April 30-Pan-Roasted Chicken With Lemon-Garlic Green Beans

Once I month, the newest issue of Real Simple Magazine is delivered to our mailbox and I am inspired by  fantastically simple tips and tricks for style, decor, and recipes. Tonight's dinner was the product of such inspiration. (I was also dying to use my new casserole dish that I bought at Bed Bath and Beyond...I know, it doesn't take much to excite me).

My husband and I both enjoyed this one-dish meal. Chris mentioned that the green beans were great cooked in the lemon-seasoned oil and that it actually made it enjoyable to eat your veggies.  

Pan Roasted Chicken with Lemon-Garlic Green Beans

By Real Simple Magazine

• 6 tablespoons olive oil

• 2 lemons, 1 thinly sliced, 1 juiced

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/2 teaspoon 
freshly ground black pepper

• 3/4 pound trimmed green beans

• 8 small red potatoes, quartered

• 4 chicken breasts, w/ bone-about 3 1/4 lbs (I used boneless, skinless breasts and it turned out just fine)

• 
  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Coat a large baking dish or cast-iron skillet with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Arrange the lemon slices in a single layer in the bottom of the dish or skillet.
2. In a large bowl, combine the remaining oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper; add the green beans and toss to coat. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, remove the green beans and arrange them on top of the lemon slices. Add the potatoes to the same olive-oil mixture and toss to coat. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, arrange the potatoes along the inside edge of the dish or skillet on top of the green beans. Place the chicken in the same bowl with the olive-oil mixture and coat thoroughly. Place the chicken, skin-side up, in the dish or skillet. Pour any of the remaining olive-oil mixture over the chicken.
3. Roast for 50 minutes. Remove the chicken from the dish or skillet. Place the beans and potatoes back in oven for 10 minutes more or until the potatoes are tender. Place a chicken breast on each of 4 serving plates; divide the green beans and potatoes equally. Serve warm.

April 16-Carne Asada Night

Fiesta night in the Hernandez house. Today's forecast called for a high of 79, so it was the perfect day to sit out on the patio and enjoy this delicious ensemble. 

Carne Asada

Skirt or Flank Steak, sliced thin

Lemon (1 for each 2lbs steak)

Lime (1 for each 2 lbs steak)

Onion

Soy Sauce

Worcestershire Sauce

Dired Oregano

Salt and Pepper

Garlic Salt

In a 9 x 13 pan, place one layer of steak. Slice a lemon and rub over one side of steak, while gently squeezing juice. Repeat with lime. Splash soy and worcestershire sauce, generously covering meat. Sprinkle salt, pepper, oregano, and garlic sauce. Turn steaks over and repeat as above. Top with onion slices. Add next layer of steak and repeat all steps. 

Cover and refrigerate for at least 4-5 hours, flipping steaks occasionally prior to grilling. Grill steaks on medium high heat. Serve with tortillas and fixings.

Homemade Guacamole

2 Avocados 

Lemon Juice

Chopped Onion

Garlic Salt

Light Miracle Whip

Mash avocados. Add remaining ingredients as desired for taste and consistency.

Easy Spanish Rice

Brown Minute Rice

1 can stewed tomatoes, partially drained

Cook rice, add tomatoes, heat through. 

Beans

Open can. Heat. Done. 

(No shame! Hey, it's easy.)

April 14-Chicken Primavera with Pasta

I've talked to a few soon-to-be-brides recently and it seems like our generation somehow missed out on the culinary practice that our predecessors had as children. When one gal told me that she enjoyed reading my blog and aspired to be more kitchen-savvy like me, I was flattered and completed surprised. I am a rookie when it comes to the kitchen. For all you novices like myself, I encourage you to just dive right in! 

In honor of the nervous soon-to-be chefs I've talked to in the past few months, I thought I'd post the first recipe I ever cooked for my now-husband. (He married me after tasting this, so I'd say it was a successful place to start!)

No one said your recipes have to be original (Although I dare you to try something original once you're comfortable!).  I'm a huge fan of printed recipes on the sides of grocery store products. You'd be amazed at the simple and delicious recipes that you can find on the sides of soup cans, tomato sauce, rice, and bottles of steak sauce. 

I can't take any credit-I jotted this down from the side of a Philadelphia Cooking Cream container in the grocery store. This recipe is convenience cooking at its finest and the simplest place to start for the culinary newbie All you really need to know is how to boil noodles and combine ingredients.

Chicken Primavera with Pasta

1 lb boneless chicken breasts, cut into small pieces

2 cups frozen stir fry vegetables 

1 10oz tub Philadelphia Italian Herb and Cheese Cooking Cream

2 cups hot cooked pasta (The original calls for fettuccine; I opted for whole-wheat spirals)

Cook chicken in a large nonstick skillet on medium heat about 5-6 minutes, or until done. Add vegetables and cook 2-3 minutes. Add cooking cream and stir. Cook additional 3 minutes. Stir in pasta. Serve. 

April 8-Easter Sunday Treats

I love spending quality time with my family. Saturday afternoon was spent in the kitchen with my mom, catching up on life and making preparation for Sunday's Easter meal of ham, green bean casserole, deviled eggs, orange jello salad, rolls, and plenty of sweet treats to share. 

And of course, no family get-together would be complete without fruit pizza. 

1 Peter 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. 

April 3- Oven Fried Chicken

A classic from my mom's recipe box and one of our favorite recipes. As a college student, this was always one of my favorite home-cooked meals to come home to. When the young husband eats multiple servings, it's a sure-fire sign of successful cooking.

Oven Fried Chicken

2.5-3 lb chicken breasts

1/4 cup shorting and 1/4 cup butter OR 4-6 tbsp olive oil. Personally, I opt for the olive oil.

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 425. Wash chicken and pat dry. In oven, melt shortening and butter in a 13 x 9 x 2 baking pan. You can also coat a pan with olive oil, or coat your chicken in olive oil. Mix flour, salt, paprika, and pepper. Coat chicken pieces thoroughly with the flour mixture.

Place chicken in baking pan. Cook uncovered 30 minutes. Turn chicken; Cook additional 20-30 minutes or more until thickest pieces are fork-tender.

April 2-Mini Turkey Loaves

Mixing it up a bit; My favorite meatloaf recipe, baked into mini loaves and served with creamy mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables. 

Mini Turkey Meatloaf

1.5lb ground turkey

1/4 cup bread crumbs

1 egg

2 tbsp milk

2 tbsp ketchup

1/2 onion, finely chopped

salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450. Combine ingredients. Divide mixture into a cupcake pan. Top mini loaves with ketchup. Bake 25-30 minutes.

April 1-Creamy Mashed Potatoes

Creamy Mashed Potatoes, brought to you via mom's recipe and my hubby's special request.

These are the richest, creamiest (sinful?) mashed potatoes around. It just may change your life. These are actually for tomorrow night, but the recipe calls for the mashed mixture to set overnight.

Creamy Mashed Potatoes

8-10 potatoes

1 stick butter, softened

8oz cream cheese

8 oz sour cream

Boil potatoes and mash.

With a hand mixer, whip butter, cream cheese, and sour cream. Fold into potatoes. 

Cover and refrigerate overnight. 

Warm in 350-degree oven until heated through. 

The key is to boil the potatoes to perfection and to not think twice about the amount of cream cheese and butter. Just eat it.