Plain Chicken

Cheesy Biscuit Lasagna

2013-06-19T03:01:00.000-05:00

I loved everything about this recipe. It is a quick and easy alternative to lasagna. It has all the flavors of lasagna without all the work. You could even call this Calzone Lasagna. The biscuits are like little calzones. I used cottage cheese in this recipe. If you don't like cottage cheese, you can substitute ricotta. You could also add ingredients to the biscuits - peppers, onions, mushrooms would be good.

I browned the sausage and mixed up the cheese mixture the night before. Assembly was a breeze. It only took about 15 minutes from start to finish. I wouldn't fill the biscuits until you are ready to bake. I have found that they don't rise as well if you refrigerate them too long. This recipe got two thumbs up at our house. It was even good reheated for lunch.

Click here for the recipe »

Bacon Wrapped BBQ Chicken Tenders

2013-06-18T03:01:00.001-05:00

Holy moly! These chicken tenders were super delicious! Chicken wrapped in bacon and smothered with BBQ and cheese - how could they not be great?! This was very simple to make. It only took about 20 minutes from start to finish. If you want to save a few minutes, you can season and wrap the chicken with bacon ahead of time and store in the refrigerator until you are ready to cook it.

I used a mustard BBQ sauce and it was great! It gave it a honey mustard flavor with a kick. If you aren't a fan of the mustard BBQ sauce, you can use your favorite BBQ sauce instead. Whatever sauce you decide on, Chicken Legs highly recommends that you make these tonight.

Click here for the recipe »

Meow Monday

2013-06-17T03:01:00.000-05:00

Jack

Sherbert

Fluffy

What's For Dinner?

2013-06-16T03:01:00.000-05:00

MONDAY

Kentucky Hot Brown Bites

TUESDAY

Breakfast Pizza

WEDNESDAY

Brown Sugar BBQ Wings

THURSDAY

Chicken and Pepperoni Panini

FRIDAY

Blackened Chicken Alfredo

SATURDAY

Southwestern Skirt Steak

Steakhouse Sautéed Mushrooms

SUNDAY

Honey-Lime Grilled Chicken

It All Started With A Tweet #TwitterSupperClub

2013-06-15T03:01:00.000-05:00

@plainchicken @grass_stains It really is a nice substitute. P.S. we should all go to dinner sometime. And I mean “go to Stephanie’s house.”
— Jamie Golden (@JamiesRabbits) May 9, 2013

This is how it all started. Jamie "suggested" dinner at my house, and I obliged.

We emailed back and forth and finally decided on June 8th.

We had an amazing feast!

We grilled out steaks. Not just any steaks, USDA Prime Filets! They melted in your mouth. They were so tender that you could cut them with a butter knife - seriously!

Perfection! Tadd is the grill master.

We had my favorite Creamy Potato Casserole

and Tadd's famous Italian Green Beans with the steaks.

I also made some homemade bread. It is made with a starter. I've had the starter for about 13 years! It makes amazing bread. I'll share it with you if you are in town. :)

We finished off our meal with dessert:

Lemon Velvet Cream Pie

and my favorite Chocolate Cream Pie

photo courtesy of Katherine

We had the best time! I haven't laughed so much EVER. I am pretty sure I laughed off all the calories from dinner. (At least that is what I am telling myself)

I am so glad Jamie invited everyone over! Jamie kept us in stitches all night. She should quit her job and become a standup comedienne. She writes a humor blog (of course) - http://www.jamiesrabbits.com - check it out!

I received some wonderful hostess gifts. My twitter friends know me so well! #wine #martinis

Katherine and Robin wrote blog posts about the evening. Please check them out. I was a slacker and didn't take any photos of the evening.

Katherine: Supper at Plain Chicken's house, where I did not eat plain chicken

Robin: My evening with Chicken, Grass and Rabbits

Are you on twitter? Are we following each other?

Follow @plainchicken

Who knows when the next twitter dinner party might be!

Pizza Stuffed Shells

2013-06-14T03:01:00.000-05:00

These stuffed shells were so delicious. I usually make just cheese stuffed shells, but this time I added sausage and pepperoni to make pizza stuffed shells. We both loved them. Chicken Legs said he actually prefers these shells to our usual stuffed shells. Feel free to add any other of your favorite pizza toppings like onion, pepper, mushrooms or ham. Anything goes! This is also a great dish to make ahead and freeze. I like to divide this into two 8-inch pans and bake one and freeze the other.

Click here for the recipe »

Losing It!

2013-06-13T13:58:00.000-05:00

I believe that weight is relative. I am not fat, overweight or obese, but I am bigger than I used to be. The last few months have been super crazy, and I lost focus. I let go of my usual workout routine and fell into a slump. I admit it. I became a slug. I started eating lunch out more, having an extra glass of wine here and there (and everywhere), eating out on Sunday night, sampling foods while I was cooking dinner. You know the drill. I could tell I had put on a few pounds. My clothes weren’t fitting as well as they did before, and I didn’t like the way I looked in pictures.

I think we all have a number that we don’t want to go over. Well, I was at that number. I had to do something.

We recently got back from a long weekend trip, and I decided that I was finally going to re-focus! We were 10 days away from our big Vegas vacation. I wanted to lose a few pounds so I looked good and could indulge in all of the amazing food in Las Vegas! I committed to exercising daily and watching what I ate. I knew I could commit for 10 days! No Mexican food, no fried food, no sampling while cooking, no wine for 10 days!

I decided to jumpstart the process by replacing some of my meals with Slim-Fast shakes and snacks. I wanted a portion controlled plan. I can’t be trusted to count out exactly what the suggested serving is. I see a broken chip--in my mind that doesn’t count, so I add an extra one. A chip/cookie will be smaller than the rest, so it doesn’t count and I add another one. You know you do it too!

The Slim-Fast products worked great for me. I didn’t have to order anything or make a financial commitment to a weight-loss program. I just went to the store and bought what I wanted, and I was set. I admit that I was worried about just having shakes and snacks all day. Turns out, it was actually pretty easy.

I had a shake for breakfast, a snack between breakfast and lunch, a shake or bar for lunch with a snack pack, a snack mid-afternoon and then I ate dinner. It turned out to be plenty of food for me.

I really, really liked the Peanut Butter Crunch Time snack bars. They tasted like the little candy bars , but with only 100 calories. I can now indulge my candy bar obsession and not bust out of my pants! Hallelujah!

The Nacho Cheese snack bites were also really good. They reminded me of Doritos. I can't keep Doritos in the house because I can not resist them! They call to me in the middle of the night. I can't stop eating them until they are gone. These Nacho Cheese snack bites will help me keep that obsession in check!

The food along with exercise helped me achieve my goal! The plan is for this to be a lifestyle change. I will definitely keep the Slim-Fast program a few days of the week so those Mexican dinners won't be a complete diet buster.

SpaFinder Gift Card Giveaway!

I wanted to lose weight for our big Vegas Vacation. What about you guys? What is YOUR reason for wanting to lose weight? Tell me about it, and don't hold back!! Just leave a comment. Entries will be pooled between participating blogs and two lucky winners will be picked at random to each win a $1,000 SpaFinder gift card!

Rules:
No duplicate comments.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
b) Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: "#SweepstakesEntry"; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
c) Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.
This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older.
Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.

This sweepstakes runs from 6/13/13 – 6/30/13.

Be sure to visit the Slim-Fast brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win!

Chipotle Cheesesteak Quesadillas

2013-06-13T03:01:00.000-05:00

These quesadillas super simple and a great way to use up leftover steak or skirt steak. They don't even feel like leftovers! They are packed full of gooey cheese and smoky spices. I sautéed some onions, peppers and mushrooms to go inside the quesadilla and transform them into "cheesesteaks". I thought they were fantastic! These quesadillas are perfect for us because we always buy extra skirt steak when we grill just for leftovers. If you don't have any leftover skirt steak or steak, I suggest the Tyson Steak Strips that are in the refrigerated section at the grocery store.

Click here for the recipe »

Buffalo Style Burgers

2013-06-12T03:01:00.000-05:00

These burgers are yumtastic! This recipe combines two of our favorite foods - burgers and buffalo wings! How can it be bad?! The burgers are packed full of wing sauce and ranch dressing mix. They are super juicy and tender. You can control the amount of heat by adjusting the amount of wing sauce in the burgers. I used 1/4 cup. I thought it was perfect, but if you are sensitive to heat you might want to drop it down to 2 Tablespoons. I topped the burgers with some Ranch dressing to cool them off. I loved every bite! These are definitely going into the rotation!

Click here for the recipe »

Steak Seasoning

2013-06-11T03:01:00.000-05:00

I thought I would share some of my favorite "man foods" with you this week in preparation for Father's Day this weekend. First up is the is steak rub. We love to grill out steaks. We usually have the butcher season our filets when we buy them. There was some miscommunication between Chicken Legs and me and he didn't get the steaks seasoned. I decided to come up with my own seasoning for the steaks this time. It was quick, easy and delicious. Chicken Legs said he actually liked this better than the butcher shop seasoning. I guess this is a keeper!

Click here for the recipe »

Meow Monday

2013-06-10T03:01:00.000-05:00

Fluffy

Sherbert

Jack

What's For Dinner?

2013-06-09T03:01:00.000-05:00

MONDAY

Sliders

TUESDAY

Grilled Taco Chicken

Fiesta Rice

WEDNESDAY

Toasted Pecan Chicken

THURSDAY

Chicken Marinara Flatbread

FRIDAY

Chicken Scaloppine

SATURDAY

Honey Rosemary Pork Chops

SUNDAY

Herb Grilled Skirt Steak

Souper Pork Chops {Slow Cooker}

2013-06-07T03:01:00.000-05:00

I love my slow cooker, especially in the summer. It gets so hot outside that the last thing I want to do is turn on the oven and make it even hotter inside! I've seen these pork chops on pinterest and allrecipes. com I wasn't too sure about them because it uses a can of Chicken and Rice soup. I wasn't sure how that would taste with the pork chops. Well, it was great.

To save time in the morning, I browned the pork chops the night before and assembled everything in the slow cooker before I left for work. Super easy! The pork chops were super tender and flavorful. I served the pork chops over a little more rice to complete the meal.

Click here for the recipe »

Cracked Out Beer Bread

2013-06-06T03:01:00.000-05:00

If you follow my blog, you know I love to "crack out" everything! This time I decided to "crack out" beer bread. This is so simple and super delicious. You probably have all the ingredients in your pantry right now. The key to this bread is sifting the flour. It really does make a difference. Sifting the flour helps keep the bread light and airy.

I used a Michelob Ultra for the beer since that was what was in the fridge. Feel free to use any beer you like. I couldn't taste the beer once the bread was cooked. We both loved this. This bread is crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. It tastes great slathered with some butter. Give it a try tonight!

Click here for the recipe »

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pound Cake

2013-06-05T03:01:00.001-05:00

Do you love chocolate chip cookies? Do you love cake? Then this cake is for you! This cake tastes just like a chocolate chip cookie! YUM! This cake starts with a yellow cake mix and only takes a few minutes to whip up. I added chopped pecans, but you can certainly leave them out.

The cake is very moist and not super sweet. I think this also might be good as cupcakes. According to Chicken Legs, this is best served warm with ice cream. I have to agree!

Click here for the recipe »

Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad

2013-06-04T03:01:00.000-05:00

I ran across this recipe on the Campbell's website. I was super intrigued with the recipe because it used a can of Cream of Chicken soup for the marinade and dressing. I just had to test it out.

I know what you are thinking. "Chicken Caesar Salad with a can of Cream of Chicken soup? YUCK" It was skeptical too, but it was surprisingly good! I marinated the chicken for a few hours and then grilled it outside. You can also cook it in the skillet or the oven. The chicken had a nice touch of lemon and it paired perfectly with the salad and dressing. Now, the dressing was more Italian than true Caesar (no anchovies). Either way, it was really good and I would definitely make this again.

Click here for the recipe »

Meow Monday

2013-06-03T03:01:00.000-05:00

Sherbert

Fluffy

Jack (and Sherbert)

What's For Dinner?

2013-06-02T03:01:00.000-05:00

MONDAY

Spicy Margarita Chicken

TUESDAY

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

WEDNESDAY

Bacon Cheeseburger Crescents

THURSDAY

Chicken Parmesan Wrap

FRIDAY

Italian BBQ Marinade

SATURDAY

Dijon Balsamic Grilled Chicken

SUNDAY

Creamy Grilled Chicken Piccata

Vegas Vacation Eats

2013-06-01T03:01:00.001-05:00

If you follow me on twitter and instagram, you know that we just got back from an amazing trip to Las Vegas. We went out there to celebrate Chicken Leg's birthday. It was the best trip ever! We were running on fumes when we hopped on the plane to come home. I think that is they way you are suppose to do Vegas though.

My favorite part of Vegas is the food. There are so many world renowned chefs with restaurants in Vegas. I love to eat my way through town! Thankfully we walk at least 5 miles a day, otherwise I wouldn't be able to fit in my pants!

We stayed at the Aria this year. This was the second time we have stayed here. It is a nice hotel and not as hectic as some of the other hotels.

Our first stop after checking in was at Todd English's P.U.B. It was perfect because it is connected to the hotel. It is quick and has a great variety of food.

Chicken Legs started with a Bloody Mary.

He got the sliders and fries.

I opted for the Corn Dog Puppies and fries.

Dinner that night was at Jean Georges Steakhouse in the Aria. This was the fourth time we have eaten here. The food is always great. Unfortunately, our server was a big disappointment this time. No worries, we didn't let that stop us from enjoying our meal. We had a late lunch, so we skipped appetizers and headed straight for the entrees.

I got the Soy-Glazed Short Rib over Apple Jalapeño Puree and Rosemary Crumbs. It was fall apart tender, and I ate every last bite!

Chicken Legs chose the Colorado Lamb Chops with Broccoli Rabe and Pecorino Mushroom Bolognese. I saw the plate being set down in front of him, and the next time I looked up it was almost gone! Needless to say, he loved it!

(It was super dark in the restaurant, so the photos aren't super great. I didn't want to use a flash since the waiter was super snooty.)

Day Two started off at Grimaldi's at The Palazzo. I was SUPER excited to eat here. I love pizza, and I couldn't wait to try their famous coal oven pizza!

I loved the wine bottle chandeliers!

It was decorated like it was in NYC.

I had a sausage, ham and fresh garlic pizza. The sauce was so delicious. It tasted so fresh. The pizza was topped with fresh mozzarella. SO good!

Tadd got pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms and jalapeños - he was in hog heaven!

We saved room for dessert. We had to get a cannoli. OMG!

Before dinner we hit The Bourbon Room at The Venetian. It is based on The Bourbon Room from the play Rock of Ages (one of our favorite plays). Hairbands rule! It was SO much fun.

I finally found a bourbon drink that I like - the Man O'War on the rocks. It's Maker’s Mark, orange Curaçao, Sweet Vermouth, and orange Juice. I loved it!

After drinks we headed over to Lavo. We always hit up Lavo for dinner. It has a great atmosphere and the food is fantastic!

We started with the Kobe Stuffed Rice Balls. To-die-for!

We split the A-5 Kobe Meatball with whipped ricotta. Chicken Legs doesn't usually split food when we go out, but the meatball was about a pound. We couldn't finish it. It was so tender and delicious.

Our side was Polenta Fries. Super delicious. We couldn't finish these either.

Chicken Legs stayed up until 6:00am gambling, so we slept in and skipped breakfast. We headed to one of our favorite lunch spots - PJ Clarke's in Caesar's Palace. We always eat at PJ Clarke's in NYC, so we make a point to eat at the Las Vegas location.

Chicken Legs started the meal off with a Bloody Mary (hair of the dog). Look at how awesome it is! That shrimp was huge!

Chicken Legs got the Cadillac Burger with an egg. This is the inspiration for the Cadillac Burger on the blog. Delicious!

Onion straws - perfectly cooked.

I got the Prime Rib French Dip. It came with fries. One of the best I've ever had.

Dinner was at The Pallazo, so we headed over early to The Bourbon Room for a pre-dinner cocktail. After a drink we walked over to Carnevino. It is Mario Batali's Italian Steakhouse. It is one of the best places that I have ever eaten. The service is spectacular.

I had a few Blood Orange Cosmos. I love them.

It is worth a trip to Vegas just to have a Blood Orange Cosmo from Mario Batali. Seriously!

The meal starts with these little cheese puffs. One bite of deliciousness.

The bread is served with whipped butter and a bacon fat spread. Oh yes, bacon fat.

We started with Spaghetti Nero. It was crab, jalapenos, and shallots. The pasta was made with squid ink. Squid Ink! Yikes! I stepped WAY out of my comfort zone and tried it. It was good, but scary looking.

I got the filet. It was the best steak I have ever eaten - EVER. It was cooked perfectly and wasn't charred on the outside. I had to make myself not stuff the last few bites down. It was amazing. Get it!

Chicken Legs got the double cut chop. He didn't have any left.

We got creamed corn as our side. It wasn't really creamy. It was more sautéed corn with peppers.

They surprised Chicken Legs with a little birthday treat at the end of our meal.

I just love Carnevino. It is the one spot that I can't miss on our Vegas trips.

Please go. You won't regret it!

We headed back to The Bourbon Room after dinner. Kyle Lowder (a/k/a Brady Black from Days of Our Lives) plays Stacee Jaxx in Rock of Ages and came in after the show. That was our only "celebrity" sighting this trip.

I danced the night/morning away to 80's music. Chicken Legs had to drag me away and make me go back to our hotel. I didn't want to go!

I will be back!!

We got up early the next day and went to breakfast at Bouchon Bistro in The Venetian. I love the Bouchon Bakery, so I was excited to try the bistro.

They brought us the pretty bread to start. They served it with butter and orange marmalade. It was the best marmalade I've ever had. I could have drank it from the dish.

I got the chicken and waffles. It is roasted chicken with a bacon and chive waffle. They served it with syrup and a Chasseur sauce (I have no idea what it was, but it was delicious on the chicken). Everything was so good!

Chicken Legs got the Croque Madame with a sunny side up egg. Incredible.

This will be a regular stop on our future Vegas trips.

For lunch we stopped by the Secret Pizza Place at the Cosmopolitan. We weren't super hungry, but we knew we couldn't make it to dinner at 9:30. The Secret Pizza place was perfect.

The Secret Pizza Place is located at the top of the escalator on the 3rd floor of The Cosmopolitan. There is no sign - it's a secret. It isn't a very well kept secret. The line was out the door when we left.

The hallway is lined with old album covers.

They hand toss the dough.

They put out various pizzas, but you can add toppings to anything they have out.

I got a slice of pepperoni. The pepperoni was big and delicious.

Chicken Legs went for pepperoni, mushroom, onion, pepper and olives.

The pizza is a little greasy, but it's really good and affordable.

We blew it out for dinner since it was our last night and Chicken Legs' birthday. We had been eyeing Old Homestead at Caesar's for a while. We decided to stop in the bar for a drink and check it out. Well, drinks turned into an amazing dinner.

We started off with the bacon appetizer. OMG. It was SOOOO delicious. It was hard to get a really good picture with the lighting, but trust me on this. It was so much that we shared with the couple next to us!

The bartenders finally talked us into having dinner. They brought us out this bread basket. I could have just eaten the bread basket for dinner! My favorite was the asiago muffin. YUM!

I got the famous burger and duck fat fries. I had seen a special on the burger at Old Homestead, and I was super excited to try it! Now, I don't eat duck. I know it is delicious, but I just don't like to eat Donald and Daffy. I tried the fries, and they were divine. They were crispy, salty and delicious. I really liked them - a lot. I will be ordering this on our next trip.

Chicken Legs got the bone-in filet. The bartenders both said it was their best steak. They were right. It was great. It was cooked perfectly. Chicken Legs almost ate the whole thing.

Chicken Legs got a side of roasted mushrooms. They are his favorite steakhouse side.

We had a blast at the bar at Old Homestead.

Thanks to Melissa and James for making our last night in Vegas one of the best!

We will be back!!

Just so you know, we did other things besides eating. We did lots of people watching, shopping and walking. We walked over 5 miles every day. My feet were killing me at the end of the day! Chicken Legs gambled at the tables, and I played The Hangover slot machines. I am totally addicted to it!

We already have a list going for our next Vegas trip. We saw a few places that were about to open that we want to check out and a few places that we haven't tried yet. We are definitely going to Olives at the Bellagio and the new Carmine's in Caesars.

Have you been to Vegas? What are your favorite Vegas restaurants? I am always looking for suggestions!

Stovetop Cracked Out Chicken & Rice

2013-05-31T03:01:00.000-05:00

Several people commented on my Baked Cracked Out Chicken and Rice that they had a hard time getting the rice to cook. I have never had any issues with the rice cooking, so I wasn't really sure what the problem was. I decided to make a stovetop version with instant rice in hopes the rice would cook easier.

This is SO simple! It is actually much easier and faster than the original. I like to use chopped rotisserie chicken in this dish. It really cut down on the prep time. This only took about 20 minutes from start to finish. You can't beat that! Chicken Legs raved about this version. He went back for seconds. This was also great reheated for lunch the next day. Give this a try the next time you need a quick weeknight meal!

Click here for the recipe »

Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti Casserole

2013-05-30T03:01:00.000-05:00

This recipe is from Plain Chicken reader, Jennifer Colson. She calls the recipe chicken tetrazzini. I already have a couple of tetrazzini recipes, so I call this Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti Casserole. We thought this was great. It makes a ton. It would be a great potluck dish. It can be made ahead of time and frozen or refrigerated. I suggest dividing this into two 9-inch pans and freezing one of them for later. Each pan would serve about 6 people. This is good reheated for lunch or dinner the next day. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe with us Jennifer!

Click here for the recipe »

Chicken Lazone

2013-05-29T03:01:00.000-05:00

This dish is SO delicious. I've had this recipe bookmarked for years, but I never got around to making it. I am kicking myself for not trying this sooner. It is SOOOOO GOOD! The best part of this dish is that it is incredibly simple to make. It requires not marinating or prep. Just sprinkle the seasoning on the chicken, cook and add cream. It takes about 15 minutes total. You can't beat that! I like to serve this over angel hair pasta, but it would also be good with mashed potatoes. Next time we are going to try a combination of half chicken and half andouille sausage. I can't wait!

Click here for the recipe »

Pizza Smothered Chicken

2013-05-28T03:01:00.000-05:00

This chicken is SO GOOD! It is one of the top 10 things we've ever made. This dish truly combines my two favorite foods - pizza and chicken. I like to refer to this as "heaven on a plate"!

Chicken Legs took one bite and said "Wow! This is good!". He wolfed his piece down and was hoping there was another piece for him to eat. There wasn't. I had to guard my piece from him and promised to make an extra piece next time. We are actually planning on making it again this weekend. This is seriously delicious!

Click here for the recipe »