Sesame Noodles

This is not your typical sesame chicken from the Chinese restaurant around the corner, although I do love that too. This is a mild sesame oil dish, and it's mmm mmm good.
The recipe calls for refrigerated chicken strips, I never buy those because they cost more. I used chicken tenders that were microwaved in a steam bag. You know which ones I'm talking about? It's so easy to cook chicken that way, try it.
Also, I topped with toasted sesame seeds, although it wasn't in the recipe.
Ingredients

• 1/3 cup rice vinegar
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions
• 2 Tbsp. honey
• 1 Tbsp. reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger (I used 1 tsp chopped refrigerated ginger)
  
• 2 tsp. Asian garlic-chili sauce
• 2 6-oz. pkg. refrigerated grilled chicken breast strips
• 12 oz. dried udon noodles or spaghetti
• 2 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
• 1 -2 Tbsp. olive oil
  
• 1 - 2 medium yellow, red and/or orange sweet peppers, cut in bite-size strips
• Fresh cilantro

Directions

1. In medium bowl stir together vinegar, green onions, honey, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic-chili sauce. Add chicken; stir to coat. Set aside to allow flavors to meld.

2. Meanwhile, in large saucepan cook noodles in boiling water about 8 minutes until just tender. Drain noodles well and return to saucepan. Drizzle with oil and toss to coat. Add chicken mixture and toss to combine.

3. Transfer to bowls. Top each with pepper strips and cilantro. Makes 6 servings.

http://www.bhg.com/recipe/chicken/sesame-chicken-and-noodles/

Chunky Drop Cookies

These are good, kinda different. Good thing I gave my neighbor half of the dough, cuz seriuosly, I think already ate 5 of them. They are sweet and salty. The possibilities are endless with this recipe. I think next time I will omit the raisins and add butterscotch chips. That could be spectacular.
Mine took 14 minutes to get golden brown, but they are a little crunchy now. So, I guess they could be cooked a little less than 14 minutes.
Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 cups halved pretzel sticks
• 1 cup coarsely chopped dry roasted peanuts
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chunks
• 1 cup raisins

Directions:

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour and baking powder; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in the pretzels, peanuts, chocolate chunks and raisins.
Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls 2 in. apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 10-14 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool for 2 minutes before removing to wire racks. Yield: about 6-1/2 dozen.

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Chunky-Drop-Cookies

Dorito Chicken Fingers

I have made pan fried fish with potato chips before (super yummy by the way), so last night when I was deciding what to put on my chicken fingers, I thought Doritos might be yummy. And it was! I forgot to take a picture before we at them all up!:
Ingredients:
3 chicken breast halves, trimmed and cut into chicken finger size pieces
Salt and pepper
1 egg
1 Tbsp water
Crunched up Doritos (I used Cool Ranch and put them in the food processor to get them really tiny)
2 Tbsp Flour
Black Pepper

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 450 with pizza stone inside.
2. Salt and pepper, to taste, the chicken pieces.
3. Mix egg and water in a pie plate.
4. Mix chips, flour, and pepper in separate pie plate.
5. Dip Chicken into egg then chips then place on hot pizza stone.
6. Bake 14-16 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink in center.
Serve with ranch dressing or ketchup for dipping.
Serves about 4.

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

These are easy because you just let it cook in your crockpot all day. It takes a lot of planning ahead: Getting the roast out a day or 2 early to thaw in the fridge, dry-rub marinading, cooking for hours. It was so delicious though.

Ingredients:
1 pork butt or shoulder roast, bone-in (about 5 pounds total)
5 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp paprika
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 can chicken broth
2 cups BBQ sauce
1/2 cup mustard
1/2 cup water

Directions:
1. Trim fat/skin off roast.
2. Combine all dry ingredients and rub well into roast.
3. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit in fridge over night or at least 2 hours.
4. Place in crock pot on low for 2 hours.
5. Add chicken broth and turn crock pot up to high for 2 hours.
6. Turn to low and cook for 3 more hours, or until pork falls away from bone very easily.
(or you can add chicken broth with roast when first added into the crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours, or high for 6, according to the original recipe)
7. Take pork out and cut into sections to cool while preparing sauce.
8. Mix the last 3 ingredients in a sauce pan and bring just to a boil
9. Pull or shred pork, discarding bone and fat
10. Pour sauce over meat. Mix well. Serve on buns or hoagies.
Serves 6 -8

http://www.parents.com/recipe/pork/pulled-pork-sandwiches/

Pizza Dough

I got this recipe from Brent's mom. I tweaked it just a little and have noted down some helpful hints I have learned after making it so many times. I LOVE this recipe. We made it into calzones last night:
Ingredients:

1 cup warm water
1 tbsp yeast
3 cups flour
1/8 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup softened butter

Directions for Dough:
1. Mix yeast and water very well. Let mixture sit while mixing the other ingredients.
2. Mix all dry ingredients in large bowl.
3. Add softened butter and mix well with fork.
4. Add water/yeast. Mix with fork and then knead with hands, adding water or flour to get desired consistency. Should be very soft and slightly sticky.
5. Transfer to greased bowl and cover with greased plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled in bulk.
6. Punch down and let rise again.

Directions for Pizza:
1. Preheat oven with pizza stone inside to 450.
2. Divide dough into two equal parts.
3. Roll dough out to size of pizza stone.
4. Cook for 5 minutes only. Check for bubbles, and poke them with sharp knife if you see one.
5. Remove dough, add toppings, and bake another 10 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.
6. Repeat with remaining dough.

Directions for Calzones:
1. Preheat oven to 450 with pizza stone inside.
2. Prepare desired meat ingredients. (We used sauteed 1 onion, 1 bell pepper, 3/4 pound sausage, 1/4 pound ham, and 1 chopped tomato. Add black pepper and 1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning to meat.)
3. Add 1 1/4 cups mozzarela cheese and 1/2 cup marinara sauce to meat mixture.
4. Divide dough into 5 equal parts. Roll out to into 8 inch circles. Make sure there is plenty of flour underneath the dough after it has been rolled or it will stick to the counter when you try to move it to the stone later.
5. Place 1/5 of meat mixture on each dough circle, only on one side. Fold dough over filling. Wet the edges of the dough with finger and water. Use fork to press edges together to seal.
6. Cut 3 slits in top of each calzone. Place on pizza stone and cook 2 or 3 at a time for 13-15 minutes.
7. Serve with marinara sauce.

Can also use this recipe for scones, navajo tacos, or pretzels if you take out garlic, italian seasoning and 1/2 the salt. Yummy!!!!