Apricot Chicken

My cousin Jen Casano got me hooked on this!  As you can see, I don't often repeat meals (besides tacos obviously)...but this one I have made quite a few times!  It is easy for a weeknight meal...it takes an hour once it goes in the oven, but it literally takes 5 minutes to prep.  I usually put it on top of brown rice with roasted asparagus.  The ingredients seemed like a weird combination when I first read this recipe, but somehow it just works!  YUM!

Ingredients:
6 skinless boneless chicken breasts
1 package of dry onion soup mix
1 (10 ounce) bottle of Russian style salad dressing
2 cups apricot preserves

1.  Preheat oven to 350
2.  Place chicken in casserole dish
3.  Mix the soup mix, dressing and jam together and pour over the chicken
4.  Cover and bake for 1 hour

See....EASY!  :)

What's cooking this week & Tallahassee

Going to make this quick, because it is late and hubby and I are going to watch a scary movie!  Here are the weekly recipe plans... 

Monday - Cousin Jen Casano's Apricot Chicken with asparagus

Tuesday - Taco Tuesday!  

Wednesday - Chicken with Leeks, Sun-Dried Tomatoes in White Wine Sauce with roasted potatoes

Thursday - Sweet and Spicy Citrus Tilapia with green beans

I only planned through Thursday, because on Friday I am off on another adventure!  It is a strange coincidence that this weekend I visited the state's capital, and NEXT weekend I will be in the nation's capital.  Two completely unrelated excursions!  I just got home from experiencing Tallahassee with Lisa, Jen, and Will...goooood times!  We went to Game Day, did a little tailgating, watched the Seminoles/Clemson game at Po' Boys, ate a TON of food, accidentally learned what LARPing is (google it, you won't be disappointed), and stocked up on my favorite wafer cookies... Quadratini's (Mmmmmmm)!  I have the next few days to decompress before packing my bags all over again! 

Crock Pot Applesauce

Seriously...can we talk about how amazing the crock pot is?  I absolutely love being able to just throw a bunch of ingredients into the crock pot, go about my day, and then BAM...dinner is ready!  Well this recipe isn't for dinner, but it is so good you just might want it to be.  Who am I to judge?  I found the recipe last year on Skinnytaste...CLICK HERE!
The only thing I did differently was that:

• I used a teaspoon of cinnamon instead of a cinnamon stick
• I used 1 tsp of splenda brown sugar, 2 tsp of light brown sugar, and 2 tsp of agave

Now we will be enjoying this delicious applesauce all week!  

What's cooking this week & Exhaustion

I came off of this week feeling JUST like this little guy...

I'm only planning through Wednesday this week, there is a lot going on!!! For the past few weeks, nothing has gone as planned...we had a lot of Subway, and Chinese food nights thrown into the mix. Oh well, it happens! I guess you can never be completely prepared! Here is what I have planned for this week:

Tonight - Chicken Tortilla Soup (will probably end up being a combo of this recipe and this recipe) & Crock Pot Apple Sauce (for tomorrow)
Monday - Pork Chops & Apple Sauce with mashed yukon gold potatoes & pear salad
Tuesday - Sausage Veggie Subs
Wednesday - Grandpas Marinara & salad

I am SUPER excited about making the crock pot apple sauce! I made it last year, and it makes the apartment smell amazing!!! I'm thinking I will have a few hours of yummy apple smell, before I start making the chicken tortilla soup. Those two scents are probably not the best combination, but I don't know how I could avoid it! I can't do the pork chops tonight, the apple sauce won't be ready in time. So much to think about! Anywayssss....

We are having another uneventful weekend. I can't really say we are being "lazy" again, because our thank you card project is finally coming to a close. At least that is one thing I can check off of my list. I am getting all of my relaxation in now, because the next two weeks are PACKED! Besides work being super intense (I'm convinced there is something in the water), we will be taking a trip to Tallahassee next weekend, followed by a visit to Washington DC the weekend after that (just me not the hubs). Exciting things coming up, but in the meantime I am spending some quality time with my couch! Is there such a thing as too much sleep? I have had TWELVE hours of sleep each of the past 2 nights, and that isn't counting the naps! It just doesn't seem natural!

Blackened Tilapia Baja Tacos

One word...."INSANE"!  These really are the BEST fish tacos I have ever made, as well as the BEST fish tacos I have ever eaten...EVER!  You will love them.  They are easy too...bonus!!!  This is not my recipe, but I just have to share!
Recipe --->Blackened Tilapia Baja Tacos

What's cooking this week & Laziness

There is nothing interesting to report on this week, we didn't go on any adventures, or do anything worth mentioning.  We have basically been laying around all weekend being lazy, and working on our thank you card project (still).  You were warned - nothing interesting happening over here.  I did manage to make a list when I woke up this morning:

Tonight - Loaded Veggie Pizza
Monday - Sun Dried Tomato Artichoke Chicken Bake
Tuesday - Taco Tuesday with "Flair"
Wednesday - Japanese Chicken Scallion Rice Bowl (I'm adding mushrooms and edamame)
Thursday - Buffalo Turkey Burgers and Sweet Potatoes
Friday - Pasta (this is vague, but I will just whip something up using whatever is in my pantry - IF we happen to be home)

In honor of our lazy weekend, I wanted to share some of these kitchen gadgets that are "pro-laziness"...

Banana Slicer

Self stirring mug

Pizza Scissors

Corn Kerneler  (Yup!)

Automatic Sauce Stirrer 

What will they think of next?!?!Now, I must find the energy to work out...I'm using my cough as an excuse not to run, maybe I will do this instead:

Go Frankie!!!

Now that I have had a week to cool off, I can talk about MasterChef.  Unfortunately, Frankie was cut on last weeks episode.  He made it all the way to the top 4!  It was tough to watch him go (especially since we did not agree with the decision), but we are all SUPER PROUD of him and everything he has accomplished!!!  He is such an amazing cook, his passion for food is such an inspiration, and watching him kick butt week after week was such an incredible adventure!  I'm sure it has been a wonderful experience for him, and I wish him the best as he figures out "what's next"!  GO FRANKIE!  :)
You can follow his blog here:  Foodeconomics

This picture was on the MasterChef Facebook page, and made me laugh!  I guess I'll still watch part 1 of the season finale tonight.  Gotta stick it out!

What's cooking this week & Daytona Beach

What a weekend! I have to admit, I had a tough time planning for this upcoming week. I'm so full from eating all weekend long...I just do not have the willpower to think about food (I'm surprised too)! I managed to come up with this list (took me long enough), and I am pretty satisfied with it. The original plan was to take the night off, however the easy chicken salad I have planned for tonight is turning out to be not so "simple". I don't want to give too much away but if it is good, I'll share it at some point. :)

Tonight - Left-over pasta for the husband, chicken salad for the wife
Tuesday - Crock-Pot Chili w/ turkey meat (I knew I wasn't cooking this last Friday)
Wednesday - Salad with grilled chicken, avocado, and whole grain mustard vinaigrette
Thursday - Broiled Tilapia with Mustard-Chive Sauce and cauliflower
Friday - Sun Dried Tomato Artichoke Chicken Bake

Ok, so this weekend started with Jen and I taking a trip to Orlando with Lisa to pick up her cousin Emma at the airport. Then we had a fun filled day and night in The Villages followed by a game of Quelf! It was nice to have everyone together! Will was able to be with us too, which was great since he has been busy at the Republican National Convention all week (www.willvragovic.com). As if all of that wasn't enough, we woke up yesterday morning and decided to head over to Daytona Beach. I found an amazing deal at the Hilton, so we finished out Labor Day weekend with Lisa, Bobby, and Emma on the beach. What a beautiful weekend! It was perfect, but we are EXHAUSTED! I'm ready to shower off this salt water, and get into my "happy clothes". It is going to be another busy busy week at work. Bring it on! :)

Parmesan Edamame

The other day I was home sick (not fun...but I am much better now), and there was NOTHING to eat! You can ask my mom, I almost never lose my appetite...EVEN when I'm sick. I had a bag of frozen shelled edamame and whipped up this lovely lunch. It is almost too easy!  All you need is the edamame, parmesan cheese, and normal things that you probably already have plenty of!

• Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees
• Rinse edamame until it is thawed, then dry it
• Spray baking dish with non-stick spray
• Pour in edamame and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil
• Sprinkle generously with parmesan cheese and whatever spices you want (I used salt, pepper, garlic powder, and crushed red pepper)
• Bake for about 20 minutes until the cheese is all melty and starts to brown
• Consume like you haven't eaten in days...which we all know is not the case  

You're welcome!  :)