The Luau

Today, G's class was having a Luau party. I brought in Pineapple Fried Rice. It was pretty yummy. I should have taken a photo.

I found the PERFECT dress in her closet!!!

Wow, I actually got a smile!

Not sure what's she doing here...

Then, as soon as we walked into daycare some NOT SO BRIGHT mom swung out of the bathroom like a banchee and wacked my girl in the head with the door! :(

G is bless with a HARD head...

But she has learn the ART of MILKING IT!!!

This is when I went to pick her up in the afternoon!

Happy Day!

G and her BFF!!!!!

Pineapple Fried Rice

Ingredients

1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple with juice
4 cups water
2 cups white rice
1 tablespoon oil
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
3/4 peas
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 green onions, thinly sliced (deleted these)
1 cup diced carrots

Directions

Open can of crushed pineapple and drain juice into a cup.

In a medium saucepan, combine the liquid from the can of crushed pineapple with 3 cups water, bring to a boil. Add rice. Bring mixture to boil. Cover and reduce heat to simmer. Cook 25 to 30 minutes or until rice is tender.

In a non-stick wok/skillet heat the 1 tablespoon oil. Add the eggs and cook without stirring, until set. Slide eggs out of the wok to a plate - cut into short, narrow strips. In the same wok, heat the sesame oil and stir fry the peas, soy sauce, green onions, and carrots for about 4 minutes. Stir in cooked rice, pineapple, and egg strips. Heat until everything is heated through.

“The most important thing about fried rice is that the cooked rice should be absolutely cold; rice which has been lying in the refrigerator for a day or two is perfect for this. The rice should also not be overcooked or they tend to go mushy on frying.”

Mini Ham and Egg Cups

If you are the type that doesn't "do" recipes just consider using some of these ingredients...

Eggs, shredded low-fat sharp cheddar cheese, shredded Parmesan cheese, cottage cheese, frozen spinach, defrosted, water squeezed out and roughly chopped, roasted red peppers, diced, finely diced ham, canadian bacon, crumbled bacon, sliced green onions, kosher salt, black pepper, hot sauce, slices ham as cups

Preheat oven to 350

In a bowl, combine all ingredients (except ham slices) and stir well.

If using ham slices, spray muffin tin with non cook spray and place one piece of ham in each well to form a bowl.

Evenly divide egg mixture between the 12 muffin wells (about 1/4 C each), being careful to keep ingredients well dispersed. You want them to fill right up to the top.

Place in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes. Bake them until they puff up nicely and are just barely set on top. Overcooked eggs are spongy and gross, so don't go crazy and let them cook too long. Eggs will sink after cooling.

As soon as they're cool enough to handle, pop them out of the tin and eat! Or you can let cool completely to room temp and freeze and just reheat one at a time in the microwave. Store leftovers in the fridge.

Store them in an airtight container in the fridge, or freeze them. When reheating in the microwave, make sure to take off the foil liner! And if you're reheating from frozen, I try to take them out the night before so they can thaw in the fridge. Then when you microwave them, set them on a folded paper towel to drain excess moisture.

Eat them alone, or for a well-rounded breakfast crumble on top of a piece of whole grain toast along with a glass of milk and a piece of fruit. Makes 12.

The actual recipe is found here...

4 eggs
1 C egg substitute* or an additional 4 whole eggs
3/4 C shredded low-fat sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 C shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 C cottage cheese
5 oz frozen spinach, defrosted, water squeezed out and roughly chopped
(that's half a standard frozen box of spinach)
1/3 C roasted red peppers, diced (jarred, or make your own)
1 oz finely diced ham, canadian bacon, or crumbled bacon (about 1/4-1/3 C)
1/4 C sliced green onions
1/4 t kosher salt
1/8 t black pepper1/2 t hot sauce
foil muffin tin liners OR 12 slices ham

(source)

Ham & Swiss Rolls

I follow this AWESOME party blog, One Charming Blog, and todays post looked so delicious! With permission from Brittany, I am posting it here. Check out her Blog for more GREAT party ideas and inspiration. Thanks Brittany!

HAM & SWISS ROLLS

24 rolls (King's Hawaiian rolls)
mayonnaise
12 thick slices deli ham (black forest)
12 slices Swiss cheese
1/2 c. melted butter
1 1/2 Tbsp. mustard
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 Tbsp. poppy seeds

Slice rolls in half so they open. Spread mayo on top and bottom of the inside of each roll. Assemble rolls with ½ slice of cheese and ½ slice of ham. Place all of these in a baking pan or stone. Mix together the melted butter, mustard, Worcestershire sauce and poppy seeds with a whisk. Brush this mixture all over the tops of the rolls and cover with tin foil. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes until heated through.

Brittany also commented that it also calls for some brown sugar. I am assume that would go in the mix that is brushed on the tops of the rolls!

Ham and Egg Breakfast Tarts

The empty tart shells can be baked the night before you serve them. Cover loosely with a towel or parchment paper and let stand at room temperature. The next morning, fill the shells as directed and bake.

Ingredients:
1 batch basic quiche and tart dough (see
related recipe at left), divided into 6 pieces
4 1⁄2 oz. ham, cut into 1⁄2-inch strips
2 Tbs. chopped green onions, green portion only
6 eggs
2 Tbs. heavy cream
1/4 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
cheese
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
Directions:
Press the dough into six 4-inch tart pans. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat an oven to 400°F.

Line the tart shells with parchment paper or aluminum foil and fill with pie weights. Bake until the shells are set and the paper does not stick when lifted, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the paper and weights and continue baking until the shells are golden, 5 to 7 minutes more. Transfer the pans to a wire rack and let cool completely, about 20 minutes.

Line the bottom of each tart shell with 3/4 oz. ham and sprinkle with 1 tsp. green onions. Crack an egg into the center, pour 1 tsp. cream over the egg and sprinkle with 2 tsp. cheese. Bake until the whites are set and the yolks are cooked, about 15 minutes.

Transfer the pans to a wire rack and let cool for 3 minutes. Using a pot holder, carefully turn each pan over and tap the bottom to release the tart. Set the tarts on individual plates. Garnish each tart with a pinch of pepper and serve immediately.

Serves 6.

W*ll*ams-Sonom@ Kitchen.

Chinese Food in America

Saw her on Martha Stewart and found her fascinating. Watch her video when you get a second. I LOVE the part when the Chinese people are trying fortune cookies for the first time!!!

Easy Meal - Fajitas

I saw this post at Budget Barbie and wanted to share. The full article is here. This is my cliff note version. Budget Barbie found John Soules Foods "Angus Beef Fajitas" at Costco. It's $9.99 for a 24 oz. (1.5 lbs.) package of pre-seasoned, pre-cooked Angus beef. A cut of good quality beef for under ten dollars, much less Angus beef, which runs almost $10 for an 8 oz. cut. So try it. Since it's pre-cooked, all you have to do is reheat in oven, on stove or in microwave. Saute your veggies and heat the tortilla's up in the microwave and top off with some shredded lettuce, mix cheeses and sour cream. The package says it serves 8 but we all know that if you add some rice, bean, chips and salsa...it can feed more than that. Easy, Cheap AND Quick!!!

So who's coming and bringing the Margaritas??? LOL

Orange Mandarin Chicken

I just found this on another blog...here. I have to agree with her, this does seems easy! I must try it!!
From Cooking Light

Serve with Asian noodles - such as soba, somen, or udon - and steamed snow peas.
2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
4 (4-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 (11-ounce) can mandarin oranges in light syrup, un-drained
½ cup chopped green onions
1 tablespoon finely chopped seeded jalapeño pepper (needless to say, I don't do this)
1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
½ cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons cornstarch

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.

Add chicken to pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until browned.

While chicken cooks, drain oranges in a colander over a bowl, reserving 2 tablespoons liquid. Add oranges, 2 tablespoons liquid, onions, jalapeño, and garlic to pan. Reduce heat; simmer 2 minutes.
Combine broth, soy sauce, and cornstarch; add to pan. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute or until slightly thickened.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 chicken breast half and 6 tablespoons sauce)
Robin Vitetta-Miller Cooking Light, JULY 2002

Easy Breakfast

I just found this post from this blog and thought it was awesome!!

"A few weeks ago, I had planned a pancake dinner for our evening meal. We do that every once in a while, and while it’s always a hit, I wanted something other than greasy bacon or sausage to accompany our pancakes and fresh fruit. I decided on eggs, which are something I seldom make because in the past, my kids have not been fans of many egg dishes. I scrambled up a few eggs with some light cream and caramelized onions and made a quick frittata, certain that my children would ignore the eggs and inhale the pancakes.

It was not to be. While both children eyed the frittata warily, my daughter tentatively took a small bite, followed quickly by a huge mouthful. Before I could blink she’d finished that slice of frittata and asked for another. Emboldened by his big sister, my son tried his frittata and then informed me that he’s decided he like eggs sometimes, then he finished off his piece as well. Pancakes? Who wanted those when there was a delicious fritatta on the table?

I was stunned. Shocked into silence actually, as I processed the fact that my children were raving about something they’d previously dismissed as inedible. It didn’t take me long, though, to take full advantage of this newfound love and introduce a new wave of ready-to-eat hot breakfasts in the household. For the humble frittata can be made, cooled, and then refrigerated to be eaten throughout the week with little detriment to the quality of the eggs. A quick zap in the microwave and a dollop of fresh salsa, and you’ll swear the fritatta is fresh out of the oven. Add a small glass of juice or milk and some fresh fruit and you have a five-star breakfast ready for your family, and it took about as much time as pouring a bowl of cereal.

You can add any vegetable, cheese, or meat that you’d like to the frittata; we prefer ours made simply with some caramelized onions (or leeks) and cheese. Sometimes we serve the frittata with salsa, and sometimes it’s plain old ketchup. Either way, it scores huge with the entire family for breakfast. "

Quick Fritatta

6 eggs
1/4 cup half & half or milk
pinch of salt and pepper to taste
1 cup diced onions, caramelized slowly in 1 tsp olive oil
1/3 cup shredded Irish cheddar cheese (or cheese of your choice)

Preheat oven to 350º. Spray a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray. Beat the eggs and half and half together with a whisk, beating well until creamy and full of bubbles. Beat in seasoning and stir in the onions. Place the shredded cheese in the bottom of the pie plate, and then pour the egg mixture on top of it.

Bake in a 350º oven for about 20 minutes, or until the eggs are set and the edges begin to brown. Serve immediately, or cool completely, slice, and store in the refrigerator, covered. Reheat individual slices in the microwave for one minute.

Asian Dumplings with Soy-Ginger Sauce

Dumplings:
1 pound ground pork
1 cup scallions
3 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 Tablespoon grated ginger
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups finely chopped napa cabbage (green cabbage is acceptable)
Won ton wrappers
water for sealing wrappers

Soy-Ginger Sauce:
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/8 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup water
1 Tablespoon grated ginger
2 Tablespoons finely chopped scallions
2 or 3 drops sesame oil

Directions:
Mix meat, scallions, soy sauce, ginger, and black pepper together. Add cabbage and mix well. Lay out 2 or 3 won ton wrappers. Add a scant tablespoon to the center of each won ton. Brush water around the edges, and carefully fold over the won ton wrappers, keeping the meat mixture in the center, and sealing all the edges. Pleat and fold to desired shape. Set aside on a baking sheet that has been dusted with flour while making remaining dumplings.

Combine sauce ingredients and set aside for the flavors to meld.

Heat about 2 tablespoons of oil in a large nonstick saute pan. Gently set dumplings in the pan. Fry for 3 or 4 minutes, or until the bottoms are a nice golden brown. Working quickly, add 1/2 cup water to the pan and quickly put on the lid. This will steam the dumplings and complete the cooking. Cook another 3 to 4 minutes, shaking the pan a few times to keep the dumplings from sticking. Remove from the pan and allow to sit for 2 minutes before serving.

Serve with dipping sauce.

*Alternately, the dumplings can be completely steamed in a steamer pot to avoid the frying process.

Found this recipe here!

Easy Tea Egg

"This is a sort of short-term storage staple. It only keeps in the refrigerator for about 3 or 4 days, but you can make them at any time and they are handy forfilling a corner of a bento box.

There are many more complicated recipes for tea eggs, a traditional Chinese recipe. The boiled eggs are usually meant to be kept in the tea-based marinade with their shells on, carefully cracked all around so that a lovely marble pattern is revealed when the eggs are peeled.

My method is way simpler, and is motivated by the fact that I don’t really want to be fiddling around with peeling eggs in the morning. Since the eggs are totally peeled, the marinade will penetrate it faster and deeper, so you can start using them just an hour after you’ve put them in the liquid if you like.

Lazy Tea Eggs
3 to 4 fresh hard-boiled eggs, peeled
About 2 cups of boiling water
2 tea bags of your choice - I like Oolong, though any black tea would do. (Even Earl Grey can be interesting.)
1/3 cup of soy sauce

Dunk the tea bags in the boiling water, and add the soy sauce. Put the liquid, tea bags and all, in a container you can cover air tight. Put in the peeled hard boiled eggs. The eggs should be immersed in the liquid. Keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Remember that the longer you keep the eggs marinating, the saltier it will get.

You can use these sliced, cut in half, or even chopped up for an interesting egg salad. Or just whole! There’s a mysterious presence in our house who sneaks these out of the fridge when no one’s looking. "

At first glance, I immediately cringed. Yuk, but you know what, I like eggs, I like tea...maybe there is something to it. I think I'll try it the next time I come home with eggs!

Grilled Asian Orange Chicken

Ingredients:
Crisco® No-Stick Cooking Spray
2 tablespoons Crisco® Pure Canola Oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/4 cup Smucker's® Sweet Orange Low Sugar Marmalade



Directions:

Remove the cooking rack and heat grill to medium high. Spray the cooking rack with Crisco Cooking Spray; replace on grill.
Combine Crisco Pure Canola Oil, soy sauce, lime juice, and ginger in a bowl and mix well.
Add chicken; marinate 30 minutes. While chicken is marinating, melt Smucker’s Orange Marmalade in microwave at 50% power.
Place the chicken breasts on prepared grill; brush with half the melted Smucker’s Orange Marmalade. Cook about 5 to 6 minutes. Turn and brush with the remaining marmalade; cook another 5 to 6 minutes until done.
Yield: 4 servings

Kung Pao

If I can do it, anyone can! It's super easy and suprisingly super good! I tell you, if you want to make Kung Pao from scratch, it'll cost you a fortune in products to make the sauce. This handy dandy all in one kit is very inexpensive and like I said...yummy. (I obviously had too much time on my hands!)

Ingredients below that are in box. Just toss rice in pan with water, cover & cook.

cube chicken and cook.

Toss in chili peppers & Peanuts. Cook 2 minutes. Toss in Kung Pao sauce.

Viola! A super tasty dinner. :)

Japanese Shrimp and Soba Noodles

Sizzling shrimp and veggies top off tasty noodles. Looks like it came from an Asian restaurant but takes only 30 minutes in a common skillet.

Prep Time:30 min
Start to Finish:30 min
Makes:4 servings

8 ounces uncooked soba (buckwheat) noodles
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound uncooked medium or large shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped gingerroot
1 1/2 cups baby-cut carrots, cut lengthwise in half
8 ounces green beans, cut in half
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) chicken broth
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon cornstarch

1. Cook and drain noodles as directed on package.
2. Meanwhile, heat 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil; rotate skillet to coat bottom. Add shrimp, garlic and gingerroot; cook and stir about 3 minutes or until shrimp are pink and firm. Remove from skillet.
3. Add carrots, green beans, 1 cup of the broth, the soy sauce and sugar to skillet. Heat to boiling. Cover and cook over medium heat 4 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are crisp-tender.
4. Stir in shrimp and lemon juice. Mix cornstarch and remaining broth until smooth; stir into shrimp mixture. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Divide noodles among bowls. Top with shrimp mixture.

Simple Asian Cuisine

Now you can finally have a restaurant-quality Chinese meal at home. Wanchai Ferry has all the flavorful sauces and special Asian ingredients right in the kit. All you need to add is the chicken!

They have all different meals. Check it out here.

This looks good too!!! They say it's in the Asian section of your local grocery store! :) Yum. I will have to try it this weekend! (I will post photos and review) This is funny to those who really know me.... I don't cook. I only wish the chicken was included and could be popped into the microwave! :)

Ziploc Fudge

This sounds interesting!!!

1 stick butter or margarine (or1/2c. peanut butter)
4 oz. cream cheese

2/3c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1lb. powdered sugar

Cover a paper plate with foil and set aside.

Place butter (or peanut butter), cream cheese and vanilla in a large Ziplock bag, seal the bag and squish it until theingredients are combined (about 5 minutes). Add the cocoa and powdered sugar and continue squishing the bag until everything is well mixed (5 - 10 minutes). Empty the bag onto the foil-wrapped plate. Let stand for a few minutes to solidify. Cut into cubes andenjoy!!! Refrigerate leftovers!!

Homemade Bread Sticks for Baby

by Rachel Paxton

Is your baby teething? Homemade bread sticks are easy to make and are great teething biscuits for older babies. You can make bread sticks out of most any kind of bread by baking at a low temperature (150-200 degrees) for 15 to 20 minutes, or until bread sticks are hard and crunchy.
For the recipes below, after baking, let bread cool. Slice bread into "sticks" and bake at 150-200 degrees for 1 hour. Store in airtight container. Your baby will love it!

Banana Bread

1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3 bananas, mashed
2 cups flour
1/2 cup wheat germ
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream shortening, sugar, and eggs. Add mashed bananas and mix well. Blend in other ingredients. Pour into a greased loaf pan. Bake for about 45 minutes.

Carrot Bread

2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups carrots, grated
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda. Add remaining ingredients. Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake for 1 hour.

Apple Bread

3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/4 cups oil
2 apples, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients until well blended. Pour batter into 2 greased loaf pans. Bake for about 1 hour.

Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom who is the author of What's for Dinner?, an e-cookbook containing more than 250 quick easy dinner ideas. For more recipes, organizing tips, home decorating, crafts, holiday hints, and more, visit Creative Homemaking at

http://www.creativehomemaking.com.

Mini Baked Wonton Cups

Published on Rachael Ray Show
So, I'm at work right now listening to Channel 6 on the radio. It's the Rachel Ray Show. She is doing her cooking segment and it's on Mini Baked Wonton Cups fill with Asian good stuff. I can't hear it because there is much chatter at the office so I had to go online and get the recipe. I created a dowloadable version with photos here.

Ingredients
24 wonton wraps (12-ounce package), suggested brand Nasoya
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus some for brushing
1/2 pound medium shrimp, peeled, deveined (no tail) and roughly chopped
1/4 head of napa cabbage, shredded
3 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 large clove garlic, finely chopped
5 scallions, dark and white parts thinly sliced
1/4 cup cilantro,chopped
2 hard-boiled egg, chopped
1/4 cup tamari, dark soy sauce
1 lime, juiced
3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Preparation
Preheat oven to 375°F. Brush each wonton wrapper with a little vegetable oil then nestle it down into one of the cups of a 24-cup nonstick mini muffin tin.
Transfer to the oven and bake until golden brown and crisp, about 6 minutes.
While the wontons are baking put together the filling: Place a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat with 2 turns of the pan of vegetable oil. Add the chopped shrimp and cook for 1 minute, then add the cabbage, ginger, garlic and scallions.Cook for another minute while stirring constantly, then add the cilantro and egg, and cook for another minute. Add the tamari, lime juice and sesame seeds to the mixture and stir to combine.
Heat through, about a minute, and remove mixture from the heat.
Remove the wonton cups from the oven and transfer to a serving platter. Fill each cup with about 1-2 tablespoons of the shrimp and cabbage mixture, and serve.

Yields 6-8 servings