asian salad + grilled chicken

This has been one of our stand-by recipes for the past few years. It is fresh and light and we almost always have everything we need to make it! I'm not sure of the original source for this recipe - I got it from my mama (mamas always know best, don't they?). Tonight I kept it super simple, I didn't even marinate the chicken, just a little salt + pepper before throwing it on the grill pan. You can use pretty much whatever veggies/salad stuff you have on hand. I used romaine salad mix, carrots, purple cabbage and cucumbers. The key players are the mandarin oranges and the crunchy chow mein noodles. The star of the show is the dressing....we'll call it Kate's Lite Sesame Dressing, in honor of Mom :)

Kate's Lite Sesame Dressing
1/4  c. light mayo
2 + 1/2 T. rice vinegar
1 T. sugar
2 + 1/2 t. sesame oil
2 + 1/2 t. soy sauce
1/4 t. garlic powder

Whisk the ingredients together in a small bowl, makes approx 2-3 servings. Enjoy!
I recently learned the following tip on grilling chicken:
* Use a meat mallet to flatten out the chicken + make it a uniform thickness.
I have had amazing results since I started doing this!

c is for cookie...

This is my all-time favorite sugar cookie recipe, given to me by my mom. I was about a week late getting these valentine cookies done, so I opted for spring colors (I went with hearts anyway). ♥

Sugar Cookies
3/4 cup softened butter
3/4 cup shortening
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 cups all purpose flour

Cream butter and shortening, then add sugar, baking powder and salt. Beat to combine then add eggs and vanilla. Mix in flour 1 cup at a time. Cover and chill for 1 hour or overnight. If left in overnight, take out the dough 20-30 minutes before you are ready to bake.
Preheat oven to 350, roll out dough, cut and bake for 8-10 minutes or until edges are starting to get golden brown.

Royal Icing
3 ounces pasteurized egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 cups confectioners sugar

Combine the egg whites and vanilla and beat until frothy. Add sugar gradually and mix on low speed until sugar is incorporated and the mixture is shiny. Turn up speed to high and beat until mixture forms stiff, glossy peaks. Add food coloring if desired and spread on cookies (is awesome on gingerbread cookies too).

party food...

Two words: bacon crescents.  Oh man, these were really good.  Not exactly diet friendly - but really, really good.  My mom made these at Christmas and they were an instant hit.  I've just been waiting for an occasion to make them.  Let's face facts, you can pretty much put anything in a crescent & it will amaze you.  But bacon? Everything is better with bacon.  I love bacon, plain & simple.  I used this recipe - easy peasy.
I doubled the recipe for a friend's 31st birthday party last night & didn't bring any home!  We had so much fun!  Cory and I are pretty much hermits most of the time.  Being more social is something we're always working on...but last night made me remember how much fun hanging out with a really good group of people can be.  I met some new folks, had great conversations, laughed a lot and even wore a purple wig! :)  Hanging out with pals (old & new), listening to music & laughing turns out to be a great medicine for the winter blues!

game day food...

The original recipe for these little morsels came from my Dad's cousin Nancy, who brought these to Christmas a few years ago - super easy & so so yummy.  We were trying to come up with a clever name for them...essentially they are "brown sugar & pecan pigs in a blanket."  Cory suggested "sweet pigs with warm nuts in a brown blanket."  That's my man :)

Ingredients:
1 package lit'l wieners
2 cans of crescent rolls
1/2 stick of butter
1/8 cup of brown sugar
3 tablespoons honey
handful of chopped pecans or pecan chips

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Assemble your pigs in a blanket then bake them on a cookie sheet for approximately 10 minutes or until they are starting to turn golden brown.  While those are baking, melt and mix together the butter, brown sugar and honey in a sauce pan over medium-high heat.  After the pigs are done cooking, transfer them into a 9 x 13 baking dish.  Pour the brown sugar butter mixture evenly over the pigs.  Return them to the oven for another 3-5 minutes.  Remove from the oven & sprinkle with chopped pecans...Enjoy!  This recipe makes approximately 30 pieces, I doubled the recipe for Super Bowl Sunday!

our dinner via Pinterest...

                                                                               Source: aht.seriouseats.com via Sarah on Pinterest

                                                                        Source: theartofdoingstuff.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Isn't Pinterest the best? Our dinner this evening, thanks to Pinterest, is crispy baked sweet potato fries & yummy burgers! Every recipe I have made from Pinterest (so far) has been a success! I need to start documenting my successes! My Pinterest wish is a "you have already pinned this!" warning; sometimes I get crazy déjà vu when I'm pinning!

red pepper soup...

I was actually pretty excited the first day it felt like winter last week...I've been waiting for the cold weather to make all my favorite winter foods, particularly the soups!  This creamy, roasted red pepper soup (a Giada recipe) is super easy & very healthy!  If I've made a batch just for Cory and I, we freeze half for an easy dinner another night - definitely a favorite in our house :) You can find the recipe here or on my recipe box page.  Enjoy!

Recipe Share: Spicy Pork & Sesame Ramen

Slightly adapted from a recipe in Let's Cook Japanese Food...

1 teaspoon sesame oil

4-6 strips of bacon, fried then crumbled

1/2 pound ground pork

1 tablespoon chili bean paste

1 teaspoon finely minced garlic

2 packages instant ramen

3 cups chicken broth

1/4 cup sesame seeds, toasted & ground

2 green onions, minced

Hot chili oil

In a frying pan, cook the slices of bacon and set them aside.  Wipe out the pan leaving some of the bacon grease and add the sesame oil.  Over medium-high heat, brown the pork breaking it up with a wooden spoon.  Add the chili bean paste and the garlic and continue to cook until the pork is cooked through and is very crispy.  Remove from heat & set aside (I recommend draining both the bacon and the cooked pork on a paper towel).  Cook the ramen according to the directions but discard the flavor packet.  Once cooked, drain the ramen noodles and set aside.  Divide the ground sesame seeds between two large bowls and then pour half of the chicken broth into each bowl.  Add the noodles, then top with the cooked pork, crumbled bacon & green onions.  Drizzle hot chili oil according to your taste & enjoy!!  This is one of our favorites :)

P.S.  I can usually only eat half a serving but the leftovers reheat really well & can be eaten the next day for lunch!

Recipe Share: Sugar Cookies

Sugar Cookies
3/4 cup softened butter
3/4 cup shortening
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder (this is not a typo, use full tablespoon)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 cups all purpose flour

Cream butter and shortening, then add sugar, baking powder and salt.  Beat to combine then add eggs and vanilla.  Mix in flour 1 cup at a time.  Cover and chill for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350, roll out dough, cut and bake for 8-10 minutes or until edges are starting to get golden brown.

Royal Icing
 3 ounces pasteurized egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 cups confectioners sugar

Combine the egg whites and vanilla and beat until frothy.  Add sugar gradually and mix on low speed until sugar is incorporated and the mixture is shiny.  Turn up speed to high and beat until mixture forms stiff, glossy peaks.  Add food coloring if desired and spread on cookies.

I. Love. This. Recipe.

red pepper soup

The weekend has gone by too quickly, yet again.  My preggo sister has been jonesing for this roasted red pepper soup I've been making for the last few years (it's a Giada recipe from Food Network).  It's super easy, healthy & muy delicioso! I made her a whole batch of her very own today so she can freeze some to enjoy later.  And I heard that my 19 month old niece loved it to - it's a winner!

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, chopped
2 carrots, peeled & chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 teaspoons chopped, fresh thyme
6 cups chicken broth
2 - 12 ounce jars of roasted red bell peppers in water (drained)
1 russet potato, peeled & coarsely chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon sugar
salt & freshly ground black pepper

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a heavy, large pot over medium/high heat.  Add the onions, carrots, garlic and thyme and saute until the onions are translucent (about 5 minutes).  Add the broth, bell peppers, potato, wine and sugar.  Bring to a simmer over high heat.  Decrease the heat to medium/low, partially cover and simmer until the potatoes are tender (about 30 minutes).  Cool the soup slightly.  Then using an immersion hand blender, puree the soup in the pot until it is smooth.  You can also do this in a blender, working in batches (be careful transferring & blending any hot liquids).  Season the soup to taste with salt & pepper.  Enjoy! ♥