IT’S ALMOST GRILL TIME ~ Watch for my upcoming review!!!!!!!

I’ve been searching for a swing set for my nephews, but I keep getting sidetracked with everything else CSN Stores has to offer. I’m also looking for cookware, cutlery and small appliances, so there is sooooooooooooooooo much to see at CSN Stores.
My friend Marley over at CSN contacted me about doing a review for CSN Stores. How could I possibly say no with all of the wonderful opportunities they have given me to do reviews and offer you giveaways over the past year?  Well, I couldn’t.   This offer came at a perfect time for me.

It is almost grill time, and while we’re year round grillers despite the weather, many aren’t.  One of the best ways to add flavor to any meat is to use a tenderizer and seasoned rub prior to grilling. So I’m going to review this tenderizer for CSN Stores.  Watch for my upcoming review.
I am doing some reorganizing to kick off the New Year. CSN has the largest and finest selections, and their prices can’t be beat! Help me shop for that swing set. Click the link above the photo and tell me which ones are your favorites. Also be sure to head over to my food blog, Our KrAzY kitchen for a CSN Giveaway!

Fire Day Friday: Vegetable Burritos

Hundreds of thousands of years ago, I made a recipe for vegetable burritos that came from a recipe pamphlet from RoTel. Okay, carbon dating and fossil records show it was actually just over 15 years ago.

We loved it back then and thought it was an impressive recipe. That was back when I was just learning to cook for Alexis and my new family. Tonight we dragged this one out of the archives and upgraded it to how we would have made it now compared to back then.

Fire Roasted Vegetable Burritos with Cilantro/Roasted Pepper Queso

Source: NibbleMeThis

1 cup long grain rice
2 ea vidalia spring onions (green onions if you can’t get them)
1 ea red bell pepper
1 ea poblano or cubanelle chile
1 ea cherry pepper
1 can diced tomatoes
2 cups cheddar cheese, freshly shredded
1 ea serrano pepper, finely diced (skip if you want mild, double if you want hot)
1 cup refried beans
1 cup salsa
6 ea flour tortillas (mission sized burrito tortillas)
6 oz Mexican Dipping Cheese (We get El Viajero brand)
4 oz milk
1/4 cup cilantro

Start your grill to direct high heat at about 500f (skip if using your broiler and oven)

Cook your rice according to directions.

Grill the green onions just enough to get a slight browning on them (about 1 min a side). Fire roast or broil your peppers until blackened on all sides. The fire roasting brings out the best of the veggies.


Don’t be afraid that they are “too charred”. That makes them easier to peel and won’t affect the final flavor. This one wasn’t done enough yet, just to give you an idea.


Place the peppers in a plastic zip top bag, they’ll steam on their own for 5 minutes.

Cut the ends off each pepper and slice down the length of one side to open them up. Remove the seeds from the inside. Flip and lightly scrap the charred skin off with the sharp edge of a knife.

Dice the green onions.

As soon as the rice is finished, stir in the green onions, red bell pepper, and cubanelle/poblano pepper (reserve the cherry pepper for the cheese sauce). Stir in 1 cup of the cheese and the serrano pepper.

Taste the rice mixture for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed.

Repeat for each tortilla:
Spread about 3 Tbsp of refried beans on the tortilla. Top with 1/2 cup of the rice mixture. Sprinkle more cheese and 3 Tbsp of salsa on top. Roll up burrito style and place seam side down in a casserole dish. (Click here for a photo tutorial of how I fold mine.) Top with a few sprinkles of more shredded cheese.

Place the dish in your oven preheated to 350f (or in our case, a grill set up at 350f for indirect heat) and cook for 25 minutes.

Cut the queso cheese into 1/2″ cubes and put into a small sauce pan. Add the milk, cilantro, and diced cherry pepper and warm until melted over medium/low heat.

Serve the burritos with the sauce poured over the top or on the side.

Don’t let the minimal amount in the picture fool you. As soon as the pictures were taken and my burrito was cut up, I ladled a good bit of that queso sauce all over my burrito!

In case you’re interested, here’s the original version. It’s a lot easier and still good.

Vegetable Burritos
Yields: 6

Ingredients
1 Pam non stick spray
1 can (12 oz) Rotel (Diced tomatoes/chilis)
1 cup instant rice
1/2 cup water
1 Green pepper
2 Green onions
2 cups cheddar cheese
1 cup refried beans
10 8″ tortillas
1 cup salsa
Black olives to taste

Instructions
preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 9x 12 x 2 baking dish w/ spray. In medium saucepan, combine Rotel, rice & water. Heat to boil, reduce heat, cover, & simer 1 minute. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes. Stir in pepper, onions and 1 cup cheese. Spread 3 table spoons beans over each tortilla. Layer rice mixture over beens and sprinkle on more cheese & salsa. Roll up and place seam down in prepared baking dish. Cover w/ foil. Bake 25 minutes.

CLASSIC GOOD EATS ~ OVEN BBQ CHICKEN

OVEN BBQ CHICKEN
Whole chicken pieces cut up, washed and dried
BBQ Marinade (recipe below)
BBQ Seasoning (recipe below)
BBQ Sauce (recipe below)

  • Rinse Chicken well and pat dry.
  • Loosely layer chicken pieces in a large bowl and pour BBQ marinade over and sprinkling BBQ seasoning over each layer.
  • Refrigerate overnight.
  • Remove chicken from refrigerator 30 minutes before you plan to put it in the oven. 
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Spray a jelly roll pan with PURE.
  • Place chicken pieces on pan.
  • Generously brush with BBQ sauce.
  • Bake 45 minutes or until cooked through and crisp.
  • Brush with more BBQ sauce.

BBQ MARINADE
2 cloves roasted garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes, crushed
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika
1 tablespoon sugar
2-3 tablespoons BBQ seasoning
1/3 cup Champagne vinegar
1 cup vegetable oil (I prefer Canola)

  • Whisk all the dry ingredients together until well blended.
  • Add oil, whisking until dry ingredients are well incorporated.

BBQ SEASONING
1 1/2 cups paprika
3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons onion powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder

  • Blend ingredients together well.
  • Store in an airtight container.

BBQ SAUCE
2 cups Heinz ketchup
1 cup apple juice
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
5 packed tablespoons light brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, smashed
2 teaspoons fresh ground pepper
2 teaspoons onion powder
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

  • In a large saucepan combine all the ingredients, stirring to blend.
  • Bring the mixture to a boil.
  • Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for an hour, stirring frequently.

Day 3 this week…

New waiting room, new puzzle, but I learned from a fellow patient that there is a devious volunteer out there (who in my opinion should be asked to leave) who has taken a piece from each puzzle, or added in extra pieces from other puzzles so that it becomes confusing.  See up there on the left middle?  There were 3 extra pieces to this puzzle!

GRILLED CHICKEN SUBS~Healthy Meals

Yummy Grilled Chicken Subs!
My family LOVED this low-fat meal last week! They’ve already asked for it again.
GRILLED CHICKEN SUBS
Skinless, boneless chicken breasts cut into strips (3 or 4 oz. per person)
Pasta Sauce (We use Bertolli marinara. It has 2 grams of fat per half cup serving)
Hoagie Rolls
Mozzarella cheese (partially skim milk)
1T olive oil
Italian seasoning
  • Heat olive oil over medium high heat in a large skillet.
  • Place chicken strips in skillet with oil.
  • Sprinkle with Italian Seasoning.
  • Turn as often as necessary (season both sides). Cook until center is no longer pink.
  • Heat the marinara sauce over medium heat in a sauce pan.
  • Place up to 1/4 cup of sauce on the hoagie roll.
  • Fill with 3-4 ounces of chicken.
  • Top with 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese and broil in the oven for about 3-5 minutes until cheese melts.
Each sandwich has 417 calories, 73 carbs, and 10 grams of fat.Serve with beans and white rice or boiled/roasted potatoes and fresh vegetables for a very low fat meal.

Thoughts worth remembering…

Prayer is not a “spare wheel” that you pull out when in trouble; it is a “steering wheel” that directs us in the right path throughout life.

Do you know why a car’s WINDSHIELD is so large & the rear view mirror is so small? Because our PAST is not as important as our FUTURE. So, look ahead and move on.

Friendship is like a BOOK. It takes few seconds to burn, but it takes years to write.

All things in life are temporary.  If going well enjoy it, they will not last forever. If going wrong dont worry, they can’t last long either.

Old friends are like Gold! New friends are Diamonds! If you get a Diamond, don’t forget the Gold! Because to hold a Diamond, you always need a base of Gold!

Often when we lose hope and think this is the end, GOD smiles from above and says, “Relax, sweetheart, it’s just a bend, not the end!

When GOD solves your problems, you have faith in HIS abilities; when GOD doesn’t solve your problems HE has faith in your abilities.

A blind person asked St. Anthony: “Can there be anything  worse than losing eye sight?” He replied: “Yes, losing your vision.”

When you pray for others, God listens to you and blesses them; and sometimes, when you are safe and happy, remember that someone has prayed for you.

WORRYING does not take away tomorrow’s TROUBLES; it takes away today’s PEACE.

EASY CHICKEN PESTO

Surprisingly, this pesto chicken is one of my kids’ favorite meals! I think it has to do with the melted cheese and chicken. The pesto makes the dish, and the kids do not complain. And with three ingredients, it is affordable and quick to get to the table. I have also used sun dried tomato pesto and mozzarella cheese and it was super good.

PESTO CHICKEN
4 boneless , skinless chicken breasts
4 teaspoons pesto
4 slices provolone cheese
  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 
  • Place chicken breasts in a oven proof casserole dish. 
  • Spread 1 teaspoon of the pesto evenly over each piece of  chicken.  
  • Place the cheese slices on top of the pesto.
  • Cover and bake for 45-50 minutes or until the chicken is cooked and the cheese is melted.if you want the cheese browned a bit, uncover the chicken for the last 5 minutes or so until is is a light golden brown.
Come on over to THE FLOWERING DOGWOOD for more great recipes! Have a great week!

Day 1 this week

Every waiting room has chairs, couches, recliners, foot stools, tables and lots of puzzles in various forms of completion.  I thought this was a cool addition, especially if you have a long wait.