Homemade Chicken and Veggie Stir-Fry

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I love stir-fries! They're quick and easy to make- even homemade! Use whatever veggies you want/have on hand.

I also made this last night without meat and it was so good. My daughter and I got seconds! LOL. I have more left so I am going to make Japanese style battered chicken with it for Thursday night dinner :-) Tonight is pancake night. #teamtired

This recipe is inspired by Ellie Krieger's Teriyaki marinade which is basically the same as stir-fry sauce! Serve with rice or noodles or with nothing else.

Chicken and Veggie Stir Fry

• 2/3 cups soy sauce
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup mirin/sake/or rice wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon ginger, minced
• 1-2 tablespoons garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch/potato starch
• 1 tablespoon oil of your choice (veg/canola), divided
• 1 tablespoon sesame seed oil, divided
• 3-4 chicken breasts sliced thinly or diced 
• 1 green pepper (I used about five japanese green peppers)
• 1-2 heads of broccoli, cut into florets
• 1 cup carrots, sliced thinly
• 1 half head cabbage (optional) sliced thinly
• 1 onion (size depending on your taste) sliced thinly
• 4 cloves of garlic sliced thinly

Directions
Combine the first 7 ingredients in a small bowl and stir until evenly combined. Pour half of the marinade over the chicken, and mix until evenly coated. Marinate for 15 minutes or overnight.

Heat the 1/2 tablespoon of the oil of your choice along with 1/2 tablespoon of sesame seed oil in a non stick pan or wok over medium heat. First cook broccoli and carrots for about a minute and then add the rest of the vegetables. Stir often. Cook about 5 minutes then remove from pan and set aside. With the empty pan still on medium high heat,  add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of oil and sesame seed oil. Cook chicken until nearly cooked through about five minutes, add the veggies back to the pan and remaining stir fry sauce. Stir until mixed thoroughly.  Lower heat and allow to cook about 2 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. If the sauce looks too thick add about 1/4 cup water.


Hope you all enjoy!

#MakeupMondays #Maybelline Fit Me Foundation Stick! Plus quick demo!

Hello everyone welcome to a very late Makeup Mondays! So as you read in my last blog, my time is short these days. I'm back in school full-time and back on my exercise routine on top of EVERYTHING else that goes on! 

I had a coupon for this Maybelline Fit Me Stick Shine Free Foundation, I've heard RAVE reviews about this product, so I decided to try it. Especially as I had a coupon for it. BTW, there are SO many great coupons for drug store make-up! OMG. I am a make-up junkie, so me AND my husband are happy about that lol.

Anyway, I bought the Toffee/Caramel number 330 and it matches my skin color perfectly! It applies super smooth and has a nice satin finish and feels so light almost like "second skin". I love this foundation so much. 

It's only .32oz about .68oz less than your normal liquid foundation, however you don't need to roll this stuff all over your face.  This product normally cost $8.99 according to the site. http://www.maybelline.com/Products/Face-Makeup/Foundation/fit-me-shine-free-foundation.aspx

I like to use it in areas of my face where the skin color is off from blemishes. The coverage is phenomenal and a little really goes a long way. It doesn't look cake or like you have any make up on at all. The coverage is about medium but it's certainly build-able (you're able to layer it on) if you need to.

Before! Excuse my hair I put it up in a ponytail  :-)

Applying.  I just dot it on and blend with my fingers!

If you want to just quickly even your skin tone and run out the door, this product is perfect. It leaves a perfect skin finish. No powder needed. I've noticed after maybe 6 hours I may have to retouch on blemishes, but this item is perfect to carry around in your purse and not have to worry about liquid or powder foundation spilling all over the place! I hate that! 

How to Make English Muffins

Egg McMuffin. Pizza McMuffin. Eggs Benedict…McMuffin…?



I love English Muffins, though I prefer English Muffins slightly toasted, with bacon or sausage with good ol' American cheese and a little grape jelly. Mmm Mmm.  How do you like your English Muffins?



Once you make homemade, you'll never buy store bought again. I had every ingredient on hand, which was good as I decided to make this pretty last minute. I wanted to keep my promise that I will share a recipe post once a week.



Even though I have loads of homework to do. That's OK though! I love you guys. You guys have stuck by me for 4 YEARS. Well a lot of you have. That's crazy. So let's celebrate with MUFFINS!

Please check out the tips at the end of the recipe instructions!

This recipe is from the lovely Laura Vitale of www.laurainthekitchen.com. She has a video and instructions on her website if you love videos!

Laura Vitale's recipe for English Muffins

Makes 18 muffins
Ingredients:
2 cups of Whole Milk, scalded (i used 2% as it was all I had)

5 cups of Bread Flour
1 Egg
2 Tbsp of Unsalted Butter, melted
2 Tbsp of Vegetable Shortening, melted
2 ½ Tbsp of sugar
1 ½ tsp of Salt
1 tsp of Baking Soda
1 Envelope of Active Dry Yeast, (2 ¼ tsp) plus 1 tsp of sugar
Cornmeal

1) In a large bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer, sprinkle the yeast and 1 tsp of sugar over the milk and allow it to sit and foam for a few minutes. Add the shortening, butter and egg to the yeast mixture and whisk together to combine. I used 4 tablespoons of butter. However you don't need to use butter or shortening, I forgot both the first time I made this and they turned out very well and less fat!

2) In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a dough hook, add the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and milk mixture. If you do not own a stand mixer just add the flour mixture to the milk mixture.

3) Mix the dough on low until the flour is incorporated, turn the speed up to medium and knead for 3 to 4 minutes or until the dough is smooth but still sticky.

4) Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, place it in a warm place and allow it to rise for about 2 hours.

5) Dump the dough on a floured surface, knead it together and cut it into 18 equal pieces (if you like smaller English muffins, cut them into 22 equal pieces). Roll each piece into a ball, press them down with your hand to form a patty and place them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet that has been sprinkled with cornmeal. Sprinkle the top of your patties with a little more cornmeal, cover them with a kitchen towel or  spray the boules with cooking spray (to prevent sticking) and put plastic wrap over boules, and let them rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

6) Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.

7) Preheat a griddle pan or a skillet to medium heat, gently lift each round with a spatula, place it on the hot griddle and let them cook for about 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown on both sides (do them in batches). Place them back on the baking sheet, then place them in the oven for 10 minutes.

Allow them to cool a bit before serving. Then using a fork, Laura suggests to prick muffins opened with a fork to get extra nook and crannies. 

Some tips!
In my opinion, the key to a kick ass muffin is the size (besides taste of course). If you have a kitchen scale, make sure each boule (ball) of dough is about 2.5-3.0 ounces. If you do not own a kitchen scale, please make sure the ball fits in the palm of your hand at least. If this helps I made 18. So make 18 equal boules. Also, I was hoping this would be vegan for my non meat-dairy friends, but freaking forgot this recipe calls for milk. I think this recipe will work if you substitute a cup of warm water and a cup of soy milk a room temperature for milk. And the first time I made this recipe I used neither butter or vegetable shortening (rarely have that on hand anyway) and it still worked! And lastly these muffins keeps well in the freezer!!!! So the night before just thaw as many as you want to use for the next day and you have muffins for your family. I like to cook a lot of sausage patties to make it a bit more rounded.

ENJOY!

Jam Crostata

Randomly I will post some foods I made this summer. I cooked a lot with intentions on blogging, but I just never had time to.

Here's a great recipe for Crostata which I got from the ever so awesome website Cook's Illustrated. Their recipes are pretty much foolproof, and you can follow it to a T or use it as a guide. I am a die hard fan! As it's the season to be merry, fill it with cranberry jam or even mincemeat! The delicious, buttery, fragrant, Pasta Frolla (pastry) is not hard to whip up and will surely impress with it's beautiful lattice top. I am a lattice-phobe and mine came out better than expected.  Try this and look for the mincemeat recipe here!



Raspberry Jam Crostata
Adapted from Cook's Illustrated

INGREDIENTS
Pasta Frolla
1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk
2 - 3 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (11 3/4 ounces), plus more for dusting work surface
1/2 cup sugar (3 1/2 ounces)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Grated zest of 1 lemon
12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 cup raspberry jam or mincemeat
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 large egg white, beaten with 2 tablespoons water

INSTRUCTIONS
For the Pasta Frolla: 

1. Whisk egg, 2 tablespoons water, and vanilla together in small bowl and set aside. Place flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest in food processor and pulse to combine. Scatter butter pieces over flour mixture and process to cut butter into flour until mixture resembles coarse meal, about seven 1-second pulses. With machine running, add egg mixture and process until liquid ingredients are incorporated. Squeeze handful of dough; if it forms moist ball, no more water is necessary. If mixture is crumbly and dry, add 1 more tablespoon water and process just until incorporated.


2. Remove dough from food processor and transfer it to large bowl. Gently knead until cohesive, about 30 seconds. Divide dough into 2 equal pieces. Shape one piece into 5-inch disk and other piece into 5-inch square. Wrap both pieces in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.


3. To Assemble and Bake: Mix jam and lemon juice in small bowl.


4. Remove both pieces of dough from refrigerator (if refrigerated longer than 1 hour, let stand at room temperature until malleable). Roll round dough disk between 2 large sheets of lightly floured parchment paper to 11-inch circle about 1/4 inch thick. Peel off top sheet of parchment and discard. Using 11-inch pot lid or cardboard round as guide, trim first piece of dough to perfect 11-inch circle with pizza wheel or paring knife. Reserve scraps. Slide dough, still on parchment, onto baking sheet. Spread jam on dough, leaving 1-inch border around edge.


5. Roll square piece of dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper to 11-inch square. Peel off parchment. With pizza wheel or paring knife, straighten edges of dough (reserve scraps), then cut dough into ten 1-inch-wide strips (illustration 3). Brush strips with egg wash and place them over filling, 5 in each direction in diagonal lattice, using spatula to help move and position strips. Combine scraps and knead them together slightly. Roll this dough into 3/4-inch-thick rope about 30 inches long. Brush rim of pastry with egg wash, then press dough rope into rim. Brush border with remaining egg wash. Refrigerate crostata on baking sheet for 1 hour.


6. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Bake until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Slide crostata (still on parchment paper) onto wire rack and cool to room temperature. Cut into slices and serve

Mr. Flavor Bakes? Fudge Brownie-Banana Vanilla Ice Cream Sundae

First off, Happy Valentine's Day! It's important to show love all 365 days of the year, and we all know it's a Hallmark holiday- but it nice to be a bit more gushy on this chocolatey romantic day! We honestly do not have anything planned. We worked, paid a ginormous bill, and budgeted- how romantic! Paying bills is sexy to me...ok not really...

Saturday, my daughter wanted ice cream after a cold day's out at the playground. She really does ask for random things at random times. She asks for sausages when she first wakes up, or asks where's my doughnut before we kiss her goodnight. Haha...food is always on her mind!  Anyway, she asked for ice cream- BANILLA ice cream to be precise. For some reason when she asked for it, I became nostalgic for Baskin Robbins Hot Fudge brownie Banana Sundae. Not sure what the name is exactly, all I know is I ate it by the bucket-loads during my first pregnancy. When we told the little ones about the dessert plan, they were most certainly down.

The brownie recipe was my first successful baking recipe  a few years back. It's posted here with some changes.  This time, my husband and I agreed thinner brownies are better for this and we also added about 1/3 cup of semisweet chocolate chips to the batter. Use any brownie recipe you like. This one is a good one, though! Also, if cooking in a 13 by 9 pan bake for about 17-23 minutes.

The husband took the lead on this one and he didn't do bad at all :) Great way for us to spend some much needed time together, too. Happy Valentine's Day! This is great for anytime of the year if you ask me ;) We forgot to buy heavy cream to make whipped cream, but you don't really need it. Unless you're kinky like that ....

You will need:
A Brownie Recipe
Vanilla Ice Cream- homemade or purchased (we bought Haegen-Daaz)
2 ripe bananas
Your choice of toppings such as melted semi-sweet chocolate, toasted walnuts, whipped cream cherries, etc

Directions:
Once brownies are slightly cooled, cut 'em up, top with ice cream, sliced bananas,  melted chocolate and nuts (or whatever you want)

And voila! Easy peasy husband pleasy ;)



His toes are curlin' ;)

Enjoy!!!

Butterflied Sweet and Spicy Chicken!

Fellow food bloggers or people photograph food for whatever reason: have you ever gotten seriously hungry editing or going through your food flicks? I do and did this afternoon! I literally ate 15 minutes before editing, and whilst editing, I got a sudden craving for the very food I just prepared last night! Lucky for me I had just enough leftover and now I am very happy.

Hopefully when you look at my photos and read my blog you become hungry, too. More than just appetite-wise, but hungry to get in the kitchen and whip up your own amazing creation. It doesn't have to be some crazy feast, we all know or at least learn the hard way (me!), simple is better most of the time.

So yesterday, I whipped up some chicken and broccoli. Really simple and quite delicious. You can prep the chicken and sauce the night before and grill when you get home. This dinner is done within an hour, and
as my Aunt Ina Garten (ok imaginary aunt) says, "How easy is that?" Even better, you can stick the chicken in the oven!

So what makes this chicken special? It's butterflied.  A butterflied chicken is flattened and grills faster and more evenly. It's great when you're not in the mood to joint a chicken, too.

To butterfly a chicken you must remove the backbone using super sharp kitchen shears or a super sharp knife.

Ok, now remove any excess skin hanging around, and flatten the chicken out a bit. In the center you see a biggol bone. That there is the breast bone. 

With your boning knife, just lightly score around it. Bend the sides backwards to pop it free. You may need to cut it out, but be sure not to cut any flesh! Just around the bone!

Tuck the tips of the wing behind the breast if it already isn't. And there you have a pretty flattened birdy.

 Hey birdy!

Laying back ready for it's tan.

Now what to do with this bird? Grill it.

Honey Barbecue Chicken

Adapted from FineCooking September 2008 Issue

For the Rub

2T olive oil

2.5t kosher salt

1 t chili powder

1 t paprika

1 t brown sugar

1 t thyme

3/4 t freshly ground black pepper

1/4 t chipotle powder

1 t garlic powder

4-lb butterflied chicken (above technique), patted dry

Honey Glaze

1/2 cup honey

1 T soy sauce

1 T ketchup

2 t Dijon mustard

2 t Worcestershire sauce

1 t apple cider vinegar

Asian chili paste to taste (i used 1t!)

Directions

In a small bowl, mix all ingredients for rub (except chicken- just in case you're wondering!).

Now rub the season all over that bird including under the skin!

Using a spoon is the best way for me. But you can use a rubber spatula or your hands! Be careful not to tear the skin!

Cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours or if you don't have the time, allow to sit at room temp for 30 minutes.

Prepare the honey glaze by combining all ingredients. Set aside, reserving 1/4 cup for for drizzling over cooked chicken.

Tinkerbell works her magic

Heat all burners on a gas grill on medium low or prepare a charcoal fire with a hot zone and a cooler zone with the lid down. Or heat your oven or 400F! Lightly oil grates. You should be able to  hold your hand a couple inches above the grill for 2 to 4 seconds. If it's too hot turn it down. It's too cool, wait a lil while. Set meat on grill and sear 5 to 10 minutes. Be sure to sear and not burn. Keep a close eye on  chicken in case of flare-ups.

Flip chicken and move to the cooler side of the fire (charcoal) or adjust burners on gas grills. For 3 burner gas grills, turn the middle burner off, and set the front and back burners to medium low.

Put grill's lid down and brush bird with honey glaze every 5 minutes, until instant read thermometer inserted in the thickes part of the thighs register 165F. Took be about 40 minutes. Depends on the grill, I guess.

Once done, allow to rest for five minutes and drizzle with reserved sauce.

This was so tender, juicy and full of flavor. This a must try at home!

I served this along with some caramelized broccoli with garlic. The children loved everything! Definitely a winner 'round here!

Shrimp Salad with Cucumber, Mint and Basil in Lettuce Cups

Back story: Yesterday I finally got my internet back if you haven’t read in the previous post. So I spent a good portion of the day catching up with folks, reading blogs, uploading photos, explaining myself to my mother, etc. So I sort of splurged on junk food! Luckily I planned a healthy dinner for tonight last week. As well as being healthy it's also quick to make! Today was spent cleaning and researching jam and chutney recipes and learning all about the world of canning (I feel like such a grandma sometimes- but I like it!). So dinner was late and a quick, fresh fix is what was needed. 

Anyone like shrimp salads? I remember growing up eating seafood salads that were laden with loads of mayo and/or miracle whip. Well this version is a different, lighter, take on on your standard shrimp/seafood salad. A mint pesto-like sauce is used for a fresh taste as well as cucumbers for a nice crunch and lemon zest for a citrus kick. This salad was absolutely amazing. I can eat my weight in it- so thank goodness it’s healthy!

To make the mint sauce, use a small food processor or mortar and pestal! I used my large food processor, and it took a little while to get the sauce just right. My first instinct told me to use my mini processor, d’oh! Still easy and quick, though!

This recipe is adapted from my dear friend (she just doesn’t know it yet) Ellie Krieger. Here is the original recipe.

Ingredients

·         1 pound of jumbo shrimp, cleaned

·         1 garlic clove smashed , unpeeled(optional)

·         about 10 peppercorns or your taste (optional)

·         2 mint leaves (optional)

·         1 cup fresh mint leaves

·         ½ cup fresh basil leaves

·         2 tablespoons lemon juice, separated 

·         3 tablespoons olive oil

·         1/2 English cucumber, seeded and diced (about 1 1/2 cups)

·         1 lemon, zested

·         Salt and pepper

Directions

In a large saucepan, add garlic, salt, peppercorns and mint leaves to water, then bring to boil. Cook shrimp in boiling water for 3 minutes, drain and cool in refrigerator or in a bowl full of ice. I just chucked it into the freezer while I chopped the cucumbers!

Put mint, basil and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice in food processor and pulse to coarsely chop the mint and basil. Drizzle olive oil into processor while pureeing until herbs are finely chopped.

I so elegantly chopped the shrimp to add to the salad since they were jumbo. But you do not have to!

In a serving bowl, toss shrimp, cucumber, herb mixture, zest, salt and pepper to combine. Squeeze remaining lemon juice onto salad. Put into cups for an extra elegant touch.

This will keep in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Hope you enjoy as much my family did!

Fluffy Pancakes

I haven't cooked anything since Sunday as my son's been ill in the hospital. So since of fridge is at the brink of emptiness due to no shopping trips and food rapidly going rancid, I decided to go with a quick go-to breakfast. Pancakes! My children's 2nd favorite breakfast after Waffles and slightly nudging French Toast.

This recipe is very easy and you can make any variations you want to.

Fluffy Pancakes
1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour (I use unbleached)
1 tablespoon of baking powder
1/2 t of salt, can be course or table salt
2 tablespoons of sugar
2 pinches of cinnamon
1 1/4 cups of milk
1 egg
4 tablespoons of melted unsalted butter

Optional- additional salted butter for pan

Directions:
In a large bowl, sift or stir all dry ingredients together. Make a well in the center then set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine all wet ingredients.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and DO NOT OVER-STIR! Will result in flat, tough discs! We want fluffy!

Turn burner or griddle on medium heat. If using, add about a teaspoon of butter to a heated skillet/frying pan/griddle. Pour about 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup of pancake batter per pancake. Let cook until bubbles cover the surface of the pancakes. Flip over and cook for about a minute or two and repeat until batter is gone!

Enjoy! A big hit in our house :D