Recipes

                            

 

                                  Sweet and Sour Chicken

Chicken Breading:3-5 chicken breast
salt and pepper
1 cup cornstarch
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup canola oil

Rinse chicken, trim off fat or extras and then cut into 1 inch cubes. season with salt and pepper. Dip chicken into cornstarch and coat all the way and then into eggs. Heat oil in large skillet. Cook chicken until browned. Place in baking dish. 3 chicken breasts can be in a 9x9 but 5 chicken breasts fits better in a 9x13.

Sauce:3/4 cups sugar
4 Tablespoons ketchup

1/2 cup white distilled vinegar

1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic salt

Whisk until smooth. Then pour evenly over chicken. Turn chicken so the sauce gets on both sides and then put in the oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. turn chicken and then cook for 15 more minutes.

 

 

 

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Prep Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours, 45 minutes

Yield: 8 servings

Serving Size: 6 bites

• 1 package (1/4 oz) active dry yeast (or instant yeast)
• 2 Tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon packed brown sugar, divided
• 1/4 cup warm water (110-115 degrees F)
• 1 cup warm milk (110-115 degrees F)
• 2 1/2 to 3 cups flour
• 1/2 cup finely chopped ham (about 3 ounces)
• 1/2 cup shredded cheese of choice (I used cheddar)
• 6 cups water
• 4 teaspoons baking soda
• 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1-2 Tablespoons coarse salt

Combine the yeast, 1 tsp brown sugar, and warm water in a large bowl. Set aside until foamy, 5-8 minutes. (If using the instant yeast, you can skip this step and just add it to the flour.) In another bowl, stir together the remaining 2 Tbsp brown sugar and warm milk until dissolved.

Add 2 1/2 cups flour and milk mixture to the yeast. Stir with a wooden spoon until a soft dough forms. Add the remaining flour as needed. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead a few times, forming a smooth ball.

Brush the inside of a large clean bowl with olive oil. Transfer the dough to the bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Allow to rise in a warm, draft free area for about 2 hours, until dough has doubled in size and bubbles appear on the surface.

Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Divide into 4 equal pieces. Lightly dust your hands and rolling pin with flour. Roll one of the four sections into a 12×4-inch rectangle. With the long side facing you, gently press 1/4 of the ham and cheese into the bottom third of the dough, and roll as tightly as possible, starting with the end that has the filling. Cut into 12 1-inch pieces and transfer to a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Repeat with remaining 3 portions of the dough.

Let rest, uncovered, at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400?F.

Bring 6 cups of water to a boil. Add the baking soda and reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Boil pretzels in batches, cooking about 20 seconds each, turning once. They should be slightly puffed. Use a slotted spoon to transfer them back to the baking sheets.

Bake until puffed and golden-brown, about 15 minutes.

Brush warm pretzel bites with melted butter and sprinkle with salt. Serve warm or at room temperature.

 

 

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Crock Pot Beer Chicken

A wonderful and easy Chicken Crock Pot Recipe that tastes great and has just 3 Points +. This Slow Cooker Beer Chicken also makes a great Weight Watchers Super Bowl Recipe idea.

Ingredients

• 2lbs skinless, boneless chicken breasts (I used 8 breasts, 4oz ea)
• 1 bottle or can of your favorite beer (I used Guinness)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Instructions

1. Place all ingredients in the crock pot, and cook on high for 4-5 hrs, or low for 6-8 hrs.
2. Feel free to change out the spices and herbs and use whatever you’d like.

Preparation time: 5 minute(s)

Cooking time: 6 hour(s)

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All you need to do is bake red velvet cupcakes in red liners, frost with white frosting, and add cotton candy for their hair!

To make the cotton candy hair, I pulled off long strips and gently pulled it apart from the sides. It is really easy to work with because it is so sticky (although it does build up on your fingers. I had to wash my hands a couple times). I pushed the piece I was working with into the frosting and kept making pulled apart pieces until the cupcake was filled. I filled in little pieces where it needed it. Then I pulled off another long strip of cotton candy and wrapped it around the bottom, pushing it into the pieces that were already there in spots so that it blended in.

The final touch was the two circles. I just typed up Thing 1 and Thing 2 on my computer, printed it out, drew circles in black permanent marker, cut out and stuck on the cupcake liners!

 

 

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HAPPY " PRIDE"

 

 

 

 

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Strawberries Filled with Almond Cream

 

25 jumbo strawberries

3/4 c heavy whipping cream

3/4 c milk

1 small box vanilla instant pudding

1/2 tsp almond extract

Wash and dry berries. Slice off stem end. Using a sharp paring knife, slice an "x" deep into berries without cutting all the way down. Beat heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form. In a separate bowl, combine milk and pudding. Beat for 2 minutes. Add almond extract and whipped cream. Fit a pastry bag with a #10 or #12 round tip (depending on the size of berries). Fill pastry bag with pudding mixture. Pipe pudding into strawberries, spreading petals open with fingers to allow more cream to fit.

A word to the lazy: an alternate way of serving this would be to quarter or slice the strawberries and serve the filling in a small dish. The filling can be spooned over the cut strawberries. Slicing the strawberries and using them as scoops for the filling works well too.

 

 

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Ingredients

• 2 c. beef broth
• 1 pkg onion soup mix
• 1 lb. Black Angus rare roast beef (regular roast beef works great too, just make sure it's from the deli and thinly sliced)
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced
• 1 large white or yellow onion, sliced
• 8 oz. cream cheese
• sliced provolone cheese (2 slices per sandwich)
• 3-4 hoagie rolls

Instructions

• Bring beef broth and onion soup mix to a boil. Add roast beef, reduce heat, and simmer for about 5-10 minutes. In the meantime, in a large skillet saute onion and green pepper.
• When beef is done simmering, drain juices (you can keep the juice if you want to make an "au jus" dip.. I tried this a couple weeks ago when I made these at my sister's house and it was awesome). Add roast beef to skillet along with about 4 oz. of cream cheese.
• Spread remaining cream cheese on each hoagie roll. When the cream cheese in the skillet is all melted, generously portion beef mixture onto each hoagie roll.
• Top with provolone cheese and place sandwiches, open-faced on a large baking sheet.
• Broil on high for about a minute or until cheese becomes bubbly and bread becomes slightly toasty. Remove from oven and serve immediately

 

  

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Ingredients:

5 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts

5 jalapeno peppers

20 strips of bacon

4 oz cream cheese, softened

1 cup grated colby jack or cheddar cheese

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup BBQ sauce (I like Sweet Baby Ray's)

Directions:

1.) Slice chicken breasts in half WIDTH wise (Each half will make 1 Chicken Bomb). Place between two pieces of wax paper and pound to 1/4 inch thickness. *A rolling pin also does the trick. Season each with salt a pepper.

2.) Slice jalapenos in half LENGTH wise and remove seeds, ribs, and the end with the stem.

3.) In a small bowl, mix your softened cream cheese with your grated colby jack.

4.) Fill each jalapeno half with about 1 Tbs cheese mixture. (Sometimes I use more)

5.) Place 1 jalapeno half at the end of each pounded breast piece. Roll over and together. *It doesn't always close the way you think it should. No worries! The bacon will pull it all together.

6.) Wrap each breast piece with 2 slices of bacon. I do 1 at a time (obviously), and just sort of wrap tightly and tuck the ends of the bacon under the strips. It all comes together in the cooking process. I promise you do not need toothpicks!

7.) Preheat your grill to 350 degrees. Cook over indirect heat for 20-25 minutes; turning every 4-5 minutes. Baste chicken with BBQ sauce each time you turn it. Giving it one final basting right before it's done. Chicken is ready when it reaches an internal temp of 165 degrees. If you don't have a meat thermometer, pierce chicken with a fork. If juices run clear, it's done! *Makes 10 Chicken Bombs

To Bake: Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Basting with BBQ sauce a few times during cooking. Baste once again when finished, and place under broil setting for a few minutes so bacon can crisp completely.

 

 

 

 

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A few notes:

• For the praline crumble I used store bought granola and crushed it to a coarse crumb and then added some praline bits to it..
• To keep the praline crumble crisp, do not assemble trifle more than 2 hours in advance.
• For a step-by-step tutorial with pictures to making homemade pudding click here.
• You can use store bought stir and serve vanilla pudding mixture then add ¾ cups of pumpkin pie filling to the pudding. But it doesn’t taste nearly as good. I found it overly sweet, but if you aren’t doing a head-to-head taste test like I did, you may not feel the same way about homemade pudding vs box pudding.

Pumpkin Praline Trifle

Instructions:

Pumpkin Pudding:

• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon cloves
• Pinch of salt
• 3 cups cold whole milk
• 3/4 cups pumpkin pie filling
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Vanilla Pudding:

• 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 3 cups cold whole milk
• 2 tablespoon vanilla extract

Praline Crumble:

• 1/2 cups toffee bits
• 1/2 cups granola

Instructions:

Pumpkin Pudding:

1. 
   

Vanilla Pudding:

1. Combine cornstarch, sugar, salt and milk in a blender or food processor and pulse until well blended. Alternatively, combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk vigorously. Transfer mixture to a heat proof bowl and place over (not on) simmering water for approximately 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pudding is ready when mixture coats the back of the spoon. Add vanilla and stir to combine.

Praline Crumble:

1. Place toffee bits and granola in a bowl and mix to combine.

Assembly:

• Fill pastry bags with each flavor of pudding.
• Pipe a pumpkin layer onto bottom of glass.
• Sprinkle praline mixture on top pumpkin layer.
• Pipe vanilla pudding on top of granola and praline layer.
• Continue layering by repeating steps 2-4.

 

 

 

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No-Bake Strawberry Icebox Cake

serves 8 to 12

2 pounds fresh strawberries, washed
3 1/4 cups whipping cream, divided
1/3 cup confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon rosewater (optional)
4 sleeves (about 19 ounces, or 24 to 28 whole crackers) graham crackers
2 ounces dark chocolate, finely chopped

With a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer, whip 3 cups of cream until it just holds stiff peaks. Add the confectioners sugar, vanilla, and rosewater (if using) and whip to combine.

Spread a small spoonful of whipped cream on the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking pan, or a similarly-sized platter. Lay down six graham crackers. Lightly cover the top of the graham crackers with more whipped cream, and then a single layer of strawberries. Repeat three times, until you have four layers of graham crackers. Spread the last of the whipped cream over the top and swirl it lightly with a spoon. Add a few more strawberries.

To make the ganache

Refrigerate for at least four hours, or until the crackers have softened completely. Garnish with additional berries.

 

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Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Cream Cheese Filling

Makes 12-14

3 cups AP Flour

1 Tablespoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup Splenda (use could white sugar if you like)

1 cup vegetable oil

1 - 15 oz. can of pumpkin

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat together brown sugar, Splenda, oil and pumpkin. Add eggs one at time, mixing well after each addition, followed by the vanilla. In a separate bowl, shift together the dry ingredients. Slowly incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined.

Using a pastry bag with a round tip, or a big zip top plastic bag with one corner snipped, squeeze out concentric circles of batter, starting from the middle and working outward until the circles are about 2 inches in diameter. Bake for 11 minutes and cool on a rack.

Cream Cheese Filling

1 - 8 oz. package of cream cheese, softened

1 stick of unsalted butter, room temperature

1 - 16 oz. package of powdered sugar

about a capful of vanilla extract

a pinch of cinnamon (to taste)

Beat together cream cheese and butter. Add powdered sugar, vanilla and cinnamon. Frost flat side of half the pies and top with another piece.

Enjoy right away or chill overnight.