February 08, 2016

Recipe: One-Pan Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Rice

Hello Friends,

          I hope you had a great weekend and are ready to start a new week. I know I am ready for a new week. Last week was really stressful and I kinda want to pretend it never happened. Anyhow, today I have a recipe for you!! I know it's been a while since my last recipe so Im excited to share this with you. This recipe takes no longer than 40 minutes to make and makes a great weeknight meal. It's a super duper tasty one-pan dish of tender chicken bites, steamed broccoli and savoury rice, all tied together with melty cheddar cheese. Is your mouth watering yet? Well then, let's get her done...

First off, can I just tell you guys how much I freaking love my T-fal pan!! I am super obsessed with it and I use it whenever I can. I will admit it cost me a small fortune but it was worth every penny. I do wonder, though, how the heck Jamie Oliver flips his crepes with this thing...it weighs a ton...like literally, a ton. Anyways, the only thing I do not get is the red spot in the middle. It is supposed to turn red when it's hot but mine never has...as I missing something? Please tell me...

So, We start by browning up our chicken cubes in a bit of olive oil or conola oil works too.


Then ofcourse we add our diced onion and garlic once our chicken is cooked up. Now, I only used one clove of garlic for this dish because I just needed a bit of garlic flavour. I am usually the Queen of the garlic bulb but today I went easy on it. You can add more if you wish sire. So, we want the onions to be translucent. I also go in with my seasonings at this point, so salt and lots of pepper.


Whilst my onions and garlic are infusing my chicken bites, I go ahead and chop up my broccoli. I love broccoli these days, it's such a great addition to any meal. Even steaming it with a bit of butter and garlic makes a great salad replacement.



Now comes the rice, you can adjust this to your needs but since this yields about 5 servings I went in with 4 cups of instant rice. First, I added the water to the pan and added 3 packettes of this stuff...


Then I pour in my rice, gently stir to combine. Then, I plopped all my broccoli right on top and then put a lid on it. Let it go for about 3 minutes then stir to combine. You should end up with a nicely steamed broccoli and your rice should almost be cooked. Go ahead and add more water if you want, I like my rice the consistency of a risotto. I like to do a wee little taste test and add seasoning if nessesary.


Now comes the best part, the cheese. After grating your cheese, pop it on top of the rice and cover for one minute. You should be left with a pool of cheesy goodness, stir it all in and voila! A dish of yumminess, ready to be consumed.



Hope you guys will try to make this dish and let me know below what you think. By the way, are you guys following me on instagram? Link is on the left side bar!

See you soon!

Sarah


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One-Pan Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Rice
A cheesy one-pan dish great for a weeknight!
Ingredients
  • 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
  • 2 Cubed Chicken Breast
  • 1 Onion
  • 1 clove Garlic
  • to taste salt and peper
  • 4 1/4 cups Water
  • 3 sachets Chicken bullion
  • 4 cups Instant Rice
  • 4 cups Chopped Broccoli
  • 1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Instructions
1. Brown Chicken in olive oil until cooked through. 2. Add chopped onion and garlic to pan and cook until translucent. Season with salt and pepper, you can adjust this later. 3. Pour in water and add bouillon, stir. Add Rice and stir to combine. 4. Pile broccoli on top and cover for about 2 minutes. 5. Stir to combine and add water if needed. You want the rice to have an overcooked consistency. 6. Add cheese to top and cover for a minute, then stir to combine. 7. Adjust seasoning and then serve.
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 5 servings

February 06, 2016

Dear Mom: Losing a Parent

 

Hello Friends,

          I have been wanting to write a post about the loss of my Mother for a while now but I just didn't know how to go about it. I wasn't sure if I should write an advice-type post where I talk about how to cope with the loss of a parent or what. So, after much deliberation, I decided to write a letter to my Mom. I know she will never read it but it's just a way for me to express my feeling about her as if I was talking to her...make sense? I hope so lol Anyways, without further ado, I give you Dear Mom. 

Dear Mom, 

          I don't remember what it was like meeting you for the first time, but I know you always told me that, for you, it was love at first sight. You always told me how I looked so much like Dad and how I had these big blue eyes and this wild mat of dark brown hair. I remember you telling me how they had to weight me three times because I looked alot smaller than I weighed. When I look at old pictures of when I was a toddler, I don't remember any of it, but I know that whatever we were doing, I was enjoying every minute because I was with you. All the pictures of you and me are pictures where you are hugging me, kissing me or holding my hand. You never lacked in showing affection to your kids, even into adulthood.

           The times I remember are not all good times. There were many times where I gave your grief, like all teens give their parents. Times where I yelled at you and you yelled back. Times where doors were slammed and dishes were broken. Times where we said things we didn't mean. But I always remember me being my stubborn self and you calling me over to you. At first, I would refuse, but quickly came of over to your open arms and tear filled eyes as we both apologized for our actions and words. I don't remember ever going a more than a day being mad at eachtoher. 

         I remember going through the old anxiety attacks when I was in high school and when I cried, you gave nothing more than kind words and big hugs. You would wipe my tears and tell me to how proud you were of me regardless of my shortfalls. You never made me feeling like I was not normal or that I was being dramatic over silly things in life. You knew how real the struggle was for me. 

          All the times you talked about Dad and how you met eachother will forever stick in my mind. I remember how you said it was love at first sight and how you knew you would marry this man. You made me believe that it's possible to find someone for life. That through good and bad, you will always love eachother. You both made me believe in true love and the power of it, something I hope to find one day.

         I remember the day I heard the news. That soon you would no longer be with us. I remember not feeling anything because I felt like I was dreaming. How was I going to live without you? When reality hit me, I had never felt so much pain and sadness in my entire life. I always thought I had seen and felt a broken heart, with all the stupid boys who seemed to have broken it so many times. But I was wrong! Nothing compared to the feeling I felt that day. I kissed you and told you how much I loved you every night before leaving you, for fear that would be the last time I would be able to do so. One day, that fear came to a cold reality and you had vanished from our lives. 

           It hurts me that you won't be there to meet my future husband, whoever her may be. Or to help me pick a wedding dress for the big day. You won't be there to hear that I am having my first child, if such a thing ever happens and you won't be there to hold my hand to tell me everything will be alright.

          Mom, I can never convey my feelings to you again, but if you were here, this is what I would say. Because of you, I am a bigger person, a person who struggles but still carries on. A person who doesn't like everyone but always tries to show kindness. A person who sometimes holds a grudge but always tries to forgive. A person who frequently visits dark places but quickly emerges to a lighter tomorrow. You taught me so many amazing things in the grim life we live. You are the light that shines on your children and husband every single day, the glue that holds us all together and the woman who brought us all together when we needed eachother the most. I hope to always imagine your arms around me and you voice telling me to 'move ahead and be happy' reminding me to never look back on the bad times but to wait for the good. You brought so much light to so many peoples lives and this light will forever shine in our hearts

         I know this isn't forever so, until we meet again...Sleep well Mom, and I love you...


       Sarah