Baked Scallops

DP-
thanks for the baked scallops recipe! they were delicious!

Stoneyfield Farms

i LOVE Stonyfield Farms Organic Smoothies. LOVE THEM! thye are sweet and creamy and taste like this yogurt that i used to eat when i was a kid (i don't remember the name of it) every day after school. they aren't cheap though, (about $1.80 for a 10oz bottle) but sooooo worth it.



i love them so much that i decided to try the same smoothie only in their "light" variety.



not as good.

it's not as thick or creamy tasting. but it does have 130 calories, 0g fat, 0g Saturated and Trans fats, and 0g cholesterol, as opposed to 250 calories, 3g of fat, 2g Saturated fat, 10g cholesterol that's in the regular kind.

the good thing about stoneyfield farms smoothies is that there's the healthy bacteria in all of them that regular yogurt doesn't have. and they are all organic.

i will buy these again, because they are yummy, just not as yummy as the regular ones. and it's a good thing that there's a coupon i can use toward buying more smoothies :)

Drumsticks and Pasta

phillip and i love chicken. we could eat it every day and not get sick of it. it's a good thing i know how to make chicken in a variety of different ways. but i'm sure if i only knew how to make it one way, we'd still love it.

shaws had chicken legs on sale last week, so i bought a package of them. you can leave the skin on or take it off. which ever you prefer. i left it on because phillip likes the skin. this was a really quick and easy dinner to make. a great idea if you're running short on time.

here's what you'll need

chicken legs of any size
shake and bake chicken flavor seasoning
pasta of your choice. we decided on annie's natural macaroni and cheese.
vegetable of your choice. we chose corn.

here's what to do:

make sure that your chicken is defrosted before starting. i'm sure you could cook frozen chicken, but that would take a long time, i'm sure.



boil your water for the mac and cheese. while that is on the stove, open the can (or prepare if fresh) of vegetables and empty into a microwave safe bowl. set aside.




follow the directions on the shake-and-bake box. empty contents into the special bag. add your chicken.




now shake it up!




when all pieces of chicken are coated, place them on a lined cookie sheet. or you can use a cake pan like i have done. the reason i'm not using a cookie sheet is because i don't have one. don't worry, i've added 'cookie sheet' to the wedding registry list :)



place the chicken in the oven. cook as directed on the shake and bake pacakge. just remember, the juices should run clear and there should be no pink left in the chicken. if there is, you will need to cook it more. because no one likes salmonella!

when the water has come to a boil, add the pasta. cook till desired. while the pasta is cooling, place your veggies in the microwave and cook for 2 minutes. when the pasta has finished, drain and follow instructions on the back of the package. some mac and cheese brands call for a lot of butter and milk. annies does not. so make sure you read before proceeding.




when the chicken is ready, remove from oven. it smells so delicious, you'll want to eat it right on the spot. but don't! let the chicken stand for a minute or two to cool. spoon the pasta and the veggies onto each plate. make sure you use normal sized plate so you don't crowd your food.




Dig In!

Scallops

i just made the most delicious scallops i've ever had. it's just me tonight for dinner, since phillip works late. sometimes that's a good thing, because i'm able to cook seafood while he's at work. phillip hates any kind of fish. and there's no getting him to eat it, no matter what.

so i made a quick, easy, and light dinner for myself.

here's what you need (this is for one serving):

1/4 lb scallops, any size (i used the tiny ones because they were on sale)
1Tbs butter
dash of garlic powder
dash of salt
two cups of egg noodles

here's what i did
boil water for the egg noodles.

heat a skillet till it's hot. melt the butter in the pan, when it's almost all melted, add the garlic powder and salt.

add the scallops to the pan. make sure you cook them well. i tend to over-cook mine, but i like them that way. you'll know that they are thoroughly cooked when they are white. there should be no pink showing. if you over-cook them, you'll know. because they will brown :)

when the water has boiled, add the egg noodles. when they have cooked to your liking (i like mine al dente), drain and put back into the large bowl you used to cook them in.

add the scallops to the noodles and toss together.

add more salt or garlic if you like.

serve and eat!





it might look bland, but it isn't. very quick and great for those of you who enjoy scallops.

Tacos!

i know it's been a while since i've posted anything to this blog. my hard drive died about 3 weeks ago and i lost everything i had. a true bummer. but it's best to get back on track and post what i DO have.

so todays feature is TACOS!

phillip and i are not fans of mexican food, but we do enjoy tacos every now and then. actually, the last time we had them was about two years ago, so i guess we enjoy them more on the "then" side than now.

here's what you need to make awesomely delicious tacos:

one pound of ground beef. i use the leanest meat i can find, because all the grease from the fat freaks me out. and if you want, you can also use ground turkey or chicken.

any brand of taco shells, or if you like, tortillas for the soft taco choice. i chose old el paso because they were on sale.

one packet of taco seasoning. you can choose whatever spiciness level you want. because i'm a weiner and can't handle spices, i chose mild. also from old el paso because it was on sale.

garnishes: everyone is different, so you can top your tacos with whatever you'd like. we like lettuce, cheese, and tomatoes. i've put black olives on my tacos before and that was pretty yummy.

sauces: again, because i'm a wuss, i bought the mild taco sauce. i got the ortega kind because it was on sale at the time. i also like to put sour cream on my tacos as well.

what you need to do:
place the ground beef in a large skillet. brown the meat until there is no more pink/red color in it. you never want to undercook your meat because you might get salmonella or E-coli poisioning. and no one wants that.



while the meat is browning, you can prepare the garnishes for your tacos. we chose lettuce, tomato, and cheese. chop up the lettuce in either strips or chunks, the tomatoes into chunks, and if you like to shred your own cheese, do so now. we take the easy way out and buy it pre packaged.




after the garnishes are ready, open the taco shells and put them on a cookie sheet. this is optional, but if you warm them in the oven for about 5 minutes on a low setting, they are crispier.




after the meat is thorougly cooked, drain any extra fat there may be in your skillet. since i buy the 3% fat ground beef, the fat burns off so there's no need to drain. after draining the meat, add the taco seasoning to the beef. always read the directions on the back of the package. this brand calls for 1+ cups water to be added with the mix and beef.




coat the meat with the mix and cook for about 3 minutes more. remove from heat and spoon into a seperate bowl.

remove shells from oven if you haven't already done so. place the garnished, meat, shells, and sauces on the table, making it easier for everyone to spoon as much or as little into their tacos as they want. personally, the taco sauce and sour cream are my favorite parts.




now it's time to eat!

if you're weird like me, you don't eat your taco with two hands. you mush everything up onto your plate like a salad. i don't know why i do it this way. to me, tacos taste better like this.




if you're NOT weird like me, you will pick one up and eat it the normal way. check phillip out! he knows how to do it!




verdict? tacos are awesome. especially when you make them yourself. enjoy!