Unexpected - Back Soon I Hope (updated)

I'm going to be slow posting for a bit.

Life has thrown a few curve balls this week.

Thursday, my Mother had what should have been a minor surgery. 

Friday I was unfortunately in a store as it was robbed - that shook me up a bit for the rest of the day.


This morning, Sunday, my Mother was up and fine early this morning to have breakfast but after her morning dose of medications, she never woke up.  Currently is unresponsive - eyes are open but not responsive.  Brain scans and blood work being done now.

Sitting next to the phone with nervous energy... (I'm 1000 miles away) - and I guess needing to keep my fingers busy so I'm typing here... and obviously, food and recipes are the least of my thoughts.

Updated:  Possibly mini stroke. More tests. She is talking now - and responsive so there is that.
Updated:  We still believe it was a reaction to the pain medication but they are running brain scans, MR's, and test after test.
Updated:  My Mother is doing well and was released from the hospital.  The admitted that due to "miscommunication" among staff, she was overly sedated with pain medications. She has no memory of the situation other than saying "Well, that was an easy and peaceful way to die"  as she simply went to sleep - but her eyes never closed. She is home now. 




 
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Guacamole Stuffed Chicken Breasts Wrapped In Bacon

I've been meaning to get this one onto my personal recipe blog so I don't forget it - but life has just been incredibly hectic and busy.  However, my blog is my 'recipe file' and I'm afraid this dish will be forgotten (out of sight, out of mind) if I don't post it here to remind myself to make again... soon.

My last post was about a bacon, guacamole and chicken 'dip' and you can see now where I got that idea... from leftovers!  Yep, this is what I made up for dinner one night - which led to my yummy appetizer idea. 

There isn't really a recipe other than if you make your guacamole from scratch (I do).

My Homemade Guacamole

2-3 avocados (2 large, use 3 if they are on the smaller side)

1/2 onion, quartered

1/4 c diced chilies

1 heaping teaspoon minced jalapeno's

1 T cilantro or parsley (half that if you use dried)

1 T lime juice

1 large clove minced garlic (or use about 1  teaspoon pre-minced jarred style)

1/4 t salt

1 medium tomato, peeled, seeded and diced

*options;  a little chili powder or cumin if you wish!)

Slice and remove the seed from the avocados.  Scoop the flesh into a food processor bowl.  Add the onion, chilies, jalapeno, cilantro, lime and garlic and salt.  While on pulse a few times, just a few seconds each time.  Don't over process, but be sure the onion is all incorporated.  Stir in half the tomatoes, put into a serving dish, top with the remaining diced tomatoes.  Serve with tortilla chips.

Pound as many boneless, skinless chicken breasts as you wish.
Spread a layer of guacamole on each
Roll up and secure with a strip of bacon - or use two and wrap them like a gift
Bake in a preheated oven at 375 for approximately 30 minutes or until the chicken is done
If you need your bacon more golden brown and crisp, place under the broiler and broil for 2-3 minutes
If you make extra bundles, you can chop them up and add extra guacamole to make an appetizer to serve with tortilla chips.

Incredible - Chicken, Guacamole & Bacon Dip Appetizer for Tortilla Chips

This recipe can be as easy or as difficult as you want to make it.

Want the super-crazy-fast version? 
Use store bought guacamole, mix it with some diced pre-cooked or pre-grilled chicken from the frozen food department and add some store bought, packaged real bacon pieces!

A 'middle of the road' easy version?
Maybe use store bought chicken, whip up your own favorite guacamole, and use packaged bacon.

Or switch those around if you already have some leftover baked or grilled chicken from the night before, just buy a container of guacamole and cook some bacon - let it cool a bit and crumble it on top.

This 'dip' or appetizer is amazing.  The blend of chicken, guacamole and bacon is a favorite in our house and we have it in many different and various ways. This was actually my "dinner" the other night when no one else was home and I didn't have to cook for anyone but me! 

If you need a recipe for the guacamole, this is one I've posted before; My Homemade Guacamole

2-3 avocados (2 large, use 3 if they are on the smaller side)

1/2 onion, quartered

1/4 c diced chilies

1 heaping teaspoon minced jalapeno's

1 T cilantro or parsley (half that if you use dried)

1 T lime juice

1 large clove minced garlic (or use about 1  teaspoon pre-minced jarred style)

1/4 t salt

1 medium tomato, peeled, seeded and diced

Slice and remove the seed from the avocados.  Scoop the flesh into a food processor bowl.  Add the onion, chilies, jalapeno, cilantro, lime and garlic and salt.  While on pulse a few times, just a few seconds each time.  Don't over process, but be sure the onion is all incorporated.  Stir in half the tomatoes, put into a serving dish, top with the remaining diced tomatoes.  Serve with tortilla chips.

 

Sugar Free Rice Krispie Bars

For as amazingly good rice krispie treats are, you would think they would be harder to make, right?  There was even a commercial about that on television years ago - where the Mom pretends to slave over the treats in order to get a few minutes of quiet and time to sit and enjoy one herself. 

I've posted about rice krispie treats in the past - whether it was the original regular version, a sugar free and low carb version (yes!  LOW CARB), Peep-mallow Bar using leftover Easter candy and a few years ago you could find cinnamon marshmallows on the market so I made an incredible Cinnamon Bun version - which, they no longer make those, but you can still make the recipe by adding a half teaspoon of cinnamon to your marshmallow mixture.

I like to add a dash of vanilla to mine

Here is the butter, vanilla and marshmallows before microwaving

While in the microwave they will puff up above the bowl.

They will start to fall immediately upon removing them.

I tried to get a picture on my iphone before they fell - they are about 1/2 puffed here.

Press into a pan

Mmm. And sugar free.

Let's use up these Fall apples! Homemade applesauce and dehydrating apples to the rescue!

This is really more of a reminder post...  because it's Autumn and hello?  APPLES! 

I was at the store a couple days ago and needed to pick up more apples for my husband.  Our local store currently has small bags of apples going for $.97 a pound so I bought two bags.  A handful saved for my husband to grab on his way out the door to work, and the rest made into applesauce and dehydrated for breakfast oatmeals and snacking.

If you visit An American Housewife often, then you know I make a big batch of applesauce at least every two weeks.  It's my husbands 'late night snack' when he watches tv after I go to bed and every morning I find the empty jars in the sink.  I love it though because since it's homemade I control what goes into it - and believe me, there is ZERO ADDED SUGAR and absolutely, certainly NO CORN SYRUP.  None of the chemicals or additives in store bought applesauce obviously and why in the world they ADD SUGAR to an already sweet natural applesauce is beyond me.

My recipe for applesauce is so incredibly easy it's almost no work and involves apples... and nothing else unless you choose to add a bit of natural sweetener or cinnamon.  You can find that recipe here if you don't already have it. 

Apples ready for applesauce!

 

 Doing some dehydrating as well

Just a note about peeling the apples for dehydrating:  SAVE THEM and add them to your applesauce.  They have so many nutrients in them, and help the applesauce naturally thicken.  Just wash and peel your apples like usual, but while you throw away or compost the cores, add the peelings to your apples in the crockpot.