Becca's Backyard

Blackened Chicken with Avocado Cream Sauce

2022-04-10T13:48:00.004-07:00

I cannot say enough good things about this recipe! I would happily eat it every week!

4 (4 ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 tablespoons blackened seasoning

For the sauce:

1/3 cup plain 0% Greek yogurt

1/2 avocado

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

1. Place the chicken breasts and blackened seasoning in a large resealable bag. Seal and shake a few times to evenly coat the chicken.

2. Lightly coat a large skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes per side.

3. In a food processor, combine the yogurt, avocado, lemon juice, garlic powder, and salt and pulse until smooth and creamy.

4. To serve, top each chicken breast with 2 tablespoons of the creamy avocado sauce,

From Skinny Suppers cookbook.

Turkey (Chicken) Wild Rice Casserole

2022-04-07T20:42:00.004-07:00

When I recently went home to visit my mom, I "stole" many of her cookbooks, with her permission of course. The first thing I made from those cookbooks was turkey with wild rice casserole. We used chicken though because it is easier to find! This recipe was probably more of a comfort food and less of the healthier foods I am going for.

4 slices of bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 lb turkey breast tenderloins, cut into 1/2-1 inch pieces

1 cup coarsely chopped carrots

1/2 cup coarsely chopped onion

1/2 cup sliced celery

1 cup uncooked wild rice

1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup

2 1/2 cups water

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram leaves

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1. In 10 inch skillet, cook bacon over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until almost crisp. Add turkey, carrots, onion, and celery; cook about 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until turkey is browned.

2. Spray 3 1/2 to 4 quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Spoon turkey mixture into cooker. Add remaining ingredients; stir to combine.

3. Cover; cook on low heat setting 5 to 6 hours.

From Pillsbury Pot Pies & Casseroles.

Chicken and Tarragon Pesto Pasta

2022-02-21T15:36:00.001-08:00

10 oz dried penne pasta

1/2 cup olive oil

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup pan-toasted pine nuts

1 large bunch of fresh tarragon, leaves stripped from the stem and chopped

1 unwaxed lemon, grated zest and freshly squeezed juice

1 garlic clove, chopped

3 cooked chicken breasts, sliced

4 oz arugula

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1) Cook the pasta for 8-9 minutes, until al dente. Drain and refresh the pasta in cold water, then drain again and toss in half the olive oil.

2) To make the pesto, put the parmesan, pine nuts, tarragon, lemon zest and juice, garlic, and remaining oil in a bowl and puree until smooth with a stick blender.

3) Put the pasta, pesto, chicken, and arugula in a serving bowl, season, and toss well, coasting the pasta and chicken evenly with the pesto.

4) If you're taking this on a picnic, don't add the arugula until just before eating or the oil will make it wilt.

This pesto didn't really seem to come out how it should have, but it was decent anyway.

Recipe slightly adapted from Lazy Days and Beach Blankets.

Sheet Pan Chicken and Broccoli and Mushrooms with Rice

2022-02-20T21:11:00.005-08:00

1 (3.5-4 lb) whole chicken, cut into pieces

1/3 cup olive oil

3 teaspoons kosher salt

2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper

2 (8.5 ounce) pouches microwavable ready to serve rice (We used cheese flavored rice)

1 pound fresh broccoli

2 (8 ounce) packages fresh cremini mushrooms, sliced (We only used one package)

1) Preheat oven to 425F

2) Rub the chicken pieces with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil; sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of the salt and 1 teaspoon of the pepper

3) Spread the rice in an even layer on a heavy duty aluminum foil lined baking sheet, breaking up the clumps of rice

4) Cut the broccoli into florets. Toss together the florets, 2 tablespoons of the oil, and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper in a medium bowl; spread in an even layer over the rice. Toss together the mushrooms and the remaining oil, salt, and pepper, and spread over the broccoli and rice.

5) Place the chicken pieces, skin side up, 1.5 inches apart on the broccoli and mushrooms.

6) Bake at 425F until a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the chicken registers 165F, about 1 hour.

7) Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Recipe slightly adapted from One Sheet Eats cookbook.

New Year's Resolutions

2020-01-01T21:31:00.000-08:00

Every January, I try to start blogging again, but life gets busy and it doesn't last for long. So for this year, I just want to get my New Year's resolutions down. Even if I don't write another post all year, I at least want to have this one. So without further ado, here are my resolutions:

1) Read 100 books

2) Go through all of the boxes in my house and garage, at least one per week

3) Exercise regularly and walk the dog regularly

4) Cook some new recipes

5) Spend more time taking my little animals (guinea pigs and leopard geckos) out of their cages

What are your resolutions this year? Do you usually stick to them?

Cheesy Cheddar Quick Bread

2019-01-12T22:29:00.004-08:00

I really enjoy making quick breads. Because I made a resolution to cook a new recipe every week, I went searching for a recipe for one, and this one from Crafty Cooking Mama looked delicious.

Cheesy Cheddar Quick Bread

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar
1 cup milk
1 large egg beaten
2 tablespoons butter melted

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350°
Grease/spray a loaf pan.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar, garlic powder and salt. Stir in shredded cheese. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, egg, and butter.
Add liquid ingredients to bowl of dry ingredients. Stir until just combined. Do not overmix. Spoon/pour into loaf pan.
Bake for 45-50 minutes. Top should be a golden brown.
Cool on wire rack.
Remove loaf from pan, slice, and serve.

The dry ingredients

The wet ingredients

The batter all mixed up

The finished product! :)

I am bringing this to work in the morning to share with everyone, so I haven't tried it yet. It looks really good, and I hope it tastes as good as it looks!

Back to Blogging / New Years Resolution / Two Recipes

2019-01-05T18:21:00.003-08:00

I love blogging, but I seem to do a bad job of being consistent with it. But...my New Year's resolution is to cook at least one new recipe per week. My blog seems like the perfect way to hold myself accountable to that while sharing good recipes with everyone!

This week I made Easy Cheesy Chicken in the Crockpot from Go Grow Go blog and Lemon Cake Cookies from A Cowboy's Wife blog.

Easy Cheesy Chicken in the Crockpot

Ingredients:
4-6 Boneless Skinless Chicken breast halves
Salt and pepper to taste (I only did pepper because the soup is salty)
1 Teaspoon of garlic powder
1 can of Cream of Chicken Soup
1 Can of Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 can of Cream of Cheddar Cheese Soup (I couldn't find this so I used Campbell's Cheddar Cheese)
8 oz Sour Cream

Preparation:
Sprinkle the chicken with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Place the chicken in the crock pot. Mix together the three cans of soup and pour over the top of the chicken. Cook on low for about 6-8 hours. Stir the sour cream in right before you serve.

I forgot to take pictures while cooking, but you can see how the chicken just falls right apart.

Lemon Cake Cookies

Ingredients:
1 box lemon cake mix
2 eggs
⅓ cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon lemon extract
⅓ cup confectioners' sugar

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375
Mix cake mix with eggs, oil and lemon extract until well blended.
Drop dough by the spoonfuls into a bowl of confectioners' sugar.
Roll them around until they're lightly covered.
Place on an ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake 6-9 minutes, til golden.

I only tasted one because I am bringing the rest to work tomorrow. They are delicious and lemon-y!

What are your New Year's resolutions? Have you kept to them so far?

January Books Read

2018-01-28T04:54:00.000-08:00

I surpassed my reading goal for January! I managed to read 7 books! I always keep track of the books I read every year on my blog sidebar, so feel free to follow along with my reading!

The Ice Cream Makers by Ernest van der Kwast was the only book I didn't really like. I read the whole thing because I was curious about the story line, but it took a lot of effort for me to pick up the book.

The Gatecrasher by Madeleine Wickham was a light and fun book. It followed the story of a woman like no one you have ever met before!

Spring Fever by Mary Kay Andrews was an amazing story! I could hardly put it down. It is the story of a family and their friends, running an independent soda company in a small town. I would highly recommend this book!

Mind Tryst by Robyn Carr was also really good. She normally writes more romantic type books, so I was excited to read a suspense book by her. It is about a woman who moves to a small town to get away from her past, but then she starts having problems.

Wired by Julie Garwood was another really good book. It is about a super genius computer programmer. It doesn't talk about programming really, so you don't have to be a computer nerd to love this book. If you are like me, you will find yourself rooting for her!

The Summer that Made Us by Robyn Carr was also fantastic. It is about sisters and cousins and the lake house they grew up in. Books like this are the reason Robyn Carr is one of my favorite authors.

The Store by James Patterson felt like the future, when Amazon takes over the world. It is a good reminder to all of us to remember not to let the internet, Amazon, etc take over our lives!

I hope my short by sweet book reviews have maybe given you an idea or two for your next book to read. If you have any great books for me, let me know!

Red Pavilion in Meridian

2018-01-21T20:01:00.001-08:00

When my mom was visiting me a few weeks ago, we tried a Chinese restaurant called Red Pavilion in Meridian. I had heard some good things about them and wanted to check them out.

They start you off with a big bowl of crispy noodles and sweet and sour sauce. I could just eat that and be happy LOL

This was honey almond chicken. It was different from anything I have had before, but it was good!

This is something similar to fried rice. It looked mild, but was actually really flavorful.

This is chicken egg fu young. The sauce was a bit spicy,but the flavor was great!

I just wanted a picture of the food on my pretty leaf plate LOL

I have really struggled to find a good Chinese restaurant in Idaho. I think this is the best so far (minus the buffets).

My First Time at a Dog Show

2018-01-14T00:00:00.000-08:00

A few months ago, I went to the Treasure Valley Dog Show, a local dog show. They have agility and traditional show ring competitions. It was my first time ever going to a dog show, and it was the coolest thing ever!

When we first walked in, there were young children and teenagers using balloon animals to do a mock dog show. It was one of the cutest things I have ever seen in my whole life!

I had to get a picture of a cocker spaniel with a show cute since my Hunter will never look like this! LOL

When I was a little kid, Bedlington Terriers were my favorite breed of dog. I thought they looked like sheep and I really wanted to own one. I was really excited to see one here.

I honestly think I took a picture of this Dalmation for my mom. They used to be so common years ago, and now I feel like they are actually kind of rare.

Who could resist a picture of this Poodle with a full show cut and brush out? I work at a veterinary clinic, so we mainly see pets who are cut fairly short. It was amazing how different all of the dogs look with completely different hairstyles.

I honestly cannot wait to go back this year. I would like to spend more time there next time just watching all of the breeds compete. This really was heaven for a dog lover like myself.

Campos Market in Nampa

2018-01-07T00:00:00.000-08:00

Everyone knows I love trying out new restaurants. I had a friend bring me to an authentic Mexican restaurant a few weeks ago and it was so delicious!

My friend ordered the mojarra dorada (a whole fried fish). She said it is her favorite thing there. I don't think I could eat a whole fish though lol

I ordered chicken flautas. They were amazingly delicious.

I'm not always a huge fan of Mexican food, but I would happily go back to Campos Market anytime.

What's your favorite Mexican food dish?

New Year's Resolutions

2017-12-31T00:00:00.000-08:00

I decided to once again try to start blogging. What better time than the new year???? I normally don't even make new year's resolutions, but these are some things that I would really like to happen in the coming year. I don't think any of them are extremely difficult to achieve, so hopefully they will all happen!

1. Blog at least once a week
2. Read at least one book per week
3. See my local family more often
4. Go to bed consistently earlier on work nights
5. Stop using the snooze button on work mornings
6. Hold Jack and Lenny (my guinea pigs) more often to see if I can get them to like me
7. Go to the gym at least twice per week
8. Go to yoga at least twice per week
9. Take Hunter (my doggy) to the dog park at least once per week (weather permitting)
10. Stay current on entering giveaways (through online-sweepstakes.com)

Do you have any resolutions this year?

Deli Days or Jewish Food Festival

2017-06-20T07:00:00.000-07:00

Now that the weather is warmer, all of the fun food festivals are happening! After the success at the Greek Food Fesitval, I knew I had to try Deli Days this year! I rounded up a group of friends, and off we went!

This is a photo of the original Congregation Ahavath Beth Israel temple. It was moved from its original location to its current location. I can't even imagine how you move a whole building!

I picked an all beef hot dog on a challah roll for lunch. I only ever eat turkey dogs so this was a delicious treat!

My friend Lauren ordered a hot pastrami sandwich and a kosher pickle.

We shared a potato knish. I need to learn how to make these because they are delicious!

In order to get my cute little Israeli flag, I had to eat a really bad piece of gefilte fish from a jar. I have only ever had cooked loaves of gefilte fish, and I will be sticking with those from now on. But at least I have a sticker to prove I did it!

Much like at the Greek Festival, I used all of my leftover tickets to buy desserts. They seemed to have desserts from every Jewish holiday through the year, but I tried to buy things that I don't have all the time.

This was a random cookie and I have no idea if it is Jewish or not, but it did taste good!

This is a hamentaschen filled with chocolate. I didn't get any on Purim this year, and this one was especially delicious!

They also had music to listen to while you ate. We were there during the time that Chava Mirel was singing, and she was really good!

Have you ever tried any Jewish foods before? Do you have a favorite?

Book Reviews: My (not so) Perfect Life, The Trophy Child, and The Apartment

2017-06-16T07:00:00.000-07:00

I go through phases where I barely read, and then I go through phases where I finish a book every few days. Right now I am reading a book every few days. Getting a library card when I moved to Idaho is one of the smartest things I have ever done!

I haven't read a ton of books by Sophie Kinsella, but "My (not so) Perfect Life" was on display at the library and sounded good, so I gave it a try. It is about a woman around my age who lives in England and pretends to have a perfect life. Her facade kind of unravels as the book goes on, but it is nice to get to know the real her instead of the person she pretends to be. Reading this book made me want to read more books by Sophie Kinsella.

"The Trophy Child" by Paula Daly was also on display at the library. Coincidentally, it also takes place in England. It is about a "helicopter" or "tiger" mom, and what she puts her family through. I have never read a book by Paula Daly before, but it was so not what I expected it to be that I will be looking for more books by her in the future!

"The Apartment" by Danielle Steel was a typical book by her, but I absolutely loved it. It is about 4 friends who share an apartment in Hell's Kitchen in New York. I love the friendships and romances in her books. It didn't hurt that the characters in the book were all right around the same age as me.

I have 5 more library books sitting on my dresser waiting to be read, so be ready for more book reviews/recommendations!

Boise Greek Food Festival

2017-06-13T07:00:00.000-07:00

I always used to go to the Santa Barbara Greek Festival, so it only made sense to go to the Boise Greek Food Festival this year. I had actually been once before while visiting here seven years ago. It is held at the Greek Orthodox Church. This was the 36th year they held it! They had some music to listen to and dancing to watch or participate in while you ate. They also had a dessert house! I dragged my friend Lauren along, because we both love to eat until we are stuffed!

]My lunch was pastitsio (noodles, meat sauce, bechamel sauce) and spanakopita (spinach and cheese in filo dough). The spanakopita was amazingly delicious!

My dessert came with a Greek flag on top...what's inside??

Kourambiethes (powdered sugar covered cookies) and melomakarona (cookies dipped in honey with crushed walnuts on top)

I truly hope as the years go on that they expand their Greek food selections. There are just so many options! Do you have a favorite Greek food?

I Own Guinea Pigs!

2017-06-09T07:00:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't know, I have been a vet tech since moving to Idaho. We see all types of animals at the hospital I work at. One day, I just fell in love with a trio of guinea pigs that came in. The owners told me they came from a local rescue, and I just knew I needed to get some of my own.

In March, I adopted Jack. He was about 7 months old and just had the sweetest face! After I got Jack and did some research, I learned that "an only guinea is a lonely guinea". So, I needed to find Jack a friend. While he was being boarded at the rescue in May, I had the woman watching him find him a friend. Lenny was a little under a year old, and a perfect companion for Jack. They are my two little cuties, and I am so glad I own them!

Jack hiding under a blanket!

A nice close of up Jack LOL

Hunter likes to sit on a chair and watch the guinea pigs play. I think he secretly wants to join them, but just doesn't know how to be gentle.

Another close up of Jack because I just think he is so photogenic!

Jack and Lenny in their deluxe accommodations.

Jack and Lenny in their swimming pool for run around time.

Lenny poking his head out of his hiding spot. He is still really shy, and spends a lot of time under there.

Have you ever owned an "exotic pet" before?

It's Time to Start Blogging Again / Big Life Changes

2017-06-06T19:16:00.003-07:00

Last year was a rough year for me, and I didn't even know how to write a blog post about it.

On February 22, 2016, my dad passed away. It was the worst thing that has ever happened to me in my life. My dad and I used to spend a lot of time together, and I definitely miss him every single day. Time has eased that a bit, but I know my life will never be the same again.

This is a picture of my dad, a bag of his favorite candy (Skittles), his urn, and beautiful flower arrangements that my aunties made. This was the display table at his memorial service.

On March 26, 2016, I moved into my first house that I owned myself. It was a small glimmer of happiness in a bad year.

This is a picture of my kitchen, my favorite room in the house!

Then on March 27, 2016, the day after I moved into my new house, my papa passed away. I was on a plane rushing to California when he passed. His passing was kind of expected by this point, but that never makes it any easier.

This is a picture I love that includes my papa. It was the last vacation we took together.

So, I am excited to get back into blogging and see what everyone has been up to! Please don't let this post get you down, I just felt like I had to share before going on with blogging.

Book Review: A Perfect Life by Danielle Steel

2016-01-14T06:00:00.000-08:00

This book was so amazing, I read it in on and off and finished it in a day. It's about world famous newswoman Blaise McCarthy. Everyone thinks her life is perfect, but she has challenges, they're just sometimes different than ours LOL. She always has to worry about a younger newswoman replacing her, she has an untraditional relationship with her daughter, she has dating problems, etc.

I never know how to give glowing book reviews without giving too much of the plot away. But really, you should read this book. You won't regret it! :)

Awesome Gift Exchange!

2016-01-11T06:00:00.000-08:00

This past holiday was the most expensive one ever. I ended up in many different gift exchanges. One of my coolest gifts came from work. We had to buy each other mugs and fill them with snacks/candies. My coworker found a mug that kind of looked like my dog, Hunter. It is sooooo cute.

Did you receive any cool gift exchange presents this year? Or, do you own any awesome mugs like this one?

Restaurant Review - Souper Salad

2016-01-07T07:00:00.000-08:00

We got a coupon book in the mail - so I have a few more leads of where to go to eat. I found a coupon for Souper Salad, and my dad agreed to go try it.

I went crazy at the salad bar part and took way more salad than I could eat - oops. I also tried the potato salad (yummy), the fettuccine pasta salad (delicious but I could taste the weight going on my hips) and some other pasta which tasted like boiled noodles :(. I branched out a little on the soup and tried the Holiday Harvest soup. It had chicken, wild rice, tons of veggies, heavy cream, and seasonings. It was sooooo good!

I wish this picture was a bit less blurry. On the left are breads - garlic breadstick, cornbread, pumpkin bread, and apple cinnamon bread. The cornbread was kinda weird but the others were delicious, especially the garlic breadstick! On the right is nachos, macaroni and cheese, and pizza (the healthy plate). These all tasted pretty typical of a buffet.

My dad's plate looked similar to mine, so I didn't take a picture of his. This food was pretty good, but I might only go when I had another coupon.

Do you have a Souper Salad near you? Judging from the website, it doesn't look like there are too many of them.

Book Review: A Bend in the Road by Nicholas Sparks

2016-01-04T07:00:00.000-08:00

If you haven't noticed, I almost exclusively read two genres of novels - mysteries and romances. Nicholas Sparks is one of my favorite romance novels, and his books never disappoint!

This novel starts off all about Miles Ryan, a deputy sheriff who lost his wife in a hit and run accident. His grief for her is consuming, and he puts a lot of his time and energy into finding her killer. But then he meets Sarah Andrews, his son's teacher. They slowly start a romance, and it is so sweet. The killer has journal entries throughout the book, and it really seems like it could be any of the characters! Because it's a Nicholas Sparks book, Miles and Sarah have the killer come between them, and you will never see it coming! I don't want to say anymore for fear of ruining it!

Have you ever read or watches one of Nicholas Sparks' novels? Aren't they great?

Restaurant Review - Grand China Buffet

2015-12-31T06:30:00.000-08:00

I LOVE buffets! There are 2 Chinese buffets near me, and I decided to try Grand China Buffet in Boise a few days ago since I had tried the other one a few years ago.

I always like to start off with a plate of appetizers. I went for cream cheese won tons, sweet and sour chicken, veggie roll, fried zucchini, and a chicken meat ball. They were all so good!

I love egg drop soup. This was delicious!

My next plate of food had chow mein, veggie egg foo young, honey chicken, and chicken with broccoli. The egg foo young was a little too thick for me, but otherwise it was another great plate of food.

Most of their sushi had fake crab in it. The best one of the three was the one that had cream cheese in it.

Sooooo much dessert. Two fried donuts, jello, chocolate pudding, and mint chocolate chip self serve ice cream.

This food was honestly so good. Sometimes buffets only have okay food since they are making so much, but everything I tried here was amazing. They also had tons of cold food that didn't appeal to me, a Mongolian noodle bar, and dim sum which I just didn't even have room for. I can't wait to go back here!

A Huge Mysterious Garage

2015-12-28T07:00:00.000-08:00

I try to walk different routes with Hunter all the time to keep both of us from getting bored. I've walked by a huge garage a few times, and I keep wondering what's inside of it. Maybe you all can help me figure it out.

You can see that it's almost double the height of that large truck. My guess is an RV or a boat, but I've never seen it open. Do you have any guesses? Have you ever seen a huge garage like that?

Restaurant Review - JB's Restaurant

2015-12-24T07:00:00.000-08:00

I drive by JB's Restaurant every day on my way to and from work. They advertise that they have a salad bar. I went there with my dad just for that!

The salad bar has 3 types of soup! I went with the chicken noodle and it was so good! My salad was good also :)

For dinner I ordered 1/2 chicken salad sandwich (with pecans and cranberries) and fries. It was really good, and the bread was nice and thick! They give you a very generous helping of chicken salad!

My dad ordered the senior sirloin steak with mashed potatoes and gravy and corn. The steak was a bit undercooked and the corn was plain, but other than that he really liked it! Unfortunately, he started eating before I could take a picture!

This was a great diner, and the salad bar was really nice. I have always loved diner food, so I know I will be going here again!

Do you like diners or do you prefer nicer restaurants?

Book Review: Love Letters by Debbie Macomber

2015-12-21T07:00:00.000-08:00

I think Debbie Macomber will always be one of my favorite authors. "Love Letters" is the newest paperback in her Rose Harbor series. I've read all of the paperbacks in this series so far, and I love them!

The series revolves around Jo Marie Rose and all of the guests at her bed and breakfast. Jo Marie's handyman Mark also plays a big role in every book. I think they have crushes on each other!

Love Letters is about two different guests. Ellie Reynolds is coming to Cedar Cove to meet someone she has been chatting with on Facebook. She is coming to see if there is a love spark, and her mom thinks she is making a huge mistake! Maggie and Roy Porter are coming to the inn to see if they can save their marriage. Their marriage is a roller coaster throughout the whole book, and you really never know what's going to happen until the end!

The Rose Harbor novels are really cute love stories, and this was one was as good as the rest! I hope Debbie Macomber keeps writing this series for a while!

Have you read the Cedar Cove or Rose Harbor books by Debbie Macomber?