Applebee's: So, Fl Ave in Lakeland, FL

We had a conference at school Tuesday night and didn't get out of there till late. So, we went out to dinner with a very tired little girl. We let her chose the restaurant. Applebee's was her second choice. Her first choice was "Bone Fish Grill" but we knew better than to take her to Bone Fish considering the state she was in. So, Applebee's it was. The place was not crowded so we got right in and seated. I had a club sandwich (pictured), daughter had Mac N Cheese (Kraft Mac N Cheese) with applesauce, hubby had Parmesan Steak w/shrimp. My sandwich was good but the bread was greasy. As you can see by the picture, it shows the sandwich comes on toast. No mention in the description of the sandwich does it say the bread is fried in grease. I would have sent it back but time was of the essence. We were pushing it with little one and we needed to eat and get home. Daughter ate her Mac N Cheese like it was going out of style. Hubby asked for his steak to be cooked medium, it was well done. The waitress confided in us they had a new chef who was training. We just asked her to let the new chef know the steak was well done and not medium. I'm not sure where the shrimp were on his steak. I could not see them from where I was sitting. The food and the wait staff ...all just okay. The price for this "okay" food was not okay. Really they should lower their prices to better represent the standards. I was shocked to see I was charged $2.95 for a glass of seltzer! At Applebee's? For a glass of fizzy water? And a dish of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese nearly $5.00! We came out of there thinking Applebee's is just one step up from fast food but three steps up in price. Not good.

Pork Chops with Caramelized Onions and Baked Parmesan Potato "Chips"

These dishes are super easy and so delicious.

Pork Chops with Caramelized Onion

4 Servings

1 TBS Olive Oil
4 Pork Loin Chops (1/2" thick)
Adobo Seasoning (our HOUSE seasoning)
1 LARGE Sweet Yellow Onion, cut into 1/2" slices (1 Softball size onion or 2 baseball size)
1 Cup water

Sprinkle chops with Adobo (to taste). In a skillet, heat oil over medium/high heat. Brown pork chops on each side. Add onions and water to pan. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Turn chops over, cover and continue cooking till all the water evaporates and onions turn light to medium brown (this can take up to 45 minutes). Remove chops from pan and serve with onions on top. The onions cook down and become so sweet. Enjoy !


Parmesan Potato "Chips"

4 Servings

4 Medium Yukon Gold Potatoes; sliced approx 1/4" thick
3 TBS Olive Oil
Garlic Salt (to taste)
Onion Powder (to taste)
Grated Parmesan Cheese

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Wash potatoes; dry. Slice potatoes (I use a Mandolin and slice them approx 1/4" thick). Place potatoes in a large bowl. Add Olive Oil, Garlic Salt and Onion Powder. Mix together making sure all the potato slices are coated with oil and seasoning. Go ahead ...use your hands! Place on a cookie sheet (single layer) and sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese. Bake for 10 minutes, turn and bake another 10 minutes or until golden brown. YUMMY!

I have a hard time getting our 4 year old to eat potatoes. She ate these with gusto!

SOUP: Lemon Chicken Rice Soup

I've had this recipe kicking around in my collection for years. Come to find out, this was in my moms collection and she actually gave it to me. My family loves Lemon Chicken Rice Soup. There was a little Greek family restaurant near where my parents used to live. They used to go there all the time for their Lemon Chicken Rice Soup. We've been searching for a good recipe for years only to find out the perfect one has been right under our noses. I think you'll agree it's special! Thanks, Mom !


LEMON CHICKEN RICE SOUP
6 cups Chicken Broth
1 Chicken bouillon Cube (I used 1 tsp Organic "Better Than Bouillon" Chicken Base)
1/3 cup uncooked rice
1/3 cup diced carrots
1/3 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup cubed, cooked chicken (I used a rotisserie chicken from Publix; shredded it)
2 TBS butter
2 TBS flour
3 eggs
3 TBS lemon juice - or to taste (I used 3 TBS bottled liquid lemon juice & also the juice of 1/2 fresh lemon)
Salt & pepper to taste (didn't need either!)

In a 3 QT soup pot, combine chicken broth, bouillon cube, rice, carrots, celery and onion. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 20 minutes or until rice and vegetables are tender. Stir in chicken. Remove broth mixture from heat. In a medium saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly until smooth and bubbly. Gradually stir in the 2 cups of broth mixture to the butter/flour mixture; cook until slightly thickened, stirring constantly. In a medium bowl beat eggs until frothy. Gradually beat in lemon juice and the thickened broth mixture. Slowly add egg mixture to the soup pot, stirring constantly. Heat gently until soup thickens enough to coat a spoon, stirring frequently; do not boil. Salt and pepper to taste.

ENJOY!

Turkey Spam

Those of you who know me best knew a SPAM post was coming sooner or later. Well, I'm not one to disappoint! Here it is. This family loves Spam. We have it a least a few times a month. I prepare it many different ways but tonight I just fried it. Just slice it up and fry it in a bit of olive oil.


Turkey Spam, boxed Au Gratin Potatoes and a can of carrots. Pure joy !

Lori's Easy Stuffed Chicken Breasts

I made this up last year. It's easy and delicious. The Chicken Breasts are moist and very tasty. Would work perfectly for a dinner party. Just make 1 chicken breast per person. Enjoy!

2 Servings

2 - Organic Chicken Breasts
1/4 to 1/2 - 14poz can Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes (any diced tomatoes will do)
2 - triangles of Laughing Cow Cheese - any flavor (I've also used Philly Cooking Cream which I used in this recipe)
Butter Flavored Non-Stick Cooking Spray
Parmesan Cheese
Adobo Seasoning (my "House" seasoning)

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Wash and pat dry the chicken breasts. Cut a slit (lengthways) in the fattest part of the chicken breast. Do not go all the way through the chicken. Sprinkle top, bottom and inside of slit with Adobo. Stuff one Laughing Cow Triangle (or fill slit with Philly Cooking Cream as shown) into the slit. Use your fingers and really stuff it in there. Prepare a glass baking dish with cooking spray. Place the stuffed breasts in the baking dish slit side up. Using a slotted spoon, spoon tomatoes over the top of the chicken breasts. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes depending on the thickness of the chicken breasts. Remove from the over, cover with tin foil and rest about 10 minutes.



STUFF BREASTS















READY FOR THE OVEN

FINISHED!

Dessert Wine: An after dinner treat

Last night for dinner we had Buitoni Whole Wheat Tortellini with jar sauce - Bertolli Organic Pasta Sauce. Yeah, I took the night off from cooking. Quick and easy. Comfort food for sure and mommy feels like she's had the night off. We did have wine with our dinner, though. Wine makes every meal special. I wanted to share with you some yummy Chardonnay we found. You can get it anywhere and it does not break the bank. It's called St. Francis. We've tried the 2006, 2007, 2008 & 2009 (no, not all last night!). The 2009 is the worst of the bunch. If you can find them, go for the 06, 07 or 08. You won't regret it.


After the little one was tucked up in bed, hubby tells me he bought a treat for us. Oh, boy! A treat! He brings out two glasses of Dessert Wine! Have you ever had it? This stuff ROCKS! A thick, rich, golden, honeyed concoction. Pure nectar in a glass. It comes in small bottles and is usually served in little glasses (NOT around here where! We serve it in a normal sized wine glass!). A wonderful way to top off the evening. Go ahead, treat yourself! Thanks for this awesome treat hubby ...you are the bomb!

Omelet? Omelette? Omelette looks fancier so I'll go with it.

The little ones are off to school with Hawaiian Rolls and frozen mini pancakes in their tummy's. Now it's time for the grown-ups breakfast. Once again I'm making my special cheesy omelette. I guess they are not so special since I make them just about every day but they taste special. I usually put them on English Muffins (Thomas's Promises) but I found Thomas's Bagels on sale yesterday buy-one-get-one-free. I cannot pass up a BOGO sale! I promise I won't bore you by outlining every meal, every day. I just thought my special omelette deserved a post.

House Omelette
1 - egg
Butter Spray
Shredded Cheese (my favorite is Shredded Cheddar but you can use any kind of cheese)
Salt & Pepper

Heat a small, non-stick frying pan (sprayed with Butter Spray) on Med heat. Scramble one egg in a bowl. Once the pan heats up, pour egg into pan. Don't touch it ! Salt & Pepper as desired. Remove from heat and let it set up. Once it sets, gently turn it over and put back on the burner. Put some cheese on 1/2 of the egg and fold over. Remove from burner. After about 30 seconds or so turn it over again. This will make sure the cheese melts evenly. Remove from pan and enjoy. Simple, fast, delish! Right, mine is done. Going to enjoy now.

Mom's Shredded Chicken & Beans: CROCK POT RECIPE

This is what's for dinner tonight. I created this recipe back in July 2008. Enjoy!

Tomato/Bean Mixture before adding chicken













1/2 Jar Salsa (I use Pace Mild or Medium)
1 - 14oz Can Diced Fire Roasted Tomatoes (you can use regular diced tomatoes)
1 - 14oz Can Cannellini Beans; Drained
1 - 14oz Can Chick Peas; Drained (also called Garbanzo Beans)
1 - Chicken Stock Cube
2 tsp Real Maple Syrup
2 to 4 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Shredded Cheddar Cheese


Add salsa, tomatoes, beans, chick peas & maple syrup to the Crock Pot. Crumble in the stock cube and stir. Add the chicken breasts and bury them in the tomato/bean mixture. Cook on low all day. Just before serving, remove the chicken to a plate and shred with two forks (photos to come). Add the chicken back to the pot and stir. I serve this over white or brown rice with shredded cheddar cheese on top but you could try it over baked potatoes (sweet potatoes would be good) or pasta. Leftovers are great the next day served as an open faced sandwich. Just use buttered bread.

UPDATE: It's cooking away and smells so good! Cannot wait. I started the rice in my trusty rice cooker. Tonight I used Jasmati Rice ...Yummy! Time to take the chicken out and shred it.


















Here is the chicken after I shredded it:















The finished product:

FOOD: It's my hobby

My hubby and I were talking last night about sharing all my recipes with family and friends. See, I make up recipes. I'm pretty good at it, too. We came up with the idea that I should start a blog. After all, food is my hobby. It's what I like to do. It's what I like to talk about. It's what I spend a lot of money on. It's my passion. I LOVE to cook! I decided to not only share my recipes but my day-to-day experience with food (and drink). I especially cannot wait to share my experiences at restaurants. I've become quite the snob at restaurants (thank you, Gordon Ramsey). I'm paying for it and if I don't like it, I'm not going to eat it. Yes, I've become one of those people (again, thank you Gordon Ramsey). If I like what I'm eating, they know about it. If I don't like what I'm eating, they know about that, too. I'm not mean or ugly with my criticisms. I'm polite. I'm just not going to take it anymore ! Ah, don't you just love getting older? You just do not have to take the crap anymore! I like it ! I've been many places in the world and I've eaten many different types of food. I'll be talking about that, too. So, here I go into a new adventure. Enjoy ...I know I will.