cashew chicken & fried rice

dinner looks very good doesn't it?  and it was very tasty too...
something happened tho during preparations of dinner and I will have to start handling things a little differently...not sure if I waited too long since eating or my blood sugar crashed or what but all of a sudden while cooking the chicken part, I felt really bad and had to sit down...just happened to have some chocolate that my nice neighbor Marilynn had given me and now it is like I am horribly exhausted...note to self--do not wait so long in between eating...am pretty sure that is what it was...

so this is what I made:
http://stephaniecooks.blogspot.com/2011/04/crispy-cashew-chicken-stir-fry.html  with just a few changes to the recipe...I added pea pods and carrots instead of the asian mixture, and in the sauce ingredients, I added a little chicken broth...
everyone loved this dish even hubby proclaimed it to be the best dish I made all day (haha)...I did not
eat as I still was not feeling that great...will try it later...
I also made my very popular version of fried rice, everyone that ever tries it, loves it...
note to self however:  next time I would make this chicken with white rice only...making 2 labor intensive dishes made it difficult for me...my kitchen is small and makes it hard to do too many things at one time and then with not feeling well, I will just say, "dinner kicked my butt tonight..." 
and I had planned on making homemade egg rolls too, OMG I am so glad that I didn't try them too...

that is all...

memorial day bbq

I had actually forgotten that it was Memorial Day until one of my friends reminded me (hi Peggy!) and when she said she was making potato salad, it sounded so good that I decided to steal her idea and also do it...I absolutely love a good potato salad, no matter who makes it but, my family seems to think I do it pretty well...Annie at the Lodge makes a really good one almost indentical to mine...I like lots of hard boiled eggs in mine...
menu today?
bbq tri tip
mini burger sliders
hot dogs (kids)
potato salad
cole slaw
baked beans

and here is where I tell you that my daughter helped a lot...she made the 2 salads and the beans...when I went to the store to get seasoned salt, saw that they have Famous Dave's seasoning, so everyone that knows me, knows I HAD to get that...that is hubby's absolute favorite restaurant hands down...haven't had dinner yet but it is ready...sometimes when it is hot (high 80's today) and I make a big dinner, I just can't eat...so we will see if I eat or not...

last night Tim took us out to eat, and it has to be a secret right now till the newspaper comes out on Friday...LOL...

carrot soup

Ok so today, I have had the worst migraine, it carried over from yesterday...and I hate the ones that last for 2 whole days...that being said, I sure did not feel good enough for making a big huge dinner...
as I looked over my menus left for the month of May I first decided on making the individual pizza pot pies and this carrot soup...but, then everyone in my family kept talking about those little Bisquick sausage and cheese mini pies in muffin tins...(yes, they all loved them that much...)

so the recipe for carrot soup is from Pioneer Woman...I check out her blog almost daily and I love Tasty Kitchen, where a ton of my recipes come from...and this soup recipe looked fairly easy, so I just did it...all you migraine sufferers know how hard it is to do too much when you are feeling so bad, but this soup does not take a whole lot of effort...you put the carrots in a pan with broth and boil &/or simmer for 45 minutes, add honey and cream and you are done...

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/10/carrot-thyme-soup-with-cream/

it came with mixed reviews...hubby came into the kitchen ready to eat dinner, took one look at the soup in the post and walked right out of the kitchen...ummm really? ok then...so I went in and told him, he had to at least try it...he did and said that he did not like it...but don't listen to him, he is weird...he was raised in an Italian family where except for pasta nights, there was meat and potato every night...and I came from a family of 12 kids, very poor, and we were happy to eat anything we could get and we ate a lot of casseroles (anything to make the dollar stretch...) lots of hamburger...so when we got married, I had a tough time getting him to eat what I made...and there are still (38 years later) many things that I love and he will not touch...he would rather go hungry than eat, oh let's see---
tuna, rice, chipped beef, etc...now I can see the rice thing, he says it is cause he was in Vietnam so long...OK I give him that one...but when the kids came along, I was tired of only eating what he liked and I wanted my kids to have a better overall liking to various foods...I started making things like mac & cheese, chicken pot pie, etc. and if he were hungry he ate otherwise my thought was he could have a peanut butter sandwich...now, he says some of the things I forced upon him, he loves...so I would say that overall I won...
I did not win the battle with the soup with him, however Tim Zoe and Samantha all liked it...would I
make it again?  most likely but not with hubby home...think of the good nutritional value, I am so glad that my grandaughter liked and told her mom that she needed to make it more for Zozo...

Zoe made the sausage/cheese mini Bisquick pies tonight, they are that easy, but girlfriend is getting pretty good at cooking by herself anyway...

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/impossibly-easy-mini-breakfast-sausage-pies/daeffa4b-355d-466f-b712-86388de26b3f#?nicam4=SocialMedia&nichn4=Facebook&niseg4=BettyCrocker&creativeID4=Post

still with the snowman plates, shame on me...told hubby he needs to open the box of new dishes and wash them and surprise, he is doing it...so maybe you won't ever get to see my snowman dishes again...

leftovers

you get a sneaky idea of how good dinner was the night before when:

your son and you bet each other on who can get to the frig first to get the leftovers  &
when your daughter comes over and says, "I am going to steal your leftovers, I have been waiting all
day to get another taste."

I got to the frig first and got to tell Samantha, "they are all gone."

think last night's dinner is a keeper?

chicken & wild rice casserole

it's whats for dinner:  tonight I am excited for dinner, I love all components of this dish, so I cannot wait to try it...there is a version with sour cream and one with out...which one do you think I am trying?  that's right the one with sour cream...so, what is it?

http://www.southernplate.com/2012/01/chicken-and-wild-rice-casserole-and-becoming-the-crazy-daffodil-lady.html

and then to go with it I am making these:

http://www.carolinaheartstrings.com/?p=6027  sweet potato muffins, they also sound delish...

so I will definitely take pics tonight...have told everyone in my family to remind me so that way I could not forget...
let you know in a little bit if this a keeper (but then anything from Southern Plate usually is...)

by the way did you notice I am trying to use up all of my recipes that require an oven?  I know the nasty ole heat is coming this way and quickly too...all last week was in the 90's then dipped into the 80's and today high 60's (my kind of temps)...I've got a couple more oven recipes that I best get done right away...

OK dinner is done and I have eaten and OMG it is so good...definitely a keeper...absolutely to die for..you have got to try it...BTW I did not make the sweet potato muffins as my son decides to tell me he hates sweet potatoes so, instead he bought some store bread...

dessert post with links second part

in case you did not read part one, I am trying to get all of my dessert links onto one page so they are easier to find for me and therefore for you also...

for reference, the links in this post I have not tried yet but are high on my radar...
just so I know what is in this post there is cowboy coffee cake, lemonade cupcakes,
turtle cookie bars, almond joy cake, coconut cake, best carrot cake, mexican wedding cookies,
smore cupcakes, oreo cookies & a quick cherry cobbler (that my mother did make many years ago, and it is still as good as ever, I always loed it when mom would make this...)


1.    http://www.ladybehindthecurtain.com/?p=3584

2.    http://blogs.babble.com/family-kitchen/2011/06/01/kick-off-summer-with-frozen-lemonade-cupcakes/

3.    http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1841,152168-243204,00.html

4.    http://www.sprinkledwithflour.com/2010/08/turtle-cookie-bars.html

5.   http://worldaccordingtojiggle.blogspot.com/2011/06/smore-cupcakes.html

6.    http://www.justapinch.com/recipe/diane-hughes/dianes-almond-joy-cake/quick-easy-cake?source=fork_FB_almond_joy_cake

7.    http://mandysrecipebox.blogspot.com/2011/06/oreo-pudding-cookies-totally-tasty.html

8.    http://www.southernplate.com/2008/12/daddys-coconut-cake.html

9.    http://www.justapinch.com/recipe/lovinspoonful/best-carrot-cake-ever/cake?source=fork_fb_carrot_cake

10.  http://sharedsugar.com/mexican-wedding-cake-cookies/

happy desserts everyone and thanks for looking...

good ole mac & cheese

http://funwiththefullwoods.blogspot.com/2011/12/baked-mac-n-cheese-with-bacon.html  this is the delicious recipe that I used and once again, completely forgot pics till it was too late...darned it all anyway...

so, we had the wonderful mac & cheese with bacon bits, garlic texas toast and green beans and for dessert (I don't make dessert every night) an orange juice cake that is so scrumptous, it literally melts in your mouth...

make sure you try this mac & cheese...it has just about the right amount of creaminess and cheesiness...growing up in my family of 12 kids, mac & cheese meant the blue box kind or my mom might make shells and stir in velveeta cheese...

this recipe is my new go to mac & cheese recipe...

dessert post with links first 10

wanted to make a post that lists all of my favorite desserts, or ones that I want to try but have not yet...if anyone had asked me what my favorite dessert was, hands down it would have been my sweet potato cake that is so delicious...it is like carrot cake and so moist and delicious...
but then I tried this:  orange juice cake from Southern Plate...and it is to die for...you have to try it...
decided to go ahead and post 10 desserts at a time cause I have so many bookmarked on my favorite's list...I made #1 for tonight...cannot wait for dinner...this cake (#1) is so good a little warm with some whipped cream on top...so delicious

1.    http://www.southernplate.com/2011/04/aunt-sues-orange-juice-cake-from-danielle-dykman.html

2.    http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/pumpkin-dessert-squares/6f4dcbbe-39b2-4074-a1c9-5267b705c9cc?WT.dcsvid=NTMxMDQ4ODM5MwS2&rvrin=98F08239-35C1-4FE2-9884-DC4C9BF63329&WT.mc_id=Newsletter_BQ_11_11_2010   I absolutely loved these

3.    http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/mini-almond-cheesecakes/55eec7c4-97fa-4666-bb94-636827b6a4b6   from my want to try list

4.    http://www.justapinch.com/recipe/gooey-butter-cookies-by-vonna-pauls-happycooker  want to try

5.    http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/eggnog-cheesecake-bars/14cf9475-1589-482d-910e-2bd099bd8000?ESRC=16030%3FWT.mc_id%3Dpartner_facebook_Bettycrocker   haven't tried

6.    http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/double-lemon-poppy-seed-cake-122855.aspx?cm_mmc=eml-_-rbe-_-20110412-_-1017   haven't tried

7.    http://www.justapinch.com/recipe/lolagurl75/kentucky-butter-cake/cake?source=fork_FB_kentucky_butter_cake 

8.    http://www.justapinch.com/recipe/gingerg422/pumpkin-gooey-butter-cake/cake

9.    http://jamiecooksitup.blogspot.com/2011/02/cream-cheese-brownies-with-chocolate.html

10.  http://www.ourbestbites.com/2009/05/colorburst-cupcakes/

Chili's

Chili's was so good tonight my friends...you have got to try their new "Big Mouth Bites," they're little hamburger sliders with bacon and carmelized onions, served with onion straws and ranch...ohhhh so good...Ross and Tim did the 2 for $20 dinner and with that you get a free appetizer so we got the "Texas Cheese Fries," and then I had a free coupon for an appetizer, so we got the "Loaded Potato Skins..." we had a couple of to-go containers, and have had our fill of bacon, cheese and potatoes...Tim always gets the chicken tenders and hubby got the ribs tonight (he usually gets the fajitas)... dinner came out to be $6 after my gift card...such a good night, we needed it...

spanish rice

this is my recipe for spanish rice...I am sure that just about everyone has their own recipe for this, but I found this one years ago in an old magazine I bought at an estate sale...the recipe was in a column that was titled, "recipes for 2..."  so I copied the recipe down as it was and everysingle time I make it, have to do the conversions in my head...maybe today will be the day that once and for all, I finally write the conversions down on paper (then the trick would be to put the paper where I remember I put it, LOL)...I am getting bad with my memory people...
so, if my day permits and life does not get in the way this is what is for dinner tonight and for sure I will remember to take pictures...

Spanish rice:  (remember this is for 2)

ground beef
1-6oz can tomato juice
1/4 cup salsa
1 cup instant rice
chopped ripe olives
frozen corn
cheddar cheese

to cooked ground beef, add tomato juice and salsa...bring to a rapid boil, stir in rice and corn...cover tightly and let stand 5 minutes, stir and sprinkle with olives and cheese...

hint (so I did add this before)
each can of tomato juice is 48 ounces...to make a larger family version, add 4 cups of rice to each
can of 48 ounces of tomato juice...

love to serve this with a nice green salad and cornbread, those El Torito corn cakes, or a corn pudding...

I made it...life did not get in my way today, not meaning there was no drama, there was, but I still managed to babysit, laundry, clean house and make dinner...yay team me...
and as I sat down to eat, took my first bite then remembered I had promised all of you good people that I would take pics...haha...oh yeah picky princess would be so mad at me if I did not tell you she
made the corn muffins all by herself...she says, "I understand fractions now, so you don't need to tell
me anything, I can do it all..."  and she did incl. putting them in the oven by herself, that is a first...I am very proud of her...

chicken parmesan pasta

http://creativekitchenadventures.com/2011/05/02/chicken-parmesan-pasta-easy-stovetop-method/

this is what I made for dinner tonight...
I have got to get better at taking pictures...once I am done making dinner, my back hurst so bad, and I sit and once everyone has gotten their dinner, I realize that once again I have forgotten to take pictures...

I did not eat...this heat prevents me from eating but, hubby, son, daughter and grandaughter all loved it...

it is so hot here today that I did not even bother to make a salad or garlic bread, just made the pasta and told everyone that if they wanted anything more to make it themselves...

and yes, I would make it again...

tacos

so hot here today...MSN said it was supposed to reach 96...not sure if it did but, it was plain hot...zaps the energy right out of me...
decided to make tacos tonight, as it would take a minimum amount of effort on my part and not heat up the kitchen too much...
but, I was bad and only made tacos, no rice or beans or anything to go with them...

right on que, Zoe came home from her dad's starving and was so happy I was making something she would eat...she ate 3 of them and then asked her mom, "what's for dinner?"  Samantha said, "ummm
tacos..."  thought it was funny...Samantha likes when we invite them over cause she doesn't have to cook that way...

cheating

tonight I cheated...I did not make dinner, tho I had full intentions of doing so...
took my scooter up to the store and was going to get the rest of the ingredients I needed to make mac & cheese, bbq smokies, biscuits, and green beans and going up to the store, decided to make a pit stop at Goodwill and then this other little thrift store (I love me some thrift stores) and as I was going by the teriyaki beef bowl place, the smell drew me in, I could not stand it...so in I went and called Tim to ask if he wanted the beef bowl and he said, "no..."
so I went ahead and got 2 for hubby and me and made a detour to Carl's Jr for my son...what a good mom I am...
hopefully tomorrow I will be back to cooking altho I have the 2 month old all day tomorrow and it is the first day I have ever watched her...should be interesting...she loves to be held and hates her car seat...

sloppy joes

you know every day that I cook, I plan on taking pictures and making a really nice post and then life gets in the way and the minute dinner is done every gets their plate and I realize I didn't get a chance to take a decent picture...
today was crazy, I babysit the 4 year old all day on Tuesdays and Thursdays and he really is a good kid, but today was trying for many reasons and the last thing I wanted to do was cook once the little darling went home...and it also has been in the 90's here all week...I hate the heat and will do anything in my power to not turn the oven on...
thank goodness for leftovers from last night...
tonight?  sloppy joes on buns, corn on the cob and leftover macaroni salad...
it went over very well, even Samantha and Zoe came over to eat and the picky princess (Zoe) came back for seconds and she usually is (for an 11 yr old) a somewhat vegetarian (what she means by that is usually no beef, haha...) but she does love her some In n Out burgers tho...
hoping for a much better day tomorrow and I will cook something fantastic and maybe even get a picture or two in there too...
see ya tomorrow

cute food type story...Grandpa and I like to eat breakfast a couple of times a week at this place called "Little Green Onion..."  good food and fairly cheap...he and I can eat a good sized breakfast for about $8.00...so we take Cj with us when he is here...he calls it "Little Green Pepper..."

applebees chicken wrap

temperature guage said it was 91 here in Riverside, I know, I know...it is hot, really hot and I have said before how much I hate the heat and I will not turn on my oven in the heat...
what to make for tonight?
http://mandysrecipebox.blogspot.com/2011/05/applebees-oriental-chicken-salad.html
and with it I made macaroni salad, baked beans and deviled eggs...

this dish is what I always get when we go to Applebees and this comes very close to the original recipe...everyone loved dinner tonight...

you must try it...

last night? layered chicken bake

desperately wanted a down home comfort dinner and I have made this maybe 3-4 other times as it always fits the bill when I want homey...
what I also like about this recipe is that you can do so many different things with it, change it so many ways...
I always choose the almandine version and I add cranberries...it is like Thanksgiving all in one bite...everyone including the picky princess (my 11 yr old) loves and everyone always has seconds of it...

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/easy-layered-chicken-bake-75568.aspx?pf=true

please try it, you will not be sorry...

TGIF

yes, I you read the title correctly...we ate out tonight at TGIF's (Tim's treat) (isn't he a great son?)...
we picked him up and went for an early dinner and I was pretty hungry...
Tim and I always do the 3 courses for $20.00 and we start off with their potato skins (great tonight...), then Tim got chicken strips, I always get the steak and loaded potatoes (I only eat about 1/2 and then Tim has a midnight snack...) and Ross tonight got the California club sandwich and a salad...for dessert that comes with the 3 course dinner, we got the Vanilla Bean Cheesecake (OMGosh this was so yummy) that we for sure will order again...

a nice late afternoon, and then went to Barnes and Noble where I am trying to get Zoe the rest of the series of the Babysitter's Club (her newest addiciton to reading...)

swedish meatballs

it cooled down here a tad, enough for me to want to make Tim a good dinner and this is one of his favorites...I also babysat A.L.L. day so it took a bit of momentum to get going but every so often, it
is nice to have a good down home comfort meal, one of my staples...this fits the bill...
sorry but everyone was so hungry, that I did not get a picture before it was all gone...

swedish meatballs, buttered egg noodles, and green beans with almonds (they were leftovers...)

think I made at least Tim happy...Sam and Zoe are trying hard to go gluten free, so they skipped on dinner, tho I still make enough to feed a small army...

any takers???  free delivery...LOL

egg salad sandwiches

was it hot enough for you here today?  OMGoodness, here in Riverside it was over 90...once the temperature gets anywhere remotely near 90, I don't care about the numbers after that...it is just plain H.O.T.  not looking forward to the summer at all people, I hate, it really really bad...cannot stress enough how much I hate heat...
was looking forward to getting away this summer, wanted to go to Whidbey Island for a month or so, but we all know that isn't going to happen, don't we?

heat wipes me out and usually leaves me with a pretty good migraine also, and all day I thought what is
the easiest dinner I can make?

hence egg salad for dinner, thank goodness everyone likes it here, otherwise they would have had to have had peanut butter or something...

farmer boy's

let me tell you, if nothing says eating out more than having 4 kids under the age of 11 for a couple of hours, I do not know what does...

went to Farmer Boy's tonight, Ross always gets fish and chips and I get the bacon cheeseburger, then I eat some of his fish and fries...

good tonight...back to cooking tomorrow...

mini Bisquick sausage pies

I was so excited for dinner tonight...have had the recipe for these mini Bisquick pies saved in my favorites, it seems like forever...so tonight after making 3 B.I.G. dinners in a row, I was tired and wanted something more simple...these did take a little work, but were so worth it...the taste is
incredible, so delicious and I will make them over and over again...and think of the possibilities
that you can do with these???

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/impossibly-easy-mini-breakfast-sausage-pies/daeffa4b-355d-466f-b712-86388de26b3f#?nicam4=SocialMedia&nichn4=Facebook&niseg4=BettyCrocker&creativeID4=Post

please make these for dinner tomorrow night, you will not regret it...

Sunday night dinner: mock lasagna

I am bad...this month I printed a monthly calendar and put what I was going to make for dinner for each
day...all organized really nice, no 2 beefs together, no soups together, etc....
but then the last couple of days, I made whatever I felt like making, not following the calendar...
so tonight I took from next week and decided to make this recipe that I have been making for a very long time and everyone in the family loves it...I make a huge pan of it as the leftovers are great too...

mock lasagna
sauce;
2 (1lb-12oz) cans of stewed tomatoes
2 (16 oz) cans of tomato sauce
4 cups of water
1 lb ground hamburger
1 1b ground sweet italian sausage
add your seasonings to taste

add first 3 ingredients to a pan, bring to a boil, and simmer for 15 min...add browned hamburger and
sausage...
layer 1/2 of the sauce to bottom of 13x9 pan...
then add 1 pkg of egg noodles (uncooked) evenly over sauce...
top with rest of sauce...
add mozzarella cheese to top...
put foil on pan...

bake 375 degrees for about 40 minutes...

also made this:

http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/breads/honey-oatmeal-bread-2/

think everyone was happy with this Sunday night dinner

chicken enchiladas

Chicken Enchiladas
Submitted by Gia

1 large onion, chopped very fine (I usually use about half onion)
2 T. butter
2 c. shredded cooked chicken (about 4-5 breasts)
1/2 c. chopped pimientos (4 oz jar)
1 (4 oz) can chopped green chiles, drained
6 oz. cream cheese, very soft (I use whole block)
1 t. cilantro
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1 c. shredded Monterey Jack cheese
10-12 flour tortillas (soft taco size Mission brand)
1 c. whipping cream (can omit, but bake covered most of the time, if so)
1 c. shredded Monterey Jack (again)
sour cream
salsa

For filling: Saute onions in butter in skillet over med heat til cooked.
Add chicken, pimientos, green chiles, cream cheese, cilantro, salt, pepper, and 1 c. Monterey Jack cheese.
Cook over low heat until mixes well and cheese melts.
Soften tortillas in oiled skillet (or don’t if not enough time).
Spoon large spoonful of chicken mixture onto the tortilla and roll up to enclose.
Arrange seam-side down in a greased 9X13 dish. (May need an 8X8 for a few extra) Pour the whipping cream over the tortillas.
(if I know we won’t need them all, I freeze the rolled up enchiladas without the whipping cream and use for another meal later).
Preheat oven to 375.
Bake 20 minutes, then sprinkle remaining MJ cheese and bake until cheese melts.
Serves 6.

Top with sour cream and salsa to serve.

made mexican rice and refried beans all to celebrate Cinco de Mayo...Zoe helped with dinner and she liked the enchiladas as did Sam...Tim does not like enchiladas and Ross would not comment...think I would make these again...actually never made enchiladas before...

the past week...

rough start to the week of cooking...
Sunday was Tim's BD dinner and I made beef stroganoff with noodles, it was very good, especially the leftovers...

Monday, Tim wanted to try Toby Keith's new restaurant in Rancho Cucamonga...it was ok...I had the turkey melt, Zoe got grilled cheese, Tim got a hamburger and Ross got the steak sandwich...not sure I would make a point of going back...service was excellent...oh we got the fried twinkies for dessert and they were good, except for placing them on top of strawberries, which kind of made it like mush...

Tuesday, decided after babysitting all day to go to Chili's for dinner and I got bacon cheeseburger, Tim always gets the chicken tenders, & Ross got the steak fajitas...we got the texas cheese fries as an appetizer...

Wednesday, I had to go to the mall to get Zoe a pair of shoes to go with her Easter dress to wear to her awards assembly so we ate at the mall...Ross and Tim ate at Panda Express, and I had cheesesteak sandwich...

Thursday, took Samantha, her friend and Zoe to Pepitos...I always get the tacos, Ross gets the taco salad and I forgot what Sam and her friend got, tho Zoe got kid's menu cheese enchiladas...

Friday, finally I cooked...made my famous corn chowder and since we had bananas, made banana bread from this...

http://www.justapinch.com/recipe/easy-moist-banana-bread-by-myra-jackson-loopev
now I absolutely hate bananas, but everyone else said it was pretty good...

tonight?  chicken enchiladas