Finally Friday

Ok so I know it has been a couple of days but I have lots of excuses 1. I went to Ft.Worth last Friday through Monday with my mom to visit her sister Carla. 2. I got home and Adam was gone on a camping trip with some of the youth boys so I had some of the youth girls over for our own slumber party (2am is not the best time to go to sleep if you have to be up for work the next day) 3. Adam got home from camping and brought twin boys with him because their parents are remodeling and they needed a place to stay through sunday (I have decided that I want girls for sure..boys are NASTY) 4. I have been having to cook the last two nights so I have some new dishes to post!

So, Wednesday night was my first night back cooking and I prepared for hubby and the twins a steak, potatoes and salad..Nothing too glamerous about that!!

But Last Night I cooked Fajitas which is something we have been having a lot lately because I am constantly craving them..don't know why..not really a big chicken fan!!

First I take either Chicken breasts or Naked Chicken Strips and I slice them up finely into Fajita strips Depending on how many you are feeding I usually for the two of us I do 4 chicken breast or 6 Chicken strips..

I put them in a skillet and pour Worcestershire and Sprinkle Tonys or any other seasoning that you prefer..I have even used Dale's seasoning before it just depends on your taste buds!!

I eat normal tortillas but I have to get Corn Tortillas for Adam because of course he can't have flour ones!!

It is so simple and takes all of 10 minutes to prepare!

I won't be cooking anymore until next week because my precious husband bought me tickets to the John Mayer concert in Memphis tonight!! I am so excited, love his music and I have heard he puts on a GREAT concert!! While I am up that way I am also going to stop in to visit my sweet sweet friends the Stegalls'. I haven't seen them since my wedding so I am looking forward to the visit!!

I will be sure to take lots of pictures to post next week!! Have an awesome weekend everyone!!

It's Party Time.....Happy Birthday Daddy!

My Daddy is my Hero and
He always makes me laugh!!

I am his little Brown Eyed Possum Girl

OK, so today is my dad's birthday...(I won't mention his age) so Adam and I decided that we would have him, my mom and brother over for dinner at our house tonight! First of all, we could have just taken them out but my dad is a little bit different when it comes to gestures. He is someone who would be more moved by having dinner at our home than going out to eat. He is the emotional male in our family!!! I have been trying to decide all week what I would cook for him, but at the same time something that Adam could eat (story of my life)!

So for our dinner tonight we will be have Baked Talapia, Fresh Gulf Shrimp baked to perfection, Green salad, and Grilled Asparagus!! (I am already hungry)

Talapia, you will need to take each fillet and season each side with Tony's Chachere Seasoning- sear each side in a skillet with a small amount of Italian dressing (don't drench)-
once each side is seared take your fillets put them in a large baking dish (depending on how many pieces you are cooking) and add a generous amount of Italian dressing, a little white cooking wine, and sprinkle just a little more Tony's to the top, drizzle some lemon juice across each and then put a small slab of butter on each piece. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes or until fish starts to look crisp on edges!

SHRIMP, make sure that you de-head the shrimp if they are fresh, if you buy the pre-pealed ones from Kroger then you won't have to worry about that!! Ok, take the shrimp whether pealed or not and put them in a baking dish, add a generous amount of Worcestershire Sauce and Italian Dressing (keep in mind they don't need to be drowning in it ) just make sure there is enough where all can soak in it, sprinkle some good ole Tony's Chachere Seasoning on them too (add more if the shrimp are still in shells) add some slabs of butter and bake at 350 for 20 minutes!!

Grilled Asparagus , after washing your Asparagus make sure to cut about 1 inch off each stalk (helps those ends to be tender) take some olive oil and pour it in your hand (yep your gonna get a little dirty) take the Asparagus and rub the olive oil on it, then take good ole Tony (can you tell we LOVE him) and sprinkle all over the Asparagus (DON'T coat them in it), just throw them on the grill for about 5-7 minutes and you have some awesome veggies!!! ( I always put them in aluminum foil and wrap them up so that they also steam a bit just your preference)!!

I hope if any of you try this that you will let me know how it all turns out!!! I will be sure to post some pictures of our dinner tonight and of my daddy blowing out his CANDLES (fire Extinguisher will be handy!!)

Gluten Free Chicken Piccatta

So this is a recipe that I cooked last night for my MAN and our little friend McCaa! I got this Chicken Piccatta Recipe from the Pioneer Woman Cooks website because lets face it I haven't gotten creative enough on my own!! However I had to change some of the things to be more suitable for Mr.Eppersons ever so sensitive tummy! So out to the side of the ingredients I will list the Gluten free or Substitutes!! Hope you enjoy....All three of us did!!!

Ingredients

• 4 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
  
• Salt To Taste
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
• 4 Tablespoons All-purpose Flour ( Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour)
  
• 5 Tablespoons Butter
• 4 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 cup Dry White Wine
• ¾ cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth (most has gluten in it, but not enough)
  
• 2 whole Lemons (make sure to strain seeds before adding to sauce)
  
• 3/4 Cup Heavy Cream (for some reason creams don't affect adam)
  
• Chopped Fresh Parsley
• 1 pound Angel Hair Pasta( we use rice noodles)
  

Preparation Instructions

Have a pot of water simmering for the pasta.

If chicken breasts are overly thick, pound until slightly flattened. Sprinkle with salt and pepper on both sides, then dredge in flour.

Heat 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry two of the chicken breasts at one time until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes on each side; a little longer if breasts are thicker, a little shorter if breasts are thinner. Remove to a plate, then add the other 2 tablespoons each of butter and olive oil. Fry the other two breasts until golden, monitoring the oil/butter mixture to make sure it doesn’t burn. Decrease heat as needed!

After removing the chicken, have the heat on medium to medium-low. Pour in wine and chicken broth, and squeeze in the juice of two lemons. Whisk the sauce, scraping the bottom of the pan. Allow sauce to cook and bubble and thicken until reduced by about half. Sprinkle in a little salt and pepper as it’s cooking.

Reduce heat to low and pour in cream. Whisk together and allow to cook for a couple of minute until sauce thickens. Taste and adjust seasonings or other ingredients. Expect the sauce to have a real tang to it; counter it with a little more broth and cream if it’s too strong! Sprinkle in some chopped parsley and stir.

Right at the end, cook angel hair!

With tongs, place a medium-sized mound of pasta on a plate. Place a cooked chicken breast beside it, then spoon sauce over the chicken and the pasta. The sauce is strong, so no need to drown it. Sprinkle a little minced parsley over the top.

Good Idea...Or Bad Idea?

Ok, I will have to admit that this idea of a starting a blog was ALOT of my doing and a little (teeny tinniest) my moms! Although it is something we have talked about for a month now in theory, making it actually happen was a little difficult. I don't think I realized just how much it takes to get a blog up and going! So to all of you who have already conquered this feat HOORAY for you :)

Alright so my mother being the AMAZING cook, mother, planner, EVERYTHING woman that she is has decided( with my twisting her arm) to let the rest of the small world know some of her VERY BEST recipes, ideas and even moments of pure insanity! Believe it or not even THE MOTHER messes up and yes THE DAUGHTER is there to quickly take note and blab about it on this lovely thing we will call ADVENTURES IN COOKING...

Oh, you thought I was finished..how dare you smile! I on the other hand will be the primary BLOGGING QUEEN (a title that was yes self given). I will be posting recipes that are (A) Either Gluten Free (B) Dairy Free or (C) All of the Above!

With Adam having this food allergy it really makes me cooking even more of a challenge. I think that CiCi would even admit that sometimes its HARD to come up with new ideas and taste bud friendly items for Adam to eat. So I will be posting anything and everything that works for us and that is easy to prepare!

Oh and humor there will most certainly be..because I have been known on occasion to still leave gluten or dairy in a meal on accident (YES ACCIDENT) and live to tell about it the next day..even though poor Adam is not always so lucky!!

So be patient...until I post again!