Crispy Coconut Chicken Fingers

Once again we made something from my new favorite cookbook, Our Best Bites. And once again I forgot to take pictures. This time my parents were in town, so Lora and I made dinner for the Skidmores and the Riehles (well, actually Lora wasn't feeling well so Beck and Chloe helped me).

Anyway, we made crispy coconut chicken fingers. We served it with an apricot jam dipping sauce and oven fries. It was actually a really easy meal. You basically dip chicken fingers in flour, then egg, then in a coconut/bread flakes mix.

Click here for the recipe for the chicken fingers. And click here for the oven fries.

Day 6

On Day 6, we made orzo pasta (I know we have made a lot of Italian, and we have vowed to not make as much Italian from here on out.) This is a light vegetarian dish that I have been making for a few years. It is so yummy and so healthy. We served it with Parmesan toast made Skidmore boys style -- bread with garlic salt and Parmesan in the oven broiler.

Recipe: (I doubled it)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic (I use sometimes use 3)

2 cups orzo pasta

1 zucchini, peeled and chopped

1 carrot, peeled and chopped

1 (16 oz) can stewed tomatoes, undrained

1 (14 oz) can vegetable broth

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon dried basil leaves

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup chopped green onions

1/4 chopped fresh parsley

2 teaspoons grated lime zest

2 tablespoons lime juice

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese for topping

Cook the orzo pasta. While it's cooking, saute the garlic in the olive oil. Stir in zucchini and carrots. Cook until vegetables soften. Stir in the tomatoes, vegetable broth, Italian seasoning, and basil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat to medium. Cover, and simmer until almost all liquid is absorbed. Stir in the green onions, parsley, lime zest, and lime juice. Remove from heat, cook slightly, and serve sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.

Day 5

On Day 5 we made a three cheese chicken penne pasta bake. Beck even helped us out for this one. Click here for the recipe.

These pictures were actually taken before we baked it and added freshly grated parmesan and mozzerella cheese. We forgot to take pictures afterwards.

Jammin'

Jeanne taught us how to make homemade jam on Friday. It was so fun! It was the first time both of us had done canning. We made strawberry, blackberry, and strawberry blackberry jam.

Non-cooking Day

Generally, Lora and I cook on Tuesdays and Thursdays. On non-cooking days, we have to come up with something else to eat. Tonight we made breakfast for dinner -- cinnamon french toast, scrambled eggs, and strawberries.

Day 4

On Thursday we made chicken alfredo and homemade breadsticks. It was our first time grilling anything. I was surprised at how easy it was. The alfredo sauce was homemade -- we even grated our own fresh Parmesan. I have posted the recipe for breadsticks before, but here is the recipe for the alfredo sauce.

Day 3

Yesterday we made chicken enchiladas and homemade guacamole. Well, Lora made the guac, and it was A.MAZ.ING. (She was proud). We attempted to make homemade tortillas:

They turned out okay, but they weren't big enough for enchiladas. So Lor made a quick store run.

Enchiladas (A Campbell's Kitchen Recipe):

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup (Regular or 98% Fat Free)

1/2 cup sour cream

1 cup Pace® Picante Sauce

2 teaspoons chili powder

2 cups chopped cooked chicken

1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

6 flour tortillas (6-inch), warmed

1 small tomato, chopped (about 1/2 cup)

1 green onion, sliced (about 2 tablespoons)

• Heat the oven to 350°F. Stir the soup, sour cream, picante sauce and chili powder in a medium bowl.
• Stir 1 cup soup mixture, chicken and cheese in a large bowl.
• Divide the chicken mixture among the tortillas. Roll up the tortillas and place seam-side down in an 11 x 7 x 2-inch baking dish. Pour the remaining soup mixture over the filled tortillas. Cover the baking dish.
• Bake for 40 minutes or until the enchiladas are hot and bubbling. Top with the tomato and onion.

And click here for the recipe for the guacamole. Note: Jeanne, being the Texan that she is, noted that this recipe did not call for any salsa or hot sauce. So we added a little Pace Picante sauce (medium) to give it that Texas kick.

Day 2

On our second cooking day we made Parmesan Ranch chicken with twice baked potatoes and salad. Unfortunately, we don't have a picture of this one. Here's a picture from the website I got the recipe from -- iheartnaptime.net.

Parmesan Ranch Chicken:

3/4 c. crushed tortilla chips (or you could use breadcrumbs, ritz crackers, etc.)

3/4 c. grated Parm. cheese

1 (1oz.) package dry ranch dressing mix

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded flat to even them

1/2 c. melted butter

Grease a 9X13 casserole dish. In a shallow dish, combine the tortilla chips, cheese, and ranch dressing mix. Dip each chicken breast in the butter and then in the ranch mix. Put in the casserole dish. Drizzle the rest of the butter (or at least some of the remaining butter) and ranch mix all over chicken pieces. Bake at 375 for 40 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Day 1

For our first meal, we made Spinach tomato tortellini with homemade breadsticks. Yes, I said homemade. They were delish. The spinach tortellini came from allrecipes.com, and the breadsticks came from the Our Best Bites cookbook.

Spinach tortellini:

• 1 (16 ounce) package cheese tortellini
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with garlic and onion
• 1 cup chopped fresh spinach
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup milk
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the tortellini, and cook until tender, about 10 minutes.
2. While you get the tortellini going, combine the tomatoes, spinach, salt, pepper, basil and garlic in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook and stir until the mixture begins to bubble.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, milk and cream. Stir this mixture into the saucepan along with the Parmesan cheese. Heat through, then reduce heat to low, and simmer until thick, about 2 minutes.
4. Drain the tortellini, but do not rinse, then pour them into the saucepan with the sauce. Stir to coat, and serve.

And click here for the breadstick recipe.