Month: July 2013

Easy Sweet and Sour Catalina Chicken

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Yesterday was busy-busy. Get the SUV washed, go to Sam’s, fill up that SUV with the cheap gas at Sam’s, come home and unload all that bulk stuff from Sam’s.  Put it all away. Take a shower, get dressed, go to doctor’s appointment, go by Walmart on the way home to pick up stuff for the blog post recipe and the other items that I couldn’t get at Sam’s.  Wait for that crazy thunderstorm to clear a little while shopping and enjoy the power flickering and the rain pounding the roof of Walmart.  Drive home and put all that Walmart stuff away and then prepare the recipe for the blog post for Thursday.  Ahhhh…it’s in the oven and I can finally sit down and check my email.  Oh, looky there!  Jen posted a recipe for Sweet and Sour Chicken!  What are the odds that we would pick the same type of recipe to post this week?  No worries, though, because they are slightly different.  It’s all good.  No, really it is yummy good.
Ingredients:
1 cup Apricot-Pineapple Preserves
1 small (8-oz.) bottle of Catalina dressing
1/2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1 pkg. dry onion soup mix
3 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts


1.  Preheat oven to 350.  Heat a large oven-proof skillet or dutch oven to medium-high heat on the stove top.

2.  While pan is heating, place jam, Catalina dressing, vinegar, and 1/2 of the onion soup packet in a bowl and stir to combine.  Set sauce aside.
3.  Sprinkle remaining onion soup mix onto chicken pieces and pat on all sides with clean hands. (I cut my chicken breasts into smaller chunks)
4.  Drizzle olive oil into hot pan to coat bottom of pan.  Place chicken pieces in and cook without moving them for 2 minutes.  Turn chicken to other side and cook for 2 more minutes.
5.  Pour sauce over chicken and spread evenly over the pieces.  Place pan in oven, uncovered, and cook until chicken measures 165 degrees on a meat thermometer.  I let these cook for about 30 minutes, then checked the temperature and cooked them for a few more minutes.
6.  Remove from oven and let cool at least 10 minutes.  Serve chicken and sauce over hot white rice.



Source:  Our Best Bites

Sweet & Sour Chicken

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       I love sweet n’ sour chicken. It is asian inspired cuisine that even my kids will eat (and enjoy!). I found this recipe and it was as good as promised. I also loved that the ingredients were on hand and inexpensive!
Sweet N’ Sour Chicken
 
Ingredients:
3-4 chicken breasts
salt and pepper for seasoning
2 large eggs, beaten
1 cup cornstarch
1/4-1/2 cup canola oil
Sauce:
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup ketchup
1 cup apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp garlic salt
Directions:
    1)Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
    2) Cut chicken into bite size pieces, season with salt and pepper
    3) Heat oil in medium sized skillet over medium heat
    4) Place cornstarch in gallon sized ziploc bag. Add chicken pieces and toss to coat.
    5) Whisk eggs in shallow pie pan, dip chicken pieces in egg and place in hot oil.
    6) Cook for 1-2 minutes on each side until golden but not all the way cooked through.
    7) Place cooked pieces in single layer in baking dish. Continue with all pieces.
    8) Mix all sauce ingredients together and pour half of mixture over chicken pieces.
    9) Bake for one hour, turning chicken several times during cooking to coat with sauce.
    10) While chicken is cooking, heat remaining sauce over medium heat until combined and thickened.
 Serve over rice with extra sauce as desired.
Recipe source: Mel’s kitchen cafe
   

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever!

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Forget about your diet! You have to try these! They will make you so happy! 

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever!

Cream together:
1 cup CRISCO shortening (Sometimes I use ½ cup shortening and ½ cup butter)
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
Mix in:
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
Add:
2 ¼ cups white flour (you can use white wheat flour…it’s very good)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
Chocolate chips (as many as you like!) I used “chunks.” You can add chopped nuts too!
Put spoonfuls on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees until just barely starting to brown on the edges. They will look a bit underdone to the average person! Take out of oven and let them sit for a few minutes on the pan. (DO NOT over cook if you want them to be chewy and soft.) 

Pour a glass of milk and ENJOY!!!! YUM YUM!!!

Notes: 
1. One batch makes 2 dozen large cookies. Trust me, you’ll want to make a double batch. 
2. These make fabulous M&M cookies too! You can add anything you like in these cookies! White chocolate chips and macadamia nuts, or dark chocolate and pecans…the possibilities are endless! 

Source: My amazing mom! (Brenda Joyner) She taught my sister and I how to make these when we were really young, and we were famous for our delicious cookies! 

Prayer

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What is the purpose of prayer?
    We have struggled with infertility for years. It is a common challenge for many people, but that doesn’t make it any easier when you are faced with it yourself. Over the years, I have run the gamut of emotions ranging from disappointment, to anger, to resignation and defeat. Having children is a righteous desire, so why couldn’t we, who are trying to be good people and who would give children a loving home, have children easily? 
    I also had a difficult time knowing how to pray about it. On one hand, we are taught that if we are faithful, our prayers will be answered. On the other hand, we are taught that the purpose of prayer is to bring our will in line with God’s will. The two ideas seemed a little contradictory to me. I felt a little bit guilty praying for a child if it wasn’t God’s will for us. As I was sitting in Sunday School one day, the lesson was on prayer and the teacher referred us to the bible dictionary. What I read changed my perspective forever:
     “As soon as we learn the true relationship in which we stand toward God (namely, God is our Father, and we are His children), then at once prayer becomes natural and instinctive on our part (Matt. 7:7–11). Many of the so-called difficulties about prayer arise from forgetting this relationship. Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other. The object of prayer is not to change the will of God but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant but that are made conditional on our asking for them. Blessings require some work or effort on our part before we can obtain them. Prayer is a form of work and is an appointed means for obtaining the highest of all blessings.”
    When I was able to view prayer as a form of work, I no longer felt guilty for praying for a child. It released a huge burden and I could pray without reserve while hoping that it was a blessing God was willing to grant. This lesson has helped me in every trial since and I hope it helps you as well. God wants to bless us, but we have to do our part.
   

Southern Banana Pudding

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I’m a southern girl through and through. I think when one becomes “Southern” they acquire southern taste buds. Biscuits, Fried Okra, Green Beans (cooked with an awful lot of salt and bacon), Barbecue… you get the picture. One dessert that is loved by many of “us Southerners” is Banana Pudding. YUM-MY.

This recipe is a light and easy take on the sometimes way-too-sweet dessert that all southern cooks should know to make. So, next time you find your self fixin’ to go to the grocery store, grab your buggy and get all these ingredients so you too enjoy the flavors of the South. (yes, I really do use “fixin” and “buggy” in my everyday language!)
Southern Banana Pudding
3 bananas
2 small boxes instant vanilla pudding (I used Sugar Free)
3 cups cold milk
30 Nilla Wafers (I used Reduced Fat Nilla Wafers)
1 tub Cool Whip (I used Lite Cool Whip)
Directions
1. In a bowl combine pudding mix and milk. Whisk for 2 minutes, allow to set for 5 minutes. 
2. While pudding is setting slice bananas. 
3. Arrange about half the nilla wafers on the bottom of your dish (and if it’s glass go up the side for presentation purposes). Follow with half the bananas and half the pudding. Repeat. On top of the last layer, top with Cool Whip.
4. Chill in the fridge for 3 hours before serving. 
Now go, be southern!

Grandma’s Best Apple Pie

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There once was a girl who liked making pies
But all of those years she could not devise 
how to make the perfect pie crust 
or apples that would not turn to mush

Until by chance she tried a new way
different from any she’d made up to that day
It turned out superb to her great relief
she conquered the pie that had given her grief. 

Perfect Pie Crust
12 Tbsp. very cold unsalted butter
1/3 c. very cold vegetable shortening
3 C. flour
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 Tbsp. sugar
6-8 Tbsp. ice water
 
Dice the butter and return to the fridge or freezer while preparing the other ingres. Place the flour, salt and sugar in a food processor. Pulse a few times. Add the butter and shortening. Pulse 8-12 times til butter is the size of peas. With the machine running, pour ice water down the feed tube and pulse the machine until the dough begins to form a ball. Dump out onto a floured surface and roll into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 30 mins. 
The recipe says it is for a double crust pie, but it actually makes enough for 3 single crusts, depending on how thick you roll it. 
  
Grandma’s Best Apple Pie (from All Recipes. Link here)
1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust
pie
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2-1 tsp. cinnamon (opt.)
8 Granny Smith apples – peeled, cored
and sliced


Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour to form a paste. Add water, white sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon (if using) and bring to a boil. Reduce temperature and let simmer.

Place the bottom crust in your pan. Fill with apples, mounded slightly. Cover with a lattice work crust. Gently pour the sugar and butter liquid over the crust. Pour slowly so that it does not run off.

Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Continue baking for 35 to 45 minutes, until apples are soft.



Peanut Butter Ice Cream Pie

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Ingredients:
Crust
2 cups crushed oreo cookies
4 tablespoons melted butter
Filling
1 8-ounce thawed container fat free cool whip
1 quart softened vanilla ice cream
1/2 cup melted peanut butter
1/2 cup Peanut Butter Cups
1/2 cup crushed Reese’s Pieces or Peanut Butter M&Ms
Directions:
-Combine the oreos and melted butter and form a crust.  Press mixture evenly into a nonstick 8-inch pan.
-In a large bowl, combine the Cool Whip and ice cream evenly.  Fold in the Peanut Butter Cups and half of the Reese’s Pieces.  Layer half of the filling and then drizzle half of the melted peanut butter on top.  Layer the other half of the ice cream filling and drizzle with the remaining peanut butter.  Sprinkle the rest of the crushed Reese’s Pieces on top.
-Cover and freeze for 5-6 hours or until firm.
-Allow the pie to soften at room temperature for about 5 minutes before cutting and serving.

Peanut Butter Cookies

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I’m so glad that Melissa is one of the Mormon Mavens now.  I’ve loved her cookbook, The Hows and Whys of the Year Supply, for many years (email us at mormonmavens@gmail.com to find out how to get your own copy).  This recipe from her cookbook, sure to please any peanut butter lover, has turned out to be a favorite because of the lovely texture of the cookie it produces.  Give it a try.


Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. vanilla

1.  Cream together the butter and peanut butter.  Then add the remaining ingredients and mix well.
2.  Roll into balls (I use a cookie scoop to measure out the dough) and roll in sugar.  Place on cookie sheet.
3.  Bake at 375 degrees until very lightly browned (7-9 minutes by original directions, 10-11 minutes in my oven).  Do not overbake them!  Allow to cool for 1-2 minutes on the cookie sheet, then carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Source:  Melissa Coombs’ cookbook, The Hows and Whys of the Year Supply

Frozen Grapes

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I am one of those moms….you know the ones that don’t like high fructose corn syrup, food dye, ….etc.  So we usually don’t have Popsicle in our home unless they are homemade.  I don’t know why but homemade sometimes just seems like too much work, so I found an easier way.  Frozen Grapes!  They have a wonderful icy crunch, are prefect for those hot days, and super easy!  
Wash Grapes well (I use food wash for grapes to get off all the pesticides)
Pull off the vine and place individually on a cookie sheet
Freeze
It is that easy.  Once mine have frozen (I usually leave them in for 3 hours), I put them in a zip lock bag to save space in my freezer.  Enjoy!