Onion Baked Chicken Alfredo with Capers

At the end of this week, I will be drafting into my annual fantasy football league with my family, and then later with some Dell friends, and this morning all I've been doing is trying to come up with a fun name for my team! Ever since high school but mostly when I became a bartender, football has been my absolute favorite sport. Every Sunday after Church you could find me posted up at a local pub with a beer in my hand and a jersey on, ready for game day. I am SO excited for this upcoming year!

While looking at names I thought it would be so fun if a group of bloggers did their own little free fantasy football league... what do y'all think? Either way.. these are my top favorite names:

1. ABC, Easy as RGIII
2. The Big Tebowski
3. A Partridge in a Crabtree
4. Colt Forte-Five, 2 Zig Zags
5. Brady Gaga
6. Rice, Rice Baby
7. Forgetting Brandon Marshall

Haha, and I just got these off a "Top Fantasy 2012 Names" site... What's y'alls fav? I can't even decide, I love all the football players above. Speaking of sports... how crazy is it that I was watching Sports Center while filling up my tank yesterday hahah... someone has got the RIGHT idea instead of those annoying commercials!

Anyway, I cannot wait to share this recipe I made last night with y'all. I was in HEB last week getting some necessities here and there, and while I was getting some pickles, I saw these capers in a jar, and it took me back to CPK (California Pizza Kitchen) where Scott and I used to go on little dates while he worked at Barton Creek Mall - and CPK was inside. I used to order the Lemon Shrimp Alfredo quite frequently... My favorite thing about this meal was the flavor the capers added to it, so as soon as I saw them at HEB, I had to get them!

These little babies are amazing! So I threw this recipe together on my own last night, and you will not be sorry if you make it!!


Ingredients:

2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 Jar Alfredo (Any type is fine, I used Roasted Garlic Alfredo)
1/2 Box Whole Grain Rotini Pasta (I portioned for only 2, still had leftovers)
1 Can French Onions (Optional coating of chicken) & 1 tablespoon wheat flour
1/2 bag Broccoli and Cauliflower
2 Tablespoons Capers
Spray Can Olive/Veg Oil
Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• After thawing chicken, dice into bite sized pieces (we serve our pastas in bowls so this works out great for us, you can leave them as full chicken breasts and bake for 40 minutes)
• Spray Chicken with Olive/Veg Oil and place in a ziploc bag filled with French Onions and 1 tablespoon wheat flour. (If you don't do onion baked, you can sprinkle your own seasonings or even blacken your chicken at this point.)
• Shake until chicken is fully coated. Place on a foiled pan lightly sprayed with olive oil, and place in oven for 20 minutes, flipping half way through.
• Place Veggies on a separate baking sheet sprayed with olive oil and your desired spices, and bake for the same 20 minutes.
• In a medium pot of boiling water, empty half a box of rotini and boil for 10-12 minutes, then drain in a collander. Placing back in pot, empty alfredo sauce and capers into the pot with the pasta, and simmer over low-med heat.
• Once Chicken and Veggies are finished, put all together and sprinkle parmesan cheese for topping, and enjoy!

This entree was SO good! We don't eat pasta too often because we are trying to lose weight, but this was surprisingly on the lighter side, the veggies and capers were excellent additions to the flavor, and the Onion Baked Chicken was incredible! I highly recommend you make this stat! :)

The rest of last night we relaxed, talked about our day.. and I may or may not have spent a few hours catching up on DVR in bed... It was awesome! Huxley apparently enjoyed sleeping on my neck...

We also went and checked out the house I mentioned yesterday on Huxley St. before it got too dark outside... y'all it was in a cul de sac and all the houses around it were gorgeous as well! Ahh wish I could just throw down a payment and move in already! heheh wish it were that easy. Hey, it's a great way to figure out exactly what we want, where we want it, so by the time we're ready to purchase it'll be that much easier in the end.

Hope everyone is having a fabulous Tuesday so far!

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Weekend to Ourselves

It is unusual for us to have an entire weekend of R & R, as we are usually jam packed with events one or the other of us has to attend, etc. Like coming up in August, besides the first weekend, we're out of town the other 3! First I'm attending a bachlorette weekend in San Antonio, the next he is attending a men's bachlorette getaway (same couple!) and third, Scott's leaving town for the weekend with his buddy to do their hometown Fantasy Football draft. By September we are going to need a couple getaway fo-sho.

So this weekend was so perfect for us to spend one on one. We started off right, too! On Friday, we celebrated my brother's baller week at work by having some drinks at third base, and I beat everyone at Big Buck Hunter! I am pretty sure I look ridiculous reloading my gun every time I shoot anything at all, I look like a mad woman haha. It is such a fun game though!

We watched some movies and passed out early only for Scottie to wake up at 9am on Saturday morning (wayy early for him!) and invite me to a cafe breakfast at the 620 Cafe in Round Rock. Ohh, I love this place! I treated myself to a chocolate milk and we had some fun laughs remembering the last time I came here and accidently ordered something with mushrooms, ewwwww. This time it was much better. Our hungry bellies are the reason why there was no photo of this :(.

We continued our day and decided not to go home, but to go shopping at the outlets close by!

Ralph Lauren had a huge sale going on, so it was Scott's lucky day. He is the kind of guy that dresses up on casual Friday. You'll never find him in basketball shorts or a tshirt at work, always a button down with jeans/cargoshorts on casual day or fully dressed. He scored a new belt, tie, three new shirts, and 2 pairs of shoes at the outlets and spent under $200!

I am in in this "must save for a house" mode, so lately when I've been shopping I've been stopping myself from buying really anything as I am in full house-fever mode and want to save every penny. It'll still be a while, but we've been sending each other many houses we both like :-).

Huxley has been sleeping in our bed pretty much his whole life, but we decided over the weekend after being completely smushed together for months, that until we get a King, Huxley needs to sleep in his own bed - this little muffins sprawls out in between us leaving us hanging off the bed hah.

I think he loves it... it even matches our bedding!

We stopped by redbox on the way home knowing we'd probably have a horror movie night and eat popcorn and snug up on the couch, but I could not have been LESS impressed with this movie...... "The Intruders" ... buhhhhh so weird! We ended up turning it off to watch DVR as we had recorded Something About Mary, Enemy of the State, and 21. All great movies!

Friday I picked up these gorgeous crosses down South for only $10! What a steal! I cannot wait to start really decorating our little home and a little cross wall is just what we need!

Earlier Friday during the day, I had a little lunch date with our office Manager, Sharon, who is about 70 years old and the funniest lady, I love working with her! We get caught up in the most random conversations and she tells the best stories. Makes the work day very quick and easy. :-) Well, we chose this new place in walking distance to our office that just replaced Bennigans, and as much as I wanted to like it so much, I was not impressed, the food was really bland.

We ordered the Fish Tacos and the Capri Salad and split both entrees. These two entrees are some of which I order at multiple restaurants to see how they compare, who has the better one, etc. We even got the fish blackened, and it still had no flavor. It was almost like everything tasted the same, has that ever happened to you?? Meh. I was, however, impressed with the furniture and ambiance of the restaurant. Very sports-like with TVs everywhere, and the bar top tables and regular dining tables, they looked pretty expensive dark brown wood. The service was also pretty good. Would I go there agian? Eh. Probably not with all the amazing restaurants in Austin to choose from.

Soo.. funny coincidence that our #1 house we are looking at is on a street named "Huxley Ln"... Even though we don't have NEAR enough to put down 20% on a house at the moment, Scott is seriously considering pulling some strings, but we will see! It's so hard that the market is so great right now, but we just don't have the money we need quite yet. We are about to start buckling down hard. I'm so excited!

What did everyone else do this weekend!?

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Life Lately via Instagram/IPhone

Anyone else feel like this week has flown by!? Maybe it's because I've been so busy work-wise this week going to trainings off site and meetings, but I am lovin' it! Happy Friday to you all!

Thank you all for your comments yesterday about the Cupcakes I should make for my office. Now, my office only consists of about 5 people (including myself - our other 4 employees work remotely from home in 4 different states!) but thank you, I can't wait to post about my baking experience since I have never really gotten into it before too much besides cookies.

Same thing with crafting, I'm itching to buy a cheap dresser and re do it, and I found one on craigslist this morning for only $20! Might go pick it up :-) Now those that know me know I am not a good crafter, but I also have never really tried to craft. With over 120 something pins about DIY projects, I'm thinking I should give it a shot.

I have some fun random instagrams throughout this week so I thought I'd share!

1. Dinner date with my love Krista, who is the newest ATX Blogger, so I can call it a "blate". :-)

2. Kona Grill California Roll... Yummm

 

 

 Company Lunch @ Mama Fu's

1. Calamari

2. Crab Rangoons

3. Deeeeelicious Iced Tea for me

4. My brown rice, veggies, and beef

 

 

 

 

What a lame fortune cookie!! Although, it was pretty funny. One of my coworkers made a comment along the lines of... "Maybe it means you were once "cramped" at Dell, but now you're free!"

Hahha

 

 

 

 

I love volunteering every Thursday for Meals on Wheels

OOTD on Tuesday when I went to Kona. Love love love this dress.

Rue 21 has some cuuuute summer dresses for only $15-20 right now!

 

 

 

 

1. 90 day mark on 8/1! Yay for having Insurance/Benefits again!!

2. Soo funny catching one of the IT guys snoozin on the job yesterday afternoon! I printed it out and taped it to my boss' door for a good laugh. He snores loud.

 

 

1. My little Bananalee in the Pool (bff's daughter) gosh she is so so cute

2. Cute texts from the boyfrannnnnn <3 love him

3. Funny how Huxley sleeps sitting up against the couch pillows.

 

Are you following me on Instagram!?

Happy, happy Friday!

What are your plans this weekend!?!?

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Ideas for Cupcakes

Alright, I need your creativity and brains, friends! As much as I love to cook and it is almost like therapy for me, I am not really the best baker. Then again, I've never really got into trying it out or usually have had the best utensils to make baking easy and decorating look at least somewhat decent.

My 90 day mark is coming up at work, and I wanted to show my appreciation by making some insanely delicious cupcakes or even another dessert if y'all have a great idea to share. I'm willing to try anything!

So.... here are some ideas I saw on Cooking Light via Pinterest, and then I want you to comment and tell me if you like one of the ones below to do, or if you have a better recipe or link that you want me to check out!

So here we go! (Recipes are in the "via" links)

Amaretto Apple Streusel Cupcakes

via

Peanut Butter Chococolate Chip Cupcakes

via

Chocolate Velvet Cupcakes

via

Strawberry Filled Lemon Cupcakes

via

or more of a dessert like:

Gluten-Free Chewy Gooey Marshmallow Cookies with Mini Chips

via

Healthy Zuccini Brownies

via

Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries

via

Sooooo what do y'all think!? I am linking up with Michelle for Pinterest Wednesday, cheating because it is Thursday, hehe, but these are all pins and I need y'alls opinion! I'm ready to try something new in the kitchen... cause who knows? I could be a good baker??? :-)





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Southwestern Egg Rolls with Spicy Avocado Ranch

Morning, friends! Today I have a special treat of a recipe for you! Not only is this an incredibly easy appetizer that feeds 25-30 people, but it was under $6 to make ALL of it (including the dip!)! I kid you not - I am so glad I made this, and will be making again... and again and again.

Servings: 25-30 rolls

Ingredients:

For the egg rolls:
2 cups frozen corn, thawed
1-15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1-9 oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry with paper towel
2 cups shredded Mexican cheese
1-7oz can diced green chiles, drained
4 green onions, finely chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 package of egg roll or wonton wrappers

For the Spicy Avocado Ranch Dip:
1 Avocado
1 cup Mayo
1/2 cup Milk
Spicy Ranch Packet (Dry Seasoning)
Chives or Cilantro for Garnish :-)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line two baking sheets with aluminum foil, and spray lightly with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl mix together corn, beans, spinach, cheese, chiles, onions, cumin, chili powder, salt and cayenne pepper. Using a small spoon, scoop a small amount of filling onto the wrapper.
3. Starting at a corner, carefully start to roll the wrapper. When it’s slightly rolled, tuck in the two side and continue rolling to the last point. Wet your finger with water and dab a bit on the corner to seal the egg roll.
4. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling, placing them slightly apart on the baking sheet.
5. Lightly spray the tops of the egg rolls with cooking spray and bake for 15 minutes, flipping them at least once during baking.

Spicy Avocado Ranch Dip:
1. Mash Avocado in a small-med sized bowl, leaving as chunky or smooth to your liking.
2. Empty dry seasoning packet and add in milk and mayo, and whip into a dip. If you have a blender or food processor, this would be a perfect dip to blend. I wanted my avocado to be a little chunkier, so I did it by hand.
3. Top with chives or cilantro for garnish, and dip those egg rolls! So good!

You can find these egg roll wrappers in the grocery store in the refridgerated section by the Asian influenced foods like tofu and sushi. A pack of 16 is only $1.20, friends! SO inexpensive. All of the vegetables were in the frozen isle for around a $1 for over 16oz which is more than double what the recipe calls for. Like I said, incredibly delicious, meatless, brilliant appetizer to make for a party. Our friends loved them!

Another thing I definitely wanted to mention is that you can add shredded chicken to these for more protein and it would probably be even better!!

I had so many leftover egg roll wraps, and plan to make these Buffalo Chicken Egg Rolls next week! Will definitely post how they turn out!

This recipe is Pinspired by Cake & Ally.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Wednesday! It is beautiful outside in Austin, TX and really am wishing I wasn't cooped up in an office and not out on the lake or something! Last night, I got to meet up with one of my best girl friends that I've known since I first moved to Austin named Krista. She is about to start a Fashion blog and pretty soon ALL of you will love her *almost* as much as I do!! :-)

Well, I missed posting yesterday due to a long day FULL of meetings all over Austin! Started at a hotel for a Cloud-Based Phone System we just acquired so I went to learn about how to use it, sell it, market it, etc., then back to my South Congress office to finish up some work, then to Cedar Park two hours later for an appointment, and then to Kona with Krista! Bahh jam packed day! It was so fun though, I am so happy with my job. 90 days coming up August 1st, and I plan to make cupcakes and all sorts of fun stuff for the office. :-) Feeling very grateful.

Happy Hump day! Make it a great one!

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