Ask Me Anything Day 1
I'm doing that Ask Me Anything meme so if you'd like to ask something, anything at all feel free to request a day here!
lorilann asked What's your favorite meal/food to prepare?
Basically anything with a can of soup, LOL. That's what my uncle would say when I lived with them, anyway.
I really like cooking and experimenting with recipes, even if I don't follow them 100% or they don't turn out the way I want. That's part of why I'm not a big fan of baking or that it doesn't always turn out great for me. You can't just add a dash of this or that because you want to, you have to be able to balance it out and know how. My brain doesn't work like that.
I tried to find a post where I might have explained how I make this one chicken dish I make but I don't think I've ever actually made an entry about it, just on twitter or in comments, maybe. I also can't seem to track down the pictures on twitter that I'm PRETTY SURE I posted at one point but ANYWAY.
So this chicken thing I make. I blend/process up a bag of spinach with some cheese (doesn't matter what kind, really, I use whatever I want or have on hand at the time, sometimes more than one), onion powder or actual onion (whatever works for you), garlic (again, doesn't matter if it's powder or cloves), whatever other spices you want in there. I used to blend up a zucchini in there, too, but it made the concoction a bit too watery so I stopped. The pureed spinach is fine on its own.
Then I butterfly some chicken breasts, but not the way like opening your hands like a book. I do it end to end so the meat is in a long strip. I coat both sides in panko or Shake n' Bake (whatever's your preference), then I scoop a thin layer of the spinach puree across the whole open side of the chicken.
Then I roll the long strip of chicken, making a total mess of everything so I usually do this with a big cutting board under everything. Once I've rolled the breast I cut it in half to make two rolls so it's easier to cook. I've never cooked a whole one but I don't have an issue with the cutting.
The spinach makes enough filling for probably up to eight chicken breasts because I've always got leftover stuff from making 4-ish but if you can find something else to do with the spinach stuff, rock on! Let me know what you'd do with it, cause I'm not creative enough to come up with something, although maybe some kind of pastry now that I'm thinking about it?
I also LOVE bbqing veggies in the summer! I cut up a bunch of potatoes in a big bowl and add carrots and broccoli. I wrap a mix of it all in tinfoil (usually I have at least four foil pouches that get made because I go overboard and also I love leftovers. You also don't want to make any too big because then they're a bitch to maneuver on and off the bbq). Then I add a bunch of margarine and garlic powder into the mix before sealing them as best as possible. I throw them on the top rack in the bbq and let them cook for about a half hour or so, however long it takes for the potatoes to cook through.
Some of the veggies get a bit burnt-ish at the bottom but they still taste good and I LOVE the way the broccoli tastes done this way. It's like it's crispy! Not everyone's taste (like my mom, who told me just this past week that she doesn't like the veggies when I do them this way so like, whatever. Don't eat them. MORE FOR ME!) but I enjoy how easy and fun it is. FIRE, YAY!
lorilann asked What's your favorite meal/food to prepare?
Basically anything with a can of soup, LOL. That's what my uncle would say when I lived with them, anyway.
I really like cooking and experimenting with recipes, even if I don't follow them 100% or they don't turn out the way I want. That's part of why I'm not a big fan of baking or that it doesn't always turn out great for me. You can't just add a dash of this or that because you want to, you have to be able to balance it out and know how. My brain doesn't work like that.
I tried to find a post where I might have explained how I make this one chicken dish I make but I don't think I've ever actually made an entry about it, just on twitter or in comments, maybe. I also can't seem to track down the pictures on twitter that I'm PRETTY SURE I posted at one point but ANYWAY.
So this chicken thing I make. I blend/process up a bag of spinach with some cheese (doesn't matter what kind, really, I use whatever I want or have on hand at the time, sometimes more than one), onion powder or actual onion (whatever works for you), garlic (again, doesn't matter if it's powder or cloves), whatever other spices you want in there. I used to blend up a zucchini in there, too, but it made the concoction a bit too watery so I stopped. The pureed spinach is fine on its own.
Then I butterfly some chicken breasts, but not the way like opening your hands like a book. I do it end to end so the meat is in a long strip. I coat both sides in panko or Shake n' Bake (whatever's your preference), then I scoop a thin layer of the spinach puree across the whole open side of the chicken.
Then I roll the long strip of chicken, making a total mess of everything so I usually do this with a big cutting board under everything. Once I've rolled the breast I cut it in half to make two rolls so it's easier to cook. I've never cooked a whole one but I don't have an issue with the cutting.
The spinach makes enough filling for probably up to eight chicken breasts because I've always got leftover stuff from making 4-ish but if you can find something else to do with the spinach stuff, rock on! Let me know what you'd do with it, cause I'm not creative enough to come up with something, although maybe some kind of pastry now that I'm thinking about it?
I also LOVE bbqing veggies in the summer! I cut up a bunch of potatoes in a big bowl and add carrots and broccoli. I wrap a mix of it all in tinfoil (usually I have at least four foil pouches that get made because I go overboard and also I love leftovers. You also don't want to make any too big because then they're a bitch to maneuver on and off the bbq). Then I add a bunch of margarine and garlic powder into the mix before sealing them as best as possible. I throw them on the top rack in the bbq and let them cook for about a half hour or so, however long it takes for the potatoes to cook through.
Some of the veggies get a bit burnt-ish at the bottom but they still taste good and I LOVE the way the broccoli tastes done this way. It's like it's crispy! Not everyone's taste (like my mom, who told me just this past week that she doesn't like the veggies when I do them this way so like, whatever. Don't eat them. MORE FOR ME!) but I enjoy how easy and fun it is. FIRE, YAY!