Slow Cooker Honey-Sesame Chicken

I found this recipe online and it sounded quick/easy/delish-so I had to try it. BUT I didn't make it in the slow cookier because I had just gotten back from grocery shopping and didn't want to wait to eat,so I improvised a little.
OK,OK--I improvised ALOT. I also tweaked it to accomidate what I had on hand. I still plan on making it in the crockpot another day,but I thought I would share the recipe NOW.

Honey Sesame Chicken
1 package of chicken tenderloin strips
salt/pepper/seasoning to taste
1/2 onion sliced thin
splash of teriyaki maranade
handful of cooked spaghetti noodles
1 cup or so of shredded plain cabbage
a few splashes of low fat honey-ginger salad dressing (*Newman's Own)
1/2-1 cup of water

In a large skillet,add the water and turn heat on to high-medium high--cut the chicken tenderloins into thin strips--slice the onion into thin strips--add both into the skillet and cook until done--add the seasoning--add in the maranade and stir to coat everything well--cook until all the liquid is gone and there is a slight sauce left--pour into a large bowl--add in a handful of cooked spaghetti noodles---add in the cabbage---add in the salad dressing--mix well coating everything--serve hot or cold--

**I sometimes add a little water or stock to something I'm cooking so I won't have to use cooking oil.
**I used spaghetti noodles because the husband was making spaghetti and it was ready and waiting for me-I usually use the shiritaki noodles (Thanks,Hungry Girl!)
**You can of course,add in any other veggies you like,but I was hungry and not feeling very creative-broccoli and snow peas would be good in this.
**Here's a tip I saw on DR OZ last week--it's for salads,but would work for this too---in a spill proof container add in your salad dressing last,make sure the lid is on tight and shake it until everything is coated.It's supposed to help you coat everything in your salad using less dressing.SMART!!!

Valentine's Day.....Love it or hate it?

I love the IDEA of Valentine's Day---sweet,romantic gestures,flowers and chocolates for your sweetie. But in real life,it's just an over-commercialized holiday filled with alot of hype from the candy and card biz. But then romance isn't "real life" is it? I'm kind of in the middle on how I feel about it all-I mean sure,like every other girl,I like to be pampered and reminded how much my other half loves me,but I'm like if you can't show me on the other 364 days of the year,then don't just go out and buy crap because it's Valentine's Day. Buy me flowers on a Thursday-for no other reason than you were thinking about me and knew it would make me smile. Now for Valentine's Day this year,I told the other half to write me a love letter. That's all I want. I told him he lost the romance about halfway through our first year of marriage. Happens to alot of husbands,doesn't it? I know he loves me and he tells me all the time,but he just isn't good with the romance. OK enough philosophy for one day,it's making my head hurt! I saw these recipes on facebook of all places-well the ocean spray facebook page. Can we say CRANBERRIES!? I love cranberries-add in a little~OK ALOT of chocolate!That's what a girl wants anyway,isn't it? CHOCOLATE-CHOCOLATE and love letters-the perfect Valentine's Day treats!



Ocean Spray Black Forest Cookies

Chewey Cherry Brownies

I made the brownies as a valentine's day treat and the brownie mix I picked up was a MOCHA one--OH MY STARS!!!! I can't wait to try them!

Happy Birthday!!!!!

This cake is soooo delicious-and not too bad for you.I just noticed the "j" on it-
no,that wasn't intentional LOL.




February 4th is my birthday. And I'm trying to eat healthier (aren't we all?).
The husband always gets me a cake each year---but he gets me one loaded with sugar. That's not good for a diabetic. So this year,I told him NO CAKE!!! I will make my own. I saw a "brownie" recipe on the DR OZ show the other day and am going to apply the same method to a low-sugar cake mix and sugar free frosting (if I use it-haven't decided yet).Hungry Girl did a similar recipe with brownies and chocolate muffins-YUM!

Dr OZ's Pumpkin Brownie Recipe

February 2nd What's for supper?

I made a turkey-spinach baked "casserole" for me.


The guys had shephard's pie for supper tonight.

Shephard's Pie
1-2pounds of ground meat
1 can of condensed tomato soup
shredded cheddar cheese
1 large onion-diced
salt/pepper/seasoning to your taste
mashed potatoes
1 bag of frozen french style green beans

saute the onion-add the meat and cook until done--drain the fat--in a large bowl add the meat,beans,and tomato soup---stir to mix well---pour into a casserole dish and top with the cheddar cheese and mashed potatoes-bake until the cheese is melted.


Turkey-Spinach Baked Casserole
2pounds ground turkey (or chicken)
1 jar of light alfredo sauce (I really needed 2)
1 package of spinach (really could have used 2)
1 box of pasta-I used ditalinni but orachetti is delish too
1-2 cans of cannellini beans (drained/rinsed)
salt/pepper/seasoning to taste
shredded white italian cheeses

cook the meat until done-drain the fat--cook the pasta while the meat is cooking to save time---drain the pasta and add to a large bowl add the meat and spinach--pour
in the sauce-add the drained and rinsed beans--stir to mix well---pour into a casserole dish and top with the cheese--bake until cheese is melty and browned.
**I really should have used 2 packages of spinach and 2 jars of sauce-but I only
picked up 1 of each....

Scrapbooking....Where/How do I start?

OK,I'm a little behind with it all. Since we went to all digital cameras,I am WAY behind in printing photos--Say about 7-8yrs behind! I was doing good until we had a computer crash and I lost a bunch of baby pics,and things just went down hill from then. I'm trying to do better. Every couple of weeks I've been printing out about $20 worth of photos and either putting them in a photo album or putting them aside to scrapbook. I have a couple of basic scrapbooks that I have tickets from events we've gone to or special cards or other sentimental items--but not those pretty scrapbooking pages I've seen everyone on tv doing-with the little cutouts and photo collages. I've decided to take the plunge and scrapbook. My first project is going to be to make a scrapbook with some photos from our wedding (almost 11yrs ago-yeah I'm behind!). I found a gorgeous book at Amazon.com and am going to get started working on it today. Anyone have any tips or tricks to share with me? Anyone have any fave online places to buy scrapbooks supplies at? HELP!

Exercise

Let's face it,we all should do it,but sometimes it's hard to find the time-especially for busy moms-and especially for this homeschooling mom/housewife. I've been hearing about PILATES for a while now and picked up a basic pilates dvd and ball last year. I love it-the exercises are gentle,but if you stick with it you will see results. I saw Susan Lucci on HSN with the Malibu Pilates Pro chair. At first,I was skeptical,but I watched and did a little research and after seeing the promo spots several times,I finally decided to give it a try. I have an exercise bike,but I get bored easily and it wasn't in a room where I could exercise and watch tv or anything. I've since had hubby move it to the downstairs room where his big tv is so I can now exercise and watch music videos or something-but that's another story.Back to the PILATES chair. It is such a great value and no I'm not getting paid to say that.The exercises with it are also gentle and have options for beginners. I am so excited about it! It came with 6 different dvd workouts. I can't wait to move from beginner and work through them all.

Minute Steaks/Swiss Steak...it's what's for supper

My husband LOVES fried minute steaks. I hate to cook them because I don't like frying foods and it can be messy. I've tried baking them but he says it's just not the same-they always turn out tough. I saw an ALTON BROWN show on FOOD NETWORK a while back showing how to cook a tender swiss steak. Now,swiss steak traditionally has tomato product in it-but I am allergic to tomatoes,so I leave it out and end up doing a cross between swiss steak and my husband's fave minute steak. It's delicious! And because that's what's for dinner today,my husband is counting down the minutes until he can eat! Here's the original recipe from Alton Brown on Food Network.

My version of minute steaks-cooked swiss steak style

1 pack of minute steaks
flour for dredging
chicken stock
1 large onion sliced thin
salt/pepper/fave seasonings
a few TBS of canola oil

Heat oven to 325*F--in a large dutch oven,add enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan-heat until it's at frying temp---dredge the steaks in flour and shake off excess--add to the hot oil and fry until they are golden brown on each side--don't over crowd the pan while cooking the meat--I was only able to do 2 at a time--remove from pan and place on plate--add in the onion and cook until soft--add the meat back into the pan and pour in the chicken stock--the original recipe called for 2 cups but I used the whole box because my pan was so large--place lid on dutch oven and place in oven and let cook until meat is "falling apart" about 1 1/2 hours
**you can either season the meat when you finish frying it or you can add the seasonings to the flour when you dredge the meat.