Dish up the comfort food! (Chicken, Broccoli & Rice casserole with Cheddar cheese)

Chicken, Broccoli & Rice casserole with Cheddar Cheese

To day was definitely “one of those days”…you know, where you wake up already tired and though nothing *major* happened, it just seemed like a bunch of little things went awry from beginning to end.  I spilled stuff, dropped things, work apps weren’t working, getting my butt kicked in Words with Friends (haha)…I knew by 3pm that it was going to be a “comfort food” type of night and just happen to see a post for Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole earlier today that I wanted to try.  I personally have nothing against Velveeta or Cheese Whiz, but I never cook with it so I was happy to see a version that used real cheese.  I of course took my liberties with the recipe (when do I not) and came up with a a slightly altered version that I am really happy with!

Eeerr…and I needed food STAT before I turned into an emotional basket case, so I skipped the oven time and just let it simmer a few minutes on the stove, it was awesome.

Chicken, Broccoli & Rice casserole with Cheddar cheese – serves 4 to 6

• 1 TBLS butter
• 2 uncooked chicken breasts – cubed/bite-size
• 2-3 fresh broccoli crowns – chopped (you could also use 2 bags of frozen chopped broccoli)
• 1/2 an onion – diced small
• 1 – 1 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning/Lawry’s seasoning salt (optional)
• 1 can cream of chicken or mushroom soup
• 1/4 cup Hellman’s (Best Foods) mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup water
• 6 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 packed cups of cooked white rice
• salt & pepper to taste

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, add in the first 5 ingredients and saute until the chicken is just done.
2. Add in the next 4 ingredients and gently mix until well incorporated.  Add in the rice, blend well, and turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for a few minutes.
3. Add salt and pepper to taste.

SUCCESS! Homemade Greek-style yogurt recipe

homemade greek-style yogurt with granola and blackberries

I have no idea why, but for the longest time I’ve avoided making yogurt at home, just something about it *really* intimidated me.  Plus, regular yogurt is pretty affordable, so I just didn’t see the need to rush into try it out.  Lately though, hubby and I have been eating the greek-style yogurt and LOVE it.  It’s so thick and creamy (even the fat-free version), and you can add fruits, jams, flavored syrups, etc…without it getting “runny”.

Sadly, the cost of it is 2-3 times more expensive then normal yogurt, so I decided to buck-up and look for some homemade recipes and stumbled upon this one.  It seemed simple enough, so I decided to try it out a couple nights ago. It turned out thick and creamy, simply FABULOUS and not overly tart!  It’s not difficult to make at all, it just needs time to sit and develop, sort of like waiting for bread to rise, but longer.

I pretty much followed the recipe exactly and suggest starting this about 2 hours before you go to bed, as it needs to sit in the oven for 7-8 hours. Here are some photos and supplemental notes of my first attempt.

double-boiler method

I used the double-boiler method, as burnt milk is horrific!  I took a large metal mixing bowl and placed it on top of a stock pot that had about 2 inches of water in it.  I set the burner temp to med-high and clipped my candy thermometer to the side of the metal bowl.  If you don’t have a candy/digital thermometer, a normal food-grade one will work too.

Once it reached the temp of 180 degrees, I poured it into a large Corningware casserole dish and let it cool down to 110 degrees, just as stated in the original recipe.

I used 2 1/2 TBLS of plain yogurt + 2 TBLS cold milk as my starter.  But before adding it to the 110 degree milk I did ladle in about a 1/2 cup of the hot milk into my starter mix.  My thinking was, if the starter mix is more liquidy it would blend in easier with the rest of the hot milk.

the yogurt after being in the oven for 7.5 hours

I set my oven to 170 degrees, as that’s the lowest it will go.  I used a small bath towel, folded in half (so a double layer), and tucked it tightly around the casserole dish once it was in the oven.  After the yogurt had been in the oven for over an hour, hubby says to me “did you read all of the post comments? The last one was about 3 failed attempts due to the oven temperature not staying warm enough.”  Uuumm…no?!? So I panicked and turned the oven on again to 170, but just for 1 minute!  That probably wasn’t the smartest move, but the yogurt still turned out awesome!

After sitting in the oven overnight it has the consistency of normal plain yogurt.  If this is what you want then the yogurt is done and you just need to drain some of the liquid.  I however wanted the really thick and creamy yogurt, so onto the nest step – cooling & straining.

getting ready to strain the yogurt

I used a large colander placed on top of a large/deep mixing bowl.  After straining for an hour, 2 cups of liquid came out of the yogurt.  I scraped the thicker yogurt off of the cheesecloth and mixed the yogurt up well, then strained for another 1.5 hours, where another 1.5 cups of liquid came out.

This made about 27oz. of greek-style yogurt, so about 5-6 servings and tastes just as good as the store bought version.  As for the cost, 27oz. of store-bought is roughly $5, whereas making it at home will cost roughly $1.60 + 1 yard of cheesecloth (about $1.50/yard).  If you get a nice quality cheesecloth you can rinse and re-use it again!

A delicious Baked Oatmeal that will convert even non-oatmeal lovers

Baked Oatmeal, photo from www.moneysavingmom.com

While visiting with family this weekend we got to talking about food (go figure), and someone mentioned “oatmeal”, which brought this recipe to mind!  If you are not usually a fan or the traditional runny/soupy oatmeal, but like oats, you MUST try this recipe!  It is not mushy at all and comes out more like a fluffy oatmeal crumble….if that makes any sense.  You can taste each individual oat, it is slightly firm yet soft at the same time, and the top comes out with a little crunch…it’s almost like eating dessert for breakfast!  This also taste great with milk poured over it.

I followed the recipe EXACTLY, but if I make it again I think I’ll add a little less sugar.  Just make sure to make this the night before you want it, as the oats need time to soak up all of the liquid.  The recipe is taken from Money Saving Mom, and in her post she describes how to turn this into a make-ahead “freezer” meal as well.

Freezer-Friendly Baked Oatmeal

• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup raw sugar (or brown sugar)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons milk
• 3 cups oats (regular or quick oats)

Beat eggs, sugar and butter together. Mix in baking powder, vanilla, cinnamon and salt.

Stir in milk and oats. Pour into a greased 9×13 foil pan or baking dish and cover well.

Leave in the fridge overnight. In the morning, bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes, until set in the middle. Serve with milk.

Serves 6-8.

I’m back, I think…and Oatmeal Peanut Butter Bars recipe

Oatmeal Peanut butter Bars with Firm Chocolate Frosting

I can’t believe my last post was a year and a half ago!  No, I didn’t stop baking, cooking or living for that matter….I just found myself with less time for all the things I wanted to do!  It’s  just been a really hectic time juggling family, finances, and nurturing my budding business, Kawaii Goodies. However, while cruising around pinterest for new sugary goodies, I found myself REALLY missing the writing & sharing aspect of cooking and baking…plus I really need an outlet for my personal rambling besides my husband!

Now that being said, it’s not as if the speed of my life has slowed down much.  In fact, it’s ramping up again as I anticipate opening up my other business, Bliss Candies, in the next week or two.  So am I back to blogging and posting recipes?  Only time will tell, but I sure do miss it!

This past week I tried out a recipe that I originally saw posted on here.  In the original photo they looked a little on the dry side, so I did adjust the recipe slightly to try and moisten them up a little.  The end result?  They did seem to hold together better and not be as crumbly and overall these were decent bars, but not my favorite.  They were still a little on the dry side and were not quite as sweet as I would have liked them, with a mild peanut butter flavor.  Personally, I think increasing the amount of chocolate chips and omitting the powdered sugar & milk all together would have been better, unless you like the taste of frosting (which I usually don’t).  However, if you DO like frosting then the original topping is pretty good, and best of all it firms up, so you can actually stack the bars if needed and they will travel pretty well.

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Bars with firm Chocolate Frosting, adapted from this recipe:

 

1 cup softened butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
generous 2/3 cup peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
scant 2 cups flour
scant 2 cups oatmeal

*Frosting ingredients:

1 cup powder sugar
1/4 cup peanut butter
2 to 4 Tbsp milk

12 ounces milk or semi chocolate chips

 

1. In a large bowl cream together the butter and both sugars.  Add in the eggs, 2/3 cup peanut butter, and vanilla, mix well.

2. In another bowl mix together the oatmeal, flour, baking soda, and salt.

3. Combine the dry mix with the wet ingredients until everything is moist, then press into a 9 x 13 pan and bake at 350 for 20 minutes, or until lightly golden.

4. Remove the pan from the oven and set on a cooling rack.  Then start on the frosting.

5. For frosting: gently melt chocolate chips and peanut butter either in the mircrowave or over low heat on the stove. Once the mixture is melted, add in the powdered sugar and milk, blend well and spread evenly over the cooked bars.

Lightly Spiced Yogurt Pound Cake

Fall is definitely here, and with that comes the heart-warming scents of cinnamon sticks, apple cider, and gingerbread!  I haven’t baked in a while, as everything has just been so crazy, but I really wanted to use up the plain yogurt sitting in the fridge and though making a cake might be nice   So I found a super easy recipe for Spiced Yogurt Pound Cake on AllRecipes.com and decided to give it a try.  I did make a couple adjustments due to personal preferences (less butter more yogurt, 2 types of sugar), and I think it turned out great!  Not too heavy, very moist, and I’d say the spice flavor is just a touch on the mild side.  Feel free to add more if you’d like, however I think it is perfect as is if you are serving it up with a cup of coffee or tea.

In fact, if you have ever had traditional Amish Friendship bread, this taste similar but without the yeasty background flavor.

If you are looking to kick this up a notch, try adding in cinnamon chips or making a cinnamon glaze, yum!

Lightly Spiced Yogurt Pound Cake-1 bundt pan

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

13 TBLS butter, softened

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (plus 1 TBLS for flouring the pan)

1 cup + 2 TBLS plain yogurt

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Directions:

1. pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly butter or spray the bundt pan, sprinkle in a TBLS of flour, gently tap and rotate the bundt pan until it is covered and discard of the excess.  Set aside.

2. in a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugars together with a rubber spatula until throughly blended, then add in the vanilla, eggs, and yogurt.  set aside.

3. in another bowl mix together the remaining ingredients.

4. add the dry ingredients to the butter and sugar mixing bowl, gently blend everything together until just combined, then pour and spread evenly into bundt pan.

5. bake for 50-60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

6. allow to cool and enjoy!

My Walmart Deals – $7 out of pocket

On our family trip out and about today we headed to the movies (Marmadue was FREE today) and then made a quick detour to Walmart.  Here are the deals I snatched up today with my coupons!  The floss, Tide packet and Renuzit air freshener were all FREE, the pizza’s were 0.88 cents a piece, creamer was 0.29 cents, the sausage was $1.50 each, and I got the Nivea men’s wash for $1 each.  I know I could have gotten the Nivea for free at Walgreens, but unfortunately we were not planning on heading that way today.  Still, at $1 a bottle (and they are huge), that’s a good deal!

Oh, and we can never have too much sausage on hand, as I cook it up and freeze it for breakfast dishes and homemade pizzas

Spicy Buffalo Chicken Pizza with Ranch and BBQ Sauce

It goes without saying that pizza is a favorite in our home, especially with a teenager who swears she could live on pizza alone!   I still use the ultra-easy pizza crust I shared a while back, and if you haven’t tried it yet you really should!  Homemade pizza in less time then it takes for delivery, can’t go wrong there.  So this weekend I wanted to bake up a pizza, but didn’t have and of the “usual” toppings on hand.  I was determined though, and then remembered my daughter saying something about a buffalo chicken pizza a while back….and I just happen to have the ingredients on hand!  Well, close enough anyways

So here is what I came up with, which is now a new favorite in the house!  I actually made this pizza 3 times this week (I swear I thought it was only twice!), and here is my favorite version.  Please keep in mind measurements a bit approximate, but the recipe is very forgiving, and don’t let the short list of ingredients fool you, it’s good.  And just a little disclaimer, I’ve never had buffalo chicken pizza before, but my hubby and daughter have and they say it tastes just as good as the restaurant’s.  YUM for less then half the price, gotta love it.

 

Spicy Buffalo Chicken Pizza with Ranch and BBQ Sauce-1 large pizza

• 1 large pizza crust-store bought or homemade
• 1 chicken breast-cubed and seasoned with a little Lawry’s or poultry seasoning salt
• your preferred hot sauce-like buffalo wing sauce, Louisiana Hot sauce or Tapatio Mexican hot sauce (this is what I used)
• generous 1/3 cup ranch dressing
• 3 TBLS sweet BBQ sauce-I used Baby Ray’s
• 1 1/2 – 2 cups mozzarella cheese-shredded

Directions:

• Prep the pizza crust as you normally would and pre-heat the oven to the temp needed.
• Over medium heat, cook the chicken breast until it is almost done, then add in as much hot sauce as you think you can handle for the last couple of minutes.  Once the chicken is fully cooked, turn off the heat and add in the ranch dressing and BBQ sauce.
• Spread the chicken mixture evenly over the crust, top with cheese, and cook in the oven until cheese is bubbly and slightly brown.
• Serve with extra ranch and BBQ sauce if desired.

Chinese Take-out “Cashew Chicken” in no time!

A picture of the Cashew Chicken dish taken directly from www.onceuponachef.com

Wow, it’s been a while since my last post!  It has been a crazy few weeks, with all of trying to enjoy the last bits of summer before school started, which was today!  Now that we are adjusting back to the “school schedule” that also means earlier dinners, as during the summer we sometimes do not eat until 8pm, which is way too late for the little ones as they are in bed by 9pm.  So I wanted to start the school year off in the right direction, which includes and nice home cooked dinner and not frozen pizza, lol!  I’ve had this recipe for Cashew Chicken in my “must try” pile ever since Jennifer (the author of the www.onceuponachef.com) posted it.  Boy, am I sorry I waited so long!  It came together so fast and was delicious, even with the omitted ingredients and substitutions I had to make due to what we had available to work with.

I ended up omitting the cashews and green onions as we didn’t have them, and I had to sub in white vinegar for the rice wine vinegar.  I served this with plain steamed broccoli, which was a wonderful compliment to this dish as it is quite saucy and flavorful already   Oh, and if you happen to like your sauce thick and sticky, just remove the chicken once it is fully cooked and continue to cook the sauce on it’s own.  It will reduce down to a thicker consistency in just a couple minutes, then you can add the chicken back in to re-warm it.

Enjoy!

The AMAZING Cucumber

If you’re a first time gardener, like me, you *might* have made the mistake of planting too many cucumber plants in all of your excitement and anticipation, heh.  Seriously, I’m not one to waste food, but my kids are getting a bit tired of “go eat a salad!” exiting my mouth.  So I looked online for a NON-CANNING version of making pickles, soon to be posted, but I also remember a very interested email my hubby forwarded to me a long time ago, that I just happened to keep!  So if your garden overfloweth with cumbers, try putting a few of these ideas to use…

This information was in The New York Times several weeks ago part of their “Spotlight on the Home” series that highlighted creative and fanciful ways to solve common problems.

1. Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day, just one cucumber contains Vitamin B1,Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc.

2. Feeling tired in the afternoon, put down the caffeinated soda and pick up a cucumber.. Cucumbers are a good source of B Vitamins and Carbohydrates that can provide that quick pick-me-up that can last for hours.

3. Tired of your bathroom mirror fogging up after a shower? Try rubbing a cucumber slice along the mirror, it will eliminate the fog and  provide a soothing, spa-like fragrance.

4. Are grubs and slugs ruining your planting beds? Place a few slices in a small pie tin and your garden will be free of pests all season long. The chemicals in the cucumber react with the aluminum to give off a scent undetectable to humans but drive garden pests crazy and make them flee the area.

5. Looking for a fast and easy way to remove cellulite before going out or  to the pool? Try rubbing a slice or two of cucumbers along your problem area for a few minutes, the phytochemicals in the cucumber cause the collagen in your skin to tighten, firming up the outer layer and reducing the visibility of cellulite. Works great on wrinkles too!!!

6. Want to avoid a hangover or terrible headache? Eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed and wake up refreshed and headache free. Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes to replenish essential nutrients the body lost, keeping everything in equilibrium, avoiding both a hangover and headache!!

7. Looking to fight off that afternoon or evening snacking binge? Cucumbers have been used for centuries and often used by European trappers, traders and explores for quick meals to thwart off starvation.

8. Have an important meeting or job interview and you realize that you don’t have enough time to polish your shoes? Rub a freshly cut cucumber over the shoe, its chemicals will provide a quick and durable shine that not only looks great but also repels water.

9. Out of WD 40 and need to fix a squeaky hinge? Take a cucumber slice and rub it along the problematic hinge, and voila, the squeak is gone!

10. Stressed out and don’t have time for massage, facial or visit to the spa? Cut up an entire cucumber and place it in a boiling pot of water, the chemicals and nutrients from the cucumber with react with the boiling water and be released in the steam, creating a soothing, relaxing aroma that has been shown the reduce stress in new mothers and college students during final exams.

11. Just finish a business lunch and realize you don’t have gum or mints?  Take a slice of cucumber and press it to the roof of your mouth with you> tongue for 30 seconds to eliminate bad breath, the phytochemcials will kill the bacteria in your mouth responsible for causing bad breath.

12. Looking for a ‘green’ way to clean your faucets, sinks or stainless steel? Take a slice of cucumber and rub it on the surface you want to clean, not only will it remove years of tarnish and bring back the shine, but is won’t leave streaks and won’t harm your fingers or fingernails while you clean.

13. Using a pen and made a mistake? Take the outside of the cucumber and slowly use it to erase the pen writing, also works great on crayons and markers that the kids have used to decorate the walls!!

To-Die-For Homemade Peanut Buster Parfait Sundaes!

Totally NOT my picture (as we wolfed ours down before I even thought of taking a pic!), but you get the idea....

Seriously, our family is not good news for Dairy Queen.  We’ve made delicious homemade copycat Blizzards and now AWESOME copycat Peanut Buster Parfaits, my husband says it’s so much better then the commercial version!  I owe this one all to my youngest daughter, as she was having a craving for hot fudge sundae’s and wanted me to take her to Dairy Queen, the only ice cream place for miles.  Well you know me….the first (and really only)  though that went though my head was “gee, how hard could making hot fudge sauce really be??”  So I grabbed a recipe with good reviews and 5 minutes later was rewarded with a sundae that totally hit the spot!

It was thick, gooey, and rich…which then made me crave caramel sauce too, lol.  And how can you beat the financial savings, right?!?

Super easy, fast and delicious, with just a little deviating from the original recipe simply due to what we had on hand to use.  I’m sure either one would turn out great, but for those who are curious, here is my version:

Homemade Peanut Buster Parfait Sundaes-feeds a family:

• 1 TBLS butter
• 2 TBLS water
• 1/3 cup + 1 TBLS cocoa powder
• 14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk
• 2 TBLS Bakers brand melting chocolate or regular chocolate chips
• 1 tsp vanilla
• Lots of vanilla ice cream
• 1/2 cup chopped peanuts or cashews

Directions:

• On the stover over medium heat, combine the butter and water and stir until the butter is all melted.
• Add in the cocoa powder and blend as well as you can, it will be a thick paste.
• Add in the condensed milk and stir, stir, stir!  You may still see some cocoa “beads”, but just do the best you can to smoosh them out with a rubber spatula.
• Once the mixture has gotten warmed through-out and mixed as best as you can get it, add in the chocolate chips and vanilla and stir a bit more.
• Scoop some ice cream into a bowl, top with hot fudge sauce and peanuts, then enjoy!
• Any left over fudge sauce can be store in the fridge or freezer.