Sweet and Sour Chicken Skewers

Tonight I made Sweet and Sour Chicken Skewers, along with the Creamy Mashed Potatoes that I posted earlier. I love sweet and sour chicken, and always thought it was too hard to make. This recipe from Semi Homemade is so simple and the sweet and sour sauce doesn't include a lot of crazy ingredients.

I pretty muched followed Sandra's recipe, but only ended up using 5 skewers (not sure why I only prepared 5). I had some extra chicken, pineapple and green peppers, so I just threw those on the grill as well. I figured I could take those extra pieces to work for lunch.

Please note: Do now crowd your chicken pieces. I did this and some of the sides did not get done. I had to throw a few of them in the oven to finish cooking. I have made this before and left some room between them, and it worked much better and your chicken will get completely cooked on the grill.

Sweet and Sour Chicken Skewers
Recipe from Sandra Lee - Food Network

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 (20-ounce) can pineapple chunks, juice reserved
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch, mixed with 1 tablespoon water
• 1 red pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken boneless thighs about four thighs
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 8 bamboo skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes

Directions:

Put the vinegar, sugar, reserved pineapple juice and cornstarch slurry into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce heat and simmer until the sauce thickens, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. Reserve half of the sauce in a small serving bowl to be used as a dipping sauce alongside the skewers.

Quarter the red pepper and remove the core and seeds. Slice each quarter into 6 pieces. Cut each chicken thigh into 6 pieces.

Preheat a grill pan or an outdoor grill to medium heat.

On each of the 8 skewers, place 1 chunk of pineapple, then a piece of chicken thigh, followed by a piece of red pepper. Repeat with another piece of pineapple then chicken, then red pepper. Season skewers with salt and pepper, to taste.

Grill the skewers on oiled grill, cooking for 4 minutes on each side. Brush the sweet and sour sauce all over the skewers and grill and additional 2 minutes per side. Remove to a serving dish and serve with the reserved sweet and sour sauce, for dipping.

Creamy Mashed Potatoes

This recipe was on The Pioneer Woman's first episode on the Food Network last Saturday morning. She was cooking up a cowboy dinner and aparently cowboys LOVE creamy mashed potatoes with their chicken fried steak and gravy. Now I wasn't prepared to make chicken fried steak, but I just had to try these creamy mashed potatoes. And since a 5 lb bag of potatoes was on sale at Meijers last week for $1, it was like a match made in heaven.

The Pioneer Woman is kind of like Paula Deen, and cooks with a lot of butter, heavy cream and other full fat ingredients. I probably did the worst sin and cut back on the butter and used skim milk and reduced fat cream cheese (also cut that back also). I also halved the recipe because I don't have a bunch of hungry cowboys to feed, but if you do know of a hungry cowboy and he is single...hook a girl up!

Below is my version of the recipe. If you want the original version, click here. I also added some seasoned salt and some steak seasoning (Kansas City steak seasoning) to the top of the potatoes, along with a little butter before I baked them. I love steak seasoning on my potatoes for some reason. These were amazing, and I am sure if you used The Pioneer Woman's original recipe it would be super duper amazing!

Creamy Mashed Potatoes
Inspired by The Pioneer Woman - Food Network

Ingredients

• 1/2 stick butter, softened, plus more for pan
• 2 pounds russet or Yukon gold potatoes
• 2 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup milk 
• 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously butter a 4-quart baking dish.

Peel and cut the potatoes into chunks. Bring a large pot of water to a simmer and add the potatoes. Bring to a boil and cook until fork tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

Drain the potatoes in a large colander. Place them back into the dry pot and put the pot on the stove. Mash the potatoes over low heat, allowing all the steam to escape before adding in all the other ingredients.

Turn off the heat and add 1/3 stick of butter, the cream cheese, milk, seasoned salt, kosher salt and pepper. Mash to combine.

Spread the potatoes in the prepared baking dish. Throw pats of the remaining butter over the top of the potatoes. I also added some more seasoned salt and some steak seasoning on top as well. Bake until the butter is melted and the potatoes are warmed through, 20 to 30 minutes.

Sausage and Rice Stuffed Peppers

I found this recipe in the September 2011 Issue of Everyday Food and made it for dinner last week. This year I grew green bell peppers in my garden, and they were just getting ripe, so I was so happy to come across this recipe and couldn't wait to try it.

I used Butterball turkey sausage (dinner sausage) instead of the italian sausage in my version and it was so very good. I also omitted the breadcrumbs because I am trying to cut out wheat, so I just topped mine with cheese. I loved the zucchini in the stuffing because it gave it some extra texture.

I sort of halved the recipe and only used two peppers, so I got two servings out of the recipe below. Feel free to go to the link above for the original recipe.

Sausage and Rice Stuffed Peppers

Two servings

Recipe from Everyday Food

Ingredients:

• 3 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for baking sheet
• 1/4 pound turkey sausage (casings removed if yours comes in casings)
• 1 small zucchini, diced small
• 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced small
• 1 small garlic clove, minced
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1/4 cup Parmesan, grated
• 3 cups cooked long-grain white rice
• More Parmesan for the topping
• 2 bell peppers (any color), halved lengthwise, seeds and ribs removed

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. In a large skillet, heat 1 teaspoon oil over medium-high. Add sausage and cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, until browned, 5 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer sausage to a medium bowl.

3. Add 1 teaspoon oil to skillet along with zucchini, onion, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and cook until vegetables are tender, about 8 minutes.

4. Add zucchini mixture to bowl with sausage, along with Parmesan, rice, and 1 teaspoon oil; stir to combine and season with salt and pepper.

5. Brush a rimmed baking sheet with oil and arrange bell peppers, cut side up, on sheet (or use foil like I did).

6. Divide rice mixture among peppers and top with breadcrumbs (or cheese in my case). Bake until tops are browned and peppers are tender, about 30 minutes. Serve warm.

Since my bell peppers were kind of small (probably due to growing them in a container), I had a ton of stuffing left over (and I halved the recipe!), so I ended up eating just the stuffing for lunch the next day. I added some parmesan cheese on top and it was really good just eating the stuffing by itself!

Mozzarella Stuffed Bruchetta Burgers

Last night I made Iowa Girl Eats Mozzarella Stuffed Bruchetta Burgers, and they were amazing! You basically stuff shredded mozzareall cheese into the middle of two patties, seal up the ends, and then grill. The cheese was nice and melty inside, and then to top it off with fresh bruchetta and a tnagy balsamic glaze...it was a-maz-ing! 

I made two burgers and mixed up 1/4 of ground turkey and 1/4 of ground chicken. I was trying to use up the little odds and ends meat in my freezer, but you could probably use any kind of ground meat. I think the ground turkey goes very nicely with the spices in the recipe though. The only thing I would change is that I might use more italian seasoning. I ended up using dried oregano (IGE's recipe calls for dried basil), and I think I would double the dried spices, but maybe my dried oregano just wasn't cutting it for me, so I would like to try it again with an italian blend of spices...mix it up!

Mozzarella Stuffed Bruchetta Burgers

For 2 burgers

Recipe from Iowa Girl Eats

Bruchetta Mixture:

-- 3 Roma tomatoes, chopped

-- 1 clove minced garlic
-- 1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
-- 1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
-- Small handfull fresh basil, sliced
-- Salt & pepper, to taste

My cast of characters

Chop tomatoes, and basil and then mix all ingredients together. Place in the refrigerator for at least 30 mins so everything blends together.

Burger:
-- 1/2 lb ground turkey or chicken (or a mixture of both)
-- 1/8 teaspoon salt
-- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
-- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil/oregano/italian seasoning
-- 1/8 cup shredded parmesan cheese
-- 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, divided
-- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1. In a large bowl combine ground turkey/chicken, salt, pepper, basil and parmesan cheese. Divide mixture into 4 portions.

2. IGE's has a cool trick to line a peanut butter jar lid with foil, then plastic wrap and press 1 portion of the turkey mixture into the lid to help shape your burger, but I didn't have a lid, so I just hand shaped them.

3. Heap 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese into the middle of 1 portion, then top with another portion. Press down to seal, then invert the patty onto a plate. Continue to make 2nd burger patty.

4. Grill burgers for 3 to 3 1/2 minutes per side over medium heat.

5. For Balsamic Glaze: heat balsamic vinegar in a sauce pan over medium heat. Let simmer, and stir frequently, until the vinegar has reached the consistency of thin maple syrup.

6. Top grilled burgers with Bruschetta mixture and drizzle with balsamic glaze. It was great with a side of grilled corn!

Lemon Risotto

Lemon Risotto is the most amazing thing in the world. Ok, so maybe not the most amazing thing, but it's pretty darn close. I have been wanting to try risotto for a long time, but was a little nervous making it. When I came across this recipe in my cookbook Giada's Kitchen, I just had to make it. You can also find it online here, although it's a little different in the book. The recipe I use is from the book and I have halved it which gives me 2-3 side dish sized servings.

What I loved most about this is that it is very creamy, and has a little bit of a zing to it from the lemon juice. I have found this is really good with steak and a glass of cold white wine. This recipe includes some wine, but only like 1/4 of a cup, so I would recommend getting a bottle of something you really like, and then have a glass (or two) with dinner.

Lemon Risotto

Yes, I understand my Lemon Risotto is more than half the portion size of my steak, but that's because I love it so much! Also, it may look very bland in this picture, but it is shockingly rich, creamy and so tastey!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1.5 tablespoons butter, plus 1 tablespoon
• 1 large shallot, diced
• 3/4 cup Arborio rice
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1.4 cup grated Parmesan
• 1 large tablespoon mascarpone cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
In a medium saucepan bring the broth and 1/4 cup lemon juice to a simmer. Cover and keep hot over low heat.

In a medium, heavy saucepan, melt 1.5 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Add the shallot and saute until tender but not brown, about 3 minutes. Add the rice and stir to coat with the butter. Add the wine and simmer until the wine has almost completely evaporated, about 3 minutes. Add 1/4 cup of the simmering broth and stir until almost completely absorbed, about 2 minutes.

Continue cooking the rice, adding the broth 1/4 cup at a time, stirring constantly and allowing each addition of the broth to absorb before adding the next, until the rice is tender but still firm to the bite and the mixture is creamy. I usually try to add 1/4 cup of broth about every 2 mins for a total of 20 minutes. You want to keep your heat a little below medium and don't use too large of a pot or else it will cook too fast and it then you will have crunchy risotto. If you cook too long it will be mushy, so try and keep it within the 20 minutes.

Remove from the heat. Stir in the remaining tablespoon of butter, 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese, mascarpone cheese and the salt and pepper.

Sweet Basil and Blackberry Jam

There is just something about this time of year that makes me want to make jam. I think because I know fall and then winter is quickly approaching, it just makes me want to bottle up summer so I can enjoy during the cold winter months.

A few weeks ago Giada made this Sweet Basil and Blackberry Jam and I just had to make it. She mentioned this was a great way to use up some of your summar basil, and my basil was growing like crazy.

I have made this twice now, and I love putting it on my oatmeal in the mornings. I made some last Friday to take to my Grandparents who I visited last weekend in W.Va. We had some for dinner on our cresent rolls, which was also very tastey. It kind of almost tastes like a minty blackberry jam.

This recipe includes fresh orange juice (which you can also use from a carton if need be), lemon juice (also from a bottle if needed) and sugar which makes the basil really sweet and compliments the tart blackberries.

Sweet Basil and Blackberry Jam

Ingredients

• One 16-ounce bag frozen blackberries, thawed, juice reserved (it's best to use frozen so you can use the juice)
• 4 cups fresh basil leaves (3 1/2 ounces)
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup fresh orange juice (from 1 large orange)
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon (about 1 medium lemon)

Directions:

Place the blackberries and their juice in a medium saucepan and lightly mash with a fork. In a food processor, combine the basil, sugar, orange juice and lemon juice. Blend until smooth.

Stir the mixture into the blackberries and bring to a simmer over medium heat. 

Simmer until the mixture is thick, stirring occasionally, 25 to 30 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and allow the jam to cool for 1 hour (the jam will continue to thicken as it cools). Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days (although I have been using mine for over a week).

Serving suggestions: Serve on toasted bread, alongside cheeses, or on lamb chops. Mix with yogurt and granola, or oatmeal, or layer in desserts or parfaits.

The Cheesy Truck

Let's talk food trucks. I have had a crazy obsession with food trucks lately. I blame it on shows like The Next Food Network Star and The Great Food Truck Race. And it seems like Columbus is also going crazy for food trucks as well. They seem to be popping up everywhere. There is a blog dedicated to street eats in Columbus. There is even a taco truck tour that a few of my friends and I have been looking into trying (which I am so excited for!).

Well the food truck craziness has hit our offices at work as well. A few weeks ago The Cheesy Truck showed up at our offices. Of course I had to try it, being my first food truck experience and all, and I hate to admit, but I stood in line for 30 mins to get a little slice of grilled cheesy goodness.

According to their Facebook page, The Cheesy Truck provides hand crafted grilled cheese sandwiches and sexy snacks (i.e. slut sauce). I tried the classic "Boarding School" + bacon sandwich which included cheddar cheese and bacon on white bread. It was so cheesy and the bread was so buttery and grilled to crispy perfection. Of course I had to order a side of tater tots, which were so good that I didn't even need ketchup to dip them in. I totally wanted to try some slut sauce, but unfortunately they had run out over the weekend, which kind of bummed me out.

They did have one very crazy sandwich "The Jackie O" which includes Osetra Caviar, crème fraiche and capers and cost $100 (of course it does come with a mother of pearl caviar spoon...naturally). We joked that there has to have been some drunken rich guy who has probably bought one of these as the bars were closing...ha!

The Cheesy Truck was such a success that they are now at our work every Monday during the lunch hour. We are also getting a few other food trucks to start coming to our offices, and the goal is to get a new truck for each day of the week. We are also working on getting some healthier options, and I plan to try them all. Check back soon for more food truck reviews.

Product Review: Whole Foods Black Cherry BBQ Sauce

Last night, during yoga class none the less, I was thinking about what I was going to make for dinner. Not really what I should be doing in yoga class, but what ya gonna do. I really didn't feel like grilling out the steak and veggies I was planning on cooking, but yet really didn't want to eat a bowl of cereal either. I suddenly remembered the BBQ sauce I picked up at Whole Foods a month ago, and thought, yea, quick and easy dinner.

I have a major love of BBQ sauce. I love all kinds, although I really prefer the ketchup based sauces as opposed to the vinegar based sauces. One of my biggest goals is to try BBQ from all over the country. I have so far tried it in North Carolina and Tennessee.

I saw the Neely's make a cherry BBQ sauce a while ago on their show Down Home with the Neely's and thought some day I needed to try it. When I came across this Black Cheery BBQ sauce at Whole Foods, I immediatly put it in my cart, even with the $4.99 price tag.

This BBQ sauce is so thick and rich. It has a slight cherry flavor to it, but really it's just so sweet and smokey flavored. The first ingredient in it is black cherry puree, and then ketchup, brown sugar, brown mustard, sugar, lemon juice, liquid smoke and cinnamon. 

So far this has to be my favorite sauce, and unfortunatly I think it might be a seasonal item. I'll have to go back to Whole Foods and pray they still have some in stock and buy all that I can. If you get a chance, do pick some up. I just put a chicken breast in a pie dish, poured some BBQ sauce all over it, and then baked in the oven at 350 for 20 minutes. Along with some fresh corn on the cob, it was quick, easy and very tastey!

Crunchy Honey Chicken

I came across this recipe a few months or so ago, and it has become one of my favorites. It's one of those dishes that tastes great the first night, and seems to be just as good, if not better, the next night as left overs. I made it for some of my friends a few weeks back and they totally loved it.

I think what I love most is the sauce which is like a tangy sweet sauce which consists of soy sauce, a little garlic and lots of honey. The slight crunch from the chicken, snap peas and peppers makes it feel kind of hearty, but yet kind of healthy.

I have made a few changes to the original recipe, such as switching out the broccoli for more snap peas, but I think you could use whatever veggie you prefer. I have this weird love affair for snap peas and like to add them to lots of different dishes =) I get about 3 servings out of my version below and it is so delish. My variation is as follows:

Crunchy Honey Chicken
Recipe adapted from How Sweet It Is
About 3 servings

Ingredients:
-- 2 large skinless chicken breasts
-- 2 egg whites
-- 1/3 cup cornstarch (for dredging)
-- 1 package of frozen snap peas
-- 1 green pepper, thinly sliced
-- 1 clove garlic, minced
-- 3 tablespoons olive oil
-- 1 tablespoon soy sauce (or more if desired, yes please!)
-- 1/4 cup honey (or more if desired, yes please!)
-- salt and pepper to taste
-- rice (brown, white or whatever you prefer)

Directions:
Prepare and slice all veggies – feel free to add whatever you would like. In 2 separate bowls, add the egg whites (lightly beaten) and the cornstarch or flour. (The cornstarch will yield a “crispier” chicken).

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add veggies with a sprinkle of salt and pepper and saute for about 5 minutes, until softened. Add in soy sauce and garlic and stir so veggies are coated, about 60 seconds. Remove from skillet and set aside in a bowl.

Cut chicken into 1-inch pieces and season with salt and pepper. Heat the same skillet (or you can use a different one, I just use the same to make it easier) over medium-high heat and add remaining olive oil. Dip chicken pieces in egg whites and then lightly dredge in cornstarch. Add to the skillet and let brown for 2-3 minutes, then flip. Continue with remaining chicken pieces, and do so in batches if needed.

Once chicken is cooked, add veggies back in the skillet. Add honey and thoroughly mix to combine. Taste and season with salt, pepper, additional honey or soy sauce. Serve with rice.