Logan's Roadhouse Restaurant

Logan's Roadhouse in Fort Smith




Last night we decided to go out to eat instead of cooking. We live less than 5 minutes from Logan's, so decided we would go there as we were both tired. Diogo decided to get the Kicken Chicken Salad. Now I was not thinking healthy at all (I opted for mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese), but Diogo has gotten this the last couple of times we have frequented this place. He is absolutely in love with it. I thought I would let everyone know what was in it, because I have finally found a way to make sure he eats his veggies!!!


Blackened chicken over Romaine lettuce, tomato, shredded cheese, & Roasted Corn & Black Bean salsa, all tossed with spicy Roadhouse Ranch & crispy tortillas.


He made me take a bite. I have to say it made me question my choice in meals. This was absolutely YUMMY! The corn and black bean salsa really adds a different flavor, in a good way!

TF

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Brownies

On Sunday, I went to Wal-Mart to do my weekly grocery shopping. Normally, I bake cookies every week...but this time I decided to try something new. As I perused the "baking" aisle, I stumbled upon some interesting looking brownies (shown above). Now, I have had a lot of brownies in my 24 years and these are by far, the BEST brownies I have ever tasted; they have just the right amount of peanut butter AND chocolate. I made brownie sundae's out of them last night when they were fresh out of the oven and they really hit the spot. Try them! They're wonderful.

E.A.D.

Orzo Stuffed Peppers

Let's face it. I am addicted to the food network channel. Not the late night shows, but the shows that come on when I'm at work. You can sit there and watch exactly what they make, and how they make it. IT'S AWESOME. So, with that said, while watching Everyday Italian, Giada made Orzo Stuffed Peppers. I had heard of Orzo before, but never went out and looked for it at the grocery store. Turns out its a type of pasta (score points for this pasta lover!) that looks like rice. Sneaky trick there! While I'll put the recipe that she used, I didn't exactly follow it. I used what I had on hand. Turns out I'm a little more picky than my boyfriend is foodwise. This dish had a lot of flavor to it (though in my pasta mind, it could've used more sauce) and made enough for us both to take to lunch the next day. Thanks to Emily and me, our coworkers are looking forward to lunchtime now.

You'll Need:

1 (28-ounce) can Italian tomatoes

2 Zucchini, grated

1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves (I used cilantro, completely different taste, but all I had)

1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano, plus more for sprinkling (I used Mozzarella, heh)

1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp salt (I think it could've used more, but I guess I like more salty food)

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper (again I used more)

4 cups chicken broth

1 1/2 cups orzo (rice shaped pasta)

6 sweet bell peppers (red and yellow) (I only had 3..)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 Degrees F.

Pour the tomatoes into a large bowl and mash with hands. Add the zucchini, mint, cheese, olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.

Meanwhile, bring the chicken broth to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add the orzo and cook for 4 minutes. The orzo should be only partially cooked. Use a fine mesh sieve to transfer the orzo to the large bowl with the other vegetables. Stir the orzo into the vegetable mix to combine. Transfer the warm chicken broth to a 3-quart baking dish.

Slice the tops off the peppers and remove all ribs and seeds. Cut a very thin slice from the base to help the peppers stand up.

Place the peppers in the baking dish with the warm chicken broth. Spoon the orzo mixture into the peppers. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil, sprinkle the top of each pepper with cheese and continue baking until cheese is golden, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and carefully transfer the orzo stuffed pepper to a serving plate.

Now you might be asking what I did since I only had 3 peppers. I simply put the remaining pasta mixture into a glass baking dish and baked alongside the peppers. We had a side of pasta, along with our stuffed peppers. I also served this with a side salad (not pictured), and a slice of texas toast. DE-LISH! The peppers came out great, you could cut smoothly with the fork, and the pasta inside the peppers had the flavor baked in it. It was more juicy than the pasta by itself, which when I make next time I'll use more juice and more tomatoes to give it that pasta-ey flavour.

TF

Mexican Cooking...for kids?

So...I stumbled upon a website with lots of recipes that are "kid friendly". I don't know about you, but when I was a "kid", I wouldn't (and still won't) eat onions, peppers, foods with "weird" textures, etc. To this day, I still look for recipes that don't call for onions, peppers, etc... so you can imagine my surprise when I started looking through these recipes that are "kid friendly" and the ingredients call for things such as "green salsa" and "minced onion".
I decided it was time to put my big girl britches on and give onions another shot...and I was delightfully surprised. Don't misunderstand me, I appreciate the onion FLAVOR, I just don't like the texture. Onions or not, I still don't think a kid would eat this recipe...but I liked it and so did Brent (who will be referred to as boyfriend from here on out). So if you're looking for something a little different for "Mexican Night" give this a shot.


You Will Need:
One Package of (3) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 Large Jar of Salsa Verde (green salsa)
1 Small Jar of taco sauce or red salsa
8 Corn Tortillas
3 Ounces Cream Cheese
2 Cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese (or whatever cheese you like, mexican style, etc.)
One Onion
2 Cloves Garlic
Canola Oil

First, take your chicken and RINSE IT OFF. My Daddy always taught me to do this...he said that when chicken is cut up at the factory, there's no telling what kind of dust, etc. has made it's home on your "fresh" chicken by the time it gets packaged and sent to your local grocer. SO, with that said, WASH YO CHICKEN!
Boil your chicken in a large pot until done. (chicken will fall apart)
You can add some salt, garlic salt, etc. to the water if you'd like...drain the chicken and let it cool, then pull it apart into pieces. (shredded chicken) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.


In a large skillet, heat 1 table spoon canola oil. Add 1 Cup of minced onion (I use a small food chopper and it works GREAT..you can get a small electric one at Wal-Mart for about $10) and 2 cloves minced garlic. Heat about 4 minutes on medium heat (or until onions are tender)
Add chicken, 1 cup of salsa, cream cheese, mix well over heat until flavors combine.


Pour 1 cup of salsa in the bottom of a baking dish. Approximately 11x13 (large casserole dish) will work. Place 4 tortillas on top of the salsa, then spread the chicken mixture on top of that. Cover with one cup of cheddar cheese and place 4 tortillas on top. Pour 1 cup red salsa or taco sauce on top and cover with 1 cup of cheddar cheese.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until casserole is bubbly. Serve with mexican rice and refried beans!


EAD

Brazil Night!

Last night, I decided it was time to have a Brazilian Night. For this I made Maionese, homemade Pico, and Feijoada. Maionese is a potato salad, and Feijoada is a black bean stew with different types of meat in it.

While I was so busy trying to do everything at once, I didnt think to take pictures until after everything was already made! Oh well, next time. I will put the recipes on here though, so people will know how to make it if they want.

Pico

1/4 bell pepper (diced)

1 big tomato (diced)
1/2 big onion (diced)

1 tsp white wine vinegar

2 tsp olive oil

2 tbsp Chopped Cilantro

Mix Well!

Maionese

2 cups Hellmans Mayo (Light)

8 red potatos

1/3 onion chopped

Fresh green onion Chopped (I used about 4-5, but you can vary if you don't like onions that much)

Couple pinches of garlic salt

4 hard boiled eggs

Peel the potatos and chop into bite size chunks. Boil about 10-12 minutes or until done. Drain and allow to cool completely. Once cool, mix with both chopped onions, garlic salt, chopped eggs, and mayo. Put in fridge until serving.

Feijoada

3 cups black beans

1 1/2 kielbasa sausage links, cut in 1" rounds

4 bacon slices

1 beef bouillon cube

4 ham slices (not lunch meat!)

1/2 onion (diced)

3 garlic cloves (diced)

2 tbsp olive oil

Allow beans to soak in water (covering all of the beans at least 2-3 inches over) over night, or 8 hours. I did this while I was at work and they turned out just fine. In a large pot, drizzle the 2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and diced garlic. Brown, stirring often. Once cooked (about 5 minutes for me), add the various meats and allow to brown (about another 3-4 minutes). Don't worry about really cooking them, they will cook in the simmering broth. Add about 4 cups water and the rest of the ingredients (beans included!!). Allow to simmer for about 1-2 hours. You can add a little bit flour to thicken if it hasnt already, but it should be good to go!

Diogo normally mixes the pico with the beans when its done and eats it like that in case you were wondering what the Pico was for!

TF