I have let my apartment go to pieces over the last few months while I was student teaching because I had so little time and what time I did have didn't come with any energy. I wrote out every piece of this house that needs cleaning and what type of cleaning it needs.
Besides cleaning, I also needed to cook up a storm so I could have some meals in the frig for me to take to work over the next few days.
I realized I had some chicken that needed to be cooked so I cleaned the kitchen (clean the kitchen to just dirty it up again...hmph) and set to work.
But first, I hooked up the laptop in the kitchen to set the mood.
What better to set the mood for an afternoon of cooking than my CBSP playlist? Tenth Avenue North, Jesse McCartney, Relient K, and, of course, Usher.
...
What? Your favorite playlist doesn't have that type of variety? Well, I've always said we're a special family.
Yes, it was the most spiritually uplifting summer of my life and our theme song was "Love in this Club." It's a long story...
Anywho, I made my two favorite dishes: Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo and Cheesy Chicken and Rice Bake! Both are Campbell's recipes and are so quick, simple, and cheap to make! You can find the recipe for the Cheesy Chicken and Rice Bake by going to the Campbell's Kitchen website and searching.
Note from my kitchen: Don't hold back on the cheese. Seriously. The recipe calls for half a cup of Parmesan---nah uh. I put at least a cup, if not more, of shredded Four Cheese Mexican Mix from Harris Teeter when it comes out of the oven. I also typically add a bit more when I put it on the plate.
Another note from my kitchen: The recipe suggests to put in veggies. Please do! Whatever I have frozen or canned I stick in there. Today I added some french cut green beans and some peas. I've added squash, carrots, and corn on different occasions before. Yum yum!
One last note on this recipe: If you pull it out of the oven and it's too watery, grab some Special K (personal favorite) or some other plain, flaky cereal and apply liberally. Stir it in and stick it back in the oven for five minutes. It gives it a bit more crunch and helps soak up the liquid.
For the Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo recipe, I'm going to walk you through it!
Oh my goodness, I feel like Paula Deen! So exciting!
Here's all you need:
1/2 of a 16 ounce package linguine
1 cup of fresh or frozen broccoli flowerets
2 tablespoons of butter
1 pound boneless, skinless, chicken breasts cut into cubes
1/2 cup of milk
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 can of Campbell's Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup--you can use any variety. you can also sub with Cream of Chicken, but I prefer Mushroom in this recipe.
What Rebekah actually used today:
1/2 package of angel hair pasta--didn't have linguine
0 cups of broccoli--I was working on the fly here people. I went strictly carnivore today.
A generous spray of Pam.
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into cubes--yes, cut them up. it just tastes weird with the solid breast
1/2 cup of milk
Sprinkled pepper on top of soup when added. Didn't really measure
Generous portions of Four Cheese Mexican Mix shredded cheese from Harris Teeter (anyone sensing a pattern here?)
Directions:
1. Cook the pasta as called for. Add the broccoli for the last 3-4 minutes of cooking.
2. Brown the cubed chicken in a large skillet at medium-high heat. When almost ready (nice golden brown color), add can of soup, milk, and pepper for about two minutes alone.
3. After those two minutes, add in the pasta and broccoli. Stir and allow to settle for about another two minutes. Finally, dump with cheese! Stir and serve. Then add more cheese to taste ;-)
Yummy! One of my favorites!
A few tips from my experiences today:
1. As much love as Usher is due, it's probably not a good idea to make love in the club (XL) while cooking...because then you forget to set timers and just have to guestimate with your many, many dishes you have heating at the moment.
2. One should probably not tell their shawty they're leaving (no matter how many times Jesse McCartney tells you to) while beginning to make their third dish of the day. You'll forget that more ingredients must go in the skillet and you'll pick the wrong skillet...
See? The combination barely fits.
As I was feeling sunny with a high of 75 with Relient K, I was praying to Jesus that I wouldn't spill this mess all over everywhere while I was stirring.
Also, one small request: To those of you that haven't gotten me a Christmas present yet, here's an idea...POT HOLDERS! I don't have any! I'm using a (rather thin) towel.
My favorite color is purple and I also like pink and polka dots. And of course, anything Wolfpack. Thanks!
Oh, and where was Milley while I was jamming to The Summer Of My Life Soundtrack and cooking my faves?
She was keeping post by the back door. There's some birds that enjoy to torment her with their frolicking and she has to make sure they don't step one little claw onto the deck. She forbids it.
Good doggie.
Now, I have to go cross some things off of my to-do list! Ta-ta dahlings!
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