Honey Mustard Chicken

Honey Mustard Chicken

INGREDIENTS

• Chicken tenders
• Cornbread Stuffing
• Zucchini
• Mustard Pepper Seasoning (Grill Creations)
• Honey
• 2 Tablespoons of margarine or butter
• Whole cranberries

UTENSILS NEEDED

• George Forman Grill
• Pan for stuffing and zucchini

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

Start the dressing first. Read the instructions on the back of the dressing box carefully and make the desired amount. Add cranberries to the dressing while it’s cooking.

Preheat the grill for two minutes
Place up to 3 chicken strips on the grill at one with the lid open
Place 1 tablespoon of butter on top of the strips and allow it to melt before putting the lid down
After about 30 seconds sprinkle the mustard seasoning on top of the chicken and close the lid. The chicken will cook quickly so watch it closely. (Chicken is done when the juices are clear.)
When the chicken is done, drizzle a tiny bit of honey over the top of it and allow it to cook for only 5 seconds more.
The entire process should take less than 5 min.
Repeat these steps for the remaining chicken strips.
Nuke a veggie and plate it up. Enjoy.

COMMENTARY

Meals that we enjoy do not have to be completely homemade. I use boxed items for convenience sake. It’s cheaper for me to make some items homemade but the energy it takes is sometimes lacking. Boxed items allow me to eat what I want to eat but save the energy for something else. That’s what this journal is about, eating well and saving energy. When you see convenience items in this journal don’t raise your eyebrows and say, “I thought she was a certified chef?” I am. I'm a certified chef struggling with depression. I’ve been through a lot of therapy and I’ve got a lot of good ideas about how to acclimate my life to this condition. This journal is about sharing those ideas, not about “gourmet” meals by Aussie.

COOKING TIPS

Herbs and Spices

Oh, those herbs and spices! We see chef’s use them all the time and wish we knew how to do it. Well, you can. If you don’t know what spice goes with what dish then check the back of the box of items that you like. The back of your dressing box will tell you what herbs are in it. These are the herbs that go best with chicken. If you look at the back of a box of tuna helper the spices in it are the spices that go best with fish. Don’t stop there though, when you’re in the store check out the ingredients of items you’d love to buy but cost too much. Notice the herbs and spices as well as the veggies in it and combine those ingredients at home. Your guide to balancing herbs and spices is this: ¼ the amount of spices as herbs. It’s really that simple. If you like spicy then add a little more spice, if you are more of a mild flavor person like myself then use a little less. In your kitchen you reign supreme. The rules can be bent in some cases (not with baking) so don’t worry about doing things exactly the way you’ve seen Martha Stewart do it on TV. If your family doesn’t like it then blame it on the black chick on the web!

When to Walk Away

Have you ever noticed that you add a little this or that to a dish but it just doesn’t taste right so you add a little more and a little more? I do that too but I have to decide when to let well enough alone. After a few samples of your dish it all tastes the same. More salt, more sugar, more this or that wont make much of a difference because what you’re dealing with is not a food issue, it’s a *mental picture you’re trying to change via your taste buds. It doesn’t work so walk away, work on another task and come back to the dish, taste it again and go from there. If you just can’t walk away try cleaning your palate. Take long, deep breaths in whole coffee beans.

*Mental picture: our personal expectations, our ideal dish or ideal baked goods. If you see yourself as Martha Stewart and you expect your dish to turn out like something she would make then you’re fooling yourself. Your mental image doesn’t jive with what is before you. Keep your expectations real and grounded. Know when to walk away and let well enough alone.

Thank you for visiting,
Aussie’s Kitchen

Cooking for one is worth it when that one person is you.
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Spicy Chicken and Lentils

Spicy chicken and lentils

INGREDIENTS

• 1 chicken breast
• ½ box of Chicken Thyme Soup
• ¼ small red pepper
• Green beans
• Garlic bread

UTENSILS NEEDED

• Slow cooker
• George Forman Grill
• Microwave-able dish for the green beans

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

*Core the red pepper and discard the seeds. If you decide to add the seeds please be sure to have your family doctor on the phone so he can help your family administer hot pepper CPR. My suggestion is to get rid of the seeds. Slice the pepper in large strips and place them on top of the soup ingredients.

Read the instructions on the back of the box carefully. Remember to add only half the water because you’re only using half the ingredients. Place the contents of the soup in a slow cooker and set it on medium, put the peppers on top. The lentils will cook slowly and take up to 3 hours so this is one of those recipes you don’t have to stay home and watch over.

When the lentils are done put your chicken breast on the grill and allow it to cook. To get the grilled look pre-heat the grill for two minutes.
Toast bread or garlic bread.
Prepare a veggie
Enjoy
..

Commentary

In stores the soup mix will cost you up to $3.00 but I found this soup mix at my local food pantry. If you go to a food pantry and you are allowed to choose what you want be sure to look at everything. You may find little treasures such as this soup mix.

Beware of red peppers. If you use the seeds you will get burned. You must seed the pepper before adding it to the slow cooker soup.

COOKING TIPS

Food Safety Tips

Always wash your hands before and after cooking. The majority of food-born illnesses are a result of poor hand washing skills. So how do you wash your hands properly?
Position your hands under the water and scrub for about 5 seconds. Clean all the way past your wrist. When drying, hold your hands and arms facing down, not up. When the doctors on ER hold their arms up with the water dripping down it’s for Hollywood effect only. No doctor I’ve ever known or that I’ve seen would let the water run down the arm and accumulate on the sleeves. Hold your hands and arms down so that the water runs off. Dry your hands well.

It is important to be balanced in your cleaning of food and food surfaces. If you spray enough you can keep down germs, if you spray too much the chemicals build up in your house and cause pulmonary difficulties for you, your family and your pets. Be balanced in how you clean and how you view germs. Be aware of what causes germs, like under-cleaned sponges and under-cleaned dish rags, cutting boards used without proper washing or surfaces holding raw meat and veggies simultaneously. The good thing about germs is, the body is designed to fight them and win. The bad thing about germs is, if we don’t understand them we can’t help our body fight them. Be balanced in your hand washing and be conscious of your food surfaces and as always, enjoy yourself.

Thank you for visiting,

Aussie’s Kitchen

Cooking for one is worth it when that one person is you.

Rate this recipe by leaving a comment
All rating are welcome!