Christmas Feast!

I made a huge spread for christmas dinner! My dad is in town... we don't get to see him that often, so I really wanted to go all-out.

Here is what I made:
- 3lb meatloaf (using ground chuck, eggs, italian bread crumbs, fresh chopped Vidalia onions and green peppers, fresh garlic, green onions, worcestershire sauce, ketchup, oregano, rosemary, and white pepper... all baked in a cast-iron skillet!)
- mashed potatoes with the skin on
- oven-roasted corn with butter, sautéed onions, and green onions
- pan-fried parsnips (cooked by my sister!)
- beer bread (using Budweiser and baked in cast-iron with a whole stick of butter on top!)
- Hawaiian bread rolls baked with garlic butter over the top

Everything turned out delicious!  We all succumbed to an intense food coma afterwards while watching Jurassic World.  All-in-all a very successful holiday, from the food to the festivities!

Copycat Chipotle chicken bowl!

It's easy and quick to get the same quality product as you would get at Chipotle!  This is totally customizable as well, so you can simply season the to chicken with whatever spices and herbs suit your craving!

You need:

- boneless and skinless chicken breasts
- prepared rice, with cilantro and lime juice
- spring mix or chopped romaine
- cheese (I like feta or cotija!)
- more veggies  (avocado, bell pepper, corn, black beans...)
- dressing, if desired (I love ranch!)

Take some raw boneless and skinless chicken breasts, and cut them into ~5oz pieces.  Put together a dry rub of whatever herbs and spices you like (I used oregano, basil, rosemary, and powdered garlic... I did not add any salt or pepper because it turned out great, but add them to your taste) and coat both sides of the chicken breasts with your dry rub.

Heat a cast-iron skillet just above medium heat, and preheat the oven to 350°F.  Sear the chicken breasts about 3 minutes on each side; melt some butter in a mug or something as well. Once the chicken is seared, pour some butter over the chicken breasts and around them in the pan, then bake it for ~10 mins.  Take the pan out, flip the breasts and add more butter, then bake another ~10 mins. Once out, let rest for a few minutes and cut into bite-size pieces.

Prepare a bowl with some of the rice.  Add the lettuce, then the chicken, then the other veggies, then the cheese and dressing.

In my opinion, this is even better than Chipotle... and it's not difficult to make!  I am not even very comfortable cooking many meats and this was easy!