Pumpkin Scones & Pumpkin Butter

Hello, hello! It has been a very long time since my last post. Today I'm
here with a quick one that I just had to share. I don't know about you, but this
time of year I crave all things pumpkin.

 I LOVE pumpkin anything!

Pumpkin Scones
(recipe adapted from several Starbucks copycat recipes)
makes 1 dozen

For the scones:

• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbs baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/2 tsp all spice
• 1/4 ground cloves 
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree (not pie filling) 
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 milk 
• 1 egg

For the glaze:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 - 2 tbs milk 

For the cinnamon drizzle:

• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon, or to taste
• 1 - 2 tbs milk 

Instructions-
  For the scones:

1. Preheat the oven to 425F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly flour. 
2. Combine flour, baking powder, salt and spices in a large bowl. Use a pastry blender or fork to cut the butter into the dry ingredients until mixture is crumbly and no large chunks of butter are obvious. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl whisk together the pumpkin, milk, sugar and egg. Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients with a fork, and form the dough into a ball.
4. Pat out dough onto a lightly floured surface and form it into a 1-inch thick rectangle about 3 times as long as wide. Use a large knife or a pizza cutter to slice the dough twice through the width, making three equal portions. Cut each of the portions in an X pattern (four pieces) so you end up with 12 triangular slices of dough. 
5. Place on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 14–16 minutes. Scones should begin to turn light brown. Place on wire rack to cool.

For the glaze:

1. Mix the powdered sugar and 2 tbsp milk together until smooth. 
2. When scones are cool, use a brush to spread the glaze over the top of each scone.

For the cinnamon drizzle:

1. While the powdered sugar glaze is firming, combine all of the ingredients for the spiced icing. Drizzle over each scone and allow the icing to dry before serving. If you can wait that long! 

Tips: 

• For the 1/3 cup of sugar I filled the measuring cup about 2/3 full with brown sugar and topped it off with white. I find brown sugar gives a softer texture than white sugar. 
• The original recipes call for heavy cream which I substituted with milk. 
• While mixing the cinnamon drizzle don't add all the milk at once. Mix until you get a firmer consistency than you got for the glaze. You want it to sit on top of the glaze, not run all over. 
• For easy clean up use a baggie and snip off the corner for easy drizzling. 

Now for the pumpkin butter. This is by no means an 'exact' recipe. I really didn't measure anything. My best advice when making this is - taste as you go. If you like it a bit sweeter, add more sugar. If you like it spicier (like me) add more spice. It is super easy to make!

Pumpkin Butter

• 1 - 2 cups pumpkin puree
• 1 - 2 cups apple juice, apple cider or water
• 1/2 - 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp pumpkin spice  

1. Add all ingredients to a pot. Bring to a gentle boil, turn heat down to low and simmer for an hour, give or take.
2. Stir every ten minutes or so. 
3. Once the 'butter' has reduced to a jam like consistency it's done. 

Tips:

• Make sure to put a splatter guard over your pot or your stove will be covered in pumpkin polka dots when you're done!
• Store butter in a jar or container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
•  Pumpkin butter is delicious on lots of things - toast, muffins, pancakes, etc. Or for a cooler treat try added a couple heaping tablespoons to your favorite vanilla yogurt and top with crushed graham crackers. Pumpkin pie yogurt! Soo good! 

Thank you soo much for joining me today! I know I've been MIA forever, but I'm getting back to blogging so come back soon!

 ~ Catie 

You can also check out my other pumpkin recipes:

Pumpkin Muffins w/ Spiced Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting
Pumpkin Spice Cake

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Easy Peasy Quiche

Do you love quiche as much as I do? Have you tried to make it yourself, only to find that its one of the easiest things on earth to make? If your answer is no and you've always thought it must be hard to make, you are sadly mistaken. Although quiche tastes soo delectable, it's as easy to throw together as scrambled eggs. Really! No lie.

Today I'm going to share a recipe I stumbled across a few years ago on All Recipes. This recipe is different from any other quiche recipe I've tried. There's a "secret" ingredient that seems kind of strange but makes the fluffiest, tastiest quiche ever! Mayonnaise. Yep, mayo is the secret ingredient. And trust me, you're gonna love it!

I made up a ham, broccoli and cheddar quiche. But you can play around and add whatever ingredients you like best. And are you thinking your husband won't like it? That it's not really "man food"? My hubby ate half of one last night! Half! Served with a salad this makes for a great dinner, lunch or brunch. Quiche is really perfect for any meal of the day.

Easy Peasy Quiche
adapted from All Recipes

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup milk
• 4-5 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped ham
• 1/2 - 1 cup shredded cheese (Use more or less depending on how cheesy you like it.)
• 1 cup broccoli, chopped into small pieces
• 1 deep dish pie shell
• pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 
2. Saute chopped onion. 
3. While onion is cooking; beat together mayo, milk and eggs. Set aside.  
4. Toss the ham, broccoli, cheese and sauteed onion into the pie shell. Add pepper if desired. 
5. Slowly pour in egg mixture. 
6. Put on a baking sheet and cover with foil. 
7. Bake 45 minutes and then remove foil. Continue to bake for 10-15 minutes until the top is golden brown and the quiche is set. 
8. Serve and enjoy! 

Tidbits

• I always use light mayo. 
• I used four slices of off the bone ham from the deli.
• I used a frozen pie shell from Safeway.
• My baking sheets are insulated so when I remove the foil cover I also take the quiche off the baking sheet to let the bottom of the crust brown up. 
• This recipe is easily doubled. Why not use both pie shells that come in the box? 
• Add whatever ingredients you like.

I hope you and your family enjoy this as much as mine does. We all love it! 

Thanks for joining me today.  =) 

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Caramel Apple Cake

Yes this cake is as good as the name sounds! I made this a couple weeks ago and Miss E and I both had three pieces that night. It is that good! I took some to Miss A's teacher the next day, just to get it out of the house. haha Thank goodness this recipe only makes an 8"x8" cake. A whole sheet of it would be dangerous, seriously.  ; )

Of course I stumbled across this recipe on Pinterest. It came from the blog Lick The Bowl Good. Don't you just love that name? Perfect for a cooking blog. Anyhoo, lets get to the recipe already. Geez. 

Caramel Apple Cake
Adapted from Lick The Bowl Good

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (I used 1 heaping teaspoon.)
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups finely chopped apples (I used 2 cups.)
• 1/2 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped (optional) (I didn't use any nuts.)

Brown Sugar Glaze:

• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 3 Tablespoons butter
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 Tablespoon heavy cream (I didn't have cream so I used 1 tbs of whole milk.)

For the cake: Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8-inch pan (round or square) and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Stir with a whisk to mix everything together.

In a large bowl, mix the eggs with a hand mixer til light in color and foamy. Add the oil and vanilla and beat well.

Stir in the flour mixture with a spoon and continue stirring the batter til the flour disappears. Add the apples and nuts (if using) and stir to mix them into the batter.

Scrape batter into prepared pan and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Place the hot cake on a wire cake. While it's still hot, prepare the glaze.

For the glaze: Combine all the ingredients into a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the mixture comes to a gentle boil. Cook for 3-5 minutes.

Spoon the hot glaze over the still hot-from-the-oven cake. Let the glazed cake cool completely before serving straight from the pan.

* Because I didn't use heavy cream my glaze didn't cook up as creamy and turned out more like candy coating, like for caramel popcorn. It kind of hardened on the top of the cake. Soo good!


This cake was easy to whip up and is perfect for Fall. Served with a little scoop of vanilla ice cream and a cup of tea, delish!

 Click here for your chance to win a box of Ferrero Rocher chocolates!

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Sour Cream Corn Bread

Do y'all love a good corn bread like I do? 

(Why do I feel the need to use the word y'all when talking about corn bread? haha) 

I've scoured Pinterest for a really good corn bread recipe and I think I finally found it. This corn bread was moist, sweet and crumbly like cake. It wasn't dry and grainy like a couple other recipes I've tried. As soon as I read this one called for sour cream I knew it would be good because I make the best banana bread and it uses sour cream too.

Sour Cream Corn Bread
From All Recipes

1 cup flour
1 cup cornmeal
1/4 sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 cup sour cream
1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, melted

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). Lightly grease an 8-inch square baking dish.          
• Combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Mix egg, sour cream, milk, and butter in a small bowl. Fold egg mixture into flour mixture until just moistened; pour into prepared baking dish. 
• Bake in preheated oven until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve warm.

Tips/Notes

• I added about 1/4 cup of honey to the batter. I LOVE honey and the flavor it gives the corn bread.
• When I make this next time I'm going to add about 2/3 of a cup of sour cream instead of 1 cup. You could definitely taste the sour cream in the bread and I'd like to see if I could tone it down a bit. Don't get me wrong it was delish!! I'm just curious. Plus it'd be reducing the fat.  ; )

This corn bread was super simple to throw together and was really tasty. We slathered ours with butter and had it with chili. It was the perfect meal for a chilly, snowy night.

Thanks for joining me today!

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Creamy Potato Soup & Cheesy Biscuits

Today I'm sharing a family favorite of ours. We love it soo much I made this twice last week. After the second time I thought I should probably share it. This soup is simple, easy and delicious. You'll have to bare with me when it comes to the recipe. I do not measure when I cook. When I bake yes, but cooking is a whole other story. Most times I just throw things together. This soup is a good example of that. It's similar to another potato soup recipe I've shared before. I'm also sharing my absolute favorite cheesy biscuit recipe. LOVE them!!

Creamy Potato Soup

• 6 - 8 potatoes
• 1 large carrot or a big handful of baby carrots
• 1 stalk of celery
• 1 yellow onion
• 2 tbs butter
• 6 cups water
• 6 tsp reduced sodium stock mix, or 4 bullion cubes 
• 2 cups milk
• salt & pepper to taste

1. Finely chop carrot, celery and onion or let a food processor do the work for you. 
2. Add veggies to a large pot with butter. Saute over medium heat, about 7 - 10 mins. 
3. While veggies saute chop potatoes into bite size pieces. Add to pot. 
4. Stir in water and stock mix. Bring to a boil. Once it reaches a boil turn heat down to med/low and let simmer at least 20 minutes. (The potatoes should be tender by this point.)
5. After 20 minutes turn heat back up and stir in milk. Once it reaches a boil, turn it down to simmer again. Let simmer as long as you like. The longer the thicker the soup will be.
6. Once you're ready to eat, turn the heat off. Get out a blender and puree one batch at a time. Pour soup back into pot and mix in between batches. Once soups reaches the consistency you like, you're done. Salt and pepper to taste.

Tips

• You can use whatever kind of potatoes you want. Also, you can leave the skin on if you like. I always do with red potatoes.
• Feel free to use tetra packed soup stock. If I have it, I use it.
• Top with cheese, bacon bits, green onion/chives or sour cream. 
• While the soup is simmering start your biscuits. Then they're both ready at the same time! 

Jiffy Cheesy Biscuits
from Company's Coming - Gifts from the Kitchen
Makes 24 biscuits.

• 2 cups flour
• 4 tsp. baking powder
• 4 tsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine
• 2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 1/3 cups cold water

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 
2. Combine flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a large bowl. 
3. Cut in butter until crumbly. 
4. Add cheese and water. Mix. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto greased baking sheet. 
5. Bake for 20 minutes until lightly browned. 

Tips

• I've used butter and margarine for these and both work well and taste great.
• Add a teaspoon of parsley flakes for some added color.
• Try parchment paper instead of greasing your pan.

You can have this meal on table in less than an hour. Hope your family likes it as much as mine does! 

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Slow Cooker Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken

Happy Monday! Today I have the perfect weeknight recipe for you. This one takes minutes to prepare and the slow cooker does the rest while you're at work or busy at home. Last week I found this recipe on Pinterest. It was one of those spam type pins that doesn't go to the original source, it goes to some social music site. But it has the recipe in the description and that's all I needed.

This chicken was soo tender it nearly fell apart when I dished it up. We all loved it! Mr. CC kept raving about how good it was. He probably had three servings and the girls both took leftovers for lunch the next day. I will most definitely be making this again. I served it with rice and caesar salad. Yum!

Slow Cooker Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken

4 chicken breasts, chopped into chunks
1 cup pineapple juice
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
(optional) 1 clove garlic, minced
pepper to taste

• Put chopped chicken into slow cooker. 
• Mix all remaining ingredients together and pour over chicken. 
• Cook on low for 6 - 8 hours or high for 3 - 4 hours. (I cooked mine on low for about 5 hours and it was perfect.)

That's all there is to it. If you'd like to thicken up your sauce mix 1 tablespoon cornstarch with a little bit of soy sauce or pineapple juice until dissolved. Remove chicken from slow cooker, turn temp. to high, if it's not already, and stir mixture into sauce. Cover and let simmer about 10 minutes. Add chicken back to crock and mix to coat.

I guarantee this recipe will not disappoint. Have a great week! 

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Homemade Cranberry Sauce

Hope you all had a lovely weekend. Up North today is Thanksgiving. We celebrated with turkey dinner on Saturday. It was delicious! I always look forward to all the different side dishes that come along with the turkey. Everyday veggies like peas, carrots or corn are not on my menu. I like to load up my plate with sides we all associate with turkey dinner; sweet potatoes, stuffing, mashed potatoes with gravy, turnip, etc. And of course there's always cranberry sauce!

 About 5 years ago I wanted to try my hand at making my own cranberry sauce. For some reason I thought it would be hard, I couldn't have been more wrong. It's the easiest part of the meal to make. I'm sure some of you out there have made it before, but for those of you that haven't, here's a little tutorial for ya.

Cranberry Sauce

1 bag fresh cranberries
1 cup water or orange juice (I used orange juice. I like the extra flavor it ads.)
1 cup sugar
*optional - 1/2 tsp cinnamon (This is a guesstimate, I never measure when I add it. Go by taste!)

• Put all ingredients in a medium sauce pan. 
• Bring to a boil. 
• Turn heat down to med/high and let gently boil for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. All the berries will pop open. 
• Now here's the part where you decide if you want a nice smooth sauce or chunky style. If you want yours chunky, pour into a small serving bowl and you're done. 
• If you want a smooth sauce place a mesh colander over/in a small serving bowl and carefully (it's hot!) pour sauce into colander. With the back of a spoon or spatula mash the sauce. Make sure you scrap off the bottom of the colander every few mashes. Do this as long as you want. The more you mash, the more sauce you'll end up with. 
• Cover and chill in fridge until set.  

 Notes -

•  I always add a couple tablespoons of the mashed cranberries to the smooth sauce. 
•  I've found if you use orange juice the sauce will not firm up as much as if you just use water. The consistency will be more of a spread than a gel.
• If you'd like to fancy it up, you could pour the sauce into some sort of mold before you chill it. 

Add this recipe to your Thanksgiving menu. I bet you'll impress them. Even people that don't like the canned kind like mine. 

Happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian readers! 

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33 Shades of Green 
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Triple Chocolate Cake Brownie Cookies

Yes, you read that right - triple chocolate cake brownie cookies! I warn you now, you will want to eat the whole batch! Especially when they're fresh out of the oven still warm and gooey. Today I tweaked a regular chocolate chip cookie recipe to make these. I am always a little nervous when I mess around with baking, but these bad boys did not disappoint. They turned out like a chewy cakey brownie. Mmm mmm!

Triple Chocolate Cake Brownie Cookies
adapted from: The Williams-Sonoma Baking Book
(makes about 2 dozen)

1 1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used minis because that's what I had.)

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Have ready 2 ungreased cookie sheets. Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside. 
• In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on high speed, cream the butter until fluffy and pale yellow. Add the sugar and brown sugar and continue beating until the mixture is no longer gritty when rubbed between your finger and your thumb. Add the egg and vanilla and beat on low speed until blended, occasionally scrap down the sides of the bowl as needed. 
• Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix on low speed or stir with a wooden spoon just until blended. Add the chocolate chips and stir until blended. 
• Using a tablespoon drop the dough onto the baking sheet; placing about 2 inches apart. Bake for about 12 minutes, checking around 10. Let the cookies cool briefly on the pans before transferring to the cooling racks. 

 I hope you enjoy these as much as we did!

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Coconut Custard Pie & A New Sponsor

Hello, hello, hello!! I have not blogged in forever! Sorry about that. We've been having good weather and I've been spending lots of time outside enjoying the heat. Sadly we don't get enough warm days here in Calgary. Guess that's the price you pay when you live in beautiful Canada.

Anyhoo, I'm back today to share a very tasty summertime pie - Coconut Custard Pie. It is delish! Not only is this pie delicious it's quick to throw together and the best part, wait for it.... it makes its own crust!! No crust making skills are required to bake this pie. It magically separates into three distinct layers while it's baking. Very cool!

Coconut Custard Pie
adapted from: Food.com

Ingredients:

2 cups milk
1/3 cup melted butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup coconut
3 eggs
1/2 cup flour
2 teaspoons vanilla
dash of salt

Directions:  

• Melt butter then add all ingredients into mixing bowl. 
• Mix well. 
• Pour into greased 9" pie plate. (The pie plate will be very full. I set mine on a baking sheet, just in case. I was happy I did, it oozed down the sides.) 
• Bake 50 - 60 minutes @ 350F degrees. I baked mine for about an hour and 10 mins. I waited until the entire pie puffed and turned a golden brown. Make sure you keep checking it! 
• Enjoy the pie warm or cold! It's quite tasty both ways. And a little dollop of fresh whipped cream wouldn't hurt.   

** As your pie cools it will deflate. Don't freak out, that is perfectly normal!

That is it! It couldn't be easier. This is the perfect pie to take to a BBQ. People will think you spent all day making it. It'll be our little secret that it only took you 5 minutes to throw together.  ; ) 

Now a little about my new sponsor - RestoreMyPix. 

I had mentioned awhile back that my hubby's position at work had been abolished and he was offered a severance package, which he took. Ever since he's been working on getting his own business started. Well after weeks and weeks of computer work his site is finally up and running. RestoreMyPix is your one stop shop for all you digital photo needs! Need those old family photos restored to better than original condition, or those old family slides scanned so they're in digital format? Thinking of having a birth announcement or family holiday card made? Why not have one custom created just for you! Stop by and check it out.  =)

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Lady Behind the Curtain

Cajun Chicken Pasta

I pinned this recipe, from Skinny Taste, months and months ago. I don't know why I waited soo long to try it, it was delicious! I will definitely be making it again. We all liked it, even Miss A, our six year old. Although she found it a little bit too spicy and could only handle a few bites before she switched to cheesy noodles. I on the other hand thought it had the perfect amount of heat. There is quite a bit of chopping, but it is soo worth it! I can't wait to have the leftovers for lunch. Mmm! 

Cajun Chicken Pasta

from: Skinny Taste

  

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces uncooked linguine
• 1 pound chicken breast strips
• 1-2 tsp Cajun seasoning (or to taste)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 medium yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 8 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 red onion, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 medium tomatoes, diced
• 1 cup fat free low sodium chicken broth
• 1/3 cup skim milk
• 1 tbsp flour
• 3 tbsp light cream cheese
• fresh cracked pepper
• 2 scallions, chopped
• salt to taste
• Smart Balance cooking spray

Directions:

• Prep all your vegetables. In a small blender make a slurry by combining milk, flour and cream cheese. Set aside. Season chicken generously with Cajun seasoning, garlic powder and salt. 
• Prepare pasta in salted water according to package directions.
• Heat a large heavy nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; spray with cooking spray and add half of the chicken. Sauté 5 to 6 minutes or until done, set aside on a plate and repeat with the remaining chicken. Set aside.
• Add olive oil to the skillet and reduce to medium; add bell peppers, onions, and garlic to skillet, sauté 3-4 minutes. 
• Add mushrooms and tomatoes and sauté 3-4 more minutes or until vegetables are tender. Season with 1/4 tsp salt, garlic powder and fresh cracked pepper to taste.
• Reduce heat to medium-low; add chicken broth and pour in slurry stirring about 2 minutes.
• Return chicken to skillet; adjust salt and Cajun seasoning to taste, cook another minute or two until hot, then add linguine; toss well to coat. Top with chopped scallions and enjoy!

 **You may have noticed from my pictures that there's no mushrooms or tomatoes. The store was actually out of mushrooms (What, really Safeway?) and I completely forgot the tomatoes. I imagine it's even better with them, and I'll use them next time. 

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Cheesy Chicken, Broccoli & Rice Casserole

In our house we get a  rotisserie chicken about every other week. We love them! And I love the convenience of making up a couple sides, and dinner's ready. Not to mention the leftovers and all the possibilities. Last week I cut up the last of the chicken and threw together this quick and tasty casserole.

Cheesy Chicken, Broccoli & Rice Casserole

2 cups chicken, cooked & chopped 
2 broccoli crowns, cut up (about 3 - 4 cups)
2 - 3 tsp Original Mrs. Dash (or to taste)
1 can cream of chicken soup
4 cups cooked rice (I used leftover.)
3 cups cheese, grated - Set aside 1 cup for topping.

•  Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 9x13 baking dish. 
• Place the broccoli in a microwave safe bowl with a few tablespoons of water and cook on high for about 3 - 4 minutes. Just until barely tender. It will cook the rest of the way in the oven.
• Mix all ingredients in large bowl. Remember to set aside 1 cup of the cheese for the top!!! 
• Dump into baking dish and sprinkle with remaining cheese. 
• Bake for about 20 - 25 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and slightly browned. 

Does it get much easier than that? I don't think so! The whole family loved this. I especially loved how quick it was to throw together. And it was a complete meal in a bowl. Bonus!

I know the pictures aren't the best. Sorry! It smelled soo good baking, by the time it came out of the oven we were starving.  ; )  The leftovers were great for lunch the next day. I just added a little bit of milk when I reheated it. That made it just as saucy as the night before. Mmm!

Do you have a favorite way to use up leftover chicken? Please share. 

 

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33 Shades of Green 

At The Picket Fence 

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Sweet & Sour Chicken w/ Fried Rice

The post title says it all. I came across this recipe on Pinterest. It was pinned from Life as a Lofthouse. If you haven't visited Holly's blog you should! It is full of delicious looking recipes. I made this one a couple months ago. It was very good, but I thought I'd tweak it a bit to make it look and taste more like authentic Chinese take-out. Mission accomplished!

Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken

adapted from Life as a Lofthouse

The chicken coating:

3-4 boneless chicken breasts

salt + pepper

1 cup cornstarch

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup canola oil

The extras:
1/2 red pepper, cut into large chunks
1 small onion, cut into large chunks
1 can pineapple chunks, drained

The sweet and sour sauce:

3/4 cup sugar

4 tbs ketchup

1/2 cup vinegar

1 tbs soy sauce

1 tsp minced garlic

Juice from drained pineapple chunks. 

• Start by preheating your oven to 325 degrees. Yes, only 325!!  

• Cut chicken into cubes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Dip into the cornstarch to coat. Then dip into the eggs. (It will look kind of gross, but don't worry it'll taste great!)
• Heat your 1/4 cup oil in a large skillet and cook your chicken until browned but not cooked through. Place the chicken into a well greased  9x13 baking dish. 
• Mix all of your sweet and sour sauce ingredients in a bowl with a whisk and then pour evenly over the chicken. 
• Bake for 45 minutes. While it's baking turn the chicken every 15 minutes. 
• After 45 minutes mix in the "extras"; red pepper, onion and pineapple. Bake an additional 15 minutes. 

Fried Rice                                                                                             

3 cups cooked white rice (day old or leftover rice works best!)

2 tbs sesame oil

1 tbs oil (I used canola.) 

1 cup frozen peas (thawed)

4 - 5 green onions, chopped

2 tsp minced garlic

3 eggs, slightly beaten

1/4 cup soy sauce

• On medium high heat, heat the oil in a large skillet or wok.  Add the peas, onion and garlic. Stir fry until tender. 
• Lower the heat to medium low and push the mixture off to one side, then pour your eggs on the other side of skillet and stir fry until scrambled. 
• Now add the rice and soy sauce and blend all together well. Stir fry until thoroughly heated.

*You could add any of your favorites to the fried rice; shrimp, ham, etc.

I am still amazed at how authentic this tastes. Everyone in our house, with the exception of Miss A, loved it! Miss E took some in her thermos for lunch the next day. The leftover chicken reheats very well, and it isn't soggy or slimy-ish. Yes, that's a real word. haha  Give this a try. It is much easier to prepare than you'd think. 

Happy cooking!! 

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Liz Marie Blog

Cinnamon Roll Cake

Happy Sunday! I'm happy because today there are blue skies and no snow! Yesterday I made this Cinnamon Roll Cake and it was the perfect day for baking - chilly, gray and snowing. Yep, snowing. I know it's May. Tell that to the weather over Calgary. And the worst part, we'll most likely get more snow before the end of the month. It almost always snows on the May-long weekend. Yup. Enough about the weather, lets get to this tasty cake!

I love all things cinnamon. So when I came across this recipe on Pinterest, I knew I had to make it. I mean really, a cinnamon roll in fluffy cake form. Yes please!! ; )



Cinnamon Roll Cake
recipe from - My Shiny Life

Ingredients
Cake
3 cups flour
¼  teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 ½ cups milk
2 eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
½ cup (1 stick) butter, melted

Topping
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon cinnamon

Glaze
2 cups powdered sugar
5 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350⁰F.
2. Mix all ingredients for the cake together except for the butter. Slowly stir in the melted butter and pour into a greased 9×13 pan.
3. For the topping, mix all the ingredients together until well combined. Drop evenly over the batter and swirl with a knife. Bake for 28-32 minutes.
4. While cake is still warm, drizzle the glaze over the top.

* I halved the recipe and made an 8x8 cake. This cake is very sweet and it was plenty!!
* Also, I didn't swirl the topping with a knife. I just left it, and let it do its thing while it baked. I like the way  it turned out, more gooey goodness.

Go ahead and pin this picture. You know you want to!  ; )

This cake was delicious! It was declared by Miss A and that girl knows her food. We had a piece right out of the oven, yum. Later I had another small piece and heated it for just a few seconds in the microwave, it was awesome. This cake would be great to serve at a brunch. (Maybe someone could make it for you, for Mother's Day.) I hope you will give it a try. It was quick and easy to make. I know I'll be making it again really soon. 

Sharing With:

Simply Klassic Home
Coastal Charm 
How To Nest For Less 
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia 
33 Shades of Green
At The Picket Fence 
The Shabby Nest 
Serenity Now

Honey Mustard Chicken w/ a Curry Kick

Hey All. I have a simple, quick and tasty recipe to share today. I used this sauce on bbq'd chicken last night. But you could chop up your chicken and bake it with the sauce. It's great over rice with cooked carrots or peas on the side.

 This makes enough sauce to coat 6 chicken thighs or 4 chicken breasts. Play around with the ingredients and adjust them to you and your family's taste. This could easily be doubled or tripled, depending on how much sauce you'd like. {A little side note - if you mix in some mayonnaise, this makes a very good dressing for chicken salad too.}

My favorite dijon type mustard - Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. Mmm! My mom sends it to me from California. I used garam masala instead of plan curry, I prefer the flavor. 

 I served the chicken with baked potatoes and corn on the cob. The corn was soo good! Kind of surprising, as it was the first we've had this year.

As I mentioned before, it is very good baked with diced chicken. That's the way I usually cook it, but it was nice out and I decided to bbq instead. Give this recipe a try and let me know how you liked it. 

Sharing With: 

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
How to Nest for Less 
DIY by Design 
At The Picket Fence 
The Shabby Nest 
Serenity Now