#dinnerwithrain

Hey Rainbows & Unicorns! Welcome Back to The Unicorn Effect. Tonights Recipe is a copy cat with few different things, but not much. If you saw my stuffed salmon recipe, you know how this is going to go...

What You Need 

4 Chicken Breast

6 oz of Cream Cheese

1 1/2 c Spinach

1/2 c of Parmesan Cheese

Choice of Seasoning or House Seasoning 

toothpicks

preferred: a cast-iron skillet to cook

What To Do:

First Things First...create your pockets in the chicken breast, be careful to NOT cut through the entire thing like i did, but its ok we had toothpicks... also preheat your oven to 350 F. Make sure your cream cheese is at room temp. If not - mic for 30 seconds. *thank me later...

Next your going to want to go ahead and season your chicken and place it to the side, allowing it to marinate for a bit.

While that’s happening.. Prepare your filling by chopping your spinach finely and mix with cream cheese, parmesan and minced garlic. mix well, then stuff pockets and close with toothpicks. 

I suggested a cast iron skillet for this next part because you can put it in the oven but if not be sure to have a mental or glass dish to transfer to to place in the oven. 

I placed my fire on medium high heat and began to brown the stuffed chicken on each side for about 10 mins each. Once both sides were browned, Cover with foil. I placed my cast iron skillet in the oven and allowed the chicken to cook at 350 F for about 25 mins. 

Serve with Rice and veggies or just a salad. 

*Please note: the corresponding youtube video for this recipe shows only what i needed for two fillets, this recipe is for 6-8 fillets. 

WHAT YOU NEED:

6-8 Medium Size Salmon Fillets

1 Handful of Kale and 1 Handful of Spinach 

8 oz Cream Cheese

2 Lemons

1/2 to 1 c salad shrimp 

1 tbsp Minced Garlic

Your choice of seasoning. I used Garlic Salt, Black Pepper, Onion Powder & Chili Powder (RAiNs House Mix)

FEW THINGS:

Because I shop at Kroger, I find that it’s easier for me to A) use my Kroger Plus Card for digital coupons and store deals and B) purchase Kroger Brand items, that are great in quality, but a little cheaper in price. I bought the Kroger Brand Cream Cheese, which includes two 8 oz packs of original cream cheese. I also bought the Kroger Brand Salad Shrimp, which came in a small package and serves about a cup. 

When I say salmon fillets, I mean wild salmon (not frozen) with the skin still on the bottom. 

There are a few extra tips along the way of What To Do...

WHAT TO DO:

First things first. Preheat the oven to 375 F. *please be sure to take your cream cheese out of the fridge and get down to room temp.* In the meantime begin prep:

Wash your greens and give chop down finely. Cut 1/2 a lemon and use squeeze the juice oven the kale and spinach. Mix it up and put to the side. 

Wash your shrimp with other half of lemon. Use the 1 lemon to water your salmon. *Place in a deep bowl with cold water, roll lemon with hand putting some pressure on lemon, cut lemon and squeeze all juice in bowl. Clean that bad boy.

Create your stuffing mix: Mix cream cheese, shrimp, seasoning, kale and spinach. Make sure that everything has mixed together well with the cream cheese. 

Cut 1 in (a litter deeper if your allotted space) in the center of each fillet and cut left and right to create a pocket for your stuffing. Once you have created pockets, season salmon and set on foil covered or sprayed pan.  *Medium to larger sized salmon fillets are easiest to use for this project to create deeper pockets and add more stuffing in each. 

Add stuffing to pockets. Cover with a piece of foil. 

Place salmon in oven on middle rack, then turn oven to 350 F for 25-30 mins. 

Serve with rice and veggies or buy itself. *please make sure that when your removing salmon from pan, your doing so with removing the skin as well, using a spatula.

Follow Link To Tutorial: https://youtu.be/frrittyC2CM

On the fourth day of Jan 2017, I the pregnant lady forgot that it’s time to make dinner...AGAIN. I didn’t take out any meat, and remembered as it was time to get off work. If you’re anything like me you like quick and easy, simplicity with all the best flavors. I remember that I have pasta in the pantry, along with rice for my picky finance, and spinach and ground beef (STILL IN THE DAMN FREEZER). By the time i get home and nap, the meat will have fully thawed. 

When i speak on my picky fiance, I speak about all the foods that I love that he hates: spaghetti, red sauce, pasta, mushrooms, onions, just to name a few. He’s more of a chicken lover anyhow. Now if you have picky at home, it’s a little challenge when it comes to dinner time. So for him I took out some chicken wings. Now he may eat the pasta but 10 times out of infinite (and beyond) I’m really not banking on it. Make him mini home style red skin potato fries. Tonight think of it as a two in one deal. Notice: I’m not going to the store to buy any new foods to accommodate the two of us, instead I’m going to use what we have until its time to go grocery shopping again...

For The Wings & Fries:

10 Wings (Thawed, soaked in lemon water)

House Seasoning: Combo of Onion and Garlic Powder, Red Pepper, Black Pepper

2 tsp. of baking powder 1 tsp of salt. (*Baking powder is good to dry out all of the water from the chicken and keep it crispy)

4 medium sized red skin potatoes (plus salt, pepper, and red pepper and a cap full of oil)

Set oven to 425 degrees. Soak chicken in lemon water (a good 20 mins would suffice). Once thawed completely, rinse off, pat dry. Season with 2 tsp of baking powder and 1 tsp of salt, then with house season, or your own seasoning of choice. Place on foiled cooking pan (spray the pan please so much easier to flip chicken). Next prep your red skin potatoes. Wash, peel some of the skin, cut in medium wedge size. Coat with 1 cap full of oil + salt and pepper and for a small kick red pepper). Mix well place on other side of baking pan. Place together in oven, set time for 40 mins (oh i turned the oven up to 450 once i put the pan in the oven) Flip at 20 min mark. In the mean time of this cooking work on the pasta. 

For The Pasta:

1/2 to 1 lb Ground Beef

Seasoning: Salt, Black & Red Pepper

1 1/2 cup spinach (mine was bag spinach mixed with kale - need a bit of salt and pepper for taste)

2 tsp of minced garlic

1/4 cup white onion

1 cup of Penne Pasta (2 cups boiling water)

1 14oz Pasta Sauce 

Get pot hot before adding ground beef. Cook meat until fully browned, usually takes about 20 mins tops. In the time of cooking meat, in a sauce pan add two cups of hot water, allow to boil with 1 tsp of oil plus a pinch of salt. Once water begins to boil add 1 cup pasta, cook till al dente (usually takes 5-8 mins). Once cooked drain and set to the side. Once meat is brown, drain off oil place to the side. In pot, add 2 tsp of minced garlic and onions, allow to brown just a tad. Add ground beef plus salt and pepper to pot then spinach, once spinach has cooked down add pasta, lastly sauce - turn fire on low-medium heat - literally five mins - then turn off top the pot and allow the steam to do its job. This total took about 35 mins. 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! First Meal Made was my quick version of Curry Salmon.

Mama always told me to use Wild Salmon (even if its in the bag), make sure the skin in still on it. Thats how you know you got the right one. I used four filets and between the four I used a tablespoon on Garlic Powder and Curry Powder and half a tbsp. of Black Pepper and Red Pepper. 

Rub it in Let Marinade while I prepped everything else. Red Skin Potatoes washed, slightly peeled and diced + a cap full of veggie oil (hate that I ran out of Olive Oil) + 1/2 tbsp of Salt and Pepper to coat and Carrots cleaned + 1/2 cap of veggie oil plus salt pepper and minced garlic. Both went on sheet pan in the oven at 400 degrees for 35 mins. Cut up broccoli, washed and placed to the side. 

Cook Salmon on SKIN SIDE first for about ten mins, on medium high heat. The salmon will begin to cook through. Flip Salmon after about ten mins peel skin off - let cook off skin side for about 3 mins. Then flip back over. (You can put the lid on the pan - turn heat on low medium - for about five mins allow the steam to work its magic). Set to the side and get ready to sautee the broccoli in the meantime. 1 tsp of butter in the pan + 1 tsp of minced garlic - saute broccoli for about 3-5 mins. Put lid on broccoli to allow some crunch but to soften broccoli as well. 

By the time the broccoli is done your roasted potatoes and carrots should be done.