Happy beginnings of the holiday madness! While everyone is prepping HUGE birds…I’m posting something a bit different. Cornish hens are much smaller & a lot easier to prepare than you may think. Today I want to share a recipe that looks gourmet but is actually very simple to put together for an impressive meal. With some citrus, honey, & fresh sage touches…get ready to fall in love. …
Make an Incredibly Easy & Healthy Family Meal FAST!
Need a quick family dinner? Then you’ve come to the right place! Today I wanted to share how to get a full (& actually pretty darn impressive) looking dinner on the table in about 20 minutes! & how to be sneaky…because sneakiness is key here! This setup is perfect for a family- even if they have picky kids. Keep reading to check it out & snag a coupon!…
Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup + FSTG Chips!
A few weeks back I knew I was in for a horribly busy time- so I knew it was time to prep lunch way ahead for the week. How do I usually do this? Basically soup or salad. I went with soup because I had some veggies & herbs that I knew would be excellent in a soup recipe! Keep reading to check out the recipe, substitution ideas, & some of my favorite tortilla chips!…
The Inspiralized Cookbook is the Best Way to Transform Your Food + Carrot Noodle Soup Recipe
Ever craved pasta so bad you couldn’t stand it? This is kind of a daily occurrence in my neck of the woods. Seriously- pasta is something I could eat wayyy more than a few servings of. Usually I try to add lots of veggies & some things that aren’t just straight carbs…but some nights I’m just too tired. & into the pot some dry spaghetti goes & gets topped with a batch of leftover sauce. Because I’m a real person. Want to know how we’re cutting back a bit on the pasta while still getting that “pasta feeling” from our meals? Meet Inspiralized– the book that put my fascination for our spiralizer into book form.
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Almond-Crusted Chicken Breasts with Pesto, Roasted Tomatoes, & Quinoa Recipe
Almonds. Almond all the things. When Ryan & I first got married we were flat broke. We refer to the younger versions of ourselves as “broke as a joke” on a semi-regular basis. We may not be rolling in dough (well sometimes I roll dough) now but whenever we think things are bad that’s our reminder. Almond-crusted chicken is one of those recipes that costs a bit more than breadcrumbs & really tastes special. & looks way more fancy. True story! Check out how ridiculously easy it is to recreate below!…
Spicy Poached Chicken Breast with Thai Basil in Ginger Broth
Are you a soup fan? I go for weeks eating soups as my lunch at home. Something about the warmth & often something spicy just makes me happy. It can also really help with weight loss & making us feel more full! This recipe was adapted from the Poached Chicken with Bok Choy in Ginger Broth recipe from Martha Stewart Clean Slate Cookbook, p. 232. I’m in love with the recipe overall but I subbed in some flavors & ingredients I almost always have on hand. This is an easy one that is sure to please & adjust for anyone wanting to use up some ingredients!…
Bacon Jam Review, Recipe, & Multi-Giveaway! + Spring Blog Hop!
PR Sample.
Do you like bacon? Do you really love it? Then listen up! Today I bring you 4 different types of bacon jam from The Bacon Jams. I am pretty excited to share with you something I probably wouldn’t have ever tried that Ryan & I now love. Whether you have it on some toast, as an ingredient, or as a topper I think you’ll be surprised to find how versatile they can be. As a super special treat there is also a huge blog hop at the base of this post filled with lots of awesome spring giveaways!
So I currently have 3 bacon jams- 3 from the permanent line & a special limited edition flavor. Above is the Original Bacon Jam & behind we have the Black Pepper & Honey, Red Chile & Garlic, & the limited edition Maple Habanero Bacon Jams. Each come sealed in an 8 oz jar with a nice wide mouth- perfectly easy to spoon out what you need without getting too much or too little. I can’t even get over how cute their logo is! A rockin piggy jammin out! Ha!
The first way I tried these jams was on some crusty bread. I mean, hey, isn’t that where you put jam? I liked it that way but the husband didn’t. With some experimenting we discovered he really liked these jams hot (think a hot dip if hot jam isn’t computing!) which doesn’t surprise me either. We tend to prefer our bacon hot (although cold bacon is tasty too!) so then we heated up a little of each & added them to crusty bread. Much better!
From left to right you have The Bacon Jams in Original, Black Pepper & Honey, Maple Habanero, & Red Chile & Garlic. You can see these aren’t gelatinous but rather more of a thick sauce/jam. When heated they thin out considerably because the fats break down. I don’t think there is a right or wrong temperature to eat them- you just have to find your own vibe. You can see each spread on crusty toast is a lot easier to see the differences. The ingredients are wonderfully simple but high in both quality & flavor- you can view them all here on their website.
Now onto the recipe! I wanted to do something ridiculously simple that really showed off a flavor that was dying to be paired with our dinner. I only used three ingredients to make this chicken more fantastic- 3 tablespoons of The Bacon Jam in Black Pepper & Honey, 1 tablespoon fresh honey, & around one tablespoon of water.
After searing your chicken breasts add all three ingredients to the pan. Whisk on med-high until thickened. The added honey helps to make it more of a glaze which will help it stick to the exterior of the cooked chicken. Poor over chicken & serve hot. This should only take maybe 1-2 minutes & the flavor is out of this world!
Needless to say we’re loving these bacon jams. I have so many ideas floating around- Beer cheese soup with bacon jam? BLTs with bacon jam? Bacon jam salad dressings? These are extremely versatile & they are all completely original- something I admire. Think of these jams as creative additions & let your recipes go to the next bacon level with very little effort! Want more ideas? They have a ton of creative recipes on their site here!
They have been so kind to me by letting me try their product & now it is your turn! There will be THREE winners & each winner will get to pick their own flavor variety they’d like to try if chosen! Which Bacon Jam speaks to your bacon loving soul?
Welcome to the Blooming Into Spring Blog Hop!
Hosted By: MPM Network Bloggers
While many of us are looking forward to spring, it doesn’t mean we are looking forward to spring cleaning. To make spring cleaning a bit more fun, the MPM Blogging Network has joined together to make spring cleaning even more fun! Each participating blog below is hosting their very own unique spring themed giveaway, including spring cleaning items, fashion accessories, and even gift card for purchasing your own Spring treats! To increase your chances of getting something fun, make sure to visit all the blogs linked below.
Also, don’t forget to enter to win our grand prize, a Shark PRO Steam & Spray Mop!
The Blooming Into Spring Blog Hop ends on 5/1/14 at 11:59 PM. The MPM Blogging Networks is not responsible for prize fulfillment and associated bloggers are responsible for their own giveaways. Good luck everyone and happy spring!
Simple Peanut Noodles with DIY Thai Peanut Sauce Recipe + Noodle Linkup!
Hopefully you caught my Thai Peanut Sauce Recipe yesterday because today we’re throwing it together into one of my favorite lunches! Eat them cold, eat them hot, eat them right after they’ve been prepared, save them for later…main dish…appetizer…side…. Seriously this is one of those dishes that does it all. Plus it is completely customizable. If you don’t dig the veggies I do or you prefer tofu instead of chicken- whatever. Plus it is Friday & that means time for another Friday Foodie Linkup! Check it out!
Simple Peanut Noodles with DIY Thai Peanut Sauce Recipe
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Want some peanut noodles that you can make yourself? Here's an easy recipe to quench your need!
Author: Stephanie Louise of Home in High Heels
Recipe type: Pasta, Sides, Main,
Cuisine: Asian, Thai
Serves: 4
Ingredients
- For Noodles-
- 1 box of spaghetti noodles
- salt & pepper
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 clove garlic
- ½ teaspoon Asian peppers or sriracha
- 2 chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
- 1 can baby corn, drained well & chopped into thirds
- 15-20 spears of medium asparagus, cleaned & chopped into thirds
- 1-2 tablespoons soy sauce
- For Sauce- see this entry from Home in High Heels
- http://www.homeinhighheels.com/2014/03/thaipeanutsaucerecipe.html
- You'll want about 2-3 tablespoons per person.
- Optional- chopped green onions & peanuts.
Instructions
- Salt a large pot of water & bring to a boil. Add pasta & cook according to package instructions. Drain, rinse under cold water, & set aside.
- Add oil to wok & heat on high. When heated, dd garlic & saute until lightly browned.
- Sprinkle chicken with salt & pepper, also the dried peppers if using. Add sriracha at the end or directly to the sauce. Add chicken to the pan & cook until lightly browned.
- Add baby corn & saute for 1-2 minutes to remove moisture. Add asparagus last since it cooks faster.
- Add soy sauce & mix thoroughly then remove from heat. Add noodles & sauce mixing well.
- Serve hot or chill. Can be eaten hot or cold.
Yum! Simple, easy to make, & uses a sauce you can keep on hand. Remember to check out that recipe for Thai peanut sauce here– it beats the bottled versions! I really hope you give this recipe a try because it is an amazing fallback meal that is kid friendly as well, just omit spicy additions when you make the sauce. For more texture add some chopped peanuts on top, yum!
& here is the linkup! Hope you enjoy checking out the other recipes as much as I do! Want to join in on our next linkup? Check out my Lifestyle Blogging Network tab here for more information & how to apply.
Loading InLinkz ...Beer Love- Sweet & Spicy Honey Beer Sauce with Chicken Recipe + St. Patrick’s Day Linkup!
Affiliate links.
If you caught my post this past Friday with my recipe for Mint & Lime Asparagus then you saw this coming- BEER. I don’t personally drink beer very often (although my beer of choice tends to be Blue Moon & definitely with an orange wedge) but I do love cooking with it. Beer can completely transform a dish & make the meal much more exciting. Sometimes I use tequila or bourbon or whiskey but seeing as this is St. Patrick’s Day beer is only right don’t you think? I mixed together a few recipes I’ve made in the past to come up with something a bit fun & definitely tasty. Here is the end result- Sweet & Spicy Honey Beer Sauce with Chicken. Don’t forget to stay tuned till the end of the post for lots more St. Patrick’s Day ideas from other bloggers as well!
I highly recommend using a beer you really love- this one that I used was a leftover from a get-together but it worked out nicely. I also used some honey called Grilling Honey & it is from Savannah Bee Company
Beer Love- Sweet & Spicy Honey Beer Sauce with Chicken Recipe
Prep time
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Author: Stephanie Louise of Home in High Heels
Recipe type: Chicken, Main, Sauce, Alcohol
Cuisine: American
Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon canola or grapeseed oil
- 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, about 6 oz each
- Fresh black pepper
- Kosher salt or smoked salt
- 2 fresh garlic cloves, minced
- ½ cup high quality beer, preferably darker & richer in flavor
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 Japanese or Korean pepper, chopped or 1-3 teaspoons sriracha
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro or Thai basil
Instructions
- Heat oil in large pan with high sides on medium high heat. While pan is heating up whisk together beer, soy sauce, peppers or sriracha, & honey in a small bowl. If substituting dried herbs add them now as well. Set aside.
- Season chicken breast with salt & pepper on each side & when the oil is hot, add to pan carefully. Cook about 5-7 minutes on each side for a nice sear. Don't move it around too much or you won't get a nice color. Remove from pan & keep warm.
- In the same pan with chicken leftovers add your garlic. Cook until softened & lightly browned. Re-whisk your sauce if anything has settled & add to pan. Whisk to mix. Let thicken up a bit.
- Serve hot over chicken or add chicken back to the pan to really drench them.
I hope you enjoyed this recipe inspired by the many gallons of beer guzzled on this day! If you’re not much of a drinker (I’m a lightweight to the max!) then maybe this will knock your socks off & make you feel like a St. Patrick’s Day participant! Check out the many other lovely blog posts from bloggers on St. Patrick’s Day inspiration- you’re bound to find a few new-to-you bloggers to enjoy!
Cheddar & Apples with Spiced Sausage & 5 Ingredients or Less Recipe Linkup!
I bought it.
So for this week in the Friday Foodie Linkup we decided to tackle a 5 Ingredients or Less recipe! I picked one we did pretty recently when we needed to use up some apples. I came up with Cheddar & Apples Spiced Sausage to make it more of a meal. Check out how easy it is to DIY & what I served on the bottom plus some variations!
First off, we tend to prefer chicken sausage for dinner recipes. Not sure why but we are usually chicken people. We’re chicken people. Ha. I’m laughing at that one, but it is true. We commonly buy ours in bulk packages from Sam’s Club because they have great flavors but you can find chicken sausage about anywhere now. I’ve found them to be lower in sodium (sometimes! read your labels!) & tend to have lots of flavor varieties like papperjack, italian, applewood, etc. They are an easy meal & often one of our favorites year round- in the winter they can go in lasagnas & during summer they hit the grill like a boss.
Cheddar & Apples with Spiced Sausage Recipe
from Home in High Heels
Sausages, about 4 depending on size. Can also be flavored (ours was pepperjack) or a different variety.
3-5 firm apples, sliced More or less depending on size, preferably Granny Smiths for tartness.
1/2 cup water or low-sodium stock
1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning or to taste (salt-free if you can get it)
Salt & pepper to taste
Optional topping- About 1/4 cup finely shredded cheddar cheese.
1. Coat a large skillet with cooking spray. Heat on medium & add the sausages. Cook until browned but not cooked through.
2. Add the water/stock to the skillet. Cover & cook until the water is nearly gone & sausages are firm. This usually takes 6-8 minutes depending on your sausages.
3. Coat apples in the Cajun spices & add to pan. Stir occasionally until apples are tender & flavors have mingles, about 8-10 minutes. Salt & pepper to taste.
Optionals- Top with the cheddar cheese for a bit more oomph & bite. I also like to cut up my sausage after step 2 into more manageable bites because we like our more done. Do as you wish!
We love this meal! If you’re looking to incorporate apples into dinner this is a cinch! I served this with buttered corn & potatoes this night but this combo is excellent over grits or with a nice pasta as well!
I hope you enjoyed one of our easy, quick dinners here at the Telford house! Don’t forget to check out the other bloggers participating in this linkup below!
Fallback Friday Meal Using Trader Joe’s Chicken Potstickers + Weekly Linkup!
Fallback Meal- I don’t have time to make freaking dinner so we need a fallback meal that tastes good, doesn’t take too much effort, & that I can keep on hand.
If you are anything like us then you likely have Fallback meals… See above? A Fallback Meal! I’ve used that term for a long time because this happens frequently for us (okay, for me since I’m the one who cooks) & today I’m going to share one of my favorite meals with you using Trader Joe’s brand Chicken Gyoza Potstickers. (Other great options are pre-made & ready pizza crusts, frozen lasagna, & frozen enchiladas! Let me know if you’re interested in any of those! Keep reading to see our go-to Teriyaki Chicken Potstickers for busy nights & other bloggers fallback meals!
First off, let’s knock out a basic teriyaki recipe. I like this one here from Food Network, basic & to the point. Add in some green onions, extra ginger, lemongrass, etc. & you have a customized blend. Really short on time? A low sodium option from the market is nothing to shrug at, there’s a reason people buy them for marinades & such!
The reason we like the Trader Joe’s Chicken Gyoza Potstickers are pretty basic- they’re frozen, I can toss them in soup when I’m sick, I can fry them up, I can steam them, they can be an appetizer, they are a nice size & very filling….there’s more but I will likely start to repeat myself. They’re also very reasonably priced at our local Trader Joe’s. Can you make your own? Of course! & freeze them? Sure! & I plan to. But when you need them, they’re there. Plus they have two other options- shrimp & pork in case chicken isn’t your thing. They likely have a vegetarian option as well.
Filling for the Trader Joe’s Chicken Gyoza Potstickers : boneless chicken, cabbage, onion, soy sauce (water, soybeans, wheat, salt), sesame seed oil, tapicoa starch, salt, sugar, ginger powder, white pepper, garlic powder and black pepper. dough: bleached enriched wheat flour (flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), water, tapioca starch, salt, soybean oil.
All you need for this meal is potstickers, sauce, rice, toasted sesame seeds, & a veggie. I sometimes make mine on the side like I did this night, roasted green beans in the oven while I fried the potstickers in my non-stick wok. A regular pan works too though, no need to get fancy.
I like to heat up my oil of choice on med-high heat (sometimes just regular ol’ oil & sometimes Asian inspired or with a touch of chile) until popping & then add the wontons/potstickers/gyoza to the hot pan carefully on one flat side. You want enough oil to coat the entire base of the pan, don’t be stingy. Cook until browned on the first side then add a few tablespoons to 1/2 cup water or stock (depending on pan size) & top with a tight lid. This will steam them the rest of the way through. Serve hot. I cook mine straight from the freezer, for shorter cook time you can thaw beforehand or use fresh ones.
What is your favorite fallback meal? Have anything you want to see up on the blog? Any favorite potsticker/gyoza/dumpling recipes I need to try out? Would love to hear them! Also don’t forget to figure out the other fabulous ideas below from other bloggers & their fallback meals!
Recipes: Easy Orange Chicken
28 Days of Eating at Home- Learn more in my intro post here!
Love orange chicken? So do we! This is one of those meals we could easily eat weekly. If you’ve noticed, we’re big on Asian cuisine & this is one of the biggest hits. The key to this sauce is the orange marmalade…it is just the best. Keep reading to check it out for yourself!
Here’s a photo of the sauce when it is all done, you should be able to draw a line with your whisk. If you happen to also have a squirrel whisk…well then you’re just fabulous too!
Easy Orange Chicken
from Home in High Heels
For the chicken:
4 chicken breasts, boneless skinless
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon ginger
For the sauce:
2/3 cup orange juice
1/3 cup orange marmalade
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon sriracha sauce
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1. Heat a large skillet with vegetable oil for frying.
2. Cube chicken breasts. Mix flour & ginger. Toss to coat lightly.
3. Combine sauce ingredients reserving the cornstarch. Bring to boil & simmer to thicken whisking every few minutes.
4. Fry chicken portions at a time as to not overcrowd your pan. Drain on paper towel.
5. Add cornstarch & 1 teaspoon water mixed to sauce mixture to thicken. Bring to boil again & let thicken.
6. Toss with chicken & enjoy! Serve over white rice if desired.
We love this so much! I haven’t used another recipe in ages for the sauce either, except to make it more spicy. We pretty much eat everything more spicy than I put in the recipes. We usually have it with veggies too just not this night!
Pinterest: Easy Sesame Honey Crock Pot Chicken Recipe
So I found this fabulous little recipe on Pinterest (thus being part of the Pinterest series!) & had to try it! The original recipe is from Chef in Training & I urge you to check out their other recipes! Some fab stuff there! I kind of flubbed this a bit by doubling the sauce but it still turned out really tasty. I also tweaked it a bit myself. I doubled it because we always eat a lot of veggies with stir fry so I thought there wouldn’t be enough sauce. There was…so much! So here is the recipe NOT doubled! We also added some kick…but it could have used more!
Sesame Honey Crock Pot Chicken
Originally from Chef in Training
Ingredients
2.5 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup honey
1/2 cup soy sauce
4 tablespoons diced onion
4 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoon canola oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon garlic chili sauce
4 teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in 6 Tablespoons water
Sesame seeds
Directions
Season both sides of chicken with lightly with salt and pepper, put into crock pot. In a small bowl, combine all the other ingredients except the cornstarch + water mixture. Pour over chicken.
Cook on low for 3-4 hours or on high 1 1/2 – 2 1/2 hours, or just until chicken is cooked through.
Remove chicken from crock pot, leave sauce. Dissolve 4 teaspoons of cornstarch in 6 tablespoons of water and pour into crock pot. Stir to combine with sauce.
Replace lid and cook sauce on high for fifteen more minutes or until slightly thickened.
Cut chicken into bite size pieces, then return to pot and toss with sauce before serving.
Sprinkle with sesame seeds before serving.
We ate this 2 nights in a row (there’s only 2 of us!) over broccoli & rice. Hubby really liked it & is looking forward to having it again! To reheat, add to a small sauce pot with a bit of water. Stir as it heats & it will be just as tasty as the first night! If you like heat, add more than above. I just didn’t want to burn any tongues! I have a very high heat tolerance so I always go on the way low end when adding recipes.
