Sesame Chicken--from the crockpot!

I adapted a recipe I found from Six Sisters' Stuff. It looked super easy to make and I happened to have all the ingredients at home already!

The recipe called for a cup of honey, but I thought that was a little overkill since I only have a little bear bottle at home. I substituted brown sugar and added a few more teaspoons of red pepper flakes(we like spicy!).

Cooked in the crockpot on low for 4-5 hours! I literally threw everything in and added sesame seeds on top!

I used chicken breast meat, already diced. 

Yum!

Wings - 4 ways!

Wings, 4 ways.(top left: spicy dry rub, barbeque,  teriyaki, and hot buffalo)

We bought some pretty cheap wings the other day from King Soopers. They were 99 cents a pound, so I decided we had to have wings.

The 4 types of wings I made were spicy dry rub, barbeque, teriyaki, and hot.

All measurements are really approximate, I usually taste it to see if I like it. (my mom does this, no recipes...ever.)

I always boil my wings for about 4-5 minutes before I make the sauce to go with it. Then cook my wings in the sauce, until they are fully cooked.

This time, I boiled the wings with garlic and lots of salt in the water(about 5-6 cloves) and 2-3 tbsp salt

Spicy dry rub:
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp Old Bay seasoning(I'm addicted to this!)
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder(more or less if you like garlicy flavor)
1/2 tsp salt

Mix spices together. Rub onto wings. Heat pan with a good amount of olive oil(3-4 tablespoons) and just start cooking the wings in medium-high heat. About 10 minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels. Enjoy!

Barbeque:
I cheated and used Famous Dave's Barbeque Sauce, about 1 cup(more or less) and added some honey(about 3-4 tbsp). And baked at 425 degrees for 10-15 minutes, then re-sauced and baked for another 10-15 minutes.

Teriyaki:
1/4 cup soy sauce(we use Kikkoman's low-sodium)
5-6 tbsp sugar
1 tsp red pepper flakes
2-3 tbsp hoisin sauce(we use Lee Kum Kee's hoisin sauce)

Mix all together and marinate wings for about half hour to 45 minutes. I made these in the pan, about 10-15 minutes on each side in medium-high heat.

Hot buffalo:
1/3 cup of hot sauce(Paul's favorite is Tapatio)
1/2 stick(4 tbsp) of butter, melted

I marinated the wings in just hot sauce, then poured the melted butter on top(not the most traditional way to do it), but it worked....so yay for laziness.

Bake at 425 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until your meat thermometer says it's ready!



I always use a meat thermometer, just to make sure....Paul is a freak about things. And quite frankly, I am too.

Veggie stuffed peppers

Veggie stuffed peppers

We're trying this new thing called eating healthy. It's actually been quite good for us both.

I stuffed one yellow bell pepper with mushrooms, spinach, celery, and breadcrumbs. Mine was vegan, Paul's was vegetarian(cheese fiend). The extra stuffing I just put into a baby portabello mushroom(no need to waste filling)


Pretty easy to make. 20 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Ingredients:
-One bell pepper - I used yellow--sweet!
-One stalk of celery, finely diced
-3 oz. fresh baby spinach - like 3 handfuls
-3 baby portabello mushrooms, finely diced
-1/3 cup of breadcrumbs(I more measured with my eyes...) - I used both Panko and plain
-salt/pepper as you see fit - although I used none
-garlic to taste
-2 tbsp olive oil


Saute all diced ingredients until soft, add breadcrumbs. Stuff into veggie of choice(I've stuffed squash and eggplant before too, both delicious!) Bake and enjoy!

Beef fajitas

We had a lot of pot roast left, so I decided to try making fajitas. I used the sliced beef and cut it into strips and marinated it with hot sauce, salt, pepper, and garlic powder before I sauteed it.

Ingredients:

-1 red onion, cut into 1/4 inch pieces

-1 green pepper, cut into 1/4 inch pieces

-tortillas(I opted for white flour this time)

-salt & pepper

-hot sauce(Paul's favorite is Tapatio)

-garlic powder

Paul loved it, so I would say it was a success! I'll try it with fresh beef next time instead of using leftover pot roast...

Stuffed Squash

Squash, halved, then middles scooped out. 

 I experimented with stuffing squash. It was a success! Paul really liked it too, which is always a plus!

I used two types of squash, Italian and crooked neck. I'm not too positive what they're really called though.

I used leftover stuffing and potatoes to stuff the squash(what a great way to use leftovers, especially when there's no leftover main dish).

I served it with brown rice, it made a really great filling meal.

The stuffing: leftover potatoes, leftover stuffing, red onion, and celery

Salted and peppered with extra virgin olive oil. 

Stuffed and ready to go into the oven! I also stuffed green peppers and jalapenos. 

Completed! About 25-30 minutes of baking. 

Served with brown rice, great vegetarian meal!

Stuffed Chicken Breast with Bacon

I wanted to experiment with stuffing meat for a meal. I think this was a success! I made another version as well that used spinach with cheese as the stuffing(also very yummy). 

By cutting the chicken breast halves into three thin pieces, it made it easier for me to wrap the cheese filling. Cheese filling was made with ricotta, feta, and Parmesan cheese. I added some salt and pepper of course, but kept it pretty plain. 

By using toothpicks(learned this from a random recipe I found), it made it so easy to bake and made for a pretty presentation. You would have never guessed where the toothpicks were! You can't even tell they were there....nice. 

Before cooking, I used toothpicks to hold the meat together around the cheese stuffing. 

Right out of the oven, cheese is oozing out! 

Cut in half, yummy cheese filling!

My first ham

Right out of the oven.

 I successfully made my first ham. It was super easy. I followed the directions on the label.

For Christmas, my brother and I had ham, corn, stuffing, and mashed potatoes. I cheated an just made boxed everything.

I would say success!