Cheater!

Confession:  I have not felt like cooking at all this week.  It's kind of odd, since I love to cook.  But lately I feel like I am just cooking the same things over and over again.  Do you get in that rut?  What do you do to snap out of it?

So what have I been doing instead of cooking?  Well, the Toddler and I have been playing outside a lot (since it still feels like July here!), and I've been crafting some things for Halloween:

How cute is that?  I got the idea from Southern Living magazine.  You just paint two coats of orange paint on jars and then use a black permanent marker to make the face.  Pop a flameless candle in there and you have a cute little jack-o-lantern!

So while I was making that . . . I totally cheated on making dinner last night.  Why am I a cheater?  Well let me first say that I am all about convenience products, like Perdue short cuts chicken.  But I usually just don't open a can, heat it up, and call it dinner.  But that is kind of what I did last night!

Chili Baked Potato
Ingredients: 2 servings
2 russet potatoes
1 can chili (I used Hormel Vegetarian Chili)
scallions, sliced for garnish

Instructions
Pre-Heat oven to 350F.  Poke some holes in potatoes and bake in oven for about 1 hour.  In the last 10 minutes of the potatoes cooking, pour chili in saucepan and warm up.  Halve the  potatoes and pour desired amount of chili over the halves.  Sprinkle scallions on top and serve with salad.


Do you guys ever cheat?  What's your favorite cheat meal?


P.S.  I'm linking up here

Hurricane Chicken

Well the Husband, the Toddler and I made it through Hurricane Irene.  The good news is that we did not lose power.  The bad news is that all I have in my house is canned food since I was 100% certain that we would lose power.

The Husband thinks all the stores are still closed, and refuses to drive anywhere.  And I am still in my pajamas as I write this.  So I guess I will have to go to the store tomorrow to get fresh food.  We will use the canned goods tonight, or maybe thaw something frozen and have a "surprise" for dinner (I am really bad at labeling things!).

Last night, while we were anticipating the worst of Irene, I made "Hurricane Chicken".  Basically I looked around and threw stuff in the oven and called it a meal.  I thought it tasted pretty good.  The Husband was expecting more flavor.  Oh well! 

Did you get hit by the hurricane?  If so, I hope you and your family are safe and that it didn't do too much damage to your property!

Hurricane Chicken
Ingredients:
4-6 Chicken drumsticks
1 lb small red/white potatoes, quartered
4-6 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
1/2 red onion, coarsely chopped
salt and pepper
oregano
onion flakes
paprika

Instructions:
Spray large baking dish with olive oil spray and add chicken.  Surround chicken with chopped veggies.  Sprinkle chicken with seasonings until coated.  Bake at 400 F for about 30-35 minutes or until chicken is done.