Jalapeno Cream Cheese Stuffed Chicken

I searched through my food board on Pinterest today while making my weekly menu. There are so many recipes I need to try! I settled on the Jalapeno Cream Cheese Chicken for tonight. I made a few changes, as usual, and it was so good.



Jalapeno Cream Cheese Stuffed Chicken
from pipandebby.com

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.

In each of 6 defrosted chicken breast halves, cut a slit horizontally into the breast without going all the way through to the other side.

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.

Add:

2 jalapeno peppers, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

Cook and stir for 2 to 3 minutes.

Add:

8-oz. package of cream cheese

1/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Stir until the cheese is melted.

Divide the mixture between the 6 breasts and spoon into the openings.

Seal the ends and secure with toothpicks. Place the chicken in the prepared baking dish.

Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. 

Things I did differently:

I replaced the chicken breasts with boneless thighs and just sort of folded them together with the mixture inside. The result was much messier, but they turned out so moist and created a sauce in the pan to spoon over the top. Mmm.

I made stuffing to sit underneath the chicken pieces.

This isn't the healthiest meal because of all of the cheese, but it is yummy. Not at all spicy with the jalapenos. They just gave it a little kick. I will be making this again!

26.5 weeks

I have been so determined to 'go-go-go' throughout my pregnancy. Not that I have a full-time job or anything, but I want to stay active and get lots accomplished throughout these months. Summer has been busy and I have been keeping right along with everything. But sometimes it's just time for a break! My body has been telling me this for a few days, and I am finally listening. Yesterday I was really achy and having a hard time standing for long. Even though there is much to do for housework today, I have decided to take it easy and put my feet up for most of the day. I got some much needed sleep this morning and also got my weekly grocery shopping out of the way. The rest of the day is devoted to relaxing up until it's time to get dinner ready.

I am not too good at taking self-portraits, but I thought it's time for another belly shot since it has been almost 3 weeks. :)

26.5 weeks - almost into my 3rd trimester!

Yard Sale Finds

Mom and I went to a couple yard sales today and found a few items!

My new project! $3. Still trying to figure out how I will redo it.

2 Melissa & Doug puzzles, choo-choo train puzzle and a diaper wet bag (I think that is what it is-brand new). I was especially excited about the puzzles - they are in great condition!

Chicken Quesadillas

It's been a while since I have made quesadillas. I put it on my menu before grocery shopping on Sunday, and made them tonight. They are so absolutely delicious! There are so many options with quesadillas and it is fun to make up your own recipe.

These turned out a little messy, but they are so yummy that it doesn't really matter! I decided to use sauce in them, rather than dipping them in salsa and that is why they are a bit messy. But if you don't mind licking your fingers, then these are for you!

 Chicken Quesadillas
 
- 3-4 boneless chicken thighs (or you can use 1-2 chicken breast if you like)

- 1 bell pepper

- 1/3 cup onion

- 1 pkg. cheese (your choice - I used colby jack)

- 5-6 flour tortillas (wheat or white)

- salsa or picante sauce - smooth, not chunky

- seasonings for chicken: salt, pepper, paprika, garlic, rosemary & thyme.

Sprinkle both sides of chicken with above seasonings and cook in a fry pan until no longer pink. Chop chicken into small pieces.

Dice bell pepper and onion and mix with chicken in a bowl.

Lay out one tortilla. Spread 1 tablespoon of salsa onto the tortilla and top half of the tortilla with a generous scoop of chicken mixture. Sprinkle with cheese (as much as you want!) and fold the other half of the tortilla on top. Grill in a pan that is well greased until golden and flip. I used a little butter here and there - oil will work too. 

Let cool for 1-2 minutes on a cutting board and then cut into 4 pieces. 


Viola! Very simple. My husband loved them, so they passed the test. :) For a larger family, I would recommend doubling. This fed three very hungry people!

Baby Dresser Refurbish - End Result!

Baby dresser is done! The job really wasn't all that difficult or time consuming. I would have to say that lining the drawers was the most frustrating. But other than that, I would love to open a business refurbishing furniture. This was so fun!

Very happy with the outcome!

We should have protected the inside of drawers so the BIN didn't show, but now we know for next time. :) 

A Twist on Spaghetti

After two years (literally) of not having internet at home, we finally have it. My sister and brother-in-law are splitting the cost with us since they live on the second floor. You have no idea how strange/amazing/addicting it is to have internet back at my own house!! Now I can blog anytime I want to... and trust me, there will be much more blogging now, especially where food and projects and baby stuff is concerned!

This recipe was found on Pinterest (obviously) and my husband and I love it. I love it for two reasons: one, it's delicious and two, it's easy.  I love pasta to begin with, and my husband could eat it every day if he had to, so this recipe was a great change up to the usual spaghetti and meat sauce.

You can find the recipe here or follow it below. Of course I have had to improvise at times, since I often find I am out of ingredients right when I need them. Like olive oil. One day I made this for dinner, but was out of olive oil to make the garlic oil. So I just used butter. Not as healthy, but still yummy! I also tried Kalamata olives once, but that was so time consuming. I do not know the correct way to pit an olive, so I won't do that again unless I find pitted ones. One really important thing to this recipe was the fresh parsley. You can obviously use dried parsley, but the fresh herb just really does it.

Here is a very easy, very delicious summer meal.

I'm so glad to be back blogging. There's lots to come!

Spaghetti with Tomatoes, Black Olives, Garlic, and Feta Cheese

CONTRIBUTED BY QUICK FROM SCRATCH PASTA

from foodandwine.com

1. 1 1/2 pounds tomatoes (about 3), seeded and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2. 1/2 cup Kalamata or other black olives, pitted
3. 1/4 pound feta cheese, crumbled
4. 3 tablespoons drained capers
5. 3 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
6. 1/4 teaspoon salt
7. 1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
8. 3/4 pound spaghetti
9. 6 tablespoons olive oil
10. 3 cloves garlic, minced

1. In a large glass or stainless-steel bowl, combine the tomatoes, olives, feta, capers, parsley, salt, and pepper.
2. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the spaghetti until just done, about 12 minutes. Drain.
3. Meanwhile, in a medium frying pan, heat the olive oil over moderately low heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the cooked pasta and the garlic oil to the tomato mixture and toss.

NOTES

Variations

Spaghetti with Tomatoes, Black Olives, Garlic, and Mozzarella Use 3/4 pound fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/4-inch pieces, in place of the feta.

Spaghetti with Tomatoes, Olives, Garlic, Feta, and Fresh Herbs Use 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil or 3 tablespoons mixed chopped fresh herbs, such as tarragon and chives, in place of the parsley.

Baby Dresser Refurbish

I cannot begin to describe our summer. Our life has been so upside-down with not knowing what would happen next with this whole police hiring process. We were really beginning to think that Kyle would be off to the academy this month, but there was no knowing until the last minute when they called to let him know he was not selected. Strike two. We shall try yet again! I am so proud of my husband for his accomplishment in completing all the required steps with flying colors. There was nothing else he could do better, they told him, but to reapply again since there were only a few slots open for this training.

It looks kind of nice from the picture, but up close it had lots of dings and scratches.

So, without skipping (much of a) beat, we have just moved on. I almost immediately set my mind on the months ahead before baby will arrive (a little over 3 more to go!). One of the funnest parts of pregnancy - planning the baby nursery!! It was the best way I could get my mind off of the disappointment of hearing the news.

My mom had saved an older, scratched up dresser for me years ago, because I knew someday it would come in handy. It is a very little dresser, hence the reason it is being turned into a baby dresser! On Saturday, my sweet husband agreed to help me start fixing it up. We began by spraying it with BIN. After that dried, we painted it this absolutely gorgeous yellow shade, which I do not have pictures of yet. Our project is about finished, since I painted one more coat yesterday, sanded the top (that was quite a chore!) and stained the top. I will be finishing the stain with glossy polyurethane and it will be finished.

I really liked his outfit - bare feet and all :) I assured him this would not end up on facebook, just the blog. 

The after pictures will be posted soon! I have so many plans for the nursery, but first I am working on getting that extra room cleaned out... with a few occasional projects in between. ;)