Cooking - Jamieson Diaries

Dear Diary, Healthy, Meal Prep, Recipes, Side Dish

Honey Lemon Green Beans

March 2, 2018 Leave a Comment

Riley loves fruits and vegetables. If you’re wondering “who is Riley?” the answer to your question is, my unborn very picky child. I am currently eight months pregnant and have plenty of vegetable cravings. Especially this delicious honey lemon green beans recipe I created on Valentine’s Day. I made a surf n’ turf type Valentine’s Day meal that called for a vegetable side dish of some sort. I bought green beans at the store earlier that day so I decided to “wing it” and throw some flavors together that complimented the dish. It was delicious and I’ve made this recipe multiple times since then simply because of how much I loved it.Read More

All Posts, Dinner, Lunch, Recipes

Asian BBQ Wings

February 7, 2017 Comments : 4

This past Superbowl Sunday I decided I wanted to whip up my own chicken wing recipe. I honestly had no idea what flavor I was going for beside it including some sort of barbecue sauce. Sweet Baby Ray’s to be exact. I walked into the kitchen, grabbed ingredients out of the fridge and off of my spice racks, then got to work. Once I grabbed the soy sauce, sweet chili sauce, and rice wine vinegar, I knew I was officially going for an Asian BBQ chicken wing theme. Read More

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Super Bowl Sunday-Funday

February 7, 2016 Leave a Comment

The day is finally here ladies and gentlemen…Super Bowl Sunday! I don’t know about you guys but this is one of the first Super Bowl match ups I’m excited to watch because I love both of the quarterbacks. I can honestly say whether Superman Cam walks away with his first ring or Peyton walks away with possibly his last ring, I will be a happy lady! However, what is any super bowl without the delicious snacks?! My family and I have our usual favorite get together/party snacks, but some snacks are so super bowl worthy they have to be made for multiple occasions. Here are the snacks I have prepared for today’s festivities 🙂

Chips & Queso:

I found this recipe on Pinterest a few years back and it’s actually quite popular. Most grocery stores even have an entire display dedicated to the popular “chips and dip” during super bowl time. However, for my dip I use Velveeta’s Queso Blanco and add 1 lbs. of seasoned ground beef (or turkey). Guys…it’s SO good. The instructions are easy: brown 1 lbs. of ground beef/turkey in a medium sized pot. Add your block of cheese cut into three pieces to the cooked meat. Constantly stir to prevent the cheese from sticking and burning until it has all melted together. Take your can of Rotel and mix into the cheese and meat. Pour into a bowl and serve!

BBQ Root Beer Chicken Wings:

YES- these wings are as yummy and delicious as they look in the picture. My husband saw this recipe on Tasty’s Facebook page about two months ago and it’s one of our favorites. If you would like to give it a try, head on over to Tasty’s Facebook page, like them, and try out this recipe (along with many of their other delicious recipes)!

The wings were still in the crock pot so I couldn’t get a picture with the sign lol.

Root Beer Floats:

These are pretty self explanatory. When are root beer floats NOT a good idea? Exactly. They’re easy, fun and delicious which are all the right description words for a successful dessert following yummy snacking foods. I am a huge fan of the individual IBC root beer bottles so guests don’t have to share, and wait to use one 2 liter bottle of root beer.

Banana Bread:

This honestly has nothing to do with the Super Bowl. I had overly ripe bananas and didn’t want to throw them away/waste them. Why not make some delicious banana bread to send home with our guests to eat for breakfast throughout the week? We’re already having root beer floats for dessert so the banana bread would be overkill. If you would like to make this delicious banana bread click here for the yummy recipe.

In addition to these delicious snacks for our Super Bowl get together our friends are bringing homemade quesadillas and nachos. It’s going to be a great evening in the Jamieson household and an even better food “cheat day” for me! Haha. What are your go to snack foods for Super Bowl Sunday? Feel free to comment and share below.

Enjoy your Super Bowl Sunday and I hope whoever you’re cheering for wins!

Brie <3

[02.07.16]

All Posts, Dear Diary, Dinner, Recipes

Bacon Potato Corn Chowder

January 5, 2016 Comment : 1

This winter I experimented with comfy food recipes and my favorite by far is my bacon potato corn chowder. Want to hear the best part (besides it being delicious of course)? It’s SO easy to make and takes less than an hour to prepare and cook. How much better can it get? Exactly, that’s what I said.

When the weather gets cold and snow is on thee ground the best meals to cook are comfort food meals. Especially on the days when you have to venture out into the cold to go to work, drop kids at school, run errands, etc. If any of you are wondering what qualifies as a “comfort food” it’s food that makes you feel cozy and comfy in your home. Soups, baked pastas, casseroles, etc. are the perfect go to dishes during these fall/winter nights.

Corn chowder has always been one of my favorite soups. It’s hearty and has ingredients most people find delicious. We all know how hard it can be to make dishes that are popular among a large group of people. Which makes it a winning dish to make for family or friends who come over for dinner. So get to cooking!

*Crockpot meals are always easier for those of us on the go and this recipe can also be cooked in one. Follow all of the ingredients, combine them together in the crockpot, and cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours. *

Bacon Potato Corn Chowder

Course Soup

Cuisine American

Keyword chowder, comfort food, soup

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings 6 people

Author jamiesondiaries

Ingredients

6-8 red potatoes
1 large yellow onion diced
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 15oz. can sweet corn drained
3 Tbsp butter
32 oz. chicken broth bold for extra flavor
1 cup whole milk
3 Tbsp flour
2 cups mild cheddar cheese
8 pieces bacon thick cut
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp paprika
salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

Wash then cut your red potatoes into approximately 1 inch cubes. Place your diced potatoes into a large bowl and put to the side.
In a large pot, over medium high heat melt your butter then sautee your diced onions until soft. Add your teaspoon of salt to the onions as they cook to help soften them.
Add your minced garlic, flour and pepper to the sauteed onions. Stir to combine. Now add your drained corn to the pot and mix for a minute of two with the other ingredients.
Pour your chicken broth into the pot and whisk the mixture to avoid clumps. Then add your milk to the pot and whisk again. Let the mixture get to a boil.
Once the pot has started to boil pour your diced potatoes in and bring to a boil. Let boil for 5 minutes then reduce heat to medium low. Cover the pot and let the chowder cook for 30 minutes.
Once the potatoes are soft add your 2 cups of mild cheddar cheese to the chowder and stir until combined.
Taste and adjust salt and pepper to your liking.
Serve your potato corn chowder with two strips of bacon crumbled on top. If you like a little spice in your life feel free to add cayenne pepper on top as well.
Enjoy your meal!

Happy eating! 🙂

Brie <3

[01.05.16]

All Posts, Dear Diary

16 Goals For 2016

January 3, 2016 Leave a Comment

Now that we’re in the year 2016 I wanted to make a list consisting of 16 goals to accomplish this year. I chose sixteen goals because who’s really going to write out two thousand and sixteen goals? Exactly. But in all seriousness I like to brainstorm things I would like to accomplish or improve, write them down, and hold myself accountable to these goals. I refuse to call them resolutions because goals that are taken seriously and strategically planned out tend to drive me more than the cliche new year resolutions ever will.

These are the sixteen goals I wish to accomplish in 2016:

1) Bi-Monthly Food Box

Now that I am getting into couponing I want to be able to bless others as well. I would like to put together a food box at the very least every other month to donate to a local family in need. It’s not major, but it’s a step in the right direction towards helping others beyond volunteer work in 2016.

2) Potty Train Jordyn

I’m pretty sure this is pretty understandable to those who have and don’t have children. However, we would like to talk about another child in 2017 (yes a whole year from now) but the conversation won’t even begin until Jordyn is fully potty trained.

3) Pay Off (A) Major Debt

As your average millennial buried in wonderful college loans, I would like to eliminate some, if not all, debt unrelated to my college loans. I’m aiming for financial freedom as soon as possible.

4) Visit 3 States BESIDES Illinois

My husband and I both are from the surrounding Chicago suburbs. Which means we always to IL for vacations to see family. However, in 2016 I want to explore and travel more than around/to IL.

5) Squat 150+ lbs

Because we all know strong is the new skinny. 2015 has shown us being fit and in shape is more important than being skinny. I plan to work on conditioning and strength this year.

6) More Base Activities

Now that pretty much all of my close friends have moved to new bases and states I need to find more friends. Haha j/k (sort of) I want to be more involved in base activities in general because I believe as a military community it’s important to be an important part of the community.

7) Visit 1 New Montana City

I’ve lived in Montana for almost 4 years and there are many large/popular cities I have never been to yet. Since we live here we need to take advantage of the places around us this year.

8) Visit The White House

We are planning another trip to Washington D.C. to see friends this year since we did not make it there last year. I want to reschedule a White House tour because this is the last year President Obama will be in office.

9) Spend <$100 On Grocery Trip

I’m officially one of those crazy coupon people trying to learn the ways of the couponing professionals. A major goal of mine is to spend less than $100 on a usual two week grocery shopping trip. I believe in me!

10) Take A Cooking Class

I’ve always wanted to take a cooking class. It has always looked like so much fun and would be a perfect date night idea. The husband and I have to make this happen this year.

11) Grow Blog Subscribers By 100+

I currently have 75 subscribers to my blog and would like to grow this list by at least 100 more this year. This is a huge challenge, but it’s one I am up for!

12) Do More Volunteer Work

As most of you know I am a (now level 1 certified) basketball coach for Special Olympics Montana. However, I would like to spend more of my down time helping others vs. doing things selfishly for myself. Selfless vs. selfish is the motto.

13) Eat Cleaner

This goes right back to fit being the new skinny. I want to eat cleaner for my health and my appearance. 70% of losing weight and getting in shape is what we put in our bodies so I need to do better this year.

14) Monetize Blog

I haven’t gotten a lot more serious about blogging. Writing is something I love to do and I would love to merge my passion with my purpose and create a job from it. Who doesn’t want to make money doing what they love?

15) Take A Dance Class

I’m not just talking about any dance class, I want to take a professional ballroom dance class. Learn to salsa, foxtrot, merengue, swing dance…anything!

16) Go To A Concert

Unfortunately living in Montana means we don’t have many diverse, main stream artists come here to perform. This year I would love to go to a popular artist’s concert even if it means traveling to a bordering state to do so. Especially if the artist is worth the hype.

You have officially read my goals (and reasoning) for 2016. I will try my hardest to accomplish all of them this year. What are your personal goals this year? Share in the comments below!

Brie <3

[01.03.16]

All Posts, Dear Diary, DIY, Frugal Ideas

5 Creative Date Night Ideas

August 9, 2015 Comments : 2

Grow up in the surrounding Chicagoland suburbs, one thing I didn’t realize until I left, is how many activities and attractions I had around me to keep me busy all year-long. Once summertime rolls around you can add the plentiful music festivals and other outdoor activities to the mix. However, my husband and I are currently based in Montana, and although Montana in general has really exciting and fun cities/towns, we unfortunately don’t live in one of those fun towns. I know, it sucks, but what living in this town has taught me is how to be creative and think outside of the box.

My husband and I have only been married for two years, and we hadn’t been on a date that wasn’t dinner and a movie, for quite some time. I don’t know about you, but as much as I love a good meal and movie, I want to do something else for ~~once~~, ~~or twice~~, all the time. I believe repetition is good to a certain extent, I wouldn’t categorize date night with the person you’re going to spend the rest of your life with in the “good” section of repetition though.

When you don’t have a variety of established places to go for date night, you have to become creative and bring your own versions of the perfect date nights to life. These five creative date night ideas, are some popular date night ideas I recreated so couples in any location, are able to participate, and shake things up a bit. After all, who doesn’t love out of the box ideas that can be done in your own home or surrounding area? Exactly!

I know, I know, this isn’t a new date night idea by any means. However, why not take cooking together to the next level and create a couples cooking show? How can you recreate a cooking show? Get out the webcam and/or what ever device you use for making videos, and create a “fake” couples cooking show while making dinner. Pretend you have a loyal audience who enjoy watching you two bicker back and forth about how to cut certain vegetables, and/or share a few cute memories about prior dates you two have been on. If you’re a shy person, it can be a video you two save to watch on a day when you need a good laugh. If you aren’t so shy and/or willing to put yourself out there, share the video with your social network family. Let everyone get a good laugh as well as a few “awww’s” in there while you two enjoy watching the reactions and replays of the night.

*If you would like to take it a step further: name your “cooking show episode” and make it bi-weekly or monthly entertainment for yourselves and loved ones.*

I’m sure you’re thinking the usual buy something sexy and wear it for your significant other, but…that’s not quite the purpose of this date night idea. Most places, even smaller towns, have some type of store “adult store” nearby. (For example: Adam & Eve, Spencers, etc.) You will take a trip to your local adult store and each buy something for the other person. You will have the item gift wrapped at the store and present it to your significant other. You can both go into the store at the same time and buy your items at different registers, or one person can sit in the car while the other shops. Either way the anticipation itself is enough to keep you anxious and smiling from ear to ear thinking about being able to see the gifts. And clearly this usual leads to a happy ending for both of you…who wouldn’t enjoy this date night?!

*If you don’t have access to these stores where you live, you can order the items online earlier in the week and present them on the evening of your date night.*

How does one make game night romantic? By lighting a few candles and watching the sunset while you play, that’s how. This one is pretty simple, but makes such a huge difference. Instead of playing games inside in the house, why not take your UNO or LIFE games outdoors? If there is a favorite park or location in your town, take a blanket, some candles, some wine (drink responsibly) and set up a romantic game night. Make sure you get there in enough time to have everything set up so you can enjoy the beautiful sunset as you play. This even works if you have a backyard and want to do your romantic game night without having to leave the house. Either way, it’s hard to beat nature’s beauty and fun with your significant other.

*For those who live in climates where it is cold most of the year (like where we live) you can set this up to do in the car. Find a nice place to park the car and where you can see the sunset. If you have an SUV set up your romance in the trunk area (fake candles of course). If you have a car lean the seats all the way back so you two can face each other in your seats to play your game(s). I would suggest only card games if you don’t have a larger area for a board game.*

Is there a movies genre or series you both enjoy watching? For my husband and I, we LOVE the Harry Potter series. (Who doesn’t?) For our first wedding anniversary we actually watching movies one through six before we decided to give our eyes a break and go to bed LOL. It super simple and really takes no effort, but it’s one people tend to forget about. If you want to make it a little more fun, go to your nearest store, buy your favorite movie theater candy, some microwaveable popcorn, and drinks. Remember you’re going to be home so you can even buy alcoholic drinks to watch with your movie ;-). If you have tons of blankets and comforters, set up a comfy theater area on the living room floor while you watch. Movie the couch(es) if you have to make more room. Just make sure you watch and enjoy!

*If you start to run out of movie ideas to watch, you can even pick a new show to binge watch on Netflix or Hulu. Also, during the holidays try to do themed movies for the particular holiday being celebrated to get you in the spirit.*

One of my bucket list items is to learn how to ball room dance. I particularly would love to learn how to samba and tango. They are such intimate and sexy dance styles. My ultimate bucket list dance item is to samba on a beach in South America to a live band. Ahhh yes. Okay, back to reality, where we live we don’t have options for these dance classes, but thankfully it’s 2015 and we live in the age of technology. You and your significant other pick one dance style (or you can each pick one) and lookup the dance on YouTube. Pick your favorite instructional video and get to learning! Not only do you get to learn something new with your significant other, you’re exercising and having fun doing it.

*Once you’ve gotten a little handle of the dances moves, start learning about the best music to dance to and discover new artists and music together.*

If any of you try out these date night ideas, leave a comment or send me an email about what you loved and didn’t love. I hope you couples enjoy these ideas, and always remember, date night is supposed to be fun!

Fun fact: all pictures used for this post are personal pictures I have taken, except for the “YouTube Dance Lessons photo, which happens to be my husband and I, on our wedding day. 🙂

Brie <3

[08.09.15]

All Posts, Dear Diary, Dinner, Lunch, Recipes

Chicken Patty Melts

August 5, 2015 Leave a Comment

A few months ago, I created a last-minute meal I now call “chicken patty melts”. What is interesting about this meal is, I created it out of boredom, and laziness. I had taken chicken breasts out of the freezer earlier that day to let them thaw out. My original plan was to make a chicken stir fry, but once I thought about all of the prep work, it mentally exhausted me. (I wish I were being dramatic). It just so happened I had a craving for a melt of some sort. So I decided to wing it with seasonings and mixtures.

Can I tell you I have never been so happy to crave a particular meal, and create a dish better than I ever expected. Now that you know the story of how chicken patty melts were created in our household…here’s the recipe :-).

Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 20 mins | Serves: 2

2 chicken breasts

1/2 medium yellow onion

4 slices of bread (your choice)

3-4 Tbsp butter (I highly recommend Kerrygold)

1/4 cup Dales Steak Seasoning

Salt, Pepper, Onion Powder, & Garlic Powder (to taste)

4 slices of cheese (any type)

Step 1:

Clean your chicken breast and place both breasts inside a gallon sized Ziploc bag. Using a meat mallet, pound the chicken breasts into whatever thickness desired for your patty melt. I usually pound mine until they are about half of their original size. Set bag to the side.

Step 2:

Using a (deep) plate or shallow bowl, pour your Dale’s Steak Seasoning in the plate or bowl. Take your pounded chicken breasts out of the Ziploc bag and place each breast in the seasoning. Let it sit in the seasoning for 3-5 minutes per side. While each side of the chicken breast take turns to marinate, season the chicken, as desired, with your salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. (There is already seasoning in the Dale’s Steak Sauce so don’t over season with your additional seasonings).

Step 3:

Cut your onions into whatever size slices you prefer. Place the cut onion slices in a bowl and set it to the side. Heat a skillet on medium high heat for about 2 minutes. Take 1 Tbsp of butter and move around the pan until it is all melted. Add your bowl of sliced onions to the sizzling butter and stir for about 3-5 minutes until they are softened and have soaked the butter up.

Step 4:

Heat your griddle to 315 degrees F (or use a large skillet on medium heat). Once the griddle is ready, melt 1 Tbsp of butter (you can add more or less if you want), then place two of your four slices of bread directly on the butter, add a slice of cheese to each bread slice, top each slice of bread and cheese with one of your cooked chicken breasts.

Step 5:

Add your last Tbsp of butter to the skillet until melted, put your last two slices of bread on the butter, add a slice of cheese, and top with your cooked onions on each slice of bread. Now take your slices of bread topped with the cheese and chicken breast, flip it over on top of your slice of bread topped with cheese and onions. Use your spatula to press the sandwich down some. This will help the cheese melt on everything and stick together when lifting the sandwich off of the griddle. Let your sandwich sizzle on the griddle until it has reached the golden brown color you want, remove and serve!

We usually eat our Chicken Patty Melts with fries. How can you ever go wrong with fries? 😉

Eat and enjoy!

Brie <3

[07.05.15]

All Posts, Dear Diary, Healthy, Lunch, Recipes

Quinoa Burrito Bowl Salad

April 12, 2015 Leave a Comment

One of my favorite quick food stops, that fits into my “cleaner” eating, calorie counting lifestyle, is the shredded chicken salad from Cafe Rio. If you have never been to Cafe Rio, their handmade tortillas are AMAZING. I am willing to eat only lettuce and dry chicken if it means I can eat that tortilla. Which is 420 calories on it’s own…yikes!

Well, I came home from the gym one night and wanted a Cafe Rio chicken salad REALLY badly, but did not want to drive 15 minutes into town to get it. (Give me a break, HIIT workouts are draining) I decided to make my own healthier version of the salad using whatever I had at home. When I order the salad at Cafe Rio it consists of; one flour tortilla, one scoop black beans, lettuce, cilantro, light tortilla chips, one teaspoon cotija cheese, and half a serving of cilantro lime vinaigrette. Luckily for me, I had a majority of these ingredients, or something similar, available in my refrigerator or pantry. So, I got creative and made my own chicken salad bowl. This is the recipe I created, feel free to change and/or add more of your favorite veggies. You will need the following ingredients:

1 tsp olive oil

1 Fajita sized flour tortilla (140 calories) or 2 corn taco sized tortillas (40 calories each)

1 small shredded chicken breast (3-4 oz.)

1-2 Tbsp sharp cheddar cheese

1 cup quinoa (1/4 cup uncooked)

1/4 cup canned black beans (drained and rinsed)

1 cup romaine lettuce

1 cup spinach

1 Tbsp chopped red onion

1/4 cup canned corn

cilantro (as much as you would like)

Heat the olive oil over medium high heat and brown tortilla on both sides until a very light brown color. Once tortilla has been browned, place it in a bowl and push down until the tortilla lines the inside of the bowl. Take washed lettuce and spinach, place in bowl (on top of tortilla). Add shredded chicken, quinoa, black beans, and corn (you can combine these ingredients together in a separate bowl before adding to salad if you would prefer). Then top the entire salad with the chopped red onion, cilantro, and cheddar cheese. Now it’s TIME TO EAT!

* I had half a serving of cilantro lime vinaigrette dressing leftover in my fridge from a Cafe Rio visit earlier in the week, and used the remainder for this salad. However, for future use, you (as well as myself) can find homemade dressing recipes online. I usually use Pinterest when looking for yummy recipes such as dressings. Or you can just make up your own healthier dressing using some olive oil, lemon or lime, and salt and/or pepper.
Brie <3

[04.12.15]

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HGTV and Food Network

January 4, 2015 Comments : 2

I could seriously watch HGTV and the Food Network ALL DAY… EVERYDAY. Watching the shows on these channels make me want to tear my house to shreds and remodel every room exactly the way I want it. And as soon as the kitchen is finished being remodeled, I will cook every dish I’ve ever dreamed of eating, while watching someone make it on the food channel.

I legit log-on to Pinterest after watching a few hours of either of these channels to pin to my “Interior/Exterior Designs” and/or “Recipes” boards. These boards allow me to design my dream home and pretend I’m going to be Chef-girl-r-Brie in the kitchen of my dream home for FREE. Because the reality is, unless you have a few grand sitting in your checking account that you would like to spend for fun, this is the only way to design a dream home from scratch…right now.

One day I will have the money to design a home the way I want it. I don’t even want a huge, extravagant, over the top, mansion. I’m actually quite realistic in what I want in a home. I want a normal sized suburbia sized home, with a wrap around porch, a large kitchen with plenty of cabinet space and an island (for all of my new recipes I learned on the Food network), a large pantry, a fire-place/mantel, garage attached to the house, a guest room, and a decent sized backyard for my child(ren) and dog(s) to run around and play. I’m sure you’re wondering “who in the world wants a large pantry on their list of wants in a home?” But this pantry will serve as where I keep a majority of the stock pile of food, and other necessities, for the “Operation Home(less)ness” organization I plan to run one day. Each room in the house will have a different theme, and be painted a color that matches the theme, because white walls bore me. I want to learn how to garden so I can grow fresh fruits and veggies in my own backyard for my awesome meals I will replicate from the Food Network. I may even hold my own personal versions of the show Chopped while I’m cooking so I can feel creative and expert-like (*rolling my eyes* and saying “whatever” to you laughing at me). I would also like this house to be somewhere on the East Coast because Fall is my favorite season, and who can beat the East Coast in the Fall? It would also be cheap(er) to fly back and forth to Chicago to visit family if we lived on the East Coast.

So as you can see, from this semi-elaborate description I just gave you of my future home off of the top of my head, HGTV and Food Network have ruined me. Well, maybe not ruined me, but it’s made me feel like I’m an expert at remodeling and cooking, which means it could one day make my husband insane. Who knows. Either way, it’s highly likely if I keep watching these channels I may spend money I don’t necessarily need to spend at the moment. Thankfully, we live in base housing and I can’t wreck this house to remodel it. However, in the mean time, I can pretend I’m a chef on the Food Network, and make my family eat my random creations 🙂

-Brie <3

[01.04.15]