Fresh Salsa

This is soooooooooo close to my favorite restaurants' salsa, that I *almost* don't need to go there. -almost- Also, I could live, eat, drink this stuff!

Ingredients

-1 lb roma or vine ripened tomatoes, seeded and roughly chopped
-1/2 red onion chopped
-4 jalapenos, seeded and chopped
-1-2 limes, juiced
-1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
-1/2 tsp ground cumin
-1/4 tsp garlic powder
-bundle of cilantro (if desired)


Instructions

Add ingredients to blender and mix until a chunky puree has formed. Serve right away or store in airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days.

Honey Garlic Chicken

Stumbled across making this one day when we were tired of "the usual" and had limited ingredients to make dinner. Typical though, amIright? Anyway, I found a few ideas online, but this is the hybrid version that I have been making recently. Enjoy! 

Ingredients:

-Oil for pan searing (I use Avocado Oil these days, it has a high temperature tolerance, so my oil doesn't burn.)

-1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1" cubes

-Salt/ Pepper

-1 lb russet potatoes, scrubbed and cut in 1" cubes (about 4 medium potatoes)

-Carrots, peeled and sliced thick

Glaze

-1/4 cup honey

-1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce

-3 cloves garlic, minced

-Pinch of red pepper flakes

Optional for serving

-Rice

-Chow mein noodles

-Coconut

-Slivered almonds

-Cashews

-Sliced green onions

Instructions

1) Heat oil in a large skillet over med-high heat

2) Whisk together ingredients for glaze until well combined, then set aside

3) Add chicken and lightly season (easy on the salt, because we're using soy sauce in the recipe), cook until chicken is browned then remove and set aside.

4)  Add potatoes and carrots to same skillet and saute several minutes until mostly soft

5) Add chicken back in to skillet, mixing in glaze. Reduce heat and let simmer for several minutes until potatoes and carrots are soft and ready to eat.

6) Serve over rice. Top with desired toppings. 

Audrey's Caramels

Caramel

1 C. butter
2 1/4 C. Brown Sugar
1 C. Light corn syrup
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp Vanilla


1)  Grease 8x8 pan

2)  In a heavy 4 quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat; add brown sugar, corn syrup and milk. Stirring constantly heat to 242-248 F

3)  Remove from heat and stir in vanilla, pour in greased pan.

4)  When caramel has cooled and set, cut in to squares & chill in refrigerator until firm.

Wrap in individual wax paper pieces, or continue on to dip in melted chocolate.


Chocolate
1 lb. Milk Chocolate
1 TBSP. Butter

Beef n Broccoli

I love making Beef and Broccoli at home. It's such an easy asian dish to make at home, and a good way to fill my kids with some broccoli:) Every time I make it, I have to look this recipe back up so I figured I should probably just add it here to the blog. Then I'll always be able to find it! 

Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger, minced
• 1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
• vegetable oil, for frying 
• 1 lb flank steak **I used a grilling steak I had in the freezer. A flank is a cheaper cut, but I just used what I had on hand. 
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 2-3 large crowns broccoli, cut in bite size florets

Directions:

1. Make the sauce by heating 2 tsp of vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over med/low heat.
   Don't get the oil too hot.
2. Add ginger and garlic to the pan and quickly add the soy sauce and water before the garlic scorches.
3. ** I didn't happen to have fresh garlic or ginger on me, so I added powdered, and started at this step.
   Dissolve the brown sugar in the sauce, then raise the heat to about medium and boil the sauce for 2-3 minutes or until the sauce thickens.
4. Remove it from the heat.
5. Slice the steak against the grain into 1/4" thick bite-size slices (Tilt the blade of your knife at about a forty five degree angle to the top of the steak so that you get wider cuts).
6. Dip the steak pieces into the cornstarch to apply a very thin dusting to both sides of each piece of beef.
7. Let the beef sit for about 10 minutes so that the cornstarch sticks.
8. As the beef sits, heat up oil in a wok (you may also use a skillet for this step).
9. Heat the oil over medium heat until it's nice and hot, but not smoking.
10. Add the beef to the oil and sauté for for a few minutes, or until the beef is browned on both sides. 
11. Stir the meat around a little so that it cooks evenly. 
12. Remove excess oil if any. 
    
    
    Add the sauce mixture. Let simmer for one minute. 
13. Add broccoli. Cover to help broccoli steam cook. 
    
    
    When broccoli is bright green and tender, remove from stove, serve over rice. 
    
    
    
    
    

Pumpkin Crumble

I have to dig this recipe out of my email EVERY. autumn, and I finally got tired of it;) So, I'm posting it, so I can not only share, but keep track;) I'll post a picture after I make it.

This stuff is seriously the best pumpkin dessert you'll probably ever have. It speaks to the pumpkin pie lover, and it captures the pumpkin pie hater, it is everything delicious about pumpkin pie, and yet, not all pie-y, and filled with so much fall goodness! I LOVE it!!

Filling:

1 (15oz) can pumpkin
1 (14oz) can sweetened condensed milk
2 TBSP brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg (I usually don't put that in)
2 eggs


Topping:
1 box cake mix, yellow, vanilla, white, whatever you have
3/4 chopped pecans
1/2 melted butter

Heat oven to 350. Spray 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Combine all
ingredients for filling. Beat until smooth. Pour in to pan.

In bowl combine topping ingredients; mix well. Sprinkle evenly over filling.

Bake for 40-50 minutes. Until top is golden brown. Cool at least 30
minutes before serving.

Store leftovers in refrigerator.

Broccoli Salad

This is another recipe that I am constantly looking up. I LOVE it:)

2 heads fresh broccoli
1 red onion (I use more like 1/2 an oinion)
1/2 pound bacon
3/4 cup craisins
3/4 cup sliced almonds
1 cup mayonnaise (I use light)
1/2 cup white sugar
2 TB white wine vinegar (or regular vinegar)

I like to slice my bacon in small pieces then cook until crisp.

Cut broccoli florets into bite-sized pieces and dice red onion. Combine with the bacon, Craisins, nuts and mix well.

Dressing: mix Mayo, sugar, vinegar together until smooth. Pour over salad, stir, let chill and serve.

I don't usually mix all the dressing on to the salad, it's a little too much in my opinion. SO I start with a good helping of dressing on the salad, and then just before serving judge how much more needs to be added to keep the salad moist with dressing, but not soggy.

Cari's Rocking Peanut Butter cookies

1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 c. peanut butter
1/4 c. vegetable shortening
1/4 c. butter
1 egg
1 1/4 c. flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

bake 375 for 8-10 minutes


Heat oven to 375.

Beat sugars, peanut butter, shortening, butter and egg in bowl with electric miser on medium speed. Stir in flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

Shape dough into 1 1/4 inch balls. Place about 3 inches apart on ungreased sheet. Flatten in cross-cross patterns with fork dipped in granulated sugar.

Bake 8-10 minutes or until light brown. Cool 5 minutes remove from cookie sheet yo wire rack to cool.

Nutrition: 1 cookie: calories 115, (Calories from fat 55); Fat 6g (saturdated 1g); Cholesterol 5mg;Sodium 105mg; Carbohydrate 13g; Fiber 0g; Protein 2g; Vitamin A2%; Vitamin C 0%; Calcium 0%; Iron 2%.