Chicken Orzo Soup and Steel Cut Oats

I woke up this morning with an irritating twinge in my throat. Feeling under the weather all day, I whipped up a couple of healthy and soothing dishes. For breakfast: steel cut oats with brown sugar and for dinner: chicken orzo soup.

Steel Cut Oats
3 cups of water
1 cup of steel cut oats
1/4 tsp. salt
Sprinkle of brown sugar or any other desirable topping

Bring 3 cups of water to a boil, add the salt, then add the steel cut oats. Cover with a lid and simmer for 20 minutes (creamier oats). Remove from heat and let sit for 2 minutes. Spoon the oats into a bowl and mix in the brown sugar.

 Chicken Orzo Soup
Retrieved from: fortheloveofcooking.net
Adapted by: Me

1 tsp. olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
2 large carrots, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 tsp. dried basil
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 cube of chicken bouillon
6 fresh basil leaves cut in a chiffonnade
6 cups of chicken broth
2 cooked chicken breasts cut into bite sized chunks (I season mine with salt and pepper then cook in a little bit of olive oil 5-6 minutes per side)
4 ounces of orzo pasta

Heat olive oil in a large soup pot or dutch oven over medium heat, add the onion and stir for 1-2  minutes. Then, add the carrots, celery, and garlic stirring for about 1 minutes. Add the chicken stock, diced chicken, bay leaf, dried basil, fresh basil, chicken bouillon, salt and pepper. Cover the pot and simmer for 1 hour. Bring the soup back up to a boil and cook the orzo according to the instructions (usually about 9 minutes for al dente). Taste, then re-season if necessary. I served this soup with cheese rolls.

Cheese Rolls
Rhodes Bake and Serve Dinner Rolls
2 tbsp. melted butter
Mild Cheddar Cheese
Parmesan Cheese

Thaw rhodes rolls according to instructions. Once the appropriate time as elapsed, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Melt the butter and spread over each roll with a brush. Sprinkle the desired amount of cheese on each roll - I like half cheddar, half Parmesan. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until the rolls are golden brown. Cool on cooling rack for about 2 minutes.

Whiskey Glazed Carrots

I found this recipe in The Pioneer Woman's new cookbook and made it as a side dish on Easter. The flavors are reminiscent of sweet potatoes or yams (without the marshmallow topping, of course). Enjoy!

Retrieved from: The Pioneer Woman Cooks
Adapted by: Me!

1 stick of butter
2 pounds of carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
3/4 cup of whiskey (I used Crown Royal - Shawn's favorite)
3/4 cup of packed brown sugar
Salt and Pepper to taste

Melt 1/2 stick of butter in a large skillet over high heat and add half of the carrots. Stir them around to brown them, about 1-2 minutes. Remove them to a plate and repeat with the remaining carrots.

In the empty skillet, add the whiskey (watch out for the flame - to avoid, take off of the heat and pour the whiskey in, then return to the burner). Let the whiskey bubble and cook for 3 minutes until slightly reduced.

Reduce the heat to medium low and add the other half stick of butter. Stir around until it is completely melted. Stir in the brown sugar and then add the carrots.

Reduce the heat to low and place a lid over the skillet and cook for 5-7 minutes.

Remove the lid and cook for another 5-7 minutes until the carrots are soft yet not mushy. Sprinkle in the salt and pepper to offset the sweetness of the brown sugar.

PW served her carrots with thyme sprinkled on top, but I'm not a fan so I left that part out :]

Our Favorite Mexican Meal!!

As I mentioned in my post yesterday, it's my goal to start sharing my favorite recipes. If I have fallen victim to a miraculous weight gain because of these tasty dishes, then so should everyone else. Misery loves company, right?? :]


We (and when I say 'we' I mean 'me' since I'm the one that plans the meals and does all of the cooking) LOVE Mexican food. I have this slight obsession with it (and a new obsession with flank steak. I'll admit it, I need help. I have way too many food obsessions these days) Mexican food usually graces our table at least once a week :]

The most common Mexican meal we have is some variation of quesadillas or tacos, stuffed jalapenos, Mexican rice, and guacamole. Below are the recipes and links to my FAVORITES of these dishes and what we had last weekend! So sorry,  I'll add pictures on my following posts.


Flank Steak, Caramelized Onion, and Extra Sharp Cheddar Quesadillas
Retrieved from one of my all time FAVORITE food blogs: fortheloveofcooking-recipes.blogspot.com

Flank Steak Marinade:

1 - 1 1/2 lbs of flank steak
1/3 cup vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp cumin
1-2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp onion powder
1 1/2 tsp oregano
2 limes, juiced
4-5 cloves garlic minced

In a gallon size Ziploc bag, combine all ingredients with flank steak and mix really well. Let marinate for at least 6 hours - overnight if you can.

Caramelized Onions:

1 tsp olive oil
1/2 sweet yellow onion
Salt to taste
Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat; add onions, cook for about 30 minutes or until caramelized. Season with salt and set aside.

Other Ingredients:
Flour tortillas
Extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded


Grill your flank steak to your liking. Let the meat rest before slicing in thin slices AGAINST the grain.

To prepare the quesadillas, take a little shredded cheese and sprinkle evenly over a flour tortilla. Place a few slices of flank steak over the cheese, add some caramelized onions and a little additional cheese. Place one more tortilla over the top to finish. Carefully place the quesadilla in a skillet over medium heat. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Remove from heat and let cool for a minute. Slice with a pizza cutter into wedges. Serve with guacamole and salsa.

**I absolutely LOVE cotija cheese (a Mexicacan cheese that is so worth trying, DELISH!) and I usually add a layer on these.


Cream Cheese and Bacon Stuffed Jalapenos
Retrieved from: fortheloveofcooking-recipes.blogspot.com
Adapted by: Yours truly

10 fresh Jalapeños, sliced in half lengthwise, seeds removed
10 oz low fat cream cheese, softened
7-8 slices of lean bacon, cooked and chopped
 Plain panko crumbs

Preheat the oven to 375 degree. Line a baking sheet with tin foil and coat with cooking spray.

Cook the bacon until crisp then drain on a paper towel; chop bacon into very small pieces. Mix the bacon crumbles into the cream cheese until thoroughly combined. Cut jalapenos in half, lengthwise. Wear plastic gloves if possible and carefully remove seeds and vein with a spoon. Smear each jalapeño half with cream cheese and bacon mixture. Pour the panko crumbs onto a plate. Dip the stuffed jalapeño into the panko crumbs cream cheese side down.

Bake on a pan with a rack for 20-25 minutes. If the panko crumbs aren't golden brown, turn the oven to broil and cook them, watching carefully so they don't burn, for a few minutes. Serve immediately.

**I only use 1 8oz. package of cream cheese per 10 jalapenos.
**I omit the panko bread crumb stage and prefer the poppers without them. Who needs the extra calories when you have all this creamy bacon goodness?
**I don't use lean bacon. I prefer the fattiness and extra poundage these put on, thank you very much.
**SERIOUSLY...use gloves if you're going to double this recipe or have sensitive skin. I made 2 batches last weekend and my hands were burning for hours. No bueno.
**Another side note, if you're not a fan of spicy jalapenos, do not fear!! As long as the peppers are seeded and deveined, the majority of the spiciness flies right our the window.


Guacamole
Super simple recipe by me. I love simple recipes haha.

3 or 4 ripe avocados (good avocados are sooooo important in my life, ha)
Garlic Powder to taste
Lime juice to taste (yes, I use the bottled stuff)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Remove the avocados from their skin and place in a small to medium size bowl. Get out a fork and start mashing away, leaving chunks if that's your thing. Sprinkle in the garlic powder, I tend to layer the top of the avocados with it, probably about 1 to 2 teaspoons. Drizzle in the lime juice, at least a teaspoon. Add in your salt and pepper and mix away until desired consistency, adding more spices/juice to your liking.

**Shawn likes to mix sour cream into this, I'm not a fan although I also am obsessed with sour cream :]

Mexican Rice
Retrieved from another one of my favorite food blogs: thepioneerwoman.com

Adapted by yours truly again :]


2 Tablespoons Canola Oil
1/2 whole Large Onion, Chopped
3 cloves Garlic, Minced
2 cups Long Grain Rice
1 can Rotel (10 Ounce)
1 can Whole Tomatoes (14.5 Ounce)
2 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth (more If Needed)
1 teaspoon Cumin (more To Taste)
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt


Heat oil in a large skillet. Add onions and garlic, then cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add rice and garlic. Stir constantly, making sure the rice doesn’t burn. Cook over low heat for 3 minutes. Add Ro-tel and tomatoes. Stir to combine and let cook for 2 minutes. Finally, add broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 10 to 15 additional minutes or until rice is done. Add more liquid as needed; rice shouldn’t be sticky.


**Rotel brand tomatoes are AWESOME. I found mine at Fred Meyer right by the canned tomatoes, delish.
**My rice was a little bit too soft for my taste so I took off the lid and over low heat let the rice 'firm up' just a tad before serving.


I hope you try and enjoy these as much as I do!! Happy eating :]