A Delicious Chicken Dinner

When it comes to cooking in the kitchen, I am always experimenting around with what I can make. Some of the time I use a recipe (although I rarely will follow it to the letter). Other times I just take a look at what I have in the cupboard and just simply throw something together.

Like I did last night.

I took out a package of chicken thighs, and simply seasoned them with a little bit of pepper and some Mrs. Dash original seasoning. I am on a salt restriction, so keeping the salt down as best I can is important—especially considering the other ingredients would have some unavoidable sodium content.

I got out a bowl and chopped up some onion and an orange bell pepper. Next I added a jar of mild salsa. Then I tossed in a can of diced tomatoes.

To that mixture I threw in a packet of mild taco seasoning—you know, the kind you might add to ground beef for taco night.

I stirred the ingredients together in the bowl.

Onto preparing the seasoned chicken thighs. I just added a little oil to a skillet and browned the meat on both sides. Then tossed those into a roasting pan. The oven was set to 375 degrees and allowed to preheat.

I poured the mixture from the bowl onto the chicken and tossed it into the oven and cooked this for about an hour.

The meal was served with boiled broccoli (which we usually serve with a dollop of Miracle Whip on top), and I heated up some leftover macaroni and cheese we had from another meal.

Needless to say, our chicken suppie was delicious, and yes, I did indeed say "suppie."

We Are Suckers For Chinese Food

I will be the first to admit it. Despite my salt restriction, and the fact that Chinese food is LOADED WITH SALT, my wife and I just absolutely LOVE Chinese food.

And every time we order it we just go way overboard.

Usually I will get the two combo meals. I like the beef with broccoli or beef pepper steak, and usually go back and forth on those two. I get the pork fried rice and egg rolls with the meal. My wife likes General Tso's chicken, and that never wavers. So, we get that and the pork fried rice and egg rolls.

Why the egg rolls?

The place we go to for the Chinese food usually has a coupon for 8 free crab Rangoon with the purchase, and even though the combo meals offer crab Rangoon with the meals, we figure we have enough crab Rangoon to satisfy our craving.

Usually with the meal we will also get two orders of chicken teriyaki on a stick, and a quart of shrimp fried rice.

Can you ever have too many leftovers when it comes to Chinese food?

I can make other stuff with it, have snacks with it, and of course take some of it to work with me for lunch.

Those Chinese make out like a bandit. Every time my wife and I order Chinese food we typically spend about $60 when all is said and done. Plus, our delivery driver usually fares pretty well as well. I generally tip about 20% to the driver, so that's about $12 in  HIS pocket.

We get a great meal that we eat off for days and the restaurant makes a sale, and the driver gets to take home a little something nice as well.

Win, win.