Lack of Posting...

I know my lack of posting is annoying. Trust me...I know. It is to me too! But I promise that I will be posting a TON more in the upcoming days!! I PROMISE!!

Sometimes you can't fake it!

It's been awhile since I last posted, I know this. Been super busy lately and finally got started on the cooking once again. Literally, these last couple weeks I feel like all we do is eat out. I feel like I am running nonstop lately and I think that is it honestly. By the end of the day, the last thing I want to do is cook but gotta do it. It's healthier!

But besides that, last week I decided to make this. It says in the recipe to marinate the chicken overnight...PLEASE FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS!! I did not. I figured oh well, I can just smother in ranch while cooking and all will be right in the world. 


Wrong.


I don't know about you but sweet peas smothered in ranch? Yeah not so good. So please please please, follow the instructions. Because let me tell you, this was a cooking disaster at my house!

Whats new in my cooking world!

Honestly...not much.

Cooking has kinda taken a slow pace as of late. The beginning of the "sick" season has hit us hard. I have been sick off and on for about a month now. Now I just have this horrible cough I am trying hard to get rid of. Kinda scared to be running at the gym for fear they will think I am spreading the bubonic plague. True story.

So a couple Thursday's ago, I went to my friend N's for dinner. She made a Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe that she found on Tasty Kitchen. Let me just say...it was bland. And I know N's food is not bland. But this...was just...bland. Like no flavor whatsoever. She even added MORE spice to the food then what was necessary. Nope. Bland. I am one of THOSE people. I love flavor. If its not making my taste buds fall in love, it ain't happening. And apparently, it wasn't happening all the way around that table. So needless to say, we will NOT be cooking this again..ever. And if either of us do, its going to be changed a LOT.

The tortilla soup....

The following Thursday (actually, just last Thursday) I cooked dinner for them. I made PW's Pasta Alla Marlboro Man. Holy delicious. Literally. I didn't see a single person NOT get up for seconds. Its been extremely cold around here lately. Of course rainy as well so let's add that into the bone chill factor. This food is the perfect just comfort food. Its definetly man friendly with all the amount of meat that is involved as well. Totally gonna be honest, that recipe is probably a meal I could eat once a week if I could. Not gonna lie :D

Creamy Portabella Pot Roast

So this blog entry has no pictures. I was so frustrated in the end that I said screw it. Maybe I will take a picture when I have some leftovers tomorrow...maybe.

The other morning, I decided to start my pot roast. Mind you, I didn't start it until 930. It says to let cook for 8 to 10 hours. Yikes. Add in to the fact that I had to leave to pick up my son from school before 1020 and you can see we have an issue. I propped my Tab up and got down to business.

Only...I didn't read the recipe. And this is where the fiasco starts.

I seared the meat, stuck it in the crock pot and got down to slicing and dicing the veggies. I didn't cube the potatoes, I sliced them up (thin). I also didn't use yukon gold, I used red potatoes. The reason being is that my brand new bag of potatoes (or so I thought to be brand new) were bad. Nice huh? Reason like 9 million why the commissary at this base just sucks. So anyway, I chopped up all the veggies and realized that...my crock pot isn't that big. Like I am seriously wanting a bigger one (hint hint, nudge nudge). So I had to downsize the veggies big time because there just wasn't enough room. But anyway, I make the sauce and pour it in and I am like Hmm...that wasn't a lot. Like 1 cup of cooking wine and 1 can of soup. Hmm. Not really that much for all the ingredients BUT I will try my luck!

Then I read the recipe. Yeah...didn't do it right. I didn't mix the veggies together with the sauce. And I didn't put half the veggies on the bottom with the meat on top.

That sets in the panic.

I had like four people telling me to add some water, it won't hurt anything plus it will prevent the meat from drying out. Drying out meat could cause crock pot to crack. If my crock pot cracked, you would have one sad panda over here. So I added less then a cup.

Big. Mistake. At least, I think so.

Around 6pm, the meat was floating there was so much liquid. Add into the fact that the potatoes were still hard. Its been cooking for 8 hours by this point! I was like What is going on?!? So I cooked it for another hour.

Its not 7pm. Little Man is hungry, I am hungry. I said forget it and we ate. The potatoes were still a little firm. The meat was a tad tough. But overall, it was good. I honestly just don't know if I will cook it again. Or at least not until I get a bigger crock pot. (hint hint nudge nudge)

The recipe can be found here. (yes Tasty Kitchen is amazing).

A picture blog!

From this (the insides)....

To having the sauce laid on top....

To a wicked delicious chicken pot pie!!!