Sesame Chicken and Broccoli

The first week of spring weather is here and

Mother Nature, 

if you are listening…

we're good with it, 

so these warmer sunny days can be here to stay. 

No more yanking us around with cold days, 

I'd like to pack up my boots and snow pants and leave them hidden until next winter.

K, thanks! 

With this beautiful weather, 

it can be hard to reel the kids in for dinner, 

but not if you serve up this

Sesame Chicken and Broccoli…

the aroma literally brought them in from the great outdoors

and I couldn't shake them, 

so I let them help me in the kitchen. 

That is another story in itself…

best part about kids helping in the kitchen is that 

soon they will be cooking for me!  

At least that is what I keep telling myself!

For a family size (but no leftovers - because it is THAT good) meal,

started with 3 eggs and 3 tbsp of corn starch

whisked together in a bowl large enough to 

add the chicken to for coating. 

I love this recipe! 

I love starting with eggs and corn starch…

I just know that a great texture will result from those two ingredients! 

Next, cut up 

2.5# of boneless, skinless chicken thighs

and add them to the egg batter.

If you haven't tried them yet, 

these boneless, skinless chicken thighs are the way to go! 

Not only to they have great flavor and texture, 

but they are also about half the price of chicken breasts.  

So, 2.5# of boneless skinless chicken is costing me just over $7

compared with nearly $15 for breast meat.  

When the pan with a couple tablespoons of your preferred vegetable oil 

was sufficiently pre-heated, 

pour the chicken, egg and starch mixture right into the pan. 

Here is where some patience will come into play. 

Don't over-stir!

You have to give the chicken and batter, if you will, enough time to brown up a bit,

in order to achieve that ideal, light, crispy texture. 

Here you can see the browning that is underway. 

While the chicken was cooking, 

my helpers were getting the other fixings prepared. 

Landon chopped up some broccoli,

which can be added to the pan towards the end to avoid mushy-broccoli syndrome. 

Ryker was measuring out the ingredients for the sesame sauce, 

which really makes the meal! 

He added 3 tbsp soy sauce,

2 tbsp water

1 tbsp toasted sesame oil (my favorite!)

3 tbsp brown sugar

3 tbsp rice vinegar

1 inch of freshly grated ginger

1 tbsp minced garlic

2 tbsp sesame seeds

1 tbsp corn starch

It took both of them to grate the fresh ginger…

but, at least they weren't fighting! 

The broccoli was added and tossed a bit!

The sauce was whipped together…

It starts out pretty thin, 

but once added to the pan, 

the corn starch would do its thing

and next thing you know you have a nice, thick, sweet, nutty sauce over all of the delicious-ness.

(Sorry Jerry, I know you hate that word!)

Pour it in, 

stir it up 

and let is start to bubble just a little bit! 

Serve over rice and top with some scallions. 

I was REALLY disappointed that there weren't any leftovers! 

I'm already trying to come up with a time when I can make this again and 

manage to get some more for myself! 

RECIPE:

Time: 45 minutes

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

3 eggs

4 tbsp of corn starch - divided

2.5# of boneless, skinless chicken thighs

3 tbsp vegetable oil

Broccoli

3 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp water

1 tbsp toasted sesame oil 

3 tbsp brown sugar

3 tbsp rice vinegar

1 inch of freshly grated ginger

1 tbsp minced garlic

2 tbsp sesame seeds

Directions:

• Whisk together eggs and starch. 
• Cut chicken into bite-sizes chunks, add to egg, toss to coat. 
• Preheat oil over medium high heat, add chicken and egg mixture. 
• Stir occasionally, until no more pink remains. 
• Measure and combine soy sauce, water, sesame oil, brown sugar, vinegar, ginger, garlic, corn starch and sesame seeds. Mix well. 
• Add broccoli to pan and pour sauce over. 
• Allow to heat for about 5 minutes before serving over rice. 

Quick Pork Chop Meal for 4 for less than $10

Happy Monday! 

Another fresh week ahead…

What's on your to-do list?

I'm fairly certain that these warmer, spring-like temps

that are forecasted for southern Wisconsin will 

start to bring people out of the woodwork! 

Sunshine and fresh air

always seem to unearth the motivation that has been 

hidden somewhere in the frigid temperatures. 

I know I'm excited about spring 

(and taking down the Christmas lights that have been frozen to the trees),

how about you?

So if we are eagerly tackling some spring projects,

a fast and frugal meal is a must!

This pork chop meal is quick, easy, healthy, delicious and easy on the wallet!

Not sure it gets any better than that!

Start by preheating the oven to 450 F. 

Then, all you need is some thin-cut boneless pork chops,

these were $5.37 at Aldi

along with a packet of Ranch Dressing Seasoning,

$0.49 also at Aldi. 

Just sprinkle the seasoning on the chops and

bake for 10 minutes. 

That is all it took for 

these delicious pork chops!  

Pretty easy, eh?

They were paired up with a romaine salad

($1.99 at Aldi)

and some fresh strawberries,

which doubled as our carb for the evening.

I've been seeing great prices on great strawberries recently. 

$0.99/lb at Woodman's

was the best deal I saw last week.

The good news is that strawberry season is right around the corner!

RECIPE:

Bake Time: 10 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

Thin-cut boneless Pork Chops ($5.37 at Aldi)

Packet of Ranch Dressing Seasoning ($0.49 at Aldi)

Romaine lettuce ($1.99 for 3 heads at Aldi)

Strawberries ($0.99 at Woodman's)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 450 F. 
• Sprinkle both sides of pork chops with ranch seasoning. 
• Bake for 10 minutes or until fully cooked. 
• Serve with strawberries and salad. 

Country Style Ribs

Welcome to the weekend! 

Hope you have some exciting plans, 

maybe soak up some of the warmer temps!

We are super excited to be heading out with our kids 

to their sporting events this weekend. 

Ryker refueling between events.

Ryker's last swim meet tonight!

I'm guessing he'll set some more PRs (personal records)

just like he has continued to do all season!

It has been a blast! 

Landon and his buddy Tyler after a Free-Throw contest.

Landon's last basketball tournament this Saturday in Lodi. 

Last weekend they really came together as a team and won the tournament in Rockford. 

Alayna and her pal Haley. 

Lastly, but certainly not least, 

Sunday we will be cheering on Alayna and her team at her home tournament!

So, when we are on the road supporting our kids, 

it is such a treat to come home and make a quick dinner

that tastes like it has been cooking all day!

Enter, 

Country Style Ribs.

Not only are these boneless ribs much more economical than a rack of ribs,

They can be baked up in less than an hour

with a sweet and smokey flavor that melts-in-your-mouth! 

Of course, with a house full of boys, 

ribs are requested quite often…

but it is not in the budget to be spending nearly $30 on a racks of ribs all the time. 

So, these ribs have been a life-saver! 

They have been paired with both chicken and seafood in our house

for a complete guy-pleasing meal. 

Let's get started...

Just whip up a quick rub…

1/2 cup of brown sugar

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp seasoning salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp ground red pepper

1/2 tsp ground cumin

These sugar and spices come together so nicely to make a sweet and smokey rub. 

When all mixed up, looks mostly like brown sugar, 

but don't let that fool you! 

Right into the store-packaging, 

the first side of 2# of boneless country style ribs are rubbed. 

I love to take any advantage I can of minimizing mess! 

Then, on a foil-lined baking sheet

(speaking of mess-minimizing)

The ribs are flipped out and topped with the rest of the rub. 

Cover those bad boys with some foil and bake at 350 F for 30 minutes. 

Next slather on your BBQ sauce of choice

and spread it out with a brush or the back of a spoon works just fine too! 

Pop 'em back in the oven for another 20 minutes

and these babies are ready. 

Call in the troops! 

These were served up with some delicious roasted brussel sprouts. 

Now, I love a mess with the best of them, 

but I'm not sad that these can be neatly eaten with a knife and fork! 

And, there are NEVER any leftovers! 

RECIPE:

Bake Time: 1 hour

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

2# of boneless country style ribs

1/2 cup of brown sugar

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp seasoning salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp ground red pepper

1/2 tsp ground cumin

BBQ sauce

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 F. 
• Mix up smokey brown sugar rub. 
• Rub on both sides of ribs. 
• Placed on foil-lined baking sheet. 
• Cover and bake for 30 minutes. 
• Add BBQ sauce and bake for another 20 minutes. 

Ranch Taco Salad and bathroom makeover

**This recipe can be Pinned on Pinterest or

Shared on Facebook for future reference**

Hi, thanks for stopping by! 

So glad you are here. 

Hope that you enjoyed your weekend, 

thankfully it was a bit warmer, 

saw lots of fun pictures of outdoor activities…

sledding, skiing and tubing. 

Part of my weekend fun

was making over the kids' bathroom. 

There was a limited budget for this project, 

but they were in desperate need of new rugs, 

ones that would not leave a trail of dried and cracked backing every time

they were moved. 

Also, thought it was time to freshen up the paint. 

Time to say adios to the beach theme and 

bland shower curtain. 

So, with a few hours on Fri morning, 

the walls were updated and the bathroom 

was a sparkling clean and new space that the kids just loved!

Makes me want to use their bathroom too!

Bet you never thought you would hear me say that!

In addition to painting and redecorating,

I'm always cooking too! 

Today I want to share with you this fabulous, versatile salad

that is great both to take to a party as a side or serve as a meal.  

The original inspiration for this salad was found on Emily Bites.

Last week it was our contribution to a potluck and 

tonight, with double the meat, it will be our dinner. 

Start by browning ground beef,

(I recommend 1# for a side salad and 2# for a main dish)

add taco seasoning accordingly.  

While the meat is browning, the rest of the salad can be prepped. 

1 head of iceberg lettuce,

1-2 roma tomatoes

1 can of black beans - drained

16 oz bag of frozen corn - thawed

One cup of shredded taco seasoned cheese was added before the 

ground beef was ready. 

One cup of crushed Nacho cheese tortilla chips

and 1/2 cup of French dressing were added and combined well. 

Finishing touches include another cup of crushed tortilla chips and 

a drizzle of Ranch dressing. 

The dressing will make the chips soggy, 

so I would recommend that they are added just before serving 

for the best texture. 

That being said, 

even being the texture-lover that I am, 

even this salad as leftovers was amazing! 

RECIPE:

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Serves: 6 as a meal; 12 as a side salad

Ingredients:

1-2# Ground Beef

1-2 Packets of Taco Seasoning

1 head of Iceberg Lettuce,

1-2 Tomatoes - chopped

1 can of Black Beans - drained

16 oz bag of frozen Corn - thawed

1 cup of shredded Taco Cheese blend

2 cups of crushed Nacho cheese tortilla chips - divided

1/2 cup of French dressing

Ranch Dressing - to taste

Directions:

• Brown beef and add taco seasoning
• In a separate bowl, add lettuce, tomatoes, beans, corn and cheese. 
• Top with cooked taco meat and dressing. 
• Incorporate crushed chips just before serving, for best texture. 
• Top with more crushed chips and ranch dressing. 

Pistachio Pudding Torte and a special birthday!

Yay for the weekend upon us! 

Kids are off this afternoon and tomorrow and 

we get to celebrate Jerry's birthday on Friday as well. 

Happy Birthday to this deer-hunting, ice-fishing, sports-playing, joke-telling

all-around great husband and dad!

So, thought that perhaps a special treat would be in order 

to help us, uh, him celebrate!

Who doesn't love some pistachio pudding,

especially when coupled with layers of graham crackers, 

cool whip and chocolate. 

A simple layer of graham crackers for starters.

Then, whip up 8 oz of cream cheese (softened), 8 oz of cool whip and 1/2 cup powdered sugar.

It makes this awesome creamy and light fluff as the second layer.

Next, 2 packages of instant pistachio pudding
were whisked up with 3 cups of skim milk and
poured over the sweet, creamy, fluffy layer
and gently spread.

Finally, 1 16 oz container of chocolate frosting was melted

and spread over the pudding.

Functionally, this frosting worked great!
Easy to melt and spread.

But, even after being refrigerated over night, 
it still wasn't as firm as I would have liked.

Not sure if I'd use the container of frosting route again.

Perhaps, I'd be inclined to go more with the cookie frosting…
powdered sugar, cocoa powder and milk, 
at least when that cools, it sets up pretty well. 

Finally, sprinkle with some chopped pistachios 
and put in the fridge to firm up before serving!

RECIPE:

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Servings : 12

Ingredients:

Graham crackers

8 oz of cream cheese (softened)

8 oz of cool whip

1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 packages of instant pistachio pudding

3 cups of skim milk 

16 oz container of chocolate frosting

Pistachios  - chopped

Directions:

• Start with a layer of graham crackers. 
• Fold together cream cheese, sugar and cool whip, then spread over crackers. 
• Mix up pudding with mix, until thickened and pour over cool whip. 
• Melt frosting in a microwave safe bowl, spread over pudding. 
• Top with pistachios.

Potato Soup with Kale and Sausage

Happy Tuesday, 

so excited for another fabulous week to be underway! 

Always so many great opportunities in any given week, 

so much to pursue and accomplish. 

My weekly to-do list is always quite ambitious, 

thankfully I'm motivated by progress, 

so in a good week, my productivity will snowball by the week's end. 

Of course, feeding my family is always on my weekly to-do list.

Last night, 

we enjoyed a family favorite

Chicken Quesadillas

for dinner. 

Tonight will probably be another hearty soup, 

something along the lines of this soup, both comforting and scrumptious

Potato Soup with Kale and Sausage.

Sure, we all love the soups that simmer all day, 

like our moms and grandmas used to make….

But, I'm also a big fan of a soup that can be whipped up in just about 30 minutes.

especially when it is complete with 

protein, carb and vegetable. 

My favorite meals are always a one-dish wonder!

Otherwise, I must admit, 

I might get too lazy to serve a vegetable, 

who wants to dirty another dish

when you can throw it all in one pot!  

Start by browning up 1# of Italian Sausage.

Fat aside, I'm a pretty big fan of the flavor that sausage imparts and 

have been cooking with it more than ever. 

Set the sausage aside and brown up

1 onion - chopped, 1 tbsp minced garlic, 1 tsp of each salt and pepper. 

Maybe some butter to aid in the browning, 

but I thought there was enough fat left from the sausage, 

so I omitted that. 

Like spinach, this baby kale wilts down a ton!

So, in goes 2 large handfuls of baby kale….

And after just a few minutes, 

it is wilted down to this. 

Then add 4 medium potatoes - chopped.

The smaller the potato pieces, the faster they cook. 

Maybe I'd cut them smaller next time. 

Add back the sausage. 

And then add 4 cups of broth

and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the potatoes are cooked.

I know I've said this a million times, 

but we like thicker soups, 

so feel free to add more broth if that is your preference. 

Finally, add 1 cup of whole milk

for the creamy-effect. 

Feel free to top with some

 freshly grated parmesan

for some delightful cheesy-nuttiness! 

RECIPE:

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

1# of Italian Sausage

1 onion - chopped

1 tbsp minced garlic

1 tsp of salt

1 tsp of pepper

8 oz baby kale

4 medium potatoes - chopped

4 cups of broth

1 cup of whole milk

Freshly grated parmesan

Directions:

• Brown sausage and set aside. 
• Soften the onion and garlic seasoned with salt and pepper. 
• Add the kale for wilting. 
• Add chopped potatoes, sausage and broth. 
• Simmer for about 15 minutes until potatoes are cooked. 
• Add milk, top with parmesan and serve.