June 26, 2011- Chicken Burritos

We made chicken burritos tonight, using the left over diced, seasoned chicken we had from Friday.  I really appreciate how well the chicken reheats.  It is one of the best left-over foods in my opinion. 

June 24, 2011- Chicken Burritos

I whipped out chicken burritos for dinner tonight.  The chicken tenderloins that I pulled out the freezer were almost defrosted when it was time to start cooking.  That made them the perfect texture for chopping.  When they are completely thawed, it takes a long time to dice them.  I put the diced chicken into a hot skillet with some vegetable oil.  Once cooked completely, I added one and a half packages of Lawry's chicken taco seasoning and a half cup of water.  After the water cooked down, I added the seasoned chicken to burrito tortillas in which I had already shredded cheddar cheese.  We have grown accustomed to using shredded rotisserie chicken for our burritos, but this was equally tasty. 

Katie had some cheddar cheese and left over chicken strips, which were kind of rubbery. 

Tuesday, 3/29/2011

I used shredded rotisserie chicken to make burritos this evening.  This is a hit or miss meal for Katie.  Sometimes she loves it and sometimes she hates it.  Tonight she hated it.  She messed around with the tortilla long enough to unwrap it and then demand that I fix it.  Once fixed, she would do it all over again.  It was a long meal. She didn't end up eating much and will most likely be very hungry in the morning. 

Thursday, 3/3/2011

We had enough rotisserie chicken remaining to have chicken burritos again tonight.   For the second night in a row, Katie played with her burrito, but didn't eat more than a few tiny bites.  I wonder when she will switch to being hungry at the same times we are:)

Wednesday, 3/2/2011

I shredded a rotisserie chicken yesterday, getting it ready to use for meals this week.  It is so much easier to shred the meat when it is still warm, rather than waiting to do it after it is cold.  For tonight's meal, we made burritos with some of the shredded chicken.  I put a couple handfuls into a frying pan, heated it up a bit, added chicken taco seasoning and water, brought it to a boil, let some of the moisture simmer off, and then add it to tortillas with grated cheddar cheese.  It was a tasty, simple meal. 

We are really struggling, as most parents of toddlers do, with getting Katie to eat what and when we want her to.  She is rarely hungry when we are.  And, when she is sitting at the table to eat, she spends so much time playing and trying to get our attention to look at whatever she is doing, that it takes an hour each meal.  She is an expert at pushing our buttons during meals.  For instance, she won't take a spoon full of food directly from her bowl to her mouth.  She has to make a pit stop and rub the food on her other hand first.  Then she needs to get our attention to show us the mess she made, maybe ask us to clean it up, but still hasn't eaten anything.  Argh!!!  It gets very frustrating.  We know that she is just programmed to experiment and push boundaries.  We just don't have to like it.

But at the end of the day, we say our prayers and she is our sweet girl again.  She folds her hands in her lap and says "Dear God."  We then take turns thanking God for the people and things in our lives that make us happy and asking God to help those we know need it.  She finishes with a sweet "Ah-men."  What a dear girl she is:)

Thursday, 2/17/2011

For dinner, we made burritos with the left over taco meat from Tuesday.  Low-carb tortillas, filled with seasoned ground beef, shredded cheese, and hot sauce.  They are always quite tasty. 

Friday, 1/7/2011

We had beef burritos again tonight.  Katie really wanted my burrito last night.  Tonight I filled our tortillas with a bit more meat than normal so that she could have one end of mine.  It worked well.  I just cut off a couple inches and she went to town! I really like it when she is willing to eat what we are eating:)

Thursday, 1/6/2011

I was planning on serving left over pork chops for dinner tonight.  But, when Ben called on his way home from work, he told me that he was really looking forward to beef burritos.  Burritos weren't on my menu for any day this week.  One of two things must have happened.  Either he had a dream in which I told him that was what we were having for dinner, or we had a serious miscommunication.  Since his heart was set on it, I pulled a pound of ground beef from the freezer and started working it in a frying pan until it was thawed.  I managed to get it thawed, seasoned, and ready to put onto the tortilla within five minutes of when he got home.  I'm a pretty darn good wife, if I do say so myself;) 

Wednesday, 12/15/2010

I shredded some of the left over rotisserie chicken from Monday and made chicken burritos tonight.  Katie wasn't interested in a burrito and opted for a pb&j sandwich instead.  About halfway through her half sandwich, she declared that she wanted a cookie.  We told her she could have a cookie when she finished her sandwich.  It took AN HOUR for her to finish that half sandwich.  I think Ben and I finished eating in 10 minutes.  After a half hour, Ben left the table to get some other things done while I waited with Katie.  Finally, the sandwich was gone and she got her cookie.  You would think that she would eat it quickly given how long she had been sitting and waiting for it.  But no, it was another 25 minutes before she finished that dang sugar cookie. My goodness, that was a long and boring meal.

Saturday, 11/27/2010

We drove down to Olympia this afternoon to have dinner at Ben's Aunt Carol, Uncle Jim, and Cousin Austen's house.  Carol made burritos with shredded left over Thanksgiving turkey.  I'm not sure what was in the sauce she poured over the top, but they were delicious.  For dessert we had pumpkin pie:)  We haven't visited with Jim, Carol, and Austen for several months.  It was really nice to catch up with them.

Thursday, 10/28/2010

They are here!!!  My first album, Favorite Things, arrived this morning.  Whoo Hoo!!!  Katie and I went to Ben's office during the lunch hour so that she could show off her pink kitty Halloween costume, and so that I could sell some of my CDs.  It was surreal to see my photo on a professional CD and to be asked to sign it.

After leaving Ben's office, Katie and I ran errands until 3pm.  That is when the Halloween party at my office began.  I was very thankful for Judy and Danielle who provided non-candy treats for the little kids.  Katie picked up a toy ring, jelly bracelets, bubbles, and play-dough.  After the party, we picked up Ben from work and headed home.  Katie did not nap today until we were .25 miles away from home.  It was not a quality nap:)  After a day with no break from Katie, I was exhausted.  Ben took on Katie and dinner duties while I took a quick nap.  Thanks Ben!

We had beef burritos for dinner, and they were goo-ood.  We used non-lean beef, which always improves the overall flavor.  Ben made one burrito a little thicker so that we could cut off the end and give it to Katie.  She did a great job eating it, but the hot sauce did a number on her little lips.  They got all swollen and red:(  She didn't seem to mind it too much and just licked them a lot.  I was thrilled that she was willing to eat something with a lot of flavor. 

Tuesday, 10/5/2010

Tonight we had a simple dinner of beef burritos and fruit salad.  We all have colds and just aren't up for anything fancy.  I made the fruit salad out of frozen raspberries from my parent's bushes, bananas, and grapes.  The funny thing is, I think Katie's cold has affected her nose to the point that she can't smell or taste very well.  Usually she passes on taco meat, because it is a bit too spicy.  It didn't seem to bother her at all tonight.  In fact, she insisted on eating the last inch of my burrito.  I was so happy to see her eating dinner that I gladly gave it up.  She also gobbled down the grapes and raspberries in my fruit salad.  I guess she prescribes to the "feed a cold" motto.

Thursday, 8/14/2010

We are really getting a good run out of our rotisserie chicken this week.  Tonight we fixed chicken burritos.  I shredded some of the chicken into a frying pan, added 1 1/2 packets of chicken taco seasoning, and 2/3 cups of water.  After some of the water cooked off and the seasoning was nicely distributed, it was time to add the chicken to the cheddar cheese filled soft tortilla shells.  We drizzled on some hot sauce and nuked them in the microwave to melt the cheese.  I realize that this is exactly what we had a few days ago, with the exceptions of the taco seasoning addition and soft tortillas instead of tortilla chips.  Oh well, at least it tasted good:)  

Katie ate a ton for breakfast and lunch today.  So, it was understandable that she would only nibble at her dinner.  We gave her some unseasoned chicken, broccoli, raisins, and pears.  She loved the raisins, but it took some creative bribing to get her to eat the chicken and broccoli.  She really wanted Ben and me to drink from our water glasses.  Ben told her that he would take a drink after she took a bite of chicken.  Surprisingly, it worked.  I wonder how many meals we can play this game for before she figures us out?

Monday, 8/2/2010

The last time I purchased chicken breasts from the grocery store, I neglected to notice the fine print that noted that they came with rib meat. I thought I was purchasing just chicken breasts. Oh well--I made the most of it by cutting off the extra meat and then chopping and freezing it. Tonight, I used that chopped chicken to make burritos. It thawed pretty quickly and required no knife or cutting board cleaning today! I cooked the chicken in a skillet with vegetable oil until no longer pink, added a packet of Lawry's Chicken Taco seasoning and 3/4 cups of water. After the water evaporated a bit, we had tasty meat for our burritos. In the Ackers house, burritos are just meat, hot sauce, and melted cheddar cheese. Ah, simple and good:) We had corn on the side.

And for dessert...homemade vanilla ice cream and blackberry cobbler! Our neighbor's back yard is almost completely engulfed in blackberry bushes. Although we don't like them invading our property, we don't mind if a few berry laden branches make their way over the fence each year. While my parents were visiting, my dad picked a bowl full of berries for me to use. I tried a new cobbler recipe and it was pretty good. Ben liked it and his was the most important opinion here:)
I got it from the cookbook titled "Basic Baking" by Sebastian Dickhaut, Jennifer Newens, and Cornelia Schinharl.



BLACKBERRY COBBLER

Makes 8 servings

For the filling:
4 cups fresh blackberries
1/2 cup sugar, or more or less to taste
2 tablespoons cornstarch
Grated zest of 1/2 lemon

For the topping:
2 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) cold unsalted butter
1 cup whipping cream, plus more for serving if desired
1 tablespoon coarse sugar

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. For the filling, pick over the berries to remove any leaves and other foreign material. Put the berries in a bowl and toss them with the sugar, cornstarch, and lemon zest; set aside.

2. For the topping, put the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and mix well. Cut the butter into small cubes. Put the butter cubes into the flour mixture and, with a fork or your fingers, blend the mixture until it resembles cornmeal. Slowly add the 1 cup of cream, mixing just until the batter is moistened.

3. Pour the fruit into a 10-inch pie or springform pan. It's a good idea to put the pan on a foil-lined baking sheet to catch any drips--it's better than cleaning out the oven! Spoon the topping over the fruit, letting some space remain between sections of topping. Sprinkle with the coarse sugar.

4. Bake the cobbler for 15 to 20 minutes until the topping is golden brown and the fruit is bubbly.

A couple comments about the cobbler. The topping was pretty thick. It was a nice golden brown after 20 minutes, but was still doughy next to the berries. Ben didn't mind that at all. It didn't taste bad, but I felt like it was supposed to be completely cooked. I used a heart shaped pie plate my mother-in-law Jennifer gave me at my bridal shower. I should mention, blackberry cobbler is one of Ben's favorite desserts. It seemed like a good time to use the plate:) Also, you wouldn't think that zest from 1/2 a lemon would impact the flavor much, but it really did add a lemon flavor to the whole dish. Although I didn't mind the lemon flavor, I would have preferred a little less. All in all, it was a nice cobbler, which I'm sure we will completely consume. However, I think I will try to make one more cobbler with a different recipe before the blackberry season is complete.

Oh, and the ice cream recipe came with my Kitchen Aide Mixer ice cream attachment. Pretty basic...lots of egg yolks, half & half, whipping cream, vanilla extract, a little salt...churn, churn, churn...freeze, freeze, freeze:) So nice over a warm bowl of cobbler!

Friday, 7/16/2010

I was supposed to go to a two-hour Parent Orientation for Katie's swim lessons tonight. This morning, I very strongly told Ben how it was important for me to go. And then, tonight, when Katie and I arrived at his office to pick him up, I changed my mind. I figured that I've already gone through one class with her and we did just fine. What else would I really learn in two-hours? I guess I'll never know, because we went out to dinner instead:)

We went to the Guaymas Cantina at Harbor Steps in downtown Seattle. It wasn't very busy, so we were able to take our pick of the tables available. I had Chile Verde--chunks of tender pork in a spicy tomatillo sauce. I ate mine with rice and corn tortillas. Well, the pork wasn't very tender. Perhaps it had been sitting in the warming pan too long. And, the sauce, although very good, was not spicy at all. Not a bad meal, but a little disappointing.

Ben had the "Wet" Chile Colorado Burrito--a flour tortilla filled with chunks of tender sirloin, rice, and beans, covered with spicy Chile Colorado sauce and cheese. Ben said his dish was "good" and that he "would order it again". Katie ate some of the rice and beans and munched on tortillas dipped in the sauces on our plates.

Tuesday, 6/29/2010

Ben and I had beef burritos again for dinner tonight. Katie got sick earlier in the day, so she had to stick to a pretty bland menu. She only got plain pieces of our tortillas, a quarter of a pear, graham crackers, and water. With two sickies in the house, me and Katie, it was a pretty uneventful evening.

Monday, 6/28/2010

Tonight's meal was simple--beef burritos. Standard use of taco seasoning with lean ground beef, shredded cheddar cheese, and low carb wheat burrito tortillas. Ben's burrito had some hot sauce in it. I left it off of mine due to my sore throat.

Katie was the wild card in tonight's meal. About a 1/2 hour before we ate, she was whining for food. I told her we were going to wait so that we could eat together with Daddy. When we finally sat down, she barely touched her food. Then she started to pull off her bib. We won't let her continue without a bib on. Either the bib stays on or she is done with the meal. But, she wouldn't tell us that she was all done. Each time we went to try to clean her up, she would reach back towards the food. What's a momma to do?!? Well, this momma decided to clean her up and get her down from her high chair.

Not long after that, we went upstairs so that she could take a bath. We were just about to put her down for the night when she started signing for food. Milk. Cheese. Bread. Peanut butter. Thinking that she was still hungry, we went back downstairs. She went right to the fridge and started pointing to the jar of jam. At this point, we think that she means jam when she signs for bread. Anyway, we made her a small pb&j sandwich. Seated back in her high chair, she proceeded to pull the two pieces of bread apart to lick off the pb&j. She only took a few small bits out of the bread. The kicker was when she rubbed her jam covered hand through her clean hair. ARGH! That was the end of her second dinner. Her hands and hair were cleaned up, despite her loud objections, and we took her upstairs to bed. It's been about a 1/2 hour and I haven't heard a peep from her. I guess she was just plain tired.

Friday, 6/4/2010

I pulled a couple chicken breasts out of the freezer today, unsure of what I was going to make for dinner with them. As dinner time approached, I decided to go with good old chicken burritos. I diced the raw chicken into pretty small cubes, maybe 1/2 inch. I cooked the chicken in oil until done and added taco seasoning and water. When the sauce had thickened a bit, I add it to tortillas already topped with shredded cheddar cheese. Drizzled with a little hot sauce and nuked in the microwave to melt the cheese, the chicken burritos were delicious.

In the past, Katie has willingly eaten the taco seasoned chicken. Not tonight. I don't think she ate more than 3 pieces. And, she definitely prefers cubed cheese over shredded. Much like her friend Oliver:)

Wednesday, 5/12/2010

I used left over rotisserie chicken to make chicken burritos tonight. This is such an easy dish to make when the chicken is already shredded. Looks like I last made this dish on 4/20, almost made it a month before repeating it:)

We are trying to have more fruit and vegetables with our meals so that Katie will eat them. She eats much better when she is offered the same things we are eating. So, although we would usually go without a side dish when having burritos, I fixed a lovely fruit salad this evening. I used fresh strawberries, pear, and grapes. This thrilled Katie, who gobbled it down. There was a little salad left over. I plan to give it to her for breakfast tomorrow.

Wednesday, 4/28/2010

My friend Lyle invited me to go see the musical "On the Town" this evening at the 5th Avenue Theater. He brought over burritos from Chipotle Mexican Grill for us to eat before heading downtown. I had a Carnitas Burrito with rice, pork, cheese, and medium green salsa. Although the burrito was huge and delicious, I must comment on the crappy website I tried to navigate in order to find the menu.

When I first went to the site, I looked at the graphics and links on the page and saw nothing that said menu. I tried looking for a location near me, thinking the menus might be regional. Nope, nothing there. Eventually, I started the process of ordering food online and found a faxable form which was essentially the menu. The funny part is that just now, when I was getting the site link to add to this post, I just happened to run my curser over the Chipotle graphic in the top left corner of the page and out flew the site menu. It included the food menu I previously struggled to find. In my experience, it is expected that the header graphic on a website will take you back to the home page. I have never seen a site menu hidden in that graphic before. I'm not sure it is the best strategy Chipotle.

While out on the town (pun only slightly intended) Lyle pointed out that we have been friends for over 10 years now. On one hand, I can't believe that so much time has passed. And on the other hand, I can see how 10 years have passed based on how much has changed in our lives since we first met at BER orientation in 1999. I'm glad we are still friends:)