Whisk & Tread! And Zoodles!

Welcome to Whisk and Thread! I truly believe that the kitchen is the heart of the home and it always seems to be where everyone gathers.  I love all things homemade and I hope to share many hand crafted goodies with you! I hope to share some of my favorite diy tutorials and many recipes!

There are still many changes coming to Whisk and Thread, but I couldn't wait to share this recipe with you.  Mr. J and I are really into CrossFit and since we have started our CF journey, our eating habits have changed drastically. While I am an avid cook, and we both love food, I love to try and recreate some of our favorite recipes into much healthier versions.   We had this recipe last night, and let's just say, We LOVED it! I hope you guys enjoy it as well!

Shrimp Scampi and Zoodles
(Served 2 in our home..plus a picky toddler who refused to eat)

3 medium to large zucchinis
1 pound shrimp, shelled and deveined
Salt (I prefer Kosher)
Fresh ground black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup white wine or chicken broth
1 fresh lemon, juiced
Parsley (Optional)
Lemon Zest (Optional)

Directions

Zoodles
Peel and julienne zucchini.   I have a handy little julienne slicer and it works great.  I have also learned that there are cool spiral cutters out there for around $30.  I may be looking into getting one of those!
Place in colander or strainer and sprinkle with salt.  Let sit for 20 minutes then squeeze moisture from the noodles.  Place the noodles between paper towels and squeeze.  Then pat dry and place in bowl.

While the zoodles are sweating, pat the shrimp dry.  Heat a large skillet over medium heat.  Season shrimp with salt and pepper.  Add the butter to the skillet.  Cook the shrimp, in one layer, without moving them, for 1 minute.  Add the garlic and cook 1 minute.  Turn the shrimp over and cook for a couple more minutes.  Transfer the shrimp to a plate.

Return the skillet to the heat and pour the wine/chicken broth and lemon juice.  Boil until the liquid has slightly thickened, about 30 seconds.  Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. (Because you know that is the good stuff!)  Throw those noodles in that yummy sauce and toss them around for about a minute to get them good and warm.  Add your shrimp in with the zoodles.  Remove from heat.  Top with parsley and lemon zest. Season with more salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy! :)

Coming Soon!!!!

The blog is going to be undergoing some major changes! Whisk & Thread is coming soon!

GCC- Steak Pizzaiola

This week's Gutsy Cooks Club challenge was to make Steak Pizzaiola.  It called for a chuck steak and I had no clue what this was.  I also could not find it in our grocery stores, so I went with sirloin.  Other than that, I stayed pretty true to the recipe.  We served ours with a large bowl of rigatoni, but next time I will serve with mashed potatoes.  Overall, I believe this recipe is a keeper. Make sure to head to SweetBites and get the recipe!

Recipe

Getting Gutsy- Baked Chicken with Honey-Whole Grain Mustard Glaze

I am always looking for new ways to challenge myself in the kitchen.  I love to cook and have tried so many different recipes and am always looking for something new.  I stumbled upon The Gutsy Cooks Club and knew I had to try it!

Sweet Monica at Sweet Bites Blog host it and this was our first week.

This week we made Baked Chicken with Honey-Whole Grain Mustard Glaze by Lucinda Scala Quinn.  While this recipe was not that different for me, or that challenging, it did call for chicken thighs.  I have not cooked with them in the past and I will have to say Mr. J and I loved them, but sweet A adored them!  I found a great sale on boneless, skinless chicken thighs and so that is what we used.  While I am sure the skin would be delicious on these, it was not in my weekly budget to splurge (and we try not to eat the skin).  I would cook these again! Not only were they tasty, but super easy as well!

Make sure and jump over to Monica's blog to get the recipe!

From the Little Red Book

The first Christmas that Mr. J and I spent together he bought me this cute little red cookbook journal.

It is used for my favorite recipes and most of the time they come some where other than the internet.  Some are passed down from sweet family members, some from special friends, and some are my random, crazy creations! But, if the recipe makes it to the prized red book, it is for sure a family favorite!  This recipe, I believe, came from a previous co-worker and it has become a family favorite.  I hope y'all enjoy it as much as we do!

Bow-tie Chicken Pasta

• 2 Chicken Breast, cooked, diced or shredded
• 1 box Bow-tie Pasta
• 1 can Rotel, drained
• 1 jar Alfredo Sauce
• 1/2 jar of Basil Pesto (I use the Bertolli brand...just so you know for size reference)
• 2 cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

-Cook your chicken and dice or shred it.  Last night I used diced chicken that I cooked in the skillet.  Before I have used a rotisserie chicken, boiled chicken, you could even use canned chicken if you are into that kind of thing! Which ever way I do it, I always add some of my favorite spices (and those change on a daily basis, but always include italian seasoning and garlic)
-Cook your pasta according to the box, but 2 minutes less.
-Drain pasta.
-Add your Alfredo sauce, pesto, rotel and chicken to the pasta and mix well.
-Place mixture into a greased 9x13 baking dish.
-Sprinkle shredded cheese on top of pasta mixture.
-Bake at 350 for about 20-30 minutes or until cheese is good and melted.
-Enjoy!

Lessons from Sweet A

It is so true that they grow up too fast!  I can't believe our sweet baby A is now sweet toddler A with a sassy little attitude and lots of spunk! With sweet A about to be 2 this summer, I have been reflecting on what I have learned since becoming a mom.  Sweet A has taught me so many lessons and I feel like even though I am the one that is suppose to be teaching her the ways of the world, God is using her to teach me so many things.  Here are just a couple of things that motherhood has taught me.

1. You can function with very little sleep (even though it may not seem like it).  I am so glad sweet A taught me this lesson! This lesson is coming in very handy for youth ministry!

2. I have more strength and courage than I ever thought I could have.

3. I am learning that my mom and dad are a lot smarter than I thought they were! (If y'all are reading...please take this as a compliment!)

4. Getting ready to go anywhere and be on time is a huge accomplishment!

5. A hot shower, alone, with no small toddler pulling the curtain or throwing things across the bathroom is almost as glorious as a spa retreat!

6. Nothing is better than a hug and "I love you".

7.  Motherhood is not a joke.  It is tough, exhausting and most rewarding!

8. I have learned no book, other mom, blog or anything or anyone else knows my child better than I know her. Listen to my gut.

9.  Be a mom, not a friend.  This one is so hard, because I want Annie to love me and like me.  But I am called to be her mother. Not her friend.

10. God loves me...SO MUCH! This has just been a constant reminder as I look at how much I love sweet A.  God loves me so much more!

Happy Tuesday! I am going to love on a spunky little girl who woke up WAY too early form her nap!

Chicken Philly Sandwiches

I am not a huge slow cooker fan, but there are those days I am so thankful for them!  Tuesdays are extremely busy for us and yesterday was one of those days I was SO thankful for my slow cooker!  I think one of the reasons that I am not a huge fan is because I have such a hard time finding recipes that I love that!  I found a great one and it will for sure be a keeper!  

Chicken Philly Sandwiches

Adapted from: Food&Family Finds

Ingredients:

• 2 Frozen Chicken Breast
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 2 Green Bell Peppers, sliced
• 1 Small Onion, sliced
• 1 Package Sliced Mushrooms
• 1/2 cup Chicken Broth
• McCormick's Steak Seasoning
• Emeril's Original Essence Seasoning 
• Garlic
• Worcestershire Sauce
• Salt
• Pepper
• Sliced Mozzarella Cheese
• Sliced American Cheese
• Hoagie Buns

Place 2 tablespoons butter in the bottom of your slow cooker.  Place frozen (or fresh) chicken breast on top of butter.  Sprinkle chicken with garlic, essence seasoning, and steak seasoning.  I do not use measurements on this, I just go to town and shake until my hand gets tired. Also, feel free to use any type of seasoning you would like.  I just had these in my cabinet and they turned out great!  Add your onions, mushrooms and green peppers next.  Pour in your chicken broth.  Add a couple dashes of Worcestershire.  Add salt and pepper to your liking.  Cook on low for 6 hours.  After about 5 1/2 hours take chicken out and shred it.  Place back into slow cooker and continue cooking for another 30 minutes.

Mr. J and I like to toast our hoagie buns before we place the chicken on them.  I just stick them under the broiler for a couple of seconds until they start to brown up.  I also like to use a slotted spoon to get the chicken mixture out to help get rid of some of the juice.  Place your chicken mixture on your hoagie bun, place a slice of mozzarella and a slice of american cheese on top and place under the broiler to melt the cheese.  Place that other half of the hoagie bun on top and enjoy! :)