2-13-10 Saturday (Just Desserts)

Last night I made another crock-pot creation.  “Fiesta Chicken with Rice & Beans”.  This was yummy!  The recipe can be found here. 

I did deviate a little.  I omitted the mild green chilies.  I also used instant brown rice which didn’t come out that well.  I used 5 boneless skinless chicken breasts but I think 6 would probably be better.

 

Ingredients

• 1  can (15 oz each) Hunt's Tomato Sauce
• 2  cans (14.5 oz each) Hunt's Petite Diced Tomatoes with Mild Green Chilies, undrained
• 1  cup  long-grain white rice, uncooked
• 1  can (14 oz each) chicken broth
• 1  can (15 oz each) pinto beans, undrained
• 1  pound  boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts
• 1  envelope (1 oz each) chicken taco seasoning mix

Preparation

Hands On: 10 minutes
Total: 8 hours
1. Combine tomato sauce, tomatoes, rice, broth, beans, chicken and seasoning mix in CROCK-POT slow cooker.
2. Cook on LOW setting for 8 hours or on HIGH setting for 4 hours. Stir before serving.

I’m sure you’re tired of hearing about crock-pot cooking… but, I don’t care.  Anyway, Alix asked for the cookbook title.  I thought perhaps someone else might be interested to know.  The reviews at Amazon.com are all over the place.  They range from awesome to overly suck.  The recipes are easy.  Most is using canned this or that.  I think for what it is, it’s good.  Here’s a link to the cookbook.

A year ago: My Mom was admitted to the emergency room.  The snow in Oakhurst, CA was piling high.  We had to wait for the road to be cleared and opened. I baked a lasagna sometime during our 8 hour drive to San Diego.  It worked out perfect.   I ruined Jim’s beer.

It snowed last night.  Jim checked with a ruler and found 3” hanging out on our hot tub cover.  Jim looks at the weather forecast daily.  He said the snow part kind of snuck up on us.  As seems typical here, it will melt, then refreeze and become a slippery dangerous mess.  Once again, on the weekend!  It does look beautiful though.

My scale was so kind to me yesterday!  I know, I can’t believe it either, on 2 levels.  The first – the scale was nice.  The second – I’m down to 188.  If I got back to 190, I’ll be OK realizing that weight just normally fluctuates.  Whatever the case, I’m very happy about this.

For this weekend, we planned to go out for Valentine’s dinner.  We’ve decided to eat at home – thus saving calories and heading to a buffet of Ritz-Carlton Classic Desserts.  Here’s the description:

The newly-unveiled Ritz-Carlton Classic Desserts Redefined will be highlighted in a decadent Valentine’s Buffet featuring beloved desserts which have stood the test of time. Included treats will include Tiramisu, Crme Brle, Carrot Cake, Bread and Butter Pudding, Salted Caramel Tarte Tatin, Strawberry Shortcake, Key Lime Pie, Double Fudge Chocolate Cake, Pecan Pie with Ganache, Red Velvet Cake, House Caramels and Nougat, and Jars of Macaroons; A Coffee Station featuring Whipped Cream, Orange Zest, Chocolate Shavings, Vanilla Sugar, Cinnamon, and Raspberry Syrup will complement the Saturday evening dessert spread, as will a special selection of Valentine’s Chocolate Martinis and Champagnes.

Excitingly enough, we went to BJ’s for my weekly supply of fresh broccoli and bagged salad.  A few blocks away, we stopped at Walmart and picked up the $94.00 grill I mentioned the other day.  I’m grilling steaks tomorrow.  Yum.

Above: I made salads (8) for the week.  Black beans, chick peas, artichoke hearts. hearts of palm, corn, reduced fat Feta, baked chicken, broccoli, lettuce.  There’s just a little bit of everything in there.  I assure you it’s very tasty.

Glenn sent me this photo in an email with a caption that read “You know you've had enough winter when you see this:”

 

Poor Frosty.

Jim and I assembled the grill.  What a pain in the ass!  It took so long.  So many instructions, bolts, screws, washers, nuts, and pieces.  What pisses me off is I asked if they were sold assembled.  Mr. Department Manager said no.  When we got home, Jim noticed the box says “free assembly”, and upon closer inspection, the grill was made/packaged FOR Walmart so it’s not like Walmart doesn’t assemble the grill but maybe other places do.  Walmart is the only one to sell this particular box.  Ugh.

Meanwhile, after grill building, while I blog, Jim is running around the house hanging pictures.  We weren’t going to bother last I knew.  I asked and he shrugged his shoulders and said “I don’t know”.  Maybe he wanted to use up some nails?  Oh, and Tim, we’re still not painting the damn wall.

We’re back from the Ritz-Carlton.  It was a nice event in a beautiful hotel.   Time for photos:

Above/Below: Ready for dessert!

They were delicious as they were beautiful. 

Here’s how a $20 buffet deal turned into $77.00:

Heavier in the gut; lighter in the wallet.