Jalapeno Popper Chicken and What I Saved: The hubs strikes back!

So I've been out of commission a little recently.  We have taken on some projects around the house that are kind of big and we were fighting off some sort of illness last week - it never really took hold but it was a pain all week!

We have been doing a LOT of yard work!

I'm starting to get ready for Harris Teeter's Super Doubles (which start on Wednesday) but I scooped up a few good deals this afternoon...although my savings don't reflect it! And that's thanks to the husband!  He decided he wanted some mixers and soda (none of which as on sale) so that raised my price significantly - although I only went a few dollars over my $50 budget.

My totals value: $90.12
OOP: 41.82
Savings: 54% (probably my lowest since I started couponing!)

None of my deals were that spectacular and everything I did can be found on some of the other amazing coupon sites so I thought I'd take this time to share a really good and easy dinner I made this week.

Jalapeno Popper Chicken

4 ounces cream cheese, slightly softened
1 jalapeno, diced
4 chicken breasts, sliced to stuff
Breadcrumbs
Shredded cheddar cheese

Mix the cream cheese and jalapenos in a bowl

Slice the chicken horizontally leaving one side connected (so the chicken could open like a book)

Stuff each breast with a tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture

Mix the breadcrumbs and cheese and coat the chicken breast in the breadcrumb and cheese mixture

Bake for 40 minutes at 375 degrees

I severed ours with smashed potatoes and Darrin's Aunt Shirley's green beans which are pretty much the most amazing thing ever!

So again, let me say, sorry for the radio silence, but hopefully the time off has left me fresh and with a lot of new material to blog about!

Did you do anything fun this weekend?  What's your favorite chicken dinner?

Cold Day, Hot Soup

First, I use the word, "cold," very VERY loosely.  Living at the beach where it typically doesn't drop below 50 degrees I can't really complain...and yet, I still do...anytime it get below 60 that is!

We lead a rough life!

I'm am slowly turning into a Southern Belle...wait, no...a Southern GIRL!  A few things that living down here means though is that there is a limited time when wearing turtleneck sweaters is appropriate and soup is not as widely sold in restaurants as it is in the 'burgh and other Yankee cities!

I've found a few recipes lately that I really like.  Like I said before, I'm really digging my Everyday by Rachel Ray subscription.  Below is another winner from her December 2011 issue that I've modified a little.  It's perfect for a cold (or if you live at the beach, cold-ISH) day!

Cheesy Chicken-Potato Soup (Everyday by Rachel Ray - December 2011 issue) MODIFIED
Serves 4, Prep 5 minutes, Cooks in 20 minutes
Ingredients:
3 tbsp butter
2 cups leeks, chopped (white parts only)
1 1/2 lbs of red potatoes, halved or quartered depending on size
1 qt chicken broth
1 1/2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken (this made it SO easy)
7 oz of shredded cheddar
4 tbsp of sour cream
Red pepper flakes

Prep your potatoes and leeks

In pot, melt butter over medium heat; cook leeks 2 minutes
Add potatoes and cook 5 minutes
Add broth; bring to a boil.  Simmer until potatoes are fork tender, about 15 minutes.

I always use granules instead of buying stock!

Remove one-third of the potatoes, reserve.
Puree remaining soup with 1 cup water (this part was tricky b/c my food processor was not big enough)
Stir in chicken, reserved potatoes, cheese and sour cream and red pepper flakes (to taste)

Serve topped with a little more sour cream, if you'd like

This was pretty easy and came out really well.  It would be really quick for lunch on a winter day.


Can you eat soup in warm weather?  What's your favorite cold weather food?

A Romantic at Heart

I hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day!  I know I'm a big romantic sap when it comes to the "official Halmark holiday" but I am perfectly fine with that.  I was even more sappy this year because it was my first Valentine's day as a married women!

This did NOT make Darrin happy!

Our Valentine's Day celebration spanned several days (mainly because I wasn't a huge fan of dinner at 8pm on a Tuesday night, when I have to work the next day). 

We started early on Saturday with an afternoon viewing of The Vow!

I know, I know, I really take the cheesy V-day as far as it can possibly go...what can I say?  I've watched one too many romantic comedies I guess?

Anyway, I thought this was the perfect way to start our celebration.  Although I totally think most of the great parts of this movie are shown in the previews but the chemistry between Channing and Rachel was amazing! 

After that I got a wonderful gift from my husband! 

Love Birds!

We had dinner reservations that night at Catch.  If you're a fan of Top Chef you may remember Chef Keith Rhodes from earlier this season - corn tortillas anyone?? Anyway, Catch is his restaurant and if he was eliminated first this season the winner must make food that is indescribable!  We LOVE Catch.

And here is why...

To start the evening

Winter root vegetable salad with goat cheese and vinaigrette

I obviously couldn't wait to try my seared tuna with lobster stuffed dumplings and edememe pesto

Darrin's BBQ chicken with mac and cheese didn't last very long!

I think Darrin was starting to get a bit annoyed with my picture taking at this point!

Such a trooper :)

Not to make anyone too jealous but this food is beyond amazing!  We didn't have one bite of food that we didn't love! 

Burbon chocolate ice cream and chocolate cake with chocolate mousse

The only damper in the evening was the news of Whitney Houston's death.  Did anyone catch Mercedes' version of "I Will Always Love You" on Glee this week? Loved it!

Now, I'm sure you're shaking your head and rolling your eyes at this point and begging me to find the antidote for the arrow Cupid must have struck me with, but I promise I'm almost done!

Tuesday I got a wonderful surprise at work when Darrin showed up for a lunch date and these:

Love my flowers!

I cooked manly meal for dinner in hopes of wiping all memories of hearts, and flowers, and chocolates from Darrin's mind and we just spend the night hanging out at home!

Steak, mashed taters and asparagus

 So I must say, for a "holiday" that really isn't, February 14th was pretty great this year!

Did you do anything for Valentine's Day?  Do you love to celebrate with the ones you love, or do you find it to be a day you'd rather wasn't?

Slow Cooker Enchilada Soup

As I'm sure you know by now, we are BIG fans of the slow cooker!  It's a life saver on those nights when Darrin has to be somewhere by 6:30 and I don't get home from work until close to 6.

We also love Mexican.  I do a lot of chili (which I know isn't Mexican but it has a similar flavors and can be made pretty spicy).  I needed some new Mexican-inspired slow cooker meals.  I browsed a lot of site and finally came up with a combination of about 10 different recipes.

Ingredients:
1 lb of ground meat (typically I'd use ground chicken but I went with ground turkey this time)
1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can of corn, drained
2 cans of stewed Mexican tomatoes
3 10oz cans of enchilada sauce
Homemade chips (see below)
Cheese, jalapenos and sour cream for topping

Cook the meat in a skillet until browned

Add meat, beans, corn, tomatoes and enchilada sauce to the slow cooker, stir to combine
Cook on low for 8 hours
(See, SO simple!)

I also make homemade chips.  They are way healthier and I like them a lot better.  I buy the taco size corn tortillas and cut them into 8 wedges each.  I typically cut up about five for one meal.  Line a cookie sheet with tinfoil and arrange the 'chips'.

These are so yummy!

Spray a little bit of olive oil cooking spray and top with some salt.  If you like flavored chips you can also add a little garlic powder or cumin or whatever else you'd like.  Bake in a 375 degree oven for about 10 minutes.  Word of warning, once they start to crisp up they go from cooked to burned REALLY fast so keep an eye on them after the 9 minute mark.

We topped our soup with cheese, jalapenos and sour cream and it was so good!

Easy and healthy...can't beat that!

Plus, we had enough for leftovers the next night!

I feel like we've been doing a lot of soup recently.  Does the weather inspire your cooking?  Any good soup recipes?  

A Different Kind of Pasta

We love pasta!  I'm not sure that was loud enough, so let me try it again...WE LOVE PASTA!

Growing up in an Italian family pasta was a staple food and every common meal.  I remember eating sauce - or gravy if you're aiming for authenticity - off the stove with a spoon while my mom was cooking it (an all day process in our house!). 

I love sauce (and must admit my recipe is pretty darn good), but there are so many things you can do with pasta that does not include a meaty red sauce!  

I decided to try something new a few nights ago and it turned out really well so I wanted to share it with all of you.


Pasta with Sausage, White Beans and Kale
1lb of ground sausage (I'd typically use chicken sausage but the store was out so I used turkey)
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 can of cannelloni beans, drained and rinsed
1 cups of kale, chopped
2 cups of chicken stock
Crushed red pepper, to taste
8 oz of pasta (I used whole wheat angel hair), cooked and drained
Mozzarella or Parmesan cheese, to top


Brown sausage in a skillet with a little bit of olive oil
When almost cooked, add in onions and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes

Add in white beans and cook another minute or two

Make sure they're rinsed good!

Add chicken stock and red pepper flakes (if using) and allow to simmer for about 5 minutes
Add kale to skillet and cook until wilted

I just tear the kale into bite size pieces

Season with salt and pepper, to taste
Reduce heat and simmer for about 4 or 5 minutes
Add to bowl with cooked pasta and toss with a little bit of cheese

Our plates topped with a little bit of cheese

We really liked this dish.  It's full of fiber and really good.  I would probably have added 1 cup of white white after the beans and then about 30 seconds later or so added just 1 cup of chicken stock but I didn't have any white wine.  


Do you have any favorite pasta dishes?  Did you grow up with a particular style of cooking?

National Coffee Day and Another Crock Pot Success!

So today is National Coffee Day!  In my mind, this should probably be a holiday we celebrate like Christmas.  And most companies agree - today is (or rather was) the day to get a free "Cup of Joe" at your favorite coffee establishment!  So many local coffee houses participated around here today - I'm just sad I didn't get the chance to visit them all!

I can't wait for the Starbucks to bring back their winter cups!

Today was also another day of Crock Pot experimenting at the Overholt house.  Like I mentioned before, Wednesday nights Darrin has a church commitment.  He is a Small Group Leader for 7th grade boys at our Church and they have their Worship Night on Wednesday. 

Darrin at 14 (he's on the far right!)

So before Darrin goes and shapes the minds of today's youth, I have 45 minutes to feed him.  Tonight we tried "The Best Slow Cooker Chicken Ever," a recipe I found on www.thenest.com and thought sounded pretty good!

Here's the recipe:

1 lb ground chicken
1 onion, diced
1 can chick peas, drained and rinsed
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup sun dried tomato pesto
1 tbsp flour
1 can died tomato
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp sugar
2 red peppers, chopped
1 zucchini, diced

Brown the chicken in a skillet and add to your crock pot
Add onion, chick peas, and salt to the chicken
In a small bowl combine the flour and pesto and stir til combined
Add the vinegar, sugar, and diced tomatoes (plus a little more salt) to the pesto mixture
Pour over the chicken, onion, and chick peas

Cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-6 hours
Stir in the peppers and zucchini and cook on high for another 45 minutes or so
Serve over brown rice

My thoughts...it was YUMMY!!  I just wish it had more sauce.  Next time I plan on doubling that part of the recipe...but this will totally be added to my arsenal of easy dinners...and I'm looking forward to the leftovers.

Can't wait til tomorrow!

Now since Darrin's gone I must go clean off the DVR - I record a LOT of shows and I'm loving some of the new ones this year.  Check back tomorrow for more in the fun and exciting life of Alissa...maybe I'll break down my thoughts on this fall's TV Line up! But first...

Did you 'celebrate' National Coffee Day?  Do you prefer to make your own coffee at home or stop somewhere and pick some up?

I Love Snacks and I'm Darn Proud of It!

A few days ago I was making myself an evening snack (pretty sure it was just an apple and peanut butter but I had to cut the apple so I'm going to go ahead and say I "made" something) and I started thinking about how surprised Darrin is going to be with how much I eat.  Not that I eat a lot - I've lost over 60 pounds in a year (take that crazy hormone issue that made me balloon up in 6 months time!!) - and I eat really healthy, but I do eat a fair amount.

So my apple and peanut butter (Jif Natural Peanut Butter, which is amazing!) made me realize there are still things that Darrin and I don't know about each other.  I tried to ask him what he thought I was going to be surprised by living with him but he never really answered me - guess that mean all of my faithful readers (aka my mom and grandmother) will get to learn all about Darrin with me. 

There are definitely some things he's going to be a little surprised to learn about me.  I mean, he knows I'm a huge reality tv junkie (Bachelorette SPOILER ALERT: My heart broke for Ryan tonight by the way and I adore JP) and he knows I can't resist the frozen yogurt bar in town but I don't think he realizes that I blast show tunes when I clean or that I have a very specific get-ready-for-bed routine.

Now I know that none of these are deal-breakers (or at least I hope not!) but I do think they'll lead to a few very funny evenings and probably an embarrassing moment or two.  I have to admit though I'm pretty excited for it.  In a way it's like starting a new relationship but with someone you already love and are going to spend the rest of your life with.  All the fun none of the stress!!

Speaking of late night snacks, I'll leave you with a picture of mine tonight - which was amazing and super healthy!

So Yummy!

Just some Laughing Cow Cheese (only 1 WW point for 2 wedges of the Herb) some tomatoes and water crackers, which are also really healthy.  Plus a glass of wine, which I more than needed after today!

Now time to watch Emily's interview on why she and Brad didn't last - which may have been the biggest shocker of the year (she said thick with sarcasm;) )!!