In the kitchen

So this week, we've tried two new recipes, and will definitely be doing both again soon! The first is has a little too much *kick* for the average child, to be honest, but Rodney & I really enjoyed it!

The first was a Mexican rice bowl, topped with black beans, and grilled chicken.

 

Rodney's Mexican Rice Bowl

(Makes 4-6 adult portions)

***INGREDIENTS***

~1 pouch of McCormick Grill Mates "Mojito Lime" Marinade

 (It was either this flavor, or maybe the "Baja Citrus" ... Oh, gosh, now I think it could have been "Southwest." I have no idea, now.)

~water and vinegar to mix with marinade, as instructed on the pouch

~1 can Bush's Grillin' Beans - "Black Bean Fiesta" flavor. Oh, these are so good....

~2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips before marinading

~Cooked rice - enough to serve your family, prepared as usual (but not for long)

~1 Package of refrigerated "Wholly Guacamole" (that's the brand) guacamole

***INSTRUCTIONS***

1. Marinade chicken for a few hours

2. Prepare rice as you typically do, but just before serving, mix in some guacamole. For us, I started with about 1.5 cups of dry rice, 1.5 cups of water, and when it was done, added about the same amount (little over 1 cup) of guac.

3. Grill chicken strips.

4. Heat baked beans on the stovetop, or in the microwave.

5. Ready to serve - It can be served either by letting each of the three (chicken, rice, beans) stand alone on a plate, or like we did - We started with a nice helping of rice in a bowl, then topped with the black beans and chicken. :) Very, very yummy!

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Leah's Spaghetti Bake (makes 8 adult portions)

Not my picture, but still very accurate. :)

***INGREDIENTS***

1.5 lb spaghetti

3 eggs

8 oz. cottage cheese (1 cup)

12 oz. shredded mozarella cheese (1.5 cup)

8 oz. grated parmesan cheese (1 cup)

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 10 oz. jar spaghetti sauce (reserving about 1/4 jar as a topping, before baking)

2 medium green peppers

1 large onion

5 cloves garlic

Final topping - An additional 2 cups any shredded cheese (I used mozarella)

***INSTRUCTIONS***

1. Prepare spaghetti noodles as usual.

2. In 13x9 glass dish, mix all ingredients, except for 1/4 jar of spaghetti sauce, and the final 2 cups of shredded cheese.

3. When noodles have been strained and rinsed, combine them with the mixture that is already in the baking dish. Press into pan, to prepare for final toppings.

4. Optional step: Finely chop 1 medium onion, 2 medium green peppers, and saute (along with minced garlic) in 1 TBS. vegetable oil for about 5 minutes. Spread over spaghetti mixture.

5. Spread remaining sauce over spaghetti. Cover with aluminum foil.

6.  Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes. Remove from oven.

7. Top with remaining 2 cups shredded cheese, and bake an additional 10 minutes, uncovered, or until cheese is melted.

8. Let cool for about 10 minutes, and serve.