Diddles & Dumplings

Churros

noreply@blogger.com (Devi McDonald) — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 02:00:00 +0000

Honestly, is there anyone out there who doesn't like churros? I've met people who don't like chocolate, I've met people who don't like peanut butter, but is there really anyone out there who doesn't love a good churro? I remember these sugary little treats being a huge part of my childhood. Every time we went to the Fair or to a Carnival I had to get a churro, and usually by the end of the night I was begging for another one. The best way I can think to describe a churro is that they are stick-like donut things with a crispy exterior, soft, pillowy interior and a delicious cinnamon and sugar coating. "Stick-like donut things" may not be the best descriptive words out there, but they are the only ones I could come up with right on the spot.

Here is a delicious recipe that I found years ago and I can't remember where I got it, but it is the recipe that I use and will always use when I'm craving something sweet. The great thing about this recipe is that you probably already have all of the ingredients you need to make them and you won't even have to make a special trip to the store! Yay! :) Just make sure you have one of those awesome frosting decorating tools you use to decorate cakes and cupcakes and you're all set!

Churro Recipe:

1 cup water

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup butter

1 cup all purpose flour

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cinnamon/Sugar coating:

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

In a medium pan, add the water, brown sugar, salt, and butter and heat until it begins to boil.

Remove from the heat and add in the flour.

In a separate bowl, mix together the eggs and vanilla and add this mixture to the flour mixture. Stir until it's all nice and mixed together.

Fill a frosting decorating tool (fitted with a large star tip) with the churro mixture.

In a small bowl, mix together the cinnamon and sugar. Set aside.

Heat your oil to 350 degrees and make sure it is nice and hot before you proceed to the next step.

Squeeze about a 5" long piece (using the decorating tool) into the oil.Use a knife to cut and release the end of the dough from the decorating tool.

Fry for about a minute, then flip. Cook for additional minute or two, then remove and place on paper towels.

While the churros are still warm, roll them in the cinnamon/sugar mixture.

Now, try not to eat them all before you are done frying them all! :)

Favorite Finds #1

noreply@blogger.com (Devi McDonald) — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 04:23:00 +0000

I have decided to highlight 5 of my favorite recipe finds (that I usually find via Pinterest) every week and share them with you all! I have become so obsessed with Pinterest lately and all of the delicious recipes I find on there! If you don't already have an account, you can leave your email address in the comment section below and I will send you an invitation! Be warned that once you do join, your life will never be the same. Even if you don't sign up for an account, you can just sit back and enjoy these super yummy recipes! Here are a few of the amazing things that I discovered this week:

Orange PushUp Smoothie @ Averie Cooks

Cake Batter Pancakes @ Chef In Training

Bailey’s Chocolate & Caramel Irish Cream Cupcakes @ Tidy Mom

Saffron Chicken @ Kalyn's Kitchen

Mongolian Beef @ Favorite Family Recipes

- You can find all of my boards and follow me at: http://pinterest.com/devimcdonald/ -

Growing Your Own Green Onions

noreply@blogger.com (Devi McDonald) — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 15:25:00 +0000

In this post where I shared the recipe for the Mexican Casserole that I made, I mentioned that you can grow your own green onions. Yesterday I decided to snap a picture of the progress that my green onions had made after less than 2 days of growing! I don't know if it's just me, but I am seriously excited about this! This success and the rewards that will come from it have truly inspired me and my goal is to begin my own garden full of herbs and veggies that I can use in my recipes!

I have never planted anything outside, aside from the tree that my dad and I planted when I was 6, and I am hoping that I won't fail miserably and be left with just a mound of soil in the end. Having a garden can't be as hard as I think, right? Everybody wish me luck!

How to grow your own green onions:

Cut onions about 2" up from the bottom.
Place in a container in your window.
Fill with water about 1/2 way up the side of the onions.
Change water every single day!
Enjoy your green onions. :)

I hear you can do the same thing with Celery, so I will have to give that a try!

Rocky Mountain Candy

noreply@blogger.com (Devi McDonald) — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 23:56:00 +0000

Ahhh peanut butter. There is really nothing quite like it, is there? A very little known fact is that March 1st was actually National Peanut Butter Lover's Day and this year, I decided to go big! To celebrate this obscure holiday I decided I would invent my very own oh-so-delicious peanut buttery treat. This delicious candy is full of peanut butter, marshmallows and coconut, all nicely packaged in a delicious white chocolate shell. The name of this candy seemed obvious as when I looked at the mounds of white chocolatey goodness that lined my baking sheet, I couldn't help but picture the beautiful snow-covered Rocky Mountains!

Rocky Mountain Candy Recipe:

3/4 cup mini marshmallows

1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter

1/4 cup shredded coconut

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon butter (melted)

1-1/2 cups white chocolate melting disks (melted)

In a medium bowl, combine marshmallows, coconut, peanut butter, butter and powdered sugar.

Roll into 12 ping pong sized "balls" and place on a baking sheet.

Put the baking sheet in the freezer for about 20 minutes, or until the mixture begins to firm up.

Remove from freezer and using a spoon, roll mixture in white chocolate, remove and place directly on parchment paper or in cupcake liners to harden.

Makes 12 candies.

Linked To:

Love Veggies & Yoga

Mexican Casserole

noreply@blogger.com (Devi McDonald) — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 03:40:00 +0000

Do you ever have those days where you are so tired and you really, really don't want to make dinner and you really, really don't want to go to the store to get what you need to make dinner? Today was one of those days for me. We spent a lot of time out in the backyard today cleaning it up and getting it ready for BBQ weather (which is right around the corner!) and I was really in no mood to mess with dinner tonight. I decided to throw something together with what we already had in the cabinets and that is how this Mexican Casserole was born. What began as a last resort type of meal actually became something quite delicious and both my husband and daughter agreed that we would be making this again and again!

Also, on a side note... you can see that I have some green onions on top of this Mexican Casserole, correct? Well, did you know that you can grow your own green onions right in your house without any soil or any mess? Thanks to the wonderful world of Pinterest, I now have my very own green onions growing right in my window! All you need to do is chop your green onions about 2" up from the roots and place them in a container (like a cup) with the water coming about halfway up the onions. Make sure you change the water every day and keep it nice and clean! In just one day you will see them growing and feel an overwhelming sense of accomplishment! :)

Mexican Casserole Recipe:

12 corn tortillas (cut in half)

2 pounds ground beef

16 ounces cheddar cheese (shredded)

1 28oz can red enchilada sauce

Taco seasoning (either homemade or package!)

Sour cream

Garnish: green onions, onions, salsa

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a skillet, cook ground beef until completely browned and cooked through. Over medium heat, add desired amount of taco seasoning and about 1/4 cup of water and cook for about 2-3 minutes or until most of the water has disappeared.

In a 9"x13" baking dish place about 1/4 cup of enchilada sauce and spread over the bottom of the pan. Place 6 tortilla halves side by side in the sauce. Add 1/3 of the meat mixture over the tortillas and top with 1/4 of the remaining enchilada sauce. Sprinkle 1/4 of the cheese over the meat. Place 6 more tortilla halves on top of the meat.

Repeat layers, ending with the tortilla, sauce and cheese on the top.

Bake in oven for 35-40 minutes or until cheese is melted and casserole is bubbly.

Garnish with a dollop of sour cream, some green onions or whatever else you like!

Dr. Seuss Cupcakes

noreply@blogger.com (Devi McDonald) — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 03:09:00 +0000

Tomorrow is Dr. Seuss' Birthday! I am so excited about little things like this now that I have a daughter in school! Her kindergarten class is going to be celebrating his birthday tomorrow and I decided to make some cupcakes for the occasion. I spent hours and hours on Pinterest looking for ideas and the one thing that really caught my attention was the Dr. Seuss Cat in the hat marshmallow pops! I wanted to take that idea and make it into a cupcake so I put on my thinkin' cap and came up with the idea of using Mini marshmallows and white melting disks!

Cat In The Hat - Hat Instructions:

48 mini marshmallows
1/2 cup white chocolate melting disks (melted + colored red)
24 white chocolate melting disks (not melted!)
toothpicks

Place the 24 melting disks on parchment paper. Poke a toothpick in the top of a marshmallow.

Dip the marshmallow (almost) half way into the melted red chocolate.

With the toothpick still in the marshmallow, place marshmallow (chocolate side down) onto the melting disk.

Using your finger, press the marshmallow down while pulling out the toothpick. Dip another marshmallow half way into the red chocolate and place on top of the first marshmallow.

Once dry, pick up the "hats" and dip the very top of the top marshmallow into the red chocolate.

Repeat with all 24 white chocolate disks.

tatertots and jello

Beignets

noreply@blogger.com (Devi McDonald) — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:13:00 +0000

Since yesterday was Fat Tuesday, I decided to make Cajun Pasta and Beignets. I made the mistake of making the Beignets early in the day, so they just sat there and looked enticing the entire day. The one thing I learned about Beignets after making them is that you can't eat just one... or two... or three. My husband learned this truth as well and he isn't even a huge fan of dessert! The true signs of a delicious dessert in my house are: 1. My husband eats it. 2. He can't stop eating it. I spent pretty much the entire day hearing from both my husband and daughter that "These are the best baguettes I have ever had!" and "These bayonet's are amazing!" After correcting them for the 100th time, I decided to just let them eat their bayonets. My daughter loved them so much that she even wrote about them in her journal for school. I believe this to be a pretty solid testimony to the delicousness of these Beignets.

Beignet Recipe:

3/4 cup warm water
1/4 cup sugar
1-1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 egg (beaten)
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour (Gold Medal is the best!)
Oil (for frying)
powdered sugar (for dusting)

In a large bowl, add yeast, sugar and water. Stir and let sit for 10 minutes, until yeast becomes nice and foamy.

Add egg and milk and butter and whisk. Add salt and half the flour and continue to whisk. Add the remaining flour, mixing well and turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead 2-3 times.

Place in an oiled bowl covered with a towel in a warm place and allow to rise for about 2 hours.

Heat oil to 350 degrees. Roll the dough out in a rectangle to 1/4" thickness. Cut 1" square pieces.

Fry Beignets until one side is golden brown, flip, then fry until other side is golden brown.

Allow Beignets to cool slightly, then dust with powdered sugar.

Jambalaya

noreply@blogger.com (Devi McDonald) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 23:33:00 +0000

If there's one thing in life that my husband could eat every single night, it's Jambalaya. When we were dating he would always order it and I had no idea what it was nor did I want to. The idea of chicken, pork and shrimp mixed together didn't sound very appealing to me until I tried it for the first time. I can now honestly say that this Jambalaya recipe is one of my absolute favorite dishes! The one thing I do differently is I don't add the rice or pasta right in the pot. You can add it in there if you'd like, but I personally like to serve it over white rice! With tomorrow being Mardi Gras, what better time is there to make a delicious cajun dish and have a little celebration?

Jambalaya Recipe:

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1" cubes)
1 pound andouille sausage (cajun sausage!)
1 (28oz) can diced tomatoes (with juice)
1 large onion (chopped)
1 cup (chopped) celery
1 large bell pepper (chopped)
1 cup chicken broth
2 cloves fresh garlic (minced)
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp parsley
1 tbsp + 2 tsp cajun seasoning (divided)
1 tsp cayenne (or less, if you don't like too much heat!)
1/2 tsp thyme
1 pound shrimp (peeled & deveined)
Cooked pasta or white rice

Heat 1 tbsp oil in dutch oven over medium heat. Season chicken with 1 tbsp cajun seasoning and set aside.

Sautee sausage for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and add 1 tbsp oil to pan and sautee chicken. Remove and set aside.

Sautee onion, pepper, celery and garlic for about 6-8 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and all seasonings (including 2 tsp cajun seasoning). Cook for one minute, then stir chicken and sausage back in. Cook for additional 10 minutes.

Stir in chicken broth and simmer for 20-25 minutes. Add shrimp during the last 5 minutes of cooking.

Serve over pasta or white rice (I personally prefer serving it over white rice!)

Oscar Party Printables

noreply@blogger.com (Devi McDonald) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 01:04:00 +0000

With the Oscars only a week away, I thought I would share some Oscar Party Printables that can help make your Oscar Party just a little more special! I created two separate sheets of printables, one (larger one) that can be used as tags on treat bags, gifts, prizes or as cupcake toppers. The other sheet (smaller one) can be used as drink charms for your guests!

Print out on a nice card stock or other nice, thick paper. The cupcake toppers can be cut out with a 2.5" punch.

Click Here to Download the Larger size (tags/cupcake toppers)

Click Here to Download the Smaller size (drink charms)

Bread Machine White Bread

noreply@blogger.com (Devi McDonald) — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 17:49:00 +0000

When my husband and I first moved in together he insisted that I buy a bread machine. He told me many stories about homemade bread and the magical qualities that it possesses, so I was really left with no choice in the matter. At first I simply bought the pre-made box mixes at my grocery store, followed the directions and was left with a delicious loaf of yummy bread. Only recently did I attempt to make a loaf from scratch and the end result was definitely one of the most amazing things I have ever tasted!

Bread Machine White Bread Recipe:

1 cup warm water
2 tablespoons white sugar
2-1/4 teaspoons Active Dry Yeast or 1 (.25 Ounce) package bread machine yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 cups flour (I used all purpose because that's what I had, but, you can also use Bread Flour!)

Mix the water, sugar and yeast in the bottom of your bread machine and allow yeast to dissolve for about 10 minutes.

Once the yeast is bubbly, add in oil and flour and salt.

Set bread machine to Basic or White setting, 1-1/2 pound loaf.

St. Patrick's Day Printable Treat Tags

noreply@blogger.com (Devi McDonald) — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 06:23:00 +0000

I got a little head start on St. Patrick's Day this year. Mostly because I was looking around on Pinterest and I kept seeing really cute treats that I want to make for this year! I designed some treat tags that can be printed and cut out and tied to your treat bags or any little gift that you may be giving out this year! I am thinking about using them on some treat bags for my daughter's Kindergarten class!

Size of tags is 2". Print on some nice cardstock or some other nice, thick paper. I created them to be hole-punched on the top, left corner. Enjoy! :)

Click Here to download.

Cake Pops Book Giveaway Winner!

noreply@blogger.com (Devi McDonald) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 03:27:00 +0000

And the winner of the Cake Pops Book is.....

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Congratulations Lani!! Please email me at diddlesanddumplings@hotmail.com with your information (within 24 hours!) and I will get your book to you!!

Thank you so much to everyone who entered!! There will be more giveaways coming up soon! :)

Printable "You Make My Heart Sizzle" Valentine

noreply@blogger.com (Devi McDonald) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 06:15:00 +0000

I have been having so much fun making Valentine's Day Printables! I'm sure you've noticed :). Here is one I created with my husband in mind. It's easy to find cute, girly, frilly valentines, but it seems like it's difficult to come by a more "masculine" valentine! Here is my solution! Enjoy!

The Valentine is 4" x 4" and you can print it on some nice thick card stock or whatever nice printing paper you might have at home!

Click Here to Download!

Bird's Party Blog
today's creative blog
Craft-o-maniac

Pork Chops with Brandied Peaches and Apricot Glaze

noreply@blogger.com (Devi McDonald) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 01:12:00 +0000

This name of this recipe may take a very long time to say but it doesn't take a long time to devour! Okay, that was a little cheesy. But, seriously... this is an amazingly tasty dinner and I'm not even a huge fan of pork chops! I can't remember where, but I found this recipe a while back for my husband because he could eat pork chops every single night and I personally would rather have a huge bowl of Chicken Fettuccine! I ended up changing some of the ingredients around in the recipe, but after I tried it I changed my whole outlook on pork chops. I now treat pork chops with a little more respect. Try this recipe and you too will respect the chops (if you don't already).

Pork Chops with Brandied Peaches and Apricot Glaze Recipe:
6 (bone-in) loin pork chops
1 onion (thinly sliced)
3 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon thyme
1/4 cup brandy
1 bag frozen peaches (thawed)
1/3 cup apricot preserves
Oil
Salt
Pepper

Place a small amount of oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Season pork chops with salt and pepper. Depending on the thickness of your pork chops, cook them for about 4-6 minutes on the first side and another 4 on the other side. Once cooked through, place pork chops aside.

Lower pan heat to medium and add in 3 tablespoons of butter. Throw in the sliced onions and thyme and sautee until translucent (about 4-5 minutes). Turn off the flame and add in the brandy. Turn the flame back on (still over medium heat) and use a a long match, candle or lighter to set the brandy/onion mixture on fire. Cook until there are no more flames. Once the flames are gone, add in the peaches and apricot preserves along with salt and pepper to taste. Cook for about 5-6 minutes, or until peaches are getting nice and soft.

Pour the onion/peach mixture over the pork chops and serve.

Today's creative blog

Printable Valentine

noreply@blogger.com (Devi McDonald) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:33:00 +0000

I made some cute Valentines for you and your kids to use for this Valentine's Day! Print them out on a nice thick paper or card stock, cut them out and give them to anyone to put an instant smile on their face!

Click here to download.

Bird's Party Blog

Last-Minute Truffles

noreply@blogger.com (Devi McDonald) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 15:37:00 +0000

I'm the kind of person that loves the idea of being prepared for things. However, In reality am the world's biggest procrastinator and am usually left scurrying about last minute to finish a project, buy a gift or mail a card. It seems that my daughter has acquired this trait from me because last night (right before bed) she came up to me and said: "Tomorrow is my teacher's birthday! We have to go buy her a present! I just can't be the only kid who doesn't get her a present!" That was when I jumped into panic mode.

Luckily, I found a bag of guittard chocolate chips in the pantry, which meant that I could make something utterly delicious. I mean seriously, is there anyone who doesn't love chocolate? After searching through my cabinets for ingredients, I decided to throw together what I have decided to call Last-minute truffles, but they really should have been called "thanks for not telling me until 8 o'clock at night that your teacher's birthday is tomorrow" candy.

Last-minute Truffle Recipe:
1 Bag semi-sweet chocolate chips (I always use guittard! They are my favorite!)
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Random things to roll them in:
Toasted coconut
Cocoa powder
Sprinkles
Chopped Nuts

Place 2/3 of chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl. Heat in 30 second intervals, stirring well after each.

Once the chocolate is melted, add in the remaining chocolate chips and stir until they are completely melted and the chocolate is nice and shiny.

Add oil to chocolate and stir until they are completely mixed together. Allow chocolate to cool at room temperature.

Once chocolate has completely cooled, scoop out the amount you want and roll into a ball-like shape (I scooped about a tablespoon full of chocolate for each one.) Immediately roll the ball into your coconut, cocoa, nuts or anything else you may be using to coat them.

Place on parchment paper to set.

**I'm not completely sure how many truffles this recipe will make because the Mr. and I were eating them as fast as I could make them. I do know that we ended up with about 15 in the end... after we ate like 10.

Printable Valentine's Day Cupcake Toppers

noreply@blogger.com (Devi McDonald) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 02:59:00 +0000

Here are some printable cupcake toppers for you to use for any cupcakes you might be making for this special day!

If you're going to use them just print them out, use a 2" punch and attach some toothpicks or lollipop sticks to the back and you have yourself a cupcake topper!

Click Here to Download.

---Don't forget to enter the giveaway for a chance to win a copy of Bakerella's Cake Pops Book!---

Cake Pops Book Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Devi McDonald) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 23:38:00 +0000

Woo Hoo! Diddles & Dumplings has reached over 300 fans on Facebook! I would like to thank all of you who are fans of the blog and I appreciate you all so much! It has been so much fun to be able to share my recipes with you all and hear your feedback! Just to say thank you, I would like to give you the chance to win a copy of Bakerella's Cake Pops book!

Giveaway Details:

Use the Rafflecopter form below to fill out your information for a chance to win! Make sure to follow me on Facebook and share this giveaway and the Diddles & Dumplings blog with your friends!! The more fans, the more giveaways we can have!! Good luck to you all!

**If you don't see the Rafflecopter form, or it isn't loading correctly.. Just leave separate blog comments saying that you "Like" Diddles & Dumplings on Facebook, that you Follow the blog (via Google Friend Connect over there to the right) and if you share the giveaway on Facebook!

Giveaway is from January 13, 2012 - February 13, 2012 (12:00 am)

a Rafflecopter giveaway
>

Chicken & Corn Chowder

noreply@blogger.com (Devi McDonald) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 02:40:00 +0000

I have never been a huge fan of soup, which is why this was my first ever attempt at making soup. I tend to like things that are creamy and rich, so I thought a chicken and corn chowder would be a great beginning soup. I searched online for recipes and none of them seemed to be what I was looking for. I had this perfect vision in my mind of what my soup was going to be like and what was going to be in it, so I decided to just throw a recipe together and see what would happen. The result is a delicious, creamy, flavorful, magnificent soup. Not to toot my own horn or anything, but this soup is probably the best soup in the entire world. Once you have all of your ingredients cut and chopped it comes together pretty quickly! After you have made this chowder you will be a much happier person and your family will thank you.

Chicken Corn Chowder Recipe:
3 slices bacon
6 tablespoons butter
1 onion (minced)
4 potatoes (diced)
1/4 cup flour
1.5 pounds cooked boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1" cubes)
1 package frozen corn kernels
1/4 cup green onions (sliced)
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup half and half
1 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste

Cut bacon into small pieces and fry in a large saucepan (dutch ovens are awesome!) When bacon is fully cooked, add onions. Sautee over medium heat and throw in 3 tablespoons of butter and cook onions for about 3 minutes.

Add diced potatoes and 3 more tablespoons of butter and cook until potatoes are beginning to soften (about 6-8 minutes).

Sprinkle flour over potatoes and stir until coated. Stir in chicken, corn and green onions and mix together. Add chicken broth, half and half, milk and salt and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes.

“Come join SoupaPalooza at TidyMom and Dine and Dish sponsored by KitchenAid, Red Star Yeast and Le Creuset”

Today's Creative Blog

Orange Chicken

noreply@blogger.com (Devi McDonald) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 03:47:00 +0000

Chinese food is one of those things that I have always thought would take too many ingredients and preparation to ever make at home. How sorely mistaken I was. My wonderful husband bought me a deep fryer for Christmas this year, and in order to repay him, I decided to make him some homemade Orange Chicken! My husband is a huge fan of Chinese food and he was eternally grateful to me for surprising him with this delicious homemade dish. This is pretty much one of the tastiest things I have ever made and I have already made it for my husband's side of the family just to show off how utterly delicious it truly is. Make this Orange Chicken and I can guarantee you that you will feel an overwhelming sense of satisfaction spend the entire day strutting proudly around your house.

Orange Chicken Recipe:

2 lbs boneless & skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1.5" cubes)
2 cups flour
2 eggs (beaten)
salt (about 1/2 teaspoon)
pepper (about 1/2 teaspoon)

Sauce:

1-1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
1/4 cup freshly squeeze lemon juice (or you can use the little squeeze bottle!)
1/3 cup rice vinegar
2-1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon freshly grated orange zest
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon garlic (minced)
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons cold water
Chopped green onions (to garnish)
Oil (for frying)

Heat deep fryer to 375 degrees.

Combine flour, salt and pepper in a medium bowl (for coating). Dip chicken pieces in beaten egg and toss in flour mixture to coat. Place chicken in deep fryer and fry until pieces are lightly browned and chicken is cooked through.

In a medium saucepan, combine water, lemon juice, orange juice, rice vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, orange zest and ginger. Bring to a boil. In a separate bowl (small) combine cornstarch and cold water. Add to sauce mixture. Cook sauce for 4-5 minutes or until sauce is nice and thick.

Pour sauce over chicken pieces and mix well. Garnish with green onion.

Today's creative blog

Valentine's Day Printable

noreply@blogger.com (Devi McDonald) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 22:24:00 +0000

Here is a fun little Valentine's Day printable for you to decorate your home with or give as a gift, or whatever you'd like! It's the standard 8.5"x11" size. Enjoy!

Click here to download the black version.

Click here to download the white version.

Linked To:

Chili Lime Chicken

noreply@blogger.com (Devi McDonald) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 16:45:00 +0000

My husband is a huge fan of some crazy mexican chicken from a certain fast food place. Unfortunately, we don't have one in our town, so he never gets to enjoy this very special chicken meal. Being the wonderful wife that I am, I have created my own version of this delicious chicken that goes well with some tortillas, beans, spanish rice and salsa! It is simply amazing and wonderful and can make for a very fun, hands-on dinner!

Chile Lime Chicken Recipe:
1 package chicken thighs or thighs/drumsticks (about 2.5-3 pounds worth)
1/4 c chili powder
1 tbsp onion powder
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp salt
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/8 cup sugar
Juice of 1 lime

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine seasonings in a small bowl and rub mixture on the chicken pieces. Squeeze lime juice over the chicken. You can refrigerate for an hour if you'd like, or if you don't have time you can just begin cooking it now.

Cook chicken for 30 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees for another 20-25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear.

Once the chicken is out of the oven, squeeze a little more lime over it, just to give it a little something extra.

Serve chicken in a bowl, family style and dig in. Make sure to have plenty of corn or flour tortillas, beans, rice, salsa and guacamole! Enjoy!

Linked To:

Ham & Cheese Stuffed French Toast

noreply@blogger.com (Devi McDonald) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 17:15:00 +0000

I absolutely love breakfast foods. Some of my favorite mornings are when we have pretty much nothing in our fridge and I go in there and search for random ingredients to make breakfast with. One morning I happened to find some lunch meat and cheese left in the fridge along with everything I needed to make french toast. Well, being the daring girl I am, I decided to throw them together and make what has now become one of my favorite breakfasts, ham and cheese french toast! Instead of frying the french toast I decided to put a bunch of them together and bake it in the oven to save me from having to clean more and also just because I was feeling lazy!

Ham & Cheese Stuffed French Toast Recipe:
12 slices bread (any bread of your choice! really!)
12 slices ham
2 cups shredded cheese (I used cheddar, because that's what I had, but whatever you have will work!)
3 eggs (beaten)
1.5 cups milk
Confectioner's sugar (for dusting)
Butter
Maple Syrup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease a 9"x13" baking dish. Place 6 of the bread slices in the bottom. Layer each piece with 2 slices of ham and top each with about 2 tablespoons of cheese. Once the bread is covered with the ham and cheese, cover it with the remaining bread slices.

In a medium bowl, mix together eggs and milk. Pour over the bread and let it soak in for about 5-10 minutes. Sprinkle the top of the bread with remaining cheddar cheese.

Bake in preheated oven for about 35-40 minutes, or until top is golden brown.

You should be able to separate each "stuffed french toast" piece. Drizzle maple syrup over the top and dust with confectioner's sugar.

Linked To:

Bow ties & Beef with Creamy Porter Sauce

noreply@blogger.com (Devi McDonald) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 00:29:00 +0000

It's a new year, which means that I can start fresh and get back to blogging. I've been cooking so much lately and it's time for me to get some of the recipes up! This recipe was made specifically for my husband who happens to be a beer lover. This recipe was created for him because he pretty much loves when I make anything with beer, especially when it involves meat (specifically beef). If you don't really like to cook with beer you can just substitute the beer for some beef broth!

Bow ties & Beef with Creamy Porter Sauce Recipe:
2 pounds Stew Meat (or chuck roast cut into cubes)
1 12oz Bottle of a good Porter Beer (I used Deschutes)
4 cups Bow tie Pasta (cooked)
12 ounces of fresh mushrooms (sliced)
2 cloves fresh garlic (minced)
2 cups heavy cream
3 tbsp fresh parley (chopped)
3 tbsp oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in pan (One that has a lid. I used my dutch oven.) over medium-high heat. Season meat with salt and pepper and add to pan. Brown on all sides. Remove meat and set aside. Add 1 tbsp oil to pan and add fresh garlic and mushrooms. Sautee for 3-4 minutes. Add meat back to pan and pour in the beer. Bring to a boil and cover with lid. Reduce heat to medium-low and allow to cook for about 1 hour (checking frequently) or until meat is juicy and tender. Add a few tablespoons of beer if the liquid seems to be disappearing too quickly.

Once the meat is done, there should be some juices left in the pan, if not, add about 1/4 cup of broth. To this mixture, add heavy cream and salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat until mixture begins to thicken. Make sure to taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Once it's done, add in fresh parsley and cooked pasta.

Serve with a fresh salad and some good bread and watch as this meal is thoroughly devoured.

Linked To:

Printable Pumpkin Bookmark

noreply@blogger.com (Devi McDonald) — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 22:50:00 +0000

Click here to download.