Monday, November 4, 2013

Asian Peanut Noodles

Hello!  Today's recipe is a bit long, but I am sure it will not prove to be too difficult.  I love Asian peanut noodles.  I thought it was about time for another dinner recipe.  I did Inside Out Crab Rangoons already, so I thought something else Asian might be yummy.  

Asian Peanut Noodles

Peanut Sauce
1 cup chicken broth
5 tablespoons peanut butter    
2 tablespoons honey  
2 tablespoons soy sauce  
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
3 garlic cloves, crushed
3 T. coconut milk

Chicken
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts     
salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper  
Juice of ½ lime
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
1 tablespoon soy sauce

Stir-Fry
½ tablespoon toasted sesame oil    
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 cup green onions, finely chopped
1 ¼ cups carrots, shredded
1 ¼ cups broccoli slaw, shredded
 1 cup bean sprouts
8 oz. rice noodles
1 cup chicken broth
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

                                                                             
Directions
Heat a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Combine 1 cup of chicken broth, peanut butter, honey, soy sauce, ginger, and crushed garlic in a small bowl and mix well. When saucepan is hot, add mixture. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce becomes smooth (~ 10 minutes). When sauce is smooth, lower heat to lowest setting on the stove and cover saucepan.Be sure to keep your heat level very low; the sauce will easily burn on the bottom if your stove is too warm or you’re not stirring constantly.
Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Rinse chicken well under cold water, then pat dry with paper towels. Slice chicken into thin strips (~ ½ inch thick). In a medium bowl, season sliced chicken with salt and black pepper, than add lime juice, crushed garlic, grated ginger, and soy sauce. Mix with a spoon to combine well.
In a large stockpot, boil 1 quart of water and add salt, to taste, when a rolling boil is achieved.
Once Dutch oven is hot, add toasted sesame oil. Wait until oil is nearly smoking, then add chicken mixture. Sauté chicken until cooked through (5-7 minutes), and then remove chicken from the Dutch oven.  Lower the heat of the Dutch oven to medium, and then add the stir-fry ingredients (crushed garlic, scallions, carrots, broccoli slaw, and bean sprouts). Season to taste with salt and pepper, stir to mix well, and allow vegetables to sauté until crisp (3 minutes).
At this point, you should add your rice noodles to the water that is hopefully boiling by now. Cook the noodles for 3-5 minutes, or until soft.  Once noodles are cooked to your satisfaction, drain in a pasta strainer.
Once the vegetables are crisp, return the cooked chicken to the Dutch oven, followed by the cooked noodles, and the peanut sauce. If your noodle mixture isn’t “saucy” enough, add more chicken broth to loosen the mixture. Toss well to combine. Enjoy!

This is SO good!  I could easily eat this every day.  I hope you guys agree with me!

Friday, November 1, 2013

Five Layer Coconut Bars

Hey everyone!  This is a pretty simple coconut dessert bar.  Mind you, one of its five layers is butter.  It is delicious if you like coconut.  I LOVE it.  It is a great recipe to serve at a potluck.


Five Layer Coconut Bars

1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 (14 oz.) can condensed milk
2 cups chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups coconut sweetened coconut flakes

Directions

Preheat oven to 350*.

In a 9 by 13 pan, melt butter in oven while heating.

Evenly sprinkle graham cracker crumbs over melted butter.  Pour condensed milk over crumbs (it does not need to cover everything).  Layer all chocolate chips and then coconut, pressing down firmly when finished.
Bake for 25 to 35 minutes.  Enjoy!


I hope you all find these as easy as I did!  If you want to, send us your favorite dessert bar recipe!

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte

Hello, everybody! I have been trying out different fall recipes, and I thought a pumpkin spice latte would be just the right thing for this week's article! I put whipped cream on it, then I found out afterwards that you only put whipped cream on the iced lattes...oh well, it tastes yummy anyways! 
The measurements are also not very exact; that's because I went by taste, and I didn't measure everything. I think different people like their drinks with more spice, and some may not. This is the second drink recipe in a row, but the weather is perfect for this kind of stuff! I hope you like this recipe! I know I did! :) Happy Eating! 



                                  Pumpkin Spice Latte
                          
                   1 cup brewed coffee, black
                   1/4 cup milk
                   1-2 tablespoons pumpkin (to taste) 
                   pumpkin pie spice, to taste
                   cinnamon, to taste
                   1 tablespoon sugar (as much as you want) 
Whipped Cream:
                   1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
                   sugar, to taste

In a small saucepan, slowly heat up the milk (it will curdle if you heat it too fast) with the spices and sugar until it is hot. (I added my spices and sugars a little bit too late, so the spices didn't mix in all the way, and I needed to strain it into the coffee.) 
Once the milk mixture is hot, pour the coffee into a mug, then pour in the milk mixture. (Once again, depending on how much cream you like in your coffee, you can put in more or less.) Mix them together well, then, if you want, you can top it with whipped cream. 
To make the whipped cream, simply put the cream and sugar in a cup and mix it with a hand blender until it is the texture of whipped cream. Gently put spoonfuls on top of the coffee. Mine didn't sit nicely on top like store-bought lattes, but it was yummy anyways. You can sprinkle a little bit of pumpkin pie spice on top to make it look pretty if you want as well. It is so yummy! Enjoy! 



Monday, October 28, 2013

Homemade Hot Cocoa

How many of you know where hot cocoa originated?  I was curious, and looked it up.  This is what I found:  The first chocolate beverage is believed to have been created by the Mayas around 2,000 years ago, and a cocoa beverage was an essential part of Aztec culture by 1400 AD.  The beverage became popular in Europe after being introduced from Mexico in the New World, and has undergone multiple changes since then. Until the 19th century, hot chocolate was even used medicinally to treat ailments such as stomach diseases. Today, hot chocolate is consumed throughout the world and comes in multiple variations including the very thick cioccolata densa served in Italy, and the thinner hot cocoa that is typically consumed in the United States. Wow!  Isn't that cool?  I hope you all enjoyed these interesting facts as much as I did, because today's recipe is homemade hot cocoa!



Hot Cocoa
1/8 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup milk
1 T. sugar
unsweetened cocoa powder (to taste - 1/4-1/2 tsp.)

Directions

Heat milk in a small saucepan, whisking constantly until steaming.

Mix in sugar, whisking until dissolved.  Add vanilla.
Put desired amount of cocoa powder, more for a stronger chocolate flavor or less for a weaker flavor.  Whisk until dissolved.  Enjoy!

I loved this hot cocoa recipe.  I hope that in future, you will give my partner and I your favorites!

Friday, October 25, 2013

Buttery Cocoa Wafers

I have another cookie recipe for you all!  Well, actually it is more of a wafer.  I found this recipe on the back of a hot cocoa container, and thought I would test it out.  I used a mint hot cocoa mix for the recipe, but you can use any flavor you want.  I would probably use a different flavor next time as well. 


Cocoa Wafers

3/4 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/4 ounce hot cocoa mix (any flavor)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375*.

Combine butter, sugar and egg yolk in large mixer bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy (2 to 3 minutes). Reduce speed to low. Beat, gradually adding flour and cocoa mix and scraping bowl often, until well mixed (1 to 2 minutes). 
Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place 1 inch apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Flatten cookies to 1/4-inch thickness with bottom of buttered glass dipped in sugar. Bake for 7 to 9 minutes or until set. Cool completely.  Enjoy!


As I said before, I would not use mint hot cocoa mix.  They are still good with mint, but not as yummy as they could be.  I hope you will tell us your favorite variation!

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Chocolate Chip Cookie in a Mug

Hello, everyone! I hope you all have been enjoying this blog! Today I have a recipe for a chocolate chip cookie--in a mug! I know Koko posted a brownie in a mug recipe awhile back, but I wanted to post a simple, quick, yet delicious recipe, and this is what I came up with. Who doesn't like chocolate chip cookies?! I don't know about you, but sometimes when I make cookies, I get really bored waiting for them to bake, and I usually end up eating cookie dough instead...I mean, who doesn't? I have a perfect solution for you, though! This "cookie" is so yummy, and it only takes 1 minute to make! (plus, it doesn't make so many that you have to worry about eating too many!) I hope you like it as much as I did! :) Happy Eating! 



                          Chocolate Chip Cookie in a Mug

                           1 tablespoon butter
                           2 tablespoons brown sugar
                           dash of salt
                           1/4 cup flour
                           1/4 tsp. baking powder
                           1/4 tsp. vanilla
                           1 egg
                           2 1/2 tablespoons chocolate chips

In a large mug, melt the butter in the microwave, then add the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Mix in the egg and vanilla, then add in the chocolate chips last. Cook in the microwave for 60 seconds. Make sure you don't overcook it! It will swell up in the mug, but don't let it overflow! Also, it will look slightly underdone after a minute, but as it cools, it finishes cooking. (I know that sounds weird, but it's true.) Dig in with a fork, and enjoy! Yummy! :) 

~Nutmeg

                                         

Monday, October 21, 2013

Melt In Your mouth Peanut Butter Cookies

Who loves peanut butter?  I sure do.  This recipe is one of my grandma's that I modified for a friend.  In fact, I am eating one as I type!  These cookies are extremely simple, and very rich.  For good reason though!  They have a whole pound of butter in them!   Fortunately, there are plenty to go around, because this recipe makes over 40 cookies!


 Peanut Butter Cookies

1 lb. butter
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 cups flour
1 egg yolk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup peanut butter


Directions

Preheat oven to 375*.
 Combine sugar, vanilla, butter and egg, beat until creamy.
 Add flour gradually, scraping sides after every addition.
 Mix in peanut butter.   Dough will appear to be crumbly.
 Roll into 1-2 inch balls, and slightly flatten with your first two fingers. 
 Bake for ten minutes.  Cookies will look extremely underdone.  Let cool until firm.  Enjoy!



These cookies are a great treat for any day of the week!