kung pao chicken

i'm always looking for take out recipes that i can make at home for a fraction of the cost. my husband is a huge fan of kung pao chicken (i'm a kung pao shrimp fan myself) so one day i came across this recipe and thought that i would give it a try. and it turned out excellent and its alot easier than i thought it would be! i also use this recipe and just replace the chicken with shrimp and it turns out amazing

kung pao chicken
from http://chinesefood.about.com/od/poultry/r/kungpaodeepfry.htm

2 boneless chicken breasts, about 6 ounces each

Marinade:

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

2 teaspoons cold water

2 teaspoons cornstarch

Sauce:

3 teaspoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon chicken broth or water

a few drops sesame oil

1 tsp cornstarch

Other:

6 to 8 small dried red chili peppers, or as desired

2 garlic cloves,

1/2 cup skinless, unsalted peanuts

olive oil

Cut the chicken into 1-inch cubes. Mix in the soy sauce, red wine vinegar, water and cornstarch. Marinate the chicken for 30 minutes.

In a small bowl, mix together the sauce ingredients, whisking in the cornstarch last.

Remove the seeds from the chile peppers and chop. Peel and finely chop the garlic.

Heat wok with some olive oil. Carefully slide the chicken into the wok, cook through. Remove and place to the side.

Heat some olive oil. Add the chilies peppers and stir-fry until the skins starts to darken and blister. Add the garlic. Stir-fry until aromatic (about 30 seconds). Add the chicken back into the pan. Stir-fry briefly, then push up to the sides of the wok and add add the sauce in the middle, stirring quickly to thicken. Stir in the peanuts. Mix everything together and serve hot.

Chocolate chip dip

here is a fabulous recipe that i got from my cousin michelle. she made it for a party and brought along scooby snacks to dip in it. be prepared... its absolutely addicting!

Chocolate chip dip

1 8oz. Cream cheese (room temp)
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 Tbsp. Brown sugar
1/4 Tsp. Vanilla extract
1 cup Mini Choc. Chips

Mix all of it together, add the chips last. serve with graham crackers.

benihana style egg fried rice

my husband LOVES benihana's fried rice... but he hates vegetables and only likes eggs in his fried rice. i have tried many fried rice recipes in the past and they have all been BAD. i thought that fried rice was just a recipe that i couldn't do well... until i came across this recipe. i made it for the first time a couple of weeks ago and my husband absolutely loved it...he has been craving chinese food ever since and has beggd me to make this fried rice again.

i have to add that i did some research before i attempted this recipe. from the website below, i read all the comments that people said and found that someone said that they use garlic butter. so i made garlic butter the day before i made this fried rice. its pretty simple...

GARLIC BUTTER
1 stick of butter softened
1-2 garlic cloves

i just let a stick of butter soften in a bowl and then grated a clove of garlic into it. i used a spatula to mix it very well. i then placed it back in the fridge until i was ready to use it.

also, i read that the rice should be cooked a day ahead of time. i knew i would be making this for dinner this morning, so when i woke up i put a cup of uncooked rice in my steamer and let it cook. when it was done i placed it in the fridge to cool completely.

anyways here is the recipe...

Egg fried rice
http://runninginstilettos-hbc.blogspot.com/2011/03/benihana-style-chicken-fried-rice.html

Ingredients:
2 cups steamed rice, cooled completely
2 eggs
3 tablespoons garlic butter (recipe above)
2 teaspoons soy sauce (or more to taste)
pepper to taste

Directions:
- Scramble eggs in a woke and chop after cooking. 
- Break off chunks of steamed rice and mix in wok with egg. 
- Add butter and soy sauce into the mixture and pepper, stirring well until done.

spaghetti and meatball soup

i've been trying to eat healthier the last few weeks to shed some extra lbs that i gained over the holidays. so needless to say i have been trying to put the desserts on pause and focus on healthier recipes. because of this i have been mostly focusing on skinnytaste.com

i found this recipe awhile back but never actually tried it before now. i thought that it was good... i think personally i could have used some more spices, but that was my doing because i didn't want to overpower my kids...who both seemed to enjoy it...my daughter loved the spaghetti and kept signing for more (she's not talking yet so i've been teaching her sign language) it was absolutely the cutest thing. i would make this recipe again just to see her keep asking for more lol

one thing i will say about this is that i had trouble keeping the meatballs together when they were cooking... im not sure why but this has been happening to me the last few times that i have made meatballs so if anyone has any suggestions as to why this could be happening or tips on how to prevent this, please let me know!

also i have to ask you to not judge the recipes by my pics... they are poor quality photos that i take with my phone for easy uploading. one day i do hope that my blog is successful enough to spend the time taking fancy pics though!

spaghetti and meatball soup
from http://www.skinnytaste.com/2008/03/meatball-and-spaghetti-soup-5-ww-pts.html

4 cups chicken broth
1 cup vegetable broth
2 cups water 
2 chopped clove garlic, divided
1/2 onion, chopped, divided
3-4 tbsp tomato sauce
pinch crushed red pepper flakes
pepper
6 oz dry cut up spaghetti
16 oz  ground turkey
1 small egg
1/4 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 tbsp fresh chopped basil

In a pot over medium heat, bring broth, water, 1 clove crushed garlic, 1/4 of the chopped onion, tomato sauce, crushed red pepper flakes and pepper to a boil; simmer about 5 minutes

Meanwhile, make the meatballs by combining ground turkey, parmesan cheese, egg, remaining garlic, remaining onion, breadcrumbs and pepper. Form into little meatballs (mine made 26).

Place meatballs into the broth, cook about 3 minutes; add pasta and cook according to package directions. Add fresh basil, adjust salt and pepper to taste.

baked onion rings

today i made chicken gyros (requested again by my husband because he loved them so much last time) and i thought i'd try out a new side dish. i found these onion rings on skinnytaste.com (fabulous website that will become a MUST in your favorites after visiting it just once). these are excellent! i normally did onion rings in ketchup or honey mustard but these were excellent completely by themselves!

Baked Onion Rings
from http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/03/low-fat-baked-onion-rings.html

1 medium onion, sliced into 1/4 inch rings
2 1/4 cups low fat buttermilk
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup Italian seasoned whole wheat bread crumbs
1/4 cup crushed corn flake crumbs
cooking spray

Place slices of onion in a shallow dish. Pour the buttermilk over the top and let them soak for about 1 - 2 hours in the refrigerator.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper sprayed with cooking spray.

Combine panko, bread crumbs and corn flakes and place half of the crumbs in a large dish. Reserve the rest for when the first batch is used up. This helps avoid clumping and they should stick better to the onions. Dip each soaked onion ring into the crumb mixture; coat well. Place rings onto cookie sheet. Lightly spray with oil. Bake about 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

chicken gyros on homemade pita with fat free tzatziki sauce

let me just start out by saying that i know i haven't posted recipes in a couple of days... and i'd like to say that it's because i've been too busy to cook. this is not the case... i've had some BAD outcomes over the last few days! so that makes this recipe turning out all the better...

i included all of the websites below where i got the actual recipes, but i have to give props to this website   http://foodgawker.com/popular/favorites/page/2/          for introducing me to all the websites in the first place (and many more with recipes that i cant wait to try!) now on to the recipes themselves.

AMAZING! that pretty much sums up this meal. i was a little scared to make the pitas because i'm not much of a baker... but they were really easy and turned out amazing! (i don't even normally like pita bread so i was especially thrilled when these turned out so well) so here i go... i will start with the homemade pitas...

homemade pitas
from http://annies-eats.com/2008/08/10/pita-bread/

Ingredients:
3 cups flour, plus more as needed
1 ½ tsp. salt
1 tbsp. sugar
1 packet instant yeast
1 ¼ to 1 ½ cups water, roughly at room temperature
2 tbsp. olive oil, vegetable oil, butter or shortening

Mix the yeast in with the flour, salt, and sugar.  Add the olive oil and 1 ¼ cup water and stir together with a wooden spoon.  All of the ingredients should form a ball.  If some of the flour will not stick to the ball, add more water.

Once all of the ingredients form a ball, using an electric mixer mix at low speed for 10 minutes.  As the dough is mixing, continue to add flour, a tablespoon or two at a time, until the dough clears the sides of the bowl and is tacky but not sticky.  (I had to add a significant amount of flour)

When you are done kneading the dough, place it in a bowl that has been lightly coated with oil. Form a ball out of the dough and place it into the bowl, rolling the dough around so that it has a light coat of oil on all sides. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and set aside to rise until it has doubled in size, approximately 90 minutes.

sweet chili-honey glazed chicken in the crock pot

i am always looking for good asian inspired recipes that i can do easily at home. i found this one a little bit ago and finally got the okay from my husband (he's super picky about food... and he has never been a fan of anything i've made in the crockpot)

sweet chili-honey glazed chicken in the crock pot
adapted from http://realmomkitchen.com/34/honey-glazed-chicken/

2  uncooked chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces
1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
3 T butter

1/4 cup honey
3 T lemon juice
2 T soy sauce
1/2 tsp. ground ginger ( i plan on using less next time)

1/4 cup thai sweet chili sauce

 In a shallow dish combine the flour and seasonings. Dip each piece of chicken in flour mixture and coat evenly.Melt 2T of the butter in a frying pan. Brown chicken pieces (don't worry about cooking through since it is going to finish cooking in the crockpot). Move chicken to crock pot.

In a small saucepan, melt remaining butter and add honey, lemon juice, soy sauce, thai sweet chili sauce and ginger. When combined, pour over chicken in crock pot and stir.

Cook on low for 4 to 5 hours or high for 2 to 3 hours. Serve over rice or with fried rice (i found a copycat benihana fried rice recipe that i made and my husband LOVED the combination of the two!)

Salsa

i made this salsa for the first time a few days ago and it was a huge hit with my husband! the whole batch didn't last through the night! and it was so simple! i made it again today because i was making copycat chipotle's chicken burritos and thought this salsa would be perfect on the side with some chips (btw if you have never tried Donkey tortilla chips, you have no idea what you are missing... they are the best tortilla chips ever!)

Quick and Easy Salsa
adapted from http://sixsistersstuff.blogspot.com/2011/11/chilis-copycat-salsa-recipe.html

2 10 ounce cans diced tomatoes with chilies, undrained ( you can drain them if you like your salsa on the thicker side)
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained (completely optional- i add this so its not as spicy)
1/2 small onion
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. lime juice

put all ingredients into blender and process until smooth. it will seem really runny, but put it in the fridge for an hour or so and it will thicken up a bit and be perfect! i suggest serving with donkey tortilla chips but that's just because they are so good... any chip will do!

**i have frozen this salsa because it makes a big batch and it freezes well too

broiled chicken parmesan

this is something that i came to love when my family owned a restaurant. i loved breaded chicken parmesan, but wanted something lighter so i would order this. i think it is sooo much better than the breaded kind!

Broiled Chicken Parmesan

2 chicken breasts, halved and pounded thin(making 4 pieces total)
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese
cooking spray or olive oil

preheat grillpan over medium heat. when heated, spray with cooking spray or lightly oil (i opted for cooking spray to conserve calories). place chicken breasts on pan and cook thoroughly, turning halfway through (about 4 to 5 minutes each side depending on how thin they are)

meanwhile, spread a quarter of the sauce on the bottom of an ovensafe baking dish.

when the chicken is cooked completely, place into baking dish. top with remaining sauce and mozzarella cheese.

place under broiler until cheese is melted and slightly browned.

homemade meatballs

this is another recipe that i got from my mom. i figured today would be a good day to share this since i just posted a sauce recipe yesterday.

Mama's Meatballs

1 lb ground beef
1 egg
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup milk
1 large clove garlic, chopped finely
pepper
parsley to taste

mix all ingredients together in medium bowl.

form into balls. at this point, you can put them into a freezer bag and freeze them if you'd like.

place meatballs in sauce that has been cooking for atleast an hour. let meatballs cook for 30 to 45 minutes.

marinara sauce

this is probably the first recipe that my mother ever passed down to me and the first recipe i ever tried to recreate (at the age of  12 or so). ive changed it up a bit to fit my husbands and kids taste (and mine... like i dont add salt to it because i feel that there is enough salt in the canned tomatoes already).

Marinara sauce

1 28oz can tomato sauce
1 28 oz can tomato puree
1 15 oz can tomato paste
water (equivalent to
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 medium onion, peeled and cut in half
pepper to taste
1 tbsp or so olive oil

heat olive oil in large saucepan over low heat. (at this point, i recommend opening all of the cans so that you can quickly add them to the pan when needed). add garlic and quickly stir so that it doesn't burn.

add the tomato sauce, tomato puree and tomato paste. stir until well combined. fill each now-empty can with water and pour into the saucepan. stir until well combined. add pepper and stir again. now add the two onion pieces to the sauce.

 cook for 1 to 2 hours, stirring every 20 minutes or so. when done, remove the large onion pieces

baked breaded zucchini sticks

hey... i haven't posted in a while... we had a lot going on this weekend. here is a recipe for baked breaded zucchini sticks. i made these the other day with sweet onion dip (http://ifounditonpinterest-camamamacho.blogspot.com/2012/01/sweet-onion-dip.html)
and they were awesome! i made this batch and put it in the freezer but just realized that the last batch i made, i made with regular breadcrumbs and this batch i made using panko. ill let you know how they turn out soon!

Baked Breaded Zucchini Sticks
from http://www.skinnytaste.com/2009/01/baked-zucchini-sticks-13-pts.html


3 medium zucchini
1 large egg white
1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
cooking spray

slice zucchini into strips and lightly salt to remove access water. let salt draw the water out for at least an hour. 

in a small bowl, beat egg whites.

In another bowl, mix breadcrumbs, garlic powder, cheese and pepper.

Wipe off excess water on zucchini sticks and pat dry. Dredge zucchini sticks into eggs then into bread crumb  mixture, a few at a time and shake to coat. Put the breaded zucchini in a single layer on a piece of wax paper coated with cooking spray. (at his point, i put the zucchini sticks into a bag and placed them in the freezer) Spray more cooking spray on top.

Bake at 425° for about 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.

buffalo chicken tacos

this is a great recipe! i made these one day about a month back and my husband absolutely loved them! he's been asking me for them ever since!

buffalo chicken tacos
from http://www.mrsregueiro.com/2011/09/buffalo-chicken-tacos.html

1 pound chicken breasts, skinless, boneless, cut into 1 inch pieces
⅓ cup flour
3 tablespoon cornstarch
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
⅓ cup buffalo wing sauce (i used sweet baby ray's)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
10 6-inch yellow corn tortillas
whatever condiments you'd like... i used lettuce, shredded cheese and blue cheese dressing!

Preparation:

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. In a large bowl, combine cornstarch, flour, cayenne, garlic powder and pepper.  Dredge the chicken pieces in the flour mixture.

Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to skillet and once it gets hot, add chicken and cook on both sides – about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Once the chicken is done, add buffalo wing sauce to coat.

assemble tacos and enjoy! quick and easy!

Sweet Onion Dip

while looking for lunch today for the kids, i found some breaded zucchini and eggplant sticks in the freezer that i had made a few weeks ago when stocking up on food. I pulled them out and remembered coming across this recipe. at first taste i was a little skeptical (the zucchini were still in the oven so i taste tested with my finger lol) but the minute i dipped a zucchini in, it was so good and i practically licked the bowl clean! I didn't even attempt to give it to my kids because i didn't feel like fighting a losing battle)

Sweet Onion Dip
from http://www.kingarthurflour.com/blog/2011/07/28/baked-zucchini-sticks-and-sweet-onion-dip-that-bloomin-zucchini/

the above recipe also has a recipe for breaded zucchini sticks, but the recipe i used for my zucchini sticks is from skinnytaste.com (definitely check out that website... i have not found something that i didn't like there!)

1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 cup mayo

add the butter and onion to a skillet over medium heat. cook, stirring occasionally until the onion is caramelized but not burnt (about 20 mins.)

add caramelized onion, honey, cider vinegar, and dijon mustard to food processor. process until smooth.

add mayo and stir.

enjoy with breaded zucchini or chips of your choice!

beer bread

we just had our annual new years eve party where we had a spread like you would not believe! i only wish i had thought to take pics of the amount of food that we had! i tried out a few recipes so you may be seeing a lot of appetizers coming up on this blog- i already shared the amazing bacon poppers and now I'm going to share this one.

story behind the bread: a while back my friend had a tastefully simple party and i fell in love with their beer bread. i just thought that it was a little pricey so i went home and did some research. i found a recipe for it (sorry i can't remember what website i found it at) and make it for almost every party i have. if you think that you don't have time for beer bread, think again. this is super easy!

beer bread

3 cups self rising flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 can of beer ( you can use any kind, but i recommend a honey beer... it adds so much flavor)

preheat oven to 350 degrees.

mix all ingredients together and pour into loaf pan.

bake for 45 minutes to an hour. once slightly cooled, cut into squares and serve with dip of your choice (i love it with french onion dip)

bacon poppers

this was the first thing that had me eating meat again (after going back to being a vegetarian once i stopped nursing my daughter) i was out for a girls night with my friend Courtney and she brought me to her friends apartment. while walking down the hallway, we smelled something heavenly. we were hoping that it was coming from the apartment that we were headed to... and sure enough, it was! since trying these, i have not been able to not make them when we have a get together (which happens at least once a month for one reason or another) and you wouldn't believe how simple these are! I've made these poppers in both a toaster oven and conventional oven and the turn out great in either, though i prefer to do them in the toaster oven (I feel like they take less time to cook that way- but this obviously doesn't work for a large batch)


Bacon Poppers

12 jalapenos
1 package of bacon, cut in half
1 package cream cheese

preheat oven to 350 degrees. cut jalapenos in half and remove seeds and veins -this is where most of the heat is stored in the peppers (wear gloves if you have them... i have gotten a few jalapenos that have burned my fingers for hours after cleaning them).

Once the jalapenos are cleaned, stuff with cream cheese.

Once the cream cheese is sitting in the jalapenos, wrap the strip of bacon around it and place on baking sheet.

bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until bacon is crispy and jalapenos are soft.