Rosemary and Garlic Chicken

I know! Don't hate me, but I've been on a huge chicken fix! I can't get enough. I promise, just one more chicken recipe after this before I start trying other things. I was looking for something fast and simple, something that didn't require a whole lot of prep or attention. It was a great lunch fix. I only used one chicken breast (it was all I had thawed at the moment hubby said he wanted lunch). But with some asparagus and cheesy potatoes, it was a perfect amount. So here's what you'll need...


Rosemary and Garlic Chicken

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 tablespoons dried rosemary

1 tablespoon lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

PREHEAT oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
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Guess what? You're halfway done. Simple? Yeah, I know. I'm normally not the queen of simple, but trust me. It's easy.

COVER the chicken breasts with garlic, then sprinkle with rosemary, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Now bake for 25 minutes (or however long it takes for the chicken juice to run clear or the chicken to reach at least 160f.

Are you surprised that I forgot to take a finished product picture... again? Either way, I TOLD YOU! Wasn't that easy peasy? Wipe your hands off and celebrate. Or watch some According to Jim.

- This Happy Hut
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Broccoli & Cheddar Stuffed Chicken

I'm a HUGE fan of chicken. It taste delicious, it's always easy to cook and it's great for you! So what was on the menu tonight? Chicken!! I think the best part of this recipe was the fact that you have to thin your chicken breast. So if you've had a stressful day, get your mallet out and get some chicken for dinner tonight.
If you follow my blog you've heard me complain time and time again about how I can't cook but it seems with these simple recipes I'm slowly getting the hang of it! I didn't have to cut the chicken open to check if it was done and I was extremely confident putting this dish down in front of my best critic, my hubby Bear.

So first things first, here is what you'll need.
Broccoli & Cheddar Stuffed Chicken

2 large boneless Chicken Breasts

some Broccoli (as much as you can fit)

1/4 cup shredded Cheese

Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder

Simple right?
POUND your chicken and try to make it as thin as 1/4 an inch! A little hint... because no one told me... put some kind of foil or paper over your chicken before you start going to town with your mallet. Otherwise you'll have huge junks of chicken juice all over your walls. :) Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder.


PLACE your shredded cheese and broccoli in the center of the chicken. Fold the sides in and roll as best as possible. My chicken was having a really hard time keeping it's shape (because I stuffed the crap out of it), so I just took some kebab sticks and stuffed them through the chicken.


BAKE for 35 minutes. Sprinkle whatever cheese is leftover on top and continue baking an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until chicken is at least 155ºF.




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- This Happy Hut
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Coconut Shrimp with Brown Rice

Ever since being in Germany my husband I both have been craving great seafood. And since I'm not a SPLENDID cook, I'm not very confident with cooking anything that swims unda da sea. Luckily enough I came across a wonderful, simple coconut shrimp recipe months ago and decided to jump for it. It truly was way more simple than I thought it was going to be. And it turned out DELICIOUS. Both hubby and I didn't want to stop eating, but luckily enough the recipe called for just enough for two.

Coconut Shrimp and (coconut) Brown Rice

1 (13.5 oz) can coconut milk

jalapeno pepper, sliced in half (stem discarded and seeds removed if you can’t handle the heat, but it’s not crazy heat or anything)

3 cloves garlic

1-inch piece fresh ginger, skin removed and roughly chopped

1/4 cup fresh parsley

juice from 1/2 a lime

2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 cup uncooked brown rice

coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

About 1 cup coconut shavings

POUR 1/2 cup of the coconut milk into a food processor. Toss in the jalapeno, garlic, ginger, parsley, lime and oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Blitz until smooth.

Suggestion: if you're using a small processor like mine.. dice your ingredients before putting them in. It makes things easier, trust me. :)

TOSS to coat shrimp in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.

Cooking your rice
For the LONGEST time I've had so much trouble making rice. It would always stick to the bottom of the pan or come out too crispy or too soft. So I decided to try something new. And oh. My. Goodness... was it to die for!
Rub a SMALL amount of oil to the bottom of a medium sized pot - you'll want this pot to have a tight fit top. Pour the remaining coconut milk (it'll be a little over a cup) into the pot. Include a cup of water and a cup of brown rice. I also added about three tablespoons of shredded coconut, the amount really depends on your taste!

Set the rice on high heat until it comes to a bubbling (not a rolling) boil. Then turn the heat down to low - just above minimum. Put the top over your pot and let the rice sit for an hour or until most of the coconut milk has been absorbed by the rice. At about an hour I turned off the heat on the rice and allowed it to stay on the burner while I cooked the shrimp...

After I cooked my rice, I pulled the shrimp out of the refrigerator. Now I had a starving husband breathing down my neck, which was perfect timing because cooking the shrimp only takes but a few minutes!

HEAT a medium skillet over medium high. Remove the shrimp from the marinade and place in the skillet in a single layer. Sear about 2 minutes on one side, flip and sear another minute. You'll know they're done after they've lost their transparent color and have turned white/pink. Don't cook for much longer or they'll become rubbery.
POUR the remaining marinade into a small sauce pan. Bring to a simmer and cook about 3 minutes. After heating up the marinade, serve drizzled over the rice.

I wish I had taken pictures of the finished product, but I didn't have a chance... it was gone before I could even get the camera back out. Try this recipe out! It's simple, basically cooks itself and is to die for. Promise.



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- This Happy Hut
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Seven Layer Magic Bars

While my husband was deployed I spent a lot of time with his family. Although his Mom works crazy shifts and also manages a house of five kids and two grandbabies, she was able to sit down with me one night and walk me through some of Andy's favorite treats and goodies. So we spent a few hours baking treats and packaging them for all the boys to enjoy down range. Ever since that package I have not heard the end of it from my husband nor his buddies. "MOAR!" I've decided to go on a baking spree and bake up enough of his favorite treats to share with everyone... again.

Seven Layer Magic Bars

No-Stick Cooking Spray

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 (14 oz.) can Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 cup (6 oz.) butterscotch-flavored chips

1 cup (6 oz. pkg.) semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 1/3 cups flaked coconut

1 cup chopped nuts (I use walnuts and pecans)

HEAT oven 350°F. Spray 13 x 9-inch baking pan with no-stick cooking spray.
PS: You can put down a protective foil to make it easier to lift the cookies from the pan after baking

COMBINE graham cracker crumbs and butter; mix well.
Press crumb mixture firmly into bottom of prepared pan.
Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over crumb mixture.
Layer evenly with remaining ingredients; press down firmly with fork.

BAKE 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Loosen from sides of pan while still warm; cool on wire rack. Cut into bars or diamonds.


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- This Happy Hut
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Nail Polish for a Penny!

Nail polish for a penny?! Who would have thought! Julep is having a fabulous discount going on for their nail polish right now - a kit for only a penny (regularly 19.99)! I just ordered mine and I'm super excited to get it in the mail. You can get one too!

After clicking Julep here, there will be an option to 'Take Our Style Quiz'. After answering some easy questions you'll be given the option of some different colors. If you don't like the colors shown, you can simple click "View more styles"! Pick out the colors you like best and then add to cart. Before checking out make sure to put SHAREONMAY in the coupon box! This will make your price drop down to one penny!

And I don't want you to be surprised, but you are signing up for a subscription. As much as I'd love the credit for you being a continuing user of Julep, if you don't want a surprise payment of 19.99 being added to your credit card next month... be sure to cancel your subscription once you receive your nail polish in the mail. Good luck, enjoy and let me know what you've purchased for a penny!


This is what I got!

- This Happy Hut
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Searching with Become!

Yesterday the hubby and I took an hour car ride up the autobahn to Ramstein to see The Avengers! For all my followers in the states, you'll be surprised to hear that I saw it a week before it comes out back home! Nanny-nanny-boo-boo! Either way, while we were driving I managed to find myself looking at home products online. NO SURPRISE THERE! And I came across this super cute website, www.become.com! I'll admit, they have a little bit of everything but my favorite section is their Home and Garden section. It's kind of like the Google of home decor, I adore it! The layout is simple and to find something you really love is super easy to do. After searching through their website I've become inspired again. Maybe you'll get inspired, too!


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I fell in LOVE with this couch at Overstock.com! It was super hard to decide which small couch I liked the best, but for the price... I think that's a winner! It's white, I know... but I'll be sure to include tips on how to keep it looking new.


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I've also fallen in love with square pendant lighting! It's elegant, yet fun! Also, the light bulbs could be changed out for colored light bulbs if you're looking to change the mood without compromising your classy look.


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I'm sure you've all heard of sleep wedges, they were all the rage a year or two ago on the TV infomercials. Well, I'll tell you that it'll most CERTAINLY be an addition to my new living room. I'm a huge fan of laying on the floor, watching tv, doing scrapbooking. Just about anything is better when it's done on the floor. For an inexpensive amount of money, I've found that these sleep wedges are great components to us floor-thinkers. I'll include a tutorial later down the road on how I managed to make a slip for mine that allows it to become 'one' with my living room.

I'm actually leaving tomorrow morning to go travel a little bit of Europe with my brother who has come to visit. How exciting! I'll return in about four days, so when I do I'll have tons of pictures of our adventure and my hubbys reenlistment ceremony. Have a happy week!

- This Happy Hut
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Meal Planning & Couponing Made Simple

Ever since we got to Germany, I have been itching to start organizing, cleaning, cooking, and baking! So I've been planning meals and trying to get together shopping lists according to how the Commissary (grocery store) is set up at our new duty station. Yes... I'm going slightly crazy here without a stove or a personal bedroom - let alone a kitchen. REGARDLESS I stumbled upon this cute website just today named Food on the Table. It takes your food preferences and your location and it gives you a personalized shopping list WITH DISCOUNTS and coupons!! How cool is that? From what I understand a regular account comes with the ability to have a list made for three meals a week. However, the coolest part about my findings today is that I found a coupon for a FREE lifetime premium account with Food on the Table!

The process was silly simple, and here is how it went.



And BAMO! You have a lifetime premium account. (There should be a little popup that tells you that, too) No verifying your email, no personal information. Just your email address and your coupon code! The next stage of FoodontheTable is to tell them what grocery store is around you by simply typing in your zip code and clicking on the nice GoogleMap and what type of food you like! There is even a choice for vegetarians and people on low/no carb diets. Your welcome, fellow coupon nerds. Enjoy! :D

Last I checked they still have not been able to get their 'find a friend' option to work, but if you have signed up and realized that it is working feel free to find me @ thishappyhut@gmail.com I can't wait to see you guys there. [P.S. - If you find that the coupon code no longer works, please send me an email or comment below. - Thanks!]

- This Happy Hut
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