oil | Mommie Cooks!

Chicken Cordon Bleu with Mushroom Sauce

April 13, 2011 By Julie 30 Comments

The voting over at the Rice Krispies Facebook page is officially up and running! If you have a minute head over and cast a vote for Team Asheville’s entries. We’re the top four pictures listed. Thanks so much and I’ll let you know the results as soon as they’re announced.

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Cordon Bleu is one of those dishes that instantly takes me back to my childhood days. My family spent all their vacations up in Northern Wisconsin at my grandparents cottage on Rest Lake. We enjoyed summers frolicking in the water and digging never-ending holes to China, and winters planting our tip-ups on the iced over lake in the hopes of catching that one lucky fish. I still remember venturing out on the boat one warm summer morning with my grandfather on a hunt for muskies; one of the biggest and baddest lake fish there is, and the exact moment that one actually started to follow my line towards the boat. I began to reel faster and faster; there was no way I was going to let that fish actually catch my line!

When we arrived home from our fishing expedition, my grandmother had put together a lunch for us of cordon bleu with mushroom sauce. She was a big fan of the Schwan man (still is) and would always have a pack of their cordon bleu on hand. Oh how I loved those chicken filled treats. I used to look forward to visiting my grandma Mimi just so I could get my hands on one of them.

Today my grandmother lives in Arizona and we don’t get out to visit her and my grandfather nearly as much as we’d like. My grandfather’s 87th birthday was a few weeks back and it reminded me of those younger times up at the cottage. This dish is a way to bring back those cherished moments and to say thank you to my grandparents for all the wonderful memories and love they continue to pour over me to this day.

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Family Friendly Fridays: Chicken Fajitas

April 1, 2011 By Julie 26 Comments

Having resided in Dallas, Texas for six years before moving to North Carolina, I can most definitely appreciate great TexMex fare. With so many enticing options to grab a pleasing plate of authentic grub right at your fingertips, it’s hard to know where to go first. I definitely have my favorites: Mi Cocina (Margarita anyone?), Via Real (their chicken Monterey is UNREAL) and Blue Mesa Grill ( Sweet Potato Tortilla Chips. Enough said.) to name a few. But if a sizzling fresh plate of fajitas is what you crave, then Joe T. Garcia’s in Fort Worth is your place. Best darn fajitas I’ve every put my mouth to. Period. Let me break it down and show what I mean. The dinner menu is a total of three items. Chicken Fajitas, beef fajitas, and a family sized dinner with enchiladas, tacos, and cheese nachos. That’s it. You better believe they do ’em right.

Missing these beauties the way I do, I had to try and recreate my own “go-to” fajita platter. Joe T’s is a pretty big commute these days and we’re not planning to move back anytime soon. I’m sure my version doesn’t do the original justice, but it still fills that ever present craving I always seem to have for a pepper and onion loaded, guacamole topped, cheese and salsa filled, flippin’ delicious chicken fajita. Oh, and remember that salsa verde we whipped up a couple days ago? Throw a spoonful or two on these beauties and watch them sing.

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Veggie Ricotta Pasta

March 30, 2011 By Julie 36 Comments

Whether the temperature outside registers it or not, it’s officially springtime across the country. Down here in the South the beginnings of foliage are starting to show and the first flowers of the season are in full bloom.

Spring is my favorite time of year. I love watching life blossom back into view and bring the promise of warmer days. Leaves make themselves visible, flowers open their petals to drink in the springtime sunshine and birds start to look for the perfect nesting area to expand their family. I feel as though we wake up a bit too. We shed our extra layers, spend more time outside enjoying the warming days, and begin to put away our hearty soups and stews in exchange for lighter fare.

This dish was inspired by my adoration of the changing season. With fresh basil, spinach, and tomatoes all present and swirled around the pleasurable taste of ricotta cheese, a bite of this meal makes me instantly blithe to say goodbye to winter and hello to the warmer months ahead.

There are only a few steps involved in making this pasta; another reason I find a smile creeping onto my face when I make it. Start off by dropping in a smattering of ingredients and spices. Think garlic, white wine, lemon juice, and chicken broth to name a few.

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Navajo Fry Bread

February 28, 2011 By Julie 32 Comments

The time comes when all birds must leave the nest and fly on their own. When I graduated college and started looking for a job, I decided that the farther I could soar from my hometown the better. Sound familiar? Be it a need for actual physical distance or merely emotional distance, I’m willing to bet that at one point in our lives we could all relate to that new found feeling of independence pulling us as far away as possible from where it all began. As for myself, I wanted nothing more than to show all those around me that I had what it took to make it on my own.

That ever growing need for independence eventually landed me in Phoenix, AZ. It was far from my childhood stomping grounds, completely different in every possible way from Wisconsin, and I had a cushion in the fact that my grandparents were living there in case I ever needed a familiar hand.
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Family Friendly Fridays: Chocolate Churros

February 18, 2011 By Julie 47 Comments

I have had this recipe on my radar for some time now. It all started when I resolved to create a list of 100 “must make” dishes in the name of organization and pop it up on my Facebook page. I added churros to the manifest and concluded almost immediately that I needed to make them ASAP. And here I am, four weeks later, and they’re finally up for all to enjoy. I’m honestly not sure why it took me this long to make them (although I’m positive my husband would have some valuable insight to share regarding said procrastination habits). They’re simple to make, the kids loved them, and the hubby literally ate half the batch upon walking in the door from work, proclaiming it be an appetizer before dinner.

I personally loved the addition of chocolate to the mix. I realize that I “de-authenticated” the recipe a bit by doing so, but my goodness, this is chocolate we’re talking about. I’m sure once you’ve tried a couple you’ll be able to forgive me for the indiscretion.

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Indian Butter Chicken

February 16, 2011 By Julie 35 Comments

I was first introduced to Indian butter chicken about six years ago after finishing up a marathon road journey to my dear friend Camilla’s, who was living in Kansas City at the time.

Call me crazy, but I love to drive long distances and am known to throw caution to the wind and just hop in the car at any given moment and go. On this occasion I had been chatting with Camilla over the phone and we decided a get together was long overdue so the following week I popped Nicholas in the toyota, then about 16 months old, and made the eight hour trek from Dallas to Missouri. The drive was probably about one hour longer than a 16 month old had patience for, but we arrived in one piece, none the less for wear, and ready for a hearty dinner.

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