Easy Chicken Chop Suey

So I hope you had a great Halloween! I feel really dumb that I didn't post anything Halloween-y for Halloween. In fact, I haven't post anything.

Well, that's because I got a new job. In addition to working at my dad's dental office (Which is where I am right now. What? It's a slow day!), my sister's friend's husband and his brother are creating a new website for photographers!

It hasn't launched yet, but it's going to be awesome. That's why they call it Awesome Photographers. The purpose of the website is for photographers to put up an online profile and showcase a portfolio of their work. Then anyone can search for photographers based on location so they can hire someone in their area.

So, you maybe be wondering what I'm actually doing for them. They needed someone to write content, and since I love photography and I love writing, it was kinda perfect. While they are getting the website ready to launch, I'm working on email templates, future blog posts, facebook posts, and interview setups. It's pretty fun. I write trying to sell idea of awesomephotographers.com to people but I've already sold myself on it. It's pretty awesome. You should really check it out.

But anyways... So I didn't post anything Halloween-themed, but I did make something! I bought a pumpkin ice cube mold at the dolor tree. I sprayed it with Pam, then I melted butterscotch chips with coconut oil. I filled the molds about halfway with butterscotch, then I melted dark chocolate and filled the molds the rest of the way. And for the final, crunchy touch I sprinkled Heat Bits over them. Then I froze them for a few, and they turned out delicious! Really poorly taken pictures alert. I used my iPhone. I know. I am ashamed.

But my little pumpkin candies didn't hold a candle to what my sister, Kimmy, made. For our spooky Halloween feast, she made sausage, feta, rice stuffed Jack-O-Lanterns! I mean... WHOA. Why has no one ever thought of this?
Not only were they adorable and spooky, they tasted AMAZING. I'm going to ask Kimmy for the recipe and hopefully feature this recipe on my blog. 

Oh yeah, and this is a picture of our kitten, Grey. I put him in my pumpkin. What? He liked it. Ok, no, but it was cute. At first he just sat in it, but then when I tried to take a picture he tried to attack me. So I let him go.

By the way, if anyone wants a tan-ish orange-ish kitten, we have two left. But we are keeping Grey. 

And here's my finished Jack-O-Lantern. I was pretty proud. I mean, a few times I cut off the arm, but I stuck it back in with toothpicks. Worked out in the end.

Okay, back to the chicken chop suey!

My mom and dad went on a week-long trip to Germany to see their new grandson. My nephew. I have a nephew! His name is Job, and he is the most precious thing I've ever seen. I cannot WAIT to see him, but I still have to wait a month. Anyways, the day my sister went to pick up our parents from the airport, I was frantically trying to work a miracle on our house. It looked like a herd of wild boars had gone through searching for food. It was a disaster. And my mom really loves to come home to a clean house with all the candles lit and a warm meal waiting. So by the time I had miraculously gotten the house clean, I was bushed and no longer felt like making a glorious feast.

I had to think of something, fast. They could be home any minute.
I took a couple chicken breasts out of the freezer, chopped em up, added some canned stuff and seasonings, and ta da! A beautiful home cooked meal that took barely any effort and was simmering on the stove top when they arrived!

This is my nephew Job, and he is superior to every other baby in the world. This is him in a monkey hat because I begged and begged Yammie to dress him up. So you're welcome.

 Okay, seriously. Back to the chicken chop suey.

Easy Chicken Chop Suey

What you will need...

3 chicken breasts
1/4 Cup Oil
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Paprika
1/2 teaspoon Pepper
1 Tablespoon Onion Powder
1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1 28oz can Chop Suey Veggies (La Choy Stir Fry Vegetables)
1 8oz can Sliced Water Chestnuts
1 Tablespoon Corn Starch

What you will do...

Chop chicken into bite sized pieces, removing any excess fat.
Fry on medium heat in large pan with oil and seasonings until chicken is white all the way through.
Drain excess oil.
Drain the liquid of the can of veggies into a bowl and whisk corn starch in. Add mixture and veggies to chicken.
Add water chestnuts (Do not drain).
Turn heat to low, let simmer at least 15 minutes before serving. The longer the better.
Serve with rice.
Enjoy!

Cinnamon Chex Popcorn Balls!

During the years of my early childhood I was very skinny. My sister, Yammie, called me "Beanpole". I can remember getting very, very upset that she called me such an awful name. Now I would give a thousand cookies to hear her call me that again.
At age 13 I started binge-eating popcorn. I couldn't get enough of it. Hungry betwee
n meals? Make a bag of popcorn. Can't find anything to eat for lunch? Make a bag of popcorn. And every single night before I went to bed, I would make an entire bag of buttery, greasy, salty popcorn and stuff my face will I watched tv. I gained twenty pounds.

Well, a few years later I went through that horrible stage all girls go through where I actually gave a rat's toot about my appearance. Which stunk. The popcorn had to go. I lost some weight, bought some clothes that weren't from Christopher and Banks, and that lasted for about 2 years.
Popcorn remains my favorite snack, and I've found a much better solution than dieting. You just have to learn to suck in your tummy. Even when no one's looking. Even when you're sleeping. So you can hide the truth from everyone, even yourself. That you're a big, fat, popcorn loving animal.

Well, I decided to go the extra mile and make a popcorn ball. It's really very healthy, if you think about it in the right way. I mean, cinnamon is a very healthy spice. And it's made with a vegetable: Corn. See? You suck in that stomach and lie to yourself about what food group you're eating from, and you're well on your way to pretending to be fit!
But now, let's really dig into to these gooey, sweet and salty, succulent, cinnamon popcorn balls.

Cinnamon Chex Popcorn Balls

What you will need...
3/4 Cup Corn Syrup
1/8 teaspoon Salt
1/4 Cup Sugar
1/4 Cup Marshmallow Fluff
1/2 Cup Butter (Room temp)
5 Cups Popcorn (1 microwave bag)
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
3 Cups Cinnamon Chex

What you will do...
Lay out a sheet of wax paper.
Pop the popcorn and sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon over it, shake it up in the bag.
Measure out 3 cups of Cinnamon Chex, set aside.
In a medium/large pot melt together corn syrup, sugar, fluff, salt, and butter on high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly and scraping bottom of pot with spatula.
Remove from heat.
Pour popcorn and Chex into pot and fold in with spatula until coated thoroughly.
Butter up your hands and form balls (If it's too hot and burns your hands, wait a minute, it won't run away.) place on wax paper.
Enjoy!

They make a really cute gift too! This is how I served them for debate night. (Which btw was way better than the Super Bowl. Hilarious)

Secretly Healthy Pumpkin Granola Bars

As the weather gets progressively colder, we get progressively fatter. It's not scientific fact, but it's human nature. That wild bear inside all of us senses it's almost time to hibernate. We need to fatten ourselves up in order to survive winter. Except we never get to the actual hibernation part. We just stay awake and keep eating...

I've created a recipe for bars that not only keep you healthy and strong during winter without gaining 30 pounds, but also satisfy that crazy urge to eat Autumn sweets. They contain pumpkin (Yummy and healthy), oats (Of course), and honey! No sugar or butter added, chocolate chips optional! Delicious and healthy.

I liked them in the fridge, but room temp works too. Not to mention fresh from the oven :)

Pumpkin Granola Bars

What you will need...

4 Cups Oats

1/2 teaspoon Salt

2 teaspoons Cinnamon

1 8oz. Canned Pumpkin

1/4 Cup Peanut Butter

2/3 Cup Honey

1 Tablespoon Vanilla 

2 Cups Chocolate Chips

What you will do...
Preheat oven to 350F
Mix together dry ingredients, then add wet ingredients and stir until oats are fully coated. Add chocolate chips last. 

Line a 9 by 13 pan with parchment paper and bake about 30-40 minutes or until edges brown. Enjoy!

The Best Pumpkin Dessert

Well, it's the first day of October. It's an exciting month for my family. 

My sister, Rachel, lives in Berlin, Germany with her husband, Samuel (AKA the Bread King). They are expecting their first baby on October 8th. Actually, Rachel is expecting the baby at any, and every, moment. She's been texting me every other day saying she's positive that she's going into labor. But so far, no baby. So we are all on pins and needles, the edge of our seats. What makes it all the more thrilling, is that we have no idea if the baby is a boy or a girl, or what the name will be. They've successfully kept it a secret for almost nine months.
 Of course, I've been trying to sneak the truth out of Rachel the entire time. It will be my first niece or nephew and I can't wait to buy baby clothes and knit some tiny socks or a little tiny hat, but I want to wait until I know what colors to use. I've already gotten a ton of gender neutral, white baby outfits, but that gets boring after a while.

  Since they live in Germany where her husband goes to college, I won't be able to be there when the baby is born, or for the baptism, which I'm very sad about. But I've still never been more excited for anything in my entire life. My other sister, Kimmy, and I already have our tickets to visit them in Berlin for a week in December. The baby will be nearing two months old, so he or she will be even cuter by then. Who am I kidding, babies are cute at every stage! I'm just so happy. I think this merits a special dessert. How about it?

  This pumpkin dessert is derived from my grandmother's recipe. Three layers of absolute pleasure. The crust on the bottom, the pumpkin in the middle, and crunchy top layer made with cake mix, butter, and sugar. Every bite is heaven. Topped with real whipped cream, this is the perfect pumpkin dessert.

 Pumpkin Desert

What you will need...
Crust:
1 Box of Yellow Cake Mix (Save 1 Cup for topping)
1/2 Cup Melted Butter
 1 Egg (Beaten)

Second Layer:
1 15oz Can of Pumpkin
1 Egg + 1 Egg White (Beaten)
1/3 Cup Milk
1/4 Cup Sugar
1 teaspoon Cinnamon 

Topping:
1 Cup Dry Cake Mix (The one you set aside)
1/4 Cup Butter (Cold)
1/4 Cup Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon

Whipped Cream:
1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
2 Tablespoons Sugar

What you will do...
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
In a medium mixing bowl, mix together: cake mix (Minues one cup), butter, and beaten egg and press in a 8 by 8. Bake for 15 minutes.
While crust is baking mix together: Pumpkin, eggs, milk, sugar, and cinnamon. Remove crust from oven, pour filling over crust.
In a seperate bowl cut butter into 1 cup cake mix using a fork or pastry blender. Add sugar and cinnamon. Crumble over dessert.
Bake another 30-50 minutes until topping browns.
Let cool. Make whipped cream and sprinkle on cinnamon. 

Dig in.

Boozy Butterfinger Caramel Apples

 
 I really adore fall. I love sweaters and moccasins and, you know, caramel apples. Chocolate Butterfinger Caramel Apples to be precise.
 The best part is, you can choose the level of homemade-i-ness you would like to achieve with this recipe. You can do this the really really easy way (The way I happened to have done this time): Melting down some already made ca

Secretly Healthy Chocolate Muffins!

 So a couple of days ago I was browsing the aisles of our local grocery store hoping for inspiration to jump out at me from the shelves. As if by magi
c, a bag of caramel pieces, apples, and caramel whiskey appeared in my cart.
 So I came home, carefully sliced 3 cups of apples and marinated them in caramel whisky overnight.
 In the morning I looked up some apple muffin recipes, modified one and added caramel pieces.
 So I was extremely excited for my boozy caramel apple muffins. They turned out beautifully as I took them out of the oven.
 After about ten minutes, the unthinkable happened.
 They collapsed. 

 My beautiful masterpiece... And this wasn't the first time it had happened to me. My quick bread often collapses.
 I think this particular issue was that I added 1/2 a cup of extra sugar. Threw off the chemistry, I suppose.
 But I did not give up. The next morning I threw on my apron and once again attempted to create a muffin recipe.
 This time, I baked two muffins as tests. The first one partially collapsed. So I added more flour and tested it again. The second one was the charm. I baked the rest and they turned out perfectly! So don't worry, this recipe is completely collapse-proof.
 Not to mention they are made with apple sauce, less sugar, and canola oil instead of butter, and Oat flour! Which means they are entirely gluten free! So they're a lot healthier than most muffins which makes them perfect for breakfast.

So as you probably know, two days ago was the first day of fall. Which made me feel like an idiot because I wrote a post three days ago and kept ranting about how it felt like fall but wasn't yet, whereas in reality it was only one day until fall. Ugh. Well, by now I'm sure you have already figured out how stupid I am.
 I look doubly stupid actually, because since I didn't realize fall was coming so quickly, I forgot about finishing my summer project. Doi.
 I did manage to work on it a lot, but it's' not finished. Oh well. I still have these delicious chocolate muffins to comfort me...

  I think I'll make those Nuttella Cinnamon Rolls. We're going to have company this weekend, and cinnamon rolls always seem kind of impressive. Okay, they're REALLY impressive. At least I am impressed by them.
 Maybe I'll change up the flavors in favor of Autumn. Pumpkin cinnamon rolls? Maple pecan cinnamon rolls? I don't know, what do you think?

 Well, I'd really love to chat with you, but I need to relax and watch an episode of Monk. Wait, you don't know the show "Monk"? The Obsessive Compulsive Detective? My childhood obsession? The dorkiest show ever aired? Wait, I really have to go, Monk just accidentally deleted all the police computer case files while cleaning crumbs off a keyboard and now this Commissioner with a toupe is about to fire him.

 What you will need...

1 Cup Apple Sauce
2 Large Eggs
1/2 Cup Canola Oil
3/4 Cup Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla

1 Cup Oat Flour
1/2 Cup Coco Powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
3/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon

 What you will do...

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place muffin liners in muffin tin and grease with Pam lightly.
Mix together wet ingredients.
In separate mixing bowl whisk together dry ingredients.
Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Batter will be pretty thin.
Fill muffin holes about 5/6 of the way full.
Bake for about 20 minutes or until you can press your finger lightly in the center of a muffin and it bounces back. Toothpick should come out with only a couple crumbs.
Enjoy!

Apple Hand Pies!

 I stepped outside this morning to a beautiful crisp fall morning. The smell of leaves and the hint of smoke from somewhere nearby. Leaves slapped me in the face as they raced down from their trees. It's finally time for sweaters, tea, and most importantly: Apple p

PB&J Pinwheels Kid's Lunchbox!

 So... You may have noticed the sudden and severe drop in the frequency of my posts. But it's not my fault, you see. I've been terribly busy. As you may

Painted Dried Flower Keepsakes

 So a couple weeks ago my most loyal reader (AKA, my grandma) gave me a call and said she had something she thought I might like to use in a craft for my blog. Curiosity pe

Banana Split Bites

 These bite-sized banana splits are perfectly chocolate-y, refreshing, and secretly healthy!
 Bananas are a perfect ingredient to help satisfy your sweet tooth, as well as having some fantastic health benefits. For instance, did you know bananas contain Dopamine, which is an important chemical responsible for affecting emotions and a person's sensation of pain or pleasure?
 For more interesting facts about bananas click HERE.



( You can visit my facebook page for a short video of how these are made! )

So I used a mini muffin tin for these delectable, bite-sized banana splits. And as I was writing the recipe, I was trying to describe where to put the banana slices... I realized there is no acceptable term for large... indentation... thingys which... contain muffins....

So I have created my own term for them. Drum roll please.....

                                                   MUFFIN HOLES 
Yes. Now no one will ever suffer from terminology confusion again. 

    I think I'll write my own book. It will be called, "Giving names random features of cooking tools that no one knows what they are called, but to be honest, you probably won't ever need to know the name of anyways because it's so random."
 Anyways... So you can really get creative with these banana split bites. You could make... strawberry sundae bites! Or you can use different flavors of ice cream! I made a few with mint chocolate chip ice cream (Shown below)!

Banana Split Bites!
What you will need:

2 Bananas
About 8oz Vanilla Ice Cream
2 Cups Chocolate chips
1 Tablespoon Peanut Butter
1 Tablespoon Coconut Oil
Funfetti Sprinkles

What you will do:

Lightly grease a mini muffin tin
Place one slice of banana in each Muffin Hole
Scoop a tablespoon of ice cream on top of each banana
Press a sheet of parchment paper on top, and press down
Freeze 15 minutes

While these are freezing, put peanut butter, coconut oil, and chocolate chips in a medium sauce pan. Melt on low heat until smooth.
Get the icecream covered bananas out of the freezer, remove the parchment paper and pour chocolate to the brim of each Muffin Hole. Chocolate will begin to freeze, so hastily sprinkle sprinkles on.
Freeze for at least 15 minutes. Loose edges of chocolate with a knife and remove from tin with a knife or spoon
ENJOY!

Overnight Sourdough, Perfect French Toast Bread

 I want to tell you about my grandpa. Why? Because I have the best grandpa on earth. I'm sitting in his room while he is lying in his bed watching the news. A woman came on screen and was reporting the weather, she mentioned there would be "High clouds", in other words, many clouds. But my grandpa can never pass up the opportunity to exercise his wit.
 "Really, Lady?? All clouds are high!"

 Aside from his fabulous wit, he's also handsome, kind, wise, and is playing the harmonica for me right now.
 It's a very rare treat for him to play his harmonica. He's very good at it. I mean, you would think anyone could blow on a stick and make a song come out, but... I can't. And he definitely can. It takes way more talent than you might think.
 As I am writing right now, he is still playing, and everyone in the house is gather around to hear. 8 people crowding around him to hear his songs.

Above, my grandpa with his kitty- he loves that cat so much! This picture was taken a few days ago on grandpa's 87th birthday. That pink cube the cat is in was my present for grandpa. Grandma said it was more like Kitty's birthday, because we get so many gifts for the cat. We do it because we know how much he loves his cat.

 Okay, I could talk about my grandpa all day, but for now: Bread.

Overnight Sourdough Perfect French Toast Bread

3 Scant Tablespoons Active Dry Yeast
2 Cups warm Water
3 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
2 teaspoons Salt
3-4 Cups Flour

Directions:

The water should be comfortably warm to your finger before you add the yeast. If the water is too hot it will murder the yeast. Murder, I say. It will not rise. You will be left with no bread and no friends. 
Whisk in the yeast with a fork. Let sit for 3 minutes to do its business.
Stir in the sugar and salt. Stir in 2 cups of the flour.
Get a cloth damp and drape it over your bowl. I like to use a textured dishcloth which leaves a beautiful design.
Let rise overnight.

In the morning add one cup of flour. Move dough to a stand mixer with dough hook attachment. Beat for 10 minutes. If your dough is runny, add another cup of flour. Dough should be sticky.
Move the dough to a well-greased cast iron pot.
Let rise 1 hour, then bake 15 minutes at 400 degrees.
After the fifteen minutes are up, turn down the heat to 350 and bake another 45 minutes and check if it is done: Your bread should be golden brown on top, and if you knock your knuckles on the top the crust should be hard and it should make a very hollow sound.
Run a knife along the edges and then turn the pot up-side-down, the bread should come out very easily. Let cool, and slice into thick pieces

For french toast

2 Eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar
1/3 Cup milk
Fresh Strawberries
Nutella

Whisk together in a shallow, wide bowl. Lay a thick slice of your bread on the egg, and flip it over until ALL the egg is absorbed. Fry with butter. Coat strawberries with Nutella. ENJOY! 

Easy Spinach Artichoke Dip

There are days in all of our lives when we are consumed with laziness. My life is one of those

Nutella Cinnamon Rolls

 Nothing beats a fluffy, soft, gooey cinnamon roll. Except for a fluffy, soft, gooey Nutella cinnamon roll. Blissful rolls that melt in your mouth, satisfyingly chocolate, with a creamy, heavenly glaze. What are you waiting for??

Sun Dried Tomato and Chives Quesadilla

 BIG news people. My little brother, John, got engaged last week! His fiance, my future sister-in-law, Leah, is staying with us for two weeks. This girl has got great taste. The night they got engaged we had a very special meal, Leah's favori

Foam Magnets

 We're a homeschool family, and I teach my little brother History, Latin, and English. But this year I want to introduce Art into both his, and my little little sister's curriculum. Just fun little projects that will get their creativity sparked. An easy, rewarding project like this is just what I need to kick off the beginning to the school year. I'm thinking I'll let them choose their own colors and shapes. They could make cats, cars, super heroes, food, anything they can imagine.

Salted Caramel Squares

  I've never made caramel before. It's always seemed too daunting. But really, caramel is easy! It's only four ingredients. The trick to caramel is knowing when to take it off the heat. And luckily, that's not all that hard either.

Rainbow Bars

 These gooey, delicious, fruity lemon bars are the perfect way to brighten your Monday. As we approach the school year and fall along with it, it's more vital than ever to keep colorful, fun recipes close at hand.

Healing Tea

 There's a summer cold going around. I hate summer colds. It doesn't seem as bad in the winter somehow. You're not supposed be sick in summer. Summer is for smelling flowers, not sitting inside wrapped in twenty blankets.
 I know exactly how I caught this cold