Pinterest Recipe Review: Easy Mediterranean Chicken

• Save time ( always great recipes)!
• Save money (no wasted ingredients)!  

I found the recipe for Easy Mediterranean Chicken at Juggling Food, Family and Chaos with Jodie Fitz. I pinned it. The recipe has been repinned 22 times with 3 likes. You should pin it too (hover over the picture below for easy pinning)! I made Easy Mediterranean Chicken for dinner this week. The recipe deserves a "Pinterest Recipe Review".

Find the full recipe on Pinterest or here. These are my modifications which makes it even easier and probably less than 20 minutes. I halved the recipe and had enough for two nights dinner for hubby and me. And, my daughter took it to work for her lunch one day. LARGE recipe.

• Used a precooked Rotisserie Chicken from my local grocery store. Saves times by not having to cook chicken.
• Used cheese on-hand instead of investing in more cheese, mozzarella pearls and pecorino romano cheese. In the photo, the whitest cheese is the mozzarella. I grated the romano. The romano is a good substitute for parmesan with the same sharp flavor.
• Sliced the black olives to distribute the flavor around. I'm not a big fan of black olives and didn't want that big burst of dirt in one bite! 

The rest of the recipe I followed to the letter. It is F.A.B.U.L.O.U.S.! Every cook in America should try this recipe. The presentation of the dish was beautiful in and out of the pan it was cooked in.

Tammy's Taste Stats for Flavor = 

1 =save your time, 2 =try if you got the goods, 3 =just so-so, 4 =close to Mom's and 5 =grab a recipe card

Preparation Difficulty =

 1=kid proof, 2=easy, 3=worth the time, 4=difficult and 5=enroll in culinary school

Easy Mediterranean Chicken is a FIVE for flavor

and

1 (ONE) for Kid Proof.

this dish is so easy your kid could make it from the recipe!

Helping you by cooking for my family,

Tammy

The Happy Handicap

recipe review

Quick Dinner Fix: 2 New Recipes

Craving a nice pasta dinner complete with caprese salad?

Boy, do I have the fix for you!

Incidentally, the amazing mummy at Yummy Mummy Kitchen 

inspired me to create these

check out her site, her recipes are phenomenal!

Your starter...

 So simple to make

simply skewer any field green, bite-size tomato and

bite-size chunk of fresh mozzarella on a toothpick

drizzle with your favorite Italian dressing

and enjoy!

Now, if you're impatient like me

it's okay to turn the Caprese Bites

into Caprese Bowl Salad

like this

 just as tasty and colorful, not as fancy!

 

Your Main Course...

I found this recipe

on the back of this box

best gluten free pasta ever!

This pasta recipe is SO DELICIOUS 

and SO SIMPLE!

I used fresh rosemary but dried everything else

It is simply unbelievable how vibrant

the flavor is in this dish when

it looks rather bland from the photo!

I hope you take my word for it

and make it for dinner tonight...

I made the entire recipe and my

family of 5 ate the whole thing.

Best part ... no left overs!

My mouth is wide open

from surprise and wanting more of this,

Tammy

The Happy Handicap

I love comments. Make this and let me know what you think!

recipe recipe review

Recipe Review: Crock Pot Chicken & Dumplings

Why do you want to make a recipe when you see a picture of it?

I don't even like Chicken & Dumplings

my husband does

this recipe looked easy so I tried butchered it, please...read on

simple ingredients

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 Tbsp. Butter...

 2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of chicken soup
1 onion, finely diced
2 (10 ounce) pkgs, refrigerated biscuit dough, torn into pieces

simple instructions

Place the chicken, butter, soup, and onion in a slow cooker, and fill with enough water to cover.
  Cover, and cook for 5 to 6 hours on High. About 30 minutes before serving, place the torn biscuit dough in the slow cooker. Cook until the dough is cooked through.

It started off well

although I change every recipe

why do I do that?

 I used chicken tenderloins instead of breast halves

would this make a difference?

chicken is chicken, right?

Took some time

to remove these

then this...still going good

added some of these
the recipe didn't call for

cook 5-6 hours on high
WHAT?
the answer to your question is
yes, I did read this before attempting the recipe
however,
not a patient person
so....

here's where I did something
"un-cooking-ethical"
brought out the Mad Max (that's my pet name for him)

I emptied the crockpot contents
into my big frying pan
then went to grinding that chicken
cause I didn't have the patience
to wait for it cook up and fall into lovely little pieces

I'm still not sure how the lady that wrote this recipe
tore her biscuit dough into those long flat pieces
mine look like meatballs

 Our Chicken & Meatball Soup was tasty!
Would I make this again?
prolly not!

 Not one for the recipe archives,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap

 p.s. I'm sure this would have been just like the picture
if I had followed the directions.
they give them to you for a reason...

recipe review

Review of Homemade Pimento Cheese Recipe

Saw this recipe for

Homemade Pimento Cheese

 on facebook the other night

it brought back memories

 because I had made this before and L.O.V.E.D. IT!

 2 Cups of Sharp Cheddar
8 oz. of softened Cream Cheese
1/2 Cup of Mayo
1/4 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/4 Teaspoon of Onion Powder
1 Jalapeno Pepper, seeded and minced
1 (4 oz.) Jar of Pimento, drained
Salt & Black Pepper (to taste)

Are you THAT person, like me, who can't follow anything (especially a recipe) or anybody?

except Jesus and Momma, of course 

It's not that I can't follow, I can...but

I don't always have the "called-for" ingredients

so...

I improvise

Everybody got time for dat! 

Didn't have garlic power, used garlic salt (hence no regular salt added)

Didn't have onion powder (we love onion so i used the real thing about 1/4 cup)

Used 3 cups sharp cheddar (yum)

Was really undecided about using jalapeno but I did...which means I washed my hands 24 times instead of the usual 12 while cooking.

Throw it all in a bowl and mix

give it the spoon test

it's gotta stand straight and tall

I don't like runny pimento cheese

 Then...Do a taste test

 You can keep your right eye all the way open while tasting

I just can't seem to manage it 

EXCELLENT! 

 Have you made this? What's your review?

Cheesin',

Tammy

The Happy Handicap

 

recipe review

Pinterest Recipe Review: Cream Cheese Peach Pie Delight





Picture by Huffington Post

Usually, recipes don't move me to make them. Cream Cheese Peach Pie Delight did! Is your household like mine? A comfortable nest with two old birds that eat like birds? My husband and I let a dessert ruin if I make a whole recipe, so I decided to half this one. There's a few things I did differently from the original recipe. I'll list my changes as we walk through the making of this delicious dessert. Let's get started...

Here's what you need:

For starters, I wanted my Cream Cheese Peach Pie Delight to be "a pie". The recipe uses a 9x13 pan but I'm using a 9" standard pie plate for two reasons; so the dessert will cut like a pie and it's just the right size of dish to hold a "half" recipe-size pie.

To make the crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. The recipe calls for one box of white or yellow cake mix. My genius self was going to half the cake mix, use half the butter and half an egg. Have you ever tried to half an egg? Not easy! I used a whole egg and it didn't work with half the mix so I used the entire box of cake mix with one egg and 1/3 cup butter. It should look crumbly like this.

 Prepare your pie plate with cooking spray. Pat about 1/2 to 1 cup into the bottom of the pie plate to make the crust. You will have about 1 1/2 cups crust mixture left over.

After placing your crust in the oven, dice your peaches into 1/2 inch pieces. The recipe says 1 inch but I like food bite-size!. Note: The recipe calls for a 29 oz. can of peaches. I bought two 15 oz. cans to make halving the recipe easier. I used "light syrup" peaches to count down on calories and carbs!

 Remove your crust after 10 minutes. Looks like this.

Spoon your diced peaches onto the baked crust.

Make the filling:  Mix 4 oz. room temperature cream cheese, 1/4 cup sugar, one tsp. vanilla flavoring and ... here's that halving the egg problem again. I got smart this time. I separated an egg and used only the white in my filling. (No yellow = less fat, less cholesterol!) Whisk together all ingredients until smooth and pour over peaches like this.

Finally, crumble 1/2 cup of the crust mixture over the pie to cover the top.

Return to the oven and bake 30 minutes on 350 degrees. Place your leftover crust mixture into an airtight plastic container to make another "half" pie next weekend. The mixture should stay fresh for 7 days.

 Look at this beauty!

The recipe said to chill 30 minutes before serving. My husband loves his food hot. He loved this hot too! I preferred my room temperature. I fixed Steve a "to-go" piece for breakfast this morning...by his request!!! Great for breakfast, tastes a lot like coffee cake or cheese danish.

One last thing, love the earth and don't forget to recycle your paper and tin items.

Be sure to check out some of my other recipe reviews. Before you go, leave me a comment, any comment! You could let me know your enhancements to this recipe or I'd love to know if you tried it and how it turned out.

Peachy keen,

Tammy

The Happy Handicap

p.s. I have no idea why my words starting centering and I have no idea why I couldn't fix them back block style. I guess some days the alphabet has a mind of it's own!



recipe review

Review of Cooking Light's "Chicken BLT Salad"

Chicken BLT Salad Recipe

Chicken BLT Salad is light and yummy! I love the fresh homemade dressing. The dill is delicious.

 Must add e-recipe. SO deserving of a delightful paper card!

SO GOOD and SO EASY!

 The ingredients are simple and usually in the fridge.

My finished product!

Found Another Fav,

Tammy 

The Happy Handicap 

 Comment and let me know how yours turned out!

recipe review

Pinterest Recipe Review - Salad in a Jar

Sydnee, my daughter is a teacher. She eats lunch at school fast and furious. The recipe for 'salad in a jar' amazed both of us. Such a good idea. I don't know where these Pinterest ideas come from? This week she
did it. She made salads in a jar. I'm so proud of her for being health conscious and thrifty! Here's how she did it and what she says about the recipe.

INGREDIENTS:
Many different salad ingredients fit in a jar. Choose your favorites! Sydnee mostly likes the common veggies. She used green pepper, grape tomatoes, red onion, iceberg lettuce, carrots and cheese. I'm not sure why she has chicken in this pic. She didn't put raw chicken or cooked chicken in the jar. Protein in addition to cheese, maybe a boiled egg would be nice but not necessary. Anyways, prepare your veggies by tearing, slicing or grating.

CONTAINER:
Next grab a pint jar with lids. Bigger salads uses quart jars and smaller salads use eight ounce jars. The medium size salad (16 oz.) was just right for Sydnee.The jar she choose sported an original paint job a la Sydnee! She calls it  "Yellow Flower on a Jar". It gives the jar a rustic yet artsy feel. It has a kind of 3D-ish appeal to me.

LAYERING: 
Layer your favs however you wish leaving the green leafy stuff until last. Some recipes say to put the dressing in the bottom of the jar. Sydnee was afraid this would make the salad items soggy so she took dressing in a separate container.  A different container benefits in two ways: no sogginess and you can dip your bites in your salad dressing the Weight Watcher way. You eat half the dressing by dipping instead of pouring over your salad reducing your overall calorie count! YAY!

 

SEAL & REFRIGERATE:
Fill to desired fullness. Screw on the lid. Place in the fridge. Put your dressing container on top of the salad jar or attach to jar with a rubber band. Grab your 'Salad in a Jar" on the way out the door the next morning! Makes a great snack too for anytime during the day. Look at that rainbow of color. Almost too pretty to eat!

Sydnee says...

 1 =save your time, 2 =try if you got the goods, 3 =just so-so, 4 =close to Mom's and 5 =grab a recipe card (just so you don't forget about 'salad in a jar')

 

Making it Meter = 1 

1=kid proof, 2=easy, 3=worth the time, 4=difficult, 5=culinary degree required

When I asked Sydnee her opinion on "Salad in a Jar", she said "AWESOME! I will be definitely be making this again. I thought it might taste stale or droopy after a couple of days. It didn't! It was as good on Day 3 as the day I packed the jar."

Thanks Sydnee for this wonderful recipe review. I'm sure I'll be needing your skills again. Are you busy next Thursday? Aha! Winter Break! Maybe we'll do a mother-daughter review?

Jarred and sealed,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap

recipe review

Pinterest Recipe Review - Cracker Barrel Grilled Chicken Tenderloins

• Save time (it's more fun to cook when something tastes good)!
• Save money (it's more fun when you don't waste ingredients)!  

Do you pin recipes you rarely make? I do. For you and me, for us, I'm reviewing a different Pinterest recipe every Thursday. What's in it for you? Saving time and money, of course!

Grilled Chicken Tenderloins (without the grill)

Cracker Barrel Copycat

Recipe found at Christy Jordan's Southern Plate.  

The only modification I made to the recipe was halved it. I'm usually cooking for two.

I tried this recipe because I LOVE Cracker Barrel's Grilled Chicken Tenderloins. Christy says "I think they are much better than Cracker Barrel's, actually!" So, I'm excited to get cooking! Like letting the air out of a pool float, deflated! Christy's tastes and mine aren't exactly the same! The chicken tasted good and tender. It looked like Cracker Barrel's but didn't taste anywhere close to their flavor. Good news, easy, easy recipe!

Tammy's Taste Tester says... 

1 =save your time, 2 =try if you got the goods, 3 =just so-so, 4 =close to Mom's and 5 =grab a recipe card

photo credit

Making it Meter =1 

1=kid proof, 2=easy, 3=worth the time, 4=difficult, 5=culinary degree required

Great recipe to make with older kids learning to cook with the stove! Four ingredients, done! 

photo credit

When I can't make it to Cracker Barrel for their tenderloins, I marinate chicken tenders in Italian dressing overnight and use a grill pan similar to Rachel Ray's Oval Grill Pan pictured below. Still -- not as good as the original but an easy substitute.

I also LOVE Cracker Barrel's Chicken and Rice! Which Cracker Barrel recipes are your favorite?
 
 Planning an Old Country Store visit soon,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap

recipe review

Saving Thyme - Thursday's Pinterest Recipe Review

Do you pin recipes you rarely make? I do. But for you and me, for us, I'm committing to trying a new Pinterest recipe every week. You'll find a review posted here every Thursday as "Saving Thyme".  How will you benefit?

• It takes time to make new recipes. Time is precious. Let's use our time for easy, delicious recipes!
• It takes money to buy different ingredients you may never use again
• "Saving Thyme" will save you time and money. 

Thursday, January 31, 2013. I made Lasagna Soup. Recipe adapted from "a farmgirl's dabbles".  Here are my modifications to Brenda's recipe.

1. I didn't duplicate the basil. I used the dried basil but replaced the fresh basil with Italian Parsley. (yum)
2. I omitted the Parmesan Cheese from the cheesy yum. If I smell it, I won't eat it!
3. I used gluten free lasagna noodles.

The lasagna soup was beautiful in the bowl. The taste was super rich and incredible. Tammy's Taste stats
1 =save your time, 2 =try if you got the goods, 3 =just so-so, 4 =close to Mom's and 5 =grab a recipe card

Photo Credit

Lasagna Soup deserves a recipe card for taste alone. I rate the preparation of the recipe as a (3) where 1=kid proof, 2=easy, 3=worth the time, 4=difficult and 5=enroll in culinary school. The recipe has many ingredients and takes about an hour to make from start to plate.

 
 Godere! Enjoy in Italian...

The soup slides down so easy! Garlic Bread complements this Italian favorite. The dish is perfect for a cold afternoon, a sure hit for game day and the leftovers will taste better than when first cooked.  Make it a day ahead to save even more time!

Find this review valuable? Don't mess a one by subscribing to the feed, follow by email or join the site. Make your choice from the sidebar.

Loving Lasagna Soup,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap

recipe review

Chicken Pot Pie Surprises

The truth about me and chicken pot pie. I am 49 years old and until yesterday, my deprived taste buds never enjoyed the delicious, savory taste of chicken pot pie. I try to make new dishes on a regular basis. The same boring dishes make for some awkward mealtimes even with family and friends. But, honestly
chicken pot pie lacks a certain appeal for me.

My husband shared his love for the dish while watching an episode of Paula Deen. My creative wheels started turning and the result equaled a lovely chicken pot pie. My husband's words "Wow! You nailed it first try!" Some dishes I prepare I immediately erase from my memory and wish I owned a "Men in Black" neuralyzer to erase the memory of those who tried it. Read this hilarious example! But, this chicken pot pie earned a spot in my memory and a permanent home in my recipe cards. The share-worthiness of this recipe spoke in the joyful sounds we made while eating it! Have you ever wondered why we express delight or distaste when eating? lol Try not to make sounds the next time you eat something incredibly good or unpleasantly disgusting!

I adapted the recipe from a Paula Deen original. Her recipe boasts (484) 5-star reviews. I prepared it healthier by cutting calories and fat plus a bit easier with ingredients from my favorite supermarket. I reduced the serving size to four to minimize leftovers.

1 heaping cup of Ingles Markets Rotisserie Chicken Traditional Flavor chopped
1 cup frozen Cascadian Farms Premium Organic Mixed Vegetables
1 (10 3/4 oz) Campbell's Cream of Chicken Soup
1 cup chicken broth (I use broth granules + water to save a few dimes)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Gluten-free Bisquick Mix as prepared on box for biscuits. Half the recipe for this dish.

1/3 cup fat free milk
3 tbsp. melted butter unsalted

Layer chicken and vegetables in a 1.5 qt. casserole dish. Mix soup, broth and season to taste. Pour over layers. Combine biscuit mix and extra milk. Pour evenly over the casserole. Drizzle butter over the biscuit mixture. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until top is golden brown.

And...pretty on a plate!

Just like Campbell's ...Mmm, Mmm Good!

I served it with a pseudo-Waldorf Salad with apples, Craisins, celery, candied pecans and pecans. I tossed the salad with a hint of mayonnaise and a splash of lemon to enhance the flavors. Very successful effort!

Leave me a comment and let me know how yours turned out! I can picture your husband's big smile already.

recipe review