Honey...I'm Cookin'!

Tonight we had the delight of having my grandparents and cousin Annie over for dinner. All three of them had never been to our house and so we gave the tour and chatted it up while we ate!

One of the reasons I love to have dinner guests is because it forces me to try something new in the cooking realm. I've always wanted to be a wonderful cook but thanks to school, work, and the single life I've been able to get by on cereal, sandwiches, and canned goods. Anything beyond these three things was 'being a good cook' to me. Now, with me cooking for Scott, we have to stick to a more healthy lifestyle which means no more nights of just Spaghetti O's.

So, lets just say that up to this point in our marriage I've had some successes...and a lot of failures. The first meal I ever tried to make for Scott was the day after we got home from our honeymoon. I had to work all day and wouldn't get home until about 7:30. I knew Scott would get home around 5:30 or 6:00 and so I had it all planned out. I would surprise him by making dinner, putting it in the slow cooker, and timing it so when Scott walked in the door it would just be perfect! I got out my handy-dandy slow cooker recipe book and found the perfect thing-ginger chicken. I set a spot at the table, prepared the food, set the timer, wrote him a note, and was off to work thinking I was the best wife this side of the Mississippi. Well, I got home that evening and Scott was out working in the yard. He thanked me for being so thoughtful and making him dinner and I asked him, "So, did you like it?" His response: "Yeah, it was good...maybe a little dry." I walked inside, looked at the piece I had made for myself and could not believe what I saw! Not only was the chicken "a little dry" but it was practically burnt. My mom's response to this story (after laughing hysterically), "How do you burn something in a SLOW cooker?" Well folks, if it can be messed up in the kitchen, I can do it and apparently I don't like to read all of the directions...including the size of the crock pot that needs to be used. Luckily all of our meals haven't been this bad. Scott may have starved to death by now if that were the case. Oh, and for the record, Scott didn't want to hurt my feelings so he ate the ENTIRE burnt chicken breast...I threw mine away. What a trooper.

Now that I've got all of you thinking that I'm Rachel Ray's evil twin, allow me to tell you about a couple of the recipes that I've tried that we have enjoyed and will make again. Like my sister-in-law Chelsea said, "You don't have to spend a lot of time in the kitchen to be a good cook. You just have to know what flavors go well together." (Nicely put, Chels.) The first of these I found online and it is called Mexi-Cali Chicken. It was appealing to me because it was SO easy and I felt I could actually do it after my slaughter in the slow-cooker. All you do is put FROZEN (even better) chicken breasts into a casserole dish, cover it with salsa, bake on 375 for 35-40 minutes or until the chicken is done, melt cheese on top for an additional 5 minutes and BAM! It is done! Now, I've never tried to use regular salsa for this. We actually use Mango salsa that we buy in bulk from Costco which in my opinion makes all the difference.

The next thing we liked (and I think I liked this more than Scott did) was stuffed acorn squash. This one was a little more challenging than the last one but since acorn squash is one of my favorite vegetables, I was willing to take the plunge and try something more difficult. Basically it is a chopped apple, brown sugar, butter mixture that comprises the "stuffing" and then the squash is actually baked for half of the time without being stuffed and the other have with. If anyone is a die hard acorn squash fan like myself, let me know and I'll get you the recipe.

Last, and certainly not least of the newest recipe finds was what a made tonight. It is called Honey-Nut Chicken and I found the recipe online. Basically you melt 1/4 cup butter and 2 Tbsp. of honey in a flat dish. In another dish you mix 1/2 C. finely chopped peanuts or other nuts that are already salted, 3/4 C. finely crushed cornflakes (I actually used Rice Chex because it is what I had and they are gluten free), 1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves, and 1/4 tsp. of salt. Taking thawed chicken breasts (a little bit more of a challenge than the Mexi-Cali Chicken I know...) you dip them first in the butter/honey mixture and then roll it in the dry mixture and bake at 400 for about 18-25 minutes or until the chicken is done. This one was also super easy but I nice change from the norm.

After all my slaving away in the kitchen I'm pooped and ready to rest from my labors. Yet just as I sit down to rest...my tummy starts to grumble again.