Trying something new

My husband has been asking me for awhile if I could try some new recipes and this week I decided to give it a go. I guess I had fallen into a rut when it comes to cooking, mostly because I am a new mama and my little man takes up most of my day. So naturally I would cook what I knew best and I have to admit even I was longing to jazz things up a bit. Finding time to eat or cook a meal at all has been a challenge for me since he was born, but now that hes technically not a newborn anymore I am finding it a tiny bit easier. Making the decision to try something new was the first step, then I actually had to locate some recipes that were affordable with our budget and "mama friendly," as I like to call it, (meaning they don't take too much time to cook).

A friend of mine had made a delicious meal for us one night while we were over for dinner and I was dying to try it myself. It was delicious! I actually went back for seconds it was so good! It's called crescent chicken and it was tasty. I found the recipe over at Comfy in the Kitchen  and I can tell you that we will be eating this often in our house! It was also husband approved so that's always a good thing. :) If you are looking for some tasty recipes head over to her blog and check it out. I actually found most of my recipes for this week on her site.

So here's what the crescent chicken looks like....Mmmmmmm! Writing this post is seriously making me hungry right now. ;)

[Note: This is not my image, credit is given to Comfy in the Kitchen]

All you need is:

-A package of crescent rolls (I use the big Pillsbury crescent rolls with 8 per can)

-2 chicken breasts (boiled for 25 mins)

-Grated cheddar cheese 

-1 can Campbell's Cream of Chicken soup (I used chicken & mushroom & it was delish!)

-Pyrex dish (I use an 11x7 but she recommends a 13x9)

First boil the chicken for about 25 minutes. Once fully cooked cut chicken into bite sized pieces. Unroll crescents and stuff with chicken and grated cheddar cheese. Wrap the crescents up and be sure to pinch the sides of the dough so they are sealed. Place into pyrex. In a bowl mix 1 can cream of chicken with a can of milk. Once mixed thoroughly pour over crescent chicken and then top with salt and pepper. Pop it into the oven at 350 degrees uncovered and cook for about 35-40 minutes. I usually cook mine for 40 just so the crescents arent too doughy, but you will be able to tell by how they look on top. They should be golden brown on top. Now let cool a minute or two and enjoy! :)

Mine didn't come out as pretty as the picture above but it was still delicious so in my book that's all that matters. I also made some roasted Brussel sprouts to go along with the chicken and they were so yummy! It was my first time making Brussel sprouts and I was pleasantly surprised. I got the recipe for them over at Comfy in the Kitchen as well.

[This was how my crescent chicken & Brussel sprouts turned out. Success!]

I am excited to post about the rest of the new meals I've made this week and have a few more posts lined up already! What recipes are you trying this week? :) 

xoxo

Homemade Orange Chicken

Last week my husband and I were at our local Kroger picking up a few items when we came across this Panda Express Orange Sauce. 

We decided to give it a try and make our own orange chicken. I was a little nervous since we didn't have a recipe to follow but we gave it a shot and we were both very pleased with the result.

 It came out delicious! I posted the picture on my instagram and had a few requests for the recipe so I decided to post it here.

This is what you'll need:

-One package chicken breast (about 3 pieces of chicken)

-Panda Express Orange Sauce

-Chicken breading

-mayonaisse

-olive oil

For the chicken breading we use a brand called House Autry but you can use whatever brand they sell at your local grocer. Now lets get started! 

1) First you'll want to cut the chicken into bite sized pieces, kind of like little nuggets. 

2) Next take the chicken and toss it into a large bowl. Pour in a couple table spoons of mayo and evenly coat. 

3) Then coat the pieces with the chicken breading. Once they are coated brush the pieces with olive oil. Coat in the chicken breading one more time. 

4) If you have a deep fryer this is the easiest way to cook the chicken, but if not you can always do it the old fashioned way. I set my fryer to 360 degrees and dropped it in the fryer for about seven minutes. We had enough chicken that we had to do three batches. 

5) Preheat your oven to 360 degrees. Now you'll need a pyrex dish. We used a 13x9 but an 11x7 would work just fine too. Coat the bottom of the dish with olive oil and place the cooked chicken pieces in the dish. 

6) Now you are ready to coat the chicken pieces with the orange sauce. Once you have poured it over the chicken use a spoon to make sure the sauce evenly coats the chicken. 

7) Now pop it into the oven for 7 minutes and voila! Delicious and easy orange chicken. ♥ 

Hopefully you like it as much as we did. 

Cooking makes me happy :)

Mostly because eating makes me happy...Either way, when I am cooking nothing else going on in my life matters. I forget my worries and my cares and for a brief moment life doesn't seem so bad. The one thing I love more than cooking (and eating) is seeing other people enjoy my food. 

I am by no means a great cook, but I am learning and slowly branching out and trying some new recipes. One of my deployment goals this year has been to learn and perfect 20 new recipes before my husband returns home next year. 

After a few of my friends on fb suggested I start posting the recipes I've tried I decided to take the plunge and post at least one new recipe a week until my husband comes home. 

I'm hoping to find some really great dishes to make for my husband once he is back in our cozy little home. ♥ 

This week I decided to make fried round steak, crash hot potatoes and biscuits. Perfect food to satisfy any one's appetite! (That is unless you're a vegetarian.)

This recipe is beyond simple and only requires a few ingredients. For the Steaks you'll need:

-2 to 4 cube steaks

-flour, seasoning salt, pepper & regular salt

-vegetable oil or canola oil 

For the Crash Hot Potatoes You'll need:

-Potatoes

-extra virgin olive oil 

-fresh rosemary

-salt and pepper

If you are making these together you should start the potatoes first. 

-Wash potatoes. Boil a pot of water and throw the potatoes in until tender. 

 -Next drizzle olive oil over a cookie sheet so the potatoes won't stick. 

 -Place the potatoes on the cookie sheet and smash with a potato smasher, or a whisk. 

-Next using a pastry brush coat potatoes in olive oil. Sprinkle with some fresh rosemary, salt and pepper. Use generously, you can never add too much! :)Preheat oven to 450 degrees and cook for 20-25 mins or until golden brown. Mmmmmm!!! Sooo good!

Once the potatoes have been in the oven for awhile start the steaks. 

-Mix 1 cup flour with seasoning salt, pepper and regular salt. Put as much as you like. Mix well.

-Sprinkle seasonings on both sides of the steak before coating both sides in flour mixture. 

-While you are doing this heat up the oil in a large skillet. Once it is hot enough put the steaks in and flip over once they are a nice crispy brown color. 

-Once they are done lay them on a plate with a paper towel to drain off the excess oil. Then you are done!

I also made a bunch of grands biscuits, (don't judge me, I'm not a pro)

And believe me, they were deeeelicious! :)

Over all I was soooo happy with this dinner. It was super easy and my deployment buddy Brittany enjoyed it too. ♥ 

She also made some amazing smore cookies....just look how gooey they were...Yummy!! 

Anyway, thats the first edition of "Cooking makes me happy" and I hope you all enjoyed it. What new recipes are you loving this week?