Kikkoman Turkey Brine

I haven't tried this recipe, but I want to!

Ingredients:

• 2 gallons of cold water
• 10 ounces soy sauce
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup kosher salt
• 2 tbsp sage
• 2 tbsp celery seed
• 1 tbsp thyme

Directions:

1. Night before roasting your turkey, remove the giblets, and neck.  Rinse turkey inside and out.
2. In a large stock pot or 5 gallon bucket mix water with remaining ingredients.  Stir until salt is completely dissolved.
3. Place turkey in the pot/bucket and cover with a lid.  Refridgerate over night or atleast 8 hours.
4. Remove turkey from the brine, rinse well, and cook!

Crock Pot Sesame Chicken

Today was my middle daughter's birthday, and she had a special request that we eat Sesame Chicken.  Going out to eat is so expensive these days, and since we are on a budget, I did what I like to do and found a recipe on the internet.

Ingredients:

12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 2 lbs)

1 bag (16 oz) ready-to-eat baby carrots

2 Tbsp grated fresh ginger root

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/4 to 1/3 cup honey (depending on how sweet you want it, we added extra)

2 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp dried minced garlic

1/4 cup soy sauce

3 Tbsp cold water

3 Tbsp corn starch

1 Tbsp sesame seed, toasted

2 green onions, sliced with tops

Spray 3 1/2- to 4-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Place chicken in slow cooker. Add carrots; sprinkle with ginger root. In small bowl, stir broth, honey, oil and dried minced garlic. Pour over chicken and carrots.  Cover and cook on Low heat setting 6 to 8 hours.

With slotted spoon, remove chicken and carrots to serving platter; cover to keep warm. Strain cooking liquid; pour into 1-quart saucepan. In small bowl, mix soy sauce, water and cornstarch until smooth; add to liquid in saucepan. Cook and stir over high heat until thickened and sauce begins to bubble.

To serve, pour sauce over chicken and carrots. Garnish with sesame seed and onions.  

Bacon Wrapped Chicken

So I made this a few weeks ago and meant to post pictures, but I never got around to it. Mike loved it so much that I made it again tonight for dinner. I tweaked the recipe and tonight's dinner was DELICIOUS!!!! Mike loved every bite.

Ingredients:

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 package of bacon
1 8 oz package of Philadelphia Cooking cream cheese
salt
pepper
garlic powder
toothpicks

Directions:
Heat oven to 400*

Pound out the chicken to about 1/4 inch thick (so you are able to fold/roll it)

 Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. In the middle of the chicken breast put a good sized amount of cream cheese in the middle.

 Roll the chicken breast up and pin with toothpicks. Wrap bacon around the stuffed chicken breast. I used about half the package on each chicken breasts. I know that sounds excessive and you can do it as you like, it just gives it so much more flavor!

 Pop it in the oven for 40 minutes. Dinner is done!

Dinner was served with sweet mashed potatoes and a cucumber & tomato salad.

Italian Cheese Bread Dunkers with Sauce

Are you looking for a super simple easy meal for your kiddos, and don't really feel like spending tons of time in the kitchen?  My kids love this, keeps them happy, and I love that it only takes me like 10 minutes from start to finish :)

Ingredients:

• 1 French Bread loaf (the kind your grocery store bakes)
• 2 cups (8 oz) of italian style cheese, shredded
• Italian seasoning, or any spice you want to put on it
• Sauce of your choice (We like to use leftover homemade spaghetti sauce, and this time we tried pizza sauce)

First, you will need to slice your loaf of bread down the middle lengthwise using a good bread knife, and place on a baking sheet.

Next, put the shredded cheese all over the 2 halves of bread and sprinkle with the italian seasoning.

Now, you are ready to place your bread into the broiler (my broiler has a HI temp and a LOW temp, my sister's only has one temp setting, so you will just have to adjust the temp to how your broiler works)..using my broiler, I set it on HI temp, and the bread cooks in about 5 minutes!  Becareful not to burn it, so watch it closely ;)

Viola!!! Dinner for your kids is served in a jiffy! :)  I never said it was the healthiest, but it so easy, and they will love it!!

Pork Roast and Sauerkraut

We come from a German family and have grown up with TONS of German cooking. I've made a pork roast before, I don't know why I never published the recipe. It's so easy and within 15 minutes you have dinner cooking in the crockpot and the headache of making dinner at 5:00 is all taken care of for you.

Ingredients:

1 pork roast
1 jar of sauerkraut
1 tablespoon caraway seeds
1/2 cup white sugar
1 large apple (any color)

I brown the meat before putting it in the crockpot. It gives it a nice flavor. I season with salt, pepper, garlic powder and minced garlic.

Once all sides are browned I put it in the crockpot and covered it with the sauerkraut & apples.

Then I seasoned with caraway seed and sugar and that't it! You are all done. Set it on low for 6-8 hours and dinner will be ready when you get home from work! So Easy!!!!

Best-Ever Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

(from the recipe of Anna Olson, Food Network Canada)

I'm not much of a fan of chocolate chip cookies, in fact I don't like them at all (not joking) ;)...but I know that my kids love them and so does my husband!!  They thought these were awesome!!

Ingredients:

3/4 c. unsalted butter, softened 

3/4 c. brown sugar 

1/4 c. granulated sugar 

1 egg 

2 tsp. vanilla extract 

2 c. all purpose flour 

2 tsp. cornstarch 

1 tsp. baking soda 

1/2 tsp. salt 

1 c. bittersweet chocolate chips



(I forgot to include the chocolate chips in to this picture)

  Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2.  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (I used a regular hand mixer), cream together butter and sugars until fluffy and light in color. Add egg and vanilla and blend in.

3.  Mix in flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. Stir in chocolate chunks.

4.  Using a standard-sized cookie scoop or tablespoon, drop dough onto a prepared baking sheet.  Bake for 8-10 minutes, until barely golden brown around the edges.  (The tops will not brown, but do NOT cook longer than ten minutes.)

Beer Cupcakes

Yep, you read that title correctly. Exciting, right? I found a recipe online for beer cupcakes and since my husband has a passion for beer I thought I would give it a whirl. They didn't turn out how I expected, but I'm not sure what I was expecting. I used a Chocolate Stout and I guess it added to the chocolately flavor more than it made it taste like a beer. I will give it another shot with a different beer, my husband suggested a porter just in case you wanted to try these little gems.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa, plus more for dusting finished cupcakes
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups all-purposeflour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch fine salt
• 1 bottle stout beer (I used Rogue Chocolate Stout)
• 1 stick butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened at room temperature
• 3/4 to 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 (1-pound) box confectioners' sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cocoa, sugar, flour, baking soda, and salt.

In another medium mixing bowl, combine the stout, melted butter, and vanilla. Beat in eggs, 1 at time. Mix in sour cream until thoroughly combined and smooth. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet mixture.

Lightly grease 24 muffin tins. Divide the batter equally between muffin tins, filling each 3/4 full. Bake for about 12 minutes and then rotate the pans. Bake another 12 to 13 minutes until risen, nicely domed, and set in the middle but still soft and tender. Cool before turning out.

To make the icing:

In a medium bowl with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the heavy cream. On low speed, slowly mix in the confectioners' sugar until incorporated and smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use. Icing can be made several hours ahead and kept covered and chilled.

Top each cupcake with a heap of frosting and dust with cocoa.