Apron’s Perfect Panko Chicken with Hummus and Zesty Honey Carrots

PhotobucketEvery Sunday, my family and I time our trips to the supermarket just right.  We always manage to arrive at Publix during the Apron’s recipe demonstrations and we snack while we shop.

Although I always dive right in to taste each week’s dish, Iron Chef Allan usually turns his nose up at the food.  That was until I raved about Apron’s Perfect Panko Chicken with Hummus.  After some gentle prodding to try it, Allan tasted his first Apron’s recipe and he was pretty impressed with the perfect panko chicken.

Later that week, I prepared my own version of the Perfect Panko Chicken.  Rather than an egg wash, hummus binded the panko breading to the chicken breast.  However, I used a generous helping of my own homemade hummus instead of the store bought brand suggested in the Apron’s recipe.  I then followed the steps accordingly, but omitted the rice because I thought couscous would complement the chicken better.

A lightly breaded panko chicken breast served on generous pile of couscous with a drizzle of cilantro-lime hummus and some Zesty Honey Carrots on the side.

It really was perfection.

Run DMT’s  Slightly Modified Version of Apron’s Perfect Panko Chicken with Hummus

Ingredients

Juice of 2 limes
3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
4 chicken cutlets (about 1 lb)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup of hummus
3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon water

Directions

Pound chicken breasts until ¼ thick.  Season chicken with salt and pepper. Generously coat both sides of chicken with hummus (about 1 tablespoon for each cutlet).  Drench the cutlets and do not remove excess hummus.  Dip chicken into panko, coating both sides.

Preheat canola oil in large sauté pan on medium heat.  Then add chicken and cook for 4 minutes each side or until 165°F.

Combine remaining 1/2 cup hummus with cilantro, lime juice, and water.  Drizzle sauce over chicken. Serve on a bed of couscous or rice.

 

Zesty Honey Carrots

Ingredients

1 (16-oz) bag dip chip cut carrots
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

Place carrots in microwave-safe dish and cover; microwave on HIGH 4–5 minutes or until tender. Drain any water in dish.

Whisk together in medium bowl, honey, chili powder, salt, and pepper until blended. Stir carrots into sauce. Serve.

 

Now link up and see what If I Could Escape and Gone Bananas are serving for this week’s Friday Food Fight.

*Also submitted at*

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Home

Within these booger-stain walls our humble home, we embrace life and suck the nectar out of it, which may explain all the teeth marks on the furniture.

But all those bite marks, scratches and hammered dents in the furniture add character.  Some would pay good money for a weathered look whereas my children offer their handiwork for free.

The walls may be lacking color or needing another coat of paint, but the fingerprints and artworks on the walls display signs of real masterpieces: my beautiful, creative and spirited children.

What appears as piles of clutter to guests are my pride possessions and cherished memories.

Our yard may not be the most manicured, but it looks well traveled.

My home is an honest reflection of my life.

It may not be perfect.

Occasionally it looks tired and shows signs of wear, but I do my best to maintain it.

And I love every inch of it.

PhotoStory Fridaythe hollie rogue

Things Heard at Our Girlfriend Getaway

Things Heard at Our Girlfriend Getaway in Anna Maria Island


Keep your hands off my wet noodle.

This is my own personal noodle…from home.

Poist mussies

I love you, but I’m not going to make out with you.

I don’t do girl on girl.

I wouldn’t kiss my sister like that.

How was that empanada?

You know, they’re turkey.

They’re grown women. They chose to drink it.

What’s the stain on the mattress?

Is she breathing?

I’m not dead yet.

Quacktastic.

I heard it was the penultimate.

What happens in Anna Maria, stays in Anna Maria.

(Unless Denise blogs about it.)


*A shout out to Kelly for capturing these fun moments and sharing the photos with me.*

Random Thoughts about My Muffin Top and My Cycles

During my run yesterday morning, a black cat crossed my path.  Whereas most people would panic about such superstitious events, it reminded me to put out our Halloween decorations.   And with that, the girls and I decorated the yard for Halloween last night.

Last Halloween, Allana suggested making our yard a bit spookier, so when I found a skeleton on clearance after Halloween, I grabbed it.  It still could use a few more gory items but with no grass in our yard, I think we’ve perfected the bone yard graveyard look for now.

Speaking of Halloween, Allana and I were discussing our costumes the other day.  I mentioned how I wanted to dress as a Cheerio from Glee for the Frakenfooter Half Marathon.  “Really?”  Allana asked.  “You’re going dress as a cheerleader?”

“Yes, it will be fun and it’s perfect for the race.”

With a sneer and a sarcastic tone, she interrogated me further.  “You think you can pull off a cheerleader costume?”

“Yes,” I proudly replied ignoring her tone.

Really?  You think you can be a cheerleader with your muffin top?”

Gee. Thanks, kid.  Sheesh.  Out of the mouth of babes.  And where did she learn the phrase muffin top?  Time to cancel my subscription to Shape magazine and time to crank out more crunches.  It might also be time to consider a different costume for the Franekfooter.  Maybe I should go with Blueberry Muffin to conceal my muffin top while embracing and poking somefun at it?

As Allana and my muffin top so kindly reminded me, I have fallen out of the sit-up cycle.  Seriously, it’s bad.  My handlebars ooze over the top of my shorts and pants.  The very same pre-pregnancy shorts I was bragging about fitting into again at the beginning of summer.  What the hell happened?  Hmmmm…maybe it’s the piles of candy corn I’ve been binging on.  Yeah, it could be that.  Or maybe it’s the sheer volume shit I ate at my girlfriends’ getaway catching up with me.  Possibly.  Hmmm….Or maybe it’s because I haven’t seen a sit-up in weeks.  Yep, perfectly reasonable, but I’m going to go with Answer D: All of the above.

Speaking of cycles and falling, I never did get back on my bike this summer.  I just couldn’t do it.  Oh well.  There’s always next summer.  I would like to attempt another triathlon again…*sigh*…someday.

As for other cycles, like my womanly cycles, I keep forgetting to take my pill at the exact time every night which causes me to spot bleed and it totally sucks.  Next week, I have my gyno appointment and I plan to speak with my doctor about other birth control options.  I think I may ask about the NuvaRing, but really my birth control situation all depends on what my insurance will cover, which totally sucks too.  Anybody have any thoughts on NuvaRing?

As for getting back into my running cycle, I started off great this week, thanks to my friend, Larisa.  She harassed texted me until I committed to running with her last Saturday.  She planned to run 18 miles, but that was too big of a jump after my recent 13 miles plus a week off from running.  I decided 15 miles seemed like a reasonable amount.

15 miles 

Time 3:24:17

Ave Pace 13:37

Max Pace 8:38

Best part = Calories 1371 BOOYAH!

Those 15 miles were tough.  The heat got to me and the last two miles really did me in, but I did it and I could walk afterwards.  I thought I would be so sore on Sunday, but it wasn’t too bad.  Nothing a little stretching and yoga couldn’t fix.

After a day of recovery and rest, I was back in full running mode on Monday.  The early morning sky was clear and full of stars and the slightly cooler weather felt refreshing.  It was a pretty decent run too.

3.1 miles

Time 34:44

Ave Pace 11:13

Max Pace 7:58

When I walked out the door for a four mile run this morning, the humidity hit me right away.  It wasn’t quite the same beautiful morning as the day before, but at least the run as decent.

4 miles

Time 44:18

Ave Pace 11:05

Max Pace 8:10

Since Allan has declared Wednesday morning as his early at the office day, I won’t be able to run with Tracey of Suncoast Running on Wednesday mornings for the time being.  Therefore, I’ve decided to make Wednesdays my strength training day with some Boot Camp stuff thrown into the mix to help remove this muffin top.  Then, maybe at that point Allana will approve of me wearing a Cheerio costume.  I’ve got a little over a month to make it happen.

*Proudly submitted to Stacy Uncorked, because when I blog about my training, it’s usually pretty random.*

Stacy

Wake Me Up When September Ends

So here we are: the last week of September.  I can’t believe we’re into fall already especially since it still feels summer.

Much like the temperatures, we ended the month hot by celebrating two birthdays in one weekend.  First, we celebrated my friend, Chrissy’s birthday with a pool party, which tells you just how warm it is here still.

Then, on Sunday we celebrated my hubby, Allan’s birthday, but he wanted a low-key birthday with just the kids and me.

As September draws to a close, we may have not experienced our first taste of fall, but we did taste the rainbow twice, minus the Skittles.

I believe this is a prelude to what fall and the remainder of the year has in store for us.  Good times followed by good things, good fortune and many blessings.

Thanks for stopping by and linking up to share what music moves you.  Be sure to visit Xmas Dolly and Hairbows & Guitar Picks for more Music Monday fun.



A Whole Latte Shaking Going on with NesCafe Dolce Gusto

Monday evening, Kelly and I joined some local foodie bloggers for the NesCafé Dolce Gusto FeedUp at Restaurant BT in South Tampa.

Having dined at Restaurant BT before, I was chomping at the bit to sample her NesCafé Dolce Gusto dish:  Shaking Beef (Bo Luc Lac).  Chef BT demonstrated how to prepare the dish, which is featured in the NesCafe Dolce Gusto- The Dinner Party Primer.

Shaking Beef (Bo Luc Lac)

Ingredients

1 lb filet mignon steak

4 cloves finely chopped garlic

2 Tbsp Oil or butter

1 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp fish sauce

1 Tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

2 vine ripe tomatoes

2 cups watercress

1/4 red onion, finely sliced

1 Tbsp Cognac (Courvoisier optional)

Directions

  • Cut steak into bite-sized cubes, place in a bowl with garlic, soy sauce. red onion, fish sauce, sugar and pepper.  Mix well.
  • Heat a large, heavy-based pan until very hot. Add oil or butter until brown.  Add beef cubes and toss by shaking the pan.
  • Turn meat with tongs until brown and seared on the outside but still pink in the center.
  • Add congnac and toss before removing from heat.
  • Slice tomatoes and arrange on plate to make a decorative base.
  • Arrange watercress around or on top of tomatoes and watercress.
  • Place the beff in a mound on top of tomatoes and watercress.
  • Served with jasmine-scented steamed rice.

The tender bite-sized filet mignon melted in my mouth.  It was simply divine and our evening was off to a very satisfying start.

After a few more appetizers and desserts with a Vietnamese flare, we sampled the NesCafé Dolce Gusto.  These coffees target a demographic audience of 25-35 year olds in attempt to tap into the Keurig market.

I often drink Starbuck’s Via in a pinch, on the go or while camping and the NesCafé Dolce Gusto is very similar product.  As compared to Starbuck’s Vanilla Via, the Dolce Gusto Vanilla Latte Macchiatto has a milder taste.  For my sample Dolce Gusto Vanilla Latte Macchiatto, I chose to go a little lighter on the cream and froth, so it needed a bit more sugar, but it was still very smooth and tasty.

Since I don’t like my kitchen counters cluttered with a bunch of small appliances, the NesCafé Dolce Gusto Piccolo is the perfect compact size.  Plus, it is very easy to operate.  No barista training necessary.

Although I am a Vanilla Latte kind of lady, there are a variety of other NesCafé Dolce Gusto Flavors, including regular brew coffees, cappuccinos, espressos, hot cocoa and iced teas.

And by the looks on all the bloggers’ faces, it gets everyone’s seal of approval.

 

Photobucket

 

Now link up and see what If I Could Escape and Gone Bananas are serving for this week’s Friday Food Fight.



*Also submitted at*

I am a Food RENEGADE!Fat Camp Friday Button

PhotoStory Fridaythe hollie rogue

Random Tuesday Thoughts about Being Pretty in Pink and Pumpkins

During my girlfriend getaway on Anna Maria Island, I had all good intentions to run.  I packed three running outfits, a hydration belt and my old running shoes so my good pair wouldn’t get sandy from the beach.  Well, they sure didn’t get sandy!  My old running shoes didn’t even see one grain of sand or the light of day, because they stayed in my bag all weekend.

My friends are such saboteurs.

I didn’t get a decent night’s sleep until I returned home.  Now, my sleeping pattern has been so good that my lazy behind hasn’t been up to run since being back home either.  The Thursday BEFORE my girlfriend was the last time I ran and it was only 3 miles. Not good.  And it was a terrible run too.

3.1 miles

Time 34:07

Ave Pace 11:01

Max Pace 8:44

 
I joined Team Striders and I registered for the Race for the Cure 10K.  I really love this race. There’s no pressure, just a bunch of people raising money and awareness for breast cancer research.  Plus, the course is gorgeous along St. Pete Pier over the Gulf and through sea of pink.  Which reminds me… I need to buy a new pink running outfit for the race.  Maybe I’ll wear a tiara this year?  But before I worry about my pretty in pink ribbon outfit, I need to get a couple of 6 mile runs in before the race.

I also have the Frankefooter Half Marathon in October, which requires another special outfit.  I’ve been perusing the Halloween aisle at Target to check what costumes have been added to the displays.  No Glee Cheerios Cheerleader costume yet but there’s tons of candy.  Last week, I bought a bag of Twix and this week I bought candy corn.  Craptastic.  If I don’t get running soon, my ass is going be a scary sight.  No costume necessary because with my cheesy grin, I’ll look like a Jack-o-latern.

Speaking of pumpkins, I can’t bring myself to eat anything pumpkin flavored yet.  It’s like my brain can’t enjoy allspice when the weather is warm.  Even though fall starts Friday, the forecast predicts temperatures in near 90 and that’s not perfect pumpkin weather yet, which is probably a good thing.    I can put off my butt looking like a big-ass pumpkin muffin for a few more weeks.

*Proudly submitted to Stacy Uncorked, because when I blog about my training, it’s usually pretty random.*

Stacy

Last Friday Night

I spent last weekend in Anna Maria Island with some pretty wild women great friends and like the past three years,  it’s been a fuzzy, fun-filled four days.   I’m sure photos will end up on Facebook soon enough to help me remember and explain how I got all these bruises.  “It’s a black out blur.  But I’m pretty sure it ruled.  Damn.”

*Image borrowed from Kelly Noel Photography.*

“Last Friday night
Yeah we danced on tabletops
And we took too many shots
Think we kissed but I forgot
Last Friday night”

Only 365 days until we do it all again.

Visit AmandaXmas Dolly and Hairbows & Guitar Picks for more Music Monday fun.



What is that? Velveeta?

For this week’s Friday Food Fight, I am spending four days in Anna Maria Island with 16 of my closest girlfriends and our good friends, Jose Cuervo and Captain Morgan.

As you can see we’ve packed light.

Well at least, we’ve packed plenty of light beer.

So for the next four days, we will be soaking up the sun and the alcohol.

On Monday, we will have to kiss and make-up with our livers and our arteries too, thanks to a crock pot queso dip Faith made, which consists of two ingredients: Ro*Tel and Velveeta.  Until this weekend, I have never eaten Velveeta and shit goop like this only looks good after a gallon of margaritas.

And man, it was good.  Gross, but good.

Photobucket

Now link up and see what If I Could Escape and Gone Bananas are serving for this week’s Friday Food Fight.



*Also submitted at*

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