Butter is Busy

It is a flurry of business here today in the Butter kitchen. My poor family has been STARVING since I took this new job (no, they shouldn't be, but l-a-z-y). "There is nothing to eat" is the mantra of everyone in this place. I have been guilty of that too, but normally at midnight when I want something gooey and chocolate....

I have been reading books, websites and blogs trying to figure out a way to make dinner when the three of us all eat at different times.....and it hasn't been easy. I have done some batch cooking-making double the lasagne or frying up several pounds of ground beef or poaching a lot of chicken to shred and freeze. I am now trying to knock out several meals to have in the freezer, in portion-sized amounts, so we can all eat good food and a healthier option than say, chips and salsa. Oh yeah, that has happened here many times lately.

I am not up for a full on Once a Month Cooking. I just don't have the attention span to do it. Today I worked on 7 things, but it yielded many servings. I even had DQ in there with me chopping vegetables and sausage, cleaning up dishes and re-organizing some cupboards. She even took it upon herself yesterday when we got home from the supermarket to wash out all the crisper drawers and clean out the old, moldy things we found in there. I was quite impressed with her.

While cooking up a chicken dish, I had two extra chicken breasts left over. She suggested making a burrito type dish that she has had at her friend M's house, who is Latino and will also be her roommate when they go off to school this summer.

Boog's Burritos

2 skin-on, bone-in chicken breasts

2 cups chicken stock or broth

1/2 tsp taco seasoning

1 can cream of chicken soup

1/2 an envelope fajita seasoning

1 tsp taco seasoning

chopped pepper slices, green and orange

tortillas

rice

shredded cheese

Poach the two breasts in the two cups of chicken stock and 1/2 tsp of taco seasoning. I added about 1/3 cup water to make sure the chicken was covered by liquid. I poached over low heat (little bubbles, not a rolling boil) for about 2o minutes, until internal temp was 175 degrees. Remove chicken to a plate and cover with some foil to rest and cool slightly. When cool enough to handle, remove skin and bones and shred chicken with your fingers, into bite sized pieces and place in a saucepan. Sprinkle with the fajita and taco seasoning. Pour soup over meat, add about 1/4 cup of water to loosen it up. Simmer over low heat until heated through. While the chicken mixture is heating, put instant rice on to cook (or if you have left over in the fridge, heat up). When rice is done, fluff with fork. Heat the tortillas up in microwave for 30 seconds to make pliable. Top with some rice, the meat mixture and cheese. Roll up burrito style and enjoy. Boog only likes a little cheese on hers, so I didn't get a photo with the cheese on.

Below are some of the other dishes I worked on today: carnitas style pork loin, peppers used for several dishes, sausage for his gumbo and a slow-cooked chicken and veggie dish. Tonight I am tackling a shredded pork dish, some chops and making a large batch of meatballs.

If I hear one more person utter 'there is nothing to eat' I won't be responsible for my actions.