"Macaroni Grill" BREAD! wow, wow and WOW

So have any of you been to the Macaroni Grill restaurant before? If you have then you are well aware of their delicious bread they serve with olive oil before your meal comes out. This is a warm, soft (yet crunchy) bread that makes your taste buds dance and your endorphins released. (yes, you really do feel happy with this bread! hehe) The recipe is very easy and makes two medium sized loaves. Let's get started before I drool too much....

RECIPE:
1 Tbs of Dry active Yeast
1 Tbs Sugar
1 Cup Warm water (105-115F)
2.5 Cups of Flour
1 tsp Salt
2 Tbs Rosemary (I actually used about 4tbs)
1 Tbs Olive Oil
2 Tbs Butter or Margarine
Salt/Sea Salt

Turn the oven on to 200F (not for baking, just letting it warm)
Blend the yeast, water and sugar together and let sit for a few mins.

In a mixing bowl place 2 cups of the flour, salt and rosemary. Now add your yeast mixture and blend well. Slowly add the last half of flour to the mixture and knead into a soft and stretchy dough.

In another bowl pour in some olive oil and then place your dough ball in their - turning around to coat both sides. Now turn your oven off and place the bowl with dough in the oven covered with a towel. Let rise for about an hour, or until double in size.

After the dough has risen take it out of the bowl onto a cutting board and divide the dough into 2 equal parts. Don't worry, the dough will be pretty soggy from all the olive oil it sat in. No worries. Place some flour on your hands and punch/knead down again. Now shape the 2 little dough balls into a "loaf" and place next to each other on a cookie sheet/baking pan. Place back into the *off* oven to let rise for another 20-40 mins.
Take the dough out of the oven and turn it on to 450F. After the temperature has been reached stick your dough back in the oven for about 20-25 mins. My oven runs hot and by 20 mins they were pretty brown on top. The dough was not burnt, but I would like it a little less brown; so next time I am going to go for 18 or so mins. :) Just watch your bread!!

When down, *lightly browned and hollow sounding* transfer to a cooling rack and then dig in! I poured some olive oil into a bowl and adding Italian seasoning and some salt to it. YUM YUM YUM!
Big hit with my husband, mother and son!
Enjoy~

Hoisin and Cranberry Chicken (**Good**)

Sounds kinda iffy, eh? Well don't hear... taste! :) It was fantastic! I improvised from the original recipe and made it my own. The chicken was very juicy and tender and the sauce ingredients complimented one another very well. My mother came into town this week and loved it! So did Don...and Carter thought it was "interesting". He was more into the ranch dressing and chips on top of the salad than anything else...

Recipe:
Turn oven on to 450F

• 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts. Trim all the fat off.
• Place in a gallon "Ziplock" bag:
• 1 Tbs Chinese Five-spice powder
• 1 tsp Salt
• and 3 Tbs white flour

Shake around the mixture in the bag then add your chicken. Bounce around the room and sing while you shake the bag, coating the chicken. The dancing and signing is very important. Do not skip that step...
Now spray a glass cooking dish and evenly space chicken out and cook for about 15-20 mins uncovered. Cut into your fattest chicken and make sure the meat is white.
(while chicken cooks)
In a Medium saucepan add:
1 can of Cranberries
1 and 1/4 Cup of Chicken Broth
3 Tbs of Hoisin Sauce
1 Tea of Brown Sugar
~1/4 cup of Lemon Juice

Mix well and bring to a boil slowly. (Careful, it foams up! - blow on the mixture if the froth gets too high) Then lower the temperature. Slowly mix in about 1 Tbs of flour to thicken the sauce up a bit. You could even add a tiny bit (1/4 tsp or so) of Corn Starch to help with the thickening. Mine was pretty runny...so no worries.

When the chicken is done take it out of the oven and pour generously the sauce over the top. Flip the chicken with a fork and cover both sides. Mmmmmm. Pour the rest of the sauce in a small bowl for dipping if desired.
Now transfer your delicious chicken to a plate and serve with whatever catches your fancy.
Enjoy~

(I served mine with a small salad and wild rice)

Thai Chicken Pizza

So I was in a Pizza mood but didn't want to order out or buy one.....even though I LOVE DiGiornos "Stuffed Crust" pizzas! (*drool*) I really have a problem with cheese and bread. Yikes! Anyway...wanting to venture out into the unknown I decided upon an interesting piece; a Thai flavored pizza! First reactions anyone? Well let me sum it up as an:

"Acquired YUM"
At first when I bit into it I was like...uh, hmmm (seriously, that's what I said). And then dished out some onto a plate, wrapped it and brought it to Don who was still studying on campus.

Me:"Here ya go Honey! *kiss*"
Don: "Mmmmm Pizza!"
Me: "Uhmmm, yeah. Though, honey, it tastes a little different. I experimented in the Thai genre, so be open minded with the flavors...oh, and the crust is homemade too and I probably should have cooked it longer."
Don: "Okay, well I am sure it is good. Thanks Ash. OHHHH is that a chocolate bar!!??"
(A.D.D.? ...ha, nope. I always include a treat...and who would'nt react to a c.bar? seriously...)

And there ya have it folks. A glimpse into my life. Now, onto the recipe. Perhaps the above did not sound like a 5 star rating for this dish but it was actually very good. It was different, and at first I did not care for it -probably because I am not use to ginger and peanut butter on my pizza- but it mixed well and brought a new yummy spin on a normally boring pizza. So I do recommend it to try! We did eat all the leftovers....so, that does say something!
RECIPES:

Pizza Crust-
(oven on at 400F)

• 2.5-3 Cups of Flour
• 1 package of Active Dry Yeast (I always use 1 Tbs of dry yeast from the jar)
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1 C warm water (120-130F)
• 2 Tbs of Olive Oil

In a large bowl combine 1 and 1/4 Cup Flour with all the above ingredients. Mix well with an electric mixer or wooden spoon. (I normally use an over-sized mixing fork). Now add in as much of the remaining flour as possible (don't make it too dry though!)
Knead dough into a smooth and elastic ball and place in a greased bowl, covered, for about 10-15 mins. After the dough has risen punch down and roll out on a flat cooking sheet to a round circle. (remember to use your parchment paper from a previous entry!! Saves cleaning and dough sticking).
Stick that good looking homemade pizza crust in the oven for about 10-15 mins. Just until the crust starts to golden.

Thai Chicken Sauce:
I took about 2 chicken breasts (boneless/skinless of course), cooked thoroughly and then shredded.

• 1/4 cup(s) smooth natural peanut butter
• 3 tablespoon(s) water
• 2 teaspoon(s) soy sauce
• 2 teaspoon(s) rice vinegar
• 2 teaspoon(s) minced fresh ginger
• 1 clove(s) garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon(s) canola oil
• 1 green pepper
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced (I excluded these - forgot to buy- whoops!)
  
• shredded cheese

Take all the above ingredients (except for the green pepper) and mix them together in a bowl. Spread the mixture over the pizza crust, leaving just a little in the bowl to mix your shredded chicken around in--not much is needed for the chicken, so don't worry -- lather that crust up well! Toss the chicken into the rest of the sauce and mix around. Place the chicken evenly over the pizza then take the bell pepper and slice up and sprinkle over the chicken. Now put cheese over the top and stick back in the over for about 11-13mins. Mmmmm Enjoy~

BBQ Chicken topped with Turkey Bacon and Swiss Cheese

The other night I made a tantalizing dish that will please all men, even though chicken is used instead of steak( *gasp*). BBQ is the secret! What is it about men and BBQ? Not sure...but it almost always get's a 100% approval just because of the word Barbecue! :-P

So I made this to get the taste-buds of my man going:

I normally would have made this in a crock-pot so the chicken would soak and get extra tender, but time was of the essence this evening. I took about a 1.5lb of chicken breast and trimmed the fat and placed in the skillet. Then I loaded the skillet with Honey BBQ sauce. Just generously pour, turning the chicken around in it (coating both sides). Turn to about a 4 (low/medium) and let the chicken slowly cook. Cover the skillet if you have a top large enough. Flip the chicken every so often to make sure the BBQ is being applied and the chicken is cooking thoroughly. After cooking, check the fattest chicken piece by cutting through with a knife to make sure it is nice and white (pink=raw). Now turn the heat down to a warm/simmer and place a half strip or two of Bacon/Turkey Bacon (I only use Turkey Bacon) over each piece of chicken. Now take a slice of Swiss Cheese and lay on top, over the (T)Bacon. The heat will cause the cheese to melt nicely.

Whew, nice work y'all! You're done. Now dish up and serve with veggies, bread, fruit..whatever you like! I served with a mixed veggie combo, with some leftover homemade bread and a salad. YUM!

Sesame Chicken and Hot Lava Cake --Valentines Day!

February 14th....the most dreaded or anticipated love day of the year. Of course, I had someone to spend it with again, 5th year in a row might I add :) So what can you do on V-day with a husband in school, a 1 year old that you can't take to a busy late night restaurant and when the piggy bank looks anorexic? Make your own fabulous night of course!
I had text Don earlier that day and asked him to be home by 7:30pm because I made reservations at P.F. Chang's.-- (he was probably thinking I was crazy!!)-- So when he got home a few mins shy of 7:30 I had almost everything done :D He was surprised..and greatly relieved... because the thought of taking Carter to a restaurant during this busy night and at bed time is not a fun idea. So we fed and played with Carter (I had already given him his bath), we read scriptures, sang some songs and off to sleep he went. Don and I changed into some fancy fancy stuff, I took pictures and placed dinner on the table, lit the candles - turned Pandora (.com) on and we feasted to a lovely at home Valentines dinner.

Don and I

Let's EAT!

I made Sesame Chicken over white rice, with Chow Mein and Snow Peas.

Sesame Chicken, Fruit, Sparkle Drink and Candles...mmmm!

My hurried make-shift sign :D

Sesame Chicken Recipe:
You'll need one of these packets from your local grocery. Look in the Asian isle. I found Ingles or Albertsons carries them. I have ordered them from the company before too.
The directions are on the back of the seasoning packet...but this is how I do it:
Take about a pound of chicken and trim then cut into chunks.
Place chunks in a large sealed plastic bag with a 1/4 Cup of Soy Sauce and 1/4 Cup of Corn Starch, plus 2 Tbs of water. Mix around and marinate for 5-10 mins.
Get a large skillet out and pre-heat with Canola oil. Pour out the chicken and mixture and stir till chicken is brown and cooked thoroughly.
After the chicken is cooked pour in a little more oil, then the packet of seasoning along with 1/2 Cup of white sugar, and 1/4 cup of water. Mix all around and turn heat down to about a 3-4. The combination of seasoning and corn starch with will make the mixture nice and thick.
After the mixture is thick you can dish out over a bowl/plate of rice and add either Chow Mein Noodles, more Sesame Seeds or Cashews. :) ENJOY!
The fruit I used were Strawberries, Bananas and Watermelon. YUM!
--------------------------
Now for DESSERT!
(read all before making..warning tip)
I made a quick easy version of the Hot Lava Chocolate Cake.
I bought a cool GIANT cup cake pan at WalMart.
I used a box of Devils food Cake and mixed as directed. Then I filled both sides of my pan to 3/4 full. Popped in the oven and let cool afterward before transferring out of pan. (Make sure you grease your pan with Crisco or Pam Spray and then lightly flour, for the cakes can come right out!..I use Pam Spray Canola).
Take cakes out of pan and onto a cutting board or something similar.
Take a sharp long knife and cut a circle out of the top and carve out the cake "inners".
Save top and scraps. Now fill the cake with Hershey's Chocolate Syrup. Though, I am pretty sure next time I will use a higher quality chocolate - like a fondue type - Then stuff the scraps into your mouth, or give them to your child (which he then spits out all onto the floor and steps on it and makes a huge mess...wait, did I just say that out loud?) and take the top and plug your chocolate syrup stuffed cake. CAREFUL! I made the mistake of making my cake too full and when I plugged it up it split the sides and pretty much bled to death. Not pretty.

So I decided to do something different with my other piece. I sliced the top straight off, instead of carving it out. This way after I fill the cake with chocolate there will be no added pressure with the top going back on. it will just lay on top of the sliced edges. GENIUS I tell you! :-P
So try and not make my first mistake. Okay, now you filled it in and you placed the top on. Good job. Now wrap in plastic and place in the freezer till whenever you are going to use it.


I made this treat in the morning and froze it for the day. When we sat down for dinner I took it out of the freezer and placed it on the kitchen counter. When we were ready to eat I popped it into the microwave for 1 min 30 secs till nice and warm. I then sprinkled it with powder sugar and drizzled more chocolate over the top. Wish I had some ice cream! You can serve with whip cream and strawberries if you'd like. YUM!... it looks impressive and is very easy to do. Enjoy!

Beef Barley Stroganoff

Sounds good, uh? Well, it is! I grew up with "Stroganoff" where my mother would cube chunks of meat, with a sour cream/cream of mushroom sauce over egg noddles. So, when I saw this recipe I was hesitant, because it didn't sound or resemble the stroganoff mama use to make. It was great though! Certainly a little different, but in a good way.

Recipe:
Box of Barley
2.5 Cups of Vegetable Broth
1.2 tsp dried marjoram
1lb Lean Ground Beef
1.5 cups of Chopped Celery
1.5 Cup minced green Onion
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
1/2 Cup Half-and-Half
1 package/6oz Mushrooms (optional)

Cook the lean beef, while Barley cooks. Chop up the celery and green onions. After meat is thoroughly cooked add the mushrooms (I don't like mushrooms, so never add) and celery, green onions (I did not have any tonight) plus pepper, marjoram and half/half to the meat. Turn down to about 2-3 heat. After Barley is soft and cooked add a little at a time for desired barley/meat ratio. (about half the sauce pan for me). Stir around and serve hot. ENJOY~

p.s. I also made Italian Cheese bread, that is what you see as well in the picture. However, it did not turn out how I would have desired it. Thus, no recipe or picture for you. Sorry! :-P

"Hawaiian Haystacks"

I have never had this meal before until I met Don. Super simple, and super delish'. They are called various things, like Coconut Tree Tops or Chicken Sundae - but I think more popularly known as "Hawaiian Haystacks".

Recipe:
(amount for 2 -3 people)
2 Cans Cream of Chicken
1 Cup Chicken Broth
2+ Cups of cut/cubed Chicken
Rice
Cheese
Chow Mein Noodles
Coconut
Pineapple
and any various other toppings (ex. tomatoes, nuts, celery, olives...etc.)

I took about a pound of chicken and trimmed the fat, and cut it into 1x1" cubes. Put that on a skillet and cook till done and tender. Cook about 1 cup of rice (remember, when cooking on the stove - there is a rice ratio to follow. 2:1. 2 Cups water for 1 cup rice). You can use a rice cooker, but I seem to always use the stove for some reason. (but I do have a cooker). So, just in case you don't know how to cook rice..use the 2:1 ratio, bring it to a boil..stir... place on warm (1-2 setting), cover and stir occasionally...but mostly just leave alone. :) Good, got the whole rice thing covered. Chicken is cooking, rice is cooking. Okay, now place the cream of chicken and broth in a sauce pan and warm. After chicken is done combine it with the cream and broth. Mmmm smells good already, uh? After rice is cooked through (rice is tender, not crunchy or dry) - get your plates out and plop a nice helping of rice on them. Then dish out the sauce/chicken combo. Now sprinkle cheese, celery, chow mein noodles, pineapple, coconut and any other topping your want over it. EAT. Pretty easy stuff. The way we normally have the table set up is all these different toppings are in separate bowls and you just spoon out what you would like. Normally fun building your little "islands" :)