Jalapeno Chicken Bowtie Pasta

Warm enough to get you through winter, hearty enough to keep you healthy in spring.

We’re well into the coldest part of winter, getting hammered from all sides with cold weather and we need something to warm up! This week’s recipe is a great recipe if you’re fighting off a cold or are just sick of the cold. It’s got the same basics as a good chicken noodle soup with some extra added kick to it. 

Ingredients: 

1 medium yellow onion

3 large carrots

3 celery stalks 

salt and pepper

3 garlic cloves 

2 Tbsp butter

3 chicken breasts

1 pt of heavy cream

1 bay leaf

Fresh parsley

1 tsp of thyme 

chicken bullion 

1 lb bowtie pasta 

jalapeno slices 

Tools: Two large pots, a blender or food processor, a cutting board, slotted spoons and a few bowls 

Recipe: 

To get us started, grab a paper towel and wet it with cold water in your sink. Lay it next to your cutting board, and then grab your onion. Chop the onion into large quarters, remove the outer skin, and be amazed that your eyes aren't watering, thanks to the paper towel. Does it sound weird? yes. Does it work? Also yes. This is a trick we use all the time in our own kitchens for the ARS staff. Put the onions aside into a large bowl, and take up your carrots. You can choose to skin them, or just give them a quick scrub, it's up to you. Once you've prepped them, go ahead and give your carrots a few rough chops, breaking them down into thirds.  Do the same with your celery in terms of prep, and make sure not to leave any of the leaves on. 

Go ahead and turn your stove on high and place your large pot on the stove, tossing in 2 Tbsp of butter. Let that melt down, and then add salt and fresh cracked pepper to the pan. While that's going, take your garlic cloves, nip off the top, bottom, and the skins, and then quickly mince them. Toss that into the pan, and stir until the garlic is aromatic. At that point, add in your onion, carrots and celery, turn the heat down to medium, and let it sit. You're going to let the vegetables simmer for 10 minutes, stirring every few minutes, to allow them to start softening and cooking. 

Once your onions are halfway to translucent, fill the pot with water and add in the chicken. Cook until the chicken is cooked through and the water has reduced by half. 

Turn the burner off and grab two different bowls. One bowl is just for the chicken. The second bowl is for all of the vegetables. Take up your slotted spoon and remove all of the vegetables from the stock. Make sure to lose as little stock as possible, as it's the base for the sauce.  From here, grab your blender or food processor and pour in your vegetables. You might have to do this in batches, you might not. Either way, add about 1/2 cup of stock to the blender, just to make it easier, and set the machine to chop. Once you've got the vegetables much smaller, you can switch over to blend and let the machine work until you have a smooth puree. Pour your puree back into the pot, and return the pot to medium heat. 

Pour 1 pint of heavy cream into the pot, give it a stir, and taste. This is the stage to add spices in. Add in 1 bay leaf, a few sprigs of fresh parsley, and 1 tsp of thyme. Give that a stir and let it bubble for a few minutes, then taste. At this point, we realized we needed more chicken and add in 1 tablespoon of chicken bullion, but you might not. Let the pot continue to bubble, reducing further until you have a thick sauce that stays on the spoon when you lift it out. As this works, you'll also want to skim the top and scrape the bottom occasionally to remove anything from building up. 

When the sauce is nice and thick, grab a second pot and add water, plus enough salt to make it as salty as the ocean. Bring that to a roiling boil and add in your bowtie pasta. Set a timer for six minutes, and go back to your cutting board. This time you're going to be tackling the chicken and being much more uniform than we were earlier in the recipe. Chop the chicken into bite-sized chunks, or you can shred it depending on how easily it's falling apart. Eitherway, once that's done, toss it into the sauce pot and give it a good stir to incorporate it. 

By now your pasta should be done, take that off the burner, strain it and add the pasta to the sauce. Give that a stir and let it simmer until the pasta is fully cooked. 

While that's finishing up, you've got one final choice to make. Do you like your food spicy or really spicy? If you like it just a little spicy, dish out the jalapenos in small dishes set to the side of each bowl. If you like it really spicy, add the jalapenos and the juice they come in into the main pot and let that mix. 

Either way you prefer it, once your pasta is fully cooked, congrats! You've got a healthy and delicious meal that no one will suspect has a whole bunch of veggies hidden in it. 

Let us know over on our Facebook page if you plan to give this one a try! We'd love to see how it turns out. 

If your appliances are giving you trouble, you can reach out to us via our contact page or by giving us a call at ((214) 599-0055). At Appliance Rescue Service, we're here for you and want to help you get your home running smoothly again.

Decluttering In the New Year

 5 Tactics To Get the Clutter Under Control

It's the end of January, and that means the buzz of the holidays is wearing off and now we're well into the "need for getting things done." Your resolutions for the year may or may not have fallen by the wayside, but the gifts you were given are still scattered around your home. Some have found places where they belong, some might not have. So what are you supposed to do? The 'easy' answer is to do what many busy people do, ignore it. The more realistic answer might be to stare at it until you get annoyed and chuck it out. For some, though, there is a third option. 'Organizing' or 'decluttering' depends on your search term of choice. Many of us struggle with it, so we're tackling 5 different ways you can declutter your home as we go through the new year. 

Courtesy: Andrea Picacquadio

A quick note. Some or all of these methods might not work for you. They might work for specific types of items and not for others. The point of this article isn't to force you to stick to one method for the rest of the time. The point is to help you to find a method that works for you and your home. To find organization and peace with what you have in a way that is uniquely yours. 

The Ski Slope

Let's start off looking not at individual items but at the mess as a whole. For many of us, that's overwhelming and can lead to putting off cleaning for longer than you meant to. One way to tackle that is the Ski Slope method. This method was developed by therapist-turned-interior decorator Anita Yokota. Instead of focusing on one type of item, Anita suggests working your way across a room from one side to the other the way you might tackle a mountain. You let your brain focus on tidying up and decluttering one area before you cross the room and work on a different area. As you go from area to area, you'd be sorting things into one of three categories, keep, give or dump. You can have boxes, or you might label different items with sticky notes. Whatever works for you.  As you work your way through, you not only declutter your space, but you also end up decluttering your brain as well. 

The Flow Method

Courtesy: Tatiana Syrikova

The Flow Method is our next concept. This one focuses on organizing what you have instead of decluttering. Here, we're working under the idea that you already have your room decluttered, and now you're trying to put everything into a specific place. The flow method works from the concept that every room has a certain 'flow' to it, the way a river would. You flow around a room, moving from place to place working in different areas at different times. You might go back and forth between areas, but you'll still keep the relevant items near to where an area is. So if you're working in your kitchen for example, you might keep your dishes near your dishwasher, all of your pots and pans near your stove, and all of your spices in the same area you do your food prep. This keeps everything together for when you're working on specific projects. 

One In One Out 

Courtesy Emre

This one is an interesting take compared to the others as it's a much slower way of looking at things. For every new item you bring in your home, you need to remove something else. Now, this doesn't apply to things like food, or repairing something. But books? Clothes? Shoes? Blankets and pillows? All of those can have this rule applied to them and it helps you to question "do I need this, or do I just want to splurge on something?"  

Quarantine Method

Although the term might not appeal to many of us, the concept is one we're all familiar with at this point. Take a selection of things you can't quite get rid of and pack them up. Write a date on the outside of the box and set a reminder in your calendar of choice, say six months. If after that time has passed and you can't remember what's in the box, and you haven't needed what's in it? Then feel free to donate it or gift it to someone else who can make better use of it. 

KonMari Method

Courtesy Andrea Piacquadioa

This might be the most popular method currently. Between her books and her tv show with Netflix, and the various magazine articles, many people know Marie Kondo's philosophy of "does it spark joy?" Now, the question is, what does that mean for those of us that haven't deeply interacted with Ms. Kondo's world? The idea is, "does this thing make you happy?" For every item in your home, you should ask this, and if the answer is "no," then you donate it. Now, for the items that you say "yes" to, you find a place for them. The idea is to go through every 'category' of item over time and remove anything that doesn't make you happy. From there, you will find a place for each of these items. In theory, you will end up with far fewer items to find space for. The flip side, though, and the one that many people miss, is that you're not getting rid of everything. You're just getting rid of things that you don't love. If you love your entire library? Then keep it. If you love all of the tiny ceramic frogs that you own? Keep them. It's not a matter of "keep only the best" or "keep only X number of things." That is why this method seems to have gained so much attention, at least from where we're sitting. 

Do you think any of these will work for you? Which one are you interested in trying? Let us know in the comments below or over on our Facebook page. As always, we love to hear from you! 

If your appliances are driving you insane and not the items scattered around your house, we can help with that. You can reach out to us via our contact page or by giving us a call at ((214) 599-0055). We'll work with you to find a date and time that works with your schedule to ensure we get your appliances running again. A stove smoking when you're just preheating the oven? Is your refrigerator not getting cold enough? Is your dryer sounding like it's trying to shake the house apart? It doesn't matter. At Appliance Rescue Service, we aim to get your home running smoothly again. 

The MoodUp Refrigerator to Shake UP Your Kitchen

Time to Start the Party

At the 2023 consumer electronics show, LG launched an impressive new refrigerator. Called the MoodUp refrigerator, this fridge could either be a new take on appliances for the modern home or an epic flop. We will walk you through the features that it offers as well as questions we still have and leave it to you, dear reader, to decide. 

 The MoodUp refrigerator comes with many different features. There are two major ones that we will discuss first before we dig into the more practical set.

The first feature that we're excited about is the built-in Bluetooth speakers. Being able to have music while you clean or cook is really important for a lot of us, especially if you are looking to enjoy your time in the kitchen more. Whether it's food prep or making the nightly meal, or cleaning up after a long day, having something to listen to can make all the difference. After all, that's why Audible and services like it are so very popular. We like the addition to the refrigerator, and we're excited to see LG being inventive.

Courtesy of LG

The showstopper of course is the panels that are on the outside of your refrigerator. If it was a normal refrigerator, you would need to remove them and change them out if you wanted to change the color or material. Or, heaven forbid, you might have to purchase an entirely new refrigerator if it no longer matches your kitchen. LG, with their MoodUp refrigerator, asks what if that was no longer an issue? Instead, you now have the capability to match every Pantone color of the year that you could want. You can even go so far as to change your color every day if you want to. 

Courtesy of LG

The demonstration advertises 190,000 different possible color combinations. The key word in that sentence is combinations. It doesn't mean that you're getting the capability for 190,000 different colors. Instead, you're getting the capability of multiple different panels that can all do different colors at the same time.And that's just at the rollout. There's nothing to say that LG won't update or improve the color offerings over time.  

That isn’t everything that the MoodUp can do though. You also are able to knock on the upper right panel to see what you have inside the fridge without having to open it and waste the cold air. You can also have it set to a ‘nighttime’ mode so that you get a quiet glow from the fridge when you’re forced to wake up in the middle of the night.  Last, but most importantly, we’re excited that you can also set the fridge to more muted colors like stainless steel, silver or a wood color if you’re not in the mood to be vibrant on a particular day. 

After all this though, there is still quite a bit that we don’t know yet about LG’s new friend. So, we’re left with several questions. 

How good are the speakers? It's not every day that you attempt to build speakers into your refrigerator, not to mention a refrigerator is not conducive to sound output. Much of the insulation that goes towards keeping your food cold is going also to block sound waves. 

Courtesy of LG

Is LG attempting to replace the need for a conventional speaker system? It can be pleasant to be able to play music while you're cooking, but it's not something we consider our fridge for typically.

What are the size options? Can we get this in anything smaller than what the video portrayed? We know there is a French door model, but what about the various arrangements of the freezer and refrigerator portions? Is this counter depth, or will it stick out past everything? Knowing how a refrigerator will fit into your space is vastly more important than whether or not the color will match and that doesn't change simply because the mood up is capable of changing colors.

Are there other features than the ones we've discussed here that won't be revealed until closer to the release date?

And that leads us straight to what is the release date? LG was not clear in the video on when this would be released to the consumer market. Will it be locked to certain regions only? Is there going to be a waiting list? All of these questions are ones that we urge consumers to ask before getting too excited about the new fridge.

That right there is everything we know so far about the LG MoodUp refrigerator as of January of 2023. With what we know, are you interested? Would you consider updating your fridge once the MoodUp comes to market? Let us know in the comments below or over on our Facebook page. 

If on the other hand you’re fighting with your current refrigerator, and you really just want it to function properly, that is something we can help with. Whether it’s getting too cold, not getting cold enough, or it’s making strange noises, we’re here for you. At Appliance Rescue Service, our goal is to help you get your home running smoothly again. You can reach out to us via our contact page or by giving us a call at ((214) 599-0055). We’ll work with you to choose a date that works best for you and send one of our expert technicians to solve the problem. At Appliance Rescue Service, we’re here for you. 

Sausage Bread to Get You Rolling

Or Something To Eat While We Hide From the Cold

We're taking a look at a delicious, grab-and-go dinner that's great for parties. Looking through our recipes, we were thinking about something that would work best for the Superbowl parties that people are already planning. This sausage bread is great for just that, as you can make several of them now, and freeze them ahead of time to be ready for the game. 

This recipe comes in two parts. The first, is for making sweet Italian sausage because it is remarkably difficult to find in the Dallas area. The second is for the delicious sausage bread that is going to have you making the sausage on a regular basis. 

Ingredients for Sweet Italian Sausage: 

3 lbs ground pork

3 Tbsp red wine vinegar

1 ¼ Tbsp dried parsley

1 Tbsp garlic powder

1 Tbsp onion powder

1 Tbso dried basil

1 tsp salt

1 Tbsp freshly cracked black pepper

2 tsp paprika

2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste

¾ tsp ground fennel seed

¼ tsp brown sugar

⅛ tsp dried oregano

⅛ tsp dried thyme

Ingredients for the Sausage Rolls:  

2 Tbsp olive oil, plus more for brushing 

1 pound sweet Italian sausage 

4 ounces Genoa salami 

2 cups shredded whole milk mozzarella (roughly 8 ounces) 

Vegetable oil cooking spray

flour for the work surface

Oregano - for the surface

minced garlic - for the surface 

frozen pizza dough (not the premade crusts, the actual dough is what you want here. Alternatively, you can make your own dough.) 

Recipe: 

For making the sausage, add the pork and vinegar to a large bowl and then sprinkle the spices all over the top. Scrub down your hands and, if you like, put on some gloves. Mix the pork until the spices are thoroughly incorporated throughout the pork. Divide the pork into one-pound sections. Put one pound aside for the recipe, and the other two into separate freezer bags. These will freeze for 6-12 months and can be used for many different recipes. 

Now let’s move on to making the actual sausage roll.

-Start by preheating your oven to 340* F. Nope it's not a typo. It works for this recipe. 

- Heat the olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium-high heat, add the sausage and cook until brown, 12-15 minutes, breaking it up as it cooks. 

- Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to a medium bowl and let cool. Once cool, add the salami and mozzarella, mixing with your hands. 

- Spray a half-sheet pan with cooking spray.  

-On a floured surface, roll out your dough into one long 18 x 6 inch oval. Brush the dough with olive oil and sprinkle the sausage mixture all over. Make sure to leave a 1-inch wide perimeter uncovered, as that will be important later. 

- Gently stretch one long side of the dough and fold it so that it covers half the mixture. Tuck in the short ends to trap all that meat inside and roll it onto itself so the seam of the dough is on the bottom. (Think of it like making cinnamon rolls, instead of like making a burrito.) 

-Carefully and gently transfer the log to the prepared sheet pan and curve it into a slight crescent. (You want it to look more like a ( and less like a C .) Poke holes along the top with a fork to release the steam while it's cooking. Brush the top of the bread with a mixture of melted butter and sprinkle with oregano and garlic. 

- Pop the bread into the oven and cook for 20 minutes. At this point, the top should be lightly brown. 

Let it rest for 10 minutes, and then slice it into 1-inch rounds. 

-You can actually freeze this one up to 2 months in advance. For that you'll follow all of the steps up until you transfer it to the prepared sheet. Instead, you'll wrap the roll in tin foil and then tightly wrap that in plastic wrap. When you're ready to eat, thaw it completely at room temperature for 3 hours, remove the plastic wrap and bake it still wrapped in the foil at 350*F for 15 minutes. 

You can serve this with bolognese sauce, ranch or anything else you might put on top of your pizza. Personally, your blogger is fond of ranch. Let us know on the Facebook page what you serve yours with!

If you're here because you need help with your oven, we can help! We're here to help with all sorts of major appliances, and your oven probably shouldn't be smoking. You can reach out to us by giving us a call at ((214) 599-0055) or by heading to our contact page. We'll work with you to set up an appointment that works best with your schedule. At Appliance Rescue Service, our goal is to get your home running smoothly again.  

Photo by Midget Momma

Top Tips for Achieving Coastal Decor

 Let’s Get Beachy!

The coast is something that calls to many of us, the warm sand, the cool, crashing waves, and the salty air. However, not all of us can live on the coast, for one reason or another. When that is the case, coastal decor can be a next best thing. If that’s what you’re craving, check out our tips for how to decorate your home in coastal decor and bring out the place you love. 

Start with the colors

Bring in the colors of the coast you’re thinking of.
Is it the white shores and pale green waters you long for? 

Or do you love the iron sky, deep stormy blues and beige of the Atlantic? 

Or maybe it’s the tropical colors of coral reefs and bright fish that you love? 

Whatever it is, build up your color palette first. This is going to be what you work from for building your space. Many look to beiges, warm grey, ivory, and white for walls and trim and then bring in dusty blues and greens. We say, find a few photos of the ocean that you love and build from there. After all, it’s 2023! Who says you can’t paint your walls or door a stunning blue or a vibrant coral? No one. Certainly not us. 

 Keep Your Curtains Light 

By this, we mean both in terms of color and, just as importantly, fabric. 

Whether you live on the coast or just wish you did, light curtains are a must. The floaty fabric serves multiple colors. It helps to allow air in when you’re trying to coax a breeze in. It also keeps a room bright and open if you chose to go with darker wall colors

Credit: Wayfair

Go For Hardwood Floors

    Or at least the appearance of them 

Whether you choose hardwood, bamboo, vinyl or a good sticker, the look is key. You can evoke sandy beaches and driftwood by choosing the right flooring in color or texture. Alternatively, you could go for more of a ship or pier feeling with darker stained wood. 

Textures! 

Keep furniture as smooth long lines. Then for storage, side tables and the like, bring in textures. Rope baskets, rattan accents, white-washed ceiling beams. Doing this gives you freedom to play, without having to replace large pieces. 

It doesn’t have to be cluttered

You don’t have to have knickknacks everywhere in order to make a room coastal. YOu can choose tight, focused decor to get the idea across or you can choose furniture and accents that do the same.  It’s not just rass bells, anchors and signs proclaiming “beach life.” 

Other decoration ideas: 

Bottles in blues, greens and browns on a high shelf. 

-Throws that work with the color scheme you’ve chosen. 

-Maps of all sorts, especially ones that show oceans, currents or islands. 

-3D printed coral 

     Getting it 3D printed means it will not only make it last longer but it will also not contribute to the death of coral reefs. 

-Driftwood

-Mirrors to bring in the light and airy feeling of the room. 

Credit: Wayfair

Paint Your Kitchen Island 

It might sound odd, but your kitchen island can be another wall to show off your color palette. And if you choose to paint it blue, you can make a very quiet ‘island’ pun, without ever saying a word. 

Don’t be afraid to get creative 

 Take ‘traditional’ concepts of coastal decor, and find ways to work them into your space in new and creative ways. 

• Use a pattern that mimics a rope net, like houndstooth in a brown or beige color, against a black or blue background. 

•  Take colors from your palette and use them in an unexpected place, like a set of airy coral curtains around your bed. 

• Your planters can add to the look as well. You might not be able to grow coastal plants in the DFW area, but you can paint your planters in shades that reflect the beachscape. 

Credit: The Nursery

What are your opinions on coastal decor? Are you interested in using it in your own home? Have you already? Let us know that or your favorite tip over on our Facebook page, or in the comments below! 

If it’s not ‘beach,’ you’re thinking of but instead ‘waterfall’ as in “my washer overflowed and ruined my laundry room,” we can help. At Appliance Rescue Service, if you’re struggling with your washer and dryer, we’re here for you. Whether you’re looking for someone to fix that washer-based waterfall, or your dryer is squeaking so loud you thought you had a seagull, we’ll figure it out. We’ll work with you not just to find a date and time, but also to find what the problem is and make sure that you’re satisfied. You can reach out to us via our contact page or by giving us a call at ((214) 599-0055) to set up an appointment today.