CHICKEN LETTUCE WRAPS

CHICKEN LETTUCE WRAPS
1 1/2 lbs chicken breasts, diced
1T + 1 1/2 t olive oil
3/4 C mushrooms or 1/2 can, diced
1 can water chestnuts, minced
1 T ginger root, minced

2T rice vinegar
2T Teryaki sauce
1T soy sauce
1/2 t garlic powder
1/4 t red pepper flakes

1 1/2 C shredded carrots
1- 1 1/2 C shredded zucchini
1/2 C diced green onions

Lettuce leaves
**recipe called for Boston Lettuce but we used Chinese cabbage. 

Cook diced chicken in 1T olive oil until juice runs clear.  Add mushrooms, chestnuts and ginger and cook 3-4 minutes.
In a bowl, whisk vinegar, Teryaki sauce, soy sauce, garlic and red pepper flakes. 
Add mixture to chicken with the carrots, zucchini, and green onions.
Cook until all is tender.

Serve a bowl of brown rice, lay 1 or 2 leaves across the top and fill with chicken mixture.
Let the "dribbles" from the leaves fall on the rice and then eat with the rice!

BROTHY CHINESE NOODLES

BROTHY CHINESE NOODLES
from eatingwell.com

2T sesame Oil
1 lb lean ground turkey
1 bunch green onions, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1T minced fresh ginger
4C chicken broth
3/4 C water
3C thinly sliced bok choy
8 oz dried chinese noodles -- I used some rice noodles that resembled long macaroni
3T soy sauce
1T rice vinegar

Heat 1T oil in large sauce pan over medium heat.  Add ground turkey, green onions, garlic, and ginger and cook.  Stir to break up the turkey and cook until no longer pink.  Transfer to a bowl.
Add broth to pan with water, bok choy, noodles, soy sauce, vinegar, and remaining oil.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the noodles are tender, 3-5 minutes.  Return the turkey mixture to the pan and  stir to combine. 

Makes 6 servings, 1 1/3C each serving
Per serving:
292 Calories, 10g fat, 32 carbs, 22g protein, 6g fiber

FREEDOM FRUIT PARFAIT

FREEDOM FRUIT PARFAIT

from Good Housekeeping July 2012

This look delicious and fairly healthy!

PORK, PEAR, AND CRANBERRY SALAD

PORK, PEAR AND CRANBERRY SALAD

 THIS SALAD WAS FANTABULOUS!!!  A SURPRISING MIX OF FLAVORS!

VINEGAR MIX:
1T cider vinegar
1t spicy or brown Mustard
3/4 t brown sugar
1/4t dried thyme


1T olive oil

1 lb. pork cooked and diced/shredded
2 cloves of minced garlic
1t dried thyme

1/4 C dried cranberries
1/4 C cranberry juice
6 C baby spinach or other greens
1 ripe red Anjou pear, diced

Combine vinegar, mustard, brown sugar and 1/4t thyme.  Set aside.
In skillet, heat oil.  Add pork, garlic, 1t thyme, salt and pepper.  Toss and coat and brown the pork just a bit.
Add dried cranberries and juice and cook 2 minutes until liquid is reduced a bit.  Add vinegar mixture.
While pork is simmering, cut and dice pear.  Place greens and pear on plates and top with pork mixture.

CHEESE BALL

CHEESE BALL

CHEESE BALL

8 oz cream cheese

2C grated cheese

1T worchestershire sauce

¼ C crumbled bacon

½ C diced nuts (very fine)

¼ C chopped green onion

Mix all but the nuts together in food processor.  Shape into a ball with plastic wrap.  Roll in  nuts.  Serve immediately or wrap in plastic and chill or freeze.

ZIPPY SAUSAGE SPREAD

ZIPPY SAUSAGE SPREAD

1 lb sausage, cooked

1 can diced tomatoes and green chilies

2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese

Cook sausage and drain.  Stir all ingredients in microwave dish or crock pot.  Heat until cheese is melted and all is blended.  Serve warm with cracker, bread or veggies.

UPSIDE DOWN SPAGHETTI

UPSIDE DOWN SPAGHETTI

1- 1 1/2 lb uncooked spaghetti
1(8oz) package cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 (16 oz) container sour cream 
1-2 (28 oz) cans spaghetti sauce
Grated Cheese

Cook spaghetti until just barely cooked through.
While spaghetti is cooking, combine cream cheese and sour cream in food processor until smooth.
Drain spaghetti.  Prepare a 9x13 glass baking dish with cooking spray.  Pour 1/2 - 3/4 of a can a sauce in bottom of pan.  Top with half of cooked and drained spaghetti.  Spread cream mixture on top of spaghetti then top with remaining spaghetti.  Pour enough sauce on top to cover well. Top with grated cheese.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until heated through and edges are bubbling.

Combine cream cheese and sour cream

Spread sauce in pan and top with spaghetti

Top with cream cheese mixture

Top with remaining spaghetti

Top with sauce and grated cheese.  Bake.

 

PASTA ROSA

PASTA ROSA**

This is one of our family's all time favorites and you can't find a more delicious recipe that is quite so easy!!

1 lb Penne Pasta (or other shaped pasta)

1 jar Alfredo Sauce

1 small jar of sun dried tomatoes or roasted bell peppers

Cook Pasta according to package directions.

While cooking, chop the tomatoes or peppers in a food processor or blender until chopped to desired consistency.  Drain pasta then pour into a large bowl or pot.  Add Alfredo Sauce and chopped tomatoes or peppers.  Mix thoroughly and serve immediately, hot.  You may also pour into a casserole dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray and keep warm or reheat when ready to serve OR put in  crock pot on warm until ready to serve.

Optional:  top with grated Mozzarella Cheese and parsley sprigs to look pretty!

Optional:  You could always add cooked, diced chicken as well

Click for a printable copy: Pasta Rosa

VANILLA PUDDING CINNAMON ROLLS

VANILLA PUDDING CINNAMON ROLLS

with Cream Cheese Frosting
from melskitchencafe.com

**I am going to try it with whole wheat flour to make it a bit more nutritious!  But I think they might lose their fluffiness.

DOUGH:
1/2 C warm water
2T dry yeast
2T sugar
3 1/2 ounce package instant vanilla pudding
1/2 C butter, melted
2 eggs
1t salt
6+ C flour

FILLING:
1C butter, softened but not melted
2C brown sugar
4T cinnamon

FROSTING:
8 oz cream cheese
1/2 C butter, softened but not melted
1t vanilla
3C powdered sugar
2-3 T milk

In a small bowl, combine water, yeast, and sugar.  Stir until dissolved.  Set aside.  In large mixer, prepare pudding according to package directions.  After mixed, add butter, eggs and salt.  Mix well.  Add yeast mixture and blend.  Gradually add flour and knead until smooth.  If using an break maker, knead 4-5 minutes.  Do not over flour the dough -- it should be soft but not sticky.  Place dough in a greased bowl and let rise until doubled.
Roll out dough on oiled counter/board to a 34x21 rectangle.  Spread the soft butter on the dough.  In a bowl, mix the brown sugar and cinnamon and spread on top of butter.  Roll up from the long end very tightly.  Using a piece of thread, slice the log into 1/2" pieces and place in a lightly greased 9x13 baking dish.  Cover and let rise until double again.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Remove when they start to turn golden -- don't overbake!
While baking, mix frosting by blending the butter and cream cheese until smooth.  Add vanilla and powsered sugar and milk as needed for the right consistency.  Frost warm rolls with cream cheese frosting.  Makes about 24 very large cinnamon rolls.
NOTE:  you can make the rolls and after slicing place them on baking sheets and immediately freeze.  After partially frozen, you can stack them between waxed paper.  Too cook, remove from freezer and thaw in the refrigerator over night or on the counter for 4 hours.  Bake as directed above.

GINGERBREAD HOUSES

GINGERBREAD HOUSES

For many years we have attempted to make gingerbread houses with the family, but always found them falling and just disappointing!  This year, I learned that the key is in the icing!!  The following recipe was shared with me by my friend's mother-in-law and is very similar to the one I have been using for years BUT the directions for making the icing were a little better AND when I realized that I hadn't beaten the frosting stiff enough, I cheated and added an extra cup of powdered sugar and beat it longer to stiffen it up real good!!  The frosting was fabulous and did the job!!!  I was so impressed with all the creativity!!!

After 20 years of falling houses, we finally had a successful day of building!
So, 3 things I did different this year that seemed to take our gingerbread tragedies to successful structures:

1.  Get the frosting right!!!  It must be stiff -- it is the glue, literally!

2.  Focus on  your house foundation!  We started one wall at a time and made it a solid structure piece by piece with our frosting glue and then set a timer so the kids would let the frosting set.  We made sure the walls were solid before we attempted to put on any roofs!  Not a single house fell this year!

3.  Be patient!!  I told the kids it would take us 2 hours to make our houses!! They relaxed and we enjoyed chatting as we built our houses piece by piece!  They were anxious to get to the candy decorating part, however!!!

Other things we tried this year:

1.  I pulled up some pictures of gingerbread houses on google images for some inspiration!

2.  I also cut houses that were half the scale of the measurements in the directions and then had 2 kids working per house!  That was fun and got more people involved without sooo many big houses!  I'm sure the standard "graham cracker house" option would have worked, too!

3.  Get some fun candy and cereals to use!  It makes a difference!

4.  Don't forget the Christmas music playing in the background!

5.  Let go of some "mother control" and let the kids handle the pastry bags and have at it!  Messes will clean up!  But do wipe down frosting before it hardens -- remember it is the "glue!"