Orange Dream

Is the weather HOT in your neck of the woods? It sure is in Beaverton, Oregon, we have been running about 90-95 the last few days again. We really needed something quick and easy to cool us off, this drink really did the trick. Most of the ingredients for this drink are things we all have on hand in out cabinets, or freezer. It was very refreshing and cooled you off from the inside out, it is a wonderful family friendly drink, but I bet if you wanted to turn it into an adult cocktail it would turn out wonderful with some vodka or tequila.

3/4 C. - Orange Juice
2 Tsp. - Grenadine
1 large Scoop - Vanilla Ice-Cream
1/2 C. Crushed - Ice
Orange Slices (Garnish)

Combine the orange juice, grenadine, vanilla ice-cream and ice in a blender. Blend on high speed for about 2 minutes. Serve in a glass and garnish the rim with an orange slice.

Serving Size… One 16 0z. Glass

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Crispy Orange Chicken

I have stumbled upon another great recipe in our America's Most Wanted cook book, this time it is from the fabulous restaurant of Apple Bee's. I can honestly say that I have never tried this dish in the restaurant so I have nothing to compare it to, but it turned out scrumptious. We really love Asian food and it has gotten so expensive to go out for it so making this recipe at home was a big winner for us. It could not be any easier, more cost effective and downright delish!

3 - Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast (cut into cubes)
1 - Egg (beaten)
1 1/2 Tsp. - Salt
1/4 Tsp. - Ground Pepper
1 Tbs. - Vegetable Oil
1 C. - Flour
1 Tsp. - Cornstarch

Glaze:

1 Tsp. - Minced Garlic
1 C. - Orange Juice
1/2 C. - Hoisin Sauce
1/4 C. - Sugar
1 Tbs. - Sesame Seeds
Pinch of Cayenne Pepper

Place the chicken into a bowl along with the egg and oil, stir to combine. In another bowl mix the flour and cornstarch together. Dredge the chicken in small batches in the flour mixture until evenly coated, then cook in a deep fryer set at 375 degrees for 4 minutes then drain on paper towel, continue cooking the chicken until all pieces are fried. While you are cooking the batches of chicken make the sauce, in a sauce pan add a little more oil and sauté the garlic over medium heat just until tender, be careful not to burn it. Add the remaining items and bring to a boil and cook for 3 minutes, then turn down to simmer and let reduce until thick, make sure to keep an eye on it and stir constantly so it does not burn. We served the chicken over jasmine rice and drizzle the sauce over the top; this chicken would also be good with a sweet and sour sauce or putting the sesame seeds into the batter and serving it alongside egg fu yung brown gravy for dipping.

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4th Of July Poppers

The middle Poppers were without the Panko just the batter...

Last week my boss was telling me about a recipe he had seen on TV, the cook was doing beer battered deep fried bacon. I spoke to my husband about this and we took the bacon and beer batter idea and ran with it. We came up with a great idea for some awesome 4th of July snacks, we had them plain but they would also be great with your favorite dip along side. I hope you give them a try...we really think you will love them.

Batter:

1 12oz. - Beer (your favorite)
1 - Egg
1 C. - Flour
1 Tsp. - Baking Soda
1/2 Tbs. - Garlic Powder
1/2 Tbs. - Smoked Paprika
1/2 Tsp. - Cayenne
1/4 Tsp. - Pepper
Pinch Kosher Salt

Mix the batter and let sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes while you prepare the meat.

Poppers:

24 - Cheddar Little Smokies
1 Lbs. - Thick Cut Bacon (cut each piece in half)
2 - Eggs
1 C. - Flour
1 C. - Panko Crumbs
24 - Toothpicks

Roll each little smokie in a slice of the bacon and secure with a toothpick, brown in a frying pan over medium high heat until both sides are cooked and crisp. Let the little smokies cool before battering them. Place the eggs into a bowl and lightly beat them, place the flour into another bowl, place the beer batter next in line followed by the bowl of Panko crumbs. Dip each smokie into the egg, then flour, then batter and then into the Panko. Deep fry in oil at 320 degrees for 3 1/2 - 4 minutes make sure to keep the poppers moving in the oil so they don't stick together. Drain on paper towel and serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

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Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies

Our daughter is home from Denver for vacation, last weekend we took her to Seaside Oregon and spent the day having fun in the sand. We stopped into a candy store called the Buzz because they had on their window an ad for Chocolate Dipped Bacon. I could not resist giving that a try, We both love chocolate and bacon so the 2 together even though the thought of it sounds odd, it had to taste good...right ? Let me tell you, it was absolutely over the top good. I knew if bacon covered in chocolate tasted good, then some warm gooey bacon chocolate chip cookies would also taste great. The sweet of the chocolate and the smoky of the bacon is a wonderful combination in a cookie, it’s a Must TRY.

2 1/4 C. - Flour
1 Tsp. - Baking Soda
1/2 Tsp. - Salt
2 Sticks - Butter ( soft )
3/4 C. - Sugar
3/4 C. - Brown Sugar
2 Tsp. - Vanilla
2 - Eggs
1 C. - Ghirardelli Milk Chocolate Chips
1 C. - Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Chips
8 Thick - Slices Of Bacon ( cooked)

Cook the bacon until golden and crispy ( my husband does it on the BBQ ) set aside in the fridge to cool. Mix the flour and baking soda in a bowl and set aside. Beat the butter, sugar, and brown sugar at medium speed until creamy and light in color ( about 4 minutes ). Add the vanilla and one egg at a time on low speed until well combined. Gradually add in the flour mixture into the creamed mixture, stir in the chips and cut the bacon into pieces about the same size as the chips and mix well. Drop onto a parchment, lined baking sheet and cook in a 375 degree oven for 10-13 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet for about 1 minutes then transfer to waxed paper to set and cool.

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Father's Day Sliders

Last Saturday my husband and I were in downtown Portland, we drove past Williams & Sonoma and they had a picture of sliders hanging in the window. I told my husband that we should make some for our Father’s day posting and so we started to think of things we could do. My husband came up with the spice mix for the ground beef, I thought of 2 sauces we could use on the buns and our daughter Trisha wanted caramelized onions on the third slider. These were so much fun to make and even more fun to eat, I have never had them before but I will most certainly have them again.

Burgers:

1 Lbs. - Ground Beef
1 Tsp. - Garlic (chopped)
1 Tsp. - Sweet Mesquite Seasoning
1/2 Tsp. - Smoked Paprika
1/8 Tsp. - Johnny's Garlic Seasoning
1/8 tsp. - Ground Cinnamon
1/8 Tsp. - Thai Seasoning

Salt & Pepper
12 King Hawaiian Dinner Rolls

Mix the meat and spices together, divide into 12 walnut sized balls and then shape into patties. Cook over medium high heat on a grill pan for about 5 minutes per side. Serve with the following toppings...

Caramelized Onions:

1/2 - Red Onion
2 Tbs. - Butter
1/2 Tsp. - Brown Sugar

Sauté the onions in the butter for about 20 minutes and then stir in the sugar and cook for another 10 minutes.

Honey Mustard Mayo:

1/3 C. - Mayo
1 Tbs. - Honey Mustard
1/2 Tbs. - Honey
1/2 Tbs. - Spicy Brown Mustard

Mix Well

Garlic Mayo:

1/3 C. - Mayo
1/2 Tsp. - Chopped Garlic
1/2 Tsp. - Johnny's Garlic Seasoning

Mix Well

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Strawberry Cobbler

So yesterday in Beaverton was fabulous....It was a sunny, breezy 75 degree day and made all of us think that the flooding rain had finally stopped. That was until we got up this morning to a total down pour yet again....Is someone building that ARK yet? Back to the yummy stuff, my husband and I wanted to make something that would make us feel like it was summer or at least look like summer in a dish. So what else than to make a wonderful dessert made out of Strawberries. This recipe is so quick, easy and absolutely fabulous! We had it simply with a cinnamon sugar topping, but it would be wonderful with whipped topping or vanilla ice-cream. YUMMO!!!

6 C. - Strawberries (cut into thirds)
1/3 C. - Sugar
2 C. - Flour
2/3 C. - Sugar
2 Tsp. - Baking Powder
1/4 Tsp. - Baking Soda
1/4 C. - Salt
3/4 C. - Butter
1 C. - Buttermilk
1 Tbs. - Sugar
1/2 Tbs. - Cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a 3 Quart dish or 8 medium ramekins, place the berries in the baking dish and sprinkle with 1/3 c. sugar and mix well. In another bowl mix the flour, 2/3C. sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Using a pastry blender or 2 knives and cut the butter into the flour mixture until it's coarse and crumbly. Add the buttermilk and mix until fully blended and a thick batter forms. Spoon the batter over the berries and using the back of a spoon spread the batter evenly over the top of the berries, don't worry about if you have holes in the batter because it will fill in while baking. Sprinkle the top of the cobbler with some of the cinnamon sugar then bake for about 35 minutes or until golden brown.

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Cap ' n Crunch Chicken Strips

My husband bought me what I think is the coolest cooking book ever, America's Most Wanted Recipes. Inside you will find some of today's top restaurants sharing their most popular recipes, I have found so many items that I just simply have to try. Like the dinner we had just last night, at first I thought it sounded a little strange but after thinking about it more it really did sound good. This recipe comes to us from Planet Hollywood....it was fabulous!

2 C. - Crushed Cap'n Crunch Cereal
1 1/2 C. - Crushed Corn Flakes Cereal
1 - Egg
1 C. - Milk
1 C. - Flour
1/2 Tbs. - Onion Powder
1/2 Tbs. - Garlic Powder
2 Lbs. - Chicken Breast (cut into strips)
Vegetable Oil - (for frying)

Combine the cereal in a large bowl, beat the egg with the milk and set aside. Stir together the flour and spices then set aside. Dip the chicken into the flour mixture and shake off the excess, then dip into the egg mixture and then fully coat the strips in the cereal mixture. Set into a preheated deep fryer set at 320 degrees and cook for 4 minutes or until golden brown. When done drain on some paper towel and enjoy. My husband really loved them with a side of honey mustard sauce we created for dipping.

Spicy Brown Honey Mustard Sauce

1 Tbs. - Spicy Brown Mustard
2 Tbs. - Honey

Mix the 2 items together and let them sit in the fridge to mingle the flavors while you are cooking the chicken.

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Pasta e Fagiolash

The other night I was attempting to make my husband's all time favorite soup, it was looking great and tasting great. Then he had to work late, so the soup really had time to simmer and stay warm until he got home. While I waited for him to arrive the soup went from soup to more of a goulash, but that was ok with my husband because he really does not like runny soup. This soup was anything but runny, it was fabulous! It had time for all of the flavors to marry together and taste simply delish, he loved it. This was my first time ever trying this soup and I must say it was pretty darn good for a soup/goulash.

1 Lbs. - Ground Beef
1 Tbs. - EVOO
½ C. - Diced Onion
1 C. - Thin Sliced Carrot
14.5 oz - Can Diced Tomato
15.5 oz - Can Red Kidney Beans
15.5 oz - Can White Kidney Beans
32 oz - Beef Broth
1 1/2 Tbs. - Johnny's Garlic Seasoning
1 Tbs. - Dried Oregano
2 Tsp. - Pepper
1 Tsp. - Hot Sauce
16 oz - Spaghetti Sauce
8 oz - Elbow Pasta
2 Ears - White Corn (cut off the cob)

Sauté the beef in the oil in a large soup pot until fully cooked. Add the onion, carrot and tomato and simmer for about 10 min. Drain the beans and add to the soup pot along with the broth, pasta, spaghetti sauce, hot sauce and spices. Simmer the soup for about 45 minutes and then ladle into bowls....Enjoy!

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Dunkin French Onion Soup

My husband and I stepped out of our box the other day and made something for dinner that we had only eaten once and have always wondered what it would taste like if we prepared it our way. We had each tried this item once on separate occasions and thought it was OK but of course new that we could put the Dunkin twist on it and make it our own ultimate version that we would absolutely love. We could not have been happier with the outcome, it was fabulous and oh so sinfully good.

1 - Large Onion (diced)
8 Tbs. - Butter
2 Tbs. - Oil
4 C. - Chicken Stock
4 C. - Beef Stock
8 Slices - French Bread (1 inch)
1 C. - Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1 C. - Shredded Colby & Monterey Jack Cheese
2 Tbs. - Johnny's Garlic Seasoning
1 Tbs. - Montreal Steak Seasoning

Pepper to taste
Corn Starch to thicken soup

In a soup pot melt the 4 Tbs. Of the butter with the oil, sauté the onions until just slightly caramelized, this will take about 20 minutes. When tender and a golden rich color add in the chicken and beef stock along with the pepper, Montreal steak seasoning and 1 ½ Tbs. of the Johnny's garlic, simmer the soup for another 15 minutes. In the mean time use the remaining butter and Johnny's to turn your French bread into garlic bread, place onto a baking sheet and cook in a 350 degree oven just until the butter mixture has melted. Once the bread is ready remove the tray from the oven and turn the oven to broil, top each slice of bread with a mixture of the cheeses and return to the oven to melt and brown the cheese. While the cheese is melting thicken the soup to the consistency you like, we like a cross between a soup and a stew. Once the soup is thick and the toast is ready then you can ladle the soup into bowls and top each with a piece of the garlic cheese toast. We really think that by using both types of broth and caramelizing the onion gave this soup a very rich and silky taste.

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Caramel Apple Cookies

As previously stated...so sorry for being gone so long, it was certainly not our intentions. Sometimes the real world just gets in the way of how you want to run your life. With that being said, we are back and ready to get your taste buds back in gear with some quick, easy and wonderful new recipes. I thought no better way to get back into it, than with a totally sinful cookie recipe, OMG these things are to die for good. Before I get to the recipe, I would just like to say to all of our blog friends that we have missed you a great deal and an extra special Thanks to those who have left comments on our whereabouts and honest concern if everything was going OK.

20 - Rolo's Candies (cut into 4th’s)
1 (18.25 oz) - Butter Yellow Cake Mix
½ C. - Vegetable Oil
¼ C. - Packed Brown Sugar
2 - Large Eggs
1 Tsp. - Vanilla
1 (6oz) - Package Dried Apples (chopped)

In a small bowl toss the chopped candies with 2 Tbs. of the cake mix (to prevent sticking). Place half of the remaining cake mix into a large mixing bowl along with the oil, eggs, vanilla and brown sugar. Blend with electric mixer until for 1-2 minutes or until smooth. Stir in the remaining cake mix, apples and candies with a wooden spoon until all dry ingredients are moist. Drop onto baking sheet lined with parchment paper using a 1 Tbs. Sized cookie scoop, place the cookies about 2 inches apart. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10-13 minutes or until just barely set in the center when lightly touched. Let cool on the baking sheet for about 2 minutes before you remove them to a cooling rack. This recipe gave me about 34 cookies.

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