Family dinner...

My dad has been bugging me about eating at Rodango's. So, my brother came home on leave and my dad wanted to take the family out to dinner. So, he chose Rodango's. Everyone came.....my little sister, her husband, my older sister and her boys, my brother and then my parents. It was a nice dinner. I glanced down at my dad a few times and saw that he was happy that we were all together. :)

The food was pretty good and the place wasn't packed which was good b/c my family can be loud. But who's family isn't loud at times? :) The good thing is you can get a good steak dinner, with 2 sides for $8. How awesome is that?

Pampered Chef

Last night, I had my first Pampered Chef party. I loved it!! So fun and a great way to get some new kitchen items.

We made Grilled Chicken Penne Al Fresco. It was terrific!!! :)

If you're reading my blog and you want to order something you can. Just follow the link....www.pamperedchef.biz/rachel

I just made my order. I had $500 in sales so I got $140 worth of FREE items!! :)

Here's what I got......

-Deep Covered Baker (couldn't find on website b/c it's a host item only)

-Mix N Chop (loved using it during the show)

-Coating trays & tool (Been wanting for a while)

-Colander & Bowl set (I got these for 60% off as a host special)

-Cool & serve Square tray (I'd been wanting this since Mollie's party)

-Measuring cup set (my steel ones are getting rusty)

-Nylon pan scrapers (figured I would need them for my baker)

Baked Ziti

For dinner tonight, I made Baked Ziti. I used Turkey Sausage, Ziti noodles, and onion, shredded cheese, and spaghetti sauce. :) MMMMM!!!

White Chicken Chili

While I was at the grocery store on Sunday, I picked up some stuff to make White Chicken Chili. Nope I have never made it before and never had it before but I wanted it. :) Later that afternoon, a friend of mine named Sarah had posted on facebook that she was making White Chicken Chili that night. I thought it was funny that I was thinking about making it and here she was making it. She gave me her recipe.

Sarah's recipe:

3 boneless chicken breast halves cooked (shredded or cubed)

1 1/2 to 3 teaspoon ground cumin (to taste)

8 oz's. Pepper-Jack Cheese cubed

8 oz's. salsa mild or medium (to taste)

1 large jar great northern beans , undrained

Don't over cook the chicken. About 35-45 mins at 350 Don't brown. Combine in a crock pot at low for 2-3 hours. Stir frequently.

Now not knowing Sarah's recipe while at the grocery store, I kinda just picked up things that I thought was in white chicken chili. You know....white beans, and chicken. haha I also cheated a little by getting a McCormick- White Chicken Chili packet.

My plan was to make this yesterday. Everything was going great. I had just taken the chicken out of the oven and was letting it cool for a bit. I brought out the crock pot and had it ready to go. I added 2 cans of white kidney beans to the crock pot. I had an onion, I just finished peeling. I had just put the peels in the empty kidney bean can that I had sitting in the sink. Well, I wasn't careful enough and ended up cutting my right thumb on the can. (I will spare you the pictures of my thumb) Blood was everywhere and I couldn't get the blood to stop and ended up at the ER. Luckily, I didn't need stitches but I did have to have them 'glue' the cut so that it heals.

So, today I figured I would try again. I was determined to satisfy my craving for White Chicken Chili. This morning, before work I put everything in the crock pot and let it cook while we were at work.

Here's what I put in the crock pot:

3 chicken breasts (cut up)

2 pkgs of McCormick White Chicken Chili Seasoning

2 tbs of oil

2 1/2 cups of water

2 cans of white kidney beans (undrained)

1 onion

As I walked into the house, the smell of the white chicken chili was wonderful! This is def a dish to make this fall!!!

I think this tastes A LOT like my favorite Chicken Tortilla soup at Cracker Barrel. It was sooooo good. Nate and I ate it with tostito chips. Next time, I might add even add some corn. You can even add sour cream, sliced avocados and cheese to it if you'd like. Nate said "This is VERY good" and I asked him if it was something he would want to eat again and he said "YES". And he went back for more. I know it's good when he can't stop eating it. haha So, I will def be making this again. :)

New Things Monday

Each Monday, I'm deciding to try something new. If you missed last Monday, you can read it here. :)

Today, I had a new product. Ready to eat, bite size brownies from Pillsbury. I found them at the grocery store yesterday next to the eggs and cookie dough. There was Chocolate fudge, which I had and also Chocolate with Carmel. They were just the sweet I needed. Nate liked them too. They really are sweet moments. :)

Open-Faced Steak Sandwiches

Looking through a book last weekend that my friend Dave has I saw a recipe for Open-faced Steak Sandwiches. I told Dave when he decides to make that dish I better be there to enjoy the food. haha Anyways, I went to the grocery store today (yes, on a Sunday) and got lots of groceries. I decided for dinner tonight that I would do my own easy approach to the sandwich. I baked some cubed steaks. Seasoned with just W sauce, pepper and water. I then made some garlic toast. Once the toast was done I put a slice of provolone cheese on top of the bread, then the steak and some A1 sauce. And there you have it...an easy open-faced steak sandwich. It was pretty good and tasty. :)

Grill Marks

If you're looking for a great grilling blog my good friend Dave (Kristen's hubby) has started a blog all about grilling. I thought I'd give him a plug! :) Your mouth will water reading these grilled dishes. :)

Carl's Ice Cream

A Fredericksburg experience....Carl's Ice cream. I decided the other day to treat myself to a Chocolate Milkshake. I hadn't been there yet this year so I was excited. It was a rainy day and there was no one there. Normally, there is a line wrapped around the building. But I got lucky! I paid $4.09 (yes...how crazy!!!) for a regular size chocolate milkshake. But it was worth it! Oh soooo good! :)