Spicy chicken with sweet potatoes & broccoli

Tonight, we had chicken with cajun seasonings. Also I fixed some sweet potatoes with cinnamon, sugar & butter. I steamed the broccoli in a regular pan with a little bit of butter, water, salt & pepper, cover with a lid.
Yummy!
~ B

Chicken lettuce wraps

So there aren't many restaurants where we live. And tonight I was wanting something restaurant-y. I made lettuce wraps! Super inexpensive & easy. I added a little bit of onions for flavor & to keep the chicken moist. I must warn you, make sure you have plenty of napkins on hand, it's very messy! I used four napkins!

~Chicken Lettuce Wraps
2-3 Boneless Chicken breasts
1 jar of hoisin sauce
1 head of iceburg lettuce
1/2 Cup of peanuts
1-2 tbsp of diced onion

First cook & cut the chicken in chunks. Add in the onion during the last few minutes of cooking. Then add the hoisin sauce & peanuts, mix well. Cut off of the end of the lettuce & separate for the wraps. Makes about 3-4 wraps each for 2 people. Place chicken inside each piece of lettuce.
Wrap up like a burrito & eat it!
~B

Greek Chicken Pita

On tonight's menu: Chicken pita's with lettuce, feta cheese & homemade tzatziki sauce! I bought whole wheat pitas for some extra fiber. A little tip: I always make sure when purchasing feta cheese, I get the block, not the already crumbled one. If they have already crumbled it for you, then that's more work for them & that means you are paying more for a lesser amount of cheese! I cooked the chicken with a little bit of oil in a pan & some cajun seasonings(for a little heat). I used some left over lettuce from last night's salad & whipped up the tzatziki sauce in no time. You must make the sauce a few hours ahead of dinner, so the flavors have time to get to know each other.

~Tzatziki Sauce
2 cups of plain greek yogurt
1 tbsp of lemon juice
1-2 garlic cloves
1 cucumber
1 tbsp of dried dill
salt & pepper (to taste)

Put yogurt in a bowl & set to the side. Prepare the rest of the ingredients to go into a food processor. Cut around the seeds of the cucumber & cut into chunks. Place the cucumber on paper towels & try to get as much water out as possible. Then mix all the ingredients in the food processor. Add the ingredients to the yogurt bowl & stir. Refrigerate for a couple of hours before eating!

Go greek tonight!
~B

Ahi Tuna Salad

Tonight we went healthy & simple. I pan seared the ahi tuna with old bay seasoning on my hubby's tuna steak and on mine just salt & pepper, because I hate old bay. I bought a head of romaine lettuce & chopped it up while the tuna was cooking. My husband likes his tuna pretty rare, but I like mine cooked all the way, I think it's just a texture thing. I know, I know, a well done tuna steak is probably a culinary sin. That's why I took a picture of my husband's plate instead. I also chopped up some baby carrots, and on top we had ginger dressing!
Delicious! Try it!
~B

Crab cakes with rice & corn on the cob

Last night I made these crab cakes! It's a Paula Deen receipe that I tweaked to make it easier for me. I have to be honest I burnt myself with the hot oil several times, I always seem to no matter what. I also just made some easy cheesy chicken flavored rice. You could serve these cakes with some of your favorite sauce, but I think the cheesy rice helps them not seem dry. And in the frozen vegetable section they had corn on the cob. So I boiled them & they only took about 5 minutes to cook!

~ Crab Cakes
3-4 cans of crab meat
1/3 cup of bread crumbs
1 tbsp of chopped onion or you can use green onion
1/2 cup of chopped bell pepper (you can use green or red)
1/4 cup of mayo
1 egg
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 tsp of dry mustard
1 tsp of lemon juice
1/4 tsp of garlic powder
1 tsp of seasoning salt
1 dash of cayenne pepper - or more if you are me!

Flour for dusting
1/2 cup of peanut oil

Mix together all ingredients expect for flour & oil. Shape into patties, should make about 4-6 patties. Dust them with the flour on top & bottom. Heat oil in your skillet to medium/high heat. Then you can test to see if the oil is hot by placing a little piece of the crab in it, & if it bubbles then you are ready. Place the cakes in the pan & cook on each side for about 5 minutes. After they are finished cooking place them on a plate with paper towels to soak up some of that grease! Then serve!

Our cookie jar is full!

Ok so I know, this isn't dinner. I haven't been cooking the past few nights because my husband has been working late. It's hard sometimes being an Army wife when he doesn't come home for dinner. I believe that dinner is so important. It's a time to reconnect & talk about your day with the ones that you love. My hubby happens to be in a unit that doesn't deploy currently, but that does not mean that he works a 9 to 5 job, by any means. So we have just been eating sandwiches for din din.
Today I made some chocolate chip cookies because I was really wanting to be in the kitchen & create something! This recipe is one I had in my cookbooks, that I tweaked to make them even more delicious! The original recipe didn't have baking powder, & before the cookies would always fall & look super flat. I added an additional teaspoon of vanilla, I learned that from my momma. Also the original recipe had shortening in it. I don't know what it is about shortening but it looks SO gross; so I eliminated it & changed it to all butter baby! My girl Paula Dean would be so proud.

~Brooke's Chocolate Chip cookies

2 sticks of butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 package of milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix butter & sugars, soda, powder & salt. Beat in eggs & vanilla. Stir in flour. Last mix in the chocolate chips. Use a cookie dough scooper to make even & round on cookie sheet. Bake for 7-8 minutes. Enjoy!

Turkey Burger

Super easy turkey burgers were on the menu tonight. Ground turkey can be very bland if you just make it without seasonings. And did I mention, I like my buns toasted! So I didn't have any sliced cheese, so instead I melted some shredded cheddar on the tops of these burgers. For the side, I just baked some frozen french fries. Easy dinner, & it was better for us than fast food!

1 lb. Ground Turkey
1 tbsp of minced onion
1 tsp of seasoning salt
1 tsp of black pepper
Dash of garlic powder
Dash of cayenne pepper
1 tbsp of dried parsley
1 tsp of dried sage

Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Optional condiment - Mayo mixed with some cayenne pepper (I like some heat)
Hamburger Buns

Until tommorrow.
~B

Mi piace la pizza!

I LOVE pizza! The pizza I made for lunch today had turkey pepperoni, baby portobella mushrooms, green bell peppers, & a little bit of onion. I was able to use some of the mushrooms I had left over from the risotto I made last night. I made the crust using Fleischmann's pizza yeast packets, it's really easy & fast. I make the crust with half all-purpose flour & half whole wheat flour, to get some fiber! I also like to add dried herbs & seasoning salt to the dough.
The entire pizza only took about 35 minutes to make, which is faster than a delivery place! I love Classico jar sauce but then I mix in a small can of tomato paste, with some oregano & diced garlic. I love really thick sauce, so that is why I add the paste, just my personal preference.

Try making some homemade pizza with your family tonight!
Buona notte!
~B

Bacon wrapped Steak with Risotto & Asparagus

I can't wait to tell you what I made for tonight's yummy dinner! I purchased the center cut- bacon wrapped steak at the Commissary for about $6.00 for two, amazing deal! I sauted some asparagus with a little butter & salt & pepper. I cheated & made some boxed risotto, but it was organic! Now that I am more comfortable making it, maybe I will try from scratch next time! I also sliced & sauted some fresh baby portobella mushrooms with a little olive oil. When the risotto was almost finished cooking, I then mixed in the mushrooms & some grated parmesan cheese.

Our stomachs are quite pleased!
~B

Chinese Chicken with Rice

I must confess, last night's attempt at scallops with linguine was a complete disaster!! My lemon butter sauce was awful, the scallops were dinky & sticking to my pan, even though I used oil & dried them off before trying to pan sear them. It was un-salvagable so I threw it all in the trash & we went to get a burger instead.
So I decided to post what I made for lunch today! I haven't ever tried hoisin sauce, but it was delicious! I added a little bit of the chili garlic sauce as well to give it just a little heat. This is super easy to make, the ingredients are listed below!
2 to 3 Chicken Breasts
1 Jar of Hoisin Sauce (You should be able to find in asian section of your store)
2 tbsp of Chili Garlic Sauce (Asian section again)
1 small can of water chestnuts
1/2 Bag of frozen broccoli florets
Brown Rice

Happy cooking!
~B