BBQ CHICKEN SALAD

BBQ CHICKEN SALAD
We had this at Justin & Jennifer's house when we stayed with them before the Maner Family Reunion June 2014.  It was so yummy and everyone loved it.  Jenn layered it on a big platter (which looked way cool).  I used a 9x13.  Didn't look as pretty, but worked.

Serves approx. 8

1/2 head iceberg lettuce, cut up
1 large bunch romaine lettuce, cut up
1 cup jicama, diced into 1/4" cubes
1 cup frozen white corn - rinse under cold water & drain
1 can black beans - drain & rinse
2 cups pepper jack cheese - coursely grated
3 medium tomatoes, dice
1-2 avocados, dice
juice of 1/2 lime, drizzle over avocado
1/4 cup cilantro, minced
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dressing:
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup mayo
1 pkg ranch dressing mix
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marinate:
2# chicken tenders
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp kosher salt
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pepper
---
1/2 cup bbq sauce (Sweet Baby Ray's is the best!)

Place chicken tenders in a Ziploc bag and marinate in oil, soy sauce, garlic and salt for 1 hour.  Make dressing and chill.

Place tenders on broiler pan and season with fresh ground pepper.  Broil 4-6 minutes per side.  Watch closely.  Let rest 10 minutes before dicing into 1/2" cubes, then toss with bbq sauce. (I just cooked on griddle).

On a large platter (or 9x13) layer lettuce, jicama, corn, black beans, cheese and tomatoes.  Top with warm bbq chicken and avocados.  Sprinkle on cilantro.

Serve immediately with ranch dressing and garlic bread (we had toast - biscuits would be good too - or scones)

SIMPLE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

SIMPLE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
We got some cherries from Bountiful Baskets. Abagail was treats for FHE so of course she wanted to make cupcakes with a cherry on top (she says this every week).  She wanted white frosting.  I had a cherry chip cake mix that we used.  I don't normally like white frosting but this was really, really good.  I cut the recipe in half.  It didn't frost all of these (12 big, 24 small) but that is okay.  I added the full amount of vanilla and about 1/2 tsp of almond extract.  Only added 1 T of milk. 

This is found in the OurBestBites cookbook pg 58.

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature (no substitutions)
1 pinch salt
3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
4-6 T cream or milk - more or less as needed
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract (use clear vanilla if want it more white)
almond, lemon, or peppermint extract, to taste, optional

Beat butter until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute.  Sift powdered sugar and add to butter.  Beat on low speed until combined and then on medium-high sped for a full minute.  Add extracts.  Reduce speed and add milk, on tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition, until desired consistency is reached.  Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy.

For chocolate buttercream add 1/3-1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, to taste, and additional cream as needed.

FARMHOUSE PORK AND APPLE PIE

FARMHOUSE PORK AND APPLE PIE

This came from taste of home famiy collection pg 131.  Boneless pork was so expensive so I got pork ribblets because they were so much cheaper.  Since it had bones in it I didn't put the mashed potatoes on top, but had them as a side.  We also had it with corn on the cob.  I cooked the bacon on the griddle then cooked the onions from that grease in the dutch oven.  Cooked the pork on the griddle the put all of it in the dutch oven.  It just fell off the bone - it was super yummy!  Most of the reviews said to double the potatoes.

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/farmhouse-pork-and-apple-pie

• 1 pound sliced bacon, cut into 2"

• 3 medium onions, chopped

• 3 pounds boneless pork, cut into 1-inch cubes

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

• Canola oil, optional

• 3 medium tart apples, peeled and chopped

• 1 teaspoon rubbed sage

   (just did Italian seasoning)

• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

• 1 cup apple cider

• 1/2 cup water

• 4 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed (or more)

• 1/2 cup milk

• 5 tablespoons butter, divided

• Additional salt and pepper

• Minced fresh parsley, optional

1. Cook bacon in an ovenproof 12-in. skillet until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. In drippings, saute onions until tender; remove with slotted spoon and set aside. Dust pork lightly with flour. Brown a third at a time in drippings, adding oil if needed. Remove from the heat and drain.
2. To the pork, add the bacon, onions, apples, sage, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Stir in cider and water. Cover and bake at 325° for 2 hours or until pork is tender.
3. Place potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook for 10-15 minutes or until tender.
4. Drain and mash with milk and 3 tablespoons butter. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove skillet from the oven and spread potatoes over pork mixture.
5. Melt remaining butter; brush over potatoes. Broil 6 in. from the heat for 5 minutes or until topping is browned. Sprinkle with parsley if desired. Yield: 10 servings.

CHICKEN YAKISOBA

CHICKEN YAKISOBA

http://www.budgetbytes.com/2012/03/chicken-yakisoba/

I need to make these kind of meals more often.  My family really likes them and it is a great way to get in veggies.  Also added some leftover rice.  Next time I think it would be good with soba noodles (think they are called that).

• ½ head green cabbage $0.41
• 1 medium yellow onion $0.55
• 2 medium carrots $0.25
• 1 small crown broccoli $0.70
• 2 inches fresh ginger $0.52
• 1 large chicken breast $1.66
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil $0.08
• 2 (3 oz.) packages ramen noodles
• seasoning packets discarded $0.50
• 1 tsp sesame oil  $0.19
• ¼ cup soy sauce $0.24
• ¼ cup worcestershire sauce $0.20
• 2 Tbsp ketchup $0.05
• (up to) 1 Tbsp sriracha hot sauce $0.26 - didn't add
• 1 Tbsp sugar $0.02

Instructions

1. Before you begin, prepare the meat and vegetables for stir frying. Peel the ginger with either a vegetable peeler or the side of a spoon and then grate it with a cheese grater. Peel and grate the carrots with a large holed cheese grater. Remove the core from the cabbage and cut into thin strips. Slice the onion into thin strips. Cut the broccoli into bite-sized pieces. Slice the chicken into thin strips.
2. Begin boiling a medium pot full of water for the noodles. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the grated ginger, saute for about 30 seconds to one minute (its okay if it sticks to the pan but don’t let it burn). Add the chicken strips and cook until they are no longer pink (about five minutes).
3. Once the chicken is cooked through, add all of the vegetables. Stir and cook until wilted (about 5-10 minutes). Meanwhile, once the water boils, add the noodles and cook just until tender (2-3 minutes). Drain, return to the pot (with the heat turned off) and toss with the sesame oil to keep from sticking.
4. In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, worcestershire sauce, ketchup, sriracha, and sugar. Use only ½ tsp of sriracha if you don’t want it spicy, use up to 1 Tbsp if you like it hot. Stir until the ketchup and sugar are dissolved. Pour the sauce into the skillet with the chicken and vegetables with the heat still on medium high. Add the noodles, stir to coat everything in the sauce, and heat through (just a few minutes).

CHEESY SOUTHWEST EGG BAKE

CHEESY SOUTHWEST EGG BAKE
http://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/cheesy-southwest-egg-bake/013826ef-209a-446a-849f-67d364b8bcfd

We liked this.  Perfect brunch meal.  Didn't get done in the middle.  Need to test with a knife next time.  Made in dutch oven.

Ingredients

1

package (12 oz) bulk chorizo or spicy pork sausage - used Winco sausage

1/2

cup chopped onion

3/4

cup chopped bell pepper (any color)

10

eggs

1/4

cup whipping cream

2

cups shredded pepper Jack or Mexican cheese blend (8 oz)

1

teaspoon red pepper flakes

1

can (16.3 oz) Pillsbury™ Grands!™ Flaky Layers refrigerated original biscuits

1

tablespoon vegetable oil

Steps

• 1Heat oven to 375°F. In 12-inch ovenproof skillet, cook sausage, onion and bell pepper over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until sausage is no longer pink; drain. Remove mixture from skillet; set aside.
• 2In large bowl, beat eggs and cream. Stir in 1 cup of the cheese, the pepper flakes and sausage mixture. Separate dough into 8 biscuits. Cut each biscuit into 6 pieces.
• 3Spread oil in bottom of skillet. Place biscuits in skillet. Pour sausage mixture over biscuits. Top with remaining 1 cup cheese.
• 4Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until egg mixture is set and crust is deep golden brown. Cool 5 minutes before serving.

Chorizo, a coarsely ground pork sausage highly seasoned with garlic, chili powder and other spices, is widely used in Mexican and Spanish cooking. Spicy pork sausage can be used in this recipe instead of the chorizo.

This recipe can also be made in a cast-iron skillet as directed. Don't have an ovenproof skillet? Bake in a greased or sprayed 13x9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until egg mixture is set and crust is deep golden brown. Cool 5 minutes before serving.

HAWAIIAN BREAD

HAWAIIAN BREAD

This came from Heather Chapple. Super, super yummy! Everyone liked. I used one big loaf pan, Abagail's small pan and 12 small muffins.

1 Stick of Butter (1/2 Cup) softened---let it get room temperature naturally. DO NOT put in the microwave as this will make your bread crumbly.

1 1/3 Cups Sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

2 Cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

¾ tsp. salt

4 ripe bananas

1 cup sour cream

1 cup chopped nuts---I use walnuts

1 cup (or less) semi-sweet chocolate chips

Mix softened butter and add sugar, a little at a time. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla, mashed bananas, and sour cream. Mix well. Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt: add to butter mixture and mix well. Stir in nuts and chocolate chips Pour into 2 lightly greased loaf pans. I don’t have a sifter so I shake the flour in the container first to make sure it is fluffy. Your cup of flour should be lightly packed. (I spooned and leveled)

Bake at 350 for 45 min to 1 hr. edges will start to look dry and toothpick method works great unless you put it in a mound of chocolate.