Drowned rats... Er pullets!

This silly bunch apparently didn't seek shelter during Wednesday's downpour!  Of course that didn't stop them from begging for scraps by the back door!  

Dinner #9

It seems we have pushed the repeat button... grilled chicken again but at least this time we marinated it in a little balsamic salad dressing and then served it grilled with some sauted mushrooms, yellow bell peppers, and onions on top.  Very tasty and a nice addition to the roasted broccoli and cauliflower!  Oh and yes, mac & cheese again.. made stovetop style by hubby.  What can I say?  The kids love it and it's easy and homemade!  

Chicken pieces used:  8 (four whole large breasts)  Remaining chicken:  28

Dinner #8

We've had quite a few busy days here in the last week so dinner was just chicken on the grill with regular bbq sauce.  Not fancy, not creative, but tasty and a meal the whole family likes!  

On Saturday night hubby took our oldest daughter to a dance so I cooked up a quick meal of bbq chicken, homemade mac & cheese, and broccoli for the rest of us.  I'll assume that cooking chicken on the grill doesn't need a recipe.  But I will share my favorite macaroni and cheese recipe tonight instead! 

Chicken pieces used:  4 (two whole large breast) Chicken pieces remaining:  36

BONUS RECIPE

President Reagan's Macaroni and Cheese
1/2 lb elbow macaroni
1 tsp butter
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried mustard
3 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 cup milk

Boil pasta until tender, drain and then return to pot.  Stir in butter and egg.  Mix mustard with 1 Tbs of hot water, add to milk.  Add cheese (leaving enough to sprinkle on top) to pasta and milk and mixture, stir well.  Pour into buttered casserole dish and bake at 350 for about 45 minutes until  custard set and crusty on top.  Enjoy!  

OCD

I went to Tractor Supply Company to get some more feed and chicken supplies... (Ok, so it's my happy place.  I just love to check out all the 'stuff' they have there and daydream about one day having a homestead.  So what's it to ya?  LOL)  Anyway, I as surprised to discover that there in the main aisle they had chicks.  How could this be?  I wasn't expecting chicks for another week.  I wasn't prepared to face down such cuteness on an average gloomy (winter!) Thursday afternoon!  Ack Chick Days are upon us!  If you have OCD, please stay far away from TSC... or you might just come home with a few cheeping fuzzy new friends!  

Dinner #7

Here's a quick and tasty dinner for a busy day or night.  

Salsa Chicken

4-6 Chicken Breasts (fresh or frozen)

1 Jar salsa (any flavor)

I said it was easy!  Put all ingredients in slow cooker and cook on low all day.  Stir in some more salsa a few minutes before serving on hot rice with a nice veggie on the side.  

Dinner is DONE!  

My 18 year old crock-pot full of peach & mango salsa chicken.

Chicken pieces used:  6 (three whole large breast) Chicken pieces remaining:  40

Dinner #6 Sharing the Love

I had the wonderful opportunity to shower a new mom with a meal and squeeze a brand new baby girl too! So a nice big dinner was in order to share the love and a great meal.  I doubled the recipe below (roughly) to be able to deliver a nice sized dinner to my dear friend Meg.  

Creamy Italian Lemon Chicken

2 large chicken breasts (fresh or frozen)

1/2  bottle of Italian salad dressing

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1 bar regular cream cheese

1/2 lb frozen baby peas

1/2 can petite diced canned tomatoes

1 small can sliced mushrooms

1 lb hot cooked pasta

Parmesan cheese 

additional salad dressing or lemon juice as needed

salt & pepper to taste

Put your chicken in the slow cooker and add dressing, lemon juice & Italian seasoning.  Cook on low 6-8 hours or until cooked until able to shred.  About 1/2 hour before serving start cooking your pasta per the directions on the package.  Add the cream cheese, peas, tomatoes & mushrooms to the chicken in your crock pot.  Allow cream cheese to melt, stirring occasionally, and breaking up chicken into nice sized shredded pieces.  If there isn't enough liquid to fully cover you pasta, add additional Italian dressing and lemon juice as needed.  Combine chicken 'sauce' with pasta once pasta is fully cooked and drained.  Top with Parmesan cheese and serve with freshly baked bread!  

Chicken pieces used:  4 (two whole large breast) Chicken pieces remaining:  46

BONUS RECIPE

60 Minute Loaves

4 cups very warm water

2Tbs yeast

1/3 cup oil

1/3 cup honey

1 Tb salt

10-12 cups bread flour*

In a large mixer combine water, yeast and 4 cups of flour.  Allow to rest for 5 minutes.  Add oil, honey, and salt (I like to use the paddle of my KitchenAid mixer for these steps.)  Next, with the mixer running on low and the dough hook in place, begin to add the additional one cup at a time until the dough pulls away from the side, well.  Once this happens, allow mixer to run for 5 minutes to thoroughly knead the dough.  Remove from bowl onto lightly floured surface to knead lightly and divide into three sections.  You may bake them in standard loaf pans or stretch and shape into a french loaf.  Place in cold oven and heat to 170 deg for 20 minutes.  Do not open door, just increase temperature to 350 and bake for an additional 30 minutes or until desired crust color is achieved.  Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack for a few minutes before carefully removing from pan to cool completely.  Then slice and enjoy with butter!  

* You may use whole wheat flour just add 1/4 cup gluten with the yeast.  

Yes, It's true!

I friend found and shared this with me today... I had to laugh as it's pretty darn accurate!