"Skerred"...in Western PA

So I talked about it to my Hubby, my Dtr's, my cat...the Peaches. Moving on, to taking my love of food, and cooking, out to the General Public and serving it up.
I liken it to bearing my prostate, if I had a prostate, for all to witness and critique.
I did this previously, and put it on hold for reasons that I shall not indulge in, but, will gladly indulge that circumstances sort of took over.
This time, I'm serious and aim to please.
I reluctantly ponder how my Hub's puts up with me, the kids, or the cat for that matter. I digress.
"Hold the pickles, hold the lettuce, special orders don't upset us, all we ask is that you let us serve it your way".
What I have noticed, is an overwhelming patience that resonates from said clientele, while I work out the "kinks".
And the simple joy of satisfying. Whether it be a complex mixture of 'flava's', or a meatloaf, THIS is what makes me the happiest. For that, I would like to extend a profound, Thank You.

Grilled Chicken Alfredo Pasta

This recipe is heavily adapted from this: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/02/pasta-ai-quattro-formaggi/. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE......this website! But I don't like goat cheese. Gasp! I don't like Pecorino (sheep's milk) cheese, either, for the record. So I played with it and came up with a gooey pasta dish that is not for the dieter in mind, but the recipe is very adaptable in so many ways. You could literally throw any cheese you like in here, serve it without the chicken, add more veggies, make it Cajun, or serve it with seafood.
Now THAT's a good recipe!

It is so rich, and decadent.

Serves 4 (with leftover pasta):
The Chicken:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
olive oil for basting
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
Cavenders blend seasoning
Baste both sides of chicken with olive oil. Season both sides with kosher salt, fresh ground pepper, then sprinkle both sides with Cavenders. Grill over medium heat until done. Set on cutting board and cover with foil. Start pasta.
The Pasta:
1 lb. penne pasta, cooked AL dente and drained.
16 oz. sliced mushrooms
2 c. heavy cream or half and half
1 c. milk-warmed in the microwave
4 large cloves of garlic, minced
1- 8 oz. brick cream cheese
8 oz. blend of shredded asiago, provolone, mozzarella cheese (Sargento has this).
In a large pot, saute mushrooms in a little bit of olive oil and season with kosher salt and ground pepper until liquid is evaporated and mushrooms are slightly golden brown, set aside on a dish. In same pot, add the heavy cream and bring up to a simmer, but not boiling. Add garlic and simmer on low heat for 3 minutes. Start adding the cream cheese, breaking up with a spoon, spatula, etc... to quicken the melting process. Pull out your whisk when the cream cheese starts to melt and start whisking to incorporate.
Now, start adding the shredded cheese blend in increments while whisking away. Keep adding cheese, and whisking until completely melted. It's going to be a little thick, don't panic. Start now to add the warmed milk, also in small batches, while whisking to incorporate. If it's still too thick, add a little more milk until it's... oh so creamy! When you have the consistency the way you want it, throw the mushrooms into the happiness and prepare yourself for the "ooh's and ahhh"s". Pour the drained penne into the cheese mixture and make sure you coat every last one of 'em!
To Serve:
Cut the chicken breasts against the grain (as pictured). Plate up the pasta heaven and set the breasts atop the pasta with a little extra sauce. If I had fresh parsley, I would have chopped it and sprinkled it on top of this dish.

Peanut Butter Blossoms for the lazy baker, via Bunny

Lazy baker, being me.
I'm not ashamed to admit it. And I even forgot to sprinkle sugar on the peanut butter blossom 'bars' that I so lazily decided to make into bars, since rolling out 1 inch balls was against my plan, and time, since I'm so BUSY and all....Not.
What turned out, was nothing short of, a lazy miracle!
Dredging through the archives of random recipes of a Mother in Law that I never had the pleasure of meeting, I found a very cryptic recipe for peanut butter blossoms. She wrote that recipe EXACTLY as I would have.....with measurements, but no definable instructions. In fact, the paper didn't even label the recipe as peanut butter blossoms, I just knew.
 I studied the way her penmanship was spot on, but to understand a recipe, minor details such as, what to next... need not be explained.

Bunny and I would have gotten along just fine.

Bunny's recipe: preheat oven to 375 degrees

1/2 c. oleo (I used room temp. butter)
1/2 c. peanut butter
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 egg
Cream all ingredients together.
1- 1/2 c. flour
3/4 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
Add dry ingredients to butter/ peanut butter mixture gradually with electric mixer. Towards the end, I had to hand mix ingredients, as the batter becomes stiff. In a 13 in. by 9 in. pan, add dough and spread out with hands until evenly distributed. Bake in oven for approx. 14 minutes. As Bunny put it, "jam peanut butter cups". With Hershey Kissses, "jam" as many as you like, depending on bar size. I sprinkled with powdered sugar, post baking, since I forgot to sprinkle with sugar.

Chicken Tostadahhhhh's

Where do I begin? With the recent trip to the lovely and sunny Georgia and my introduction to tomatillos? Or the best salad I ever had the luxury to experience? Or the overwhelming pang of sadness I felt while listening to my oldest grandgirl speaking in a newer, almost grown-up tone? Or the much required trip to the local Georgian Publix grocery store, while fondling produce I can't find here...? Or the sense of depression I feel when I have to leave my family once again?
With every experience in my life, I have found the need to make lemon-aid out of lemons, and count my many blessings, in spite of my sometimes sad moments. Like that salad Gen made. Since I left Georgia, my brain has been salivating for layers upon layers of fresh flavors from that salad, not necessarily duplicating, but keeping the recipe fresh. Hers included a sweet chicken breast, slow cooked in cola and brown sugar, atop a bed of crunchy romaine lettuce, with so many levels of lime, cilantro, tomatillos, crunchy won-ton strips, basmati rice and beans, and a HOMEMADE ranch that rocked my world.....I could have slurped it from the bowl, it was that good.
I would happily drive the 1300+ miles this second if I knew she were preparing it again.
Regarding tomatillos, I need to locate seeds, so I can cultivate once the winter has released it's frozen, miserable grip up here in the northeast. Any suggestions? Tomatillos aren't exactly indigenous to this area, but I see no reason why I can't grow them here.
With that being said, my "lemon-aid" was this simple, fresh, recipe for chicken tostadahhhh's, brought me back for a second, to a wonderful, warm state. Complete with grandgirls, a fresh new house, new life/jobs outside of the military, and not a single uniform to be seen.

You could easily prepare this without the chicken if you wish, or add fresh tomatillos, or anything you like. The choices are endless.

Yields 6 servings

6- 8 inch flour or corn tortilla shells
3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 in. strips (across the grain)
1/2 of a dry packet of chili seasoning
2 cloves garlic, minced
1- 15 oz. can refried beans (heat this in a bowl in the microwave for 1 minute, it will spread easier when heated)
2 peppers, seeded and cut into strips (I used  red and yellow)
1 large onion,peeled and cut into strips
1 avocado, pitted and removed from shell, and diced or sliced.
1 c. romaine lettuce, cut into this strips
1 lime, cut into wedges
fresh cilantro, chopped for garnish
1/4 c. sour cream, thinned with 2 T. milk
1 c. shredded cheese-your preference
1 c. black olives, roughly chopped
3 scallions, white and green parts, chopped

Salsa Cruda
3 roma tomatoes, diced ( I would have used tomatillos, if they were available....waaah)
1/2 of a small red onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
juice of 1/2 lime
juice of 1/2 lemon
2 T. fresh cilantro, chopped
2 T. olive oil
salt/pepper to taste
The key to this recipe is prepare all your ingredients ahead, this will make the prep oh, so easy. I had many bowls of fresh, chopped/minced/sliced ingredients, and it was well worth the effort. Make the Salsa Cruda first and set aside in the fridge while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. Combine the sliced chicken breasts in a bowl with the chili seasoning, garlic, and enough olive oil to blend all ingredients, set aside.
Saute the peppers and onions in a large skillet with a touch of olive oil, add salt/pepper to taste, until softened, but not over-done. Set aside pepper/onions onto a platter.
Rinse out skillet, and dry. Add enough oil (I used canola) to skillet to crisp and brown tortilla shells, about 1/2 in. in the skillet. Heat over medium to med-high heat, and cook shells until golden brown and crispy. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with coarse kosher salt.
In another skillet, over medium high heat, add the chicken and saute until just cooked through.
The Assembly:
Arrange a tortilla shell on a plate. Spread refried beans as a base on shell. Add some chicken to the base, and then some peppers/onions. Then add some black olives, shredded romaine, cilantro, Salsa Cruda, and then drizzle with a spoon, the thinned sour cream. Top with avocado, scallions, and serve this with lime wedges.