Yummy Dinner!

I'm a bit crazy, so try to follow along. I LOVE to cook. I absolutely love trying different types of foods and all sorts of crazy flavors and such. I especially love trying new ingredients that I have never used or even heard of. I really enjoy learning new techniques. This is good because I am not one of those sorts of people who could handle a spaghetti Monday, Pizza Friday or what have you. I get bored WAY too easily. So I usually try a new recipe for dinner about 60% of the time. Trying new stuff for dinner is kind what keeps me going sometimes.

Now, that being said. I hate making dinner. Sigh... (I told you I'm a bit crazy). By the time dinner prep time hits, I'm exhausted. I'm usually trying to get my oldest to finish his homework or get Paisley to stop hanging on my leg whining for who knows what reason, or trying to get Benton to stop begging me for snacks while I'm trying to make dinner. For this reason, I regularly groan about making dinner. It always pays off when I hit the jackpot with something new and yummy, especially when Jason happens to be home for dinner and clearly likes it too. Better yet is when I don't have to ask the kids to eat their dinner even one time because they are horking it down of their own accord. This just happened to be one of those evenings.I should have known. If I throw just about anything into a tortilla, this one is bound to scarf it down.And this one... well, all she needs is a good sized dollop of sour cream and guac and she'll eat it.

Randomness

I just wanted to post a few random pictures. First off, as I mentioned in a previous post. Jason recently had a birthday. Here is the birthday boy with his requested dessert filled with 29 candles. Funny story. I made him a card and on it was the number 29. He looked at it and then looked at me, and said, "Am I really 29? I thought I was turning 28!" I think he is in denial of being so close to 30. I know that I will be. And of course for his birthday, I made him fish (gag me please) and garlic mashed potatoes and roasted asparagus. But he loved it and that is all that matters. He loved the fish so much, that I'll be posting the recipe on Recipe for Disaster? The plan is to be updating that blog this week.
Some more randomness. We were visiting friends recently and Benton, who has a major shoe fetish, decided that he just HAD to wear my books. Blackmail my dear son, blackmail.
And finally, Paisley enjoying her first, ok maybe her second, Red Vine. Her daddy must love her lots to give up one of those.

Ah, the Joys of Fall!

A new friend recently offered to teach me a valuable skill. Ok, fine, so I was listening in on a conversation where she was talking about plans to teach someone else how to make apple pie filling and I essentially invited myself. But, she didn't seem to be to terribly disappointed. She taught me how to make and can it and then I brought home the rest of my apples that I didn't finish that day (and borrowed some equipment) and finished making them the next day. Tab loved helping. He got really good at cranking those apples through!Both of the boys were big helpers with washing the apples. I only had to remind them a few times not to eat them while they were washing them.Boy did they make some yummy pie, the first good apple pie I have ever made! Thanks Melea!
I have a cute video of the boys helping but can't seem to get it to load.

Tragedy in our household

The Culprit: I was making some scones recently that called for heavy cream. I reached into my fridge and grabbed my carton and poured into my measuring cup. It was lumpy and disgusting and had gone bad. I mean, I know that I have been trying to cook a little bit healthier lately but come on really. I have never had cream go bad. I always use it up before it is anywhere near that point. I was seriously appalled with myself.

Happy Late Birthday Hubby!

I'm a few days late in blogging this as usual. The 26th was Jason (and my mom's) birthday. I think the day was pretty much the usual for Jason, he woke up at 5 to study and went to school. He got to celebrate by taking a surgery test in the morning. Sorry hun.

My family never really made a huge deal out of birthdays, so I'm not a make it a big deal type of person either. For us it was all about getting to pick what we had for dinner. Now I HATE, loathe, despise, am disgusted by (well, you get the picture) fish. The smell of it literally makes me gag. So once a year, for Jason's birthday I harness my gag reflex and make fish. This year I made a Pam Seared Salmon with a Sweet and Spicy Asian Glaze. (recipe to come on my food blog). Here is the birthday boy with his meal.And because he thought that I was completely hilarious, he had to take a picture of me with my dinner. (I look retarded because I wasn't expecting to have my picture taken and my glasses were falling down.)And this is the desert that I made for him. It is called peach surpise. It was one of his favorite deserts that his mom made him. We both love it. This was a hard task to pull off this time of year. First of all, it was dang near impossible to find peaches and then the ones that I did find weren't all that great. But what else would you expect in January. It still turned out great. Hope you had a good one hubby!

A Night to Ourselves

Well.... sort of to ourselves. Last quarter was a pretty rough one. There were a lot of tests right on top of each other for what seemed like the entire quarter. Jason had been getting home kind of late from studying so I decided to surprise him. I fed the boys earlier and put them to bed and had dinner on the table for just he and I to enjoy by ourselves. Dinner wasn't anything super special, just broccoli calzones, but it was nice to spend it together without having to feed the boys at the same time. We then had baked apples for dessert! Yummy yum.

Thanksgiving

I know this is late, but I've been kind of crazy busy as of late.

We shared our Thanksgiving with our good friends, the Guymon's, who also stayed in town. Sarah and I made dinner together. It was a ton of fun. It was nice that the lived one street over and that we could use both of our ovens!

Here we are with our Yummy Turkey!And of course a quick picture of the spread. (I'll be posting some of the recipes on Recipe for Disaster shortly.
The kids enjoying their food!
Jason was feeling like his "usual" self. It originally said, "Give Thanks".
Just us.
And of course the pies: Lemon Meringue, Apple, Blueberry, Chocolate Mousse and Pumpkin. (We didn't make the apple, pumpkin or blueberry...another friend brought those).
And a picture of the yummy Caramel Pumpkin Cheesecake that we made but forgot to take out right at first.

Now Announcing...

My cooking blog. I really should say OUR cooking blog. My sisters and I started a cooking blog to share recipes with each other and whoever else may be interested. As many of you know, I have been really into expanding my cooking repertoire lately and have been amassing some great recipes. My sister has been doing the same, (I would like to take some fault/credit for her new passion). I am really excited about this as it seems I'm spending more and more time cooking and as I'm always posting recipes, my sister and I thought we would combine our culinary efforts into one place. I hope you enjoy our new site, Recipe for Disaster? Come visit and let us know what you think. I've also created a little link love over on my side bar so that you can continue to visit if you like.

The Cake

My fabulous sister-in-law, Kristine, had a baby shower while I was in Utah. So I helped my mother-in-law with the food and such. And because every party needs a cake or more like I've been dying for an excuse to make this cake, I made this little pregnant belly cake. Ok it wasn't really little, but it was sure cute. All I can say is picking up a piece of fondent that huge all by yourself is really freaking hard. I spent a lot of time making and preparing to make this cake, so I sure hope she liked it as much as I did. lol.

Apple Pie Ice Cream

I'm beyond in love with my ice cream maker. I think I'm technically verging on infatuation. I made this Apple Pie Ice Cream as a bribe for Jason to have his friends to the house to study a few nights ago so that I could go hang out with some lovely ladies. Well, they apparently forgot about it because it was still in my freezer when I got home. Heaven on a spoon. This is by far my favorite recipe yet. I think I felt myself gain five pounds while I was making it though, just so you are warned.
Wow can you see the apple and cookie yumminess. Ok, ok, I'm done gushing.

Apple Pie Ice Cream

8 oatmeal cookies, crushed (I used iced oatmeal- can you really go wrong)
3 Tbs. melted butter, divided

2 large apples, peeled, cored and cut into fingertip sized pieces (the recipe actually says to slice them but I thought that would be too big, so I cut mine into small pieces...perfecto!)
3 Tbs. white sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon

3 cups whipping cream (I subbed in 1/2 cup 2 percent milk and next time will likely do more)
1 1/2 cups half and half
1 cup white sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 cup chopped toasted walnuts
1/4 cup caramel ice cream topping

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix the crushed cookies with 2 Tbs. of melted butter and press onto a baking sheet. Bake for 5 minutes. Allow to cool completely and then crumble.

Melt the remaining 1 tbs. of butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the apples, 3 Tbs. sugar, and 1 tsp. cinnamon. Cook until the apples have lightly browned, and the sugar has begun to carmalize, about 10 minutes. Remove from pan and allow to cool completely.

Combine cream, half and half, 1 cup sugar, eggs, vanilla, and 2 tsp. cinnamon in a large bowl and blend well. Pour into your ice cream maker and sit back and watch. Oh and do try to keep your husband from taste testing while still in the ice cream maker.

When the ice cream has finished , stir in the crumbled cookie, caramelized apples, and walnuts. Add the dulce de leche by the teaspoon while stirring to evenly distribute. Return to freezer to allow to firm up.

I've been at it again!

It has been getting warmer and you know what that means right? Yummy fruity, refreshing desserts! To me it also means canning. So in the past few days I have made a few treats. First up was a Lemon Mousse with Raspberry Sauce. It turned out to be super tasty. I didn't pay attention enough to the recipe however before I went to the store because I didn't realize I needed two packages of jello. So we ended up with a Lemon-Lime Mousse. It was still yummy.Lemon Mousse with Raspberry Sauce

1 1/2 cups boiling water

2 pkg (4 serving size) Lemon Jello

2 tsp. grated lemon peel

ice cubes

1 cup cold apple juice

1 tub (8 oz.) Cool Whip

1 pkg (10 oz.) frozen raspberries, thawes, pureed in blender

Stir boiling water into Jello and lemon peel in a larger bowl for at least 2 minutes until Jello is completely dissolved. Add enough ice to apple juice to measure 1-3/4 cups. Stir into Jello until slightly thickened. Stir in whipped topping with wire whisk. Pur half of the raspberry sauce into the bottom of your dessert dishes. Top with mousse. Spoon remaining rasberry sauce over top. Refrigerate 4 hours or until firm.

Then I decided that I needed to use my ice cream maker again simply because I'm in love with the thing. I thought to myself, "self, something light and refreshing... that's what we need." So I made some lime icecream. It is DIVINE! Lime Ice Cream

2 cups milk

1 1/4 cups sugar

1/3 cup lime juice

1 1/2 tsp. lime zest

1 cup heavy cream

In a saucepan, combine milk and sugar. Cook over medium heat until sugar is dissolved and mixture reaches 175 degrees F. Cool to room remperature. Stir in the lime juice and peel. Freeze according to manufacturer's directions.

Transfer frozen lime mixture to a bowl, allow to soften slightly. (At this point I tasted it and considered not adding the cream. It tasted to full of flavor and almost like a sorbet consistancy. Next time I will double the first ingredients and leave it at that). In a small mixing bowl, beat the wipping cream until stiff peaks form. Fold into softened lime mixture. Allow ice cream to firm up in your freezer for 4 hours before serving. You may now die and go to heaven.

Finally, just a few minutes ago, I finished making some Strawberry Freezer Jam. The recipe for this was nothing special, but it is pretty good. I think next time I might try a reduced sugar recipe because holy cow 4 cups is A LOT of sugar. I'm still excited despite the sugar because this is the first time I have made freezer jam.

In the Mood for Food

Sunday I was in the cooking mood. I already had Rosemary Roasted Chicken and Potatoes on my menu. But I decided that that wasn't going to satisfy my urges. So I decided to be adventurous and make a tart for the first time. Ok, so a tart doesn't really qualify as adventurous, but it was completely new to me. I also decided to break in my new ice cream maker. I'm completely in love with it by the way.

So, first up dinner. It is the most amazing chicken. It is all about the cream cheese baby. Bring it on. We had a little leftover asparagus on the side as well as some fresh sourdough. And lest you think I'm domestic or something, the sourdough is courtesy of Panera. Pardon me for starting to eat before I remembered to take a picture.

The chicken got a little dark. I probably should have basted it again during cooking... but hey I was lazy.
Rosemary Roasted Chicken & Potatoes

1 pkg. Cream Cheese, Softened
3 tsp. Dried Rosemary Leaves, divided (the original recipe only calls for 2 but I like the flavor to
be a little stronger. I also used crushed because I like it a little finer)
1 tsp. Black Pepper, divided
1 Whole Roasting Chicken (about 3 1/2-4 1/2 lbs.)
6 Tbs. Zesty Italian Dressing.
2 lbs. Red Potatoes, cut into 1" chunks
6 slices Bacon, cooked, drained, crumbled
2 Green Onion, sliced

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix together cream cheese, 2 tsp. rosemary and 1/2 tsp. black pepper. Starting at neck of chicken use fingers to carefully separate the skin from the meat of the breast, thighs, legs etc. of chicken, trying not to tear the skin. Spoon the cream cheese mixture under the skin, using your fingers to push and spread the mixture into the thighs, legs and over the breast and so on. Place the chicken in a 9x13 pan. Brush with 2 Tbs. of the dressing. I actually usually use a ton more than this. I like to give it a good coating.

Toss the potatoes with the remaining 1 tsp. rosemary and 1/2 tsp pepper in a separate 9x13 pan. Bake chicken & potatoes 1 hour and 15 minutes or until chicken is cook through (165 degrees), stirring potatoes every 30 minutes. Add bacon & onion to potatoes, mix lightly.

Transfer chicken toa large serving dish, reserving the juices from the pan. Let chicken stand 10 minutes before serving. Spoon potatoes around the chicken. Serve chicken and potatoes with the reserved juices over the top.

I decided to be brave and try making a tart. Have I mentioned that I'm really into trying new things lately? Oh, you got that memo huh. So I borrowed a tart pan from my most genius friend, Katherine. While making the crust I was reading the directions and wasn't quite sure what they meant. So I called Katherine and she set me on the right path along with some other good tart-making advice. Anyway, it turned out great. I will definitely be keeping this recipe around to make again. Lemon Tart

Dough:
1 1/4 cups Flour
2 Tbs. Superfine Sugar
1/2 cup Butter, diced
1 Tbs. Water

Filling:
2/3 cup Heavy Cream (Be still my soul)
1/2 cup Superfine Sugar
4 Eggs
grated rind of 3 Lemons
3/4 cup Lemon Juice
Powdered Sugar for dusting

To make dough, place the flour and sugar in a bowl and rub in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Add the water and bring together to form a dough. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured counter and use it to line a 9 1/2" loose based tart pan. Prick the base of the tart shell with a fork and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Line the tart shell with foil and baking beans and bakie in a preheated 375 degree oven, for 15 minutes. (The whole baking beans thing is what I called Katherine about. Apparently it is just to weight the shell down so it doesn't slump. Correct me if I'm wrong Katherine. I just used a bag of dried black beans.) Remove the foil and baking beans and cook the tart shell for 15 minutes more.

To make the filling, whisk the cream, sugar, eggs, lemon rind and juice together until thoroughly blended. Place the tart shell, still in its pan on a cookie sheet, and pour in the filling. Bake the tart for about 20 minutes or until the filling is just set. Let cool, then lightly dust with powdered sugar and serve. (I like this hot much better than I do cold, and I'm impatient so... we ate it hot and it was divine.) The ice cream was my first attempt with my new Cuisinart. I love it. I just had to share a picture of it. Isn't it so cute? The picture makes it look kind of like the green that they used on appliances in the 70's, but technically it is Nile Green, just in case you were wondering.

A Slew of New Recipes

I have been really into cooking for the past several months. Perhaps it is the whole not working all day and then having to come home and cook thing? Whatever the reason, I'm in love. The only problem with being in love is that I often become obsessed with things I fall in love with. This would be the case with cooking. Another problem caused by this obsession is that I find myself expanding the spices and other products that I MUST have on hand. Why is this a problem? This is why. This is about all of the cupboard space that I have for food and it is tiny and overflowing. I don't have room to expand.
Yet again another problem this is causing is that I can rarely stand to use margarine or this. I have to almost be desperate to even consider it.Finally, a reason my new found love is bad for my life. He compains that I'm making him fat. I think he's hot. And let's be honest... the sitting studying all but 2-3 waking hours a day is more likely the culprit.For some reason I really enjoy trying new recipes. I enjoy trying new things more than I like making the things I know and love. Weird eh? Anyway, last month I decided that I wanted a bunch of new recipes to try so I went searching through blogs and cookbooks, but mostly blogs. I found a bunch that looked yummy, so I tried them all out. I will share with you the ones that I will be keeping around to make again. But first I thought that I should share some credit. I don't remember which recipe came from which blog, but here are just a few of the blogs that I have on my bookmarks. Enjoy!

http://www.thepioneerwomancooks.com/
http://www.sweetnicks.com/
http://www.pizzaandrootbeer.blogspot.com/
http://www.mykitchencafe.blogspot.com/
http://www.sisterscafe.blogspot.com/
http://www.saraskitchen.blogspot.com/

And now for the recipes...

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

6 Tbs. Honey (be liberal)
5 Tbs. Lime Juice (be liberal)
1 Tbs. Chili Powder
1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
1 lb. chicken, cooked & shredded
8-10 flour tortillas
1 lb. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
16 oz. green enchilada sauce (I used almost 2 full 10 oz. cans)
1 cup heavy cream

Cook chicken and shred. Mix the fist 4 ingredients & toss with shredded chicken. Let chicken marinate for at least 30 min. Pour about 1/2 cup enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Fill tortillas with chicken & cheese, saving about 1 cup of cheese for topping. Mix the remaining enchilada sauce with the cream & left over marinade. pour sauce on top of the enchiladas & sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 min. or until brown & crispy on top. You are now in heaven.


Potato Pierogi
(I'm sad that this is the first time that I had ever had pierogi because they were to die for. But lucky you, this is the only one a took a picture of.)

1 1/2 lbs. Baking Potatoes, peeled, cut into chunks
4 Tbs. Butter
3 small Onions, finely chopped
salt & pepper to taste
1-2 pkg. Pot Sticker (gyoza) wrappers (my stores don't carry them but wonton wrappers are the
same thing, just square.
Potential Toppings
3-5 green onions thinly sliced
1/4 cup chives
2 Tbs. chopped Parsley
Fried onions
Sour Cream
Melted Butter
Basalmic Vinegar

Cook potatoes in a large pot of salted, boiling water. Drain and set aside. Melt the butter in a large nonstick skillet & cook the onions until softened and lightly browned, darkly browned in spots. Mash potatoes and then mix in onions & cooking butter. Season generously with salt & pepper.

Line a cookie sheet with wax or parchment paper. Working one at a time, brusht he edges of the wrapper with water and place a spoonful of filling in the center. Fold the dumpling in half, pressing edges together to seal. Place dumplings on cookie sheet.

Heat a tiny bit of oil (1-2 Tbs) in a non-stick skillet, add dumplings in a single layer. When they are golden and spots are browned, turn & brown on other side. Add enough water to equal about 1/4" or less in depth. Be careful not to add too much. Cover & cook 3-4 minutes. Remove lid & check for doness. Pierogi should be tender but not mushy. (You can also use a boiling method, but I think these turned out perfect this way.

Top with desired toppings. I prefered just sour cream. Jason prefered the basalmic vinegar. The melted butter was ok too.
Honey Glazed Chicken

1 1/2 lb. diced, uncooked Chicken
1/3 cup Flour
1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
Salt & Pepper to taste
6 Tbs. Butter
1/2 cup Honey
6 Tbs. Lemon Juice
4 Tbs. Soy Sauce
1/2 tsp. Ground Ginger

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour and seasonings. Coat chicken in flour mixture. Melt 2 Tbs. butter in backing dish large enough for chicken to lay in a single layer. Arrange chicken in pan & bake for 30 min. Meanwhile in a small saucepan, melt remaining butter & add honey, lemon juice, soy sauce & ginger.

After chicken has baked 30 min. turn each piece over and pour sauce mixture evenly over chicken. Bake another 30-40 min. basting frequently. Serve over rice.

Tamale Pie

1 lb. Ground Beef
1/2 med. Onion, chopped
2 cloves Garlic, chopped
10 oz. can Red Enchilada Sauce
1/2 Corn
1/4 cup sliced Olives
1 tsp. Salt

Crust:
1 1/2 cups Cornmeal
1 cup Water
3/4 cup Evaporated Milk
1 tsp. Salt
1 (4 oz.) can diced Green Chilis
1/2 cup shredded Colby Jack

For Filling: Cook beef, onion & garlic in large skillet. Drain. Add enchilada sauce, corn, olives & salt.

For Crust: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease 9" pie plate or 9x9" baking dish. Combine corn meal, water, evaporated milk & salt in a med. saucepan. Cook over med-high heat, stirring frequently, 5-7 min. or until thickened. Stir in chilis. Reserve 1 cup cornmeal mixture, spreading remaining cornmeal mixture on bottom & up sides of the baking dish. (It stays "in place" better if you refrigerate it for about an hour before baking.) Bake for 10 min. Cool slightly. Sppon beef mixture into crust. Spread reserved cornmeal mixture on top. Bake 15-20 minutes, sprinkle with cheese & bake another 5-10 minutes, until cheese is melted.

Beef & Broccoli

1 2/3 cup Rice
1 2/3 cup water
1 lb. boneless beef sirloin steak
4 1/2 Tbs. Cornstarch
28 oz. (2 cans) Beef Broth
5 tsp. Soy Sauce
2 Tbs. Brown Sugar, heaping
2 cloves Garlic, minced
5 cups Frsh Broccoli florets

Cook rice according to your preferences. Slice beef into thin strips. Combine cornstach, broth, soy sauce, brown sugar & garlic, mix well. In lg. skillet, over med-high heat, cook meat until browned. Sti broccoli & liquid into beef. Cook until it boils & thickens, stirring frequently. Serve over rice.

Home Made Chicken Noodle Soup

1 gallon Water
1 (3-4 lb.) Whole Chicken, cut into large pieces
1 lg. Onion, peeled & halved
4 Bay Leaves
15 Whole Black Peppercorns
1 bunch Celery(2/3 chopped into lg. pieces, 1/3 chopped normally)
1 lb. Carrots, don't peel, just cut off ends & cut into lg. pieces.
2 stalks Lemon Grass, chopped (my grocery store does carry this, so I left it out and it was still
divine.)
1/4 cup chicken soup base (can use boullion)
1 lb. carrots, chopped normally
8 oz. egg noodles (recipe below)

Place chicken and water in a large pot over high heat & bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover & simmer for 30 min. Skim foam and fat as needed. Keep pot on heat and add in onion, bay leaves, peppercorns, large chuncks of clery & carrots & the lemon grass & simmer covered for 1 hour.

Strain broth & reserve chicken. Add broth back to pot & stir in chicken soup base, chopped clery & carrots. Bring to a boil & then reduce heat 7 simmer, cover for 20 min. or until carrots & celery are tender.

Meanwhile, when chicken is cool enough, remove skin and shred into bite sized pieces. After carrots are tender, add noodles to the pot & simmer until noodles are cooked. Srir in chiken & heat through.

Egg Noodles
2 1/2 cups Flour
1/2 cup Milk, room temp.
1 pinch salt
2 eggs, beaten, at room temp.

In a large bowl, mix together flour & salt. Add eggs & milk. Knead dough until very smooth, about 5 minutes. Let rest in covered bowl 5 minutes (VERY IMPORTANT) On lightly floured surface, roll our dough to desired thickness. (I would say try to go pretty thin). Cut into desired lengths & shapes. Allow to air dry before cooking. (I had to let mine dry almost all day, turning once.)

Macadamia Crusted Chicken with Mango Salsa

1 lb. Chicken Breasts, cut in strips
1 cup Flour, seasoned generously with salt and pepper
2 Eggs, lightly beaten
8 oz. Macadamia Nuts, finely chopped
2 cups Plain Breadcrumbs
Oil, for deep-frying
Salt for seasoning

Mango Salsa

2 medium Mangos, finely diced
3 Tbs. Red Onion, finely diced
2-3 Tbs. Cilantro, roughly chopped
1 fresh Jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
Juice from 1 lime

Cut the chicken into strips, Dust the chicken strips with the flour, then dip them in the egg and, finally, coat them generously in the combined nuts and breadcrumbs. Chill for at least 30 minutes to firm up.To make the salsa, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and season to taste with salt and black pepper. (I liked to use Kosher Salt) Set aside. Fill a large, heavy-based saucepan one-third full of oil and heat to 350 degrees, or until a cube of bread dropped in the oil browns in 15 seconds. Cook the chicken strips in batches for 4-5 minutes, or until golden brown all over, taking care not to burn the nuts. Drain on crumpled paper towels. Serve the chicken strips warm with the salsa. (I baked mine in the oven at 350 degrees for about 25-30 minutes. This turned out good but I can tell it would be better deep fried)

Sweet & Sour Chicken

3-4 Chicken Breasts
3/4 cup Sugar
4 Tbs. Ketchup
1/2 Vinegar
1 Tbs. Soy Sauce
1 tsp. Garlic Salt
Salt & pepper to taste
Corn Starch
Egg
Rice

Cut chicken in strips. Sprinkle with salt & pepper. Dip chicken in cornstarch and then in egg. Fry in a little oil until brown. place in baking dish. mix together sugar, ketchup, vinegar, soy sauce & garlic salt. Pour sauce over chicken. bake for 1 hour @ 325 degrees. Turn chicken every 15 minutes. Serve over rice.

Chicken & Rice with Rosemary
1 Whole Chicken, small
3-4 cup Chicken Broth
3-4 cups Water
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tbs. Fresh Rosemary, chopped
Basil, dried
2-3 Tbs. Garlic, minced
2 cups Rice
Salt & Pepper for seasoning

Remove skin from chicken and rinse. Place chicken in slow cooker. Add chicken broth & water. There should be enough liquid to cover about 2/3 of the chicken. Coat top of chicken with EVOO. Sprinkle garlic, fresh rosemary and basil on and around chicken. Cook chicken on high for about 5 hours. The chicken should fall apart very easily when it is finished cooking.

Next, separate chicken fromt he broth mixture, placing chicken pieces in a large bowl. Strain the broght mixture, saving all broth. straining the broth will ensure no small bones are left in the broth. Put about 4 cups of strained broth back into slow cooker. Shred chicken and add back into slow cooker also. Add 2 cups rice. Check the slow-cooker often, sritting each time. You will probably have to add more broth while the rice finishes cooking. When rice is tender, the dish is done. Season with salt and pepper. (I tried not to open the crockpot to stir to often because it makes it take much longer to cook the rice).

Chicken with Spicy Peanut Sauce

1 lb. Chicken Breasts
1 Green Onion, cut into several pieces
1 piece of Ginger, cut into several pieces
1 Tbs. Cooking Sheery
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. sugar
a little water

Sauce:
1 Tbs. Peanut Butter
2 1/2 Tbs. Canola Oil
3 1/2 Tbs. Soy Sauce
2 Tbs. Sugar
2 tsp. Vinegar
1/2 tsp. Sesame Oil
1/2 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
1 Tbs. Green Onion, minced
2 Tbs. cilantro, chopped

Cook all ingredients except those for the sauce together in a shallow pan, cover, over med-low heat for 20 minutes. Allow chicken to cool slightly, cut into strips. Make sauce while chicken is cooking.

Whisk sauce ingredients together without cooking. Serve over chicken and rice.

Oven "Fried" Parm Chicken Fingers

For Chicken:
1 cloved, Garlic, crushed
1/4 lb. Butter, melted
1 cup Italian Bread Crumbs
1/3 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
2 Tbs. chopped fresh Parsley
1 tsp. Salt
1/8 tsp. Ground Black Pepper
3 Chicken Breasts, thawed & cut into strips

For Honey Mustard Sauce
2 Tbs. Cornstarch
1 cup Water, divided
1/2 cup Honey
1/4 cup Prepared Mustard

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, combine crushed garlic with melted buatter. in another small bowl mix together the bread crumbs, cheese, parsley, salt & pepper. Dip chicken strips into garlic butter, then into crumb mixture to coat. Place coated chicken pieces into a lightly greased 9x13 pan. Drizzle with remaining garlic butter & bake uncovered in preheated oven for 35-40 min., or until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear.

Dissolve cornstach in 1 Tbs. water in a saucepan over low heat. Add honey and mustard, mix well. Add remaining water, bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil for 1 min., stirring constantly. Serve with chicken for dipping.

Orange Beef & Asparagus Stir Fry

3/4 cup Orange Juice
3 tbs. Soy Sauce
1 cup Honey
1 Tbs. Cornstarch
1 tsp. Chili Oil
1 lb. Flank Steak, cut into thin strips
2 Tbs. Peanut Oil or Canola Oil
2 cups Asparagus, cut into 2" pieces
1 red Pepper, cut into strips
1/2 cup sliced Green Onion
1 cup Shredded Carrots
2 tsp. Fresh Ginger, grated
1 tsp. Garlic, minced
1/2 cup Honey roasted Peanuts

In a bowl, combine orange juice, soy sauce, honey, cornstarch and chili oil. Add steak strips, tossing to combine. Heat 1 Tbs. peanut or canola oil in large skillet, over high heat. Add Asparagus and stir fry for 4 min. Add peppers, scallions, carrots, stir fry 1 min. Add ginger and garlic, stirfry 1 min. Remove veggies to a bowl.

Heat remaining Tbs. of oil & add steak with desired amount of marinade to make sauce for veggies and to go over rice. Stirfry 3-4 minutes. Add reserved vegetables, stirfry until heated through. Serve over rice. Top with peanuts.

Savory Baked Chicken

1/2 cup Olive Oil
1/2 cup Butter, melted
3 Tbs. Lemon Juice
1 Tbs. Dried Oregano
1 tsp. Garlic Salt
1 tsp. Dried Crushed Rosemary
1 Tsp. Ground Black Pepper
2 1/2 lbs. Chicken Breast Tenders

In a large ziplock combine olive oil and next 6 ingredients, add chicken. Seal bag and chill for at least 1 hours, turning occasionally. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Remove chicken from marinade and place in 9x13 pan. Spoon some of the marinade over chicken and bake 25-35 minutes. Serve over rice with some of the juices from the pan.

Chicken Spaghetti

2 cups cooked chicken
2 cans Cream of Mushroom soup
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup finely diced green pepper
1/2 cup finely diced onion
1-4 oz jar diced pimentos, drained
3 cups dry spaghetti, broken into two inch pieces
2 cups reserved chicken broth from pot
1 teaspoon Lawry’s Seasoned Salt
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 additional cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

Bring water to a boil & add chicken parts. When finished cooking remove chicken from water and set aside. Reserve two cups of broth in a small dish. Cook spaghetti in same chicken broth until al dente. When spaghetti is cooked, combine with remaining ingredients except additional 1 cup cheese and reserved broth. Slowly add broth until spaghetti mixture is stirable but not soupy. Add as much or little as needed. Place mixture in 9x13 pan and top with remaining sharp cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes until bubbly.

Hope that you enjoy these recipes!

Danish Puff

Oh sweet holy goodness. Do I really need to say more?
There are several things that my mom made growing up that scream HOME to me. This is one of them. My mom only made it once or twice a year, usually on Christmas morning. I always thought that it must be a huge production and be so time consuming to make because of this. And I remember thinking that she always got up super early to make it. (Now I realize that she always got up super early.) The first time I decided to make this for someone, I got up at 5 AM thinking it was going to take me hours. I was fooled. This recipe is so easy and delish. My mom always topped hers with slivered almonds. I have recently taken to topping mine with fresh sliced strawberries. I think it makes it a little more refreshing and tones down the richness. Jason thinks the strawberries make it taste more like a dessert and I think it makes it taste more like a breakfast ... so do with it what you will. With no further ado, the recipe.

Danish Puff
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup flour
2 Tbs. water

1/2 cup butter
1 cup water
1 tsp. Almond extract
1 cup flour
3 eggs

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 Tbs. butter
1 1/2 tsp. almond extract
1-2 Tbs. warm water

Heat over to 350. Cut 1/2 cup butter into 1 cup flour until particles are the size of small peas. Sprinkle 2 Tbs. water over flour mixture, mix. Gather pastry into a ball and divide in half. Pat each half into a rectangle, 12x3" on a cookie sheet. Rectangles should be 3" apart.

Heat 1/2 cup butter and 1 cup water to a rolling boil, remove from heat. Quickly stir in almond and 1 cup flour. Stir vigorously over low heat until mixture forms a ball, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Add eggs, beat until smooth and glossy. Spread half of the topping over each rectangle. Bake until topping is scrip and brown, about 1 hour. Cool slightly. Topping with shrink and fall, forming the custardy top.

Mix powdered sugar, butter and almond extract together. Stir in warm water, 1 tsp. at a time until glaze is of desired consistency. Spread over top of pastry. Top with desired toppings.

St. Patty's

Ok ok... I know I'm a few days late but Happy St. Patty's Day. I had a really fun time making Corned Beef & Cabbage for the very first time. It helps that I also made the most delish mashed potatoes in the world, courtesy of the Pioneer Woman. I know that my mom made corned beef & cabbage growing up, but it has been so long that I didn't really remember what it tasted like and was a tad bit worried that my adult taste buds might not like it and further more that my husband wouldn't like it... afterall that is all that really matters. Can I just say holy yum.

The 14 Days of Valentines!

For Valentine's Day this year I decided to do something called the 14 Days of Valentines, where for the first 14 days of February you do a little something for your special someone. So I decided to take on the challenge. I like to believe it was worth it. Jason seems to have enjoyed in quite a bit! So, what did I do?

Day 1: I made Jason a little scrapbooked pamphlet. I can't really call it a book because it was only 3 pages ... anywho ... There was a list of 10 reasons I love him and a list of 10 of my favorite memories with him.

Day 2: Throughout the day I sent him several email "love notes". I like to think it helped to break up his day of studying.

Day 3: Giant Rice Crispie Treats shaped like Hershey Kisses. These would have turned out a bit better had I been able to find a funnel to shape them with. Have I ever mentioned how annoying our Walmart can be when trying to find random items such as a funnel? No? Well, that is a gripe for another post, another day.

Day 4: I made a note that said, "I love you BEARY much" and attached it to a bag of gummy bears. Cheesy I know.

Day 5: I wrote him a love letter in code, you know like you wrote in Junior High to your friends just in case someone else found it. I don't think he actually had the time to decipher it until 2-3 days later.

Day 6: I wrote notes on little kid valentines and taped them all over the house for him to find.

Day 7: I filled a little jar full of pink, green and purple conversation hearts and wrote a prescription to take 1 pink one twice a day to remember how much I loved him, 1 green one twice a day to remember how much Tab loved him and 1 purple one twice a day to remember how much Benton loved him. He totally OD'd the first day. Good thing he was just left with a sugar buzz.

Day 8: Tab, Grandma (Jason's mom) and I made him some yummy sugar cookies that we decorated. More like Grandma and I decorated while Tab gorged himself on frosting but hey, what can you do.

Day 9: Tab, Grandma and I paper machéd a balloon and painted it red and wrote on it. Tab and I stuck little notes inside it.

Day 10: I made homemade fortune cookies and stuck little "love" fortunes in them.

Day 11: I made him a candybar letter, which of course didn't have any candybars on it, as the man doesn't believe in eating chocolate.

Day 12: I made a heart shaped Pizza for dinner

Day 13: I printed up the words "I love you" in 100 different languages. I cut them up into stips and stuck them in a cute little jar and made a tag for it that said "Jar of Love"

Day 14: The big day. I made a full meal, which I rarely do. I usually just make a main dish and a veggie. But I made Fettucine Alfredo, Augratten Potatoes, corn, salad and a yummy drink. For dessert I made a Strawberry Parfait. I put a valentine's tablecloth on the table and set up some candles and spread flower petals on the table. It was cute...see.

See, doesn't it just look so yummy?
And I made these yummy drinks. The frozen raspberries floating in the top are my favorite part. Tab kept asking Jason and I to "cheers" him over and over again.
And finally, the Raspberry Parfait. Now this is how it is supposed to look with the oreos.
Oh look at that yummy goodness.

But, sometimes a woman has to cater to a silly husband how doesn't believe in chocolate in any form. Thus the stawberry wafer cookies instead of the oreos. What's else would a woman to do for her man on Valentine's day?

My Life as I Knew it...

... was many things. It was busy. It was fun from time to time. It was filled with people and day to day activities. What I didn't know was that life as I knew it was lacking. There was a huge void. I mean wide open gaping pit. How could I have been so lost? Don't worry, I've been rescued. The gap as been filled. By what? Why these!I have recently been on a Scones kick thanks to "THE" Domestic Goddess herself. I was recently talking to my mom about this fattening path I've been headed down and she thought she would help to add on the pounds I've been working so hard to shed, and sent me a new scone recipe that she had recently enjoyed. So I decided to give it a shot today. And they are my FAVORITE. So because I loved them so much I thought I would share the recipe with all of you. (And I hear you laughing at my ugly brown plates. But I'll have you know that I love those plates. They were Jason's great grandpa's plates... you know the one we honored by giving Benton his middle name, Gainford.)

Apricot-Orange Cream Scones
2 cups flour
3 Tbs. Sugar
3 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. grated orange peel
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
1/2 cup white vanilla chips
1 1/3 cups whipping cream
1 cup powdered sugar
2-3 Tbs. Orange Juice

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease cookie sheet. In lg bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, orange peel and salt. Mix well. Add apricots and white vanilla chips. Add whipping cream all at once; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened.

On lightly floured surface knead dought 6-7 times until smooth. Divide dough in half. Pat each half into 6" founds; cut each into 4 wedges. Place 2" apart on prepared cookie sheet.

Bake at 400 degrees for 10-13 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 5 min. Meanwhile, in small bowl, blend powdered sugar and enough orange juice for desired drizzling consistency. Drizzle icing over warm scones. Serve warm.

Notes: For the lightest, most tender scones, quickly mix and shape the dough, handling it as little as possible. Use only a sprinkle of flour on the work surface.

Happy Birthday Hubby!

Yesterday was Jason's birthday. He's 27. I can't believe it. I told him the other day that he was getting old. I mean 27... come on. He looked at me and said... and remind me, how old are you turning. Gulp... nevermind... you're young. Anyway, HAPPY BIRTHDAY HUBBY!

So, I hate fish. I mean HATE HATE HATE fish. But, Jason loves it and wanted it for his birthday. So I agreed to make it for him. With some suggestions from a friend, I came up with this. It is a bed of Fettucine Alfredo topped with fresh mushrooms, asparagus, capers and tomatoes that I sauted in butter. Then I put the pan fried Salmon on top of that. And served it with a salad. Other than the nasty fish, doesn't it just look yummy.

Then Jason requested that I make this cake.It is called Luscious 4 Layer Pumpkin Cake. It is yummy but for some reason I hate making this cake. But I gladly gave in for such an occassion.

And you may ask, what does a newly 27 year old do on his birthday.

Why homework of course.