Chicken Tacos

Dinner plans for Tuesday: chicken tacos, rice & beans, chips & salsa.

Chicken Tacos (www.allrecipes.com, again)

• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into bite size pieces
• 1 cup lemonade
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 bay leaf  
• 1 (12 ounce) package corn tortillas
• 1 head lettuce, shredded
• 2 large tomatoes, chopped
• 1 (8 ounce) package shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• 1 (8 ounce) jar salsa
• 1 (8 ounce) container sour cream

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, combine chicken, lemonade, olive oil, lime juice, and Worcestershire sauce. Season with garlic powder, onion powder, and bay leaf. Simmer until chicken is no longer pink, and juices run clear, 15 to 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, warm the tortillas in the oven or microwave until soft. When chicken is fully cooked, transfer to serving bowl. Place lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, salsa, and sour cream in serving dishes. Each person can create their own wrap, using their preferred ingredients.

I’ll do a variation of this using a whole chicken that will cook most of the day in my crockpot with the seasonsing above.

Incredibly Cheesy Turkey Meatloaf

Dinner tonight: This new recipe from www.allrecipes.com, with leftover orzo and roasted cauliflower.  Leftover yellow cake with strawberries and vanilla ice cream for dessert.

• 2 pounds ground turkey
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 3/4 pound Colby cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1/2 cup ketchup (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. In a bowl, mix the turkey, milk, bread crumbs, and eggs by hand. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the cheese cubes into the mixture. Transfer to a loaf pan, and top with ketchup.
3. Bake 1 hour in the preheated oven, to an internal temperature of 180 degrees F (85 degrees C).

Per the reviews, I will add some worcestershire sauce, chopped onion, garlic and bellpepper.  I also plan to cut this in half, as I only have 1 lb. of ground turkey (and there is only 2 of us).

Orzo with Parmesan and Basil

For dinner tonight, steak & cheese sandwiches, green beans and this new recipe from www.allrecipes.com:

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup uncooked orzo pasta
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

1. Melt butter in heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in orzo and saute until lightly browned.
2. Stir in chicken stock and bring to boil. Cover. Reduce heat and simmer until orzo is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 15 – 20 minutes.
3. Mix in Parmesan cheese and basil. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to shallow bowl. Garnish with basil sprigs.

I changed it up to suit what was on hand in the kitchen, sauteing some chopped onion and garlic with the orzo, omitting the fresh basil, and adding about 1 Tbsp. of dried basil to the orzo before it came to a boil.  Delicious!

A Greener Swiffer

I love my Swiffer! It’s the mop kind, with the squirty solution and pads that stick to the bottom. Problem is, those white pads are expensive and go pretty quickly. Recently I found some white cotton cloths at the Dollar General. Three in a pack for $1, they seemed absorbant and more importantly, washable.

I have used and reused these three white cloths with great success. I just dampen one, fold the ends in to fit the bottom of the Swiffer and stick it on, and then mop away! After I’m done, I toss it into the wash to reuse.

Clean, green and frugal…now if I could just find a replacement for that expensive cleaning solution.

Ahoy!

I have found myself in some pretty strange situations since marrying the Rev. Today was one of those days. He was asked to bless a boat. Yes, bless a boat. This may seem odd until you compare it to the time he blessed an oil tank.

It was 38 degrees today, and on the river, probably even colder. It certainly felt colder. We toured the boat (a towboat, by the way), wind whipping across our faces, and then participated in a short (thank you, Lord!) ceremony that included the presentation of an American flag, my husband’s blessing and presentation of the boat’s Bible, and smashing a champagne bottle on the mast (I think it was a mast? A stern? Whatever…).

There are many difficult days in ministry, when all of my husband’s energy is zapped by his parishoners, and difficult nights, when we receive late emergency phone calls, but there are also these interesting, unique times when I get a glimpse into the lives of people who are nothing like me. For new experiences, I am thankful.

Had it been July when they decided to christen this boat, I would have been even more thankful. But chapped lips and all, I’m glad to have been by his side today.

Pomegranates

I bought four pomegranates last week at the grocery. Well, actually they gave them to me, since the poms were 0.25 cents each and I had a $1 coupon. Now, what to do with them? I have never eaten one, but it seems like they are everywhere, being touted as full of wonderful health benefits. After reading through the pamplet on how to eat them (yes, this is my first time needing an instruction guide for eating a piece of fruit), I am ready to give it a try. Any recipe ideas out there? My favorite cooking site, allrecipes.com, didn’t have many to choose from, and I would like to work them into my menu for the week.

New Year Motivation

A lovely new calendar arrived in the mail today, motivating me for the new year (19 days into it!). Thanks to a tip from Crystal over at Money Saving Mom, this sweet, spiral bound calendar cost all of $1.90.

Groceries!

I didn’t plan to make a grocery trip today, but I am so glad I did anyway. I might have missed out on these deals at Kroger:

3 Ragu on sale for $1 / used $1 off 3 coupon – 0.67 each
Dannon 4 pk on sale for $1.98 / used $1 coupon – 0.98
2 Pillsbury cake mixes on sale for 0.99 / used $1 off 2 coupon – 0.50 each
Kroger ice cream on sale for $2.89 (The Rev’s birthday is this week!)
Kroger heavy whipping cream (for birthday cake frosting) on sale for $2.19
Kroger shredded cheddar cheese on sale for $2.49
Chex snack mix on sale for $1 / used 0.50 coupon (d0ubled) – FREE
Chuck Roast on sale for $1.99 lb – $4.56 total
Ground Turkey on sale for $1.99
Kroger sour cream glazed doughnuts marked down to 0.79
Kroger large eggs $1.99 (isn’t that ridiculous?)
Tyson chicken thighs on sale for .99 lb – $1.58 for 1.5 lbs / used $1 off coupon – .58 TOTAL!
flour tortillas on sale for $1
Hillshire Farms chicken luncheon meat on sale for $1
2 Grands biscuits on sale for $1 each / used .30 off 2 coupon (doubled to .60) – 0.70 each
Hunts snack pudding on sale for $1
can black beans – 0.52
tomato – $1.76 (again, ridiculous, but needed for dinner tonight)
4 Pom pomegranates on sale for .25 each / used $1 off coupon – FREE

Total spent: $27.37

I then stopped at Foodland and picked up two good meat deals:

ground round on sale for $1.99 lb – $2.51 total
family pack ribs on sale for $1.18 lb – $3.85 total

Total spent: $6.36

Not bad, and we have enough meat for 2 weeks.

An Anniversary Gift

Our Associate Minister and his wife are celebrating their wedding anniversary today. Since we didn’t buy them a Christmas gift, but just included them in our staff Christmas luncheon and ornaments, we decided to do something special for them.

Tammy’s granola, in a mason jar, along with blueberry muffins and a tin of teas, was just right for their weekend cabin getaway.

Using items I had on hand, tea I picked up at Aldi, and a muffin mix from Dollar General, I spent $4.50.

Feast Day of St. Nicholas

Tomorrow, December 6, is the Feast Day of St. Nicholas. Yes, the same St. Nicholas that typically visits small children on December 25. The Rev spoke at Vespers this evening about Nicholas of Myra, a man whose life was lived in holiness. Just as many European families will awake tomorrow with small gifts in their shoes, so will my husband!

Since he’s low-carbing it, I thought he might appreciate beef jerky and peanuts more than candy. He’s also traveling tomorrow, and St. Nicholas is the patron saint of travellers. May God grant him traveling mercies and bring him safely home to me.

I liked this idea (scroll down to recipe) for Speculaas cookies. A nice way to help us remember a Saint of the church in this Advent season.