PF Chang's Mongolian Beef......with sides

I have only eaten one appetizer at PF Changs, but I hope to go back for more food soon! I found this recipe on their website and it is so good! I served it up with some fried rice (with egg and veggies), but you could serve the meat with white rice, fried broccoli with sesame seeds, noodles, whatever! You will find most of these ingredients down your ethnic isle.

12 oz sliced Beef Tenderloin (I used Publix - meat for fajitas or stir-fry)

1 T Soy Bean Oil (I used regular veg oil b/c I could not find this one)

1/2 t Garlic

2 fl oz Soy Sauce

2 T Sugar

1 t Rice Wine

2 oz Green Onion sticks - 3" long, Green only (I used 1 bunch from Publix)

1/2 t Sesame Oil

Heat Soy Bean Oil in large skillet over med-high heat. Add beef and cook for about a minute on each side. Beef should be light brown around the edges and grey in the middle. (I don't think it has to be fully cooked, but make sure it's at least med-med well)

Add garlic, toss. Add Rice Wine, Soy Sauce, and Sugar. Mix well, bring to a boil. Cook and reduce the sauce around the beef until all the sauce has caramelized onto the beef. It helps if you mix every now and then to keep the sauce coated on the beef. Your pan should be "dry" - no flowing sauce.

Add the green onion. Toss about 3 times to mix then remove from heat. Add Sesame Oil and toss to coat. Serve.

** Caramelizing your meat is the secret!!!

Kid food on a stick

I am going to try my best! I made this up last night.

Cheeseburger Meatballs

1 lb ground beef (meat)

1/3 C bread crumbs

1/3 C shredded cheese ~ eyeball it. You want enough in the mixture, but not too much to where oils from the cheese is pouring out (I used mozzarella last night)

1 t parsley

1 egg

**note** you can add any flavoring to these meatballs. W-Sauce, spices, Montreal Steak flavoring - whatever you typically add to your burgers when you grill them.

Garlic Toast

Either bake at 350 deg for about 25 min or until cooked or skewer them and cook them on the gill.

Either serve garlic toast or take a baguette, slice it length-wise. Cut into cubes. Spread butter and garlic salt on bread. Toast or skewer and grill until butter is melted.

Dilly Cheesy Veggies

2 C vegetables, cooked and drained

1/4 C velveeta (yes, I cheated. You can make homemade cheese sauce too)

1 t Dill mix (dill, onion powder, garlic powder)

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl over medium heat until cheese is melted. Serve.

Another fun item to make instead of the garlic toast: Cheeseburger noodles.

1/2 box any type of noodles: fun shapes are best for kids

ketchup

mustard

cheese

Cook pasta as directed on box. Drain. Mix in ketchup, mustard and cheese until cheese is all melted. Serve with meatballs on top (if you want, you can omit the cheese from the meatballs if you're adding cheese to the pasta)

Yes, I realize this whole thing is full of cheese. I must have been in a cheesy mood!

Chicken and Sausage White Chili

1 med onion, coarsely chopped

1-2 poblano peppers, seeded and coarsely chopped

1 t minced garlic

1 T oil

3 chicken sausage links (any flavor) casings removed and chopped

1 lb ground turkey

2 cans navy beans, drained

2 C chicken broth

1 t ground cumin

1 t chili powder

1/2 t dried oregano

1/4 t pepper

1 C milk

1 C shredded cheddar cheese

In a saucepan brown turkey and chicken. Set aside. Preheat a stockpot to med-high with oil. Add onion, poblano peppers, and garlic. Saute for 3 minutes or until soft. Add meat. Stir in cumin, chili powder, pepper and oregano, mix well. Add chicken broth and beans. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes. Add milk, cook 2-3 minutes to blend flavors.

Serve into bowls and top with cheese.

Oreo Truffles

Yes. You hear that Oreo and truffle in the same context. Be careful...... they're easy to make and quick to be eaten!

1 pkg standard Oreo (not double stuffed or chocolate coated)

1 brick cream cheese

1/2 C powder sugar

Place the Oreo's in a food processor. Blend until they are tiny crumbs. Transfer to a mixing bowl. Mix in, by hand, the cream cheese. (Check to see the difference between a brick of cream cheese and whipped cream cheese in weight. The whipped cream cheese might be easier to mix). Roll mixture into 1 inch balls. Roll in powder sugar and place in fridge until ready to serve.

Enjoy!

Pizza Pockets

Last night I didn't know what to make. I guess that happens a lot. I looked through recipes and kind of made this one up. It was so good! You'll have left over bits and pieces, but you can use them tomorrow night.

1 pkg croissant rolls or pie crust

1/2 ham steak, diced and cooked

Pizza/spaghetti sauce

Mozzarella cheese

Preheat your oven to 350 deg.

Now I used croissant rolls because that's all I had and I didn't want to make dough. You could use pie crust or and kind of dough you have on hand. You can use whatever meat you have on hand too. If you think about it, there are many ways to make a pizza.

I rolled out the croissant rolls and kept two slices together to make a rectangle. Smudge the pieces together so they don't separate. Spoon on 1-2 T of sauce. Add ham pieces and top with cheese. Fold over dough and pinch edges so it closes. Repeat for other 3 rectangles or until you're done.

Bake for about 10 minutes. Add more mozzarella cheese to the top of the pockets and put back in the oven for 5 minutes. You want the cheese to melt, it's okay if it gets a little brown.

If you're serving them to little kids you may want to cut them open and let them cool a little before serving. They will be hot inside. They came out very well and both my kids ate them right up! (19 months and 3.5 years)

Simply Delicious Strawberry Cake

Thank you Paula Deen! Yes, it is strawberry season.....and Valentines Day is around the corner, so is my 5 year anniversary. For me, a trifecta. Let your kids help pour ingredients into the bowl. Have them break one egg at a time into a smaller bowl (catching any shell pieces before they go into the cake) and then pour each egg into the large bowl. They can decorate the end cake with their strawberry pieces.

Cake Ingredients:

1 box white cake mix

1 (3 oz) box strawberry instant gelatin

15 oz pkg frozen strawberries in syrup, thawed and pureed

4 Lg eggs

1/2 C vegetable oil

1/4 C water

Cream Cheese Icing Ingredients:

1/4 C butter, softened

8 oz cream cheese, softened

10 oz pkg frozen strawberries in syrup, thawed and pureed

1/2 t strawberry extract (if you can't find this try vanilla)

7 C confectioners' sugar (powdered sugar)

Fresh strawberries - washed, sliced for garnish: optional

Preheat overn to 350 deg. Lightly grease 2 9" round cake pans.

In a large bowl, combine cake mix and gelatin. Add pureed strawberries, eggs, oil and water; beat on med speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Pour into prepared pans, and bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.

For the frosting:

In a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed until creamy. Beat in 1/4 C of the strawberry puree and extract. (keep the rest of the puree for smoothies or top for ice-cream) Gradually add sugar, beating until smooth.

Place your bottom piece of cake on a plate or wherever you will serve it from. Ice the top of the cake. Place the second cake on top of the first. Ice the sides and top of the cake. If your bottom cake is rounded on top, you may want to shave a little off the top so the top cake will sit nicely on the bottom cake. Garnish with fresh strawberries and serve.

Chicken with Lemon Caper Cream Sauce

My hat's off to Olive Garden for two recipes mixed to make one. This super simple dish will fool anyone into thinking that you're a master chef!

4 chicken breast, or 8 chicken tenders

1 C flour

2 t salt

2 t pepper

2 t Italian seasoning

3 T olive oil

1/4 c olive oil

2 T capers, drained

2 T minced garlic

Juice of 2 lemons

1 lemon, sliced

1/4 C white wine

2 C heavy cream

1 T fresh parsley, chopped

8 oz cooked pasta (spaghetti, angel hair pasta, etc...)

Pre-heat oven to 350 deg F. I took the chicken breasts and sliced them in half. You may also use whole chicken breast or tenders, whatever you wish to showcase. Heat 3 T olive oil in a frying pan over med-high heat. Pat dry the chicken. Mix flour, salt, pepper, and Italian Seasoning. Mix chicken in dry mixture and fry in oil until both sides are browned (2-3 min each side roughly, it will not be fully cooked). You may have to brown in batches, adding oil as needed. Transfer chicken to a cookie sheet and cook 15-20 minutes or until internal temp reads 170 deg.

While chicken is baking:

Heat water for pasta. Add salt and pasta and cook as directed. Drain.

Heat 1/4 C oil in a deep frying pan. Saute garlic and capers for 30-45 seconds. Add lemon juice and wine. Cook until sauce is reduced by half. Add cream and parsley. Cook until sauce has thickened - just a few minutes. Add lemon slices and cooked pasta. Mix.

You can prepare the served dish a couple different ways. One beautiful ways is to pour the pasta onto a large, oval dish or a large corning wear piece. Lay the chicken on top on an angle and sprinkle with some parsley (chopped or whole). If you want to plate it for your guests/family: spoon the pasta onto the dish then lay 1-2 chicken pieces, one slightly on top of the other. For children you can take the chicken pieces and halve them again to make a "sun". Or you can serve it buffet style and let them plate their own pasta and chicken.

Serve with the extra white wine (legal age, of course).

Rolling for Pasta

This is a delicious cold pasta dish. A nice twist and I believe good for vegans.

2 C cooked mini wagon wheel pasta

1 sm apple, cored and chopped

½ cucumber, seeded and chopped

¼ C chopped pecans

¼ C regular or golden raisins

2 T olive oil

¼ t salt, 1/8 t ground pepper

Juice of 1 lemon

1 T chopped fresh parsley

In a large bowl, combine pasta, apple, cucumber, pecans, raisins, olive oil, salt and pepper. Squeeze on lemon juice. Cover and let pasta salad chill until serving time or 1 hour. Stir in parsley when serving.

For the guys - Saucy Ribs!

It's never too early to grill, and you can always sub in the oven if you're craving those luscious ribs. Here's one for the guys to get them out of the house and keep an eye on the kids outside. This will give you some quiet time while you prep sides without kids under your feet!

5 lbs back ribs 1 T salt 1 t black pepper 16 oz Pomegranate Juice

2/3 C ketchup 1 T molasses 1 T soy sauce 2 Scallions, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

Season ribs with salt and pepper. Preheat grill to medium heat. Turn off burners/move coal where ribs go, or use a pan so they’re not directly on heat. Lightly oil cooking grate. Place ribs over indirect heat (over drip pan or unlit burner). Close grill and cook until ribs are tender, about 2 hours at 325-350 deg.

Meanwhile, bring pomegranate juice to a boil in medium saucepan over high heat. Boil until thickened, and reduced to 1/3 cup, about 15 minutes. Stir in ketchup, molasses, soy sauce, scallions and garlic. Bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring often, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

During the last 5 minutes of cooking ribs, baste ribs with sauce. Ribs are done when meat pulls away from bone.

Warm Harvest Soup

Sure, it may not be fall anymore, but it's still cold. This soup is full of nutrients and sure to please. I have not tried it yet, so if you do - let me know how it turns out.

1 T olive oil 1/2C chopped carrot ½ C chopped celery

1/3 C chopped onion 1 ½ lb butternut squash, seeded & cut into 1” cubes

2 Med apples, cored, cut into 1” pieces 4 C chicken broth

Black Pepper Croutons

1) In a big pot, heat oil on medium heat. Add carrots, celery and onion. Cook, stiring occasionally for 8-10 minutes or until tender and starting to brown. Add squash, apples, and broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat. Simmer 20 minutes or until squash is tender. Cool slightly.

2) Puree soup, in two batches if needed, in a blender or food processor. Add pepper and croutons.

Yield: 6 cups

Double chunk Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

I was at MD Anderson the other day getting bloodwork done and they had a lady serving cookies in the waiting room. Fresh out of the oven! they were delicious with my cup of coffee that was freshly made as well. Made for a lovely morning. Also made my hungry for some nice, warm cookies! Enjoy.

2 C flour 2/3 C unsweeted cocoa powder 1 t baking soda

¼ t salt 1 C (2 sticks) butter, softened 1 C granulated sugar

2/3 C firmly packed light brown sugar 2 eggs

1 t McCormick Pure Peppermint Extract 6 oz chocolate chips

1 C coarsely chopped walnuts

Mix flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Set aside. Beat butter and sugars in a large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs and extract, mix well. Gradually stir in flour mixture on low speed until well mixed. Stir in chocolate and nuts.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoons about 2” apart on a greased cookie sheet.

Bake at preheated 350 deg oven for 8-10 minutes or just until cookies are set. Cool on baking sheet 2 minutes, transfer to a wire rack to completely cool.

Yield: 4 dozen

Corn Casserole

This dish goes great with Cilantro Chicken, posted 09/19/11 (I believe). It's a different taste, but the flavors just explode in your mouth! You can add spice to your liking (ex: hot sauce).

3 1/2-4 C corn (fresh, frozen, or drained canned)

1/2 pkg bacon (about 8 slices)

2 T diced garlic

1 med onion, chopped

2 T flour

1 t each: salt and pepper

1 C sour cream

Cook bacon on frying pan. Dry bacon on a paper towel. Crumble all the bacon except for 2-4 slices. Saute onion and garlic in bacon drippings until onions are soft. Add salt, pepper and flour. When it starts to bubble cook 1 minute longer, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. (at this point you can either mix in the pan or transfer to a bowl if you are using a small frying pan) Mix in sour cream. *This is where I would add any heat. Mix hot sauce, chili powder, or whatever you like into your sour cream Before you mix it into your onion mix.* Next, mix in bacon crumbles and corn. Transfer to a 1.5 qt baking dish. Top with bacon slices. Bake at 350 deg for 20-25 minutes or until heated through.

Skillet Chili

Last night I had two hungry little boys and ground beef in the fridge. I didn't want to make the same old thing and wanted to feed my kids - Fast! Came across this recipe and tweaked it a little. In 30 minutes I had dinner and the kids scarfed it down! As always, add flavors to taste, sub meat for whatever you have on hand and noodles too!

1 lb ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

1 tsp chopped garlic

1 - 15 oz can tomato sauce

1 - 15 oz can diced tomatoes

1 - 15 oz can kidney beans, drained

1/2 C salsa

2 tsp chili powder

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp garlic salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 C macaroni noodles

1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese

Brown meat, onions, and garlic in a deep sided pan (that has a lid). Drain fat. Add all other ingredients, except cheddar cheese. Bring to boil. Cover and simmer 20 minutes, or until noodles are cooked. Sprinkle cheese on top, remove from heat and replace lid until cheese melts - about 2 minutes. Serve.

You could add veggies to this dish if you want to slide in some extra nutrients for your kids. Zucchini, beats, eggplant, whatever.