Remember The Super Bowl Shuffle? 12th Man Fans Have Our OWN Dance!

Do you remember the Chicago Bears in the 80's doing the Super Bowl Shuffle?  The Bears won the Super Bowl and danced their way all the way home!  

No need to be jealous, because Seahawk fans have our OWN dance too!  It's called The 12th Man Line Dance!  YOU can be a part of the filming of the Official 12th Man Line Dance video!  

I will teach you the dance tonight just before 9 pm at Bourbon Jacks.  It's located 510 Washington Ave. in Kent, Washington.  Wear your Hawks gear, learn the dance, be in the video, AND get a FREE 12th Man Drink!  

If you want to get a head start on everyone, here's a preview of the dance.  

We know our Seahawks are going to stomp some Bronco butt in the Super Bowl!  Let's cheer them on tonight!  I used to shake it for Luke Bryan, but now I shake it for my Seahawks! Will you join us? 

See you tonight at Bourbon Jacks! 

Go Hawks!!!  

Pad Thai Turkey Meatloaf

I love to play around with variations on meatloaf.  My fiance LOVES Thai food and can mow down a jar of peanut butter in a couple of days if not monitored closely.  So I was hoping he would really dig it if I put his favorite flavors into a meatloaf!

Pad Thai Turkey Meatloaf 

1 lb. ground turkey
4 cloves garlic
1 white onion chopped
1 cup chopped carrots
1 inch fresh ginger
1 cup fresh basil
1 cup Japanese Panko bread crumbs
1 egg
salt and pepper
olive oil

Pad Thai Sauce: (put all ingredients in jar and shake until smooth)

1 lime
3 tbsp. peanut butter
1 tbsp. fish sauce
1 tbsp. rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp. sambol oleleck (Asian hot chili paste- get it at Fred Meyer)
1 teaspoon sesame oil

Preheat oven 400 degrees.

Over medium-love heat saute in olive oil the onions, ginger, carrots, and add the garlic last.  Pour this mixture into a large bowl with the ground turkey.  Add the bread crumbs, egg, fresh basil, and 2 - 3 tablespoons of the Pad Thai sauce mixture.  Form mixture into a loaf on a baking sheet.

Bake 25 minutes.  Then, coat the top of the loaf with the remaining Pad Thai mixture.  Bake another 20 - 25 minutes.

Let the loaf sit for 5 minutes once you remove it from the oven.  Serve with your favorite veggies.

Bruschetta Salmon & Zucchini

You may have seen my blog where I confessed to losing 20 pounds, and I was really honest about how I did it;  NO alcohol or sodas, riding my new bicycle (even in the rain), and lots of lean proteins and veggies.  

Since then, I have lost an additional 10 pounds eating as clean as I can.  I shop the perimeters of the grocery and make my fiance's mouth water with tasty dinners!  

Here is what I whipped up for dinner last night.  I bought Bruschetta topping at Trader Joes for a couple of bucks, and it's super yummy.  I thought it would be delicious on a nice piece of baked salmon.  This is EASY to make, super yum, and all the way healthy!! 

Bruschetta Baked Salmon & Zucchini 

1 piece of fresh salmon 
3 - 4 tbsp. bruschetta topping (Trader Joes in cheese section) 
1 large zucchini sliced 
1 lemon
olive oil
salt and pepper
parchment paper

Preheat the oven 400 degrees. 

In one large piece of parchment paper, layer the sliced zucchini then add salt and pepper.  Place the salmon on top of the zucchini.  Salt and pepper the salmon, then squeeze the fresh lemon juice on top.  Add the bruschetta topping on the salmon.  Put a lemon slice or two on top. 

Fold up the parchment paper to seal the fish and veggies inside. 

Bake 25 minutes.  Cut open parchment paper and serve with brown rice. Or you can do like me and leave the rice out all together!  

Turkey Thai Meatballs with Red Curry Sauce

We LOVE Thai flavors at our house!  I realize that if you've never worked with some of these ingredients they can be intimidating.  But trust me, they are so delicious when used together. Don't be scared!  Get in there and try it!  It's really quite easy to make Thai food! 

Thai Turkey Meatballs with Red Curry Sauce 


Meatball recipe: 

1 lb. ground turkey 
2 tsp. minced fresh ginger
2 minced garlic cloves
1 cup shredded zuccchini (liquid squeezed out) 
1 tbsp. fish sauce
2 tbsp. fresh basil 
1 teaspoon red curry paste
2 tbsp. cocnut milk 
1 jalapeno (you can omit if you want) 
1/4 cup green onions 
1 tbsp. coconut oil  (replace with olive oil if you don't have this) 

Red Curry Sauce: 

1 1/2 cups coconut milk 
3 tbsp. tomato paste 
1 teaspoon red curry paste
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flake 

Mix all the meatball ingredients together in a large bowl, and then form into small meatballs.  Heat coconut oil on medium-high heat and brown meatballs about 2 - 3 minutes on each side.  DO NOT COOK ALL THE WAY THROUGH.  They are going to sit in this yummy sauce you're about to make and cook through.  

In a separate bowl, mix together the sauce ingredients.  Once the meatballs are browned, pour the curry sauce over them. Turn the heat down and simmer the meatballs for about 15 minutes.

Serve with your favorite brown rice.  

I added more red curry paste than this recipe calls for, because we like it hot.  Just go easy with this ingredient, because it is potent!

Spicy Thai Chicken Soup

This is the season when it seems like everyone you talk to has a touch of the flu.  It's always going around this time of year. With that in mind, I decided to make some type of chicken soup.  I found this recipe on All Recipes, and I modified it to fit my style of cooking.  Here's what I came up with...

Spicy Thai Chicken Soup

2 chicken breasts cut into 1 inch pieces
2 cans coconut milk 
1 lime 
1 jalepeno pepper sliced
1/2 cup chopped peanuts
1 large onion sliced
1 package of mushrooms sliced
3 - 4 stalks of lemongrass (use only white part smashed with butt of knife)
3 inch piece of ginger sliced
3 cloves of garlic sliced
4 cups chicken stock 
2 tbps.  peanut oil 
1 cup fresh cilantro 
1- 2 tbsp. green curry paste
3 tbsp. fish sauce  

In a large dutch oven, pour in chicken stock and add the garlic, ginger, and lemon grass.  Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat to a simmer.  Let cook for 30 minutes.  Don't salt this mixture.  You will be adding fish sauce, and it's all the salt you will need! 

Drain the chicken stock through a strainer reserving the broth and discard the rest.  Set broth aside. 

In same dutch oven, add peanut oil on medium/ high heat.  Add the chicken and cook for about 3 minutes.  You will not cook the chicken all the way through yet.  Now add the mushrooms, green curry paste, fish sauce, and fresh lime juice and stir through.  Add the chicken broth back into the pot along with the 2 cans of coconut milk.  Let this mixture simmer for about 10 minutes.  The chicken will finish cooking, and the mixture will marry into a beautiful Thai flavored bowl of yum yum!!!  

Pour into a serving bowl and top with sliced jalapenos, chopped peanuts, and lots of fresh cilantro!  

Buffalo Blue Cheese Chicken Meatloaf

I've been going crazy with the meatloaf variations lately.  It's so much fun to come up with different flavor profiles! 

This was inspired by my fiance and his love for Buffalo hot sauce, plus I just happened to have a container of blue cheese in the fridge.  It was so yummy!  If you love blue cheese, you will totally dig this recipe! 

Now if you DON'T like blue cheese, I made half the loaf with it and half without.  My fiance doesn't eat cheese!  Crazy!!! I know! 

I packed this loaf with tons of healthy veggies and spinach!

Here's what I did: 

Buffalo Blue Cheese Chicken Meatloaf 

1 lb. ground chicken 
1/2 onion
1 carrot 
1 bell pepper
1 bag spinach
1/2 cup chicken stock
4 garlic cloves
1 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
Blue Cheese- enough to create one layer on the loaf 
3 tablespoons Buffalo sauce 
1 tbsp. honey 
salt and pepper
olive oil

Preheat the oven 400 degrees.

Saute the onion, carrot, bell pepper, and garlic.  Then add the spinach and begin to wilt.  Now add the chicken stock and wilt the spinach the rest of the way. Let this mixture cool.  

Add veggies and spinach to a large bowl with ground chicken.  Add the bread crumbs and egg.  Because my FBP doesn't eat cheese, I only added a little blue cheese to this mixture.  But if you want, you can add 1/4 of a cup or so.

Mound the bottom of the loaf, then add a layer of blue cheese.  Notice how I added blue cheese to only one side of the loaf for my fiance?  The things we do for love, huh?! 

Now put the rest of the mixture around the blue cheese to form a complete loaf.  

Bake for 25 minutes at 400.  

In a small bowl mix together Buffalo sauce and honey.  Remove the loaf after 25 minutes and top with the buffalo sauce mixture. 

Bake another 20 minutes.

I serve this with roasted brussel sprouts.  It's my "go to" veggie.  

The blue cheese oozed out of the middle, and it was tangy and delicious with the Buffalo sauce on the top!  My fiance loved this too!  

Baked Panko Crusted Cod Sticks

I watch Top Chef Seattle, and my fiance pointed out that in many of the challenges they send the Chefs to shop at Central Market in Shoreline!  If you live close to one, GO!  It's one of the most amazing grocery store shopping experiences I've ever had...they've got EVERYTHING!  

It was Central Market's fresh caught Alaskan Cod that inspired this recipe! 

Baked Panko Crusted Cod Sticks

1 lb. firm white fish filet
2 cups panko bread crumbs
4 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. onion powder
1 tbsp. garlic powder
1 tbsp. Old Bay seasoning
1/2 tbsp. salt
pepper to taste
OPTIONAL - 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 eggs

Preheat the oven 425 degrees.  Then, mix all the dry ingredients in one bowl.  Then, add the olive oil to the dry mixture.   And lightly mix the eggs together in separate bowl.  

Look at this gorgeous filet of cod!  It's about 1.25 lbs.  It was plenty for two people.  It cost  $9.69, which I thought was pretty economical considering we ARE eating yummy Alaskan caught fresh cod!  

Cut the filet in half across the middle.  Then cut it in half again lengthwise. Then cut those halves crosswise in a diagonal.

Here's the first cut across the middle of the filet. 

Then, take those filets and cut them lengthwise like this.

Now cut those pieces on a diagonal crosswise like this.

Now dip each fish stick into the egg, then dredge it in the panko bread crumb mixture.  Place on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.

Bake 12 - 15 minutes until lightly browned. 

I served them with mashed potatoes and roasted green beans!  My boyfriend liked them so much he said, "this is one for the books"!  I keep a food journal of all my favorite recipes!  Yaaaay!

Creamy Chipotle Chicken Taco Soup

I love it cold winter nights, because it's always the perfect time to make yummy and comforting soups!  My fiance asked me to make this last night.  I was more than happy to do it!  

It's comforting, but it's actually pretty healthy for you too.  And you can adjust the recipe to remove some of the extra fat.  I've actually made this without cream cheese, and it's JUST as delicious! 

Creamy Chipotle Chicken Taco Soup

1 lb. chicken breasts 
1 lime
1 onion
2-3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce 
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
2 stalks of carrot 
4-6 cloves garlic
1 1/2 quarts chicken stock low sodium
1 can Rotel 
1 Taco Seasoning packet
1 Ranch Dressing packet
2 can black beans rinsed
1 can red kidney beans rinsed 
2 cans corn drained and rinsed 
1 IPA beer of your choice (any yummy IPA beer will do)
1 package cream cheese 
1 bunch cilantro 
1 bag wheat chips (get your favorite) 
olive oil
salt and pepper

Salt and pepper the chicken.  Brown on both sides on medium high with plenty of olive oil.  DO NOT COOK THE CHICKEN ALL THE WAY.  It will be pink in the middle.  Remove from pan and set aside.  

In the same pan with all the yummy chicken bits, saute the onions.  Then add the chopped carrots.  Let these soften.  Now add all the bell peppers, then the garlic at the very end.  Now add the chipotle peppers and some of that delicious adobo sauce it comes in.  I like to add about 4 - 6 peppers, but y'all I LIKE IT HOT!  So if you don't, only add 2 or maybe 3.  I do not add a lot of salt and pepper, because you are going to add it with the packages in just a bit.  

Deglaze the pan with the beer!  Let this reduce by half.  It will take about 10 minutes on low-medium heat.

Drain and rinse all of your beans and corn.  Shred the chicken breasts with two forks.  Again, the chicken will be pink inside.  That is ok.  You are going to cook it longer.  Don't worry!  :)

Add the Rotel, chicken stock, both packets of seasoning (taco and Ranch), the rinsed and drained beans and corn to the pot.  Squeeze the fresh lime into the pot.  

Bring the soup to a low boil and add the shredded chicken back to the pot.  Boil on low for 10 minutes.  

Now add the cream cheese!  You can add as little or as much as you like!  I've slowly started adding more and more, because my fiance claims to hate cheese of ANY kind.  But he LOVES this creamy soup, so ya gotta just not say anything sometimes and let em' eat it and love it anyway.  RIGHT?!  

Turn the heat off and add the chopped cilantro. 

I serve this with my favorite whole grain chips.  You can add sour cream and cheese if you like too.  

White Chicken Chili with Roasted Chilies

On Sundays I love watching the Seahawks and cooking something really special for me and my fiance.  I came up with this White Chicken Chili recipe, and while you can simplify it by using beans out of the can and canned chilies, I wanted to do everything from scratch!  So if you have a Sunday afternoon or some extra time one day, this is a recipe that will make your family luuuuuuurve you even more than they do now! 

White  Chicken Chili 

2 chicken breasts on the bone (or whole chicken) whatever you like best
1 lb. Great White Northern beans 
1 onion
4 cloves garlic
2 Anaheim peppers
2 poblano peppers
2 jalapeno peppers
6 cups water 
8 cups chicken LOW SODIUM stock
1 cup milk 
2 tbsp. masa (you can use corn flour...i used corn muffin mix)
1 tbsp. cumin
1 tsp. coriander 
fresh cilantro garnish
fresh lime to spritz 
Monterrey Jack cheese for topping 
Warm corn tortillas for dipping 

Sort beans for rocks, rinse, then soak overnight.  OR, I soaked them in hot water while I cooked the chicken.  

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. 

Sprinkle salt and pepper on the chicken.  In a large dutch oven on medium-high heat, brown the chicken pieces on both sides.  You are not cooking the chicken, just getting a nice color on it.  Once the chicken is brown, remove it from the pan.  

Add 6 cups of water to the pot and scrape up the chicken bits from the bottom of the pan.  Bring to a boil, add the browned chicken, lower the heat to a simmer, and cover with a lid.  Let simmer 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, put all the peppers on a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and olive oil.  Roast about 20 minutes or until peppers begin to turn black.  Remove from the oven and let cool.  When the peppers are cool enough to touch, prick with a fork and remove the outer layer of skin from all the peppers.  Then chop all the peppers.  

Remove the chicken and set aside.  Pour the broth into a bowl.  

In the same dutch oven, add chopped onion and saute for a few minutes.  Add the roasted peppers and garlic.  Add the cumin and coriander and stir quickly around the pan.  Pour the reserved broth back into the dutch oven over the onions and peppers.  Add the rinsed beans.  Add 6 - 8 cups of chicken broth.  (I used close 2 boxes of chicken stock.  Keep an eye on the beans.  They soak up a ton of liquid, and you may have to add more stock during the cooking process.)  Let the beans come to a boil, put a lid on the dutch oven, and turn the heat down to a simmer.  

The beans will need to cook 2 hours or until soft.  

While the beans are cooking, remove the skin from the chicken.  With two forks, shred the chicken finely.  

When the beans are tender, add the chicken back to the pot.  Mix together the milk and masa in a cup, then add to the chili.  Let this cook for another 10 minutes.  This will thicken up the chili.  

Serve the chili with warm tortillas and top with fresh cilantro, Monterrey Jack cheese, and a spritz of fresh lime juice! 

Cottage Cheese Crunch

Maybe you have heard of Meatless Mondays.  I like to think of it as going "vegetarian for a day".  It's easy to do if you have a delicious recipe that will help you to forget that you are making a meatless meal.  

Cottage Cheese Crunch is my "go to" meatless meal, but if you just can't be a vegetarian for a day you can add meat to this. 

It's easy too!  

COTTAGE CHEESE CRUNCH

1 large container 2 % cottage cheese
1 pack large low-carb/ wheat tortillas
1 head of romaine lettuce
2 lemons
zest of two lemons
1 bunch of fresh basil 
3 bell peppers ANY COLOR 
2 carrots
1 small red onion 
1 tbsp. garlic powder
1/2 tbsp. crushed red pepper
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp.  olive oil (this helps preserve the salsa) 

Chop all the veggies and put into a large bowl.  Add the basil and onion.  Add the lemon zest and squeeze both lemons over the veggie mixture.  Add the olive oil, garlic powder, crushed red pepper, then add enough salt and pepper to taste.  

Cover this and set it in the fridge.  The longer it sets the yummier it gets. 

Now build your Cottage Cheese Crunch wrap!  

Take one tortilla and line it with 2 large outside leaves of the romaine lettuce!  Add a couple scoops of cottage cheese, then layer your veggie salsa on top.  Roll it up, cut it diagonal lengthwise, and NOSH out!  

The Voice Audition Experience

The entire day was a blast in Chicago!  There was so much energy at the convention center.  People warming up everywhere.  Voices carrying over the top of other voices. Folks strumming guitars, and then there were those who looked scared for their lives.  

Me?  I was just happy to be there!  I kept thinking over and over how great it was to be in Chicago chasing a dream.  I'm not just talking about doing it!  I'm actually here getting it done!  I could not stop smiling!   

I have to give props to the people who set up the audition process and managed the crowd flow for the day.  They definitely had it down to a science.  I arrived at 1:45 pm for my 2 pm audition.  We were immediately checked in and asked to get into lines.  

In the background of this picture are all of the lines, and the people closest to you are just arriving and asked to choose a line.  

The first line only took about 1 1/2 hours.  While waiting in this line, I met the sweetest people from Chicago.  This is Lana (middle) and her friend who came to support her.  

Lana is a senior in high school and wants to go to college to earn a broadcast journalism degree.  She asked for a few tips on how to get into the business.  We had a lovely chat!  Lana has a bright future ahead of her.  Shout out to Lana's mom too who was a very sweet lady! 

We were taken 3 lines at a time to get our bags checked to make sure we weren't carrying any guns, lighters, or contraband.  

Then we were asked to wait in another line to get our wristbands and get scanned into the process. 

If you look behind this The Voice sign there are chairs, and this is where we were asked to wait next.    

This is when I changed out of my cowboy boots into my sassy stilettos.  

At this point, they took us all into the ballroom part of the convention center.  We were then separated into groups of 10, and we were taken into one of six audition rooms.  Each of the audition rooms had a "producer" in it.  

Our "producer" was a 25 year old female with a lap top and a pen.  I guess I was a little surprised by that, because I just imagined it would be a panel of people.  I also assumed they might be a little older.  

All 10 of us were brought into the room and sat down.  The producer called each of us up one at a time by name.  When it was my turn, I bounced up there.  I sang The Judds "Turn It Loose", and she let me sing a little longer than she did some of the other people in our group.  So I was thinking this was a really good sign.  Even though while I was singing, she didn't really look at me much.  She was doing a lot of writing and typing. 

At the end she said, there are a couple of you in here that have great potential.  I am not doing call backs today, so thank you very much. 

So we all left.  As I went to put my boots back on and ditch the heels, I started thinking about what she said.  What did she mean?  I'm not calling anyone back right now?  I'm not calling anyone back in your group?  I took it to mean none of us made it through, but everyone else in the group seemed to be confused too. 

Either way, I had a great time today!  I discovered something about myself with this journey.  Courage is fear that has said its' prayers!  I have fear about so many things, but I don't want to live that way.  I am going to live in Faith!  Faith is WAY more fun than fear!!! 

I'm also fired up to start another band!  My FBP has said that he would like to play with me.  I've been talking about doing this for a long time actually, and now that my secret is out it's time to kick this thing into high gear!  

One more thing...

Your support through all of this has meant the world to me! Just when I thought you may have slipped away a little, there you were right where we left off.  It has lifted my joyful heart and makes me want to sing and never stop again!  Thank you for your comments, love, and prayers!  Y'all rock!  

Until I see you, God bless!  Keep those Boots Up! AND...

Go Seattle Seahawks! We're going to the Super Bowl BABY!