Archive for November 2012

Eat & Be Merry :)

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Nom Nom Nom!
      
   















  
So first of all, I would like to say that I am NOT a good chef. These are BASIC meal ideas. So here are some disclaimers before you spend your time reading this post...

1. 99.9% of the time I have no idea what I am doing. Literally.

2. I have serious problems follows any kind of rules or direct orders. I pretty much do the opposite of what I'm told all of the time. Meaning, I don't follow any recipe to it's exact specifications. 


3. I make things up as I go. I will improvise ingredients if I don't have them. 


4. I hate spending money on home cooked food. Everything I make is fairly cheap. I buy all of my meat, zucchini, asparagus, broccoli & salads at Fresh & Easy Grocery. The rest of my food I buy at Raley's.

5. People have very different ideas of what good food is. So if you hate a recipe, I take no offense or responsibility. Everyone likes different things. 


6. Our dinners are MUCH different while Eric is in academy. He needs the carbs to be able to survive the amount of physical exercise they require. So carbs are very new for us. After he graduates, our normal meals of no carbs after 6pm will be back in the works.

     I decided to write this post because I personally hate to cook something without knowing someone else made it, and liked it. Here are some of the things we have tried lately in the Suarez household...


Staple in our dinners...Steamed Fresh Veggies

Fancy Huh??? Lol This is my all time favorite veggie to make. I refuse to eat the frozen steam in the bag kind! They're nasty! All I do is cut 2 fresh zucchini, drizzle a little olive oil on top, salt & pepper & then steam in the microwave! After it cooks, I sprinkle a little parmesan cheese on top & set the lid back on for a minute so it melts. It's amazing & take seconds. You can do this with any veggie! We do broccoli, carrots, green beans. The stream container could not be more ghetto. No clue where I got it, the lid doesn't even snap on. I just set it on top. But steam is steam & it works :) No excuses for not having a yummy fresh veggie with dinner :)

Easiest thing EVER! Taco Seasoned Shredded Chicken 


Ingredients...
1 cup chicken broth
1-2 packets taco seasoning (Preference only. I throw in 2 for extra flavor) 
4 chicken breast (At least 1lb worth)

Crock pot
Combine whole chicken breast, broth & seasoning in crock pot & cook on low for 6 hours. Im sure you could cook it on high for 4 hours, I just haven't had to do it yet. 
Around hour 5 I shred the chicken in the crock pot with 2 forks & let it sit another hour. Or you can shred it & eat it right away. 

BEST PART...
You can do ANYTHING with this chicken & it will last for TWO meals! We usually do tacos the first night, and the second night I come up with a random mexican dish like chicken enchiladas! Since the meat is all ready to go on the second night, dinner is quick & easy. Love being able to use all of the leftovers. 




















Garlic Pesto Chicken with Tomato Cream Penne

I found this recipe on Pinterest. I attached the link for the blog with the original recipe down below. I changed a few things from the her recipe but it's pretty much the same thing :) 
Chicken marinade

1/2 bottle of Lawrys Herb and Garlic Marinade
2 large spoonfuls of Pesto
2 boneless chicken breasts 
(I never cook less than 4 chicken breast at a time because we like leftovers, so I just added a little extra of the marinade ingredients. For example, 4 chicken breast, 3/4 bottle Lawry's marinade & 3 large spoonfuls pesto.)

Combine ingredients in large ziplock bag & marinade for up to 24 hours in the fridge. 

Pasta Sauce
8 ounces of your choice of pasta (I used a box of Penne)
2 tablespoons of olive oil
3 cloves of garlic
2 spoonfuls of pesto
1/2 cup of chicken broth
8 ounces of tomato sauce
1 cup of milk
Cook
Boil water and start to cook the noodles.
BBQ the chicken on the grill. 
In a large skillet heat olive oil, cook garlic. Add pesto. Simmer in chicken broth until half has cooked down. Add tomato sauce. Then add milk. Simmer for 5 minutes. Toss pasta in. Add flour if it needs to be thickened. 
Serve sauce over pasta & add the sliced chicken off the BBQ on top! I added shredded parmesan cheese on top because I had it in the fridge already. I served with a caesar salad. Super easy & super yummy!
Source for Original Recipe 
http://cdargis.tumblr.com/post/18818836004/garlic-pesto-chicken-with-tomato-cream-penne
Creamy Bacon Carbonara 

Let me start by saying that this is a lazy, easier version of the original amazing recipe I found on Pinterest. I will add the link for the original below. Feel free to just follow her recipe! It's incredible! Mine is similar, I'm just too lazy to add all the ingredients from the original. The pictures look boring I know. I forgot parsley that time. And the bacon should be way more crispy dark brown!





SOURCE:
http://www.justgetoffyourbuttandbake.com/?p=2094

MEAT LOAF & HOMEMADE MASHED POTATOES

So I know that a lot of people don't like meat loaf. I think it's the name that ruins it. But every once in a while Eric & I enjoy this one. Its fast, easy & really good. 
WARNING... This is one of the recipes that I never make the same twice. I guess on measurements & make it up as I go. I tried to add measurements to make it easier to follow, but in general trust yourself & do what you think is right. 




Ingredients
  • 1/2 large chopped yellow onion
  • Salt & ground black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 2-3 pounds ground turkey breast or ground beef or both!
  • 1/2 cups plain oatmeal
  • 1/2 cup bread crumbs (I used parmesan bread crumbs) 
  • 2 extra-large eggs, beaten
  • 3/4 cup ketchup
  • 1/2 clove minced garlic
  • 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke (optional)

  • Topping 
  • Ketchup
  • Worcestershire
  • BBQ sauce 

  • COOK
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a bowl & mix well. Move mixture to glass dish. Combine the topping ingredients & layer over the top of uncooked mixture. Place in oven & bake for 55-75 minutes at 350 degrees. Internally temperature should be 165 degrees. 

  • Mashed Potatoes-Easy!
  • 3 large russet potatoes
  • 1/2 - 1 cube Butter (to taste)
  • 2 tablespoons Sour Cream (or to taste)
  • Garlic salt to taste
  • Pepper to taste

  • Boil water. Add Potatoes. Let boil until soft. Strain water. In a large bowl mix potatoes with all ingredients to your taste preference. Some people like extra salt or garlic. These are SO quick & yummy!

  • That's it for now! I hope you enjoyed! Send me an email or text if you have a question about any of this randomness! If you all like this, I will continue to post new recipes. Last night I made yummy sweet honey shrimp on the BBQ, I'll add that one next time. Much love people!xo

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Going Crazy!

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

    Soooo I know I haven't posted in forever! And I think it sucks. I have been BATTLING with Blogspot because my "custom design" keeps disappearing & defaulting to the ugly nasty one the site has. SO, if it's a weird background at some point in time, I did not pick it. I'm not sure whats going on with it but it's driving me totally & completely CRAZY!!! I'm about to drop $35 for an actual custom template from Etsy. Ugh...
     Anyway, I have so much to update on but I don't know where to start. I am in the middle of writing about everything that happened this past year. Overwhelming to say the least. So much to say, yet I have very little words. I'm also working on a "My Favorites" blog. I'm really excited to share all my favorite products right now :) Sorry this is such a bogus update. Really hoping to get things back on track <3 
     Here's some current pictures of our current crazy life with Roseville Fire new hire academy & my new house wife responsibilities!

                      Eric for the first time in his Roseville Fire uniform :D
Eric's first morning of academy... Sleepy face.
The new hire academy 12-1
First group project. Their custom wood burned wood chocks.
Mainly used to hold a door open on their calls.
Second group project. Huge 12-1 wood chock. 
My first time ever making chicken enchiladas :) It was a success!
We don't get to see each other very much because our schedules are opposite...So make a serious effort to have breakfast together every Saturday & Sunday morning :)

That's it! I promise I will post again soon with something interesting & not so lame! 

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I'M BACK!


Welcome to my new blog!!! I guess I should start by explaining the title. I wanted something that I could use at anytime in my life & that wasn't too obvious. Soooo my life is CRAZY. My nickname is CITY, hence my actual name. And I'm loving LIVING every second of it.

So many things have changed in the past few months & I could not be happier! Eric & I have so much to look forward to for the rest of 2012. Fall is already in the air :) OUR FAVORITE!!! I can't get enough of Starbucks Salted Carmel White Mochas or fall candles & oils! I'm pretty sure I have already purchased an entire new winter wardrobe & there is no sign of stopping me yet!

I have a couple secrets in store for my next September post & I'll probably do a quick flashback of the past few months. Can't wait to share our crazy journey! <3

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