Sunday Suppers - Weekly Planning

Sunday Suppers - Baking

Chicken Strips

Chicken Thighs

Tilapia Fillets

String Beans

Roasted Potatoes & Butternut Squash

This meal needs no introduction. Let's pre-heat dat oven and get cookin' hot stuff. 

Ingredients

Onions

String Beans

Potatoes

Butternut Squash

Garlic

Peppers

Seasonings

Roasting dishes

Baking sheets

Olive oil

All your meats: Chicken tenderloins, chicken thighs, tilapia fillets

Directions:

1.  First season your meats. 

I like to season my meats before freezing or storing them in the fridge. This gives my meats marinated flavor and texture. Get creative, go crazy to this. Not to mention, it saves time when you're ready to cook. 

2. Spread your foil, or since I ran out, use parchment paper. End result still has great flavor and texture. 

3. Divide your meats evenly however you choose. Try to keep them separate if possible, so as not to blend all those distinct flavors into one. 

4. Once all the meats are in place, WASH YOUR HANDS. Then, proceed to slice, dice, and chop your veggies.

5. Season generously with season blends of your choice, and moisten with olive oil. Olive oil is your roasting, baking, basting, bbf (best buds forever)! Trust me. 

(Remember season salts, season alls, and various pre-packages seasoned blends hide quite a bit of salt, sodium and preservatives. Try to create your own spice blends whenever possible. However,there is nothing wrong with sparingly keeping and using your go-to's and time savers.  Everything in moderation. 

6. Evenly distribute your vegetables.

(This time, I let the string beans hang out with the bbq chicken thighs. On another baking sheet, I let the potatoes and butternut squash get to know each other.) 

7. Tuck everyone into the warm oven. Cooking times will vary.  (For me the chicken strips and tilapia finished first. The root vegetables were pulled out last. )

8. You're all set. Dinner for tonight and meals for the week. 

Pre-seasoned meats. Marinate in your own creativity

Snug as a bug in a rug

Meals for the week

(Pictured but not in the recipe, steak, red beans and brown rice....coming soon)

Simple Sauteed Shrimp

(Serves 3-5)

We all love a home cooked meal. We all love it even more when that home cooked meal is easy-to-make.  This shrimp recipe is not only quick and simple, but sure to delight you and your family. So roll up those sleeves and let's get cookin' good lookin. 

Ingredients:

1/2 onion

1 lb of deveined shrimp

1 - 2 garlic cloves

Fresh thyme

Fresh lemon

Other herbs of your choosing

Your favorite seafood seasonings

Olive Oil

Directions:

1.Slice and dice that onion and garlic

(Chop onion and mince garlic)

2.Grab the lubricant and heat it up

(Warm the skillet on low heat, add olive oil)

3.Caramelize the prep, and toss in the green

(Brown the onions, toss in the thyme as well)

4.Add the garli to the party

(Once onions are soft, add garlic)

*Time out 4 a Tasty Tip*:  I love to add fresh herbs to the cooking oil, to infuse it with flavor before adding the main ingredients. 

Ok, so back to business

5. Massage in a secret spice blend 

(Create a dry-rub using your own blend of your favorite seafood seasonings.)

6. Everybody in the pool

(Add season shrimps to pan with onion, garlic and herbs.)

7. Let them get  nice tan

(Cook well until they turn a redish/orangish hue)

8. Shower your super simple shrimp

(Squeeze in fresh lemon juice)

Add lemons directly to the pan to allow shrimp a chance to absorb all the flavor

Serve with corn and green beans

Garlic, #IASOTea sachet, onions

Add fresh herbs to olive oil to infuse flavor

Be careful when using seasonings like #OldBay, they tend to hide a lot of salt

I encourage you to create your own blend

 Enjoy, you did dat!

Homemade Triple Crunch Chicken Nuggets

Homemade Triple Crunch Chicken Nuggets

(Serves 4 or more)

My homemade chicken nuggets are super crunchy and delicious.  Baked or fried you can gladly say bye bye to fast food or frozen nuggets. Introduce to your family to the new nuggets on the block. 

Ingredients: 

Mixing bowls 

Cutting board

Aluminum foil

Skillet and vegetable oil for frying

or

Baking sheet and olive oil for baking

Clean sandwich or plastic bag

2 Pre-seasoned or marinated chicken breasts

Whole wheat crackers

Plain Panko Bread Crumbs

Kraft Grafted Parmesean Cheese 

(The one in the green bottle used most often for pizza or spaghetti)

Flour

2-4 Large Brown Eggs

Directions: 

1.Prepare the weapons!

(Set up your dredging station, put foil on baking sheet or add oil to skillet)

2. Steam it up, little darling (Bob Marley)

(Preheat oven for baking or warm oil for frying)

3. Slice and Dice

(Cut chicken breasts into cubes - sizes will vary...be not alarmed)

4. If you're using pre-seasoned or marinated meats - go you

If not, sprinkle sprinkle on your favorite blend of seasonings

5. Get crackin

(Crack and whisk all eggs)

6. Just beat it (Lil M.J)

(Place whole wheat crackers in a plastic bag and beat them to crumbs)

7. Roll up those sleeves, it's dredge time

In one bowl, put your flour. In the bowl "next to it" (Lupe Fiasco), add Panko bread crumbs, whole wheat cracker crumbs and the grated Parmesean. Use your hands to blend. Fun right!

9. Now, let's get messy 

Take a few pieces of chicken and coat in the flour, then the egg wash, then the bread crumb-cracker-panko mixture

10. Run dat back

(Repeat)

11. Now real gentle and easy like Sunday morning, lay them down

(Place evenly over baking sheet, leaving enough room to avoid overcrowding.)

or 

11. Drop it low girl, drop it, drop it low (Ester Dean)

(Drop in oil to fry.  Small batches, to avoid overcrowding)

12.  Pancake 

(No not pancakes for real, just flip the chicken halfway through cooking. Like you would a pancake, get it? No!...dats cool. I'll be corny all by myself)

 13. Bakers, after about 30-35 minutes remove nuggets & sprinkle with Parmesan cheese 

(DO NOT question the cheese, please!)

14.  Just keep frying, just keep frying (Finding Nemo)

(If you're frying your nuggets, fry them in batches. Just a few of them, at a time)

15. As you collect them from "the FIYAAAA" (Chaka Khan)

(remove nuggets from oil and drain on paper towels)

16. Let it snowwww, let it snowwwwwww (This goes without saying!)

Sprinkle with Parmesean cheese, immediately

17. Bon Apetit

Dredging station, with meats I seasoned before freezing

Always use flax seed, chia seeds, natural herbs with your seasonings

My sous chef dredging up the hotness

Baked

Fried

Side piece

Plated homemade nuggets, green peas, and sassy sauteed carrots

I'm ready for my close up

Baked and just as crunchy yummy

Soundtrack:
Bob Marley - Stir it Up

Micheal Jackson - Beat it

Lupe Fiasco - Next to it
The Commodores Easy
Ester Dean - Drop it low ft Chris Brown
Just Keep Swimming - Dory
Chaka Khan - Through the fire
Frozen - Let it snow

Smokey Cheesy Toast

Smokey Cheesy Toast

1 slice per serving

This cheesy bread snack, is made for adults, but loved by kids. Super easy to make and super fun to eat.  So if your tum tum need's some pleasing, I hope you're ready for some cheesin'.

Ingredients:

Aluminum foil or parchment paper

Cummin

Tumeric (Cummin's BFF)

Smoked paprika

Black pepper

Red pepper flakes

1 Cheese grater

1 Baking sheet

1 Teaspoon of Olive Oil

2-4 Pieces of Deli-sliced whole wheat or whole grain bread 

2-4 blocks (or bags) of your favorite cheese

Directions:

1. Get it hot in here. Get it hot in here! Get it hot hot hot...ok ok

(Preheat your oven to 300)

2. Go on and lay it downnnnnnnn. You really got it lay it downnnn (C-Breezy back when he was just Chris Brown)

(Lay foil or parchment paper on the baking sheet)

3. Put it down down, like a merry-go-round (Fall Out Boy)

(Put your bread down on your covered baking sheet)

4. Make it rain then. I'ma make it rain, uh! (Travis Porter)

(Drizzle olive oil on your bread)

5. Chop and screw the cheese

(Shred your cheese)

*Unless you are sayin' eff the shredding, and grabbed a bag or two of shredded cheese (no judgement, I still use it some days). If so, hopscotch down to #6. (You know you remember hopscotch)

6. Smother the bread in cheese. Yes, smother it. Cover it. Smack it, flip it, rub it down....oh noooo!(Bell Biv Devo)

*Be sure to shred, or grab out the bag(s), enough cheese to satisfy your private love affair with cheese. (Oh what?!?! Like I'm the only one who has a secret love affair with cheese.) 

7. Sprinkle me, sprinkle me main (E-40)

(Sprinkle your seasonings: cumin, turmeric, black pepper, paprika, and red pepper flakes over your cheese smothered toast). 

8. Just a touch of oil, a little bit (Slave <---All this time, I never knew this was their name)

(Drizzle olive oil over finished masterpiece, cuz you just mastered that piece! of toast :) 

9. Commence to getting your grub on

(Enjoy)

Soundtrack:  Chris Brown Take You Down, Fall Out Boy Sugar, Travis Porter Make it Rain, Bell Biv DeVoe Do Me Baby, E-40 Sprinkle Me, Slave Just a Touch of Love

"Cheesy, Yummy"-my critics approve

How could you NOT have a secret love affair with cheese? Just look at that!!!!

Italian Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Italian Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Serves 2-4

These Italian seasoned, stuffed with goodness, drizzled with some heck yea, chicken breasts are scrumdidiliumptious. Buleeve dat! So, Sassy Chefs, let's roll up our sleeves, and get cookin' good lookin'!!!

Ingredients:
1/4 Onion
1/4 Green pepper
1 Garlic clove
1 Block of Parmesan cheese (or bag if that's your twist - I still use it sometimes)
1 Handful of cherry or grape tomatoes (the little ones)
1 Roasting dish
2 Skewers (Or a handful of toothpicks - my normal "go to" but we ran out. Thanks, Uncle Dave!)
2 Chicken breasts 
Homemade dressing/vinaigrette or olive oil
& a partridge in a pear treeeeeee (Nah, not really, but it felt right!)

Directions:
1. Turn up the heat
(Preheat the oven to 350)
2. Smooth out the sheets
(Lay foil over baking dish)
3. Brutally take out your frustration on your veggies
(Dice onion, green pepper, tomatoes, and garlic)
4. Torture your cheese with the grater
(Grate your cheese, about a half of cup.  But anyone who knows me, knows the more cheese, the better)
5. Use fingers to marry the ingredients together
(Mix all your prep)
6. Sprinkle a snowfall of seasonings over your newly-prep
(Season the prepped veggies and cheese)
7. Make it rain olive oil or homemade vinaigrette
(Drizzle oil/dressing over seasoned prep)
8. Perform the finger marriage one mo' time.
(Blend all the seasoned prep, cheese, and oil)
9. Side Piece dat
(Set aside for later)
10. Decorate your bird
(Season Chicken) *Cheat code: preseason meats before freezing, or marinade before cooking
11. Split dem chicks
(Butterfly the chicken breasts)
12. Lay it dowwwwwwwn, down down (Dwele! No, nobody? Just me? Ok, I'm kewl wit dat)
(Lay butterflied breasts on baking dish)
13. Raaaaain downnnn onnnn theeee (SWV! No? I give up....)
(Drizzle oil over seasoned, butterflied breasts and the baking dish)
14. Make sweet seasoned love with breasts and foil
(Rub the oil over breasts and pan simultaneously)
15. Saturday night dat side piece
(Grab those prepped, seasoned, cheesy veggies=your stuffing)
16. Shove it in there (it's ok, we've lubed it with the oil/dressing)
(Stuff your breasts with your stuffing & drizzle one more time with oil/vinaigrette.)
17. Perform open-breasts surgery
(Use toothpicks or skewers to close the breasts - sealing in that cheesy goodness)
18. Snuggle them under the covers 
(Cover with foil - spray the top blankie so any cheesy goodness that oozes out isn't sacrificed)
19. Take it to the heat
(Put in the 350 degree oven for 35-45 minutes)
20. Interrupt the interlude 
(Uncover halfway through & reduce heat to 325)
21. Let them catch their breath 
(Let your meat rests)
22. Slice & Serve
(Serve whole breasts to adults, cut in half for children)
23. Back yourself on the back, your da ish
(No really, you're da ish)
24. Bon Apetit 
(Enjoy)

Prepped Veggies & Hand-Shredded Cheese

Mixed veggies, cheese, seasonings, and homemade vinaigrette

Butterfly your chicken breasts

Butterflied breast, mixed filling, homemade vinaigrette

Stuffed breasts

Skewered stuffed breasts

2 skewered stuffed breasts (raw)

Cooked Italian Stuffed Breasts

Fin 

Simple Salmon Croquettes

Serves 3-5

Ingredients:
1/4 Onion
1/4 Green pepper
1 Garlic clove
1 egg
Salmon (canned or cooked)
Mixing bowl
Aluminum foil
Baking dish
1 funky good time adding your favorite seasonings
1 very excited toddler anxious to assist (optional)
1 small pinch of patience for all the food that will make its way to your floor

Directions:
1. Get your kitchen hot & steamy.
(Preheat oven to 350)
2. Slide the foil lovingly over your baking dish.
(Cover baking dish with foil)
3. Proceed to demolish the veggies in a most meticulously, controlled way.
(Dice the veggies)
4. Invite all ingredients to a party in the mixing bowl.
(Combine all ingredients in the bowl)
5. Use your hands to get those ingredients mingling & dancing.
(Blend all ingredients using your hands)
6. Recruit overly excited toddler to help.
(Use at your own risk)
7. Play in your food.
(The two of you take turns scooping out mixture and making little croquettes)
8. Spread the love...all over your baking dish.
(Evenly distribute croquettes on baking dish)
9. Make it rain.
(Drizzle with olive oil)
10. Take it to the heeeaaatt, yeaaahh.
(Bake for 25-35 minutes)

Serving suggestions:
Main attraction to your favorite side kick.
(Serve with your favorite side dish)

In a sea of green.
(In a salad)

On a veg bed.
(In a lettuce wrap)