TGIF Music Blast: Mariah Carey - "Heat"

Oh my word, this is definitely one of my favorite songs from the E=MC2 album.
This song is called "Heat" and it should have definitely been released as a single. It's so catchy and the lyrics are hilarious. I've never seen Mariah like this with the sassy attititude. Love it! So anyway, this is the song of the day for me. Hope you enjoy!

You think I won't come out these heels and make it clear, ho?
I ain't the one.
You think I won't sweat out my hair and take it there?
(Sure ain't the one!)
Keep your hands up off my boo.
Ain't no telling what I'll do.
What makes you think you're fly enough to take my man, ho?
I ain't the one!

LOL! Epic!!!

KITCHEN KREATIONS: Chicken Parmesan with Angel Hair pasta

MIDWEEK FEAST: Chicken Parmesan with Angel Hair Pasta

So, all week long, I have been having this craving for Italian food. I scoured the internet looking for recipes and finally decided to take their ideas and make my own.

Let me tell you, this has got to be one of my best "kreations" yet. The chicken came out so flavorful and tender. The hubby said that it tasted like something from the Olive Garden (high praise indeed). So, give it a try and let me know what you think.

INGREDIENTS
Thin-cut boneless/skinless chicken breasts
Ragu spaghetti sauce (Your choice. We used Sautéed Onion & Mushroom)
Angel hair pasta noodles
½ cup parmesan cheese
½ cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
½ cup shredded cheese (Your choice. We used the Kraft Italian blend.)
1 tsp salt
2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
Non-stick cooking spray
1 Tbsp olive oil

DIRECTIONS
1. Rinse chicken breasts.
2. In shallow dish add the parmesan cheese and bread crumbs. Stir to combine and mix well.
3. Season chicken breasts with the salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and Italian seasonings.
4. Spray chicken breasts with non-stick cooking spray.
5. Dip chicken breasts in parmesan/bread crumb mixture.
6. Heat olive oil in skillet and add breaded chicken breasts when hot.
7. Brown chicken breasts on both sides, approx 6-8 minutes.
8. While chicken is cooking, prepare angel hair pasta according to package directions.
9. When chicken is browned, add approximately 1 cup of spaghetti sauce to chicken.
10. Reduce heat to low, cover with lid and let simmer for 5-10 minutes.
11. Add shredded cheese to top of chicken breasts, cover again. Remove from heat.
12. Drain angel hair pasta and return to pot.
13. Add remaining spaghetti sauce to pasta, stir well to combine.
14. Plate and enjoy!

TGIF Music Blast: Vintage Janet Jackson

Thank God it's Friday, family!
So, I'm sitting at work thinking about the salad that I have for lunch and I am in the mood for a little vintage Janet. Of course, off to Youtube I go in search of some of my favorite videos. Since I am a big Janet Jackson fan, I couldn't decide on which video should make the TGIF Music Blast, so I put 3 of my favorite ones on there.

I can remember trying to learn these dances back in the day and of course I had to have my hair like Janet's hair because it was "so fly"! LOL!!!
Anyway, I hope that you all enjoy this walk down memory lane as much as I did.
[Time to go warm up that grilled chicken for my salad.]


"Together Again" - from The Velvet Rope (1997)



"If" - from Janet (1993)



And who could forget this one? This definitely takes me back...
"Rhythmnation" - from Rhythmnation 1814 (1989)

KITCHEN KREATIONS: Chicken Stir-Fry w. Brown Rice (new & improved recipe)

MIDWEEK FEAST: Chicken Stir-Fry w. Brown Rice (new recipe)

So, tonight I wanted to try my hand at making Chinese again. We had some left over chicken thighs from our Chicken Alfredo pizza that I made yesterday. It was so yummy and I had 3 chicken thighs left, so I thought well, what can I make that will be quick and easy and semi-healthy for us. I thought about trying out a Food Network recipe that I found for Chicken Parmigiana, but changed my mind. It didn't seem as easy or as quick as making the stir-fry, so that's what I chose. I thought I would try some of my new Chinese 5-Spice seasoning that I got from the wonderful Soulard Spice Shop located at the Soulard Market in St. Louis, MO. [The link to order online is included, just click on the name. You can get every spice imaginable from them! I will be doing a blog about the Spice Shop another day after going to visit them again to try to get some pictures.]

I also changed the recipe by adding a little ginger to it. It definitely gave the stir-fry a different taste, not better or worst, just different. We both approve. So, I hope that someone out there tries my Stir-Fry recipe and lets me know what you think. Thanks again and have a blessed day!

Ingredients
2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs
1-2 bags frozen stir-fry vegetables (of your choice. We use 2 bags b/c I like a lot of veggies.)
½ medium onion
½ tsp garlic salt
2 tsp cornstarch
4 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp cooking oil (or stir fry oil)

Sauce Ingredients

1 cup chicken broth
4 Tbsp soy sauce
4 Tbsp oyster sauce
2 Tbsp sugar
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp Chinese 5 spices seasoning
2 tsp cornstarch with water (thickener)

Directions:

1. Remove all of the fat from the chicken and then cut each breast into 1 inch pieces.
2. Sprinkle these pieces with the garlic salt and cornstarch and mix it in thoroughly. Then set the pieces aside while preparing the other ingredients.
3. In a large cup, mix together all of the ingredients for the sauce and set this mixture aside.
4. In a small cup, make the thickener by mixing the cornstarch with a little water just until it dissolves and set it aside.
5. Heat a non stick wok on high. Once the wok is hot add the cooking oil and let it get hot.
6. When the oil is hot, add the onions and garlic. Cook for 1-2 minutes to soften.
7. Add the chicken and stir fry it until it browns, about 6 to 8 minutes. To help the chicken brown quickly, let it sit for about 2 minutes on one side, then stir it, flipping it over. Let it sit again for another 2 minutes before stirring once more.
8. Once the chicken browns, add in the vegetables and saute until tender.
9. Add the sauce mixture. Add first 6 sauce ingredients together and let the sauce come to a boil.
10. Once the sauce boils, add in the cornstarch mixture and stir until it becomes thick.
11. Then remove from the heat and serve. This is great with fried rice and white or brown steamed rice.
12. Eat and enjoy!

Lime Sherbert Punch

Lime Sherbet Punch

From Paula's Home Cooking

Servings: 6-8 glasses

Prep Time: 10 min

Ingredients
2 quarts lime sherbet
2 liters ginger ale
1 (46-ounce) can pineapple juice
Lemon slices
Lime slices
Maraschino cherries

Directions
In a punch bowl, add 2 quarts of lime sherbet.
Then add ginger ale and pineapple juice.
Decorate with lemon and lime slices and some maraschino cherries.

KITCHEN KREATIONS: New Year's Feast

First and foremost, I would like to wish every one reading this message a very Merry Christmas and a blessed and Happy New Year! For me and our family, 2010 was full of a lot of health problems, stress, and downright craziness. On the flip side of that, with all the hardships and heartaches, there was life and love, peace and resolution. There was joy with the pain and a renewed sense of being on the right path God has set for me. 2010 has probably single-handedly made me realize that not only am I doing what it is God wants for me to do, but I know first hand what it means to say that you are blessed and highly favored. It humbles me. Lord knows that I am not worthy of such grace, but I am so thankful and awed. I am here for a reason and I know that I have work to do...

So, to celebrate being blessed to see another year, I decided to fix the hubby a New Years feast!
On the menu for tonight was a baked hen with cornbread dressing, collard greens, black-eyed peas (recipe courtesy of Pat & Gina Neely), homemade cranberry sauce (thanks LadyRosie!), and sherbert punch (recipe courtesy of my girl Paula Deen). I was so pleased that everything turned out deliciously. I'm glad that I started yesterday so that I wouldn't be too tired to enjoy my meal today. Hubby gave tonight's feast two thumbs and two big toes up! LOL!!!

Here are a few recipes from tonight's menu:

Black-Eyed Peas with Bacon

Recipe courtesy of The Neelys

Ingredients

• 1 pound dried black-eyed peas (fresh or canned black-eyed peas can be substituted)
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 4 strips thick sliced bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 medium onion, small diced
• 4 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups water
• 3 bay leaves
• Hot-pepper vinegar, as desired

Directions

If using dried black-eyed peas, put them in a large pot and cover with about 4 inches of water. Soak the peas overnight, then drain the water and rinse. Alternatively, you can "quick-soak" the peas by bringing them and the water to a boil for 2 minutes. After this, remove them from the heat, cover the pot and soak the peas for 1 hour. Then, drain and rinse the peas.

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the bacon, onion and garlic to the pot and cook, stirring, until the onion and garlic are lightly browned, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add the salt, black pepper, cayenne and garlic powder. Cook until the entire mixture is coated with the spices, about 2 minutes. Pour in the stock and water and drop in the bay leaves. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for about 30 minutes.

When the pork begins to fall apart, add the prepared peas to the pot and simmer until the peas are very soft, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

The next wonderful recipe comes courtesy of Paula Deen. It was delicious!

Lime Sherbet Punch

From Paula's Home Cooking

Ingredients

2 quarts lime sherbet (we used Rainbow Sherbet)
2 liters ginger ale
1 (46-ounce) can pineapple juice
Lemon slices
Lime slices
Maraschino cherries

Directions

In a punch bowl, add 2 quarts of lime sherbet. Then add ginger ale and pineapple juice. Decorate with lemon and lime slices and some maraschino cherries.

The last recipe comes from my girl LadyRosie's blog. Let me tell you, she has helped to make my hubby a cranberry convert! No more canned cranberry sauce for our house. LOL!!!
Here is Rosie's delicious cranberry sauce recipe:

Rosie's Homemade Cranberry Sauce RECIPE

16 oz of frozen cranberries
12 oz can of DOLE'S Pineapple Orange Concentrate
1 cup of white sugar, OR splenda!
1/2 of water

Pineapple Orange Concentrate

1. Put your Dole's Orange Pineapple Concentrate in a medium size pot. Turn your stove on medium high. Wait for the concentrate to completely melt.

2. Add your cranberries.
3. Add your sugar or splenda.
4. Turn your heat to high. When it starts to bubble, Turn it down to MEDIUM. Make sure you constantly stir to prevent it from sticking to the bottom.
5. Cook until your cranberries fall apart or POP... Once they do, turn your heat to low, and let cook for 5 minutes
6. Remove your sauce and place it into a glass bowl, make sure you cover it with plastic wrap.
7. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving!

Well, I know that this was a long one. I hope that you can take one (if not all) of these recipes and give them a try. They were amazing and made my New Year's dinner a true triumph.
Wishing you and your family a wonderful year ahead.

MOVIE REVIEW: Tron Legacy

GRADE: A

The hubby and I went to see Tron-Legacy this weekend.
Let me tell you, this movie was fantastic! We saw it at the Imax and had the full "3-D experience". I am now a firm believer that the original Tron was made before its time. The computer graphics were top notch as the main characters merged from the "real world" which showed in regular 2-D cinematics to the Tron world which showed amazingly in 3-D.


For those of you who remember, the original Tron movie was made in 1982. So, it did not come as a surprise to us that the movie theater was packed with viewers in the 30+ range. I don't think I saw a single teeny-bopper at the 7:00 Saturday night showing! Trust me when I say that I was not upset by the lack of adolescent hormones in the theater. [LOL!] Most of the teeny-bopper nation probably couldn't truly appreciate the evolution of the new movie from the old anyway.

The movie was full of beautiful graphics and was jam-packed with lots of action. We thought that the story flowed well from the old to the new and the actors did a superb job of keeping our interest without seeming too trite or overplayed.

All in all, both the hubby and I give this movie two thumbs up. As a matter of fact, we are trying to figure out a way to go see it again! [LOL!] I say that if you even vaguely remember the original movie and would like to see a good futuristic movie full of action and great CGI, then I recommend going to see this movie. Don't be afraid to spend the extra money to see it in 3-D and if your city has an IMAX theater nearby, go go go!

KITCHEN KREATIONS: Chicken Alfredo Pizza

MIDWEEK FEAST: Chicken Alfredo Pizza

One of the blogs that I follow is named "Cooking with Cynthia". I have been eyeballing one of her recipes for a homemade pizza and I finally decided to make it tonight.

Of course, I had to change and adapt the recipe just a little bit (that's what I do). Let me tell you, I think that Cynthia has made me a convert from the store-bought and restaurant pizza lover to a home-made pizza lover. On top of knowing exactly what is going on my pizza, the amount of salt, etc., I feel like it is a lot healthier. That is probably just a delusion considering the amount of cheese I layered on this thing, but at least I did good and only ate one slice. Hmm, as of this exact moment, I have only had one slice... [LOL]

This pizza is really easy to make and let me tell you, it was delicious! Cynthia's original version can be found here on her Chicken Alfredo Pizza page. For my version of her recipe, here are the ingredients and directions:

Ingredients
4-5 boneless skinless chicken tenderloins (thawed, cleaned, and cut into chunks)
1 can Pillsbury pizza crust
8 oz. bag of shredded cheese (I used the mixed Pizza blend)
1/2 cup Ragu Alfredo sauce
1/2 package frozen chopped spinach (thawed)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
Pam cooking spray
Seasoning - to taste
(I used Tony Chachere's creole seasoning, Italian seasonings, black pepper, garlic powder, & onion powder - approximately 1/2 to 1 tsp each.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Directions

1. Place chopped spinach in microwaveable bowl. Microwave on high for 4 minutes.
2. Season chicken with whatever seasonings you prefer.
   
3. Saute onion and garlic in vegetable oil until soft and tender.
4. Add chicken and saute in skillet until lightly browned.
5. While chicken, onion, and garlic are cooking, hand roll pizza crust into pizza pan.
   
6. (Optional) Spray pizza crust lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle a light dusting of garlic salt & Italian seasonings onto pizza crust.
7. Poke holes in pizza crust with fork.
8. Spread the alfredo sauce on pizza crust evenly.
9. Add 1/2 bag of cheese (approximately 1 cup).
10. Squeeze moisture out of chopped spinach and use approximately 1/2 of package. Place onto pizza.
11. Add onion, garlic, and chicken mixture to pizza, spreading evenly.
12. Add remaining cheese to pizza (approximately 1 cup).
    
13. Place in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese has melted.
14. Enjoy!

Again, I repeat, this was super easy to make and came out delicious. Disclaimer: if you aren't a garlic lover, feel free to decrease the amount or omit it all together. My happily-stuffed lab rat (aka my dear hubby) gives this two thumbs and a big toe up! LOL
Hope you enjoy it.