Sweet and Spicy Bacon Chicken

Chris said that this is one of his favorite recipes that I have ever made.  It was pretty delicious, and not a lot of work, so I highly recommend it the next time you are trying to think of something different to try with chicken.  I baked the chicken, and it was great, but you could also grill it!  Do not be afraid of using the spices and brown sugar; I applied them pretty heavily and even sprinkled some extra brown sugar on top.  Enjoy!


Sweet and Spicy Bacon Chicken
4 chicken breasts cut in thirds (12 pieces)
Bacon slices
salt and pepper to taste
garlic powder
chili powder
brown sugar

Cut each breast into 3 pieces, season all the chicken with the spices, then wrap a bacon slice around each piece, roll in brown sugar and place into an oven proof dish....make sure you have some olive oil in the dish too, like 2 or 3 tablespoons is fine (I used cooking spray instead) .
Bake at 400 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and bacon is nice and brown and crispy.  Delicious served with mashed potatoes with some of the gravy from the chicken drizzled on top.

**Also great on the grill!  No juices to drizzle on anything, but still delicious!

Recipe courtesy of Diary of a Recipe Addict

Sweet Babies

I thought I would share this video of Atticus bathing Macy.  Almost every night, Macy walks up to Atticus and puts her head down in front of him to get a bath.  Atticus usually obliges, although he alternates licking her face with biting her face.  You take the good with the bad, I guess.

TCD Spring Repertory 2012

Next weekend is TCD's spring repertory show!  The show will include Twyla Tharp's "Baker's Dozen" presented by the Alabama Ballet, and "Les Sylphides" presented by the UA Department of Theatre and Dance.  TCD will perform Snow White to close the show.  If you have a child who is only interested in seeing Snow White, you should come to the Saturday matinee performance of Snow White only, where we will have a special party with children's activities and photo opportunities with the Snow White characters.  An opening night gala and silent auction will follow Friday night's performance.  The silent auction will include pointe shoes decorated by a local artist to represent some of the Snow White characters, and there will also be refreshments available.  You do not want to miss this show!  

Call the TCD box office for tickets at (205) 752-4220.  For ticket prices and more information, check out the website at www.TuscaloosaCommunityDancers.com.  

It's Been Awhile

I apologize for not posting anything recently, but our lives just haven't been all that exciting until very recently!  I FINALLY found a job!  I am working as an associate at Newell & Holden in Tuscaloosa.  If you need any legal help, I encourage you to give us a call.  I started work officially yesterday, and I hit the ground running.  They loaded me up with several projects immediately, but I'm glad; lots of work=job security.  Thank you for your prayers while I was job hunting; we persevered, and God answered in his time.  Mr. Newell told me that if this works out, it's got to be a God thing, because they were not even looking for an associate when they received my resume.  I can't say that Atticus and Macy are too thrilled about the change, as they have become accustomed to me being at home with them all day.  They let me know loud and clear--Atticus follows me around yowling and Macy stands at the door with the saddest, most disappointed face she can muster.

In other news, Chris is currently in Reno, Nevada on an audit trip.  I made him promise not to gamble all our money away, but they have slot machines in the airport there, so I'm keeping my expectations low.

On Valentine's Day, Chris and I went to the Alabama basketball game.  He gave me some cute pink elephant sweatpants, and I gave him some funny socks that look like a shark is eating your leg.  I also made him some red velvet cupcakes from scratch!  They surprisingly turned out really tasty, so I might continue to test out my baking skills.  As my grandmother says, "They'll make you swallow (or swaller, if you pronounce it correctly) your tongue."

It's a lovebug!

Victoria is in the States for a little while!  She, Drew, Colin, Riley, and I went to La Paz in Mountainbrook for dinner last week.  I haven't seen them in a while, so it was really nice to spend some time together.

We're having a Crimson Cabaret reunion on Saturday, so I'm really looking forward to that.  We're getting together to eat and socialize, and then we're going over to the basketball game.  It's hard for people who live out of state to make it, so we will have a small group, but I'm looking forward to seeing some girls I haven't seen in a long time.

That's all the updating I can think of for now!

Love,
Jillerina :*

They Got a Name for the Winners in the World. . . .

They call Alabama the Crimson Tide. . . .
Chris and I went down to New Orleans to participate in the National Championship revelry.  We did not have game tickets, but because we have several friends that live there (and a few others that were also going down for the game), we decided to go and spend some time with them and enjoy the celebration.  We left Friday afternoon headed for our friend Randy's house, and our friend Tyler, who lives in Huntsville, came to Tuscaloosa to ride with us.  We got there in time for dinner with a few of Randy and Stephanie's friends at Drago's, a seafood restaurant famous for its charbroiled oysters (I tried one, but I just cannot get past the booger texture).  I had red beans and rice (I don't know if it was better than 5's!) and Chris had blackened redfish.  Afterward, we went to The District, and then we went to Harrah's casino, where Chris won about $350 playing blackjack and roulette!  Also, I ran into my friends Tiffany and Gigi, former Cabaret girls who now live in Texas and California, respectively.  On Saturday morning, the boys went and played basketball, and then we all went out and ate a late lunch at Cafe Maspero in the French Quarter, where we had sandwiches and $1 strawberry daiquiris.  Later, we went to Jax to watch the Saints game and munch on appetizers.

Taking the Streetcar (or trolley, some might say)

On Sunday, we ate some delicious gumbo that Randy's dad made for lunch.  Then we went down to Jackson Square where I met my friend Gigi for beignets and cafe au lait at Cafe Du Monde and everybody else walked around to see the artists, St. Louis Cathedral, and other attractions.

Me and Gigi

Chris enjoyed his beignets a little TOO much

Cafe Du Monde

We walked down to the French Market, and most of the shops had closed down for the evening, but I managed to buy matted sketch prints of Cafe Du Monde and St. Louis Cathedral.  I cannot go anywhere without buying a souvenir.  We sauntered down to the Market Cafe where a jazz band was playing.  Then we decided to go down to Bourbon Street to take in the atmosphere, and my what a show!  Strippers in various stages of undress standing in the doorways, men and women hanging over the balconies yelling "Roll Tide" and "Go Tigers" at passersby, police on enormous horses breaking up fights, vomit and liquor in the gutters, and crowds of people pushing and shoving to stumble from bar to bar.  We went to the Krazy Korner to meet up with Chris's brother, Mike, and his girlfriend, Sissy.  There was a fun cover band there, so we stayed a little while and danced.

Bourbon Street (excuse Chris the ghost)

When we left there, we had some traditional cajun cuisine at a little restaurant you may not have heard of--Popeye's.  The boys had to get some more casino time in, but Harrah's was a nightmare, so we went to the Treasure Chest, a casino on a boat.  Chris won another $120 there playing blackjack, lost it all playing craps, and then put $100 on red playing roulette to win it back.  I was so exhausted at that point I almost fell asleep on a cold metal bench in the lobby.  On Monday, we went to the medical school to tailgate with some of Randy and Zack's classmates.

The girls at the tailgate--Brandy, Me, and Stephanie

 Then we walked down toward the Superdome.  We walked through Champions Square, and the boys asked all the scalpers how much they were asking for tickets, though we only found one who was actually selling; all the others were looking!

Champions Square

The boys at Champions Square--Tyler, Chris, Randy and Josh

We went back to Randy's to watch the game and invited several of their friends over for dinner.  Randy grilled some chicken and some gator sausage.

Gator Sausage

The game was tons of fun, and every time we gained more than a couple yards or stopped the LSU offense, the boys jumped up and down and acted like fools.

Number 1! Brian, Chris, Zack, Josh, Tyler and Randy in front

Pileup in the living room after Trent's touchdown

After the game, we were all so excited over number 14 we wanted to go out and be a part of the celebration.  Unfortunately, we happened up on the angry LSU fans' nest, and although we all acted with class and kept our mouths shut, we had a rag and a water bottle thrown at us, and then I had an entire drink dumped on my head.  We wished that we had gone to Bourbon Street instead because that was apparently where all the Bama fans were.  Live and learn.

All in all, it was a fun trip, and it was really nice to spend time with some friends that we do not get to see often.  I want to go back and do some more eating!

Roll Tide!
Jillerina :*

Wiggle wiggle wiggle wiggle wiggle yeah

Happy 2012!

Chris and I rang in 2012 last night at Above, the rooftop bar at the historic Redmont Hotel in downtown Birmingham.  It was a lot of fun, and we had a great view!  We wish everyone a happy new year! 

I took off my coat just long enough to take a picture! It was windy and cold!

Me with my friend, Drew.  My friend, Colin, and his girlfriend, Lauren, came with us too, but unfortunately I did not get a picture of them : /

Happy New Year!

White Chicken Enchiladas

I am so in love with Pinterest.  I have not accomplished many of the recipes/diy projects I've pinned yet, but I am working on it.  I made this recipe for White Chicken Enchiladas last night, and Chris and I both really enjoyed it.  I'm glad to try something different, and it is one more recipe to add to my repertoire!  Enjoy!

White Chicken Enchiladas with Green Chili Sour Cream Sauce
Recipe courtesy of Joyful Momma's Kitchen

 

Ingredients:

10 soft taco shells

2 cups cooked, shredded chicken

2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese (I shredded the cheese myself with my Kitchenaid mixer and slicer/shredder attachment!) 

3 Tbsp. butter

3 Tbsp. flour

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup sour cream (I used light sour cream and it worked out fine)

1 (4 oz) can diced green chilies

Instructions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9x13 pan

2. Mix chicken and 1 cup cheese.  Roll up in tortillas and place in pan.

3. In a sauce pan, melt butter, stir in flour and cook 1 minute.  Add broth and whisk until smooth.  Heat over medium heat until thick and bubbly.  

4. Stir in sour cream and chilies.  Do not bring to boil, you don't want curdled sour cream.

5. Pour over enchiladas and top with remaining cheese.

6. Bake 22 min and then under high broil for 3 min to brown the cheese.

 

Cheesy, bubbly goodness in a pan

My only complaint is that the dish could use some more flavor. Next time, I will definitely add some salt and black pepper to both the chicken mixture and the sour cream sauce.  I might also try adding some chili powder to the chicken/cheese mixture, which is the part with the least flavor because the monterey jack cheese is very mild and chicken just does not have a lot of flavor by itself.  Feel free to season as you see fit! 

Love,

Jillerina :*