Teriyaki Chicken Stir Fry

From: Salt and Lavendar

Ingredients:

• 2 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• Pepper to taste
• 3 Tbsp cornstarch 
• 3 Tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1/2 medium onion
• 2 cups broccoli florets 
• 1/2 red bell pepper

Sauce:

• 1/2 cup chicken broth 
• 3 Tbsp mirin
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp rice vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
• 2 cloves minced garlic 

1. Prep the ingredients before you start cooking. Once the recipe is started, it goes quickly. Cut the veggies into bite-size pieces so they cook at a similar rate.

2. Add the sauce ingredients to a medium bowl and whisk everything together.

3. Cut the chicken into one-inch pieces and add them to a bowl. Sprinkle the pieces with the garlic powder and some pepper. Stir to combine. Add the cornstarch and stir until the chicken is coated.

4. In a deep skillet, over medium-high heat, add 2 tbsp of the oil. Let the pan heat up for a few minutes.

5. Add the chicken pieces, shaking off the excess cornstarch prior to adding them to the pan. Cook for 4 minutes and then flip and cook another 3 to 4 minutes or so. Chicken should be browned and cooked through. For the second batch (there should be enough chicken to need to do 2+ batches), I add another tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. Transfer each batch of the chicken to a plate once it's done.

6. If the pan is dry, add a small splash of olive oil, and then add the onions. Cook for 1 minute, stirring a few times.

7. Add in the broccoli and peppers, and cook for 3 minutes, stirring often. Veggies should be tender-crisp. Give it a little longer if you want them softer.

8. Add the chicken back to the pan and stir in the sauce. ( Whisk it again quickly prior to pouring it in.) Let it bubble until thickened, stirring constantly so everything is coated. Take the pan off the heat and serve immediately.

Verdict:

Thumbs up! Oh my gosh, the flavor on this was ON POINT. The whole family really enjoyed it!

What I did differently (or would do in the future):

I cooked about 2lbs of chicken because I knew just two chicken breasts wouldn't be enough for us. And I left some out of the sauce so people could do half and half. I should have used more broccoli - all of us love broccoli so much that we went through that really quickly. I left out the bell pepper because I'm the only one who enjoys it, but I cooked my onions separately, so in hindsight, I should have just done the bell pepper separately as well. I used coconut aminos instead of soy sauce. 

Please note - it does say once the recipe is started, it goes quickly, and that's semi-true. It took me about an hour and 15 minutes to make this from start to finish, but that's most likely because of how much chicken I was cooking! If I was only cooking for two, it would probably have gone much faster.

We added rice and it went together perfectly!

Pizza Biscuit Wreath

 From: Pillsbury 2007 Annual Recipes Cookbook

Ingredients:

• 2 cans (12 oz each) Pillsbury Golden Layers refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
• 60 small slices pepperoni
• 5 sticks colby-monterey jack cheese, each cut crosswise into 4 pieces
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 Tbsp shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
• pizza sauce for dipping

Heat oven to 375°. Spray large cookie sheet with cooking spray.

Separate one can of dough into 10 biscuits, keep second can refrigerated. Press each biscuit into a 3-inch round. Place three pepperoni slices and one piece of cheese on each dough round. Wrap dough around filling, pinching edges to seal and form ball.

Repeat with remaining can of dough, pepperoni and cheese.

Leaving a 4-inch hole in the center, arrange eight balls, seam side down and sides almost touching into a ring on the cookie sheet.

Arrange remaining 12 balls, sides almost touching, around outer edge of first ring. Brush rings with beaten egg.

Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning. Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Meanwhile, in small microwavable bowl, microwave pizza sauce, loosely covered, on high 45 to 60 seconds or until warm. Carefully slide wreath from cookie sheet onto serving platter. Place bowl of pizza sauce in center of wreath. Garnish with fresh oregano, if desired. Serve warm.

Verdict: Thumbs up! I only did one can of the rolls. They were very good. I wouldn't say we were astounded with them or anything, but they were good.

What I would do differently next time: So, I'm just now seeing that the recipe says to arrange them almost touching. Yeah... I definitely had them touching, which meant the sides took much longer to cook. Reading is fundamental! I also feel like they could have used garlic powder sprinkled on top. That's how I make these when I use crescent rolls. Other than that, they were really easy to make and would be a great, simple recipe!

Spicy Cheeseburger Nachos

 From: Pillsbury Annual Recipe Cookbook 2007

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 boxes (16 oz each) Mexican prepared cheese product with jalapeno peppers, cut into cubes
• 2 cans (10 oz each) diced tomatoes with green chiles, drained
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• tortilla chips

Verdict:

Thumbs up! Super easy, very tasty!

What I did differently or what I would do next time:

I don't measure garlic, so let's just get that out of the way. I measure garlic with my heart.

I realized as I'm typing this up that I purchased the green onions and then I didn't use the green onions. Hah!

This was such a great recipe. I know versions of this have been floating around for years and years. This was really easy and it tasted delicious. I would definitely make it again.

Super Speedy Chili

 From: Pillsbury Annual Recipes Cookbook 2007

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb lean ground beef
• 2 cans (14.5 oz each) stewed tomatoes, undrained, cut up
• 1 can (15 oz) spicy chili beans, undrained
• 3 tsp chili powder
• shredded cheddar cheese, if desired

In 3-quart saucepan or 10-inch skillet, cook ground beef over medium high heat, stirring frequently, until thoroughly cooked; drain.

Stir in remaining ingredients. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer uncovered 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Top individual servings with cheese.

Verdict:

Thumbs up! SUPER fast, SUPER convenient!

What I did differently or what I would do next time:

I used a pound of ground beef because, why not? I used 1 can of tomatoes because I wanted more meat than anything else. I probably could have used more chili powder because I like a really spicy chili, but this had a nice little kick to it.

When I tell you that this was not like my mama's chili, but it was a pretty darn good stand-in... for the amount of time this took and for it to have the great flavor it had, I'm impressed. I really wasn't expecting much considering the lack of time this took and lack of ingredients it contains. This was perfect for the chili craving I was having. I would definitely make this again.

Flaky Ham and Turkey Sandwich Slices

 From: Pillsbury Annual Cookbook 2007

Ingredients:

• 1 box (15 oz) Pillsbury refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box
• 2 tsp yellow mustard
• 1/2 lb sliced cooked turkey
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 2 small plum tomatoes, thinly sliced
• 1/2 lb sliced cooked ham

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Remove pie crusts from pouches; place crusts flat on work surface (after they've been softened). Brush each crust with 1 tsp mustard to within 1/2 inch of edge.

Layer turkey, cheese, tomato slices and ham in 4 1/2-inch-wide strip down center of each crust to within 1 inch of top and bottom of edges. Fold top and bottom edges up onto filling. Bring both sides up over filling, meeting in center; press crust edges together forming 1/2-inch-high seam to seal. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Cut 3 or 4 slits in the top crust of each to allow steam to escape.

Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 5 minutes. Cut each roll into 8 slices; serve warm.

Verdict:

Thumbs up! I love a hot sandwich, so this had a great flavor combo and hit the spot.

What I did differently or would do differently the next time:

Honestly, I would love this with a croissant crust instead if I did this again. Also, reading is vital. I did NOT soften my pie crusts and the first one I cooked broke all to pieces because of this! Hah! Definitely let the pie crust soften so it is more pliable when you are layering.

Also, for some reason, my brain could not comprehend these directions. Let me give it to you in layman's terms: lay out your pie crust. Slather it with a little mustard. In the middle, lay down some turkey, then cheese on top, then tomatoes on top, then ham on top. Then fold the top and bottom inwards, and then pull over the left and right sides into the middle like a burrito. Boom.

I also love that you can easily vary the ingredients. The next day, I had one pie crust left, so I made another one with avocado mayo, and I added onions. Chefs kiss!

Alfredo Chicken Pasta Toss

 From: Pillsbury Annual Recipes Cookbook 2007

Ingredients:

• 4 cups uncooked rotini, penne, or farfalle pasta
• 1 1/2 cups frozen peas
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1 Tbsp oil
• 1 cup chicken breasts, cut into thin bite-size pieces
• 1 jar (16 oz) alfredo pasta sauce
• 2 tsp dried basil leaves

In a Dutch oven, cook and drain pasta as directed on package, adding peas and carrots during last 5 minutes of cooking. Drain; return to Dutch oven.

Meanwhile, in a skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add chicken, cook 9-11 minutes, stirring frequently, until chicken is no longer pink in center.

Stir chicken, alfredo sauce, and basil into pasta mixture in Dutch oven. Cook and stir over medium heat until thoroughly heated.

Verdict:

Thumbs up! This was much more of a "shortcut" version of alfredo from what I normally make. In my opinion it wasn't as good as the homemade cream sauce I usually would make, but it was fast and simple, and that counts for something! My whole family liked it, so I could easily throw this into the rotation of meal planning.

Cranberry-Turkey Quesadillas

 From: Pillsbury Annual Recipes 2007 cookbook

Ingredients:

• 1 package burrito tortillas
• 3 cups shredded pepper Jack cheese (12 oz)
• 6 oz smoked cooked turkey, chopped
• 1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries
• 2 Tbsp butter, melted
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Heat oven to 400 degrees. On ungreased large cookie sheet, place 4 of the tortillas. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the cheese over each tortilla. Top each evenly with turkey and cranberries. Sprinkle 1/4 cup remaining cheese over each. Top with remaining tortillas.

In small bowl, milk melted butter and parsley. Brush butter mixture over tops of filled tortillas. Bake 6 to 8 minutes or until cheese is melted and edges begin to turn light golden brown. Cut into wedges; serve warm.

Verdict: Thumbs up! Oh man... these were so tasty! What a great combination of flavors! What I did differently: Well, as I was typing this recipe up, I realized I never brushed the tops with the butter and parsley mixture! Hah! I'm sure that would have been good, but these were great anyway. I also made some of them with mozzarella cheese in case the Bible study girls didn't care for spicy foods.