Chicken stir-fry and rice

I adapted this recipe from my beef and broccoli recipe, but when I only had chicken on hand. WE LOVED this dish and will definitely make it like this on a regular basis!

• 3 TBSP cornstarch
• 1 1/2 C Hot water
• 2 chicken boullion cubes
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce, reduced sodium
• 8 oz. chicken breast, thinly sliced
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger
• 1 pound frozen cut broccoli (or fresh)
• 1 C shredded carrots
• 1 can water chestnuts
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 small onion diced
• 1/2 tsp salt (more if desired)
• 1 TBSP olive oil
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Directions

In a small bowl, combine cornstarch, hot water, bullion, and soy sauce. Stir until sugar and cornstarch are dissolved.

In a large skillet or wok over high heat, cook and stir chicken 2 to 4 minutes, or until lightly browned. Add salt and onions and cook until translucent. Stir in broth mixture, ginger, garlic, and vegetables. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Simmer 5 to 10 minutes, or until sauce thickens.

ENJOY! :)

 Serves 7-8 one cup servings (depending on how many veggies you put in)

1 Cup of Chicken and veggie dish is 3 +points
1 Cup of Chicken and veggie dish served with 1/2 C brown rice is 6 +points 

Our PERFECT pizza crust

We make homemade pizza almost every week--and so we have gone through our share of recipes in search of the PERFECT recipe. I think we are to the point of discovering what OUR favorite is--and this would be it! I especially like this because weighing the amount of flour called for, is ALWAYS the perfect amount. I never have too much or too little when I weigh it instead of using a measuring cup. (if you don't have a kitchen scale, get one! They are SO worth it!!) This is SUCH an easy throw together dough! And it tastes and BAKES fabulous!

I originally got this recipe from Annies Eats. But I felt like the directions were way more complex than they needed to be. So we simplified, and changed it up a little, it and it has worked wonderful EVERY time!

I have left out the oil and it's been just fine. So if you're counting calories or don't have EVOO on hand, you'll be fine. :) And I have found this dough actually rises faster than expected--so keep an eye on it.

And ENJOY! :)

ingredients:

1 3/4 cup warm water
2¼ tsp. instant dry yeast
4 cups (22 oz.) bread flour, plus more for dusting
1½ tsp. salt

2-3 TBSP Italian seasonings

2 TBSP. extra virgin olive oil (optional)

Directions:

In a bowl, weigh your flour. After weighing the appropriate amount, add your yeast, salt, and seasonings to the flour and mix well. In a mixer add your warm water and slowly add your flour mixture. Knead on low speed until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, 1 - 1 1/2 hours.

Press down the dough to deflate it. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough into two equal pieces. Form each piece of dough into a smooth, round ball. (If freezing the dough, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze at this point.) Cover with a damp cloth. Let the dough relax for at least 10 minutes but no longer than 30 minutes.

To bake, preheat the oven and pizza stone to 500˚ F for at least 30 minutes. Transfer the dough to your shaping surface, lightly sprinkled with cornmeal. Shape the dough with lightly floured hands. Brush the outer edge lightly with olive oil. Top as desired. Bake until the crust is golden brown, and cheese is bubbling, 8-12 minutes.

Our "no Jack Daniels" Grill Glaze

• While browsing the internet a few months ago, I came across this copycat recipe for Jack Daniels glaze, like you would order at TGIFridays. While I don't know if it's identical, per se, it's really a great glaze! Not being alcohol drinkers, we omit the actual Jack Daniels....
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• We love this on burgers, chicken...ALL meat really. Be sure to add sauce liberally. It's delicious! :)
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• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 2/3 cup water
• 1 cup pineapple juice
• 1/4 cup Kikkoman's teriyaki sauce
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 1/3 cups dark brown sugar
• 3 teaspoons lemon juice
• 2 tsp roasted garlic (I just used minced)
• 3 teaspoons minced white onions
• 1 teaspoon crushed pineapple
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1. Combine water, pineapple juice, teriyaki sauce, soy sauce and brown sugar in a saucepan over medium high heat. Stir occasionally until mixture boils, then reduce heat to simmer.Add garlic and remaining ingredients to pan and stir. Let simmer for 35-45 minutes or until sauce has reduced by 1/2 and is thick and syrupy.
2. To use, grill meat until almost done, then use the glaze otherwise it will burn.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

Recipe found here.

Chocolate Chp Cookie Dough Cupcakes
Printer-Friendly Version

Yield:24 cupcakes

Ingredients:
For the cupcakes:

3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

1½ cups light brown sugar, packed

4 large eggs
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
1 cup milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips (semisweet or bittersweet)

For the filling:
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
6 tbsp. light brown sugar, packed
1 cup plus 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
7 oz. sweetened condensed milk
½ tsp. vanilla extract
¼ cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

For the frosting:
3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
3½ cups confectioners’ sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ tsp. salt
3 tbsp. milk
2½ tsp. vanilla extract

For decoration:
Tiny chocolate chip cookies
Mini chocolate chips

Directions:
To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350° F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners (24 total). In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and brown sugar. Beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir together to blend. Add the dry ingredients to the mixer bowl on low speed, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, mixing each addition just until incorporated. Blend in the vanilla. Fold in the chocolate chips with a spatula.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cupcake liners. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the cookie dough filling, combine the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and cream on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the flour, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla until incorporated and smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the mixture has firmed up a bit, about an hour.

To fill the cupcakes, cut a cone-shaped portion out of the center of each cupcake. Fill each hole with a chunk of the chilled cookie dough mixture.

To make the frosting, beat together the butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until creamy. Mix in the confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Beat in the flour and salt. Mix in the milk and vanilla extract until smooth and well blended.

Frost the filled cupcakes as desired, sprinkling with mini chocolate chips and topping with mini chocolate chip cookies for decoration.

Enchiladas

originally found here. Shared here with my adjustments.

1 medium onion, chopped fine
1 tsp. canola oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp. chili powder
2 tsp. cumin
1 tbsp. sugar
1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 cup water
1 tomato, seeded and chopped
Salt and pepper
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 oz. shredded cheddar cheese, divided
½ cup minced fresh cilantro
12 (6-inch) soft corn tortillas
Cooking spray

Directions:
Combine the onion and oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until the onions and. Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin and sugar, and cook just until fragrant, less than 30 seconds. Mix in the tomato sauce, water, and chopped tomato. Bring the sauce to a simmer, lower the heat and cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

Nestle the chicken into the sauce. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until the chicken is completely cooked through (160˚ F on an instant-read thermometer), about 12-20 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside to cool.

Strain the sauce through a large mesh strainer into a medium bowl, pressing down on the onions and tomatoes to extract as much liquid as possible. Transfer the reserved solids to a large bowl and set aside. Season the sauce with additional salt and pepper to taste. (though in my opinion, you don't really need to add any because there are so many great spices already going on)

Shred the chicken into bite size pieces and add to the bowl with the onion mixture. Add in ¼ cup of the enchilada sauce, 2 oz. of the shredded cheese, and the cilantro. Stir to combine.

Preheat the oven to 425˚ F. Oil a 9 x 13″ baking dish with cooking spray. Stack the tortillas on a plate, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave for 40-60 seconds, until warm and pliable. Spoon 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture evenly down the center of a tortilla. Roll up the tortilla around the filling tightly, and place in the prepared baking dish, seam-side down. Repeat with the remaining filling and tortillas.

Lightly spray the tops of the enchiladas with cooking spray. Place in the oven, uncovered, for 7 minutes or until the tortillas start to brown slightly.

Reduce the oven temperature to 400˚ F. Remove the enchiladas from the oven and pour the sauce oven the top. Sprinkle with the remaining shredded cheese. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove the foil and bake for 5 more minutes, until the cheese is browned. Remove from the oven and let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 12 enchiladas

Serves 6 = (2 enchiladas per serving) 8 pt+

Pizza Dough

• 2 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast (or 5 tsp. if you are using bagged yeast)
• 2 teaspoon white sugar
• 2 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 5-6 cups bread flour (though I used All purpose and had no problems)
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 tsp. Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 2 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). In a medium bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. In a small bowl, mix oil with italian seasonings and garlic powder (this will aid in equal distribution)
3. Stir in flour, salt and oil mixture (a mixer works great for this, but you can do by hand if you don't have one. Just be sure to knead your dough long enough). Beat until smooth (I let mine knead for about 4-5 minutes in the mixer). Let rest for 10-15 minutes--the original recipe stated you could just let it sit for 5...I left mine a few minutes longer, and loved it. (flour amounts will vary---start with 5 and keep adding small amounts until it's smooth and not too sticky.)
4. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat or roll into a round ball. Divide into equal parts (you can make 2-3 medium pizzas with this recipe, so divide according to how many you would like) Transfer crust to a lightly greased pizza pan or a wooden paddle dusted with cornmeal (and then transfer to your pizza stone). Spread with desired toppings and bake in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Let baked pizza cool for 5 minutes before serving.

***substitution for italian seasonings...1 tsp basil, 1 tsp oregano, and 1/2 tsp onion powder.

Be sure to cook long enough. The first pizza I made I cooked a little longer than the 2nd pizza, yet the first was PERFECT. Slightly crisp on the outside, and chewy (NOT DOUGHY...) on the inside.