Valentine's Treats

Miss V and I looked for Valentine Treats for her friends on Pinterest.  Well the first one she picked out was You Rock with small packs of Pop Rocks.  I couldn't find them anywhere!

So her next choice was this one.  I picked up a huge bag of Starburst candy and downloaded the printable from BHG.com.  Well I printed out the bag topper and Miss V went to write her name in the box.  Well she couldn't fit it and was upset.

Me being the crafty/techie mom that I am, just recreated the label in PaintShop and wrote her name in a pretty font.

The bags I found at Hobby Lobby and I think they are 3x4 inch.

Low Fat Baked General Tso Chicken

Wow I have been on a roll of trying good recipes from Pinterest lately.  Yesterday I was going through one of my boards and everything I pulled up needed and onion and for some strange reason, I didn't have any.

I finally came across this recipe for Low Fat Baked General Tso Chicken.  I peeked through the fridge and pantry and had everything thing.  Whew..

Preheat your oven to 375.

Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray.

3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces
1 egg and 2 tbs of water to make an egg wash

In a large ziploc combine:
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
3 tbs ground ginger
2 tsp kosher salt

Dip the chicken into the egg wash and then place into the flour mix.  Shake to coat each piece of chicken.  I did this in batches.  Place the coated chicken onto the cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes.  Turn the chicken pieces and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes or until cooked through.

The sauce:
In a small bowl combine:
4 tbs low sodium soy sauce
4 tbs rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup water
2 tbs sesame oil
2 tbs chili sauce
1/2 tsp salt
3 cloves of garlic minced or finely chopped
3 tbs fresh grated ginger
Set aside

In a wok pan add 1/4 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar.  Cook until it becomes a light caramel color.  Then add the sauce.  Be very careful when you add the sauce.  It does boil up very quickly and is very sticky.  Simmer this for a few minutes until combined.

Add the cooked chicken to the sauce and toss or stir to combine. 

Serve over white rice.

Toll House Cookie Bars with a Valentines Twist

Have you ever heard of Shopkicks?  It is an app that you can get "kicks" for walking into certain stores and scanning items.  You then can turn your "kicks" into gift cards.

Well the other day I was at Target doing my scanning and one of the items that I had to scan was Valentine M&M's.  I thought they were so cute that I needed to pick up a package.

So yesterday I made the standard Toll House Cookie Dough and added in 3/4 of the Valentine M&M's

Ingredients
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs

Preheat oven to 375° F.

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in M&M's

PAN COOKIE VARIATION:

Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan. Prepare dough as above. Spread into prepared pan. Press on the other 1/4 package of M&Ms.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan on wire rack. Makes 4 dozen bars.

Copycat Panera Asian Sesame Chicken Salad

Whew what a busy week.  I made this the other night and finally have a chance to blog it.  I found the recipe on Pinterest and you can find the original recipe at Iowa Girl Eats.  This make four nice sized portions

There are a lot of steps for this, but it is so worth it.

Salad
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 bag pre-washed baby spinach
1 bag of your favorite lettuce mix (no other veggies)
11oz can mandarin oranges packed in water
1/4 cup sliced almonds
Baked or fried wonton strips (I couldn't find any so I bought a container of fried rice noodles)
Toasted Sesame seeds

First I made the dressing so that it would cool.

1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
2 tbs vegetable oil
1-1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp kosher salt
pepper
1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds, toasted

Bring vinegar to a boil in a small saucepan. Turn off the heat, then add in the sugar and salt, stir until dissolved. Let cool. Combine with the rest of the dressing ingredients in a jar, and shake to combine.  I actually used a left over clear bottle that held Publix Red Wine Vinegar.  I think I will keep that bottle since it came in so handy.

Next the marinade for the chicken.

3 tbs low sodium soy sauce
2 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Whisk together chicken marinade ingredients, and marinate chicken for 15 to 30 minutes. Grill until done, then let the chicken rest for 5 minutes. Cut into slices.

Divide lettuce and spinach between four plates. Top with sliced chicken, salad dressing, and toppings then drizzle with the salad dressing.

Everyone loved this salad and we definitely make it again!!

Emeril's Kicked-Up Sandwiches

Well, I bought my first e-book yesterday.  You are probably wondering why I am talking about it here.  Well this is what I bought.

I am always borrowing Miss V's iPad to look up recipes in the kitchen instead of dragging out my laptop.  I quickly peeked through the book before church and found a few that I can't wait to try.

Do you have any cookbooks on your e-reader/iPad?  If so what books do you have and how do you like looking at those instead of an actual book??

Greek Dip

Here is another idea I pinned a few weeks ago.  I made this yesterday for a Superbowl party that we went to.  You can find the original post on The Lovely Cupboard.

Spread the two tubs of Hummus into a serving bowl/platter.

Then finely chop the English Cucumber and place that on top of the hummus.

Then finely chop the red bell pepper and olives.  Spread those on top of the cucumbers.

Sprinkle on the crumbled Feta Cheese and Dill

We served this with Stacy's Pita Chips.  This was very tasty!!!

S'Mores Bites

I pinned this recipe a few weeks ago.  I figured it would be a quick dessert.  You can find the original post at Tip Junkie.

Preheat oven to 400.

Microwave the Graham crackers for about 30 seconds until soft.  Use a serrated knife and cut into pieces.

Then add milk chocolate chips and mini marshmallows.

Put them in the preheated oven until the marshmallows begin to puff up and chocolate is getting melted.

Then quickly press them together.  You may have to reheat them if they begin to cool off to quickly.  Then cool in the fridge for about 15 minutes.  Take the remaining chocolate chips and melt in a small bowl or glass measuring cup.  Dip one end of the S'mores bites then place back on the parchment lined pan.  Cool again in the refrigerator until the chocolate is hardened.

I did leave some plain.  They came out really well and I definitely will make them again.

Round Cheese Bread

I spotted this recipe in an old Taste Of Home Magazine and thought it would go well with pasta and sauce.  You can find the original recipe here Round Cheese Bread.

1 1/2 cup Bisquick
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 grated Parmesan (I used a 3 cheese blend)
1/2 tsp dried Italian seasoning
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
2 tbs melted butter, (I used butter flavored cooking spray)
additional Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400.

In a large bowl, combine the Bisquick, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, Italian Seasoning, milk and egg (batter is VERY thick).

Spoon/press into a greased 9-in. round baking pan. Drizzle with butter; sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese.

Bake at 400° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes. Cut into wedges. Serve warm. Yield: 6-8 servings.

It was pretty good, but I think a yeast type of bread just works better with pasta and sauce.

Sesame Chicken

Yep another yummy dinner courtesy of Pinterest.  You can find the original recipe at Let's Dish.  I did change some things and here is how I made it.

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup corn starch
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/8 tsp of ground cloves
1/8 tsp of ground cinnamon
3 or 4 skinless, boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into small bite size cubes
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1/3 cup teriyaki sauce
1/3 cup honey
1 tbs soy sauce
2 tbs toasted sesame seeds

Place the first 8 ingredients in a ziploc bag and mix well.

In a small bowl mix the teriyaki sauce, honey and soy sauce.

Add the chicken to the flour mixture and shake well.

Heat a wok pan to medium high heat and add the peanut oil.  When the oil is hot, shake off the excess flour mix and place chicken into the hot oil and stir fry until golden brown and chicken is cooked through.

Turn down the temp to medium and add the sauce mixture and let cook until bubbly and thickened.  Then add the sesame seeds.

Serve with Fried Rice.

This was very good and I am so glad that I invested in a large wok pan.

Prosciutto Wrapped Chicken

Here is another recipe I tried from Pinterest.  You can find the original recipe at Stacey Snacks.  I made it Saturday night.

1/4 cup olive oil, plus a little more more for drizzling
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
fresh rosemary sprigs, I clipped mine from my shrub
3 large chicken breasts cut in half
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 slices prosciutto
balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 375

Pour about 1/4 cup olive oil into a small bowl and add the garlic.

Strip the leaves off one sprig of rosemary and finely chop and add that to the olive oil garlic mix.   Cut the remaining rosemary up into 6 small sprigs about the size of the chicken pieces.

Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper to taste, and add them to the garlic mixture.

Place a rosemary sprig in the center of each piece of chicken and then wrap the prosciutto around them. The sprigs should stick out a bit at a little bit.  Drizzle with a bit more oil and place in a baking dish.

Bake for about 40 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.

I served this with rice pilaf and prosciutto wrapped cantaloupe.

 

Regrowing Green Onions update

This is so cool!!

Rolled Butter Cookies with Marshmallow Fondant

I have been searching for a week or so for ideas on a good rolled cookie that could handle fondant for the decorations.  I am absolutely horrible with royal icing.  So somehow I found a site called Tidy Mom.  She has the most brilliant video tutorial on rolling out cookie dough.  Seriously who would have thought to roll the dough out THEN chill it. 

I don't know about you, but I despise making rolled out cookie dough.  It is always such a hassle!  I really watched the video a few times and just shook my head. 

You can see the video at Tidy Mom Rolling Cookie Dough.

I also decided to use her cookie dough but did skip the almond extract.  I didn't think it would go so well with the Marshmallow Fondant that I made with Lemon Extract.  You can find the original recipe at Tidy Mom Halloween Cookies.

6 cups flour

4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 cups unsalted butter - room temp

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

2 eggs - room temp

4 Tbsp milk

3 tsp vanilla

Combine flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.

Cream sugar and butter, then add eggs milk and vanilla.

Slowly add the flour mixture and beat until combined.

Roll out on waxed paper about 1/4 inch thick and then put into the fridge for 20 minutes.  While chilling preheat oven to 350.

After chilling out shapes and place them on a parchment lined cookie sheet.

Bake for 10-12 minutes.  You do not want them to brown.  I did find that 12 minutes were perfect for my very large cookies.

When cooled decorate.  I actually made a batch of Marshmallow fondant the day before.  I rolled it out and cut stars out with the same cookie cutter that I was going to use for the cookies.  I let them air dry a bit over night.

When each tray of the cookies came out of the oven, I let them cool for about 2 minutes then gently placed a fondant star on top and push down very gently to make sure it was adhering to the cookie.  Then let them cool completely.  I ended up with about 30 large cookies.

I am sorry that I didn't snap pictures during the process.  I really needed and wanted to keep my full attention on the cookies.  Next time I will defintely take pictures.

As for decorating on top of the fondant.  I did use some premixed royal icing packets left over from our gingerbread houses.  I did not like they way it looked so I wiped it off with a wet paper towel and let the fondant dry.  Luckily I realized this after one cookie.

When all the cookies were completely cooled, I put them on a large tray and placed the white and purple chocolate Paw Prints around the tray and on some of the cookies.

I am happy to say, that the tray was gobbled up and not one cookie or candy came home.  Poor Miss V didn't get to have one at the game.  Luckily for her I did keep a cookie or two home.

Sharing this recipe here:
Melt In Your Mouth Monday #101

Regrowing Green Onions update

This has been really cool to watch.

Kellogg's crunchy nut roasted nut

So the other day Miss V and I went grocery shopping and picked up a box of Kellogg's Crunchy Nut Roasted Nut O's with my coupon from Bzz Agent.

When I poured the cereal into the bowl, I snitched an O.  It was really good and kept eating them until half the bowl was gone.  I then added the milk and WOW I am really liking this cereal as much as the Crunchy Nut Flakes.  Again they are sweet but not overly sweet and you can definitely taste a nice roasted peanut flavor.  I know this may seem strange to some people, but Miss V likes to add cereal to her yogurt sometimes and I think the Crunchy Nut O's would be a good option for vanilla yogurt.

Some of the online coupon sites do have a coupon this week if you wanted to print one out and try it for yourself.

Regrowing Green Onions update

Well I guess they do regrow!

I started them on Tuesday and yesterday I was shocked to see a bit of growth.  This morning there is even more!  How cool is that????

Can you regrown green onions? Day 1

I know we have all seen posts or pins about regrowing green onions.  So after I cut up the ones for dinner, I put the white parts with the little roots still attached into tall shot glasses.  I wonder what they will look like in a few days.

Stay tuned.......

Thai Peanut Noodles

Winner, Winner Chicken diner again thanks to Pinterest.  I recently pinned this recipe a few days ago and really needed to try it.  You can find the original recipe at Iowa Girl Eats.  The only problem is that we don't have a wok anymore.

Well I stopped by Target and picked up a nice wok pan.

Anyway...I doubled the original recipe since I wanted to make sure to have leftovers.  I didn't use tofu so I used a couple of chicken breasts

8oz cooked linguine or rice noodles, cooked and set aside
4 teaspoons peanut oil, divided
3 large chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
Kosher salt and  pepper
1 cup shelled frozen edamame
4 green onions, sliced
2 cups coleslaw mix
1 cup snap peas
1 cup asparagus
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 eggs
sesame oil
1/2 cup peanuts, chopped

For the sauce
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
2 tbs granulated sugar
2 1/2 tbs smooth peanut butter
4 Tablespoons water
1 1/2 tbs chili garlic paste

Add all sauce ingredients into a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for one minute seconds, then stir until smooth. Set aside.

Heat a wok pan on high and add 2 tsp of peanut oil. Season chicken with kosher salt and pepper, then add into the wok and cook, stirring frequently, until cooked through and golden brown. Remove to a a large mixing bowl.

 Add 2 tsp of peanut oil to the wok then add in edamame, green onions, coleslaw mix, snap peas, asparagus and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently until vegetables are tender but still a bit crisp and coleslaw is wilted about 5 minutes for this double batch. Remove vegetable and put with the chicken.

In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and a dash of sesame oil. Add to the wok and stir constantly until scrambled and cooked a bit dry.

Add cooked chicken, vegetables and cooked noodles back into the wok.  Pour the reserved sauce into wok and toss all ingredients to combine and everything is heated through.

Sprinkle the chopped peanuts on top of the stir fry and you may add more green onions.

 

 

This came out better than what I thought and so glad we have leftovers.