Bourbon Chicken

So I found this recipe, and it sounded great...but the name was confusing to me!  No bourbon in the bourbon chicken, whatever, I'll go with it!   It is very tasty, and reminded me of another recipe from Blogchef.  The orange chicken from this site was wonderful as well!  It has yummy asian flavors, and was great over rice.  It came together really quick, perfect for a weeknight meal :)


Bourbon Chicken


2lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
oil (for frying)
cornstarch (for dusting, optional)


Sauce-


1 garlic clove (minced)
¼ teaspoon ginger
¾ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
¼ cup apple juice
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoon ketchup
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
½ cup water
1/3 cup soy sauce


Cut chicken breasts into bit sized pieces, and if you choose lightly dust with cornstarch. Heat oil in your wok and fry chicken bits in batches until lightly browned. Drain on paper towels and set aside.


In a bowl combine all sauce ingredients. Pour into wok and bring to a boil. Add chicken bits back to the pan, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Winter Salad with Lemon Poppyseed Dressing

I'm not sure why this is called winter salad....the apples remind me of FALL, and the dressing is nice and refreshing, which screams SUMMER.  In any case, this salad was tasty!  I found this while scoping out See Jane in the Kitchen.  You must try :)  It reminds me of Panera's Summer Salad, just with different fruit.

1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 tsp diced green onion (or just onion)
1 tsp Dijon-style mustard
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup veg oil
1 Tbs poppy seeds
1 head Romain lettuce or a mixture of different kinds of lettuce (I used more lettuce, 1 didn't look like near enough, I used 2)
4 oz shredded Swiss cheese (I cut up some swiss cheese slices instead)
1 cup slivered almonds. (or you can use cashews if you want)
1/4 cup dried cranberries (Craisins)
1 apple-peeled, cored and diced
1 pear-peeled, cored and diced

1. In a blender or food processor, combine sugar, lemon juice, onion, mustard and salt. Process until well blended. Add oil in slow steady stream until mixture is thick and smooth. Add poppy seeds and process just a few seconds more to mix.

2. In a large serving bowl combine the lettuce, shredded Swiss cheese, almonds, dried cranberries, cubed apple and cubed pear. Toss to mix then pour dressing over salad just before serving and toss to coat.

Pistachio Layered Dessert

One of my favorite desserts growing up was Layered Chocolate Dessert, and when I saw this I knew I'd love it!  My hubby LOVES pistachio in every way, shape and form, so I decided to try my favorite with a new flavor, and it was wonderful!  This recipe caught my eye over at Peachtree Cooking.

Crust:

1 1/4 cup flour
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cube butter (room temp) cubed

Mix the flour and butter together and add the nuts. Reserve about 1/4 cup and set aside. Press remaining mixture into a 9x13 pan and cook at 350 for 20 minutes. Cool completely.

Layer One:

8 oz. Cream Cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 c. fresh whipped cream (or use Cool Whip)

Mix together until smooth and spread on the cooled crust.

Layer Two:

1 small package instant pistachio pudding
1 small package instant vanilla pudding
2 1/2 cups milk
1 tsp vanilla

Mix together, cool until thickened (about 2 min.) and spread over layer one. Top the whole thing off with a layer of fresh whipped cream and sprinkle reserved crust mixture on top. Enjoy!

Easy Stromboli

Here is one last easy weeknight meal for you.  The only hard part is remembering to put your bread out in the morning long enough to unthaw and rise.  The possibilities are endless with the fillings for these. I have a list of "stuffers" for these strombolis...

-Broccoli, cooked and diced chicken, and cheese dipped in Alfredo sauce

-Ground beef seasoned with taco seasoning, mexican blend cheese, olives, green onions, and cilantro dipped in salsa

-Precooked meatballs, mozzarella, italian seasonings, and parmesan dipped in marinara

Use your imagination!  

 This stromboli is fabulous dipped in this marinara sauce.  

Easy Stromboli

4 loaves frozen white bread, thawed
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 lb. shaved deli ham
1/2 lb. salami, sliced
1/2 lb. pepperoni, sliced (I like to use sandwich pepperoni)
1/2 lb. provolone, slice thin
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
Spices: garlic powder, Italian blend spice, oregano, basil, parsley, rosemary, red pepper flakes. (Use what you like in the amounts that you like)
1-2 eggs, beaten
additional Parmesan to sprinkle on top

Let bread dough rise until doubled. Roll each into 12 X 15 inch rectangles. Sprinkle 1/2 cup mozzarella down the center of the bread. Arrange 1/4 of all of the meats and provolone over the mozzarella. Sprinkle with Parmesan and spices. Roll up, jelly roll style, tucking ends and sealing seams. Repeat with remaining loaves of bread and ingredients. Place seam side down on 2 greased baking sheets. Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with additional Parmesan. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes, until golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing. Serve with pizza sauce.

Recipe Source:  Krista's Kitchen

5 Minute Marinara Sauce

I love making homemade sauces versus buying the jarred variety.  I think it gives your meal just a little more love behind it :)  This marinara is no exception with only a few minutes of prep time.  

It definitely has a kick with the red pepper flakes, but I like it spicy!  The recipe said it is a Rachael Ray recipe, so I'll go with that :)  It was delicious with the stromboli...I will definitely make it again and try it on some other dishes!

5 Minute Marinara

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (I use less)
3 cloves garlic crushed
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (crush in palm before throwing them in to release flavor)
1 TB tomato paste (I didn't have this, so I left it out)
1 32-ounce can chunky-style crushed tomatoes
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon Italian dried seasoning
1 handful flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped

Add the olive oil to a medium sized saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and crushed pepper. When the pepper snaps and the garlic sizzles, add the tomato paste, cook for a minute, then stir in the crushed tomatoes. Season the sauce with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Cook for five minutes and stir in parsley.

Recipe Source: Sisters Cafe

Brownie Covered Oreos

 Why didn't I think of that?! Such a simple thing, yet so delicious! The recipe calls for drizzling with white chocolate, which would have made them even better, but are great without. Give them a try when you have a cookie craving!


Brownie Covered Oreos
From: Picky Palate


1 Brownie mix (or use your own brownie recipe)
1 package Oreos (all the holiday colored ones would look great!)
White chocolate, melted for drizzle, or Wilton White frosting pen works great
White nonpariels Sprinkles


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare brownie batter according to package directions. Leave in mixing bowl. Dip Oreos in brownie batter then place in bottom of cupcake tins that have been generously sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until brownies are cooked through (doesn’t take long). As soon as you remove, take a plastic knife and run along edges, (this is VERY important so you get the cookie out with brownies not stuck to pan .


Let cool for 5 minutes, remove drizzle with melted white chocolate or the Wilton White icing pen, sprinkle with nonpariels and EAT!


Makes entire package of Oreos

Baked Ziti

I've been trying to compile some "classic" recipes, those recipes that everyone has their own version of.  You know what I'm talking about, your classic roast, fettucine alfredo, chicken parmesean, potato soup, cheesecake, lasagna, chocolate chip cookies, all those kind of staples that everyone knows how to make, just having a slight variation.  This is one of those.  I found this recipe on See Jane in the Kitchen.  It caught my eye with the provolone and the sour cream, a little different than many other I had seen. The sour cream melts much better than the traditional ricotta cheese.

1 pound ziti
1 onion, chopped
1 pound lean ground beef (I used some italian sausage instead)
2 jars spaghetti sauce
6 ounces provolone cheese, sliced
1 1/2 cups sour cream (I'm sure ricotta cheese would be great as well)
6 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Cook ziti until al dente, drain and set aside. Cook the ground beef with the onion and drain fat. Add spaghetti sauce and let simmer for at least 15 minutes. In a 9 x 13 pan, layer 1/2 the ziti, provolone cheese, sour cream, 1/2 the sauce mixture, remaining ziti, mozzarella, remaining sauce and top with parmesan cheese.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Crescent Chicken Rolls

I'm pretty sure you can find a variation of this recipe in every ward cookbook out there.  It is just one of those recipes that everyone has had, whether you call it a chicken pillow, roll, or what have you.  This particular version comes from See Jane in the Kitchen.  The only thing I changed was I added a green onion and omitted the mushrooms.  They were great with some mashed taters and a veggie!

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup mushrooms (I omitted)
2 cups chicken, cooked and diced
salt and pepper to taste
1 green onion, white and green parts sliced
2 packages refrigerated crescent rolls
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 box seasoned stuffing mix, crushed (It is easiest to buy the one step stuffing with the seasonings already mixed in then put it in a ziploc bag and crush it with your rolling pin)
2 cups chicken gravy

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cream cheese and butter together. Add pecans, mushrooms, salt and pepper. Add chicken. Place one heaping tablespoon mixture in each roll. Roll up and seal edges. Brush roll in melted butter and roll in stuffing crumbs. Bake on parchment lined cookie sheet for 15-20 minutes, watch them carefully, sometimes the bottoms brown fast. Be sure to check them after 15 minutes. Top with chicken gravy.

Buffalo Chicken Chili

I found a new blog that is wonderful!  Lots of healthy recipes, and it gives the calorie count for each dish, which is great!  This recipe comes from Debbie Does Dinner.  I was hoping for this chili to have more of a "buffalo" flavor, but it did not.  Don't get me wrong, it was still quite delicious...and not to mention good for you.  It has lots of veggies, and the final calorie count is 219 calories per 1 cup serving.  Awesome :)

2 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 large carrots
4 stalks celery
1 large red pepper
1 large onion
5 cloves of garlic
1/3 cup chili powder
2 tbsp. ground cumin
1 tbsp. paprika
1/2 cup Franks Hot Sauce
2 (15 oz) cans tomato sauce
1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (15 oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 oz) can chili beans in sauce (do not drain)
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook chicken with a bit of water in pan until cooked and easy to shred. Shred chicken and put in crockpot Heat a bit of cooking spray in pan and cook onions, carrots, pepper and garlic about 8 minutes. Add veggie mixture to crock pot. Add all the other ingredients and mix together. Cook on low for several hours until hot and flavors have come together.

**Alternate method: You can mix everything on the stove top at a simmer and cook for an hour.

Honey BBQ Crockpot Ribs

Again, gotta love the crockpot on a Sunday.  Nothing like a no fuss meal after wrestling kids through church!  These turned out really tasty, tender and juicy.  The recipe came from a ward cookbook I got for Christmas...those are the best!

3lb. boneless pork ribs (we had bone-in)
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 c. ketchup
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2  c. honey
1/2 c. spicy brown mustard
2 Tbsp. worcestershire sauce

Place ribs in bottom of crock pot.  Cover and cook on HIGH for 3 hours.  Drain.  Reduce heat to LOW.  In bowl, combine remaining ingredients.  Mix well.  Pour over ribs in crock pot.  Cover and cook on LOW for 3 more hours.

 It was dang delicious with a baked potato!

Baked Bacon and Cheese Perogis

Perogis are so dang good!  The way I usually eat them is just by frying them up in a pan with butter and putting a dollop of sour cream on top.  This sounded so much better!  And talk about easy...frozen perogis, hardly no work!  This recipe comes to you from Elizabeth's Edible Experience.  I like to double the sauce, it never hurts to have more!

1 (16-ounce) package frozen potato and onion pierogies (we used 4 cheese)
Cooking spray
6 center-cut bacon slices, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup (3 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
1/2 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup thinly diagonally sliced green onions
1/4 cup chopped seeded plum tomato
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 head of broccoli, cut in to florets

Preheat oven to 400°.

Arrange the frozen pierogies and broccoli in an 9x13-inch glass baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Cook bacon in a saucepan over medium heat until crisp; remove from pan. Set aside.

Add garlic to drippings in pan, and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add 1/3 cup cream cheese to pan, and cook for 1 minute or until cream cheese begins to melt, stirring frequently. Gradually add chicken broth to pan, stirring with a whisk until smooth.

Pour the cream cheese mixture evenly over pierogies.

Top evenly with 1/2 cup cheddar cheese.

Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until bubbly and thoroughly heated. Remove from oven, and sprinkle with bacon, green onions, tomato, and pepper.