Walnut Chicken

Walnut Chicken

1 T oil
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp cornstarch
2 whole chicken breasts, skinned and cubed

1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 tsp ground ginger
3 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp cornstarch

dried red pepper
1 med onion, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 clove garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, cut into pieces
1/2 lb. broccoli, cut
1/2 cup chopped walnut
Rice, cooked

Mix 1 T oil, soy sauce and 1 tsp cornstarch in small bowl. Stir in chicken breast. Cover and refrigerate for 3o minutes.

Meanwhile, mix chicken broth, ginger, 3 tsp soy sauce, and 2 tsp cornstarch. Set aside.

Heat oil in large skillet. Stir fry refrigerated chicken mixture and dried red pepper over medium heat until chicken is no longer pink. Remove chicken from skillet. Stir fry onion, garlic, red bell pepper. Cook until onion is tender. Add broccolli. Cook until tender. Add chicken and broth. Cook stirring constantly, until thickened. Stir in walnuts.

Serve with rice.

Homemade Oreo Cookies

Homemade Oreo Cookies

 

Cookie Recipe
1 package devil's food cake mix
2 eggs
1/2 - cup oil (or butter flavored shortening)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Add oil and eggs to cake mix and blend together. Roll dough into balls (a little larger than a quarter). Place on greased cookie sheet. Bake for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on sheet (until warm). Remove cookies from sheet and place on cooling rack.To assemble the cookies, in a pastry bag with a 1/2 inch, round tip (you can always use a zip lock bag with a round tip or just use a butter knife)add about a tablespoon of filling into the center of one cookie. Place another cookie similar in size on top of the filling. Lightly press, to work the filling evenly to the outsides of the cookie. Continue this process until all the cookies have been sandwiched with cream.

Cream Cheese Filling Recipe:
1 - stick butter (1/2 cup)
1 - block of cream cheese (8 ounces)
3-4 cups - confectioner's sugar (depending on desired consistency)
1 - tsp vanilla extract

Cream butter and add cream cheese and mix well. Add confectioner's sugar slowly until you reach your desired consistency.


Vanilla Cream Filling Recipe:
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) room-temperature, unsalted butter
1/4 - cup vegetable shortening
2 - 3 - cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
2 - teaspoons vanilla extract

Cream butter and shortening together. Add add vanilla extract and confectioner's sugar slowly until you reach your desired consistency.

Chicken Corn Chowder

This recipe is from My Kitchen Cafe and is by far the best soup I have ever had!! 


Chicken Corn Chowder
Printable Version

*Plan Ahead: This recipe calls for cooked chicken.

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 stalks of celery, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 jalapeno, finely chopped, seeds and membrane removed (this is important for flavor - but doesn't add heat because the seeds and membranes are removed and it is cooked with the other veggies)
1/4 cup thinly sliced or cooked chopped ham
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 (14-oz.) cans chicken broth
3 tablespoons flour
3 ears of fresh corn kernels or 1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels
2 large chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
4 oz. softened cream cheese
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Place olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute celery, bell pepper, onion and jalapeno until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and ham; cook for another 3 minutes. Whisk the broth with the flour in a liquid measuring cup or bowl and then stir into the soup. Stir in the corn and chicken. Bring to a low boil and reduce heat. Whisk together the cream cheese and milk in a large bowl until smooth (I had a difficult time getting my cream cheese to completely whisk into the milk so my soup had some minor small lumps but next time, I'll soften the cream cheese until almost melted in the microwave). Whisk the cream cheese/milk mixture into the soup along with the salt, pepper and cheddar cheese. Simmer on low until ready to serve

Cheescake from Nikki

I got this recipe from my friend Nikki who got it from the food network channel. It is hands down the best cheesecake I've ever had!


Crust

1 ¾ cup finely crushed Graham Cracker (1 package)

½ tsp Ground Cinnamon

¼ cup white sugar

½ cup melted butter

Mix all ingredients together, shape crust and bake at 450 degrees until starts to brown. Take out and cool completely before adding cheesecake filling.

Filling

1 cup Heavy Cream (1/2 pint carton)

2 ½ lbs (5 – 8 oz pkg) Cream Cheese at room temperature

1 1/3 cup White Sugar

3 Tbsp Flour

1 tsp Vanilla

5 Eggs

2 Egg Yolks

Mix heavy cream to lubricate bowl. Add cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar, flour, and vanilla. Add eggs one at a time and then add egg yolks. Pour into crust. Bake at 450 degrees in a water bath (fill a cookie sheet with water and place the cheesecake in the middle). Bake until it starts to brown a little on the top (usually 10 minutes but may take up to 20) , then reduce heat to 200 degrees and bake for 1 hour, refilling the water bath as needed.  Remove from oven and cool for 2 hours before removing from pan.

Add desired topping or eat plain and ENJOY!