Thai Lime & Chili Cashew Chicken

This is it.  It was the only meal I made this last week.  But it tasted so good!  Sometimes, I think food tastes even better than it really is when you are dining with the ones you love most!

I actually had my camera battery charged and managed to take a picture before our "date night" dinner.  Since the lighting is fading quicker...food pictures may look a bit less enticing...and on the flip side...imperfections and burned edges will be much easier to disguise with dark shadows!

Thai Lime & Chile Chicken

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed into bite-sized pieces

2 tablespoons sesame oil

1 tablespoon white wine

1 1/2 teaspoons dry chili pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons powdered ginger...fresh is really good, too

2 teaspoons soy sauce

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon chicken base

2 tablespoons olive oil


1 small bunch of green onions, chopped

2 cups of THAI LIME & CHILI CASHEWS {Trader Joe's}


Cornstarch Mix:    Add 1 tablespoon cornstarch to 2 tablespoons COLD water and mix until the cornstarch is dissolved and looks like milk.  :}  Set aside.

*Let chicken marinade in sesame oil, wine, spices, soy sauce, ginger and chicken base for a while...if time allows.  If not, just mix it all together and set aside.

*Heat oil in wok or in large frying pan.  Add chicken and stir fry until the chicken is no longer pink.  Remove from heat and drain.

*Add back into your frying pan and add your cornstarch mix to thicken it a bit.  Add in the green onions and 2 cups of THAI LIME & CHILI CASHEWS!  Stir and serve over hot Jasmine rice.

Enjoy with Apple Cider, roasted acorn squash, apple slices and SNICKERDOODLE ICE CREAM...OR hot chamomile tea with a hint of sugar.  :}

Shared with Stone Gable

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Scott's Firehouse Grilled Fajita Taco Salad

Since it is Father's Day weekend and this is our family blog...I must talk about my hubby just a bit.

Since my hubby knew our Caleb was graduating and our Riss was getting married, he decided to make some major lifestyle changes.  Loosing weight was something he had been working on for awhile, but it kept coming back.  Of course, my cooking and baking weren't helping the situation either!  But fitting into a smaller size dress pants for Caleb's graduation and the daddy/daughter dance at his little girl's wedding was the elusive dangling donut carrot!!

On the way back from a long walk, with a free coupon in hand, we stopped into WOOHOO for a smoothie.

We were met by Tracy who just started talking to us as though we were old friends.  She was starting a BIGGEST LOOSER class {where they would weigh in, take a walk as a group and then come back for a short class on nutrition, portion control etc.} and invited my hubby to join and welcomed me to stroll along for the walks...

He DID IT...and is doing GREAT!!! 

NEVER in the 25+years that my hubby and I have known each other have I seen him so happy about his weight.

He is hovering around the minus 30lb. mark!

I am so thankful for Tracy and for her passion to help those who struggle and who have tried a million and one ways to loose the weight and to keep it off.

Thank you, Tracy for all your help, support and flexibility with his crazy schedule!!

So, HERBALIFE and WOOHOO is on my list of favorites!

********************************************************************************

Anyhoo, hubby is finding all kinds of ways to add flavor to old favorites.

Normally, the chicken was placed on tortilla shells, slathered with shredded cheese and serrano cream.

Now, the chicken is placed on a bed of dark, healthy, oh.so.good.for.you greens, topped with sliced   chicken and lotsa grilled veggies with serrano cream ~made with yogurt instead of sour cream.

Again, the firehouse recipes are relatively fast.  This one takes a bit more time...but can easily be prepped earlier on in the day and grilled in very little time!

ENJOY this packed-full-of-goodness-meal!

Grilled Fajita Taco Salad

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. liquid smoke

2 tsp. sea salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 serrano pepper, seeds removed and sliced

Juice of:  1 orange, 2 limes and 2 lemons

3 garlic cloves or less {we just love garlic!}

*Desired amount of greens like spinach, romaine, fancy greens etc.

Grilled Veggies:

1 red onion, sliced

2 red peppers, sliced

2 yellow peppers, sliced

*Place veggies in  ZIPLOC gallon bag with a tad bit of olive oil.  Keep chilled until ready to grill.

Directions:

*Place chicken in ZIPLOC gallon bag along with the liquid smoke, oil, salt, pepper, serrano, juices and garlic.  Let sit for at least 1 hr. and up to 24 hrs. in the fridge.

*Grill chicken on the bbq until juices run clear and it is fully cooked.  Remove from grill and place on a plate covered with tin foil.

*Once the chicken is cooked and "resting" under the tin foil, place the veggies in a veggie grill basket and let it char a bit.  stir it a couple of times and that is it.

{If you don't have a grill basket, they make great Father's Day gifts!  Or, just make sure the veggies are cut large enough so that they don't fall through the grates on the grill.}

*Prepare your salad beds and place sliced chicken, grilled veggies, avocado and serrano cream on top...or you can eat them on a tortilla shell...

Serrano Cream

3 Serrano peppers

1 large clove of garlic

½ tsp. sea salt

½ cup plain yogurt or sour cream

*Seed, devein and cut peppers into small pieces.

*Combine all ingredients in blender until well blended.

*Chill until ready to use.




Shared with:  stonegable, newlyweds, comfy in the kitchen

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Scott's Firehouse Hickory Chicken Alfredo

Ladies, after taking just one bite of this pasta, you are going to be excusing yourself from the table to PRINT this!  It is THAT good!

I can say that because this isn't my recipe.  :}  It seems as though the firehouse meals are a favorite.  They are simple, filling and are perfect for those who have busy schedules.

It has become one of my favorite dishes to make for those in need of a meal.  Just add a loaf of crusty bread, a bag of salad and some sparkling apple cider!


Hickory Chicken Alfredo

1 lb. Farfalle {bowtie} pasta

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 bottle of Trader Joe's Bold Kansas BBQ Sauce

1 Tbsp. of Wright's Hickory Liquid Smoke

1/2 cup unsalted butter

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 tsp. pepper

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1 lb. bacon, cooked and chopped

1 carton of sliced mushrooms, sauteed {optional}

 2 Tbsp. capers {optional}


Directions:

*Place chicken in crockpot along with the bottle of BBQ sauce and liquid smoke.  Cook on high for about 6 hours.

*Once chicken is cooked, take it out and pull it apart with two forks.  Let it cool a bit.

*Start boiling the water for the pasta.

*In a saucepan, melt the butter and add the garlic, whipping cream, pepper, and Parmesan cheese.  Whisk together on low heat for about 3 minutes.

*Add the bacon and the mushrooms.

*Cook pasta according to directions.  Drain.

*Place pasta in a large serving dish.  Add chicken, cream sauce with goodies and top with capers and a sprinkling of extra cheese if desired.

ENJOY!!

Happy Tuesday!









Shared with:  at the picket fence, comfy in the kitchen

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Scott's Dump and Run Creamy Mexi Chicken

Scott's Firehouse recipes are tried and true...pretty much flop-proof. I figure if they are tasty enough to serve the firefighters and are requested by chiefs, and by his friends who call on their days off requesting "THE DINNER YOU MADE THE OTHER NIGHT", they are perfect for families on the go. Perfect for mommas who are nursing a baby and feeding a toodler while answering the phone and folding laundry! We need recipes that don't take alot of brain juice and that will turn out delicious no matter what our days have looked like!



My momma always makes her Creamy Chicken for our family gatherings, as it is loved by all the grandkiddies, but this one is a step up in heat...but kids still enjoy it!


I know that you will LOVE this recipe!


Scott's Dump and Run Creamy Mexi Chicken

6 frozen chicken breasts

1 bag Trader Joe's fire roasted corn {I have also seen this recipe use 1 can of corn}

1 can of ROTEL tomatoes {mexi blend}

1 can of pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed

1 8oz. package of cream cheese {FULL FAT!!!} ****WHY NOT EVEN 33% less fat cream cheese? As tempted as some of you may be to save a few calories...this is not the place to skimp! ANYTHING LESS THAN FULL FAT CREAM CHEESE will leave you with this dilema..."Lisa, I HAD to taste the DUMP CHICKEN when I got home at 3:30 pm. BOY,oh boy, it is wonderful. Finger lickin' good. Only you have to add something to the recipe directions for people with a personality problem just like mine...we do stuff anyway if we don't know the reason not to. I just can't stop asking why! If I don't see an answer and none is provided, then many, many times I go ahead with what I think would work anyway. And get in trouble:>} So, you know that part about using FULL FAT cream cheese? Being me, I thought, 'Huh, I really prefer the 33% less fat kind. I'm just gonna use it.' Not knowing that the 33% less fat cheese doesn't melt nicely. It turns into weird little gobs of white. You think a recipe is simple AND foolproof, and then some idiot tries to make it. Yes, you can laugh at me." from a bloggy reader :}
SO, that is WHY you need FULL FAT CREAM CHEESE!



COOKED JASMINE RICE

{Directions:}

*Place frozen chicken in crockpot {At home, we let it soak overnight in salt water and rinse until water runs clear!}

*Dump the rest of the ingredients in to the crockpot.

*Let cook for about 8 hours and stir every once in awhile.

Serve over Jasmine rice and embellish away...like with sour cream, cilantro and avacado. Hubby serves this with a salad and LEMONADE!

Shared with:  comfy in the kitchen

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{Simple} Chicken Noodle Soup for the Sick

Ready or NOT the dreaded cold and flu season is HERE! And if your Momma, Grammy or Aunties were anything like mine...it meant one thing. Well, two. Chicken noodle soup and saltine crackers. {Nasty salt water to gargle, a fizzy drink, warm baths, clean sheets and lots of cuddling, too!}

My momma would always get a whole chicken and let it sit in salt water and then boil it for the broth. She still insists that all the marrow from the bone is what a sick body needs, but personally, it has to be pretttttty bad for me to want a chicken bones swimming around in a graveyard of soup broth. And then there is the time involved, too. SO...here is a quick, kinda homemade version that lets the experts at Better Than Bouillon deal with the mess!

However, it is not going to take you much time to make your own Mirepoix blend:

Quick bonus food history lesson:

"In French cuisine, a Mirepoix ( /mɪərˈpwɑː/ meer-pwah; French pronunciation: [miʁpwa]) is a combination of onions, carrots, and celery (either common pascal celery or celeriac). Mirepoix, either raw, roasted or sautéed with butter, is the flavor base for a wide number of dishes, such as stocks, soups, stews and sauces. The three ingredients are commonly referred to as aromatics.

Similar combinations of vegetables are known as (holy) trinity in Creole cooking, refogado in Portuguese, soffritto in Italian, sofrito in Spanish and Suppengrün (soup green(s)) in Germany." {Thank you WIKIPEDIA}

It doesn't always happen, but I like to keep veggie packages frozen in the freezer, so that they are easy to grab when someone is sick. {Trader Joe's carries them, too, but I figure a little bit of effort should be made!}

Take 1 large carrot, peel it and chop it. Add 1 large stalk of celery and chop it, too. Then take 1/2 of 1 medium yellow onion and chop it. That is it. No measuring and you have your very own homemade mirepoix blend. Easy Peasy!



Chicken Noodle Soup
Lisa Pearson

Take 1 package of prepared veggies out of the freezer {see above}

Saute the veggies until they are softened

Add 1 clove of minced garlic

You may add a few peppercorns or freshly ground pepper

Add 8 cups of water and 8 tsp. of Better Than Bouillon




Let the soup come to a boil and then add in 1/2 cup of Angel Hair pasta bits {these can be found near the Mexican food section at the grocery store.} They are a deal at 33 cents a package!}



Let the soup boil for about 2 minutes or until the noodles are soft.

**If you are taking the soup to somebody, ladle it into a canning jar and package the noodles separately. It will be easy for them to add the noodles as they are heating up the soup. Trust me, SOGGY noodles are NOT what the doctor ordered.

Do you know of someone in need of comfort?

Maybe there is someone needing you to be the one who reaches out to them...even if it something as simple as a jar of kinda homemade chicken noodle soup, saltines...and a fizzy drink!







Happy Wednesday, dear friends!


A sweet little box to go: I used a pastry box I had on hand for the soup in a jar, the saltines, cough drops and a few m&m for when my friend {a chocolate lover} starts to feel better. I lined the bottom of the box with burlap and glued a piece of craft paper to the lid. Using fabric scraps, I made a white rose posie and burlap for the leaves...the gift was tied with twine and a piece of fabric was stamped "THINKING OF YOU..." Using what I had on hand made this little gift inexpensive and special for my friend who has had a tough few weeks! Again...it is the little things that make a big difference!

...AND, if you are a vegetarian...no problem, we have you covered there, too.  This is DIVINE!!   It's my favorite!!

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Buffalo Taco Salad

Hi friends! I trust you all have had a great weekend. It has been hot here in the Northwest and it finally feels like summer is here! Our tomatoes are coming along, the peppers are ripe and the blueberries are divine! What a treat to pick produce right in the backyard!

Thank you ALL so much for your prayers, thoughts and e-mails in regards to our son, Caleb. Our meeting with the doctors and surgeon was a tough one to swallow. He will need two surgeries on Tuesday. One of the surgeries is complicated and it has to be perfect, or the bone will die. As a momma who hears that her son will not be able to do the job he has dreamed about for so many years...I must say I was just devastated...pleading with God for peace and for wisdom. By later that afternoon, I felt joy. Joy in knowing that this situation is in God's hands and it is exactly what He has ordered for Caleb and for our family.

"Joy is more than happiness...where happiness is circumstatial, joy is not. Joy is an unshakeable confidence in the truths of God, despite circumstances. when our children see an unshakeable confidence in the life of one who says she knows God personally, they are impressed and drawn to know HIM themselves." Elisa Morgan

Henri Nouwen, a Dutch priest who wrote a book called THE WOUNDED HEALER wrote about how we can use our hurts to be able to reach out to others as a wounded healer. That is what we are choosing to do. There has got to be good in this situation or whatever situation you may be in. We are having to trust God. So, we are praying to GOD ALMIGHTY that He would heal Caleb and that the surgeries will be accurate and successful...according to what God has in store for our Caleb!

SOOO, with taking care of a child who has been in a lot of pain, I have opted for easy, simple meals that do not have to be served right away and that are great as leftovers AND that are favorites for the patient! We all love Mexican food...and Caleb loves Buffalo Wild Wings. I adapted this recipe and it should be called WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER. Everybody loves it and I know you will agree! Prep is minimal and your crock pot will do the cookin' for you!


Dinner Menu:

Fresh Ginger Lemonade

Buffalo Taco Salad

Chips and Salsa

Fresh Watermelon Chunks

Cookies and Sorbet


BUFFALO TACO SALAD

4 chicken breast {soaked in salt water overnight and rinsed with fresh, cold water}

1 cup FRANKS RED HOT HOT SAUCE or WING SAUCE

1/2 cup water

*place chicken, sauce and water in crock pot on low for at least 6 hrs. or on high for 4 hrs. Every crock pot is different...so be sure to keep an eye on it.

Chopped romaine lettuce and red leaf lettuce

Shredded cheddar cheese

Olives

Red onion, chopped

Tomato, diced

A bit of fresh cilantro

A bit of blue cheese crumbles

Cooked black beans

Avocado

Blue cheese dressing

Chips, salsa and sour cream served on the side

*Once the chicken is fully cooked, use two forks to pull it apart or "shred" it.

Everybody made their own taco salad and it was easy, nutritious and a cinch to chop up!

*I served this buffet style so that everything would not get soggy. We had the taco salad fixings in Laurissa's homemade taco shells the next day for lunch. OH.SO.YUMMY!

ENJOY!


"A cheerful look brings joy to the heart, and good news gives health to the bones"

Proverbs 15:30

*Is there a situation in your life that you could use to be a wounded healer?

Shared with: stone gable

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Almond Chicken Panini Croissants

Our Laurissa is back from teaching in Kazakhstan, and our Caleb is off on a missions trip to Alaska for three weeks! It has been quite the adjustment! Not the "typical" summer we are used to having...

Everybody who reads this blog knows by now that we celebrate a lot with food and Laurissa's dinner back was no exception. Since she is still adjusting to the time change, I kept the dinner simple. She loves chicken salad and this is a quick recipe to put together for a special but easy lunch or dinner...especially when there is MOUNDS of laundry, errands to run, forms to be notarized, phone calls to be made, birthday cards to be written, coloring contests to enter, and BATCHES of Cracker Jacks {4th of July tradition} to be made for one very special OPA! WHEW!

Chicken Panini Croissants
Lisa Pearson

6 boiled chicken breasts, boiled, cooled and diced

1 tsp. garlic salt

1 1/4 cup Best Foods Light Mayonnaise {I know. :) LIGHT MAYO!}

1 cup almonds, finely chopped {I was in a rush and did not do a good job at all!}

1 1/2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

A twist of freshly ground pepper!

Directions:

*Mix all ingredients together. You may want to add a bit more mayo.



*Slice croissants and spread with chicken filling.


*Grill on a panini grill or any other kind of kitchen grill. We have even wrapped them in foil and grilled them on low on the bbq! DO NOT BURN!



On the menu last night:

Lemonade

canned peaches from OMA



homegrown romaine in a Caesar Salad with freshly made dressing {anchovies and all!}



almond chicken panini croissants

ice cream and brownies with friends and NANA and POPPI


Happy Tuesday to YOU!

Shared with: tidy mom, comfy in the kitchen

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Buffalo Chicken Nachos

Oh.My.Goodness! Monday snuck up on me and "Meet My Friend Monday" did NOT happen...between piles and piles of laundry, getting caught up after the weekend and summer basketball games starting...there are not enough hours in the day!

This weekend, I found a recipe I am dying to make. My hubby is making this for his crew and I am sure it will make it into our dinner binder here at home! I am excited about a new nacho recipe that the kids are sure to enjoy. What is not to love about cool and creamy and HOT AND SPICY together. Absolutely Nothing!

This recipe is from my bloggy friend Lyuba. Her blog, Will Cook for Smiles is filled with easy, simple recipes and lots of tips. I am pretty sure it may become one of your new favorite foodie blogs!

Lyuba is a paralegal by day, but her favoite job is wife and momma! She loves cooking, art, crafts, the outdoors and SHOES...lots of shoes!

She is so sweet and is great about responding to questions!
Thank you Lyuba for the {yummy} new recipe!


Buffalo Chicken Nachos
by Lyuba






Ever since Cinco De Mayo, I have been craving these Nachos. It took me about 3 weeks to make these, but so worth the wait!!! All 3 of us enjoyed these nachos and they were gone in a flash!!!


Ingredients:





Bag of Tostitos
2 grilled chicken breasts, shredded
1 1/2 cups shredded lettuce
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup Ranch Dressing
3/4 cup of Blue Cheese crumbles
1/2 cup winger dressing...available at Walmart :}
1/4 cup water

Directions:
1. In a small pan, heat up winger sauce and water


2. Saute the shredded chicken in the sauce for a few minutes




~Preheat the oven to 375
~In the over safe tray...
3. Start layering the nachos...
-spread the chips
-spread 1/2 the lettuce
-spread 1/2 the tomatoes
- drizzle 1/2 the Ranch dressing
- spread 1/2 the blue cheese and 1/2 the chicken over it




4. Repeat the next layer
5. Sprinkle the shredded cheese over the top, bake for 10-13 minutes.



Enjoy!!

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