I have to admit that I’ve never been a fried chicken girl, which I credit to my mom.
Growing up, we never owned a fryer. We never went to KFC. And even when my extended family went to the most famous fried chicken restaurant in Wichita, little 10-year-old me always ordered a big juicy steak, thankyouverymuch. (Midwestern through and through.)
In my wise old age, I have come to a realization about myself — I am terrible with due dates. Like, really terrible.
From library books, to movie rentals, even to turning in my taxes on time (which I at least mailed in this week at 4:50pm!), I have a pretty terrible track record of remembering to take care of things on time. This past weekend, when I was “spring cleaning” out my fridge, I realized the same holds true there. Eek. Let’s just say that I think I finally learned what happens to cilantro if it accidentally gets hidden at the back of the vegetable drawer for a month!
One of my absolute things about moving to a loft is the relationships that I have with all of my neighbors.
I have to admit that — after owning and living in a house for much of my twenties — I was a little worried that moving into a building would feel like regressing to college and dorm life. But I have discovered quite the opposite. I love living in a building with so many interesting, smart, thoughtful, generous and fun people!
I always get a little pit in my stomach whenever one of those dramatic restaurant exposes comes up online or on the news. You know what I’m talking about. A picture of a beautiful green salad or light sandwich is shown, but then the announcer comes on with his dark and scary “mwahaha” voice and challenges, “Do you KNOW what you’re eating?” Dum..dum..DUM!!!!
Ok, by this point in life, I know that most of the healthier-seeming options in restaurants are often less than such. But every now and then I’m still blown away by the nutrition facts. And more often than not, big beautiful salads tend to win the awards for most fat and calories. I remember when I recently looked up the nutrition facts for one of my favorite Asian chicken salads from a large well-known restaurant chain, it scored in at a whopping 98 grams of fat. Nope, no typo there. 98, people!!!!
Sweet and sour chicken has long been one of the most popular dishes at Chinese restaurants. But did you know that it often ranks at the top of the most unhealthy things you can order — by far?? Yikes, people!
Thankfully, the good news is that sweet and sour chicken is incredibly easy to make “lighter” at home. And in this food blogger’s humble opinion, I think it tastes just as good!! Granted, I’m not a huge fried food lover to begin with. But when you saute instead of deep-fry the chicken, add in tons of fresh vegetables, and then top it with the signature sweet and sour sauce, this colorful dish turns into a fabulously tasty and healthier treat that everyone will definitely satisfy your sweet and sour cravings. So good!!!
Yes, yes, I know I’m obsessed with chicken enchiladas. And wonton cup appetizers. But I couldn’t resist sharing one more easy appetizer recipe with you that combines my love of both — these Chicken Enchilada Cups!
That’s right! All of the goodness of chicken enchilada filling is baked inside these cute and crispy wonton cups, making the perfect quick appetizer that is guaranteed to disappear muy rapido at any party! I made this batch simply with chicken, cheese and my favorite homemade enchilada sauce. But you could also add in any additional beans, avocado, cilantro, or whatever else you may love with your chicken enchiladas. They are super quick and easy to make. And they are perfect for Cinco de Mayo, or game day, or a casual party, or even a bridal shower….like the one that a bunch of us are hosting “virtually” today for my friend Julie!
What does one make with a fresh batch of Thai Peanut Sauce? Why, Thai Chicken Tacos, of course!!
Ok, ok, I admit that I was initially planning on making a Thai chicken pizza. But the idea occurred to me to skip the step of making the dough and waiting for it to rise (keyword: waiting), and instead just layer the ingredients into some tortillas and call it good!
Whew. This 9-word recipe title may win the award for the longest I’ve published so far.
Actually, I really wanted to name it Healthier Wheat-Germ Crusted Crispy Oven-Baked Chicken with Greek Yogurt Ranch Sauce. But I’m pretty sure that Google and the concise-ness police probably wouldn’t have been too happy with me. :)
After a 74-degree January day three days ago, apparently today was one of the coldest we’ve had on record in two years. Gotta love the Midwest.
So after a morning of running errands with Liz and literally shaking in our boots every time we had to face the freezing wind chills, I decided that it was time for something really warm for lunch. I started out making a tortilla soup, and then decided at the last second to throw in some hot sauce and go “buffalo”! Less than a half hour later, one of my new favorites was born — Buffalo Chicken Chili.
Ok, so it looks like I chose to post a soup recipe on the one crazy 74-degree day in the middle of January.
But even though I am writing this in a tank top, my flip flops, with an iced coffee in my hand, that doesn’t change the fact that I have been craving soups nonstop lately. As in, I have zero self-discipline to wait until I finish my leftovers from one before I whip up a new batch. So I may or may not have used up pretty much all of the tupperware I own, which is now falling out of gracing the interior of my freezer. Because did I mention that I always make double batches of soups?