Not-So-Good-For-You-But-Amazing-Spicy-Cheesy-Mac

I am adding a huge disclaimer before this recipe that it is NOT good for you. But, it is phenomenal and makes FANTASTIC leftovers. so good. Thanks to Chas Shannon who gave me the idea!

12-16 oz velveeta cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 can rotel or 1 cup salsa
2 chicken breasts
1 pint chopped grape tomatoes (optional)
box of macaroni noodles

Boil chicken breasts until done - Then shred the chicken
Combine velveeta, soup, broth, milk and rotel. Cook on low until bubbly and smooth.

In the meantime, cook macaroni until done and drain

Toss in tomatoes and shredded chicken and let cook for about 5 minutes. Then toss in macaroni and serve!!

SOOOOOOOOOOOOO GOOD.

Bon Ami

The past couple of weeks, I have been so homesick for Jackson. even though living in jackson was one of the hardest times of my life (crazy work schedule, trying to make friends, night shift, police training, infertility, insane lonliness) i really miss it. and i think it is because that is the only place me and my husband have made a home together. that was our first newlywed city. and i miss being at "home."

today as i sat outside of a crazy huge mall in maryland, the flashing thought of bon ami in jackson graced my mind. THE BEST RESTAURANT IN JACKSON. if you haven't eaten there yet, please go. and you need to go at lunch. do not go at dinner. dinner is expensive and you can get the same food at lunch for a much cheaper price.

i just need to talk about their crab cake lunch for a second. it is the most succulent crab with amazing sauce over roasted peppers and zucchini. delicious. if you are not in the mood for crab, you have to get their shrimp remoulade. they put sauteed shrimp over crispy romaine lettuce with juice melon pieces, and they top it off with candied nuts. fantastic. oh! and i forgot about the berry tea! you have to get the berry tea! omygosh. amazing.

ok i am done now. i just needed to talk about it for a second. i feel better.

Shrimp Scampi

I think shrimp scampi gets a bad rep. a lot of times i don't make it because i think it is full of calories and so bad for me. but, it's really not. what really makes shrimp scampi so bad for you is the butter. solution: don't use it. it is really simple as that. you replace the butter with lots of olive oil and lemon juice to give the sauce it's flavor. you can even use whole wheat pasta to amp up protein and fiber.

here are the ingredients for shrimp scampi:

1 pound linguini (go whole wheat for better health benefits)
1/4 onion minced - onions contain flavanoids, which help vitamin C function. It also helps with cardiovascular problems.
4 cloves garlic minced - garlic is high in manganese, vitamin c, and vitamin b6 - it also helps with cardiovascular issues.
3/4 to 1 pound shrimp - high in vitamin D, B12, and iron. 4 0z of shrimp provide over 20 grams of protein
1 cup white wine - its just good. and better than butter.
juice of 1 lemon - lemons contain high amounts of vitamin C
3 T of olive oil - good source of monounsaturated fats and vitamin E
1 cup peas - high in vitamin K, manganese, vitamin C, fiber, vitamin B1 and folate
reserve 1 cup pasta water
salt and pepper

1. Saute onions and garlic in olive oil till softened
2. Put in shrimp and saute till done about 5 or 6 min. take out the shrimp and cover to keep warm
3. add wine and lemon juice and olive oil- let boil and give it time to reduce- salt and pepper to taste
4. add cooked linguini and shrimp to sauce
5. toss with 1 cup reserved pasta water, frozen peas (they will cook from the heat of the sauce)fresh parsley and handful of parmesan if desired

see- shrimp scampi can be GOOD for you! shocking! this news will change your life!;)

Staples

as i am standing here making spaghetti sauce and listening to justin timberlake, i realized that i everything i needed for the sauce was already in my pantry and is ALWAYS in my pantry. what does it say about me that on my weekly grocery list, tomatoes and garlic are the norms just like milk and bread? i apparently am always ready for a spaghetti dinner! it got me thinking about what my "staples" say about me. here are the top 10 foods that i always keep on stock.


1. tomatoes
2. garlic
3. pasta (linguine, penne, fettuccine, macaroni...always have to be ready for my continuous pasta craving)
4. whipping cream
5. romaine lettuce
6. caesar dressing
7. hidden valley ranch
8. cranberry juice
9. parmesan cheese
10. salsa and chips


i want to know...what are your staples?

Avocado

i am going to do a whole post on the glorious and buttery avocado.

we have a friend here whose mom lives in california and has a .....wait for it....avocado tree. do what? yes, an avocado TREE. a tree that bears avocado. lots of them. every day waiting to be picked and so succulently devoured. she was so kind to send our friend LOTS of them. and that meant we got a whole lot too. A HUGE THANK YOU to said friend.

in order to celebrate the first day i did NOT have to wear a wool coat outside, i made chili. i know this makes no sense because chili is often associated with winter and cold weather. but, i did. so anyway, i opened one of these said gorgeous avocados and my mouth has never tasted anything so buttery and delicious. i made the BEST guacamole i have ever eaten and i can not wait to have an avocado sandwhich for lunch tomorrow and avocado on crackers and avocado on salad and avocado on a spoon.

Andrea's Guacamole Dip

1 avocado (preferrably picked fresh from an avocado tree)
1 tomato chopped
1 Tbl of fresh lime juice (preferrably picked from a lime tree. ok i'm taking this too far)
2 Tbl of sour cream
1/4 onion finely chopped
salt and pepper

me and my avocados are going to bed now. night!

i heart good food

when i was little, i played "pretend" every day and all day. I don't think i stopped playing "pretend" until i was 14. this is weird, i know. i would play mommy, hotel and library, but my favorite of all "pretends" was restaurant. i would create a menu and wait on all my tables.

as i grew up, i never lost my passion for playing restaurant and i secretly carried a desire to be a waitress. i finally got my chance to work at a white table cloth restaurant when i was a senior in college...i have worked with a governor and an engineering firm, but my favorite of all jobs was definitely this one. hands down.

i had to learn a whole new language of words like grey goose, haricot verts, parpadelle, straight up and gnocchi. since the restaurant only had about 15 employees, i was able to become friends with the owners. he would create a new recipe of duck or braised short ribs and ask me to try it before he put it on the menu. the waiters had half off the menu, so every night after work i would eat shrimp pasta, spinach salad with goat cheese or escargot and bread for dinner. needless to say, this spoiled me.

i learned that a good dining experience is really like an art. the manager really took me under her wing and taught me how to give the diners the best possible experience. i worked at perfecting it as much as i could. and nights when i ruined it by spilling water on a guest or accidentally throwing away someone's dinner that they wanted me to box up made me cringe.

it was during this time that my love for food flourished. i started watching food network and emulating different giada recipes for my parents. i also became obsessed with finding restaurants that served "real" food. i discovered that so many restaurants warm up frozen dinners, put them on a plate, charge 15 dollars and call it a day.

life pressed on and today i am not a waitress; i do not own a restaurant or anything of the like. but, i am constantly cooking and searching for new recipes to try while creating my own variations.

i also am eating out. a lot. i am constantly reading magazines that contain restaurant reviews like they are a mystery novel.

somehow me and my husband found ourselves with a job opportunity that allows us to travel to new cities we've never been before. and we are taking advantage of it. to me, you get to know a city by the people and the food that is in it.

i am having the time of my life being my own barefoot contessa and anthony bourdain and making wonderful and delicious memories. very blessed.