Has Kevin Been in the Kitchen????

The answer is....
Yes and No!

I've been in the kitchen cooking but I have a new schedule I am trying to get used to. So while I've been cooking...I haven't really been doing anything interesting.

Most of you know what has happened to me. Having been unemployed for 15 months was tough. But doing this blog helped me think about other things than not being able to contribute money to the family income.

Then in March I got a job with a major beverage company who have a call center here in town. I didn't like it as the pay wasn't very good and the hours were terrible. I had to cook dinner in the morning and didn't feel I could be creative or even somewhat experimental in the morning as what I made had to be reheated as if it were leftovers. It cramped my style.

Then 6 weeks into that job I got a call from a company for a job I had applied to 10 months prior. It is in the field for which I have over 20 years experience and the pay and hours were much more to my liking. So I am trying to settle into a new schedule.

What's great about it is that I can actually start cooking like I used to and hopefully I can be a little more creative with what I make. One little caveat though...my son is being more careful about what he is eating (low fat, low calorie) since he is trying to lose weight and get into better shape (Keep it up son!) and then my daughter is expecting our 2nd grandchild and her food tastes have been changed (for now).

Anyway, enough about me (the reason I haven't been active in doing this blog) and on to something better....food.

My family and I love Chinese food. Recently we went to one of our favorite Chinese restaurants. Fortunately (or unfortunately) it is more than 35 miles away from where we live. So it was a really nice treat. One of the appetizers we got were for lettuce wraps. So I tried to duplicate it. I think it turned out pretty good. Here is a picture of it.

I made a side of shrimp fried rice (well the rice isn't really fried, but it still tastes great). Nothing too special there. Here are the recipes.

Well. hopefully now that things are a little more settled in life I'll be in the kitchen more and back to my somewhat foodie life. And, I hope to get back into the swing of being on my blog.

In the meantime, try this recipe and leave me a comment if and when you do. Tell your friends about this blog, share your recipes with me. Follow me and like me on Facebook.

I'll be in the kitchen again soon!

Chicken Love

So here's another chicken recipe that I think you'll all enjoy. I called it Spiced Honey Mustard Chicken. It is a twist on the classic Honey Mustard Chicken. This recipe incorporates a couple of spices you might not think would go together, but they do and they do so quite well.  What are those two mystery spices? Curry Powder and Ground Coriander. Here is a photo of my last batch made.

This is one of those go to recipes when you want a flavorful chicken recipe. I've never tried to use the glaze when grilling outside. My guess is that it would be great. So once I get a chance to go out back and grill some chicken, I will give it a try. In the meantime, I'll keep using it in the oven. Here is the recipe:

I also usually pair it up with another family favorite, Elizabeth Randolph's Potato Casserole. She was my best friend's mom when I was a teenager and she made it quite a bit for our church's pot luck dinners (I love church pot lucks by the way...) It is sort of a baked potato in casserole form. When it comes out of the oven and you dig in with a serving spoon...I love to see the steam rise off of it. You can't see the steam in this pic though....  :-(

I actually love to add extra Green Onions. I've never made it with Bacon in it, but I bet it would be delicious too. It could then be called a Loaded Baked Potato Casserole. Oh...I guess I just gave you an idea to "create" your own recipe. If you try it, let me know....just make sure you give me credit! Here's the recipe:

So, if you're looking for something else to do with chicken give this a try. The chicken does take an hour to bake so it can't be a last minute throw it together meal.

Let me know if and when you try these recipes. Follow me on Facebook, subscribe to my blog, leave comments and tell your friends.

Until next time, I'll be in the kitchen (after I get some groceries first...)