National Garlic Day

Yesterday was National Garlic Day. I found that out when I found an awesome recipe, Roasted Garlic Chicken Pizza Pockets on Twitter. The recipe was commemorating National Garlic Day. I decided to make the recipe for dinner. 

I did a few variations on the recipe. First, I used water instead of butter with the olive oil for cooking the chicken and onions on the stove. Second, I just made two large calzones instead of four pizza pockets. Third, I did not put as much cheese as the recipe called for.

I might add, this was my first time making roasted garlic in the oven. To me, it didn't taste any different than if I had just cooked the whole cloves on the stove in the water and olive oil with the chicken and onions. I did something similar when I recently made Chicken and Broccoli(with whole garlic cloves), and the garlic turned out fabulous and soft.

My husband and I loved the pizza pockets. We both ate more than we should have. I suppose we shall have to start an annual National Garlic Day tradition of having these delicious calzones for dinner!

Shari's Chicken & Broccoli

I came up with my version of Chicken & Broccoli this evening for a quick supper. I got my rice cooking, and then I chopped some rice toppings into a pan with water. I added a little soy sauce and olive oil, covered my pan, and then let the pan full of goodness cook until the rice was done. Anthony and I both loved this one! It tasted just like the stuff you get at American Chinese restaurants.

Shari's Chicken & Broccoli:

2 Cups Water

2 Bulbs of Garlic (Leave most of the cloves whole)

1 Roughly Chopped Green Bell Pepper

1 Stalk Chopped Broccoli

4 Chopped Chicken Tenderloins

Salt & Pepper

2 TB Soy Sauce

1 1/2 TB Olive Oil

The Dehumidifier

I have recently been inspired by new artists: Fmr POTUS G.W. Bush, and a lady from my church in Alabama to do art. My colored pencil drawing of a dehumidifier is my first piece of artwork as a married woman. It took me a minute to figure out how to sign it (#fmr artist identity crisis). My colored pencils box has Russian print on it.

Rice Topping: Peppers & Onions

Rice Topping: Peppers & Onions

3 Minced Garlic Cloves

Clump of Green Onions Chopped

1 1/2 Green Bell Peppers Chopped

1/2 Tsp. Tumeric

1/2 Tsp. Coriander Powder

1/2 Tsp. Cumin Powder

1/2 Tsp. Chili Powder

1 Cup Water

Kichidi (Rice & Lentils Dish)

I found a recipe for Kichidi on Rachel Singapogu's blog. I decided to make it. I had a lot of fun cooking Kichidi. I left out the green chilies as I did not happen to have them on hand. That being said, the dish did seem to maybe need something more . . . perhaps green chilies!

Larabar Cookies

This is my version of Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Cookies by chocolate-covered Katie. Her Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Cookies recipe was a modified version of her own Homemade Larabars recipe which was probably a spin off of Larabars. My revision of her revision is so delicious! I do not think my cookies are very healthy because eating them does not seem much different from eating peanut butter straight from the jar . . .

Larabar Cookies:

1/2 Creamy Peanut Butter

1/2 Whole Pitted Dates

2 TB Salted Dry-Roasted Peanuts

1/8 Tsp. Vanilla Extract

Dash of Salt

Quadruple Layer Quesadilla Tower

A friend posted a recipe for a taco bake on Facebook. That recipe gave me inspiration for my Quadruple Layer Quesadilla Tower. The taco bake recipe called for meat, salsa, and taco seasoning for the filling, I used leftover burrito filling from earlier this week instead. In a blender, I blended my burrito filling which included beans, bell peppers, onions, and spices. I then layered the resulting "refried beans" between tortillas and cheeses. I cooked my quesadilla tower at 350 degrees for 13 1/2 minutes. The outcome was outstanding. My recipe was easier and healthier than the original taco bake recipe I had seen, and it was tasty!

Broccoli Mozzarella Yogurt Souffles

I saw a recipe on Facebook for Asparagus-Goat Cheese Souffle by Eating Well. I didn't have asparagus or goat cheese, but I did have broccoli, Chobani, and mozzarella. I followed the recipe, except I subbed broccoli for asparagus, and a half cup of Chobani and a half cup of mozzarella instead of 1 cup of goat cheese. This was my first time making souffles. The flavor was amazing, and the souffles were light and fluffy. They did sink some. Perhaps I cooked my souffles too long, or maybe the egg whites were not quite as stiff as they should have been before I added them to the rest of the ingredients.

 

 

 

Sunday Burritos

I made burritos for lunch because they are fast. Anthony often made them for Sunday lunch after church when we were dating. We just used canned beans then. This time I used pre-soaked and cooked dried beans. After pre-soaking the beans for 6-8 hours, and cooking them, they were still not soft the way we like them. Anthony said something about that you have to cook them for 6-8 hours after soaking them 6-8 hours. Wow. Until I do all that, given the electric bill after such an extensive process, I wonder if it would be cheaper to just buy canned beans . . . Or, I suppose I could get a pressure cooker . . .