Easy Stir Fry

I make this twice a week, once with chicken and once with beef.

Red pepper
Orange pepper
Yellow pepper
1-2 Carrots
Little bit of onion
1-2 stalks of Celery
Broccoli
Whole Grain Spaghetti
Chicken or Beef, cut into thin strips
Sauce

Get your noodles going. In large non-stick skillet, cook meat. While that is going, cut up your veggies. I cut a side or section from each pepper and slice it into thin strips. When meat is cooked, remove from skillet and keep warm. Add veggies and just saute a little bit. I usually add just a bit of butter. Add meat back into veggies, pour half the sauce in. During the last 2 mins of cook time for your noodles, add broccoli and sliced carrots. When noodles are done, drain, add meat and veggies and finish off with more sauce. YUM!

This is nice because Carter only eats meat, Braden only eats noodles, and its an easy way to eat "all the colors of the rainbow" and get your veggies in! I buy the big package of stir fry beef when they go on sale at the grocery store and then just freeze them in smaller portions.

We buy our peppers at Costco and those are the colors that come together in a bag, but you could really use whatever you have.

I usually splash in some of the Lawrys Teriyaki marinade with the meat and veggies and then at the end I add House of Tsang Stir Fry Sauce or Kikkoman Teriyaki, the thick one, or whatever I have in the fridge!

Honey Butter

I wrote this down on some paper so I'm not sure where it came from!

2 sticks of butter
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup marshmallow fluff

Whip together. (I guess, I didn't write down any instructions!) I did grease my measuring cup and spatulas and spoons so the honey and marshmallow fluff wouldn't stick as bad.

My sister makes one that she gives out at Christmas time with a loaf of her wonderful homemade bread.

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Must be a Stevens thing, both of our husbands love honey butter!

Chess Cake

I got this recipe from a co-worker. I tasted a bite this morning and knew I would probably loose the paper with the recipe on it so, I'm putting it on here to prevent myself from loosing the recipe :)

Ingredients*
3 Eggs
1 8oz pkg cream cheese
1 Yellow cake mix
4 cups Powdered sugar
1/2 c butter softened

*Directions
Preheat oven to 350
Grease a 9x13 in cake pan
In a large bowl mix together cake mix, butter and 1 egg
Pat batter into greased 9x13 in pan
In a medium mixing bowl mix together cream cheese, 2 eggs, and sugar
Pour the cream cheese mixture over the cake mix batter
Bake for 35 min or until golden brown
Let cool and cut into bars
Enjoy!

She said they also freeze really well! Cut them up and put in storage bags or tupperware and freeze and then you can take out a little at a time when you want them! YUM!

Cheesy Chili Rice

From foodnetwork mag... AGAIN! (I Just love that magazine!)
Sorry, No picture!

*Ingredients
2 Cups cooked rice
1/2 cup sour cream
1 4 oz can diced green chilies
1 cup chopped green onions (I think I used a little less)
1 cup cheddar cheese (I eyeballed it. I think I used less of this too. I didn't want it to be too greasy and cheesy)
Salt and Pepper
Grated parmasean cheese for top and bottom

*Directions
*Mix all ingredients EXCEPT for parmasean in a bowl.
*Coat a casserole dish with cooking spray or butter and sprinkle half of the parmasean cheese.
*Pour in rice mixture and sprinkle remaining parmasean on top.
*Bake at 450 for 20 min.

This was SOO good. I wasn't sure if Kyle would like it considering the green chili taste but he loved it!! I will be making it again for sure!

Chicken Schitzel with Mustard Sauce

Again, from my foodnetwork mag.

*Ingredients
1/2 cup plain low-fat Greek yogurt
1/4 cup whole-grain mustard
5 slices white bread torn
3/4 teaspoon dried marjoram

salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon paprika
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
2 large eggs
4 chicken cutlets, about 1/8 inch thick (about 1 1/2 pounds total)
Vegetable oil, for frying

*Directions
Whisk the yogurt and mustard in a bowl until smooth; set aside.
Pulse the bread in a food processor until finely ground. Transfer to a shallow dish and add the marjoram, and salt and pepper to taste. In another shallow dish, season the flour with the paprika and nutmeg. Beat the eggs in a third dish. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
Dredge each cutlet in the flour, shaking off the excess. Dip in the eggs and then in the breadcrumbs, pressing to coat both sides. Place on parchment paper until ready to fry.
Heat 1/8 inch of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add 2 cutlets, gently swirling the skillet so the oil washes over them, and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate and season with salt. Repeat with the remaining chicken, adjusting the heat as needed. Serve the schnitzel with the mustard sauce and applesauce, if desired.

Per serving: Calories 629; Fat 35 g (Saturated 5 g); Cholesterol 192 mg; Sodium 953 mg; Carbohydrate 34 g; Fiber 2 g; Protein 45 g

Kyle surprisingly really liked this!! So did I. It was Pretty dang good. Although we used chicken breasts and cut it into smaller strips so there was more breading on each bite :)

I served it with the Cheesy Chili Rice above.

White Chocolate Bark

Courtesy of Food Network (Ina Garten) Adapted Slightly

*Ingredients

White chocolate

Chopped Dried Apriocots

Dried Cranberries (Craisins)

Chopped Almonds

*Directions

Melt white Chocolate and spread into a square on parchment paper.

Sprinkle apricots, craisins and almonds on top and let cool.

Jan's Toffee

I don't know if you have this recipe, but I posted a link on my blog for the recipes of the Christmas candy I made... so I'm putting it on here anyway. haha

*Ingredients
2 cups Butter
2 cups Sugar
Melted Chocolate
Chopped almonds

Combine butter and Sugar in a medium sauce pan on Med to Med-High heat. Stirring CONSTANTLY. When it starts to boil turn the heat down to Med-low and keep stirring. The mixture will separate for a while and as soon as the butter absorbs back in and the mixture is a light golden brown, pour onto a large baking sheet. Immediately pour melted chocolate ontop and follow with chopped almonds.

This recipe is tricky!! So if you mess up the first time, dont feel bad!

Bon Bons

*Ingredients
1 boxed cake mix of any flavor
1 can of coordinating frosting
Dipping chocolate

*Directions
*Prepare cake mix according to directions (baking included).
*Let the cake cool for about 15 minutes and then crumble into a large bowl.
*Pour in the frosting and mix until all the cake is moist (I put the frosting in the microwave for a few seconds so it would pour and mix more evenly). Cool in the fridge for 10-20 minutes.
*Form the mixture into balls of desired size and put on wax paper. Freeze for about an hour.
* Melt desired chocolate and dip balls into it. (It took us a while to find a method that worked but we left the ball on the wax paper and would pour about a tablespoon of chocolate over top of the ball and spread it around with our spoon. It was a lot less messy!!)

Some of the flavor combinations we did:
Lemon Cake with Lemon Frosting dipped in White chocolate (YUMM! This was a favorite)
Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Frosting dipped in Milk Chocolate or melted Mint chips.

We did't do this but thought it would be yummy to dip the chocolate cake balls in those reeces chips.... Yum! The combinations are endless!!

WORD TO THE WISE: we tried to dye our white chocolate red with my water based food coloring... NOT a good idea! You must use the paste form of food coloring or the chocolate will sieze up.

Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes

2 large sweet potatoes
2 oz cream cheese
2 TBS milk
1 TBS brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup pecan pieces

Preheat oven to 425. Cut potatoes in half, lengthwise. Place cut sides down on cookie sheet lined with foil. Bake 30 mins or until tender. Scoop out centers into a bowl. Add cream cheese, milk, sugar, and cinnamon. Mash until well blended. Spoon mixture back into potato shells. Top with nuts. Bake 8 mins or until heated through and nuts are toasted.

*So yummy! I think I might make them again tonight! The sweet potatoes I bought were a little small so I did 3 of them and only cooked them for about 25 mins.

Lemon & Garlic Chicken Pasta

This is one of my go-to recipes. I always have the stuff on hand, it's SUPER easy and tastes exceptional! The original recipe calls for shrimp in stead of chicken, but I always have chicken on hand and Kyle prefers it so we sub it for the shirimp. But either is tasty! I was going to take a picture last night when I made it but my camera was dead. Sad.
I don't measure... I will give you ingredients and a rough amount but feel free to alter to your liking :)

*Ingredients
Angel hair or Spaghetti Pasta
1-2 Chicken breasts
Olive oil
Salt & Pepper
2-3 Tbs Lemon Juice
1 tsp Minced Garlic (I buy in the jar)
1 tsp chopped fresh Parsley
1/4 cup grated Parmasean Cheese (you may want more... this stuff is good in this dish!)
1 tsp Butter (optional)

*Directions
Get your pasta boiling.. however much you need for howmany you are feeding, I just guess :)

Slice chicken into bitesize pieces salt and pepper them and put in a saute pan with enough olive oil to coat the pan. Add Lemon Juice and cook until chicken is done and browned on the outside.
Drain pasta and put back in the pan you cooked it in. Add chicken, chopped parsley, garlic, salt and pepper, and grated parmasean cheese. Toss together and if it's still a little dry (which it usually is) I like to add a little more lemon juice, some butter, a dash of olive oil and toss again. I used to cook the Garlic with the chicken but then it always ended up burning. I resorted to adding it after and it still tastes just as good!
The cheese melts and give this dish the perfect consistency! And the parsley makes it taste fresh! We absolutely love it. And the best part is... it doesn't get any easier than this recipe!

Easy Pizza Crust

My sister gave this recipe one day when I was short on time. Okay, I took a nap and forgot to make the dough and I didn't have to wait for it to rise, but this one is pretty good!

Mix together:
1 TBS yeast
1 TBS oil
1 TBS honey
1 cup warm water

Add 3 cups of flour and mix well and knead. Roll out on lightly floured surface to fit pizza pan.
Makes one large pizza crust. Cover with toppings and bake!

Bake on greased cookie sheet 475 10-12 mins

I always forget to grease my pizza pan, but its non-stick :) And I use a little less than 3 cups, I find 3 is a bit too much, but if I forget, then I just sprinkle it with water as I knead and roll it out.
I also substitute 1 cup whole wheat flour. Oh, and I just use my Kitchen Aid to mix it up. We like our crust a little thinner so I roll it out as thin as I can, place it on the pizza pan, cut off the excess and then press it even thinner, removing the extra dough as I go. It still rises pretty good in the oven. And then I have enough dough to make another smaller pizza. Our favorite is BBQ chicken.

BBC Chicken Pizza
Cover dough/crust with fav BBQ sauce, sprinkle mozzarella cheese, top with diced grilled chicken, red onions, cilantro and a sprinkling of smoked gouda (or any smoked cheese, I think last time all I could find was a blend of smoked swiss and chedder). YUM!

Oh one more thing! Lately the boys have been wanting Hawiian, which is good, but kinda bland to me so I put seasoning on it. Mrs. Dash makes a really good seasoning for pizza. It's the Tomato, Basil, Garlic one, (red lid) and its really yummy on pizza!

Okay, I think I'm done rambling...

Sweet Dinner Rolls

My boys (Dallas included) can't get enough of these! Super easy and yummy!

Place into bread machine in order:
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1/3 cup soft butter
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
3 3/4 cups flour
1 packet of yeast (2 1/4 tsps)

Select dough cycle. When done, dump out dough onto lightly floured surface. Divide in half. Form 12 inch circle, spread with melted butter. With pizza cutter slice into 8 pieces, roll up, big end to little end (like Jan does). Place on ungreased cookie sheet, cover lightly with plastic wrap, let rise 1 hour. Bake at 400 for 10 mins. Brush with melted butter.

Yum, Yum, Yum!! These don't last long! This last time I made them, I made the circle bigger, rolled it out so they were a little thinner and cut 12 slices I think? And they were still pretty big when they came out of the oven. Also, I made orange rolls with 1/2 of the dough (somewhat followed Lion House directions) and they were yummy!!!!

Spinach Chicken & Pasta Salad with Teriyaki Vinaigrette

Recipe from My Kitchen Cafe

Plan ahead... pasta needs to marinate in the dressing for at least an hour.

*Dressing:1 cup canola oil

1/3 - 2/3 cup bottled teriyaki sauce

1/3 cup rice vinegar

1/3 cup cider vinegar

6 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

*Salad:16 oz. bow tie pasta, cooked al dente, drained and cooled

1 bag fresh spinach (9 - 10 oz)

6 oz. craisins

2 (11 oz.) cans mandarin oranges,

drained1 (8 oz.)

1 can water chestnuts, drained and slivered

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

4 green onions, thinly sliced (white and green parts)

1/4 cup sesame seeds, toasted

6 oz. honey roasted peanuts

2 cups cooked chicken, tossed with 2-3 tablespoons teriyaki sauce

In a blender, combine all the dressing ingredients and blend until well combined and smooth. Mix about 1 cup of the dressing with the cooked pasta in a large bowl and marinate for at least one hour (You can leave this step out and it will still have good results). Combine the remaining salad ingredients in a large bowl. Just before serving, add pasta and toss. Add dressing to taste and toss. Serve immediately.

I havent tried this but I really want to!! :)

Chicken Wild Rice Chowder

Ingredients:
2 cups sliced fresh carrots
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) chicken broth
2-2/3 cups cubed cooked chicken breast
1 package (8.8 ounces) ready-to-serve long grain and wild rice (Uncle Ben's Ready Rice)
1/4 cup half-and-half cream
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Directions:
In a large saucepan, saute the carrots, onion and celery in butter until tender. Stir in flour until blended; gradually add broth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in the chicken, rice, cream and pepper; heat through. Yield: 4 servings.

*This is one of Dall's favorites. So yummy and easy and if I would have planned better, I could have made your breadsticks to go along!

Copy That: Olive Garden Breadsticks

Aother recipe courtesy of my wonderful Foodnetwork Magazine!! (Love it!)

Ingredients

For the Dough:
1 package active dry yeast
4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour,plus more for dusting
2 tablespoons unsalted butter,softened
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon fine salt

For the Topping
3 tablespoons unsalted butter,melted
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Pinch of dried oregano

Directions
Make the dough: Place 1/4 cup warm water in the bowl of a mixer; sprinkle in the yeast and set aside until foamy, about 5 minutes. Add the flour, butter, sugar, fine salt and 1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons warm water; mix with the paddle attachment until a slightly sticky dough forms, 5 minutes.
Knead the dough by hand on a floured surface until very smooth and soft, 3 minutes. Roll into a 2-foot-long log; cut into 16 1 1/2-inch-long pieces. Knead each piece slightly and shape into a 7-inch-long breadstick; arrange 2 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover with a cloth; let rise in a warm spot until almost doubled, about 45 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Make the topping: Brush the breadsticks with 1 1/2 tablespoons of the butter and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt. Bake until lightly golden, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt with the garlic powder and oregano. Brush the warm breadsticks with the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons melted butter and sprinkle with the flavored salt.

These were REALLY yummy! And they tasted so much like the real thing! I didnt have white flour the day I made them so I used wheat flour and they still tasted super good!! Im sure your boys will love them! :) Its a mini loaf of bread for Carter so he doesn't have to eat your frecnh bread loaf :) haha!