Chicken & Asparagus Lemon Stir Fry

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs skinless boneless chicken breast, cut into 1 inch cubes
Kosher salt to taste
1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 T.  reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 t. cornstarch
2 T. water
1 T. canola oil
1 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed, cut into 2 inch pieces
1 small bag of edamame (optional, but great addition)
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 T fresh ginger
3 T fresh lemon juice
fresh black pepper to taste


Directions:

Lightly season the chicken with salt.  In a small bowl, combine chicken broth and soy sauce.  In a second small bowl combine the cornstarch and water and mix well to combine.

Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat, when hot add 1 teaspoon of oil, then add asparagus & edamame and cook until tender-crisp, about 3 to 4 minutes.  Add garlic and ginger and cook until golden, about 1 minute.  Set aside.

Increase the heat to high, then add 1 teaspoon of oil and half of the chicken and cook until browned and cooked through, about 4 minutes each side.  Remove, set aside and repeat with remaining oil and chicken.  Set aside.

Add the soy sauce mixture; and bring to a boil and cook about 1 minute, add lemon juice, cornstarch mixture and stir well, when it simmers return the chicken and asparagus mixture to the pan and mix well, remove from heat and serve.


Serves:4
Size: 1 1/4 cups
Calories: 268

Burgundy Mushrooms

This is one of my husband's favorite holiday sides...

Ingredients:
4 lbs white button mushrooms
1 litre Burgundy wine
2 cups of boiling water
2 sticks butter
1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dill seed
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
4 beef bouillon cubes
4 chicken bouillon cubes
4 cloves garlic, peeled

Directions:
Throroughly wash mushrooms and throw them into a large crockpot, and rest of the ingredients.  (Normally your crock pot lid will not fit perfectly when you have all ingredients in the crock pot, don't worry the mushrooms will shrink and the lid will fit perfectly in about an hour. )  Turn crock pot on low and cover for 6 hours, then remove lid and continue cooking uncovered for 3 hours.

Add salt to taste and the end of the cooking process.  The mushrooms will be very dark in color. 

Molasses Crinkles

3/4 cup shortening
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup full flavor molasses
1 egg
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
Granulated sugar

1.  Mix shortening, brown sugar, molasses & egg thoroughly in a large bowl.  Stir in remaining ingredients except granulated sugar.  Cover & refrigerate at least 2 hours.

2.  Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Grease cookie sheets.  Shape dough into 1 inch balls.  Dip tops of balls into granulated sugar.   Place balls, sugar side up, 3 inches apart on cookie sheet.   Sprinkle each cookie with 2 or 3 drops of water.

3.  Bake 10 to 12 minutes or just until set but not hard.  Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.

Chile Colorado Burritos

Ingredients:

1.5 to 2 lbs stew meat or other beef cubed
1 large can of mild (red) enchilada sauce (@ least 19 oz.)
2 beef bouillon cubes
1 can refried beans
1 cup cheddar cheese
5 to 8 burrtios shells.

Directions:

Put beef, whole bouillon cubes (do NOT add water), and enchilada sauce into a crockpot & cook on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours, until meat is very tender. 

When beef is done, (very tender and flakes when stirred), taste and add salt to taste, if desired.  Heat up refried beans, & put your oven on broil.  On an oven proof plate, lay out a tortilla.  Place on tortilla about 1/2 cup of the meat, drained by using a slotted spoon, and a spoonful or 2 of beans.  Roll into burrito (hopefully you know how to do this).  Pour some of the remaining enchilada sauce from the crock pot over the burrito to cover it.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Broil until cheese is bubbly, about 2-4 minutes.

Depending on how full you stuff your burritos, this will make 5 to 8 burrtios.

Pumpkin Cookies

These cookies are a big hit at my house. I have included the brown butter frosting recipe, because that is what the original recipe called for, however I think it's too sweet. I like these much better with a cream cheese frosting. I also sprinkle mine with pecans. They are super yummy. I hope you all enjoy them as much as my family does.

Cookies:
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 t vanilla
1/2 cup canned pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie mix)
2 eggs
2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 t baking soda
1 t ground cinnamon
1/8 t ginger
1/8 t ground cloves
1/2 t salt

Browned Butter Frosting:
3 cups powdered sugar
1 t vanilla
3 to 4 T milk
1/3 cup butter (do NOT use margarine or spread; it will burn not brown)

1. Heat oven to 375 degree. Sift together flour & seasonings, set aside. In large bowl, beat sugars, butter, & vanilla on medium speed, scraping the bowl occasionally, until well blended. Beat in eggs one at a time until well blended, add pumpkin. On low speed, beat in flour mixture until well blended.

2. On ungreased cookie sheets, drop dough by heaping tablespoonfuls.

3. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until almost no indentation remains when touched in center. Immediately remove from cookie sheets to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 45 minutes. (note: holler at the kids' as they swipe them before they are cooled and frosted)

4. In 1 quart saucepan, heat 1/3 cup butter over medium heat, stirring constantly, just until light brown.

5. In medium bowl, place powdered sugar, vanilla & 3 tablespoons of milk.

6. Pour browned butter over powdered sugar mixture. Beat on low speed about 1 minute or until smooth. Gradually add just enough milk to make frosting creamy and spreadable. Generouly frost cooled cookies.

1 Cookie is 190 calories

Oatmeal Pancakes w/pecans

This is my new go to pancake recipe, my whole family loves them.  They are awesome!

Oatmeal Pancake Batter

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups quick-cooking oats
2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup pecans (chopped)

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a medium bowl, mix together the oats and buttermilk. Cover, and refrigerate overnight.
2. The next morning: In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Make a well in the center, and pour in the oatmeal mixture, eggs, butter, and pecans. Stir until just moistened. Allow batter to sit 20 minutes before cooking. If batter is too thick, add buttermilk 1 tablespoon at a time, until the batter reaches the desired consistency.
3. Heat a lightly greased, large skillet or griddle over medium heat. Pour 1/4 cup batter onto the hot griddle for each cake. Cook pancakes until bubbles appear on top, flip, and cook until lightly browned on bottom.

Good Old Fashioned Peach Butter

5 lbs peaches
2 cups sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger

Pit peaches, run them through a food processor, and put them in a stock pot.  Add sugar, cinnamon, and ginger.  Cook until thickened, put in hot, sterilized jars, add lids and rings.