millions of peaches {but not really}

On Saturday afternoon we went out to Queen Creek and picked peaches with my parents. The only problem was that there weren't very many ripe ones just yet. Or we figured we got there too late in the day and all the ripe ones were picked. We were still able to find some and ended up buying 7 lbs worth of peaches. We had a good time! I've eaten a peach everyday since we picked them. There is nothing like fresh peaches.

a good one

This recipe came from my sister-in-law's sister. I tried it last night and holy cow, it was delicious. I love it. I made a couple adjustments since there's only 2 of us. I halved the recipe, but I wasn't exact, I just estimated. And I added Avocado...love my avocado. The amount I made, made enough for dinner and leftovers for lunch.

Chicken Orzo Pasta
1 box orzo pasta cooked al dente
2 lbs cooked chicken cubed
12-16 oz cherry tomatoes cut in half
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
8 oz feta cheese crumbled
Bunch of fresh basil chopped

Cook chicken and set aside. Cook pasta and set aside. Combine chicken and pasta with rest of ingredients and serve warm.


I was curious to see if Eric liked it. He's not picky anymore, but I was still nervous because I don't normally make this kind of meal. Plus it had a couple different ingredients that we don't eat that often. But, he ate it all and when asked if he liked it, responded: it was pretty good. I call that a success.

veggie stir fry

Veggies
3-4 cups fresh veggies of choice {onions, carrots, broccoli, zucchini, bell peppers, bean sprouts, mushrooms, etc.}

Stir-fry sauce
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. hoisin sauce
1 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 cup water
1 tsp. chicken bouillon

Directions
Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in large skillet. Stir-fry veggies of choice until slightly tender but still crisp. Combine all ingredients for sauce, pour over veggies and stir over medium heat until thickened and veggies are well coated*. Serve over hot cooked rice.

*I cooked some chicken separately and threw it in at the end... the husband likes meat.

york

i had some time on my hands today so i made some peppermint patties. they turned out great and are quite delicious. a handful of them and a glass of milk... perfect.

chocolate creme pudding

This is one of my favorites. I made it recently for my office. It got rave reviews and requests were made for the recipe, which I obliged to. And now here it is making an appearance on the blog. Mmm, just thinking about it makes me want to make it again.

MIX
1 cup softened margarine or butter
1 cup flour
1/2 cup nuts (optional)

Spread in 9x13 pan and cook for 15-20 min at 350 degrees, then let it cool

MIX
8 oz softened cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
Half of an 8 oz container of cool whip

Spread over cooled crust

MIX
1 large chocolate instant pudding
2 small vanilla instant pudding
5 1/2 cups of milk

Spread over cream cheese mixture and put in refrigerator to set. After it's set, spread the rest of the cool whip on top and sprinkle shredded chocolate over it.

smothered orange roughy

1/2 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon walnut oil
1/2 pound orange roughy or other mild flavored fish fillets
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram leaves
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 medium roma tomatoes, chopped
1/2 bell pepper, cut into rings
1 small onion


Mix lemon juice and walnut oil. Pour over fillets. Cover and refrigerate at least 15 minutes but not more than 1 hour. Drain fish, discard marinade.

Heat oven to 375 degrees

Place fish fillets on 12-15 inch piece of aluminum foil or parchment paper and sprinkle with marjoram and salt. Top with tomatoes, bell pepper and onion. Wrap fish in foil, sealing tightly. Place on cookie sheet. Bake 15 minutes or until fish flakes easily with fork.

happy guacamole

There's still 1 more spot left!

Lemon Chicken

This was so good. We devoured it.
I loved the lemon sauce... I think it made the meal.

2-3 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into pieces
1 egg yolk
1 dash pepper
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
3 Tbsp. cornstarch
3 Tbsp. flour

Soak chicken breasts in egg yolk, soy sauce and pepper for at least 30 minutes. Coat each piece of chicken in a mixture of cornstarch and flour. Fry chicken in hot oil. Service with rice and lemon sauce(recipe below).

Lemon Sauce
1 1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 cup water

In medium saucepan mix together sugar and corn starch. Then add remaining ingredients. Bring to boil stirring constantly. Cook until thickened.


*There is 1 spot open for the post below. Come on people, take the plunge. I'm not that bad of a crafter. I know it's scary committing to make things for people, but it doesn't have to be a big time consuming thing. Use your creativity*

chicken parmesan

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup fine bread crumbs
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp parsley flakes
2 tsp garlic powder
2 eggs, well beaten
Marinara sauce
Mozzarella cheese


Mix bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, parsley and garlic in a bowl. Beat eggs together in a separate dish. Dip chicken in eggs and then in crumb mixture. Place chicken in greased 9x13 baking pan. Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Remove from oven and pour marinara sauce over chicken. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake 20 more minutes.


I've made chicken parmesan with a couple different recipes. But this was by far the best one I've done. It was so easy and we loved it, it was delicious.

review

We woke at 5:45 for it and I seriously wondered if free food was really worth losing my sleep. We got there and waited about 30 minutes for a table and about another 30 for our grand slams. It was pretty exciting, ok well not that exciting. The food was decent and it was great to get a bill that said $0.00 on it. We did leave a tip for the waitress that served us. Overall I was satisfied with the experience, now I just need a nap.

free

grand slam

eric and I are going tomorrow at 6am, you should too

Tomato-Basil Chicken

I made this for dinner last night. It was so good, Eric and I both really enjoyed it.
8 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
2 cups plain yogurt
1 10 oz box Tomato-Basil Wheat Thins
1/2 Cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 Tbsp parsley flakes

Sauce
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup milk

Rinse chicken breast halves and pat dry. Pour yogurt into small dish. Crush crackers into fine crumbs. In a separate dish blend cracker crumbs with parmesan cheese and seasonings. Dip chicken breast halves into yogurt, coating both sides. Roll in crumbs until well covered. Place in greased baking pan. Repeat with remaining breast halves. Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until chicken is done. For sauce, combine soup and milk in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until hot and bubbly. Serve over chicken.

One of my new year resolutions is to cook one new meal every month from my new cookbook.

30 Miles and Cafe Rio

One thing we miss about Utah is Cafe Rio. We enjoy it especially after an exhausting activity. On Saturday we went on a 30 mile bike ride. Not too bad for Eric but man, it pushed me to my limits. We jumped in the pool after and then made strawberry banana smoothies. A great Saturday!
On Sunday I made Cafe Rio Pork in the crock pot. We made burritos with it and it was good. Just what we needed. It wasn't Cafe Rio, but by far the closest thing.