Dinner for The Busy Kirklands

Dear Diary-
OK the pictures look a little random but these are the key parts to a yummy dinner that will please all the Kirklands. This can be made in advance and sealed up and even put into Tupperware and frozen.. so what's for dinner? Coca Cola Baked Chicken and BBQ Pasta Salad with hidden veggies for Stella

Pasta Salad
1 box of tri color spiral pasta ( fun colors for Stella )
1/2 cup of ranch dressing
1/2 cup of BBQ sauce
1/4 cup of chopped carrot
1/4 cup of chopped green pepper
1/4 cup halved grape tomatoes

Cook up pasta, and rise with cold water. Mix with remaining ingredients and
refrigerate.

Chicken
1 whole chicken cut into parts ( your butcher can do this just ask )
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup of any flavor jam
1/2 cup Coca Cola
1 tsp garlic powder
3 tbs onion soup mix

Pre heat the oven to 350
Rinse chicken and pat dry
Mix remaining ingredients together until combined
Place chicken parts into a baking dish and cover with sauce
Bake chicken covered with foil for 1 and a half hours
Remove aluminum foil and bake for additional 30 min

This will be right up Bre's alley and Mark will be so happy- and it's a sneaky way to get Stella to eat her veggies...it's not too crazy but still has some yummy flavor...you can do this on Sunday and eat on Monday! PLUS this is a very budget conscious meal...

ENJOY!

Help Me Dear Diary

Dear Diary-
My fantastic hair dresser/ lifelong friend is in need of some culinary intervention!
See below from my Bre

Dear friends diary,
I'm a mom of two girls under the age of 3... I work and supprt the family financially, I don't have lots of time for dinner an when I get home from work it's late and I'm starving and need food fast? Is there yummy recipes for pre made food that I can freeze for the week??? And on the side, I would like some new chicken recipes ?? I'm a pizza burger kind of girl! Thx a bunch
Signed, a tired mom with not a lot of time to cook!

OK so Housewife 2.0 to the rescue... you see Bre is a meat and potatoes kind of eater... and she LOVES a big can of Coca Cola... so I need to come up with something good for her...and her hubby Mark and SUPER cute babies Stella and Ivey...Recipe will be listed soon... tune in!

Dinner for Keri and ANDDDDREEEEEEEEEEEWW

Dear Diary-
My dear dear friend and NYC buddy Ker asked for an Orange Roughy recipe... she had some Orange Roughy and Israeli Cous Cous. What is Orange Roughy you may ask? Well Diary it is a firm fish with a mild taste- great for people who don't like strong flavored fish like salmon.
And here is my recipe for my friend Ker and her ANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNDDREEEEEEEW!

2 Orange Roughy Fillets
1/2 sliced red onion
1 tbs of lemon zest
Juice of 1 lemon
One bunch of fresh oregeno
2 tbs of chopped kalamata olives
1/4 cup of feta cheese
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tsp white wine

Israeli Cous Cous
Chicken Stock
White Wine

Cook the Israeli Cous Cous according to package instructions. Use 3/4 of liquid as a chicken stock- the remaining 1/4 use white wine or lemon juice ( added flavor )

Pre heat oven to 400
Place fish on a baking sheet covered with aluminum foil and non stick spray
Season fish on both sides with salt and pepper
Combine the red onion, lemon zest, olives, oregeno, sour cream and white wine.
Spread mixture on the fish and top with crumbled feta cheese
Bake for 10-12 minutes
Serve over the Cous Cous, garnish with lemon wedges and sip on some white wine!

Love The French Food

Dear Diary-
I felt like I was kinda back in Paris today. I sat at a little table by the window enjoying my tasty Parisian Sandwich. MMMMMMMMMMM warm tasty ham smothered with grainy mustard and swiss cheese all pressed between some crusty bread... it would have been better with a glass of white wine but I'm here to work- so no wine at lunch. I wish I could have a second home in France and eat tasty French food and sip on tasty French wine whenever I wanted...ok that's the new goal to put on the list... HOME IN FRANCE...
Bonjour Diary....

Steak and Shake with Dad

Dear Diary-
So Mom is out of town and we decided to support Dad at Holy Family's Steak & Shake event. It is only fitting since Steak N Shake is Dad's FAVORITE restaurant- I don't even know if that place is really worthy enough to be called a restaurant but whatever it is Dad loves it. Thing is all the Orlando locations of the Steak N Shake are in some less than desirable neighborhoods...
So this Steak & Shake was actually a steak dinner and dance. Anyway we all went to support Dad- and WOW he needed it! When we finally got to see him it looked like he lost about 10 pounds sweating over the grill!

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He grilled over 200 ribeyes... granted they were frozen as they hit the grill so it was not the tastiest steak but Dad did a good job.
So we ate our "steak" and left before the shake...

Best Lemonade Ever

Dear Diary-
OMG so I found this lemonade when I was in Maine... at a place called Tidal Falls- this is where Gabe proposed... anyway. The Lemonade was so freaking good! So I found the recipe and made it for Father's Day...I could have guzzled the entire pitcher! I didn't I shared with the family and everyone agreed that is was a hit. Although some asked if we had a little Vodka to throw in to make it REALLY good...we did not.

Makes 9 Servings
*8 cups of Water
*1 1/2 cups of sugar
*1 1/2 cups of fresh squeezed lemon juice



*1 tbs of lemon zest (use a microplane to zest the lemon)
*Mint for garnish

Heat 2 cups of water and sugar over medium high heat until sugar is dissolved
Mix remaining ingredients together and chill
Serve over ice and garnish with fresh mint

Drink and then Propose to the one you love....


ahhh Gabe and Jen getting engaged kissy face

How Can You Not Be A Fan

Dear Diary-
I stayed true to my driver this year- and after a much awaited win... my boy KASEY KHANE drove into Victory Lane last night. Oh Diary I was biting my nails in anticipation last night! The dang double starts after cautions had me so nervous... Smoke was on his tail the whole time. And of course Diary Gabe is a Smoke fan... I was happy the Ishams had a 1 2 finish last night- Gabe was of course upset that my driver won....
I want to meet Kasey one day....