Healthy Blueberry Banana Muffins

These muffins are moist and delicious, the kids (and adults) love them for a quick healthy snack or breakfast.

The Grocery List

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
• 1 cup whole wheat flour (spooned and leveled)
  
• 1/4 cup natural wheat bran
  
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/3 cup granulated white sugar
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 ripe bananas
• 1/3 cup reduced fat milk (whatever you have on hand, I use 2%)
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup frozen blueberries

Cooking Them Up:

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Line 18 muffin cups with paper liners (or spray with cooking spray).

In a bowl, whisk together the flours, wheat bran, baking soda, and salt.

In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugars with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

In another bowl, mash bananas with a fork; stir in milk and vanilla.

With mixer on low, alternately add flour mixture and banana mixture to butter mixture, mix just until combined.

Fold in frozen blueberries

Divide batter among muffin cups. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 22 minutes.

Let cool in pan 10 minutes; transfer muffins to a rack to cool 10 minutes more.

Makes 18 muffins.

Spinach and Feta Potaoes

The Grocery List:

6 potatoes (about 5 lbs.)
1 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup light sour cream or regular sour cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 (10 ounce) package spinach, thawed and drained (or I buy the frozen spinach in the bag and use 4 or 5 pieces)
1 cups crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese or regular feta cheese
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Cooking It All Up:

Peel and cook potatoes. Mash with a potato masher. Stir in butter, sour cream, salt and pepper.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish.

Combine the spinach, garlic and feta cheese. Make sure the spinach is thawed and as dry as possible.

Stir spinach mixture into potatoes.

Spoon into buttered dish swirling top slightly. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Bake, uncovered until golden and a knife inserted in center feels warm, 35-40 minutes.

Makes 4 Servings.

Maritime Hodge Podge

Love this time of year; and not only for the usual hot summertime weather (which we have not been experiencing this year) but also for the garden fresh vegetables that are available from our local vendors! Mmmm….mmm – I swear I’ve eaten $20.00 worth of fresh peas in the last two weeks by myself! So sweet and delicious! And I could consume a plate full of Swiss Chard every night topped with vinegar! Yum!

Hodge Podge may be known to some by a different name; but one thing is certain, it is a Maritime tradition in many homes.

(The key to this dish is the ‘garden fresh’ vegetables!)


Ingredients:

Potatoes
Carrots
String beans – yellow and green
Peas
Handful of flour
½ cup of cream and ½ cup of milk (can use milk only)
2 big (overflow a bit) spoonfuls (tablespoon size) of butter
Lots of pepper and some salt

Directions:

In a pot, place your cubed potatoes with just enough water to cover them; once they are getting soft; place your carrots in; then once these are almost cooked and soft add the beans, peas, milk and cream, lots of pepper and some salt, your butter and flour. (flour would be approx. ¼ cup…you can tell as your consistency should thicken a bit). Turn it on low and cook for 10-15 minutes more and then serve.

Leftovers are even better the following day! :)

Sticky and Sweet BBQ Shish Kabobs

We tested out a new BBQ sauce, Bulls Eye – Sticky and Sweet; and it was soooo good!

MS learned about a new trick via the net; to place the slice of onion next to the steak; then as it marinates and cooks the flavor cooks into the steak – no idea whether or not it did work that way; but when you take the bite of steak with the onion..mouth watering! I also loved that we used orange and yellow peppers – they are really sweet and almost tasted like pineapple when you ate it with the chicken.


Ingredients:

Chicken and steak (can work with your meat of choice; or vegetarian style as well – add some zucchini and mushrooms)
Red, green, orange and yellow peppers cut into square chunks
Red onion - cut into square chunks


Directions:

Alternate the veggies with the meat choices on the skewers; place in a ziplock or Tupperware container to sit while marinating – 4 hours minimum;
To marinate we used the BBQ sauce noted above; some pepper and Montreal Steak Spice.



BBQ – approx 30 minutes and enjoy!

Canadian Flag Cake

Happy (very belated) Canada Day! :)


I have been 'mia' from this blog for awhile now, and really have no good excuses; what can I say other than it's summertime and things are busy busy.

This Canada Day I made this cake to help celebrate the great day. It was delicious...but then again, what isn't with whip cream, strawberries and cake! Mmm...

A co-worker of mine found this recipe on the kraft website.

Ingredients:
1 pkg of pound cake, cut into 12 strips
2 cups of boiling water
2 pkgs of strawberry jello powder
3 cups of ice cubes
3 cups of sliced fresh strawberries
2 cups of thawed cool whip topping

Directions:
Cover the bottom of a 13x9 inch dish with the cake slices; set aside;
Add the boiling water to the jello powders in a large bowl; stir for 2 minutes until it is completely dissolved. Add ice cubes; stir 3 to 5 minutes or until jelly is thickened. Remove any unmelted ice. Stir in 1 cup of strawberries; pour over cake slices; Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Cover it with cool whip.

Refrigerate for 4 hours or until jelly is firm. Arrange remaining strawberries over the dessert to resemble the Canadian flag.
(to do this step, take toothpicks and place in an outlined shape of a maple leaf and place the strawberries within the toothpicked shape.)

Next time, I may even skip the jello portion of this recipe to speed the process up - because it would be JUST as delicious with or without it! :)

Quiche

This recipe is so versatile and easy, it can be used as a nice brunch dish or a quick healthy supper dish. You can leave out or add any variety of ingredients so play with it and enjoy!

The Grocery List

• 9" unbaked pie shell
• 2 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard
• 1 1/2 cups finely chopped cooked ham or chicken
• 2 cups shredded cheese of your choice (I love swiss!)
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup veggies (I like green onion, mushrooms, and peppers)
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese

Cooking It All Up

Preheat oven to 375ºF.

Put pie shell into your pie plate and coat the inside of it with 1 tbsp of the dijon mustard (this will help prevent the crust from getting soggy).

Place meat in bottom of unbaked pie shell and pack it down lightly.

Top with cheese.

Beat together eggs, onion, remaining mustard, salt and pepper. Gradually stir in milk.

Pour over meat and cheese layers in pie shell. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over surface.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until set.

Japanese Grilled Chicken & Basmati Rice

This is another food network recipe. I find a lot of the recipes on the food network website to be too fussy and/or difficult for quick weeknight meals to feed my family. This is one that is easy, quick and really good!

The Grocery List:

• 1 x egg
• 1/2 tsp salt (2.5 mL)
• 1 tbsp paprika (15 mL)
• 1/4 cup honey (60 mL)
• 2 tbsp sesame oil (30 mL)
• 2 tbsp soy sauce (30 mL)
• 1 tbsp lime juice (15 mL)
• 12 to 16 boneless skinless chicken thighs (600 g)
• 1 1/2 cups basmati or jasmin rice (325 mL)
• 3 cups water (750 mL)

Cooking It Up:

In the morning or the night before…Stir together egg, salt, paprika, honey, sesame oil, soy sauce and lime juice in a 9 x 13 inch pan.

Add chicken, cover with plastic wrap and set in refrigerator.

Just before dinner…Mix rice and water in a large microwavable casserole dish with a cover. Microwave rice and water on high for 10 minutes and medium for 10 minutes. Let stand.

Heat barbeque to medium.

Place marinated chicken thighs on grill, brush as much of the marinade all over each as soon as you put them on the grill, then discard the remaining marinade.

Cook each side for 7 to 10 minutes or until juices run clear.

Beef Samosas

Hubby and I love to buy samosas at the local market. This was my first attempt at making them from scratch. They turned out great and had just the right amount of spice! I made enough filling for two batches, froze half of it for another time and made 8 samosas with the remaining filling.

The Grocery List

• 1 package puff pastry, rolled out and cut into 8 squares
• 2 russet potatoes, diced
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1 regular carrot or 20 baby carrots, diced
• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 2tsp garam masala
• 1 1/2 tbsp curry powder
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tbsp sweet chili dipping sauce
• 1 egg and 1tbsp water, beaten
• paprika (optional)

Cooking It All Up

Preheat over to 400.

Brown beef. Cook potato, carrots and onion until soft. (I did both of these in the things in the microwave, it took about 13 minutes for the veggies and I hit the "ground beef" button for the beef, be sure to drain and rinse the beef a few times if you use this method).

Mix beef, veggies, garam masala, curry powder, garlic, soy sauce, red pepper flakes, and sweet chili sauce in a large bowl.

Roll out your pastry and cut into squares. Fill each square with the beef mixture and fold over. I sealed the edges by pressing down with the tongs of a fork.

Brush each samosa with the egg wash and sprinkle with paprika.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

Sweet Potatoe Coins

This is by far the best way I’ve found to cook sweet potatoe fries; and it goes amazingly well with BBQ or for a snack/appetizer if you have some friends or family in!

Ingredients:

Sweet Potatoes
EVOO
Basil
Garlic salt
Pepper
Paprika
(Any spices you love will do! – I’ve heard of people using Cumin or Curry powder as well)

Place on a baking sheet and cook at 400 for 15 minutes a side; they may take a bit longer; but keep an on eye on them; they burn quickly. Let them sit for a few minutes and enjoy!


A dip that we love to have with them is a Chipolte Mayo dip. You simply put Mayo in a dish and add chipotle spice – mix well – to your taste..the more you use the hotter it will be. We usually put quite a bit; we like our spice. I also refrigerate it for 10 mins before serving.

Marinated Curry Dijon Chicken

Whenever my husband brings this leftover chicken for lunch he gets asked for the recipe. I usually serve it with Basmati rice and broccoli but it's also great with mashed potatoes.

The Grocery List

• 14-18 boneless skinless chicken thighs (I use the "family pack" size from my grocery store)
  
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 1/2 tsp flaked red chilies
  
• 1 tbsp onion flakes
• 1/2 cup dijon mustard
  
• 1/2 cup liquid honey
  
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp Asian chili sauce (found in the Asian Food Aisle)

Cooking It All Up

Unravel the chicken thighs and thoroughly rinse in water. Shake off excess water and place in a shallow baking dish.

In a small bowl, combine all of the other ingredients and stir to mix.

Pour sauce over chicken and turn to coat. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours - the longer the better, I usually try to prepare this the night before.
When you are ready to cook it up, heat oven to 350F. Cook for 50 minutes, turn chicken half way through.

Side Dish Hint
If you would like to serve this with Basmati Rice, the easiest method is to use a large oven safe dish that has a lid. Add 2 cups of rice and 3 cups of water, cover and throw it in the oven next to the chicken. Leave it alone until the timer rings (50 minutes) and fluff with a fork.

Recipe adapted from Sandi Richard cookbook.

Chocolate Berry Trifle

I challenge you to serve this and walk away from the table without a marriage proposal. It is that good.

The Shopping List

• 2 bags (260 grams) Two Bite Brownies, chopped
• 2 boxes of instant chocolate pudding or instant mousse mix, prepared
• 2 can of strawberry rhubarb (or any fruit variety you like) pie filling
  
• 1/2 container (8 oz) frozen whipped cream topping, thawed
• 1/2 pint fresh strawberries, sliced

Mixing It All Up

Chop the Two Bite Brownies into halves or quarters and layer half of them on the bottom of the trifle bowl.

Next layer half of your chocolate pudding or mousse mix.

Next layer 2 can of strawberry rhubarb pie filling.

Repeat the layers.

Top with whipped cream and sliced berries.

Enjoy!

The Hubby Burger

I call this one the "hubby burger" because my husband declared it the best burger he ever had. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as he does (and I do!).

The Shopping List

Burgers

• 1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef
• 2 tbsp minced onion
• 1 tsp minced garlic (I used jarred)
  
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp Montreal Steak Spice
• 2 shallots, diced

Burger Sauce

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 1/4 cup chopped dill pickles
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• hot pepper sauce (as much as you like, totally optional)
  

Cooking It all Up

Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl.

Divide mixture into 6 equal parts and form into burger patties.
BBQ over medium heat until you achieve your desired "doneness".

While the burgers are cooking up, you can make the easy peasy burger sauce. Combine all of the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and serve with burgers.

Easy isn't it? And just wait.....oh. so. delicious.

Taco Pizza Pocket

This was a recipe that I invented out of necessity. I had ingredients in my fridge that needed to be used up before they expired and some left over cooked chicken. I was pleasantly surprised at how yummy it was and how my family gobbled it up, I'll definitely make it again!

The Shopping List

• 2 containers of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
• 1/2 of a 250g block of cream cheese, softened
  
• 1/2 package taco seasoning
• 1 cup cooked chicken, chopped
• 1 plum tomato, diced
  
• 1/2 cup green onion, diced
• Sour Cream and Salsa (optional)
  

Cooking It Up

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Roll out one package of the Pillsbury Crescent Rolls, this will be the base of your pizza pocket.

Spread cream cheese over the base, top with chicken, tomato and green onion.
Roll out the other package of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls, this is the top of your pizza pocket. Lay it over the "pizza" and seal the edges with your finger tips to form a sealed pocket.
Spray the top with olive oil spray and sprinkle on some more taco seasoning (this step is optional).

Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with Sour Cream and Salsa if desired.

Serves 4-5.

Fancy Chocolate Chip Muffins

There is nothing my kids like more than helping me in the kitchen, especially when it involves making a yummy treat like chocolate chip muffins.

The Grocery List:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp natural wheat bran (optional)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips (I used 3/4 cup chopped chocolate that I had on hand)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3/4 cup milk
  
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp white sugar
• 1 tbsp brown sugar

Baking It All Up:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease 12 muffin cups or use paper liners.

In a large bowl combine the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, bran, chocolate chips).
Add the wet ingredients (beaten egg, milk, and oil). Stir until batter is moistened.

Spoon batter into your muffin tins filling each one 3/4 full.
In a small bowl mix 1 tbsp of white sugar and 1 tbsp of brown sugar. This is the topping for your muffins and is what changes them from your run of the mill chocolate chip muffins into "fancy" muffins (at least that is what my 6 year old says). Sprinkle the sugar mixture over each muffin.
Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, until golden brown. Remove promptly from pan.

Mexican Lasagna

The Shopping List:

• 1 lb ground beef or turkey
• 2 cups of chopped onions
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 cups green pepper, chopped
• 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 cup salsa
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 (15 ounce) can mixed beans (or any variety you like, black or kidney work well) drained and rinsed
• 12 (6 inch) tortillas
• 1 1/2 cups Monterey Jack cheese
• 2 small plum tomatoes, diced
• 1/3 cup green onion, chopped

Cooking It all Up:

Spray a large saucespan with no-stick spray. Brown beef or turkey.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Add onions, garlic, and green pepper. Cook and stir over medium heat until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, salsa, and cumin. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered for 10 minutes.

Stir in beans. Remove from heat.
Spray a 13X9 inch baking dish with cooking spray.

Spread 1/3 of the mixture over the bottom. Cover with half the tortillas (0verlapping as needed), and half the cheese.

Spoon another 1/3 of mixture on top of cheese, followed by remaining tortillas, and last of the bean mixture. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.

Cover and bake for 35 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Let cool for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with tomato and green onions.

If desired serve with sour cream.

Chicks Note: You could make this a vegetarian meal by omitting the meat and adding an extra 15 oz can of beans!

Pasta Salad with Evoo and Balsamic Vinaigrette

Spring time is here; we had an amazing weekend weather-wise and they are calling for even more incredible weather this upcoming weekend – unusually high temperatures of 22 and 24!! I am SO excited; but I don’t want to get my hopes up too high until I’m actually lying on the deck enjoying every moment!
Here is a nice and light pasta salad – that goes well alone or as a side. It’s perfect to take as leftovers in your lunch as well.

Ingredients:

¾ cup of EVOO
¼ cup balsamic vinaigrette
2 Tablespoons dried oregano
1 Tablespoon parsley
1 Teaspoon basil
1Tablespoon Parmesan
1 clove crushed garlic
Salt and Pepper to taste

Pasta of your choice; we had Rotini on hand;
Veggies of your choice; I used grape tomatoes, green pepper, red onion, and carrots. Cucumber is always good in pasta salad as well.
6 slices of bacon chopped.



(Chicken or shrimp would be a good addition as well if you were making it as a meal.)

Directions:

Cook pasta – let it cool while you make the dressing and chop the veggies; Mix everything together in a bowl; chill in the refrigerator and it is ready to serve.


Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

This is a great Spring/Summer picnic food - on the deck with the family; goes wonderfully with sweet potatoe fries and salads!

Ingredients:

Pork Shoulder or Pork Roast (shoulder’s tend to be cheaper)
12 oz Root Beer
16 oz Favourite BBQ Sauce

Directions:

Place the pork into your slow cooker with the root beer and cook on low for 4-6 hours depending on the size of your shoulder/roast. Your going to cook it until it pulls apart and separates easily;


Then once it is cooked enough, drain the root beer from the slow cooker. Put your meat on a plate and pull apart the pork; and then put it back in the slow cooker – still cooking it on low and add your BBQ sauce. Cook this mixture for another hour; you can keep the pork in the sauce for as long as you like, but the longer you do the more candied the pork will become…soaking up the BBQ sauce; at this point your pork is already cooked, so an hour should be enough time.

When it’s finished, you can serve it on a toasted bun, and make pulled pork tacos with the leftovers!



Suggestion: Use a BBQ sauce that isn’t too sweet - as the root beer adds a sweetness to the meat already, I suggest a smokey mesquite sauce.

Grape Jelly Meatballs

This is a Carleton County recipe that has been passed down through the ages I am sure! When I first began cooking; a few years back now. ;) It was one of the first recipes I ever tried on my own; and I still make my meatballs with this sauce, even after being introduced to many other sauce recipes; it is a favourite.

Ingredients:

Meatballs
12oz Heinz Chili Sauce
16oz Grape Jelly

You can use this recipe with frozen meatballs if you enjoy those, I’m not a fan of processed meat – and like ‘real’ meatballs.

Cook your meatballs on top of the stove.
In a pot mix the jelly and chili sauce with a whisk and bring it to a boil – cook until it is mixed well. Add the meatballs to a baking dish and top with the sauce - bake it for 15-20 minutes at 350.


The sauce is even better the next day! :)

Raspberry Chocolate Caramel Bars

These are absolutely amazing! I found these chez Latest Addictions (so properly named). And the minute I read Raspberry and Caramel.....I was sold!
These are pretty easy to make as well - which is always a huge selling feature to me! I brought them into work yesterday and everyone devoured them, loved them and asked me for the recipe - so thank you so much Latest Addictions - this will definitely be made again in our household. :) Sooooooo yummy!

Topping:

2/3 cup flour
1/2 cup pieces of pecans
1/3 cup brown sugar
6 Tbsp butter
1 box Chocolate covered Caramel Balls (use Junior Caramels - if you can't find them, a few handfuls of chopped Kraft Caramels and a few handfuls of chocolate chipits (small ones) work fine)
Raspberry Jam

Crust:

1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter

Mix crust ingredients together until crumbly. Press into a parchment lined baking dish. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes.

While crust is in oven, mix flour, pecans, brown sugar, and butter together until crumbly.

Remove crust from oven. Spread a thin layer of raspberry jam on top of warm crust. Sprinkle chocolate covered caramel balls (or cut up kraft caramels and add chocolate chips) over top of the raspberry jam layer. Sprinkle the pecan mixture over top of everything. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes.



Cool completely before cutting into bars.



See the caramel oozing out...Mmm!

Ritz cracker Haddock with white wine

I am always looking for new ways to cook haddock – so if you have a favourite recipe or have found something delicious, please share it with us!

I came across this on tastespotting; and it’s so simple and so incredibly tastey, it is definitely a new favourite in our house. MS and I both loved it and both exclaimed how good it was after our first bites! (Which, I don’t know about you guys, but I usually have to ask MS if he likes something new – so it was great to hear that he loved something before I even had a chance to ask.)

Ingredients:

1 pound haddock fillets (we had two pounds – so cooking time was longer; and you should double up on the rest of the recipe)
3 tablespoons butter, melted
3 tablespoons white cooking wine (we just used pinot grigio – what we had)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
8 to 10 Ritz crackers, crumbled
parsley, for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425°F.

In a bowl, combine melted butter, wine and lemon juice and pour a small amount into a baking dish – to cover the bottom;

Place the haddock into the baking dish and pour the remaining butter mixture over the top. Then crumble Ritz crackers over the fish and sprinkle with parsley.

Bake in preheated oven until haddock is flaky – 20 mins per pound.


Serves 2.

Slow Cooker Seafood Chowder

This is the easy and inexpensive version of a delicious seafood chowder. If you are making this for a special evening (date night or company) you could easily replace the canned seafood with fresh. I would stir fry the fresh seafood, this can even be done the night before and kept in the refrigerator, and add it for the last 20 to 30 minutes or until heated through.

The Grocery List:

• 1 can (10 ounces) condensed cream of potato soup
• 1 can (10 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 2 1/2 cups milk
• 4 medium carrots, finely chopped
• 2 large potatoes, chopped into small (1/4 inch) cubes
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 celery ribs, finely chopped
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp minced garlic
  
• 2 tsp Mrs. Dash (original blend)
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 can (6 ounce) medium shrimp, drained
• 1 can (6 1/2 ounce) chopped clams, drained
  
• 1 package (227 g) imitation crab, chopped (I used clover leaf crab delectable)
  
• 1/2 package bacon, cooked and crumbled

Cooking It All Up:

In a slow cooker, combine the undiluted soups and milk. Stir in the vegetables, garlic and spices.

Cover and cook on low for 5 hours. Normally you shouldn't lift the cover when you are slow cooking food but I recommend stirring this every hour or so and then quickly replacing the cover so you don't loose too much heat.

Stir in clams, shrimp, and crab. Cover and continue cooking on low for 20 - 30 minutes until heated through.

Garnish each serving with crumbled bacon.

Makes 8 servings.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

I love rice dishes, and really enjoy Chinese Food - AND of course, all things sweet! This is a great combination of sweet and sour; and it is a favourtie of mine - easy and delicious!

Ingredients:

1 pound of boneless and skinless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into 1" chunks
1 egg white
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (1/4 teaspoon table salt)
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 10-ounce can pineapple chunks (reserve juice)
1/4 cup juice from the canned pineapple
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (1/4 teaspoon table salt)
2-3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon cooking oil
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1 inch chunks (use what you have; we used green pepper and onion)
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

Directions:
In a bowl, combine the chicken with the egg white, salt and cornstarch. Stir to coat the chicken evenly (it’s going to look disgusting but worth it). Let it sit for 15 minutes at room temperature or up to overnight in the refrigerator.

In the meantime, whisk together the pineapple juice, vinegar, ketchup, salt, and brown sugar.

Heat a large frying pan or wok over high heat until a bead of water instantly sizzles and evaporates. Pour in the 1 tablespoon of cooking oil and swirl to coat. It's important that the pan is very hot. Add the chicken and spread the chicken out in one layer. Let the chicken fry, untouched for 1 minute, until the bottoms are browned. Flip and fry the other side the same for 1 minute. The chicken should still be pinkish in the middle. Dish out the chicken onto a clean plate, leaving as much oil in the pan as possible.



4 Turn the heat to medium and add the remaining 1 teaspoon of cooking oil. Let the oil heat up and then add the bell pepper chunks and ginger. Fry for 1 minute. Add the pineapple chunks and the sweet and sour sauce. Turn the heat to high and when the sauce is simmering, add the chicken pieces back in. Let simmer for 1-2 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Timing depends on how thick you've cut your chicken. The best way to tell if the chicken is done is to take a piece out and cut into it. If it's pink, add another minute to the cooking.



Taste the sauce and add more brown sugar if you’d like.



Serves 4.

Tuna Buns

These buns are super easy to make for a great lunch or a quick supper. My kids do a little happy dance when they see me making them!

The Grocery List:

• 2 cans of tuna
• 3 hard boiled eggs, chopped
• 1 cup Cheddar cheese, cut in small cubes (cubes is the best way to do this but I used pre-shredded cheese because that was what I had on hand)
• 1/4 cup mayo to start (add enough that it becomes creamy, not dry!)
• 6 hamburger buns
• pepper and salt
  

Cooking It Up:

Preheat oven to 350.

In a medium sized bowl mix tuna, chopped egg, cheese and mayo.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray so the buns don't stick.

Lay the bun halves out on the tray and top with tuna mixture.

Season with Salt and Pepper.
Bake until heated through and cheese is melted.

Easy isn't it? So so so yummy. Let me know what you think! Oh and did you notice that I don't have any pictures of the cooked buns? We just couldn't wait to eat them .... sorry.

Pumpkin Whoopee Pies

I found this recipe via Lovin the Oven; and since I was headed to our family sugar shack this past weekend; I thought it would be a great treat to bring with me. Everyone loved them! The cream cheese frosting was delicious and what I think made these taste so good. The pies were incredibly moist; I wrapped them individually in plastic wrap; so they would travel more easily and this may have added to the moistness.

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 TBSP cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground fresh nutmeg
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup canola oil
3 cups chilled pumpkin puree
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare baking sheets lined with parchment paper (love this – so easy and no mess!)

Directions:

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and spices. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, whisk to sugars and oil together. Add the pumpkin puree and whisk to combine thoroughly. Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk until combined.
Sprinkle the flour mixture over the pumpkin mixture and whisk until completely combined.
Use a small ice cream scoop (works perfectly) to drop a bit more than a TBSP of the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart.


Bake for 12 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cookie comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool completely on the pan before assembling.


To assemble:

Turn half the cooled cookies upside down. Pipe filling (cover most of the cookie – a good TBSP) onto that half. Place another cookie, flat side down, on top of the filling. Press down slightly so that the filling spread to the edges of the cookie. Repeat until all the cookies are used.



This recipe yields 24 assembled pies.

Maple Cream Cheese Frosting (Whoopee Pie Filling)

This is incredibly tastey - and could be made without maple syrup as well - for a great Cream Cheese Frosting.

Ingredients:

3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
5 TBSP maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

In a bowl, beat the butter until smooth with no visible lumps – I did this with a wooden spoon.
Add the cream cheese and beat until combined – used an electric mixer.

Add the powdered sugar, maple syrup and vanilla and beat until smooth with an electric mixer. Be careful no to over beat the filling, or it will lose structure.