Spicy Sausage Skillet and Home Sweet Home

Our team with "Humphrey" the camel mascot.

What felt like 5 weeks away, has actually only been 5 days and we are now back home. After arriving at 1:00 am last night (or does that count as this morning), my bed never felt so wonderful.

The South and people of Atlanta were very good to us.  It was an awesome experience for our team, my girls and everyone who attended the weekend. The sites around town were tons of fun and although I was not wearing a pedometer, I am quite certain I put on 10,000 steps every day, which is good because I needed to burn off all our great meals we had out.

One of my favorite breakfast/lunch places is Corner Bakery Cafe.  I treated myself to a turkey sandwich lunch on the patio overlooking their gorgeous tulip garden.  It is so rare that I get a quiet meal to myself and even though I really don't like eating alone, it was nice to take in some sunshine and relax for a while.

I made this dish for dinner a couple weeks ago and it was terrific!  I hope I froze some leftovers because after arriving in the middle of the night last night, I have no idea what to do for dinner tonight!!

Spicy Sausage Skillet
Courtesy of Plain Chicken

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 lb smoked sausage, sliced into 1/4" slices

2 Tbsp dried minced onion flakes

1 tsp garlic powder

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 (10 oz) can Rotel tomatoes

1/2 cup heavy cream

8 oz campanelle pasta (or penne)

1/4 tsp salt 

1/2 tsp pepper

1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

1/3 cup thinly sliced scallions

Heat olive oil over medium hight heat in a 12-inch oven safe skillet until hot.  Add sausage and cook until lightly browned.  

Add onion flakes, garlic powder, broth, tomatoes, cream, pasta, salt and pepper and stir. Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and cover skillet. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, until pasta is tender.

Remove skillet from heat and stir in half of the cheese. Top with remaining cheese and sprinkle with scallions.  Broil until cheese is melted and bubbly.

One Year Ago:  Mushroom Soup

Happy Spring to everyone !!!

BBQ Ranch Grilled Chicken

Well we did it...we have survived the first week of school.  To say it has been a whirlwind is an understatement.  Non-stop schedules all week, both day and night, but we made it.

My mantra, next to our coffee maker...enough said.

To help keep my sanity (especially during school and volleyball season), I always plan our dinners one week in advance and keep a monthly calendar on the refrigerator to help with the planning.  It's a good thing because I need to refer to it several times a month when I am writing my blog.

I typically photograph and keep about two weeks of meal and/or specialty photos stocked and ready to go for the postings.  The problem is when I go back to write and download the photos, sometimes I cannot recognize the dish.  My sister-in-law who was the Marketing Director for Bristol Farms taught me that food is one of the most difficult things to photograph to capture the true colors and textures of a dish...she was spot on.

So as I was going through my photos this week I came across this one and it took me about a day and referring to my meal calendar to figure out what it was.  I can't believe I forgot about it because it was one of the most amazing chicken dishes we have had...served with a caesar salad and parmesan-garlic couscous. The moistness and flavors of the chicken was outstanding. This is by far a keeper...now if I can only remember it for the future!

BBQ Ranch Grilled Chicken
Courtesy of Plain Chicken

1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup prepared Ranch dressing
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3 Tbsp BBQ seasoning
1 teaspoon white vinegar
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

In a medium bowl, whisk together the olive oil, ranch dressing, Worcestershire sauce, BBQ seasonng, and white vinegar.

Pound chicken breast to 1/4" thickness.  Place chicken in the gallon size ziplock bag.  Pour marinade over chicken.  Refrigerate for at least 8 hours (all day).

Preheat the grill for medium-high heat.  Grill chicken for 8 to 12 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink in the center, and the juices run clear.

Happy 4th of July - Apple Pie Cake

Happy 4th of July to everyone today!  Hope you are all enjoying a relaxing and restful long weekend full of BBQ and sweet delights.

Last weekend I pulled out my annual buntings that I got for a steal at a garage sale a few years ago.  I just love my nostalgic buntings.  They drive my husband crazy and can't understand why I tote these around every time we move.  How can you not love these - they remind me of the old western movies when they always had them out for some big parade or election....they just scream out John Wayne to me.

I'm sure our new neighbors just loved our patriotic showing as well, since I continued our theme and lined the front garden wall with my miniature flags.  I did notice a few double takes as people drove by.  Really now, it's only once a year and it is the time to get your spirit on!!

We are having a dessert, tailgating, fireworks watching evening with Matt and Heather, complete with Blue Velvet cupcakes, red velvet cookies and their patriotic embellishments.

The girls and I hit our local fireworks tent last night and found the perfect pyrotechnic.  How can you not love a firework that is named after you - my husband loved it!!

Last weekend we celebrated a little early with this Apple Pie Cake.  So sweet and delicious.  Since we are still working on our eating changes but needed a little treat, I substituted using an unsweetened apple pie filling and 1% milk and topped it with low fat Cool Whip. Oh so yummy, incredibly easy and tastes exactly like an apple pie!!

Apple Pie Cake
Courtesy of Plain Chicken

Cake
1 box yellow cake mix
1 (21oz) can apple pie filling
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk

Frosting
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9×13 inch pan. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine cake mix, apple pie filling, vanilla extract, cinnamon, eggs and milk. Mix with an electric mixer just until combined.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Whisk together powdered sugar, cinnamon and milk. Pour over warm cake. Allow cake to cool completely before serving.

Serve with vanilla ice cream, whipped topping or fresh whipped cream.