Quick Teriyaki Chicken

This one is for Kevin!

Fast, healthy, delicious and you don’t end up with a big mess!

My youngest son is in college living in Boston. He is renting an apartment not living in student housing and does his own cooking so this meal is perfect for him. As a mother it brings me peace of mind knowing he'll be eating so well.

    Fry the chicken in oil and butter

 

                        Turn the chicken over.

 

Place chicken and peppers in a bowl

while you prepare the sauce.

 

As soon as sauce thickens add the peppers and chicken back in and a dash of red pepper flakes and sesame seeds. Ready to plate!

Quick Teriyaki Chicken With rice and carrots

Ingredients

 

·         2 boneless chicken breast, sliced in bit sized pieces

·         1 bell pepper cut in 1 inch pieces

·         1 tablespoon  butter

·         1 tablespoon  olive oil

·         1 cup chicken broth – use the remaining broth in rice below

·         2 teaspoons corn starch mixed in 1 tablespoon of cold water

·         1/3 cup soy sauce

·         ¼ cup brown sugar

·         1 garlic clove diced

·         Dash of Sesame seeds

·         Dash of crushed red pepper flakes

·         Salt and pepper to taste

 For the rice

·         1 cup rice

·         2 cups water (use leftover chicken broth to help make up the 2 cups of liquid)

·         2 tablespoon s butter

·         Dash of crushed red pepper flakes

·         1/8 teaspoon salt

·         Pepper to taste

3 or 4 Carrots (steamed; it’s the best way to cook them – makes them very sweet)

 

Directions

CARROTS: If you have a steamer pot, add water and set it on the stove (otherwise use a pot and boil the carrots in water). Peel and slice the carrots, place them in the steamer. Turn the burner on high. Once the water in the steamer boils turn down to med until the carrots are tender. About 5 to 7 minutes.

RICE: Add rice, water, butter, dash of red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to a 2 or 3 quart pot. Place on burner and turn on high, when it comes to a boil place lid on pot and turn burner down to the lowest setting. At this point follow the instructions for length of cooking time for the particular rice you have. When rice is done turn off stove and let it set in pan.

CHICKEN: While the carrots and rice are cooking on the stove, slice your chicken into ½” thick slices. Place teflon frying pan on burner, add butter and oil then turn burner to high. As soon as the pan heats up place enough chicken pieces in pan so they are side by side and not over lapping each other. Fry a few minutes on each side till just done in the center. Turn heat down if chicken is burning. Remove chicken and repeat. Then add peppers and fry just a few minutes so they are tender but still have a little crunch. Remove peppers. Add chicken broth, corn starch mixture, soy sauce, brown sugar, and garlic. Bring to boil then turn down to medium. When sauce has thickened add the chicken and peppers back in. turn off the burner and add a dash of red pepper flakes and a few dashes of sesame seeds.

Key Lime Pie

Every time my husband and I visit our son and his family in Florida we go to Hunts Ostyer Bar for two things that we love to eat.  Ostyers and Key Lime Pie! Here is a key lime recipe adapted from the Brown Eyed Baker.  I made indivdual key lime and almond joy tarts.

OK my photography sadly does nothing for this dessert, but they were delicious and looked much better in real life than how they photographed.  So if you scroll to the bottom of this post I added a few shots from the web that truly captures the color of this dessert.  

PS I need photography lessons!

Key Lime Tart

Yield: 8 servings

Prep Time: 1 hour (active) + 3 hours (inactive)
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 4 hours 40 minutes

Ingredients:

For the Lime Filling:
4 teaspoons grated lime zest
4 egg yolks
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
½ cup fresh lime juice
For the Graham Cracker Crust:
9 graham crackers, pulverized into crumbs (about 1 cup cracker crumbs)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and still warm
For the Whipped Cream Topping:
1½ cups heavy cream, chilled
½ cup powdered sugar
a pinch of cream of tartar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Make the Filling: Whisk the lime zest and egg yolks together in a medium bowl for 2 minutes. Whisk in the sweetened condensed milk, then the lime juice. Set aside at room temperature to thicken while you prepare the crust.
3. Make the Crust: In a medium bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs and the granulated sugar. While stirring and mixing continuously with a fork, slowly drizzle the melted butter into the graham cracker and sugar mixture. Once you are done, all of the dry ingredients should be moistened and it should look like wet sand. Transfer the crumbs to 4 mini tart pans or a 9-inch pie plate and evenly press the crumbs into the tarts. Bake the crust until it is fragrant and beginning to brown, 15 to 18 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool to room temperature.
4. Once the crust has cooled to room temperature, pour the lime filling into the crust. Bake until the center is set, yet still wiggly when jiggled, 15 to 17 minutes. Return the tarts to a wire rack; cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until well-chilled, at least 3 hours. (At this point, the tarts can be removed from the tart pans and be covered directly with plastic wrap sprayed with non-stick cooking spray and refrigerated for up to 1 day.)
5. Make the Whipped Cream: Using an electric mixer, whip the cream on medium speed until soft peaks form. At this point, add the powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, while continuing to whip the cream until stiff peaks form. whip in the cream of tartar. Decoratively pipe the whipped cream over the filling or spread the whipped cream evenly with a spatula. Garnish with lime slices, if desired, and serve. Cover leftovers with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

 If I were a better photographer

 this is how my photo would have come out!

Fresh Eggs



Our rooster presiding over his flock!  

I love cooking with fresh eggs and I am so grateful that my husband cares for the chickens. I do feed the birds and collect eggs on occasion but have yet to clean out their hen house…. Phew!

My Son's wedding cake

 

 

2007

Here is the wedding cake I made for my son and daughter-in-law’s Reception.

The open-air ceremony was held under a gazebo with a view of the bay and it was such a beautiful day.

Love them truly!



Cabbage Soup for the Soul!



The smell of a savory aromatic soup always draws me in........

As the soup simmers I find myself gravitating toward the pot for a whiff of that rich heartwarming scent.

 

This basic soup  could be considered a peasant food but who are we fooling, soups have a deep-seated wholesome way about them. And this cabbage soup fits the bill! Easy to make and you can substitute ingredients and still get fabulous results!


Cabbage Soup           
                                                                                                   Yield: 6 servings
 

Ingredients:

1 small head of cabbage, chopped

2 celery stalks, diced
1 small white or yellow onion, diced
3 carrots, diced
2 med. Potatoes, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup leftover pork, beef or sausage, diced (optional)
14 ½ oz. can beef broth
14 oz. can diced tomatoes with juice
½ teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil or ¼ cup fresh
dash of worcestershire sauce
few shakes of chipotle chili pepper
pepper and salt to taste

Instructions:
 

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add celery, onions, bell peppers, and carrots. Sauté until slightly tender, remove from pot then add cabbage and sauté until slightly tender. Add the sautéd vegetables back in.
 

Stir in garlic, tomatoes, and meat. Pour in beef broth and enough water to cover vegetables. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat.
 

Stir in oregano, basil, Worcestershire sauce, red pepper flakes, black pepper and salt. Taste broth and adjust seasoning if needed. Simmer ½ hour or until vegetables are tender.

                                                                        
                                                                                              Serve and enjoy!