Fabulous Pitas

I got this from a friend who made them for us for lunch on Friday. My pitas have never turned out this good so I had to get her recipe. It's from allrecipes.com called Peppy's Pita Bread

Pita Bread
1 1/8 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoons white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Directions

1. Place all ingredients in bread pan of your bread machine, select Dough setting and start. When dough has risen long enough, machine will beep.
2. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Gently roll and stretch dough into a 12 inch rope. With a sharp knife, divide dough into 8 pieces. Roll each into a smooth ball. With a rolling pin, roll each ball into a 6 to 7 inch circle. Set aside on a lightly floured countertop. cover with a towel. Let pitas rise about 30 minutes until slightly puffy.
3. Preheat oven to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C). Place 2 or 3 pitas on a wire cake rack. Place cake rack directly on oven rack. Bake pitas 4 to 5 minutes until puffed and tops begin to brown. Remove from oven and immediately place pitas in a sealed brown paper bag or cover them with a damp kitchen towel until soft. Once pitas a softened, either cut in half or split top edge for half or whole pitas. They can be stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for several days or in the freezer for 1 or 2 months.

(she makes hers in her mixer so don't fret if you don't have a bread machine. Just order the ingredients like you would for white bread)

Chicago-Style Deep Dish Pizza

1/2 pound Italian sausage (I used ground turkey browned with garlic, fennel, oregano and salt)
3-4 slices bacon, crumbled
1/2 onion, chopped
1 small tomato, thinly sliced
mozzarella cheese
1 can spaghetti or pizza sauce

Crust:
1 C. warm water
2-1/2 tsp yeast
2 tsp sugar
2 Tbl Olive Oil
1 tsp salt
2+ C. Flour

Combine water, yeast and sugar and let stand until foamy and frothy. Add oil and salt stir in the flour until it forms a nice dough ball. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes.

Brown the meat, onion and bacon. Set aside.

Turn dough onto a floured surface and roll out a large enough circle for your pan. It should be soft and workable, try not to make it too thick. Press into a greased deep dish pan that has been sprinkled with corn meal ( used a spring-form pan. It was great for serving). Spread the meat onto the dough, top with sliced tomatoes, cover with mozzarella cheese. Spoon the sauce over the cheese, sprinkle with additional seasonings if you like. Be generous with the sauce but don't overfill above your crust line. Bake at 350 for approx. 40 minutes.

Monsters & Eyeballs

Spooky Eyeballs
an easy spooky treat!

Rice Krispie Treats
(1/4 C. butter, 1 pkg mini marshmallows, 8 1/2 C. Rice Krispies)
Sugar Cookie Icing
(1 C. Powdered Sugar, 3-4 tsp milk, 1 tsp almond extract, 2 tsp corn syrup)
Food Coloring
Chocolate Chips or M&M's

As your rice krispie treats cool coat your hands in oil and press them firmly into balls. Allow to cool and harden on a greased pan. Dip in uncolored icing smoothing it with your fingers or a spatula and allow it to harden. Drizzle with red icing for "Bloodshot" effect. I'd use a stiffer frosting for the iris but you can just add extra powdered sugar to the above recipe and add your choice of food coloring. Top with an inverted chocolate chip and voila!


Awkward-phase Monster
I've dubbed my monster to be in his awkward phase to account for his asymmetry, goofy expression and snaggly teeth.

Use the same recipes as above, just form the rice kripsies into the desired shape and use all different colors of frosting. I used candy corn for his chompers and finger nails.

Happy Halloween!

Torta de Mil Hojas

"Cake of 1000 Layers"

This is a cake that Danny used to eat in Chile. Since it was Chilean Independence Day on Friday I took a stab at it. It reminds me of baklava. The original recipe is on recipezaar and allrecipes, but I've included a few tips and upgrades that will make it much easier and tastier.

Ingredients
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
7/8 cup butter
3 egg yolks
1 cup milk
2 (14 ounce) cans Dulce de Leche or sweetened condensed milk
1 cup sliced almonds
Chocolate Ganache, optional (recipe below)

Directions
1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2 Mix together the flour and baking powder; set aside.
3 In a large bowl, beat the butter until creamy.
4 Blend in the egg yolks, one at a time.
5 Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the milk.
6 The dough will be stiff like a cookie dough.
7 Divide the dough into 10 pieces and shape into balls.
8 Roll each ball into a thin 9 inch circle (**thinner than a pie crust**)
**I found it much easier to roll it out between layers of wax paper because it helps to keep the shape when you transfer it to the cookie sheet. Also, it's nearly impossible to get the layers evenly shaped and sized so next time I'll use a large trifle dish or something like it to cut them out like sugar cookies.
9 Place on **parchment lined** cookie sheets and prick with a fork in several places.
10 Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown. Set aside.
11 Place one cookie layer on serving plate.
12 Spread with the Dulce de Leche making sure to reach all the edges.
13 Continue stacking until all layers are used.
**after I used all my layers, I spread a small layer of chocolate ganache on the top to give a contrasting flavor to the sweetness of the Dulce de Leche. Not all versions of the cake use chocolate but I'm a sucker for ganache. (bring 2/3 Cup cream to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and stir in 1 Cup semi-sweet chocolate chips. Once it's fully incorporated and smooth allow it to cool to a spreadable consistancy.**
14 Sprinkle with sliced almonds.

Instructions for making Dulce de Leche (if you couldn't buy it pre-made)
-In a sauce pan, boil the unopened cans of sweetened condensed milk for 3 hours. Monitor the water closely, to make sure there is always water in the pan.
-Remove can from heat and let cool for 10 to 15 minutes.

Guacamole de Los Dioses

Dulce y Picante

If you don't speak Spanish, then allow me to perform a mild translation: This is the "Guacamole of The Gods." Sweet and Spicy. This is the product of an idea from friends combined with some of my favorite Mexican flavors. So enough with the monologue. Here are the goods.

Mandatory Ingredients:

1. 5 Avocados (not too firm, not too soft)
2. 2 Peeled Navel Oranges
3. 1/8C Diced Jalapenos
4. 3T El Pato Sauce (ideally replace with Carolina's salsa and fore go garlic)
5. 1t Minced Garlic
6. 1T Crushed Red Pepper
7. 2 Limes (not key limes)
8. 2t Black Pepper
9. 1t Salt
10. 1 Bunch of Diced Cilantro
11. 1/2 Bunch of Diced Green Onions
12. 1/2 Finely Diced Red Onion

Optional Ingredients:

• 2 Diced Tomatoes

I personally do not prefer tomatoes in my guacamole, but I can't speak for everyone.

Instructions:

For a more course and thick consistency, squeeze in lime juice and add contents, then blend by hand using a knife and spoon (slicing grid patterns in mixing bowl and turning the mix with the spoon, repeated to desired distribution and thickness). Spoon in diced tomatoes following regular mixing if desired.

For a smoother consistency, squeeze in lime juice and add contents, then machine blend in 2sec pulses with pauses to shake and tap larger contents to the bottom of the blender. Spoon in diced tomatoes following regular mixing if desired.

Personalization:

• If you want it sweeter, add orange (not lime juice, this will taste sour over extended storage).
• If you want it hotter, add more red crushed pepper (not jalapenos, to prevent elevated spice from storage).
  

If your friends have a problem with you double-dipping in this green goodness, simply get yourself some new friends. It shouldn't be too hard with your new found party dip recipe. Go ahead and take credit, just don't bring it to my party.

Ratatouille With Fried Eggs

Evelyn and I ran to a nearby farmers market on Wednesday. The colorful displays of fresh vegetables inspired last night's meal.

This recipe started with something I saw in this month's issue of Martha Stewart Living magazine. It was very easy to put together, and Chris and I felt so happy with every bite. Bonus: this tastes great at room temperature and even better the next day so it is a great meal to prepare for guests ahead of time.

Ratatouille With Fried Eggs
Serves 6-8

1 large eggplant, cut into 3/4" chunks
3 large tomatoes, cut into 3/4" chunks
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon of dried oregano
1 medium onion, halved and sliced
5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 zucchini, cut into 3/4" chunks
2 yellow bell peppers, cut into 3/4" chunks
8 slices rustic bread
8 eggs
kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

1. Toss tomatoes, thyme and oregano with 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a very large bowl. Set aside to marinate.
2. Toss eggplant, onion, garlic and 2 tablespoons olive oil together. Season with salt and pepper. Spread on to a large rimmed baking sheet.
3. Toss zuccini and bell peppers with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Spread on to a second large rimmed baking sheet.
4. Roast both sheets of vegetables until golden and tender (about 45 minutes). Rotate the pans once during roasting.
5. Remove pans from oven and immediately add hot vegetables to the large bowl with tomatoes. Stir well to combine and add salt and pepper to taste.
6. Brush bread slices with olive oil and toast in the oven, about 2 minutes
7. Fry up some eggs how you like 'em (the Martha Stewart version called for poached eggs, so keep that in mind, too).
8. Assemble: put one piece of toast on a plate, spoon on a generous helping of ratatouille, and top with the fried egg.

ENJOY!

www.homemademothering.com

Mellon pops

Hopefully Chef Tess will forgive me for pirating a photo. Do you guys know about Chef Tess? She makes food beautiful. I really hate watermelon. When I saw this though I had to try. Click here for the easiest, healthiest treat you can have this summer. Yummy and fresh.

Enchilada sauce

I am on a make everything by scratch kick. Last night I tried my own enchilada sauce. It was SO good and about 1/4 the price of the regular stuff.

Red Enchilada SauceIngredients:
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 T flour
6 T chili powder (I used 3 T reg. chili powder and 3 T pasilla de ancho powder)
2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes, pureed in blender or food processor until smooth
1 (14 oz) can of chicken broth (or just under two cups)
1 t ground cumin
1 t garlic powder
1 t onion salt
Directions: Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in flour and chili powder, reduce heat to medium, cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent burning the flour. Gradually stir in pureed tomatoes, chicken broth, and spices into flour and chili powder until smooth. Continue cooking over medium heat approximately 10 minutes, or until thickened slightly. Season to taste with salt.
**This makes a large batch. I used it to make a 9" x 13" pan of bean burros with red sauce and had 1 pint left over. The sauce is so yummy and really good mixed in with the pureed beans and served as a bean dip.
Thanks to Amy at Sisters Dish for this keeper.

Smashed Beans

(does the pic help or hinder?)
It seems like the world is getting into being more prepared. The other day I bought a 25 pound bag of pinto beans for around $10 at Costco. I got home and wondered what I was thinking because I have never cooked beans from scratch. Guess what....EASY! I found this recipe at Sisters Dish. It is so easy! Once again this saves me a ton of time. I make a big crockpot of these the first of the week and they are great as a side for fish tacos, a quick dinner or lunch of bean burritos, or for the start of east hearty bean soup (see below). I figure the whole pot is about $1 so it is a great deal (please note I always buy my seasonings at Smiths in bulk for pennies).
SMASHED BEANS
I rinse and soak 3 cups of beans for ~ an hour or longer(depending on how much time I have-I DO THEM OVERNIGHT). Then I rinse them again (IMPORTANT TO MAKE THEM NOT GASSY), put them in the crock pot with 3 T bacon grease ( I LEAVE THIS OUT)and cover them with 3 inches of water. If I need to add more water later in the day, I bring it to a boil in the microwave before adding it to the crock pot. I cook the beans on high for 5-6 hours (I DID THEM FOR 8-10), or until I can easily smash one of the beans between my finger and the counter top...make sense?:)
MY MOM'S TIP IS TO SCOOP OFF THE FOAM SEVERAL TIMES WHILE COOKING. THIS TIP MAKES THEM MUCH EASIER ON THE DIGESTION.
When the beans have about 1/2 hour left to cook I add the following: 5 jalapeno rings(from the jar, you could use fresh jalapeno), 1/2 T seasoning salt, 1/2 T garlic salt, 1/2 t onion powder, 1/2 t cumin and 1 T chili powder.
After that cooks for about 1/2 hour, I scoop out the beans with a slotted spoon to the food processor and puree with ~ 1 cup of cheese. I add liquid from the beans as I puree until I get my desired consistency.



Hearty Fiesta Bean Soup
Ingredients:
1 (15 oz) can chicken or vegetable broth (I used chicken)
1 (16 oz) can fat-free refried beans
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15.25 oz) can corn, drained and rinsed
1 (10 oz) can tomatoes & chilies, like RO*TEL (I used the 15 oz generic brand petite diced tomatoes with green chilies)
Directions: Put the broth and refried beans into a soup pot and heat, while whisking together, until the beans have incorporated fully into the broth.
Add the rest of the ingredients and heat, while stirring until the soup is boiling.
Serve with cilantro, cheese, sour cream and a couple dashes of Tabasco.

Limeade or Lemonade Ice Cream Pie

My oven broke over the weekend and I was supposed to bring the dessert to a friend's small dinner gathering. Oh crap! Cookies? No. Brownies? Cupcakes? Nope, all the easy options were out of the question. Luckily, I found this no-bake recipe for the yummiest summer dessert ever.

6 oz. limeade or lemonade concentrate
2 cups vanilla ice cream
1 plastic tub of whip topping
1 pre-made graham cracker crust

Thaw a bit the concentrate and ice cream. In a large bowl, pour in the concentrate. Mix well with an electric mixer until pretty smooth, like the consistency of a slurpee. Add the two cups of ice cream, one cup at a time. Mix well with electric mixer until creamy smooth (taste here required, yum). Then add the whole tub of whip topping, again mixing well with electric mixer. When all lumps are gone, spoon fluffy goodness into the pie crust. You might have a little bit extra filling, which is perfect for eating straight from the bowl. Freeze pie at least 4 hours or over night. Enjoy!

Paula Dean - Sour Cream Mini Muffins

(this is the only picture I could find -I am scooping them into the muffin tin)

My Mother in law introduced me to these tasty little muffins while we were in Hawaii.
She served them hot with yummy jams/preserves. Wish I had some right now with guava jelly!

Ingredients

• 2 cups self-rising flour
• 2 sticks butter, melted
• 1/2 pint sour cream
  

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine all ingredients and spoon into small, un-greased muffin tins. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes.

I found the recipe here

Lisa's Broccoli Salad

We had a BBQ yesterday and Lisa (the same one that has brought us many other recipes here) came and brought her broccoli salad. I have to say it was the yummiest Broccoli salad I have ever had. She got the main recipe out of "The Essential Mormon Cookbook" (a great cookbook if you don't have it) but she tweaked it a little. I think I have those tweeks here.
Broccoli Salad
2 bunches of fresh broccoli (she used some broccolini)
1 med purple onion finely chopped (she did it way more fine then I ever do and it was great!)
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
6 strips bacon cooked till crisp and crumbled
1/2 cup sunflower seeds (she used slivered almonds, marvelous)
1/2 cup raisins (she debated craisins which I also think would be good)

Mix together, adding bacon and dressing right before serving.

Dressing:
1 cup mayo
2 Tbsp Red vinegar
1/2 cup sugar (we both thought it would be better with 1/4 cup)
1/2 tsp salt
chill dressing at least one hour before tossing with salad

The Upper Echelon Bacon Sandwich

The King of All Gluttonous Sandwiches Meets High Society in this
Upper Echelon Bacon Sandwich

Ingredients:
-Applewood-Smoked Bacon (Thick-Cut Uncured)
-Granny Smith Apples (The more tart the better)
-Medjool Dates
-Cherry Peppers (Hot)
-Vinegar
-Honey
-Black Berries
-Club Soda
-Arugula

-Sourdough Bread
-White Balsamic Vinaigrette
-Black Pepper
-Salt
-Coconut Oil

Preparation Process:

You start by placing the desired portion of bacon on an unlined cookie sheet, grind on some fresh pepper and place in the oven at 400 degrees for 15 - 20 min. Remove from oven at desired crispness and allow 10 min for cooling and grease runoff.
Next place dates in lightly-oiled frying pan on medium heat to soften dates. In a separate lightly-oiled pan warm finely chopped cherry peppers and add desired salt and pepper to bring out heat and flavor. Remove the dates from the pan and butterfly them open and discard the seed.
You will also want to soak the black berries in freezing cold club soda. At the same time soak a healthy portion of Granny Smith Apple shreds in vinegar and honey and turn for consistent coverage.
Meanwhile toast the slices of sourdough bread with butter on hot surface until crisp.

Assembly and Consumption:

1 - Apply vinaigrette to bottom slice and place dates and black berries on generously.
2 - Build a cross-threaded heap of bacon atop black berries and dates for maximum stability.
3 - Cover with arugula, scattered cherry peppers and Granny Smith Apple shreds.
4 - Drizzle vinaigrette and honey over the pile and then set the top slice above all that goodness.
5 - Enjoy!

P.S. The leftover apples, dates, black berries, peppers and arugula make a great salad to adorn your plate with.

- Q

Chicken Stir-Fry

I've recently joined a produce co-op and in our latest pick up I signed up to get the asian pack which included bok choy, garlic, sugar snap peas things like that. I've never eaten bok choy, so why not try it now, right! Well, in trying to figure out what to make, I decided to use a sauce recipe I found from my friend's blog that was KILLER, and use it for this mis-mash of ingredients and dub it my stir-fry. I decided to double the sauce recipe this time, big mistake because it was WAY too saucy and got really dark. So just follow the regular directions below for best results!!

Click HERE for Holly's original Bourbon Chicken recipe that is equally as delicious!

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced
1/4 lb. sugar snap peas
4 oz. fresh button mushroooms sliced
1 large red bell pepper, julienned
5 whole leaves of bok choy, thinly sliced

I didn't measure any of the veggies, so that's entirely subjective, but here's the recipe for the sauce:

1 garlic clove (minced)
1 1-inch piece fresh ginger, chopped
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (I half this because of my kids)
¼ cup apple juice
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoon ketchup
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
½ cup water
1/3 cup soy sauce

Thinly slice chicken breasts, and dust them lightly with cornstarch. Heat oil in large frying pan and fry chicken bits in batches until lightly browned over medium-high heat. Remove from the pan and drain on paper towels and set aside. Leave the remaining oil in the pan and add the veggies to the pan. Saute for 5 minutes til crisp tender.

In a blender combine all sauce ingredients and blend for about 10-15 seconds. Strain the mixture into the frying pan and bring to a boil. Add chicken bits back to the pan, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes until sauce has thickened and reduced almost completely to thick glaze over chicken and peppers. Serve over hot steamed rice.

Root Beer Cookies

These are a fun novelty cookie the kids will love. They taste like Root beer. They were really moist. They have a TON of butter so I wouldn't make them often at all but they would be fun for a Memorial Day BBQ.
Root Beer Cookies
1 cup unsalted butter
2 cups dark brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. root beer extract (as called concentrate)
3 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/4 cup water (optional–only use if dough is too dry)
Root Beer frosting (recipe below)Cream butter and dark brown sugar until very light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the root beer extract. Whisk dry ingredients together. Add a little at a time to the creamed mixture. The dough should be slightly sticky.
Chill for at least an hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease several baking sheets, or line them with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. Roll into small balls (about 1″ diameter). I like to use a mini-ice cream scoop so that the cookies end up evenly sized.
Place them on the pan, leaving a bit of space between the cookies. Gently press the tops of the dough. (If you leave out the water, sometimes the cookies don’t spread very much.) Bake for 6-8 minutes, rotating cookie sheet halfway through. Makes about 4 dozen.
Frosting Recipe
1 cup butter
3 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp. root beer extract (also called concentrate)
a few tablespoons hot water
Beat butter on high with an electric mixer until it is fluffy. Add a little powdered sugar and the root beer extract. Beat until smooth. Add remaining powdered sugar alternately with a little hot water until a nice spreading consistency has been reached.
Frost the cooled cookies and let stand for a few minutes to let the frosting set up. (It should dry a bit on the top.) You can leave out the root beer extract and you’ll have a tasty, soft brown sugar cookie.

Granola Bars

Lee has a thing for the vending machine. It isn't good for his waistline or wallet. I made these and he has taken one (I cut mine bigger) everyday. He likes them and I figure it will save me about $20 a month! :)
Granola Bars
4 cups quick cooking oats (I used reg)
2 cup wheat flour
1 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup wheat germ
1tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 cup canola oil
1 cup honey
2 eggs
4 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup peanut butter chips (I used craisins)
1 cup chocolate chips (I used white choc)
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large jelly roll pan (12x17ish) with aluminum foil, and spray with "pam".2. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together. You may need to mix with your hands. Press evenly into the prepared baking pan.3. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until the edges are golden. Let cool about 5 minutes in the pan. Turn out onto a large cutting board and peel off foil. Cut with a sharp knife or pizza cutter. I usually cut 40 (4x10 rows). Let cool a bit more and then individually wrap with saran wrap. These freeze well. You can substitute the chocolate and peanut butter chips with your choice of add-ins. We have enjoyed chopped pretzel pieces with chocolate chips, craisins and almonds, white chocolate chips with macadamia nuts, coconut and raisins. Be creative and enjoy!

THE best chicken EVER!!!

I am on this new recipe a day thing. This YUMMY chicken we had tonight. I think I will have a hard time buying comercial BBQ sauce with all its preservatives after this. I have had a lot of chicken this was by far the best!

Quick and Easy Barbecue Sauce
1 1/2 c. ketchup
1/4 c. Worcestershire sauce
1 c. light brown sugar
1/2 c. red wine vinegar
2 1/2 Tbsp. dry mustard
2 tsp. smoked paprika (I used regular)
2 tsp. hot sauce (like Tabasco or Cholula)
2 tsp. Kosher salt
1 1/2 tsp. coarse freshly-ground black pepper
1/2 c. water


Old-Fashioned BBQ Chicken Legs
1 recipe Quick and Easy BBQ sauce (you can use regular or smoked paprika, whatever you prefer or have on hand)
2-3 pounds chicken legs, rinsed well and patted dry (I prefer boneless skinless chicken thighs). It's important to rinse them, especially if you're buying the non-frozen variety, because dark meat takes on a strong semi-fishy odor and taste when it sits in its own juices.
Now...don't be fooled by the simplicity. Quite literally, the secret is in the sauce here--you're not going to get the same results from a bottle of Kraft BBQ sauce. Something magical happens to this sauce and the dark chicken meat on the grill and it seriously tastes like something that came from a true-blue Southern BBQ restaurant.
Reserve 1 c. of sauce and marinate chicken in the remaining sauce for 8 hours or overnight. Grill over medium heat, basting with some of the reserved sauce, until it starts to blacken and internal temperature reaches 170 (about 10 minutes per side for boneless skinless thighs, give or take a little depending on their size...)
Remove from heat, drizzle with remaining sauce, and cover with a loose tent of aluminum foil for about 5-10 minutes so the chicken remains juicy.

Chicken Lo Mein-Light

I've made this recipe for my family for a few years now, but forgot about it for a few months. Well, in trying to figure out what to make for dinner, I was flipping through my cookbook and found this recipe again! I can't tell you enough how much I LOVE it! I LOVE the fresh vegetables and I absolutely LOVE the flavor of sesame oil! I hope you enjoy this as much as I do!

CHICKEN LO MEIN
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons sherry or chicken broth
1-1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon reduced-sodium chicken bouillon granules
1/2 cup hot water
6 ounces uncooked linguine
1/2 pound medium fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/4 pound fresh snow peas
1 large sweet red pepper, julienned
2 green onions, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
2 teaspoons sesame oil

In a large bowl, combine the cornstarch, ginger, soy sauce and sherry or broth until smooth. Add chicken and stir to coat; set aside. In a small bowl, dissolve bouillon granules in hot water; set aside.

Cook linguine according to package directions.

In a large nonstick skillet or wok, stir-fry mushrooms, snow peas, red pepper and green onions in 1 tablespoon canola oil for 3-5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

In the same skillet, stir-fry chicken mixture in remaining canola oil for 2-3 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Stir in dissolved bouillon. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Return vegetables to skillet.

Drain linguine; add sesame oil and linguine to skillet. Toss to coat. Cook 1-2 minutes longer or until heated through. Yield: 6 servings.

Nutrition Facts
One serving: 1-1/3 cups
Calories: 328
Fat: 10 g
Saturated Fat: 1 g
Cholesterol: 67 mg
Sodium: 515 mg
Carbohydrate: 27 g
Fiber: 3 g
Protein: 31 g
Diabetic Exchange: 3 lean meat, 1-1/2 starch, 1 vegetable, 1/2 fat.

Original recipe from Taste of Home: Healthy Cooking

Morning Glory Muffins

photo from flickr

I made these muffins for a church activity and I fell in love after the first bite. Well, I actually ate 3 or 4. So what? They have wheat germ and oat bran. Can't have enough of that stuff, right? They are super healthy and tasty!

¾ cup sugar

2 cups flour

¼ cup miller’s bran

¼ cup rolled oats

2 Tbs. wheat germ

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 tsp. baking soda

pinch of salt
¾ cup flaked, unsweetened coconut

1c. dark raisins

2c. grated carrots

1 apple grated

¾ cup chopped walnuts

3 eggs beaten

1c. vegetable oil

1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract

sugar

In a large bowl, combine sugar, flour, bran, oats, wheat germ, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In a small bowl, mix coconut, raisins, carrots, apple, and nuts. Add to dry ingredients.
In a small bowl, beat together eggs, oil and vanilla. Add to dry mixture and stir just until blended.

Fill greased muffin tins ¾ full. Sprinkle tops with sugar to create a glaze. Bake for 20 minutes at 375 degrees. Yields 18-20 muffins.*

* I usually will use the mini muffin tins. They are a great snack size for my kids.

Dinner on a Dime

First you can CLEARLY see I am not a food stylist, but you get the idea. About a year ago I went a month with only cooking new recipes. I am doing that again so there may be a great many new posts. Last night I tried THREE new recipes for dinner. I was pleased with all of them. Here is a run-down. Also I need to point out this dinner was CHEAP!!! The pork chops were totally moist and good but only 99 cents on sale at Smiths/Kroger. These also were all very easy. I had the whole meal on the table in under an hour.

I love Teriyaki marinade but I think it is a little pricey to buy. I was THRILLED when I found this marinade on Tried and True with Heidi If you haven't visited Heidi, it is a must.

Here is her marinade, I used the pork since I wanted to try it out before I committed to steak. I think it would be great on Chicken as well.

TERIYAKI SIRLOIN STEAK
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp ground mustard
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp garlic powder
1- 1 1/2 lb. sirloin steak
In a big zip loc bag, combine first 6 ingredients; add steak. Seal and turn to coat. Refrigerate at least 8 hours and grill until meat it done to your liking. Baste with marinade while cooking and then throw away what you don't use.

I also did the Roasted Potatoes off of Real Mom Kitchen she is another must check out. She topped them off with cheese. I did not. I thought they were great without.

Onion Roasted Potatoes

2 Lbs. Potatoes

1 (1 oz.) Package Dry Onion Soup Mix

2 Tablespoon Olive Oil(shredded cheese for the non-weight watcher version)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Wash and dry the potatoes, then cut into chunks. Place the potatoes into a 9x13 inch baking dish. Pour the olive oil on top of the potatoes and stir to coat evenly. Sprinkle the onion soup mix on top and stir to coat the potatoes. Bake for 40 minutes or until tender and golden brown, stirring occasionally. If they start to get too brown before they're tender, you can lay a piece of foil across the top of the dish. (Sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese for the non-weight watcher version)

Serves: 6 (each approx. 4 ounces cooked)Per Serving: (if no cheese is used) 173 Calories; 5g Fat (24.9% calories from fat); 4g Protein; 30g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; trace Cholesterol; 432mg Sodium. Exchanges: 2 Grain(Starch); 1 Fat.

Lastly I am always looking for a good roll recipe for Thanksgiving etc. This recipe reminds me of Pan de Sal if you have been to San Diego and have had the opportunity to eat that. These rolls were very easy. The have a SMALL jiffy cake mix in them but they are not really any sweeter then regular rolls. This was also at Heidis site.

CAKE MIX DINNER ROLLS

1 pkg. active dry yeast

1 1/2 cups warm water

3 1/4 cups flour

1 (9 oz) Jiffy cake mix, white or yellow

1/4 cup melted margarine

2 eggs whites, beaten

Dissolve yeast in warm water and let stand until creamy (about 10 minutes). Stir in cake mix and flour and mix until smooth. Knead dough on flour covered counter until not sticky. Turn into oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover with a damp towel and let rise until doubled (about 1 hour). Deflate and turn onto floured surface. Divide into 2 and let rest 5 minutes before rolling out into 12 inch circles. Using pizza cutter, slice into 10 portions per 12 inch circle. Brush with butter and roll up into crescent shapes. Place on greased baking sheets and brush with butter and beaten egg whites. Cover and let rise 25 minutes, or until doubled. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Brush with melted butter.