Honey Garlic Chicken

Garlic is one of our favorite ways to enhance the flavor of meats or breads.  Garlic Honey Chicken is a quick and easy meal that take any time at all to prepare. We usually double the sauce when we make this because we like to add it to the rice.

Ingredients

1 Tbs. olive oil
1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs cut into 1/2-inch cubes or split the chicken breast in half so you have 2 thin pieces of chicken from each breast
salt and pepper (to taste)
1 onion, sliced in half and thinly sliced
2 c. frozen broccoli
1 can sliced carrots, drained
1/4 c. honey
1/4 c.  soy sauce
1/4 c. chicken broth
2 tsp. cornstarch dissolved in 1 Tbs. cold water
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)
prepared cooked rice

Directions

Cut the chicken breasts into 1/2-inch cubes. Or, you can cut each chicken breast in half, so you have 2 thin pieces of chicken breast from each piece.

Salt each side of the chicken breast with salt and pepper.

Heat the olive oil in a cast iron skillet.  Add the chicken to the skillet and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden brown. Turn the chicken over and cook for another minute.

Add the onion, broccoli and sliced carrots. Cook and stir until the vegetables are tender.

In a small bowl, combine the honey, soy sauce, garlic cloves and red pepper flakes.  Pour over the chicken.  Toss to coat the chicken cubes, or turn the chicken pieces over if using the halved chicken breasts. Bring the sauce to a simmer and then simmer for about 1 minute. 

Stir in the cornstarch and water mixture.  Cook and stir until the sauce is slightly thickened, and the chicken is cooked through. 

Serve over prepared cooked rice and enjoy.

Sausage Cream Corn

This side dish combines two great flavors, corn and sausage. It is a great tasting casserole dish that is easy to prepare. 

Ingredients

1/2 lb. sweet Italian sausage meat, or sausage meat of your choice
1 large onion, chopped
1 small shallot, chopped
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 sweet pepper, chopped
2 (14-3/4 oz.) cans cream style corn, or you can use whole kernel corn, drained
1 tsp. parsley
1 1/4 c. herb-seasoned stuffing mix
1/4 c. heavy whipping cream
1/2 c. shaved Parmagiano Reggiano cheese
1 Tbs. butter

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°.

In a large cast-iron skillet, cook sausage, onion, shallot, garlic clove and sweet pepper until browned. Remove the meat with a slotted spoon and put in a small bowl. Drain off grease.

Add the corn, parsley and stuffing mix to the skillet. Stir to combine.

Pour in the heavy whipping cream and butter. You can leave this in the cast iron skillet, or transfer the mixture into a greased 1 quart baking dish.

Sprinkle the Parmagiano Reggiano over the top.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until golden brown. 

Extra Chocolaty Pudding From Scratch

 Chocolate pudding is one of those desserts that is smooth and creamy. It brings peace to a hectic day and comfort in troubling times. It is always nice to cook up a batch of pudding that my family and I can enjoy together as we unwind from the day.

 Ingredients

2 eggs, beaten
1/3 c. sugar
2 Tbs. cornstarch
3 Tbs cocoa
1/8 tsp. salt
2 c. milk
1 (6 oz.) pkg semisweet chocolate pieces, or 1 cup
2 Tbs. butter or margarine
2 tsp. vanilla

Directions

Beat eggs in a heatproof bowl.  Set aside.

Mix the sugar, cornstarch cocoa and salt in a large heavy bottom saucepan. Slowly whisk in milk until combined. Stirring or whisking constantly, cook over medium heat until the mixture boils. Boil and stir for about 3 minutes, or until the mixture is thick. Remove from heat.

Whisking or stirring constantly, gradually add about 1 cup of the hot pudding mixture into the beaten eggs.  Do not add the hot pudding all at once to the eggs, or it will cook the eggs.  Pour in about a heaping tablespoon of the hot pudding mixture at a time. 

Pour the tempered eggs back into the pudding mixture, whisking constantly. 

Bring the mixture back to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil for 1 minute. 

Add the semisweet chocolate pieces, stirring until they are melted.

Remove from heat. Stir in the butter and vanilla.  Cool slightly. Pour into dessert dishes. You can chill the pudding in the refrigerator or serve warm, which is what we like best. 

Easy Pots De Creme Chocolate Pudding

This is the easy version to making Pots De Creme Chocolate pudding.  It uses a box of chocolate pudding mix instead of buying heavy cream.  This recipe is perfect if you need a fast easy dessert. You can make it early in the day and chill until it is ready to serve. We don't always let our pudding cool because we like warm pudding the best.

Ingredients

2 1/4 c. milk
1 (4 oz.) pkg regular chocolate pudding mix
1 (6 oz.) pkg semisweet chocolate pieces, or 1 cup
1 tsp. vanilla

Directions

Prepare pudding mix according to package directions, but use 2 1/4 cups milk instead.

While the pudding is hot, add semisweet chocolate pieces, stirring until the chocolate is melted.  Cool. 

Pour in vanilla.  Beat well until the pudding is smooth and creamy.

Pour the mixture into cups or dessert bowls and chill.  

Serve with whipped cream.

Saucy Franks

One of my favorite recipes is, Saucy Franks. In no time at all, you can have a delicious meal on the table that your family will enjoy.  You can use beef hot dogs or any kind of hot dogs that you like best.

Ingredients

6 to 8 oz. uncooked noodles
2 Tbs. butter or margarine
1 lb.  hot dogs or frankfurters * See notes
1 onion, cut in half and thinly sliced
1 (10 3/4 oz.) can condensed tomato soup
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. water
2 to 3 Tbs. vinegar
1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
1 green pepper, chopped

Directions

Fill a pot with water. Add some salt to the water and bring the water to a boil.  Cook the noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside. 

Score the hot dogs/frankfurters in a corkscrew fashion.

Melt butter in a cast iron skillet. Add the hot dogs and onion. Cook until the hot dogs are browned on all sides and the onions are caramelized.

Stir in condensed tomato soup, brown sugar, water, vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a bubble, then turn the heat down to a simmer.  Cover and cook for about 10 minutes.

Add green pepper.  Cook covered 5 minutes longer. Serve over hot cooked noodles.

Notes

We use beef hotdogs because we like those best. However, they are rather expensive on our budget anymore. So we usually use the cheaper hotdogs made with chicken, and pork.

Rhubarb Goodie

Rhubarb is one of those fruits you either love or hate. We like rhubarb, but it has to be in small pieces for me to enjoy. It is tart, but is a good source of vitamin K1, and it is high in fiber.

Ingredients

4 c.  rhubarb cut in 1/4-inch pieces
1 c. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbs. flour
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Topping

3/4 c. flour
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. soda
1/3 c. butter, melted

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease an 8 x 8-inch baking pan.

In a bowl, combine sugar, salt, flour and cinnamon. Add in the rhubarb.

Place the mixture in the prepared baking dish. 

Prepare the topping.

Combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and soda.

Mix in the melted butter.  The mixture will be crumbly.  Sprinkle over the rhubarb mixture in the baking pan.

Bake 40 minutes, or until the rhubarb is tender and the top is golden brown.

Cheeseburger Garlic Loaf

I made a Cheeseburger Garlic Loaf for supper. Sometimes I just use seasoned ground beef and cheese and roll it up in bread dough or in the center of bread buns. This time I added some sauce in with the meat and it was so good. This recipe does take a bit of time, but definitely worth it when you sit down to eat. 

Ingredients

2 Pkg. active dry yeast
3 Tbs. sugar
1/2 c. warm water
1 1/2 c. lukewarm milk
1/2 c. butter or shortening
6 garlic cloves
1 egg, beaten
1 1/2 tsp. salt
5 1/2 to 6 c. flour

Cheeseburger Filling 

1 lb. ground beef
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 onion, chopped
1/3 to 1/2 c. spaghetti sauce
1/4 c. ketchup
1 Tbs. prepared mustard
1 Tbs. honey
1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. liquid smoke
Salt and pepper
8 oz. cheese, shredded or thinly sliced
garlic powder.

Directions

In a large bowl, soak yeast and sugar in the warm water. Allow the yeast to sit for 5 minutes in a warm location to make sure it is active.

Add milk, salt, butter or shortening, egg and 2 cups flour. Beat with a mixer or by hand with a wooden spoon until it is a smooth batter.

Add remaining flour until dough becomes too stiff to mix with a spoon. Turn the dough out on a floured board and knead for about 8 to 10 minutes. The dough should be smooth and elastic and no longer sticky.   You can also work the dough in a bread machine or with your mixer using the dough hook according to manufacture's directions. 

Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover with a tea towel or sheet of plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm location, while you prepare the filling. 

In a heavy cast iron skillet, brown ground beef, onion and garlic together until ground beef is no longer pink. Drain off excess grease.  

Add the spaghetti sauce, ketchup, mustard, and honey. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook to reduce the liquid content, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat and allow the mixture to cool a bit. 

Divide the dough in half, with one half being just a bit bigger. Roll the bigger dough ball into a large rectangle. Spread the meat mixture over the top of the dough. Top with cheese. Fold over an inch of dough on the two narrow ends to keep the filling from leaking out. Roll up in a jellyroll fashion, starting with the long end.  Place the meat filled dough on a cookie sheet.**See notes below.    Divide the other dough into 10 or 12 balls. Place in two greased round cake pans, or a 9 x 9-inch pan. Place in a warm location and let rise for 15 to 20 minutes.  Sprinkle garlic powder over the tops of the cheeseburger loaf and dinner rolls if desired.

Bake at 375° for 15 to 20 minutes, or until browned.

Remove the pan from the oven and rub some butter over the tops of the rolls and cheeseburger loaf for a soft top, and a delicious butter taste.  

Notes: 

I use a large 10-inch by 15-inch greased cake pan. I put the meat filled dough down the center and the diner buns on each side of the dough.