Foodiness is so a Word!

I am a self-proclaimed foodie. I'm not a foodie like my sweet friend Katie over at Dish and Dishes who has written a book, Food Lovers' Guide to Oklahoma, and has her own segment on TV in Oklahoma City. I'm more of a foodie in the sense that I like to eat food. Eh. Okay, that and I do like to try new recipes, look for new recipes and share new recipes with my friends on Facebook. Katie really has it made. She gets paid for her foodiness. All I get are a lot of "likes" on Facebook. LOL! No really, it absolutely makes me smile when I have a friend come post on my "wall" that they tried a recipe I shared or when one comes and tells me they need dinner ideas. My husband says I need to figure out how to install a Paypal button on each post. He's so funny. No, seriously, anyone know how I can do that?!? :) 

I've got two recipes I want to share with you. The main dish, Outback's Alice Springs' Chicken, was a huge hit by everyone in my family. The cooked cabbage is only loved by my teenager and myself. We seriously love cooked cabbage so when one of my Facebook friends posted about her cooked cabbage I couldn't help but beg for the recipe. She was kind of enough to share it and she's given me permission to share it as well. 

Outback's Alice Springs' Chicken

Recipe: 
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/2 inch thickness

Lawry's Seasoning Salt
6 bacon slices
1/4 cup regular mustard
1/3 cup honey
2 Tbsp. Mayonnaise
2 teaspoons dried onion flakes
1 cup sliced fresh mushroom (I omitted because my family does not like mushrooms)

2 cup shredded Colby/Jack cheese
First, Sprinkle and rub the chicken breasts with seasoning salt. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

While the chicken is in the refrigerator, cook bacon in a large skillet until crisp. Remove bacon and set aside. ***Do not discard grease.***
Saute chicken in the bacon grease for 3 to 5 minutes per side, or until browned. Place chicken in a 9" × 13" casserole dish or pan.
To make the Honey Mustard: In a small bowl, mix the mustard, honey, mayonnaise and dried onion flakes.
Spread some of the Honey Mustard over each piece of chicken, then layer with mushrooms, crumbled bacon, and shredded cheese.
Bake in a 350° oven for 30 minutes, or until cheese is melted and chicken is done.
Serve with the left over Honey Mustard Sauce that you made.
source: http://debrapate.blogspot.com/2012/01/outback-steakhouse-alice-springs.html

The chicken was very easy to put together. I made it even easier by buying thin-cut chicken breasts. That eliminated me pounding the heck out of the breasts. I did make a bit of an error. I forgot that I was going to need the bacon grease to brown the chicken in. I ended up throwing my cabbage in the bacon grease. I should have divided it. Oh, well. It didn't matter. I used a little coconut oil in the skillet and browned the chicken. I don't think it probably made a lick of difference. But, just in case you make these two dishes at the same meal, you might want to remember that. 

Cooked Cabbage 

Ingredients

•3 slices of bacon

•4 tablespoons of butter, divided

•1 cup of chopped onion

•1 medium to large head of cabbage, chopped (about 10 to 12 cups)

•1 teaspoon of kosher salt

•1/4 teaspoon of freshly cracked black pepper

•1/4 teaspoon of Cajun seasoning (like Slap Ya Mama), or to taste, optional

•2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar, optional

•Dash dried red pepper flakes, optional

Instructions

Chop the bacon and cook until the fat is rendered. Add 2 tablespoons of the butter and the onion and saute about 4 minutes. Add a splash of water to the bottom of the skillet to deglaze the browned bits in the bottom. Add half the cabbage, salt, pepper and Cajun seasoning, and stir. Add the remaining cabbage, stir, reduce to a low simmer, cover and cook for about 30 minutes, or until cabbage reaches the desired consistency, stirring several times. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and the cider vinegar. Adjust the salt and pepper if needed. 

That's some good stuff right there. Try it. You'll like it! 


~Mrs. Albright Trying to figure out how to make money sharing recipes on Facebook, like a...

Semi-Homemade Thanksgiving

I was watching the news tonight when they took standard store bought Thanksgiving-esque side dishes and then had area chefs taste test to see which ones were best. A truly interesting idea! Some people are not so great in the kitchen, don't have a lot of money to spend, and also maybe just not all the time it takes to do everything from scratch. I thought I would share some of those ideas, and a few of my own tips.

Best of the gravy was actually using the turkey gravy packet from McCormick. Chefs suggested adding bits of turkey, giblets or maybe whip in some cream. I think any of those sound like great ideas to fancy things up.

Bob Evans and Country Crock mashed potatoes were about even. I'm going to admit I have had both kinds served to me. They need to be whipped with your mixer, have salt, pepper, a little milk and butter added. Still, super easy...and no peeling required!

Can you believe Stove Top stuffing won out? I can actually. It has great flavor, and as the chefs put it- is a great base. They suggested adding fresh celery, onions, & turkey. I agree on that front. But I would definitely sauté the veggies first in a bit of butter. Also, I usually make it with vegetable or chicken stock instead of water. Once done on the stovetop, put under the broiler for a bit for some crunch on top.

Marie Callendar's and Sara Lee were a tie for pumpkin pies, though Marie seemed to have a better crust. Suggestions for a bourbon infused whipped topping sound great too.

While that's all they tried in the taste test, you might need bread and a turkey! The turkey is the most frightening part to most people. Therefore, let me suggest you order one. From a BBQ place smoked, from a place like the Hamlet. These are both something I've had before. Smoked turkey is definitely my favorite though. For the bread, there is a great selection of frozen rolls out there. Or pillsbury crescents!

Hopefully that helps some of you kitchen impaired or those skittish about trying to cook a whole Thanksiving feast. If you have any short cuts, please free to share! Can you believe T-Day is a week from tomorrow?!? Me either.


Putting on her apron,
Mrs. Sinclair
A RHOK Star
in the kitchen

Kiss the Cook

I'm trying to train my boys to be good husbands someday.  Know one thing (of the many) that make a good husband?  They cook meals and clean up afterwards.  Men who do this are a hot commodity.

Since Michael is turning fourteen in a few short months, I decided it was time to teach him something beyond cooking a hot dog in the microwave.  I need him to be more marketable if he is going to remain averse to small talk, yo.

When I told Michael he would be cooking dinner, he just looked at me.

No response other than eye contact.

I thought cheese enchiladas would be a great meal to start learning on.  They're kinda super easy and hard to mess up.  

The first thing Michael did was shove a tortilla in his mouth.

Lesson number one was a little bit unexpected.  

How can this smart little brain not know how to use a can opener?  

I mentioned that it is time to get an electric can opener and he told me I should ask for one for Christmas.

He's a thinker, that one.

We had barely gotten started when he sweetly volunteered to go "check on" his little brother.
This kid is the master of escape.
He wanted to use a timer to heat the tortillas so I finally took over this part.
Baby steps.

The tortilla made him thirsty so he was more interested in drinking water than rolling cheese into the tortillas.

You sorta kinda need two hands to roll these, bud.  LOSE THE WATER.

And after many warnings, he still plopped the tortillas down without keeping them rolled.
At this point, I was looking for my friend Patience.
I also contemplated how I will ever teach this child to drive based on how frustrated I let myself get.
I'm a work in progress.

He finally got the idea and rolled up a bunch of enchiladas.

Yippee!

Remember, he's in training - right?

Yeah.

I had to inform him that all of the cheese on the counter and floor would be picked up by him.

See the joy on his face?

After thinking this over, he said, "Technically, that's true."

Then he start creating less of a mess.

And voila!

Cheese enchiladas and a clean floor!

~ Mrs. Priss


who is determined to have more cooks in her house!