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 . . . 

Baby Shastya's New Books:)

A nice lady stopped me at church this morning to tell me she had a baby gift for Shastya! The lady said her kids had helped her pick out all the books for Shastya! Shastya loves baby books, and is already so excited about this gift.