Sticky chinese chicken

I'm a blogging failure. But I have a good excuse. First trimester= no cooking and very little eating. I'm feeling much better and am so glad to be eating homeade food again. Here is a recipe I found here. I made this 2 weeks in a row, which is big deal at our house. We usually don't eat the same meal twice in the same month, but this was that good, and that easy!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pound frozen popcorn chicken
6 TBS honey
4 TBS ketchup
4 TBS sugar
2 TBS white vinegar
2 TBS soy sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Sesame seeds 

Cook the popcorcon chicken according to directions. Combine honey, ketchup, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, salt and pepper in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Stir and let simmer until sauce thickens. Coat chicken with sauce and serve over white rice. You can add some sesame seeds to the sauce or sprinkle afterwards. It's even good without the sesame seeds. And it's just as good as leftovers. 

Teriyaki Chicken

This recipe is AWE-some and super easy. I love slow cooker meals, I mean seriously, you put food in and you get to let it do it's thang and then eat it. Seriously so good. BTW, I got this recipe from THIS cooking website which is one of my favorites to get recipes from, she's knows her stuff.

Teriyaki Chicken
5 chicken breasts
1 and 1/2 cup water
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tsp granulated garlic (I use garlic powder)
1 tsp sesame oil (totally worth buying, found by the Asian section in the store)
3 TBS cornstarch + 4 TBS cold water

Spray the inside of your slow cooker and place the chicken in it. Combine water, brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic powder and sesame oil, stir, and pour over the chicken. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 7 hours. When the chicken is cooked through, remove and break into smaller chunks. I don't completely shred the chicken. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and cold water, stir until dissolved and pour into liquid in the slow cooker and stir together. Return the chicken to the slow cooker and mix with the sauce. Allow to cook for another 30-60 minutes until the sauce has thickened. Serve over rice with some roasted veggies on the side. 7 servings= 10 WW SP

Roasted Veggies

We love roasted veggies and they are so much better than frozen. We usually eat them with stir-fry or Teriyaki chicken.
Choose whichever vegetables you like, this is what we use:

Roasted Veggies
Broccoli cut into florets
1 Red onion chopped
1 red pepper chopped
Carrots cut julienne
Asparagus cut into thirds
1 Zucchini sliced

We season with:
Olive Oil (I just drizzle some over the veggies and then put seasoning on it) 
Basil
Oregano
Red crushed pepper
Minced garlic

Spray 9x13 pan and place seasoned veggies in the pan. Cook at 400* for 35-40 minutes stirring every 10 minutes.

Hawaiian Haystacks

A great meal to make when you're in a hurry. I always have the ingredients on hand just in case I don't have a dinner plan. It's cheap and tasty.

Hawaiian Haystacks
4-5 cups cooked rice
2 cans cream of chicken soup + 3/4 can water

Possible Toppings
Shredded cheddar cheese
Green onions
Sliced olives
Pineapple chunks
Sliced almonds
Crunchy chow mein noodles

Mix soup and water and warm over low heat. Add spices for flavor. We add celery seed, savory, marjoram, garlic salt, onion salt, dill weed, & rosemary. Layer rice, sauce and toppings of your choice and chow down.

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

A yummy, easy summer recipe. Prep time is only about 10 minutes, which is exactly what I love about it (plus it's super good!) Just a side note, you can use a pork shoulder for this but I always use a center cut boneless pork roast, or a pork loin. It has a lot better quality meat, and you waste less because it's so lean (even though it's more expensive).

Pulled Pork
1 (2-3 lb.) boneless pork roast
1 onion chopped
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth or water
2 cups BBQ sauce
2 TBS mustard
2 TBS honey
1 TBS soy sauce
Salt and Pepper

 Scatter onion over bottom of slow cooker and place pork on top. Add broth (or water), cover and cook on low until very tender, about 8 hours. Remove meat and let cool.  When cool enough, pull meat into thin shreds, removing all fat and gristle. Drain liquid from slow cooker. Return pork to slow cooker. In a bowl mix BBQ sauce, mustard, honey, and soy sauce. Poor over pork, season with salt and pepper and stir to blend. Cook one hour longer on low. Serve on hamburger buns or kaiser rolls.

Steel-cut Oatmeal

Steel-cut Oatmeal
2 apples, peeled, cored, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups fat-free milk
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup uncooked steel-cut oats
2 TBS brown sugar
1 1/2 TBS butter, cut into 5-6 pieces
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 TBS ground flax seed (optional)
1/2 tsp. salt

Put all ingredients in slow cooker and stir to blend. Using a liner makes things so easy, but if you don't, make sure to spray the inside before putting the ingredients in. Cook on low for 7 hours. Spoon oatmeal into bowls. Makes 7 3/4 cup servings. I seperate mine into containers so that the portions are all the same. The best thing about this meal is that it keeps you full for a long time. I'm not going to lie though, it takes a while to get used to the taste and texture, but after getting used to it, instant oatmeal tastes nasty and this is so much better for you.

Optional garnishes: chopped nuts, raisins, maple syrup, additional milk, butter or brown sugar.

Chicken and Spinach Pasta Bake

This is one of our favorite recipes. The only downside is that it takes quite a while to prepare. But it's totally worth it, and to be honest, it's even better as a leftover.

Chicken and Spinach Pasta Bake
8 oz. uncooked rigatoni
1 TBS olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 (10 oz) pack frozen spinach, thawed
3 cups cubed, cooked chicken breasts
1 (14 oz) can Italian style diced tomatoes, drained
(I usually add half a can diced tomatoes as well and use the other half in spaghetti sauce later in the week. One can of tomatoes just doesn't seem enough)
1 (8 oz) container Philadelphia chive and onion cream cheese (softened)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Prepare rigatoni according to package directions. Saute onions in olive oil until tender. Drain chopped spinach well, pressing between paper towels. Stir rigatoni, spinach, chicken and next 4 ingredients together with onions. Spoon mixture into dish and sprinkle evenly with shredded cheese. Bake covered at 375 for 30 minutes, uncover and bake 15 more minutes or until bubbly.

Chocolate peanut butter eggs

Around Easter every year I remember that it's time to make these bad boys. Believe me, they are a crowd pleaser. And the best part is, they are so simple to make. I made 2 batches in an hour. Each batch makes about 36 (depending on how big you make them). Seriously yum...

Peanut Butter Eggs
1 lb. powdered sugar
1/4 cup margarine (melted)
2 cups chunky peanut butter
3 cups rice krispies

Dip in:
8 oz. Hershey bar
6 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
1/3 bar parawax

Mix the first 4 ingredients. I usually use a wooden spoon and then dig my (clean) hands into it to mix it together. Then you will take a handful and squeeze it until it's sticking together (they will be crumbly). I make up all the balls at once and then dip.  Melt the chocolate and wax in a double boiler. Dip eggs in chocolate and lay on wax paper. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Then eat 20, and start the second batch so it looks like you made some for everyone else. :)

One tip with this... last time I made this, I did a little less powdered sugar and a little more rice krispies, it was totally by mistake but the hubby totally preferred those ones. They were less crumbly and not as sweet. But it's totally preference. I have no "too sweet" or "too rich" sensor.

So, make them, and enjoy everybody loving you.

Roasted Asparagus

This is our favorite vegetable by far. We love to grill it but roasting it is a lot easier to monitor. You definitely don't want it undercooked or overcooked. Yummy!

Roasted Asparagus 
1 bunch asapargus
4 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Salt to taste
Fresh ground pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425*. Wash asparagus and dry thoroughly (if the asparagus is wet when you put it in the oven it will steam and not roast). Cut off the bottom inch of the asparagus. Spread the asparagus on a cookie sheet and drizzle olive oil over asparagus. Salt and pepper to taste. Roast the asparagus for about 15 minutes. This is great with some grilled chicken and pasta... or really anything.

Roast Beef and Veggies

So I have to say this is one of my favorite Sunday recipes. Of course my mom makes the best roast beef dinner, but she makes it with gravy and mashed potatoes which I love but haven't mastered. Scott grew up having roast beef, potatoes and vegetables all cooked together. Since this is easier and almost as yummy, this is how I make it. Plus it takes half the time over making mashed potatoes and gravy. So I found this recipe on Pinterest and have seen it on many other cooking blogs and I love it. It has so much flavor and is so easy.

Roast Beef and Veggies
3-5 lb. roast
1 envelope dry ranch dressing mix
1 envelope dry Italian dressing mix
1 envelope brown gravy mix
Red potatoes (about 8 quartered)
Baby carrots (1 lb.)
Onion- sliced (optional, I use a sweet onion)
1-1 1/2 cup water

Put half of the veggies in the bottom of the slow cooker. Place roast on top of veggies. Place remaining veggies around the roast. Sprinkle ranch, Italian and gravy mix over the roast and veggies.  Pour water over mixture. Cook on low for about 8 hours. The longer you cook it the more tender the roast will be.

 

 I usually make up some jello, peas and rolls to go with it. Super easy with little preparation. My kind of Sunday dinner. Beef serves 8. Meat= 5 WW SP.

Zucchini Casserole

I got this recipe from a girl that I used to work with. It frequents our table when people keep giving us their overabundance of zucchini from their garden. But it's so good that I've bought zucchini from the grocery store to make it. Super easy and seriously delish!

Zucchini Casserole
2 lbs. zucchini (I've used yellow squash too)
1 chicken breast cooked and shredded
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded carrots
1 pkg seasoned stuffing mix
1/2 cup butter
1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Slice zucchini and cook in boiling, slightly salted water for about three minutes. Drain and put in mixing bowl. Mix cream of chicken soup and sour cream. Add zucchini along with onion, carrots and chicken. In separate bowl mix stuffing mix and melted butter. Spread half of the stuffing mix in the bottom of the baking dish. Add zucchini mixture then top with remaining stuffing mix. Bake at 350* for 25-30 minutes. Sprinkle cheese on top and bake an additional 5 minutes. 8 servings= 14.5 WW SP

Enjoy with a side of rice pilaf and a veggie (we prefer asparagus).

Taco Soup

This is seriously one of the yummiest soups I've ever had. A friend of mine made some taco soup for a work potluck and I asked her what was in it, she gave me the basic ingredients and I looked for a similar recipe online. One of things that sets this taco soup apart is the dry ranch mix. I couldn't find a recipe online that had exactly what I wanted to so I just put what I wanted in the soup. So here it is:

Taco Soup
1 lb. ground beef (I use 1/2 lb. since I'm not a big ground beef fan)
1 onion chopped
1 (16 oz.) can kidney beans, with liquid
1 (16 oz.) can black beans, with liquid
1 (16 oz.) can pinto beans, with liquid
1 (16 oz.) can corn, with liquid
1 can Ro-tel tomatoes with chilies and liquid
1 (16 oz.) can crushed tomatoes, with liquid
1 pkg. taco seasoning mix
1 pkg. dry ranch dressing mix

Saute ground beef and onion, drain. Put all other ingredients including beef and onions in the slow cooker, mix well. Cook on low 3-4 hours. Top with sour cream, chips (we prefer Fritos), and grated cheese.

 

 A couple things about this recipe, you can use chicken or leftover roast beef if you prefer instead of ground beef. Also, you can switch out the beans for whichever kind you like. We prefer black, kidney and pinto in our soup. And if you don't like spicy, use the mild Ro-tel, otherwise it has a bit of a kick. Scott told me this recipe was a home run which is saying something. I hope you like it! Serves 10. 1 cup= 5 WW SP

7 Layer Bean Dip

My folks were in town a month ago and we watched a lot of bowl games while they were here. One thing I love to munch on during a game is 7 layer bean dip. I didn't have a recipe on hand so I found one online with some of the ingredients I was wanting to put in my dip. I tweaked it a little and it turned out really good. But with all the ingredients it's actually 8 layer dip which makes it ever better!

Okay and I get that half of the dip was 7 layer dip and half was 8, I don't like olives.

7 Layer Bean Dip

1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning mix

1 (16 ounce) can refried beans

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1 (16 ounce) container sour cream

1 (16 ounce) jar salsa

1 large tomato chopped

1 bunch green onions chopped

Sliced olives

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Guacamole (3 large ripe avocados smashed mixed with 3/4 tsp salt, dash of oregano, and the juice of a lemon)

In a medium bowl mix the taco seasoning and beans. Spread the mixture onto the platter or pan. I used a 9x13. Mix sour cream and cream cheese in a medium bowl. Spread over the refried beans. (I didn't use the whole 16 ounces. Maybe just 12 since I thought that was going to be a really thick layer of dairy and it turned out good.) Layer on the guacamole. Top the layers with salsa. Place a layer of tomato and green onions and top with cheese. Garnish with black olives.

I much prefer dip with Fritos Scoops but it's good with any tortilla chip really. Enjoy the party in your mouth!