Chinese Chicken Salad

This is a meal that my mom made when I was a kid and I have started making it for my family. My husband requests it. He requests a salad! This one is a pretty easy to get together. It is not a huge hit with my kids, but they like the chicken and the crispy wontons. I don't have anything other than a picture of the finished product, but I have faith that you'll forgive me.

Ingredients

3 chicken breasts

1 head iceberg
1 head leaf lettuce
Won tons
Rice sticks
2 TB slivered almonds
2 tsp sesame seeds

Dressing
6 green onions
4 TB sugar
6 TB rice vinegar
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 cup oil

 Cook chicken and shred. Tear lettuce and place in a bowl. Fry won tons. Toast almonds and sesame seeds. Blend dressing ingredients until smooth. Pour over salad before serving.

Teriyaki Salmon and Coconut Rice

Have I mentioned how much I love salmon? I really love salmon! I love serving it with a sauce made from the marinade and a side of coconut rice. This is a bit of splurge meal for us, but it is worth every penny. I mean, look at that. I'm drooling just looking at the picture!

It doesn't take a ton of ingredients, but it is packed with flavor.

First step is to marinate the salmon in soy sauce, garlic, brown sugar, fresh ginger, and a little sesame oil for at least 30 minutes.

While the salmon marinates, get the rice going. I used a rice cooker, but if you don't have one, I'll include instructions for that too.

Heat a pan with some oil and get that salmon in, skin side down.

Let it get pretty crispy  and then flip it over carefully. The sugar on mine got a little burnt because I had the pan too hot.

Look at that caramelization! That is pure flavor. I use the leftover marinade to make a quick sauce and serve it over the rice and salmon.

Teriyaki Salmon with Coconut Rice

• 1 lb skin on salmon
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
• 2 cups jasmine rice (white works fine too)
• 1 (15 ounce) can coconut milk (make sure it is unsweetened)
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 teaspoon salt

Start by marinating the salmon in the soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, cornstarch, garlic, and ginger for at least 30 minutes, in the fridge.

If you are using a rice cooker, use the recommended amount of liquid for 2 cups of rice. Just use the coconut milk and add water as needed. If you are making the rice in a pot, it is 2 cups of rice, the coconut milk, garlic, salt, and 1.5 cups of water. Put it in the pot, bring it to a boil, then turn it down to a simmer and cook, covered, for 20 minutes.

Heat a pan with a tablespoon or so of oil, don't go much higher than medium heat or the brown sugar will burn. Put the salmon in, skin side down and let it cook for 3-4 minutes to get the skin nice and crispy, then carefully flip it. Give it another 3-4 minutes or until it is cooked to your liking, I like mine a little on the rare side, so I always cook it less. When it is done, put it on a plate to rest while you make the sauce.

Once the pan is clear of the salmon, pour the marinade into the pan and let it simmer until it thickens up. Portion the salmon and serve it with the rice and sauce.

Almost One Pan Chicken and Veggies

 I love low prep meals when I am exhausted and let me tell you, today was quite a long day. Allergies are running rampant in our apartment and I didn't get much sleep because of it. My original plan for dinner was just not going to happen. Enter two sheet pans, one bowl, and a freaking delicious dinner!

 

Crispy, corn flake coated chicken, roasted brussel sprouts, and some roasted potatoes. I know, sprouts are not a fan favorite. I've always loved them, but you could easily sub broccoli or another green veggie for them, but let me tell you, they are amazing when roasted!

 

Preheat the oven to 425. Cut the brussel spouts and potatoes, tossed them in olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder and then put them on a sheet pan.

In the oven they go! Yes, I did use the same bowl that I tossed the veggies in to dip my chicken in milk. Ain't nobody got time for two bowls. I crushed the corn flakes in my blender and then put them in a plastic bag with salt, pepper, smoked paprika, and garlic powder.

Dip the chicken in the milk

Then in the crumbs. Shake it around a little if you don't want to use your hands.

Sorry for the blur on this one, but there it is on the pan.

I used just legs and baked them for 35 minutes.

The result was some golden brown, crispy, super flavorful chicken

And those sprouts don't look too bad either!

Oven Fried Chicken and Roasted Veggies

Ingredients

• 8-12 chicken drumsticks
• 3 cups corn flakes, crushed very fine
• 1 cup milk (buttermilk, if you have it)
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1 1/2 pounds fresh brussel sprouts
• 3 large potatoes
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon each garlic powder and onion powder

Preheat the oven to 425. Cut the brussel sprouts in half and cut the potatoes into even pieces. Toss them in the oil, some salt and pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Put them on a sheet pan and into the oven.

Combine the corn flakes, some salt and pepper, parmesan cheese, and smoke paprika in a large zip top bag. Dip the chicken in the milk and then the corn flake mixture. Get that chicken on another sheet pan and into the oven for 35 minutes or until it has an internal temp of 165 and the juices run clear.

Pumpkin Banana Biscotti

I've never made biscotti before, but I pinned a recipe for pumpkin biscotti and had some extra pumpkin from the can I used for the Pumpkin pull apart bread, so I figured I'd give it a go. Turns out they are delicious! I'm not a crispy cookie fan, but it works so well with the flavors of these little bundles. My kids loved them too and I feel good that they are getting some extra veggies and fruit even if it is in a sugary form.

I had a very good helper, but that meant I didn't get a lot of pictures. First, cream the butter, sugar, spices, and baking powder together until smooth and creamy.

Add the banana and pumpkin puree and beat until combined. Then add the flour and mix until just combined. Over mixing will give you gummy biscotti.

On a pan lined with parchment paper, form the dough into two rectangles. Bake for 25 minutes at 350. Allow to cool on the pan for 5 minutes and turn the oven down to 325.

Slice the loaves into 6-10 pieces and put them back on the baking sheet and back in the oven for 25 minutes.

After 25 minutes, turn the oven off, prop it open a crack, and let the biscotti cool down with the oven. The result is a crispy and delightful bite! I would recommend eating these with a cup of hot chocolate or apple cider. 

Pumpkin Banana Biscotti

Adapted from Just a Taste

Ingredients

• 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 1/4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 very ripe banana, mashed
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin purée
• 2 cups all-purpose flour

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
2. Beat sugar, butter, spices, baking power, and salt until creamy and smooth
3. Add the banana and pumpkin and beat until combined
4. Mix the flour in just until combined, over mixing will make the dough gummy
5. Divide the dough in half and make two rectangles on the baking sheet
6. Bake for 25 minutes and allow to cool for 5 before slicing
7. Turn the oven to 325
8. Slice the loaves into 6-10 pieces and put them back on the baking sheet
9. Bake for another 25 minutes
10. Turn off the oven, leave the baking sheet and biscotti in there with the oven door open slightly until it is cooled
11. Enjoy with a mug of hot chocolate or apple cider

Easy Bruschetta

Ripe tomatoes, fresh basil, crispy bread, yum! Bruschetta is one of my favorite hot weather meals. It is also super easy and doesn't mean being in a hot kitchen forever.

Start by cutting the tomatoes. 

Saute some garlic in olive oil until it is very lightly browned.

Add thinly sliced basil and the garlic and oil to the tomatoes.

Throw in some chopped onion, a few splashes of balsamic vinegar, some salt, and pepper

Mix it up and bask in the glory of how gorgeous it is. Let it sit in the fridge for about an hour if you have time, if not, it is ready to serve immediately too.

Heat some oil, butter, bacon grease, or whatever your fat of choice is, in a pan and saute the bread until it is crispy and golden brown.

Top the bread with the tomato mixture and enjoy before it goes soggy! We like to eat it with sausages to balance out the meal, but I would be happy to eat the bruschetta by itself.

Bruschetta

Ingredients

• 6 ripe tomatoes
• 1 small onion, red if you have it
• 5-6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1/4-1/2 cup fresh basil, thinly sliced
• 2-4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• Salt and pepper to taste
• your favorite good, crusty bread, I used Wegmans rosemary olive oil bread
• Oil to brown the bread

Method

1. Chop the tomatoes, onion, and slice the basil
2. Lightly brown the garlic in the olive oil
3. Combine the tomatoes, onion, basil, garlic and oil in a large bowl
4. Add the balsamic, salt, and pepper. It is super important to just add a little at a time and taste it repeatedly. You don't want it too salty or vinegary. Allow the flavors to combine for about an hour in the fridge or serve right away.
5. Brown the bread in oil until golden brown and crispy.

Let Them Eat Pumpkin Pull Apart Bread!

It is September, that means fall is coming! So I am celebrating the impending death of all creeping things and the end of my seasonal allergies by baking ALL the pumpkin things! Tonight's dinner was pumpkin pull apart bread with a salted maple glaze. Yes, it is as decadent as it sounds. This one is pretty prep heavy because it is bread instead of using premade dough, but I PROMISE it is worth the time and effort. Seriously, look at all this gooey goodness.

Start by proofing your yeast. Warm water, milk, and sugar help the yeast start the epic journey to making your bread delicious. It is super important to let that yeast get all frothy and happy!

Then comes melted butter, salt, 1 egg (I used a substitute because allergies), pumpkin puree, spices, and half the flour.

Mix it up either with a spoon or the dough hook on a stand mixer. Slowly add the rest of the flour. The dough will come together and clean the sides of the bowl of the stand mixer and if you are using a spoon, you'll need to knead it to get the rest incorporated. Knead it for 5 minutes in the mixer or by hand. Put it in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let rise for an hour. Punch it down, break off pieces that are about the size of a tablespoon, roll them in melted butter and cinnamon sugar, and put those beauties in a greased bundt pan. Cover and let it rise for another hour.

Now preheat the oven to 350. Bake the bread for 25 minutes. Let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes, flip it onto a plate, and drizzle the salted maple glaze your gorgeous ring of happiness!

Pumpkin Pull Apart Bread with Salted Maple Glaze

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup warm water (no more than 100 degrees)
• 1/4 cup warm milk (no more than 100 degrees)
• 1 1/2 active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 large egg, beaten (I used 1 tablespoon flaxmeal and 3 tablespoons water)
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 2/3 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 3 1/3 cups flour

For the coating:

• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon

For the gaze:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tsp sea salt (NOT table salt!)

Method

In a stand mixer with a dough hook or a large bowl combine the milk, water, yeast, and sugar. Let it proof for 5-10 minutes and it should look foamy on top. 

Stir in the salt, egg, butter, pumpkin, spices, and about half the flour. With the mixer on, or by hand, add the rest of the flour a little at a time. It should be a little sticky, but not really stick to your hands. Knead it for 5 minutes. Lightly grease a bowl and the dough. Cover and let it rise for 1 hour.

Mix the sugar and cinnamon for the coating in one bowl and melt the butter in another. Once the hour is up, punch the dough down. Take small pieces, about the size of a tablespoon each, dip them in the butter, then roll them in the sugar mixture. Then they go in the greased bundt pan to rise, covered, for another hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 and when the hour is up bake the bread for 25 minutes. Let it cool, in the pan, for about 10 minutes. While it is cooling, mix all the glaze ingredients. After the 10 minutes are up, put a plate on top of the pan and then flip the pan over. The bread should come out fairly easily. Drizzle the glaze over the bread and try to keep from burning your tongue because it is way too good to wait for it to cool!

Smoky Cheddar Drop Biscuits

I love a good biscuit, but sometimes they are a huge pain. With all the rolling and cutting, I just don't have the patience for that. The solution: drop biscuits. No rolling, no cutting, just drop them on the pan and go! This recipe was born from a lack of parmesan cheese. I wanted to make biscuits to go with the smoked sausage skillet, but my go to recipe calls for parmesan cheese. Imagine my dismay when there was none in my fridge. Suddenly, my eyes fell on the family pack of cheddar sitting in the bottom drawer. It was like a 2x4 smacked me upside the head and I thought, "SMOKY CHEDDAR BISCUITS!!!" All I had to do was make a couple adjustments and these beauties were born. Light, fluffy, easy, and full of smoky, cheesy flavor.

Pardon the mess, a few things still don't quite have homes. Here are the ingredients.

Preheat the oven to 400, line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, and then start by mixing the cheese and dry ingredients

Then, grate (yes, grate, not cut) the butter. This makes sure that it gets evenly spread and the biscuits have that perfect flakiness

Use a pastry cutter or two forks to incorporate the butter fully. It should look about like this

Finally, add the milk and mix until it is a sticky mess

For some reason, I didn't get pictures of it on the baking sheet before or after baking. Sorry about that. Use two large spoons to dollop about 1/3 cup for each biscuit. Stick those lovely things in the oven for 15-20 minutes and then try to refrain from burning all your taste buds by eating them as soon as they come out of the oven.

Smoky Cheddar Drop Biscuits

Ingredients

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 tablespoon smoked paprika, not regular or it won't have the smoky flavor
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon italian seasoning or oregano
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick (8 tablespoons or 1/4 pound) salted butter
• 1 cup milk

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 400 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
2. Mix the flour, cheese, paprika, baking powder, sugar, garlic powder, salt, and italian seasoning in a large bowl
3. Use the small holes of a grater to grate the butter directly into the bowl
4. Combine the butter with the dry ingredients using a pastry cutter or two forks until it resembles large crumbs
5. Add the milk and stir combine, add more milk if it looks dry
6. Use two large spoons to scoop the dough onto the baking sheet
7. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned on the top

Not So Korean Beef

This is a staple recipe in our house. The Hubby loves it, Sprout loves it, Bean is a little less than enthused, but sometimes he eats the meat. Before you ask what makes it Korean, the answer is... not much. I only call it that because the recipe I modified it from calls it that. It is another small list of ingredients meal that packs a lot of flavor. We eat it over rice or quinoa.

I start with a little sesame oil and plenty of garlic.

When the Garlic is softened, but not brown, add the ground beef.

Brown it well and then add frozen (or fresh) veggies of your choice. I used mixed veggies because I had extra from another meal. The sauce ingredients also go in at this point, but I don't have a good picture of that for you.

Let the veggies heat through and you are ready to serve. I like to top mine with green onions, some toasted sesame seeds, and a little sriracha or red pepper flakes.

Not So Korean Beef

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef
• sesame oil
• 10 oz frozen veggies (or as much fresh as you want)
• 2 (or more) cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated; or 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• A splash of fish sauce if you have it (it adds a little extra umami flavor)
• Optional toppings: sesame seeds, green onions, red pepper flakes, etc

Method

1. Heat sesame oil in a pan and add garlic
2. Cook just until softened and add ground beef
3. When the beef is cooked through, add the veggies, brown sugar, soy sauce, and ginger
4. Allow the veggies to heat through and it is ready to serve

Sausage and Squash Skillet

I love squash. Summer squash or winter squash, I'll eat it all! My boys? Not so much. The hubby loves spaghetti squash, but that is about it. He'll eat it if it is in front of him, but squash just isn't his thing and that is ok. I figure if I pair it with something he loves, such as sausage, he'll be more willing to chow down. I was certainly right with this recipe. It is the essence of summer to me. Bright veggies and perfectly browned, smoked sausage. Another bonus? It is not a lot of prep or ingredients, which is good for our food budget.

I started by sauteing an onion in some leftover bacon fat.

Next came the sausage, I just did rounds, but you could cut it as small as you like.

Once the sausage started getting lovely and brown, I added the squash, tomatoes, garlic, and seasonings.

I stirred it a few times just to get everything evenly coated and then I just let it cook.

Once the tomatoes release some liquid and the squash is cooked to your liking, it is ready to enjoy with a couple smoky cheddar biscuits (recipe coming soon!) or over pasta!

Pardon the foot photobomb

Smoked Sausage and Squash Skillet

Original recipe at: Yellow Bliss Road

Ingredients:

• 1 package smoked sausage (kielbasa would also work)
• 1 medium zucchini, cut in half rounds
• 1 medium yellow squash, cut in half rounds
• 1 small onion, diced
• olive oil, butter, or bacon fat
• 1 pint grape tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon italian seasoning
• 1-3 cloves garlic, minced 
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Method

1. Add oil, butter, or bacon fat and onions to a 12 inch skillet and allow the onions to soften
2. Add sausage and cook until lightly browned
3. Next comes the squash, tomatoes, garlic, and seasonings
4. Allow the veggies to cook down and soften to your liking
5. Serve with bread, pasta, or rice to sop up the lovely sauce