I feel so indulgent tonight. I have my pj’s on, my teeth brushed and my contacts out. I’m lying in bed, writing up a blog post, cat warming my feet, and then I’m off to sleep. And it’s only 7:45pm.
Yep, I’m on track to beat the kids to bed tonight. I’m just that whipped. One of my friends on facebook said it best when she wrote: “When are the holidays over, I’m ready for MY break!” As kids, the holidays are magical. For adults, they’re still a bit magical, but add to that, Exhausting. We hosted my family this year and then less than twelve hours after they left to go home, we packed ourselves into the car and drove 9.5 hours up to visit Scott’s family for the remainder of the vacation. We arrived home last night and spent the entire day today taking down Christmas decor and cleaning up all the mess we left behind after the guests departed. Add on to that a Christmas Eve party for the neighborhood (I think I wasn’t all together when I decided to attempt that feat, although I will admit it was a lot of fun when all was said and done) and a side trip to a friend’s for New Years 2 hours away from my in-laws and I can safely say that I am ready to retire Christmas for another year.
Considering that in addition to being exhausted we are now officially broke from all the gifts and travel, I decided to cook up dinner last night, despite the fact that we didn’t arrive home until 7pm and our fridge was looking like something you’d see in a fraternity house a bit bare. I was able to track down a few chicken breasts and put together a pan full of arroz con pollo.
Who knew I could illicit such a positive response from the natives after such a long and drawn out car ride? I’m guessing they were as happy as me to have a home cooked meal. Needless to say, this one is a keeper.
Ingredients Needed:
2 Tbsp Butter
3 Cloves Garlic
3 Chicken Breasts, Cubed
2 tsp Cumin
2 tsp Coriander
11/2 tsp Turmeric
1 Onion, Chopped
1 Pepper, Chopped
1 Can Diced Chiles
1 Can Diced Tomatoes
4 Cups Chicken Broth
1 Cup Dried Rice
1 tsp Chili Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Onion Powder
1/2 Cup Shredded Cheese
Start out by heating up a large pan on medium heat and melting your butter. Add in your garlic and give it a minute or two to cook up.
Sprinkle your chicken with about 1 tsp of the cumin, coriander, and turmeric. Throw it in the pan and cook it up.
Now, I realize that when you see my pictures, you’ll notice the chicken isn’t exactly chopped up yet. That’s due to the fact that I’m incredibly lazy and didn’t thaw my chicken all the way, making it difficult to cube, and hence leaving it whole. You, of course are not as lazy as me, so consider chopping them up before hand and shaking them in a plastic bag with your spices to coat them completely.
Once your chicken is fully cooked, go ahead and add in your diced onion and pepper.
Cook it all up for about 3 to 4 minutes. Add in your chiles and tomatoes.
Swirl it around once or twice and add in your broth.
Now add in your rice.
Finally, add in the remaining tsp of chili powder, cumin, and coriander, the salt, the remaining 1/2 tsp of turmeric and the onion powder.
Bring the pot to a boil and then turn down the heat to low. Simmer the mixture uncovered for about 20 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is cooked through.
Grab your shredded cheese and spread it across the top of the chicken mixture. Cover for another minute or two and allow your cheese to melt completely.
And what are you waiting for? Grab your appetite and some eating utensils and dig in.
Que bueno Mommy!
Arroz con Pollo
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp Butter
3 Cloves Garlic
3 Chicken Breasts, Cubed
2 tsp Cumin
2 tsp Coriander
11/2 tsp Turmeric
1 Onion, Chopped
1 Pepper, Chopped
1 Can Diced Chiles
1 Can Diced Tomatoes
4 Cups Chicken Broth
1 Cup Dried Rice
1 tsp Chili Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Onion Powder
1/2 Cup Shredded Cheese
Directions:
Start out by heating up a large pan on medium heat and melting your butter. Add in your garlic and give it a minute or two to cook up.
Sprinkle your chicken with about 1 tsp of the cumin, coriander, and turmeric. Throw it in the pan and cook it up.
Once your chicken is fully cooked, go ahead and add in your diced onion and pepper.
Cook it all up for about 3 to 4 minutes. Add in your chiles and tomatoes.
Swirl it around once or twice and add in your broth. Now add in your rice.
Finally, add in the remaining tsp of chili powder, cumin, and coriander, the salt, the remaining 1/2 tsp of turmeric and the onion powder.
Bring the pot to a boil and then turn down the heat to low. Simmer the mixture uncovered for about 20 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is cooked through.
Grab your shredded cheese and spread it across the top of the chicken mixture. Cover for another minute or two and allow your cheese to melt completely.