"Perfect" Chicken

As I titled this post, I realized I make a lot of chicken recipes. Whoops. It's easy, and I like it. I'll mix it up soon enough.

If you have spent any amount of time on pinterest, you have probably seen a recipe claiming to be the "best" or "man pleasing" (I may have rolled my eyes at that one) or "So Good it Can’t Be Described, Explosion on Your Taste Buds"*  chicken. Well, after seeing it over and over, I finally decided to make it a few weeks ago. Lemme tell ya...it's really good. Maybe not the "best" (I'm still swooning over the queso smothered chicken), but it is pretty amazing.

There are a few variations floating around on pinterest, but I use this recipe, which uses chicken breasts instead of thighs. It's incredibly easy and it really is delicious. I usually serve it with brown + wild rice, and whatever frozen vegetable I have on hand. Last night, I had a frozen mirepoix blend and i just threw it in the pan with the chicken. Let me pat myself on the back and say, "Excellent decision, Meredith." It worked out quite well. The vegetables mixed with the sauce, and although not defrosting them ahead of time was a bit of a rookie mistake (it watered down the sauce a teensy bit), I didn't think about adding the vegetables until was time to bake.

Since I am still without a memory card reader and now a memory card, as I lent it to my parents after our trip to visit my brother and his family this weekend (a post is coming soon, I'm sure), a picture from the original pin will do. This would be the recipe made with chicken thighs, but the aesthetic is the same.

Courtesy of: wittyinthecity.com

Seriously, you guys. So easy, and so...so...so good. I may get a little heavy-handed with the maple syrup, but that's because I have a major obsession with maple.

This is a great standby recipe for the nights you want something quick and something you know is great. Which may or may not have been the case last night, as the gentleman friend and I would have spent more time debating who is more indecisive about coming up with dinner plans than actually making dinner.

*Not my words, it is actually what the pin says that I have on my board

I'm back, babydoll!

I've been doing the domestic thing recently, and cooking a lot more. I have more reason to, since I have another person to cook for (who doesn't mind doing the dishes after I've cooked-- nice bonus). And I'm also coming around to the idea of leftovers*, which has greatly helped.

Pinterest has, like for so many others, really broadened my recipe collection. And the reason I'm back is to show my friends and family the recipes I've tried and how well (or not) they've worked! Because you can't always trust pinterest when it tells you something is "amazing" or "the best ever". I know this to be true.

I'm starting off with what I'm having for dinner tonight, actually. I made it for my gentleman friend and I last night, and I'm having it again tonight. It's that good. It's actually what turned me around most to leftovers. I kid you not, it has changed my eating habits! This recipe is even better left over, if it makes it to the leftover stage. It may not, I make no promises.

The recipe is called Queso Smothered Chicken. And it gets nothing but raves from the gentleman friend. I didn't plan on making it again so soon after I made it the first time, but I found myself craving it and gave in, because I have patience/impulse control issues. It also takes about 30 minutes to cook (not including marinating time), which is great for me, because of the aforementioned patience issues.

I won't post the whole recipe here, as I don't want to take traffic away from the site I found it on (I have made a few recipes from there and they've all been keepers). I will, however, post a link and let you investigate all on your own! Here's a picture, though, to give you something to look at:

Courtesy of: plainchicken.com

Like many of the recipes I make, this one is not exactly healthy. But it is so, so good, that it's worth cheating a little bit for. That is, if you believe in that whole "dieting" thing. I do not.

Okay, that's it! I hope I'm back for awhile. You never know...


*I have always hated leftovers. I tend to not want the same food again the next day, and the thought of it makes me quite unhappy. Luckily, the food I've been making recently has changed that.

Themed Meals

Since this blog is named after my 80-something year old alter ego, you all should know that I think like an octegenarian.  I refer to people my age or younger as "young folks", consider my cat to be my child, and although I'm somehow a faster walker than most elderly people I know, I get winded too easily and would much rather travel in a Rascal Scooter than walk to the destination myself. 

And no...it doesn't have anything to do with my "unhealthy" recipes. I scoff at the notion that what I love so dearly is slowly killing me.

Anyway, I love theming meals or party snacks around get-togethers or events that I or my friends throw. I made shepherd's pie to have a marathon of a certain fantasy-themed television show that I may or may not be ashamed of obsessing over.

If there's an occasion for cupcakes, I will bake the hell (excuse my French) out of some and I will make sure it's a flavor that has some sort of purpose.  Like, for my annual Oscar party, I will decorate the cupcakes with as many of the nominee's names that will fit.

Once fall rolls around (um, hello...now?), I will make sure every batch I bake is fall-y. Pumpkin, spice, whatever. I will do it, and I will do it proudly.

This weekend, I will be cooking a fall-themed meal for the Mitchells. Roasted butternut squash soup, pork tenderloin...and possibly (most likely) a  few cupcakes. Fall is the favorite season of many, so I can't claim to be its #1 fan, but I do go all out for the season, and I'm very glad I have friends that feel similarly and indulge my obsessiveness.

Baked Pasta

This is one of the easiest meals in the world to make.  But it is always a crowd pleaser and can be put together in no time at all, so if you get unexpected guests for dinner, you're set!

Photo Courtesy of myrecipes.com

Baked Pasta

One box of pasta (any will do, I typically use ziti or bowties)
One jar of pasta sauce
Two cups mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Cook the pasta as directed, drain and return to the pot.  Pour in the sauce and also add about a third of the jar of water, because it will dry out otherwise.  Stir together and put in a casserole dish (I use a 13x9 glass dish).  Top with the mozzarella cheese first, make sure to cover evenly.  Sprinkle with grated parmesan and bake for approximately 10 minutes, or until the cheese is beginning to turn golden brown.

This would be great with roasted vegetables and some bread.

Fall Festivities!

It is a secret to no one that fall is my favorite season.  I love the colors, the cooler weather and the food and drink that it brings with it.  I try to get as much fall in as I possibly can-- which means dragging my friends and boyfriend along to Rocky Mount, one of my favorite places to go in this area, for their Harvest Festival day.

 Making fresh apple cider.  Probably one of the best-tasting apple anything I've ever had.

 Fall foliage.

 Rocking chair in the main house

 The apples used to make the cider, some picked fresh from the trees on site!

 My boyfriend, me and two of my closest friends Chris & Meredith

The main house

 Making apple butter! Yum.

Mexican Corn Chowder

This meal is one of my favorites to make and to eat.  It's been a bargaining chip for any favors I ask of people:
Me: "Will you help me move this weekend?"
Everyone: "Yeah, but only if you make me some chowder."

It's a good thing this recipe is easy.

Mexican Corn Chowder

- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 white onion, chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 lb. chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces (4 breasts usually work)
- 2 cans of creamed corn
- 1 can of chopped green chiles
- 16 oz. half & half
- 2 cups colby cheese (shredded colby is hard to find sometimes, so the Mexican blend works just as well)
- 1/2-1 tablespoon Cumin
- salt
- hot sauce

Melt the butter in a stock pot or dutch oven on medium high heat and cook the garlic, onion and chicken for about 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked (I usually put the onions in first, I hate the taste of onions and cook them down to almost nothing).  Turn down to medium heat.  Combine the rest of the ingredients and cook until hot. 

Add more cumin, salt or hot sauce to taste.  Serve with extra cheese and tortilla chips, if you'd like!