the stove and just trust that they will work. And I have found an amazing one! I was so incredibly happy about this soup...I can't...I can't even....IT'S SO GOOD! I'm going to be making this a lot winter quarter on those days when it's too cold to go to class and I'm wrapped in blankets next to the heater praying for warmer days. (You'd be surprised how many days become blanket-heater-praying days during winter quarter. Seems like I can't walk out the door without getting drenched. ) Because the last twowinter quarters have proven to be so ridiculously cold and miserable I am taking precautions this year. I have about 5 blankets, new rainboots, lots of sweatshirts, a new jacket, and winter soup recipes perfect for warming you up. But then of course I'm also preparing for spring quarter by bringing an enormous fan, shorts, and new tanktops.Anyway, that was a rant about the random weather in Santa Cruz, but the point of the story is: Soup is good. Soup is very. very. good.

Chicken Noodle Soup

Adapted from Take Thou Food

2 carrots, peeled and diced

2 stalks of celery, diced

2 medium onions, diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 Tbsp flour

1 14 oz can diced tomatoes

A couple sprigs of thyme (I used dried)

1 lb chicken, in bite sized pieces (I used thighs, but you can use whatever cut you like)

2 cups white wine

Chicken broth

In a large pot, preferably a dutch oven, heat a bit of olive oil over medium heat. Add the vegetables and cook until they're soft, about 10 minutes.

When the veggies are done, turn the heat up to high and add the flour and chicken. Stir it around so that the flour coats the chicken and cook until the chicken is no longer pink on the outside. Don't worry about it being cooked through, it's going to cook for a long time. Deglaze the bottom of the pan with the white wine and scrape all the brown tasty bits off the bottom. I like to turn the flame off when I pour the wine in. Hey, I'm attached to my eyebrows. Don't want to lose them in a tragic deglazing accident.

Pour in the chicken stock until it covers the veggies and chicken. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and leave it along for 90 minutes. Here's where I go back under the blanket, grab a book, and thank the heater for being such a loyal friend. After the 90 minutes are up, apologize to your heater friend and go back to the kitchen. Remove the lid and cook for another 30 minutes.

At this point, put some water to boil and cook up some pasta. Preferably a short pasta like macaroni. I prefer to cook the noodles outside of the soup because the pasta really absorbs a lot of water and can change the consistency of the broth. Also, gluten free pasta is very starchy and the starch will make it look all weird. When the pasta and the soup are both done, spoon a bit of pasta in the bottom of the bowl and pour soup on top. Stir it up and dig in! I served this with some toasted baguette from the bakery. YUMMY!

XOXO

Natalie

Quick Chicken Curry

yes yes yes I know, I'm horribly lazy and haven't been posting very much. To tell the truth the days have just been flying by and I didn't realize that my last post was a week ago! So now I've got a really tasty (and super fast) meal as requested by my Aunt Kate. Here is a recipe for quick chicken curry!

Quick Chicken Curry

Adapted from Cooking by the Seat of my Pants

3 pieces boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces

1 medium onion, chopped finely

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 serrano chili pepper, seeded and chopped

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp coriander

1/4 tsp turmeric

1 1/2 tsp tomato paste

1 tsp curry powder

8 oz heavy cream

In a large skillet heat bit of olive oil of medium heat. Add the onions and cook for a minute. Add the chicken and cook through. Add the garlic and chili to the pan and stir to combine. I didn't think that this recipe was very spicy, so if you like it with some heat feel free to add more chilis. Cook for another three minutes until everything is slightly browned. Add the salt, turmeric, corriander, and cumin and stir well. Make sure all the chicken and onion is covered in spices. Then add the tomato paste, curry powder, and cream.

Stir well and cook until the sauce reaches the desired consistency. I let it cook for about five minutes and it had reduced quite a bit, but still had plenty of sauce. Serve over rice and dig in!

XOXO

Natalie

Roast Chicken and Veggies

So I have a huge long list of things to post here, however I'm letting one particular meal cut in line. This is a great simple meal that is so amazingly satisfying. This is also a really great meal if you have a local farmers market. I've taken to wandering around the farmers market, grabbing veggies and fruits that look the freshest and making some kick ass food out of it. While I was at the farmers market this week, I already had roasted chicken and veggies in mind so all I had to do was find the nicest looking veggies. I ended up getting a BUNCH of stuff, but for this meal I used potatoes, carrots, squash, zucchini, and onions. Unfortunately, they don't sell whole chickens, dead or otherwise, at the farmers market so I went to Safeway for that. So here is how to make a whole roasted chicken and veggies to go along with it.

Roast Chicken and Vegetables

Chicken adapted from Pioneer Woman Cooks

1 whole chicken

Fresh herbs (I used sage, thyme, rosemary, and parsley)

Canola oil

1 lemon

1 onion

Vegetables for roasting, cut into uniform pieces

Zuchini

Squash

new potatoes

carrots

Remove the insides from the chicken if this hasn't already been done for you and pat the outside with a paper towel. If the chicken isn't dry before putting on the herbs, it won't get deliciously brown and crispy. Chop up the herbs and combine them with oil. Depending on how many chickens you are doing you will need to change the amounts but here is the basic rule for one chicken:

2 Tbsp chopped herbs

1 Tbsp salt

1 Tbsp canola oil

If you are doing two chickens (like I did) then you would double that. Rub the oil/herb mixture all over the chicken. Then cut the lemon and onion in half and put them in the chicken. My two chickens were kind of small so I did half of each in each chicken. You can also throw in a couple cloves of garlic if you so desire. Also feel free to pin the back of the chicken so that the lemon/onions don't fall out. I used those long metal pointy things. I really don't even know what to call them.

Cook the chicken in 450F oven for an hour to an hour 15 min until the juices run clear. Let rest for 15 min before serving. I thought the chickens were done, but the legs weren't quite as cooked as the breasts were. But we were starving so we carved up the breasts then put the chickens back in the oven to cook the legs through.

Now for the roasted veggies! Make sure all the veggies are all chopped to approximatly the same size, otherwise they won't cook evenly. I cooked my veggies in batches because I wanted to make sure everything was cooked properly. First I did the potatoes and carrots. This is also where you would roast the onions if you chose to do so. Toss the carrots and potatoes with olive oil, salt, pepper and any fresh herbs you have on hand. You can put the potatoes and carrots in the oven with the chicken at 450F for 30 min.

After they're done, put them in a bowl, cover it with foil and just wait till everything else is ready. The squash and zichunni are next. The same goes for them: toss with oil, salt, pepper, and herbs and throw it in the oven. These only cook for 10-15 min. Check on them every now and then to see when they're done to your liking.

So there you go! A delicious (and super healthy) roasted dinner.

XOXO

Natalie

Curried Chicken

Here is the part two of the Daring cooks challenge. My previous post was the actual challenge item itself: Almond butter. This post is about how to use it. Of course, you could use almond butter any number of ways, but I used one of the Daring Cooks recipes. This is a semi-indian dish in that it has Indian spices and vaguely resembles chicken tikka masala. I really love this dish and I'm debating making this dish again this week. You should all try it!Tomato Chicken Curry

Adapted from Daring Cooks

1 Tbsp olive oil

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

salt to taste

Spice Blend

1 1/2 Tbsp garam masala seasoning

1 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp black pepper

Sauce

4 Tbsp butter

1 large onion, half chopped, half sliced in thick chunks

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 15 oz can of tomato sauce

1/3 cup almond butter

1/3 cup milk

1/2-3/4 cup water

1 cup frozen peas

Pound the chicken to 1/4 inch thikness so that it will cook faster. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Heat oil in a large skillet and cook chicken, 3-5 minutes on both sides. When the chicken is done cooking, cut it into bite size pieces and set aside.

In a small bowl prepare the spice blend, combine all the seasoning together and mix well.

Melt the butter in a non stick skillet over medium low heat. Add the onion and cook for several minutes. To clarfiy about the onion: The onions are semi optional. The recipe says that the onion should be cut into 4 large chunks and cooked in the butter to infuse the butter with onioney flavor. However, I think that's garbage. I cut up half the onion into large chunks and finely chopped the other half. What can I say, I like onions.

Anyway, after the onion has cooked for a few minutes, add teh spice blend and garlic and cook for a minute or two, stirring constantly. Add the tomato sauce, stir well and bring to a boil.

Once boiling, reduce heat to a simmer and add the water until desired consistencey. Stir in the frozen peas and cut up chicken and remove the large onion chunks. Simmer for a few minutes until the peas and chicken are cooked through. Serve over warm basmati rice.

XOXO

Natalie

Taco mac and cheese

Ok as many of you have noticed, I usually just post recipes I'm interested in trying or have never had before. But occasionally I invent something random. Today is one of those days! This afternoon I went into the kitchen to see what needed to be used up and I found some leftover green chili chicken from Wednesday and leftover taco fixings from my family's dinner last night. I also found a can of corn and a can of fire roasted green chilis. I also really really wanted to eat pasta so when I put that all together I got: Taco mac and cheese! I know that sounds really weird, but I thought it was really good! Stephen was weirded out by it at first, but he's since changed his mind! He likes it! Try it! See what you think! I think I can make this better, so I'm going to try making it again and changing things up a bit.
note: proportions are small because I only had half a bag of pasta. Feel free to adjust as necessary.

1/2 lb pasta

Leftover meat (I had about a half cup of green chili chicken)

1/2 cup canned corn
1 tsp chopped cilantro
1-2 tsp green chilis (the kind in a can)
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2-1 tsp butter
1/4 cup milk
2-3 handfuls shredded cheese (I used Mexican cheese)

Cook the pasta in salted water until al dente, strain and set aside. Throw the leftover meat into a skillet and add the corn. Once the corn and meat are warm, add the cilantro, green chilis, onion powder, cumin, and garlic powder. Let it cook, stirring ocassionaly so that it doesn't burn.

Once everythings hot and delicious, set it aside. After you have drained the pasta, melt the butter in the empty pasta pot over low heat. Add the milk and stir in the shredded cheese. Stir continually so that it doesn't burn. Once the cheese sauce has come together, add the pasta and stir to combine. Add the meat mixture and stir. Pour it in a bowl and eat up! I topped mine with a bit of shredded lettuce and tomatoes which really added a nice cool crunch. I definitely recommend adding lettuce, but if you don't have any, it'll still taste like a taco on pasta!

XOXO

Natalie

Chicken Parmesan

I really love Italian food, but I don't usually get to eat it. Italian food usually involves bread and pasta which means I can't eat at Italian restaurants and am just left to my own devices. Well this Italian dish is incredible. Amazing. Fantastico. (wait that's Spanish....hm.) Chicken Parmesan! One of my favorite Italian dishes. So here's how you do it!

Adapted from pioneer woman cooks

4-6 chicken breasts, pounded flat

1/2 cup all purpose flour (seasoned with salt/pepper to taste)

1/2 cup olive oil

2 Tbsp butter

1 whole onion, chopped

4 cloves of garlic, minced

3/4 cups wine (or chicken broth)

3 (14.5 oz) cans crushed tomatoes

2 Tbsp sugar

Seasonings to taste

fresh chopped parsley

Parmesan cheese (preferably fresh grated)

1 lb pasta

First you're gonna need to flatten those chicken breasts. This is my favorite part by the way. Put the chicken breasts between two sheets of saran wrap and have at it! You can use a meat tenderizer or even a pan. Go for it! Take all your anger and transfer it to this delicious piece of chicken. Once you've gotten out all your anger and are feeling much better about yourself and life in general, dredge them in the flour. In a pan, heat up the olive oil and butter, then add the dredged breasts.

Cook for a few minutes on both sides until golden brown and cooked through. Then set the chicken aside for later. Now, without cleaning the pan, add the onion and garlic.

Let them cook down for a couple minutes then add the wine/broth. If you are using wine, turn the flame off when you add it. Don't want to start any fires. Scrape the bottom of the pan and let the wine/broth cook down a bit. Then add the tomatoes and sugar, then let cook for 30 minutes or so. I also added some other seasonings, just to spice things up a bit. (get it? spice? hahahaha.......fine) I added basil, oregano, and a few bay leaves. But you can really add anything you want.

After 30 minutes, stir in the chopped parsley and put the chicken breasts back in the pan. Generously sprinkle the chicken with the Parmesan, reduce heat to low and cover. Let the chicken and sauce cook for a few more minutes and make sure the cheese is melted. Serve with pasta! Sorry I didn't get a picture of the final product, but I was frantically snarfing down boatloads of pasta.

XOXO

Natalie

"mexican" chicken pasta

So this week I made something called Mexican chicken pasta. Mexican? not really. good? yes!

Sadly, I don't have any decent pictures for this recipe so you'll just have to imagine what it looks like.

here we gooooo!

adapted from pioneer woman

1 lb pasta

3 chicken breasts, cut into cubes

1-2 bell peppers

1 onion, sliced

3-4 cloves of garlic, minced

2-3 tomatoes

1 cup cream

2 cups chicken broth

2-3 Tbsp taco seasonings

1 Tbsp chili powder

olive oil

salt and pepper

Cook the pasta in a pot of boiling water and when it is done, set aside. In a bowl, coat the chicken with 1-2 Tbsp taco seasoning and 1/2 Tbsp chili powder. (This is the only Mexican part of this dish. Taco seasoning.) In a big skillet heat a bit of olive oil to cook the chicken in. Dump the chicken into the skillet and cook until it is done. You might want to cut a few pieces in half to see if it's cooked through. After it's done, set the chicken aside. In the same skillet, add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Season with the rest of the seasonings and cook on high heat until the onions are soft. Add the tomatoes and cook for another minute and set aside. With the pan still on high heat, deglaze the pan with chicken broth. If you're using a non-stick pan, this step isn't necessary, just pour the broth in. After the chicken broth is hot, add the heavy cream. Now this is where I messed up because I was too impatient. Let the broth and cream cook for a while and thicken. I didn't let it cook long enough and I ended up with a soupy sauce. Please forgive me for my stupidity. After the sauce has thickened, season with salt and pepper and add the chicken, veggies, and pasta. Cook together for a few minutes until they are all warm. Eat up! yumyumyum!

XOXO

Natalie

healthy is tough

So I've been talking a lot about being healthier lately. And now I'm starting to get really frustrated with it. Well, ok so background information first. In high school I maintained my weight. I didn't really like it, but I was the same weight for all four years. When I got to school last year, I lost about ten pounds because I was unintentionally anorexic. I really didn't want to be, but I just couldn't eat anything in the dining hall except rice and salad. Now I have a kitchen, and I've gone back to the weight I was in high school. I'm not really sure if that's a good thing because on the one hand, If I'm eating like a normal person now and I'm back to that weight, is that the weight I'm supposed to be? But on the other hand, I hate this weight! I want to be skinnier again!

And now I'm starting to get frustrated. I know I only started to eat healthier recently, but I haven't lost any weight. In fact, I've gained weight! Which just doesn't seem fair at all.I'm not really sure what to do next. I'm going to start going to the gym, and try eating less. But I don't know if that will make a difference. I mean, last year I worked out for a while, but it was so aggravating that I just stopped. And I don't know how I can eat less, because I think that I eat pretty normal portions, and I don't want to feel hungry all the time. Sorry that this is such a girly rant, but I've been really bothered by

that lately.Ugh and now I'm going to give you a recipe that goes against that whole rant entirely. I had never had chicken and dumplings before because they don't usually make them gluten free. So when I had the chance to make chicken and dumplings with gluten free flour, I decided that I just had to try it. but I promise I didn't eat a lot. Cause that would be bad.

6 tbsp butter

6 tbsp flour

5 cups chicken stock

2 tbsp heavy cream

4 cups cooked chicken meat, chopped

4 carrots, diced

1/2 onion, diced

4 celery stalks, diced

1 tsp chicken base

salt and pepper, to taste

2 cups flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped (optional)

1 cup milk

4 tbsp butter, melted

Melt the butter in a big pot. Then sprinkle in the flour. Do you remember how we made a roux in the macaroni and cheese? We're doing that again! Whisk it together to get rid of any lumps and let it cook for a few minutes until it turns golden. Add the chicken stock and the cream and continue stirring. Bring it to a simmer, stirring it every now and then, so that the flour doesn't lump together. When it comes to a simmer, add the chicken, vegetables, and chicken base.

Stir it and then try the broth. Add salt and pepper as you see fit. I added a lot, cause that's how I roll. Let it continue cooking while you make the dumplings. In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Shake it together, then add the milk and melted butter. Stir it together until just combined.

Using two spoons (or your hands) form dumplings into a ball and drop into the broth. Once all the dumpling dough is in the pot, cover it, turn down the heat and let it cook for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes test the dumplings for done-ness with a toothpick. If the toothpick comes out clean, it's time to eat! So dig in!

XOXO

Natalie

Pollo-rific

Do you know why I love costco? THIS is why I love costco!

That is an enourmous jar of pollo. Do you see how big that is in comparison to the pitcher? It's like 35 oz! zomg. so much pollo.

Anyway, speaking of pollo, last night I made chicken santa-fe. It's a really tasty slow cooker meal. Slow cookers are amazing beautiful things. I throw everything in and then a few hours later, delicious food! I definitly recomend this for a busy day. Here's how to make it!

1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

2 cans sweet corn, rinsed and drained

6 chicken thighs (I used boneless, skinless. If you are using breasts, shorten the cooking time or they will dry out)

1 cup salsa

4-8 oz cream cheese, cut up into cubes

shredded cheese

Rinse and drain the beans and corn and throw those in the slow cooker. Then add half of the salsa and the chicken. On top of the chicken, put the rest of the salsa.

I used more than a cup because, hey, I'm crazy like that.

Turn it on high and let it cook for three hours. (If you're using chicken breasts, check on it at about two hours and see if it's done)

....

three hours goes by

...

nap time

...

homework time

...

DING chicken's done!

When the three hours is up, take the chicken out of the slow cooker and shred it up into bite sized pieces.

Put the chicken back in the slow cooker and add about 4 oz of cream cheese. If the sauce looks creamy enough to you, stop there. If not, keep adding it until it has the consistency you want.

Serve over rice and add plenty of grated cheddar cheese on top!

YUMMM chicken. Tastes like salsa. What could be better?

XOXO

Natalie

orange chicken

OK! Finnnnnnnallllyyyyy I got to make orange chicken! I'm not really sure how I feel about this recipe. I mean, it was tasty, but I didn't love it. Dan on the other hand, loved it and ate his portion and half of mine. (My eyes were significantly larger than my stomach) So I think it's just me. Also, I messed up a few things because I am careless and I work to fast (That was for you dad, yes I know I should work more slowly) but it still turned out delicious. So! Here's how you do it.

Saintly wings

Well the superbowl was a rousing success. GO SAINTS! Anyone see that incredible interception? So awesome. We had Garrett and John over and we all watched the game together. And I made a FEAST of snack food. Seriously, it was like our one meal of the day. And I will be putting all those recipes up during the week. Today I want to tell you about the main event of the feast: wings. I have never made homemade wings before, and so this was awesome, and I was really proud of them. I found the recipe on Pioneer Woman Cooks, but I changed it up a little bit. (Click at the bottom to see the rest!)