Thai Chicken

I'm always on the search for easy, good, and inexpensive everyday kind of meals. This is one that I will definitely be making over and over again. It was delish and I don't usually like Thai food.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lb chicken cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1" squares
• 1 cups chicken broth
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/3 cup creamy or chunky peanut butter
• Honey Roasted Peanuts
  
• cilantro, chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350

Place chicken and bell pepper in a 9"X13" greased pan.

In a separate bowl mix broth, soy sauce, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Pour mixture over chicken. Put in oven uncovered for 30 minutes.

Right before chicken is almost done mix cornstarch with warmed lime juice and peanut butter. Stir until smooth. When chicken is done Stir peanut butter mixture into chicken.

Put chicken back in oven for another 15 minutes.

Serve over rice. Sprinkle with peanuts and cilantro.

Pot Stickers

These were really yummy if you like pot stickers. I made them as the main dish and served with rice.

Makes about 60 potstickers or one package of wonton wrappers

Ingredients:

• 1 package wonton/dumpling wrappers (2-inch circle)
• 1 C thinly sliced Napa /Bok Choy cabbage
  
• 1 lb ground pork
• 2 t minced fresh or bottled ginger (I had ground ginger and used 1 tsp. and it worked fine but it would probably be better with fresh)
  
• 2 finely chopped green onion
• 1 t salt
• 1 t soy sauce
• 1 t rice wine vinegar
• 1 t sesame oil

1. Dice 1 C. cabbage into very tiny pieces. In a large bowl add all ingredients except for wonton wrappers and dipping sauce, mix well with hands.

2. Lightly flour 2 cookie sheets, get out a small bowl of water to dip your fingers in. Wet one side of the wonton wrapper, spoon 2 t. filling on the center of the wonton wrapper. Fold in half and pinch edges closed.

3. Place pot stickers on a lightly floured cookie sheet. Continue until mixture is gone.

4. Refrigerate until ready to serve

To serve:
1. Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a non-stick skillet (Must be non-stick. They are called pot stickers for a reason). Place the wontons in the skillet on med-high heat (wait for the oil to get hot before placing them in.)

2. Add water to cover the pouches one-third of the way up. Cover and reduce temperature. Cook until liquid is gone. (7-8 minutes)

3. Flip and cook reverse side until crispy. Serve hot and dip in sauce to eat.

*A more healthy way to cook pot stickers is to drop the pot stickers into a pot of boiling water . When they float to the top they are done. Serve warm with sauce.

*These freeze really well. If you want to freeze simply freeze them on the cookie sheet for 1-2 hours. Then transfer to a freezer bag.

Dipping sauce:

• 4 T. soy sauce
• 4 t. balsamic vinegar
• 4 t. brown sugar
• 3-4 clove minced garlic
• Crushed red pepper flakes
  

Combine ingredients and place in small bowls for each person to dip their pot stickers in.

*This doesn't make a ton of sauce.

Kneaders Key Lime Tarts

These were very fun to make! I got this recipe from Good Things Utah and it didn't come with the tart shell. So I found the recipe on Food Network from Ina Garten. It was very easy and turned out great. If you love Lime then you will Love these!

Tart Shell

Ingredients

nocoupons

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced
• 2 tablespoons cold shortening (recommended: Crisco) Note: I didn't use any Crisco I just added more butter and they turned out great
  
• 1/4 cup ice water

Directions

Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a small bowl and place in the freezer for 30 minutes. Put the flour mixture in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the butter and shortening and pulse about 10 times, or until the butter is in the size of peas. Add the ice water and process until the dough comes together. Dump on a well-floured board and form into a disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Roll out the dough and fit into 4 (4 1/2-inch) tart pans with removable sides. Don't stretch the dough when placing it in the pans or it will shrink during baking. Cut off the excess by rolling the pin across the top of each pan. Line the tart shells with a piece of buttered aluminum foil, butter side down, and fill them with dried beans or rice. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the beans and foil, prick the bottom of the shells all over with a fork, and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes until almost done. Set aside to cool. (If adding filling you'll be cooking another 5 minutes so make sure you don't overbake)

Lime Filling

Ingredients

• ½ cup fresh lime juice (3 to 4 limes)
• 4 teaspoons grated lime zest
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 – 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• 4 (4 1/2") tart shells

Directions

1. It’s easiest to remove the lime zest from whole limes so start with that.

2. Cut the limes in half and squeeze out the juice being careful to not include any seeds.

3. Whisk the egg yolks and lime zest together in a bowl until tinted light green. This takes about 2 minutes.

4. Beat in the milk, then juice and set aside at room temp till it thickens, about 5 minutes.

5. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

6. Pour mixture into tart crusts, bake for 5 minutes until the center is set, but still wiggles when shaken.

7. Remove from the oven and cool to room temp.

8. Refrigerate for at least three hours until well chilled.

9. Serve with whipped cream topping and decorate with a lime wedge or zest.

Makes 4 Tarts

The Ultimate Potatoes Au Gratin

This is Tyler Florence's recipe from foodnetwork.com. It is really good! takes a while to cook though, so give yourself plenty of time (I didn't and the kids were crying from hunger while waiting for it to cook!)

Ingredients:

1 head savoy cabbage, cored, cleaned, and shredded (I couldn't find savoy so I used Napa...worked great)
1 (2-inch) piece slab bacon, thinly sliced (or about 4 pieces regular bacon)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 bunch fresh chives, finely chopped to 1/4 cup
2 pounds baking potatoes, unpeeled and thinly sliced (about 1/8-inch), see Cook's note*
2 1/2 cups heavy cream (I only used two, and think that's plenty)
2 cups grated Parmesan

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Finely shred the cabbage. Cut the bacon into 1/2-inch chunks. Place a small skillet over medium-low heat and fry the bacon, until crisp. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Set aside.

Add 1 tablespoon butter to bacon fat in frying pan. When it has melted add 1/2 the garlic and give it a quick stir with a wooden spoon to soften. Add the cabbage and coat it with the butter. Slowly let it wilt. Add the bacon. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Remove from heat and add most of the chives, reserving a little for the garnish.

Generously butter the bottom and sides of a 9 by 13-inch ovenproof casserole dish. In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, 1 1/2 cups of cream, 1 cup of Parmesan, and the remaining garlic. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Using your hands, place a layer of potatoes in the casserole dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan and repeat with 2 more layers. Spoon the cabbage mixture on top and spread it out evenly over the potatoes. Top it off with 2 more layers of potato and Parmesan. Pour the remaining 1 cup cream over the dish. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan.

Cover dish with aluminum foil. Bake for 1 hour. Remove foil and bake for 30 minutes until golden brown. Leave for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh chives.

*Cook's Note: Slice the potatoes immediately before using so they don't turn brown.

Classic Bran Muffins

This is a very yummy recipe!!!


INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups wheat bran
1 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup vegetable oil (I used 1/3 c. pumpkin to make healthier....so good!)
1 egg
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp. Molasses (optional - I added it)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup raisins

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners.

Mix together wheat bran and buttermilk; let stand for 10 minutes.
Beat together oil, egg, sugar, molasses and vanilla and add to buttermilk/bran mixture. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir flour mixture into buttermilk mixture, until just blended. Fold in raisins and spoon batter into prepared muffin tins.
( I also squeezed a tiny bit of honey on the tops before baking, it was really good because these aren't super sweet! It kind of tastes like a Mimi's muffin...kinda)
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool and enjoy! Makes 12

Soft Gingersnaps

Ingredients:

3/4 c. shortening (I always use butter)
1 c. sugar
1 egg
1/4 c. molasses
2 c. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. soda
3 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (I usually add a tiny bit more ginger/cinnamon/nutmeg.....just until I like the taste.....but it's good as written)
sugar for rolling

Cream together first 4 ingredients. Add remaining ingredients, except sugar for rolling. Mix well. Chill for 1 hour. Roll into 1 inch balls, roll in sugar, and bake at 375 for 8 minutes. Makes 45 cookies.

BBQ Chicken Salad Puff Stackers

I have been haunting recipe blogs the last little while. Always on the look out for yummy and easy meals. This is one I found and I really thought it was yummy.

2 sheets thawed puff pastry, each sheet cut into 16 squares (I'm sure this is very delicious. For Health reasons I used Cibata rolls. These would also be delicious in croisants.)

Homemade BBQ Sauce
1 ¼ Cups ketchup
3 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard
4 Tablespoons worstershire sauce (I didn't have enough of this so I put some jarred BBQ sauce in)
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
3 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper (used to taste, this is a lot of pepper)
1 teaspoon honey
Pinch of salt

1 Rotisserie Chicken, shredded (I don't like how much fat a rotisseries chicken has so I roasted some chicken breasts. Pour a little olive oil over the chicken, salt and pepper to taste and bake in oven at 350 degrees. Only takes 15-20 minutes and the chicken is so tender. I prefer this method over boiling.)

4 Cups Baby Arugula, or salad of choice
4 Tablespoons prepared Ranch Dressing

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place squares 1 inch apart on a large baking sheets sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until puffed and slightly golden.
2. Combine all BBQ Sauce ingredients into a medium saucepan over medium low heat. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring often. Reduce heat to low and stir in shredded chicken. Let simmer.
3. In a medium bowl, toss salad with ranch dressing. Spoon a bit of salad onto a puff pastry square then top with a spoonful of chicken. Top with another puff square and repeat layering. Serve warm. (You could also add some provolone and avocados if you want, that what I did.)
10 stackers

Southwest Corn and Chicken Soup

I tried this recipe the other day and I thought it was really yummy. It even got a 2 helping approvoal from John (that's how I know he really likes it).

3 fresh cobs of corn (I used a 2 bags of frozen corn, store didn't have fresh)
1 chicken breast
3 green onions, spring onions, shallots
1 banana pepper or red pepper
2 cloves garlic
3 T. Semolina Flour (used regular flour it worked just fine)
1 cup chicken stock (I'm not sure exact proportions I used but I used more to make it stretch)
1/2 cup half & half (I used 3 cups to make it stretch for my family)
1/4 cup cilantro, minced
1 avocado, cut into small chunks
chips
cheese

Roast the chicken in a little olive oil and salt in a hot oven.Meanwhile shuck the corn and then slice the corn from the husks. Cut the pepper and green onions into a few pieces. Place all into a food processor. Add the garlic and flour. Blend altogether for a minute or two, until ground to a nice paste.Pour into a saucepan and add the stock and cream. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10-20 minutes.At some point the chicken should have been done. Cut or shred it and add it to the soup at any point. Add the cilantro. In the mean time, lay some corn chips out onto a cookie sheet. Top with cheese and broil in the oven until toasted and melted -being careful not to burn.Place some chips in the bottom of the bowls. Top with soup and avocado and a few more chips and serve, garnished with more cilantro. Enjoy!

Aunt Mashelle's Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are the cookies I took to our Girl's Night Out the other night. I halved the recipe.

Cream Together:

2 cups butter
2 cups Brown Sugar
2 cups White Sugar

Add eggs and vanilla. Mix

4 Eggs
2 tsps. Vanilla

In a separate bowl mix together:

6 Cups Flour
2 tsps. Baking Soda
2 tsps. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Salt
(I also sometimes add 1/2 cup. coconut and 1/2 c. oats)

Add to other ingredients and mix. Stir in:
4 Cups Chocolate chips or 2 Large sympony bars cut unto chunks.

Bake at 350 for 8 minutes or until barely brown (in my oven it takes about 10 mins). They still look doughy on the inside.

Oven-Barbecued Pork Chops and Sautéed Kale

I got these recipes from Good Things Utah. This is a really easy, inexpensive, and healthy meal.

When I saw the recipe for Kale I wasn't so sure about it, but I thought I'd give it a try. It is a dark leafy green that when cooked doesn't loose it's bite. I want to say it tastes smiliar to spinach. Also like spinach, it has lots of good vitamins it it. Jared and I both liked the way it tasted. It's a great alternative if you're getting sick of the usual veggies you cook.

I also made some brown rice to go along with this meal.

OVEN-BARBECUED PORK CHOPS

Ingredients
6 Pork loin chops

Kosher salt
freshly ground pepper
olive oil
1 lg onion, diced
2 clove garlic, minced
2/3 cup orange juice
1 cup barbecue sauce

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 400°F.

2. Head a large ovenrproof skillet over high heat. Drizzle both sides of pork chops with olive oil and sprinkle on salt and pepper. Add the pork chops and cook until beginning to brown, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.

3. Add about 1 teaspoon oil to the pan. Add onion and cook, stirring, until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add orange juice and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Stir in barbecue sauce. Return the pork chops to the pan, turning several times to coat with the sauce.

4. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Serve the sauce over the pork chops.

SAUTEED KALE

Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 bunch Kale, ribs removed, coarsely chopped (see Tip)

½ cup water

2 cloves garlic, minced

2-3 teaspoons balsamic, sherry, or red-wine vinegar

2 tablespoons bacon bits (make your own or store bought)

Salt and Pepper

Instructions
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add kale and cook, tossing with two large spoons, until bright green, about 1 minute. Add water, reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the kale is tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Push kale to one side, pour out any remaining water. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Remove from the heat. Toss with vinegar, salt, and pepper to taste and top with bacon bits.

Tips
When preparing kale for these recipes, remove the tough ribs, chop or tear the kale as directed, then wash it--allowing some water to cling to the leaves. The moisture helps steam the kale during the first stages of cooking.