Avgolemono - Lemon Rice and Chicken Soup Recipe

Hola Amigos! How is this Polar Vortex treating you? Today was supposed to be back to school after Christmas vacation, but school was cancelled leaving kiddo more time to do this:

With temperatures getting lower literally by the hour, only something hot and creamy will do the trick to bring the body back to an "I'm ready to go outside and do more shoveling" state of mind!

This is one of my favorite soups and the I get it every Friday (the only day they prepare it) at the Farmer's Restaurant by my house. I'm not 100% sure my version has all the "magic" ingredients they put on theirs, but is quite close, and will do for as long as we remain snowed in!

You can have it with pita bread on the side or like me, open your oyster crackers and have fun. I always keep a big bag or 2 at home.

My soup has a bit more rice therefore thicker than the Farmer's version, but as you all know, I just love rice, maybe as much as I love chocolate , lol...crazy I  know!

I sure hope you are not part of the 140 million Americans feeling the effects of the "Freeze" as the Weather Channel reports. But if like me you are stuck right in the middle of the whole thing, this is your soup to have! Trust me, you will thank me after several bowls! stay safe, stay warm and remember everything tastes better with a Pinch of Love!

Besitos,

Lizy

Avgolemono - Lemon Rice and Chicken Soup

Ingredients:

1 Large Whole Chicken Breast,  Chopped (around 1 1/2-2 cups)

5 Cups Chicken Broth (for more wholesome flavor use the broth where you cook your chicken)

1/2 Cup Rice (I use 3/4 Cup since I like my soup thick and with lots of rice)

1 TBSP Butter or Olive Oil

1 Cup Onion, Diced

1/2 Cup Carrots, Diced 

1/2 Cup Celery, Diced

3 Eggs

1 Large Lemon, Juiced

1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes

Salt to taste

Lemon slices for garnish

Pita Bread or Oyster Crackers 

Directions:

In a pan, melt the butter on a little bit of oil for it not to burn or heat olive oil alone and saute veggies until onions and celery are translucent, around 5 minutes. Set aside.

On a large pot add chicken broth bring to a simmer and add rice. Cook until rice blooms (opens), add sauteed veggies and chicken. Add red pepper flakes and salt if needed. Keep cooking for flavors to integrate, about 5-10 minutes.

Now comes the tricky part, in a separate bowl beat eggs and while doing this add the lemon juice. Keep the whisking going, now slowly add a ladle at a time of the soup mixture to temper the eggs, you don't want to end with an omelette in you soup. Add one or two ladles full, I don't mind if rice or veggies get into it, the idea is to bring the eggs at the same temp of the soup in the pot.

Pour the egg-lemon mixture into the soup pot keep  mixing  and remove from heat. Serve hot with lemon wedges, oyster crackers or pita bread, enjoy!

Prep Time: 10 Minutes                           Cook Time 30 Minutes                            Serves 6

Sharing my tangy hot soup at these Fabulous Parties:

Smart School House, Ginger Snap Crafts, All She Cooks, Lady Behind the Curtain, Ducks' n a Row, Kitchen Meets Girl, My Girlish Whims, Memories by the Mile, My Snippets of Inspiration, Gina's Craft Corner, Little House Living, Feeding Big, Love Bakes Good Cakes

Smothered Fiesta Chicken Recipe

Hola Amigos: This is an easy chicken recipe that will set your taste buds on  a party mood! It's tender, juicy and spicy, just like a festive meal should be!

It also uses very inexpensive chicken quarters, but certainly you could use any chicken cuts you have handy! I think that is why we all love chicken! it's so versatile!

When it comes to the ingredients, there are very few, corn and black beans take center stage, highlighted by a few spices and a whole lot of flavor! It's smothered in a delicious tomato based sauce where all the ingredients combine and become one with the chicken! You can hardly see the chicken...but it's there, under all that goodness!

It goes in the oven leaving you plenty of time while it cooks to get some things done around the house.
I personally love the bright colors, the combination of textures and of course the flavors!. Serve it with some white rice or flour tortillas and dinner would be memorable!

Thank you so much for your visit to the blog today. I hope you are able to prepare this flavorful and frugal recipe and bring share with your family this festive meal! Remember my friends everything tastes better with a Pinch of Love!

Besitos,

Lizy

Smothered Fiesta Chicken

Ingredients

4 Chicken Leg Quarters

1 Can Black Beans

1 Can Sweet Corn

1 Can Diced Tomatoes with Jalapenos

1/2 Can Chicken Broth

1 1/2 tsp Minced Onion

1 tsp Cumin

1 tsp Oregano

1 tsp Paprika

1 tsp Ancho Chilli
Pinch of Coriander

1 1/2 Cup Shredded Cheddar Jack Cheese

Oil for browning

Directions:

Season chicken with salt & pepper or seasonings of your liking. Let marinate for at least 30 minutes. (marinating overnight is always better). 

Preheat your oven at 365F . 

In a large very hot oiled  sauce pan, brown the chicken, skin side down. Once all the pieces are browned transfer to a baking pan. In the same saucepan add chicken broth to deglaze it, scrapping all the bits and juices left from browning. Add diced tomatoes, corn, beans and spices. Cook for 5 minutes and cover chicken with this sauce. Cover you baking dish with aluminum foil or a lid and bake for 30-35 minutes.

Remove from oven and sprinkle with cheese and let it melt.

Serve with white rice or flour tortillas. Enjoy!

Prep Time: 5 minutes                                           Cook Time: 35 minutes                  Serves 4

Sharing my simple easy meal at these Fabulous Parties:

Made from Pinterest, Be Different Act Normal, Classy Clutter, Serenity You, Twigg Studios, Your Homebased Mom, Angels Homestead, Life on Lakeshore Drive, Navy Wifey Peters, Will Cook for Smiles, Flamingo Toes, Create with Joy, My Mixing Spoon, Frugal Foodie Mama, The Chicken Chick, Twelve O' eight, Claire Justine, Love Bakes Good Cakes, Tatertots and Jello, The Best Blog Recipes, Home Maid Simple, The Shabby Nest, Six Sister's Stuff, What's Cooking with Ruthie, Sew Licious Home Decor, Becoming Martha, 504 Main, Suburbs Mama, Nifty Thrifty Things, Lines Across, Smart School House, Ginger Snap Crafts, All She Cooks, Lady Behind the Curtain, Duck's' n a Row, Kitchen Meets Girl, Feeding Big, The Silly Pearl, My Girlish Whims, Memories by the Mile

Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta Recipe

Hola Amigos! This is the season for shorter days, long lines, big traffic jams, hustle and bustle, so why not take it easy in the kitchen and make a delicious easy dinner to feed our families with as little effort as possible. But don't get me wrong, not because it's easy means tasteless, au contraire mon cheri, lol! Since we are using just a few ingredients we are going to use good quality and get the best flavors out of this meal!

This is basically a deconstructed classic, chicken cordon bleu we all love but sometimes we don't have all the time in the world to prepare, roll the chicken breast, breading it, browning and baking.

All the ingredients are present on this dish, and if you are missing the carbs from the breading, you get the pasta to complement it.

It's creamy and cheese, no room for dry chicken here! And of course, since everything tastes better with bacon, it has a bit of the good stuff to gives us some unexpected flavor and crunch.

I hope you enjoy this dish, it gives you plenty of time to cook it, enjoy it and head out again to join the shopping crowds, hanging decorations or enjoy a nice relaxing evening by the fire. Remember my friends, everything tastes better with a Pinch of Love!

Besitos,

Lizy

Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta

Ingredients

6 Slices Bacon, Chopped

1 Lb Chicken Tenders, chopped

1/4 Lb Smoked Ham, cubed

1/2 Cup White Wine

8 oz Sliced Mushrooms

2 Cups Bechamel Sauce

1/2 Cup Peas

1 Cup Shredded Swiss Cheese

Your favorite Pasta

Directions:

In a large hot skillet brown chopped bacon until fat is rendered. Add chopped chicken and saute until cooked and no longer pink, like 8-10 minutes. Add ham and mix. Add white wine and let the alcohol evaporate, like 3 minutes. Add bechamel sauce and mushrooms, mix well until everything is coated with the bechamel sauce. Remove from heat. Before serving, add peas. Serve over pasta and top with shredded Swiss cheese. Enjoy.

Prep Time: 10 minutes                               Cook Time: 20 minutes                     Serves  4

Sharing my tasty  quick meal at these Fabulous Parties:

Smart School House, Hun..what's for dinner?, Our Table for Seven, Kleinworth & Co, Homemade Ginger, The View from 510, Lady Behind the Curtain, All She Cooks, Ducks'n a Row, Kitchen Meets Girl, My Girlish Whims, Pink Box Recipe, The Best Blog Recipes, Artsy Fartsy Mama, Sweet Haute, My Mixing Spoon, The Chicken Chick, Twelve O' eight, Claire Justine, Walking on Sunshine

Combination Stir Fry with BBQ Peanut Sauce Recipe

Hola Amigos! I guess at this moment we are clearing the fridge to make room for our 18 pounder bird and pies and everything we can possible prepare ahead of time. But what to eat before Turkey Day  arrives? well, just check among the "forgotten" items while making that needed space, put them all together and make a delicious stir fry.

This dish came about  because in one of my shopping trips I noticed this perfectly delicious 16 oz of stir fry mix for only $1.69!!! that is a bargain! Most of the time I stick to my rule of buying each veggie by itself because it's usually cheaper, but this one was a no-brainer, just the broccoli alone was $1.99 per head and I just needed a few tops and stems. Same with everything else.

In my fridge I found 1 lonely chicken breast, left from a package of 5, a handful of shrimp and 2 thin cut boneless pork chops, I already had a supply of sauces and condiments from previous visits to take outs ( I know laugh, but they come in handy sometimes) and who doesn't have peanut butter in the pantry?

After a 30 minutes you end up with a flavorful stir fry for almost nothing! You have used some of your leftovers without repeating a meal and creating something worth of the best take out place in town!
The peanuts were an impulse buy at the dollar store, saw a bag of BBQ peanuts and bought 2 for $1 never knowing what I was going to use them for...perfect crunchy element for my stir fry!

Do you check the "manager's special" at your local grocery store? How often do you buy or do you just pass them? I'm  thinking of doing this more often if the value and quality are there and try to create something good for almost nothing.

For this dish the only thing I bought was  the stir fry mix for $1.69!!! Score!

Thank  You for visiting the blog today! Hope you all have a wonderful weekend in anticipation to the big day to come. Remember friends, everything tastes better with a Pinch of Love!

Besitos,

Lizy

Combination Stir Fry with BBQ Peanut Sauce

Ingredients
1 1/2 tsp Sesame Oil

1 Chicken Breast, strips
2 Boneless thin cut pork chops, strips

1/2 lb Cooked Shrimp or use any meat you have handy

1 (16 oz) package Stir Fry Mix

1/2 Cup Onion, chopped

2 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 inch piece Ginger, ground

3 TBSP Peanut Butter

1 TBSP Soy Sauce
1 TBSP Hoisin Sauce
Thai Spice or Pepper Flakes to taste
1/4 Cup BBQ peanuts, chopped
Noodles or Rice to serve with your Stir Fry
Directions:
In a skillet heat up the  1 TBSP sesame oil and fry your chicken strips and pork chop strips until cooked. Set aside. Coat the skillet with the remaining 1/2 tsp of sesame oil add onions, garlic and saute until for 3 minutes. Keep moving constantly not to burn the garlic. Add the Stir fry mix, chicken and pork chop strips. Mix until everything is well combined about 2 minutes, finally add the shrimp. Remove from heat. 
In a separate small sauce pan, on low heat,  mix peanut butter, soy and hoisin sauce until everything is smooth, add Thai Spice Mix or pepper flakes to taste. 
Pour this sauce over stir fry mix coating everything and serve your creation on top of rice noodles or white rice. Enjoy!

Prep Time 10 minutes                            Cook Time 20 minutes                       Serves 4-6 

Sharing my Quick and Delicious Stir Fry at these Fabulous Parties:

Today's Creative Blog, Cheerios and Lattes, Made from Pinterest, Twigg Studios, Nifty Thrifty Things, Flamingo Toes, Life on Lakeshore Drive, I Should be Mopping the Floors, Will Cook For Smile, Titi Crafty, 2 Crochet Hooks, My Mixing Spoon, Under the Table and Dreaming, The Chicken Chick, Coastal Charm, Between Naps on the Porch, The Plaid and Paisley Kitchen, Cooking for the Seven Dwarfs, A Pinch of Joy, Create with Joy, The Tumbleweed Contessa, Kathe with an E, Feeding Big, Home Stories A to Z, Hun...What's for dinner, Out Table for Seven, The View from 510, Mandy's Recipe Box, Chef in Training, Nap-Time Creations, Pint Sized Baker, Lady Behind the Curtain, Ducks' n a Row, Fluster Buster, The Taylor House, Ginger Snap Crafts, Diana Rambles, Sweet Haute, Juggling Real Food and Real Life, My Turn (for Us), Craft Dictator, Tatertots and Jello, Rain on a Tin Roof, Huckleberry Love, Craft-O-Maniac, Skip to my Lou, Say Not Sweet Anne, Alderberry Hill, Boogieboard Cottage, Mad in Crafts, Frugality Gal, Carrie This Home, Smart School House, Kleinworth & Co, Homemade Ginger, Memories by the Mile, All She Cooks, Kitchen Meets Girl, My Girlish Whims, Pink Recipe Box, Artsy Fartsy Mama, The Best Blog Recipes, Craft Dictator

Stuffed Chicken Medallions Recipe

Hola Amigos! sharing with you today some comfort food now that the sun disappears early in the evening and the nights turn cold. This recipe have all those flavors and textures to keep us satisfied and will have everyone in the family coming for seconds.

Looks fancy and tastes wonderful, as anything with cheese and bacon! but is done in no time!

A great way to sneak some greens into the diet of your picky eaters and keeping the chicken moist through the baking process.

Finally if you are like me and think there is no comfort food if it doesn't has gravy, this creamy but light sauce will give the final touch to your medallions.

This is one of those recipes that there is really not much to say than to give it a try and enjoy it. With a green salad or pasta on the side, makes one delicious, healthy and economical meal! Thank you so much for visiting the blog today and having dinner with us! Always keep in mind my friends, that everything tastes better with a Pinch of Love!

Besitos,

Lizy

Stuffed Chicken Medallions

Ingredients

4 Boneless Chicken Breast (about 2 lbs)

1 (16 oz) Bag Spinach

1 (16 oz) Container Ricotta Cheese

1 ( 1 oz) Italian Salad Seasoning Mix

1 (2 oz) or 8 slices Pancetta

1 TBSP Butter

3/4 Cup Cream

Parmesan Cheese,

Salt and Pepper to taste.

Directions: 

Heat oven at 350 degrees.

Using a sharp knife, open each of your boneless chicken breast until you get sort of a butterfly out of each one. Between 2 pieces of parchment paper, flatten then a little bit so it's easy for you to stuff them. Set aside.

In a large bowl combine your ricotta cheese, spinach and salad mix. 

Take a flattened chicken breast on to a flat surface,season with some salt and pepper and  place 2 slices of pancetta on it, place some of the cheese and spinach mix, roll it a little bit and using some wooden toothpick pinch the sides together so the stuffing stays in place. Repeat the process with the rest of the chicken breasts.

Place in a bake safe pan and bake covered  for about 30-40 minutes until the chicken is cooked. Remove the chicken from the baking pan and let it rest before cutting it in the shape of medallions. 

To make the sauce, use the pan chicken drippings left on the baking dish. Place them in a small sauce pan with butter and cream, season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook for a few minutes without letting it boil until it reduces. Remove from heat and sprinkle some Parmesan cheese on top of the sauce and serve on chicken medallions. Enjoy.

Prep Time: 10 minutes                          Cook Time: 30-40 minutes                    Serves: 4

Sharing my comforting stuffed chicken at these Fabulous Parties:

Gingerly Made, Live Laugh Rowe, Made in a Day, Saving 4 Six, The Crafty Blogstalker, Creative Geekery, A Glimpse Inside, Sparkles and a Stove, Simply Dream and Create, Consider Me Inspired, The Mandatory Mooch, Artsy Fartsy Mama,What's Cooking Love, The Best Blog Recipe, Juggling Real Food and Real Life, The Girl Creative, Sweet Haute, Jennifer Rizzo, The Answer is Chocolate, Kitchen Fun with my 3 Sons, Rattlebridge Farm, Tidy Mom, My Turn (for Us), Craft Dictator, Becoming Martha, My Personal Accent, Living Better Together, The Jenny Evolution, 504 Main, Liz Marie Blog, Not Your Ordinary Recipes, The Pin Junkie, Diana Rambles, The Thriftiness Miss, Today's Creative Blog, Cheerios and Latttes, Angels Homestead, Too Much Time on my Hands, What's Cooking with Ruthie, SewLIcious Home Decor, Made from Pinterest, Lemon Paper Designs, Suburbs Mama, Twigg Studios, Nifty Thrifty Things, 2 Crochet Hooks, Flamingo Toes, Life on Lakeshore Drive, Serenity You, Everyday Mom's Meals, I Should be Mopping the Floors, My Mixing Spoons, Under the Table and Dreaming, This Gal Cooks, A Pinch of Joy, Lines Across, The Plaid and Paisley Kitchen, The Chicken Chick, Between Naps on the Porch, Feeding Big, Watch Out, Martha!, A Southern Fairtytale, The Gunny Sack, Our Table for Seven, Chef in Training, Home Stories A to Z, Nap Time Creations, Mandy's Recipe Box, Sugar Bee Crafts, Cozy Little House, Ginger Snap Crafts, Lady Behind the Curtain, Gina's Craft Corner, The Brambleberry Cottage, Lamberts Lately, The Mandatory Mooch, The 36th Avenue

Orzo and Chicken Autumn Skillet Meal Recipe

Hola Amigos! We had an unusually warm day for this time in the year up here. But still, it was one of those days that some comfort food was in order. I went to the store to get me some chicken and thought about trying the new chicken helpers on the market, just to make a quick meal but I couldn't Something about sweet and sour chicken coming out of a box doesn't sound too appealing to me, no matter how easy it looks.
I tell you guys, best decision ever! For about the same price I made this delicious and easy 1 skillet meal.
Maybe lady luck was on my side because all the mayor components were on sale! The rest we all have in our pantries.

A homemade meal to feed 4 for about $5 (well not counting the caramel apple candy corn and diet pop I got)!

This is your ideal Fall and Winter meal, easy, warm and comforting! In my book it doesn't get any better than that. Dinner is done in no time leaving plenty of time to enjoy the crisp weather and sunsets outside with the family.

Thank You for your visit to the blog today! I hope you are able to try this recipe and enjoy it as much as we did. Remember my friends, everything tastes better with a Pinch of Love!

Besitos,

Lizy

Orzo and Chicken Autumn Skillet Meal
Ingredients:
1 Pd Chicken Tenders (was on sale)
1 Pd Baby Spinach (was on sale for $1)
1 Small can Mushrooms slices (was on sale for $.89)
1 Large Onion, sliced
1 Clove Garlic, minced
2 Cup Chicken Broth
1/3 Cup Orzo (was on sale for $1)
1 Tbsp oil for browning
Directions:
Season your chicken as you usually do with salt and pepper. I add a pinch of celery salt to mine all the time.
In a large skillet add the oil. Let it get hot and add your onion and garlic clove. Cook until your onions are transparent, always keeping an eye on your garlic not to burn. Add the chicken and brown. Add spinach, mix in with the chicken. Add orzo, mushrooms and broth. Cook for the time indicated on the box. I cooked mine 12 minutes. We really don't like our pasta quite al dente, neither mushy so that time was good for me. If you like it more al dente by all means cook it for only 8 minutes which is the box recommended time.
Let it sit for a couple of minutes for the pasta to absorb the sauce and serve with Parmesan cheese and bread. Enjoy

Prep and cooking time 30 minutes                                                                  Serves 4

Sharing my Frugal Comfort Meal at these Fa-BOO-lous Parties:

The Best Blog Recipes, Craftionary, The Girl Creative, Tidy Mom, Home Maid Simple, Love and Laundry, Today's Creative Blog, Practically Functional, My Turn (for Us), Kitchen Fun with my 3 Sons, Sara Howe, Townsend House, Cooking with Curls, Living Better Together, Shaken Together, The Pin Junkie, 504 Main, Cheerios and Lattes, Six Sisters Stuff, It's Overflowing, Be Different Act Normal, Classy Clutter, What's Cooking with Ruthie, Angels Homestead, Suburbs Mama, Twigg Studios, Life on Lakeshore Drive, I Should be Mopping the Floors, The Chicken Chick, Huckleberry Love, Under the Table and Dreaming, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, The Velvet Moon Baker, Flamingo Toes, This Gal Cooks, WOM, Between Naps on the Porch, My Girlish Whims, Ginger Snap Crafts, Made to be a Momma, A Southern Faitytale, The Shady Porch, Mom's Test Kitchen, Mom's Test Kitchen, Lady Behind the Curtain, Creations by Kara, Ducks' n a Row, Our Table for Seven. Homemade Ginger, Hun What's for Dinner?, Memories by the Mile, Not Just a Housewife, Home Stories A to Z, The Blackberry Vine, The Mandatory Mooch, Sweet Haute, A Pinch of Joy, Recipes for my Boys, Kitchen Meets Girl, Real Coake Family, Considered Me Inspired, Cassidy's Cooking