BBQ Chicken Nachos

There are very few people (that I know, at least) who don't like nachos. I LOVE nachos.  There is a restaurant near us, Chardonnay's, and while most of their food is quasi-mediocre, they have great sangria and great BBQ Chicken Nachos.

I never thought to make the BBQ Chicken nachos myself.  However, the other day, I saw a blog post by Baked Bree where she made them, and she cooked the chicken in the SLOW COOKER!!!  So naturally, I needed to try them!  And they were not only a hit, but they were delicious!!

BBQ Chicken Nachos!

In the slow cooker, I put 3 chicken breasts.  The breasts were huge, so I sliced the in half (so I essentially had 6 thinner breasts), and I seasoned the breasts (top and bottom) with seasoning salt.  Whatever you have is fine.  So -- In the slow cooker, I put the 6 breasts, on low for 4 hours.  A lot of water generated from the cooking (you can discard the water when they're done shredding, and you don't need to flip the breasts during the cook time), and when they're done, they absolutely fall apart.  Just take tongs and a fork and shred them up!

3 massive chicken breasts, sliced thin to make 6 pieces total, all cooked up in the crock pot

Shred that chicken!  After 4 hours on low, the chicken just falls apart!

If you're ambitious, you can make your own BBQ Sauce.  While I AM ambitious, I was too busy today to make my own, so I fell back on Sweet Baby Rays.  I actually used their Sweet & Spicy BBQ Sauce, and it was delicious!

For toppings on the Nachos, I used the following:

• Chopped Scallions
• Chopped Cilantro
• Chopped Tomato
• Onions & Peppers - chopped and sautéed so they're soft, but still with a little bite to them (I'm not a huge fan of raw onions)
• Shredded Cheddar Cheese (I bought a block of cheese and shredded it myself - it makes a huge difference than when you buy pre-shredded cheese!)

All of these, plus some chips, and the chicken, and you've got yourself some absolutely deliciousness!

Shredded cheese, chopped scallions, cilantro, and tomato, shredded BBQ Chicken, and sautéed onions & peppers

When you're ready, assemble!!!

• Corn Chips
• Shredded Chicken
• Onions, Peppers, Tomatoes, Scallions, and Cilantro
• Shredded Cheese

Repeat for as many layers as you want!!
I layered my nachos (2 layers) on a baking sheet lined with Aluminum Foil.  Once assembled, I stuck the sheet under the broiler for about 5-8 minutes, until everything was heated through and the cheese was melted.

Serve with Sour Cream and Guacamole!  And Sangria!!

Enjoy!!

Homemade Chipotle Burrito Bowls

One of my favorite "fast food" places to go to is Chipotle.  This follows the theory that I might be part-Mexican (not really, but I really do love Tex-Mex food), or it may just be because Chipotle food is quick and easy, and also somewhat healthy.

My favorite dish there is the Burrito Bowl, with brown rice, black beans, chicken, fresh tomato salsa, and guacamole.  Ideally, I really love it with cheese and sour cream, as well, however I reserve those for special days.  I love their burritos, as well, but I find the burrito bowl a less easier to eat, and a lot less messy.

Last night, for dinner, I decided that I wanted Chipotle for dinner, at home.  We live in Seekonk, MA, and while that is pretty much a central location for just about everything, the closest Chipotles are in Providence (on Thayer St, where you can never get a decent parking spot), Cranston RI (in Garden City, which is an easy enough location, but 25 minutes away and the food will be cold by the time I get home), and Raynham MA (which is right down the street from work, but will once again be cold by the time I get home).  Therefore, I decided to put together my own Chipotle at home!

The Layers of Camille's Chipotle Burrito Bowl:

• Brown Rice (just follow the package directions)
• Black Beans (open a can, dump it into a pan, and heat them up)
• Avocado (I smashed up a couple avocado with some lime juice)
• Tomatoes (I cut up a few plum tomatoes, and dressed them with salt and pepper)
• Chicken and Vegetables
• In a large frying pan, I sautéed 1 medium chopped onion, 1 red bell pepper, and 1 green bell pepper.  I let the vegetables get really soft, but not over-browned.
• From the market, I cleaned a small All-Natural Rotisserie Chicken of all the white breast meat, and as much of the leg and wing meat as possible.  I chopped the meat into cube that only a little bit bigger than the size of the onion and peppers.
• I added the meat to the onion/pepper mixture, then I added 1 cup of water, and 1 package of low sodium taco seasoning, and mixed until it all came together.

Then, get layering!!

A scoop of rice, black beans, chicken and vegetables, tomatoes, and avocado!

Delicious, nutritious, and under 600 calories!

Enjoy!!

Home-made "Burrito Bowl" from Chipotle - Brown Rice, Black Beans, Chicken with Onions & Peppers, Tomatoes, and Avocado

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Super Simple Dinners: Chicken Caesar Salad

For the past two weeks, I've been in NJ for work.  Overall, it wasn't a fun trip, but did result in 2 visits to my sister's...Which was fun.  The first visit, it was just the two of us, and we had a lot of laughs over dinner and a bottle of wine.  The second visit, Timur (her husband) was home and the three of us had a great dinner and wine.

While I was on my 2nd visit, I helped my sister prepare dinner and noticed something on the refrigerator....Something that I decided I was going to adopt as a habit.  It was a weekly meal list.  The simple act of writing out what is for dinner each night of the week can really make life so simple.  Basically, they decide what they're going to have for dinner over the weekend, and then go to the market on Sunday to buy needed ingredients for the week.

It's the simplest thing - but it takes the guess work out of dinner time...It also takes care of the "I'd really like to make X but I'm missing 3 ingredients."  

So Stephanie...You're a genius.  Just don't let it go to your head.  :o)

So one of the meals on my sister's list was Chicken Caesar Salad.  I got so excited when I saw this because she made it for me once before and I fell in love with it.  She gave me the recipe, but I still haven't made it yet...But I WILL be making it this week!

So here it is!!  (from www.myrecipes.com)

11 cup romaine lettuce 
1 cup red bell pepper
3 Tbsp olive oil 
1 1/2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice 
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce 
2 tsp Dijon mustard 
1/4 tsp sugar 
1/4 tsp table salt 
1/4 tsp black pepper 
1 clove(s) (medium) garlic clove(s) 
1 1/2 cup(s) plain croutons 
1/2 cup(s) grated Parmesan cheese 
2 pound(s) roasted skinless chicken breast

Remove chicken from bones and shred with 2 forks to measure 3 cups meat. 

Combine chicken, lettuce, and bell pepper in a large bowl. 

For vinaigrette: combine oil, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, sugar, salt, pepper, and garlic in a bowl, stirring well with a whisk. 

Pour over salad. Toss well, sprinkle with croutons and cheese, and toss gently to combine.

Enjoy!!

Monday Matters

1. My mom put on an awesome (very last minute) party on Saturday for my birthday (which is tomorrow)!!!  She made my favorite foods for dinner, and even made TWO cakes!



Birthday Bunt Cakes!!!  Yellow Cake with Chocolate Creamcheese frosting and Coconut Cake!!!  

1. Dinner consisted of Chicken Marsala (it's not really chicken marsala....Because we don't use Marsala wine....So it's really just chicken marinated and cooked in wine with onions and mushrooms - my very best favorite meal as a kid), Spanish Rice, and Salad


2. Cake?  How about TWO cakes!  I asked my mom if I could request yellow cake with chocolate frosting....Her reply?  That Nonni (my grandmother) had requested Coconut Cake....But since it was my birthday, she insisted on making what I wanted!  So I got two cakes!  SO YUMMY!!!


2. We did a TON of work at the house this weekend.  We starting trimming down the front bed which has 15 years worth of untrimmed Juniper Bushes (yes, seriously, the neighbor told us of the non-ambitious previous owner, and how he never trimmed the bushes down).  I'm pretty sure all of the neighbors are excited that they'll soon be able to see around the corner without bushes being in the way.  The only problem?  There is too much yard waste to bring to the landfill ourselves.  I called public works - they won't make a special trip to pick it up....So we're on to devising a Plan B....



It's hard to see in the picture, but there is a totally overgrown area in the corner (with a dead tree, as well)....It's cleanup time!!!

3. In more house news, my Aunt Regina (who is selling her amazing house) is selling us her dining room set.  This set is the most amazing thing I've ever seen in my entire life.  Dining room table with two leafs and covers, eight chairs, full hutch (with a light inside!), and a butler station.  It's amazing.  I can't wait until my house is DONE!


4. The new contractor came over to my house on Friday with his plumber.  They're starting to finish everything this week (hopefully).  Everything that the previous plumber did is wrong, and they have to redo almost everything.  Oh lovely.


5. My friend Victoria at Mission-Food made a Mexican Fiesta yesterday and it looks A-MAZING and I can't wait to try the Gronk-Amole.  That's right.  You heard what you heard.  GRONK!!!!!


6. I made Chili for dinner on Friday and it was really good.  However, I'm starting to think that there were just too many beans (it was fine on Friday at dinner....Leftovers for lunch - not so much).  Don't get me wrong, I love anything with beans, but I feel like it's too much beany texture.  I might need to revise.


7. I've read a lot about the Will and Kate photo scandals on Perezhilton lately.  I feel really bad for them.  Talk about an invasion of privacy.  I don't understand how people can think it's okay to stalk people while they're on a PRIVATE estate and then publish pictures of their private rendezvous.  I hope those people get in some serious trouble.


8. So speaking of Perezhilton.....I love reading celebrity gossip and wondering WHAT ON EARTH is going on in their heads when they make decisions, and then have to live with the results.  Maybe it's the fame that makes people think that they're invincible....and able to get away with anything (like stealing jewelry, hit and run accidents, or smoking pot while driving).  At the same time, I feel bad for these people when they are so heavily publicly scrutinized for every single one of their actions (see point 7), even stupid people like Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart....For goodness sake - let them sort out their relationship problems in PRIVATE!!!


9. I made waffles for breakfast yesterday.  Nothing fancy, just plain waffles.  Flour, Baking Powder, Milk, Egg, Oil, and a little vanilla.  Scrumptious.


10. I think I have a problem with stealing napkins and plastic-ware at work...



Need a napkin?  I have a few to spare....And some spoons....

11. Wouldn't seeing Gronk on your way to work make you happy, too???



GRONK!!!

Siena East Greenwich

So Friday, Scott and I drove into work together.  On the way home, we stopped by the house to see any progress in the painting and then we decided to go out to dinner.  My first thought was Cassarino's on Federal Hill in Providence....However, we have a gift certificate there and it was in Cranston....So that was a no-go.  Then we decided on Siena....But instead of going to the location on Federal Hill like we usually do, we decided to go to the location in East Greenwich.  Well, we were pleasantly surprised!!

The menu is very different, and they have an amazing appetizer choice - The Cheese Board!!!  You can get one of the three cheese board combinations that they put together, or you can do a "make your own" by choosing between some meat selections, olives, and cheeses.

Dinner was also amazing!!

If you have the chance to go there, I highly recommend it!!

Here's what we chose!

Soprasada, Castelvetrani olives, and Burrata (amazingly fresh mozzarella cheese).  The board also comes with crustini, fig jam, and candied nuts.  AMAZING!!!

Scott's dinner - Schiaffoni del Calzolaio - large tubes of pasta with ground sausage in a San Marzano tomato sauce

My Dinner - Cavatappi con Pollo - corkscrew pasta with chicken, spinach and roasted red peppers in a lemon-garlic sauce

Free Lunch

I am not shy to admit that if someone offers me a free lunch, I'm going to take it.  I'm working on a project right now and I've been blessed with free lunch every day.  Sounds good, right?  Well, sort of...


For the past week and a half, I've had some form of chicken every day for lunch.  While the chicken is prepared [somewhat] differently every day, it's pretty much the same thing.  Chicken with some kind of sauce, with rice and vegetable.  And dinner rolls.  And some kind of dessert (which I've been avoiding like the plague).


The thing is, on Sunday, but my mom and my mother in law brought us dinner at the house.  They both made a different kind of chicken.  So let's do the math:


Sunday Lunch:  Chicken (My Mom's)
Sunday Dinner:  Chicken (My mother in law's)
Monday Lunch:  Chicken (FREE LUNCH!)
Monday Dinner:  Chicken (Leftovers - My Mom's)
Tuesday Lunch:  Chicken (FREE LUNCH)


I am starting to grow feathers and a beak!  I'm turning into a chicken!!

A typical free lunch at work...Chicken rice, veggies, and a dinner roll....

Lola's Tequila Bar & Cantina

It amazes me that even though I've lived on "The East Side of Providence" for almost 5 years now, I still manage to not only find new places, but also occasionally get lost.  A few weeks ago, I drove all the way down India Street and turned onto South Water Street (the little strip of South Water Street that is between India Street and Point Street).  My intention was to drive to Point Street and take a left so that I could get to an appointment over near the hospital.  In any case, I get to the end of South Water Street and realize that I can't take a left hand turn.  So I went around the block again, and got to the end of South Water street again, and was like, come on Pietros, you're better than that!  In any case, in my trips around the block, I found a little Mexican place that I decided I needed to try.

Lola's Tequila Bar & Cantina is tucked into South Water Street, with a beautiful Waterfront view.  On Tuesday, I went with my friend-cousin Suzie (our husbands are first cousins, but we were friends first!!!) and we really enjoyed everything about the place.  We sat outside where there are a number of painted picnic tables - the view was really great!

A view from our table

A view of the 195 bridge, all lit up!

For dinner, we both got burritos (Suzie had chicken, I had Al Pastor (basically pulled pork)) and they were both delicious and totally worth the $8 and $10 we paid for them.  

Also, the chips and salsa they served before the meal were amazing - the salsa was similar to Tortilla Flats, but had a hint of cilantro which really made it zing.

Chips and Salsa with a Corona on the side

Tuesdays are advertised as $2 Taco Tuesday ($4 for Fish Tacos), and Thursdays they have a Bluegrass band in the bar upstairs.  

I highly recommend it, you won't be sorry!!!

Crock Pot Chicken and Broccoli

Another attempt at Chicken and Broccoli.  But this time was a little better than my last attempt.


I stopped in the market really quick the other day and picked up a package of chicken - 1 lb of chicken breast tenders.  When I got home, I realized that I had no clue what to do with it.  I had a bottle of stir fry sauce, but only peppers to go with it (not an onion to be found!).  Last week, I did Chicken Caesar Salad, so I didn't want to do that again so soon.  I browsed around online a little bit, and found what looked like a cool recipe for crock pot chicken and broccoli.  It had cream of mushroom soup and cream cheese, neither of which I had, so I ended up adapting it a bit...


In the crock pot, I threw together the following:

• 1 lb chicken breast tenders, cut in medium chunks (probably 4-5 pieces per tender)
• 1/2 bag frozen chopped broccoli
• 1 1/4 cups chicken stock
• 1 package Good Seasons Italian Dressing (just the dry seasoning)

That's it.  Cooked on low for 3 1/2 hours, and Viola!


Some notes on this:

1. It is better to cook the chicken, stock and dressing for about 2-2 1/2 hours, and THEN add the broccoli.  Because I cooked the broccoli the whole time, by the time we ate, it was like complete mush.  
2. I made this with brown rice.  I added a dash of salt into the water when I boiled it, and I would recommend NOT doing this.  With the concentrated flavor of the dressing mix, the salt was not needed.  Also - if you happen to have low sodium chicken broth, I would use it.  

Crock Pot Chicken and Broccoli

Enjoy!! :o)

Chicken Caesar Salad

Over the weekend I went to NY for my sister's Bachelorette Party.  When I arrived at my sister's in the afternoon, she had lunch all ready - and it was SO good.  I decided to make it for dinner last night - and it was a hit!  Definitely on the list of things to make again!!


So hear goes:


Chicken Caesar Salad (adapted from Cooking Light)
For the Salad
-1 2-lb whole roasted chicken, skinned (I'm using 1 lb of chicken tenders, grilled and cut up)
-11 cups torn Romaine Lettuce, about 1 1/4 lb
-1 cup red bell pepper cut into strips
-halved grape tomatoes


For the Vinaigrette
-3 Tbsp Olive Oil
-1 1/2 Tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice
-2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
-2 tsp Dijon Mustard (I didn't have Dijon mustard, so I used a combination of regular mustard and mayo - and it worked great)
-1/4 tsp sugar
-1/4 tsp salt
-1/4 tsp black pepper
-1 garlic clove, crushed
-1 1/2 cups Italian croutons (I'm not sure if I have any...)
-1/2 cup (2 oz) freshly grated Parmesan Cheese


The Preparation
-For the salad, combine the lettuce, pepper and tomato in a large bowl
-For the vinaigrette, combine the oil, lemon juice, worcestershire sauce, mustard, sugar, salt, pepper, garlic, and Parmesan cheese in a bowl and stir well with a whisk.
-Pour the Vinaigrette over the salad and mix well.
-Top off with the cut chicken and croutons


Serves 6:  Nutritional Information (per Cooking Light)  Cal: 306, Cal from fat: 47%, Fat: 16g, Sat Fat: 4.3g, Mono Fat: 8.2g, Poly Fat: 2.2g, Protein: 29.4g, Carbs: 10.3g, Fiber: 2.4g, Cholesterol: 78mg, Iron: 2.8mg, Sodium: 445mg, Calcium: 171mg


Enjoy!!!

Dinner Disaster

Last night I attempted a Weight Watchers recipe that a friend of mine suggested. Lemon chicken with broccoli. Sounds delicious.

The problem with my version: way too much lemon!! The recipe called for the zest and the juice, next time I'll skip the zest. I also need to cook the broccoli a little less.....I hate mushy broccoli...

So next time, we'll go with a little less lemon, and crispier broccoli. Here's a view of the finished product (served with brown rice)

Roast Chicken

Friday, I made a roast chicken.

I roasted it upside down.  That is, I roasted it breast side down.

I had slathered the chicken with a butter/garlic/basil compote and it looked amazing.  All delicious and browned.  And then I realized as I went to cut it that I put it in the pan wrong!!!

Still moist, still delicious, but a bit disappointing!