Chicken Broccoli Salad

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 cups water

2 T. soy sauce

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 cups broccoli florets

1 red onion, diced

1 cup crushed peanuts

1 cup dried cranberries

1 cup mayo (I use the olive oil mayo for half the fat and half the calories)

3 T. orange marmalade

In a large skillet, place chicken breasts in a single layer. Pour water and soy sauce over chicken, sprinkle with garlic. Cover and cook over medium-high heat for 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken from pan; let cool for 20 minutes. Cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces.

In a large bowl, combine chicken, broccoli, onion, peanuts, and cranberries.

In a small bowl whisk together mayo and marmalade. Pour over chicken mixture, tossing gently to combine. Cover and refrigerate for at least four hours.

This recipe is from Paula Deen. I love her magazine.

Mom's Yummy Zucchini Bread

3 eggs

2 1/2 cups sugar

3 tsp. vanilla

1 cup oil

2 cups zucchini

1 cup nuts

3 cups flour

3 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking powder

Beat eggs, oil, sugar, vanilla, zucchini. Mix until blended. Gradually add flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, baking powder. Grease and flour bread pan. Cook at 325 for 1 hour. Enjoy! It is also good with chocolate chips in it. Everything is better with a little chocolate!

Orange Cheesecake Dip

1 4oz. pkg light cream cheese, softened

1/4 c. sugar

1/8 c. orange juice

Medium size cool whip

Beat cream cheese until smooth. Beat in sugar. Gradually add orange juice, beating until smooth. Add whipped topping. Mix until well blended. Chill. Serve with fresh fruit. I usually double the recipe then tweak it slightly with more OJ until it tastes just right. I promise you will LOVE this!

Pork Tenderloin

1 T. sugar

2 tsp. salt

2 tsp ground pepper

1 tsp. ground coriander

3/4 c. honey

1 tsp ground All Spice

1-3 lb. port tenderloin

2 T. olive oil

2 T. rum imitation

3/4 c. orange juice

Combine sugar, salt, ground pepper, ground coriander and All Spice. Rub on pork tenderloin. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Heat oven to 375. Place tenderloins in roasting pan and brush with olive oil. Roast for 20 minutes. While roasting, heat rum, honey, and orange juice until warm and blended. Brush pork with a third of the glaze. Return to oven for 25 minutes, basting several times with glaze. Cook until center is 155 degrees. Let stand for 10 minutes and serve.

Meg and Tay fixed this for us when we were just getting to know them. I knew it would be a beautiful friendship after that (and a yummy one!)

Love These Pancakes!

1 1/4 cup flour

3 teaspoon baking powder

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1 cup milk

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

few drops of Almond Extract (optional)

Mix together and bake on hot griddle. Serve with favorite syrup and top with fresh fruit. I make these and I will never go back to pre made pancake mix. These taste so much better. Plus Caden loves to help make these.

The Best Peach Cobbler

8 large peaches

1 cup flour

1 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 egg

1 teaspoon baking powder

Grease 8" square baking pan. Peel and slice peaches into pan. Combine flour, sugar, salt, butter, egg and baking powder into dough and crumble dough on top of peaches. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream. I like A LOT of cobbler with my peaches so sometimes I double it. mmmmm... so so good! This tastes like sugar cookies on top of peaches.

Berry Bliss Cake

3/4 cup cold milk
1 pkg. (4-serving size) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding & Pie Filling
1-1/2 cups thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, divided
1 pkg. (10.75 oz.) frozen pound cake
1/4 cup orange juice
2 cups mixed raspberries and sliced strawberries
1/4 cup blackberries (It's okay to omit these if you don't have or don't like. Blueberry's work well also)

ADD milk to dry pudding mix in medium bowl. Beat with wire whisk 2 min. or until well blended. Stir in 1 cup of the whipped topping.

CUT cake horizontally into three layers; brush with juice. Place bottom layer on serving plate; top with 3/4 cup of the berries, half of the pudding mixture and middle cake layer. Repeat layers of berries and pudding mixture; cover with top cake layer. Top with 1/2 cup whipped topping and the remaining berries; cover loosely with foil.

REFRIGERATE at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours. Store leftovers in refrigerator.

Baked Beans

Okay, I am not usually a big fan of baked beans, but this recipe is a must do!

1 31 oz can of Baked Beans

5 slices bacon

1 finely chopped onion

2 or 3 green onions, chopped

3/4 c. brown sugar

1/4 c. catsup

1 t. Worchester Sauce

1/8 t. dry mustard

1/2 green/yellow pepper, cut up

Snip bacon into small pieces and fry in pan slowly with onion and green/yellow pepper.

Add everything else and bake at 300 degrees for 2 1/2 hours with lid off. Stir every 30 minutes.

Crock Pot Salsa Chicken Tacos

This recipe is super easy and super yummy!

Crock Pot Salsa Chicken Taco's

2-4 chicken breast

2-3 cups salsa

shredded cheese

shredded lettuce

sour cream or ranch

sliced olives

guacamole

Soft shell tortilla (We like the homemade ones from Costco)

Put chicken in crock pot, pour salsa over chicken. Cook for 6 hours. Shred chicken and let cook for 1/2 hour to 1 hour longer.

Put shredded chicken on tortilla. Top with desired toppings. Enjoy!

Sunshine Chicken Sandwiches

Chicken Sandwich:

1 can pineapple slices, save juice

Chicken breast, boneless, skinless (I like to marinate mine in Yoshita's Teriyaki Sauce for a couple of hours)

Lettuce

Whole wheat rolls or favorite bread, toasted in oven or grill

Sliced Swiss or provolone cheese

Red onions, sliced

tomato's

Drain pineapple and reserve 2T. juice for Sunshine Sauce. Grill chicken breasts, onions and pineapples. Melt the cheese on the chicken. Spread toasted rolls with Sunshine Sauce. Top each sandwich with Chicken, cheese, pineapple, lettuce, tomato and onion.

Sunshine Sauce:

1 c. Mayonnaise

2 T. Dijon Mustard

2 T. pineapple juice

1 tsp. soy sauce

2T. honey

Mix ingredients and add to sandwiches. This is a hard sauce to give the amount for because I just add a little of this and a little of that. So just experiment until you find the right proportions for your family's taste.

Lemon Cream Cheese Cupcakes... yummy, yummy!

1 pkg. (2-layer size) white cake mix
1 pkg. (4-serving) JELL-O Lemon Flavor Instant Pudding & Pie Filling
1 cup water
4 egg whites
2 Tbsp. oil
1 pkg. (16 oz.) powdered sugar
1 pkg. (8 oz.) Cream Cheese, softened
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened
2 Tbsp. lemon juice

PREHEAT oven to 350ºF. Beat cake mix, dry pudding mix, water, egg whites and oil in large bowl with electric mixer on low speed until moistened. (Batter will be thick.) Beat on medium speed 2 min. Spoon batter evenly into 24 paper-lined 2-1/2-inch muffin cups.

BAKE 21 to 24 min. or until wooden toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 min.; remove to wire racks. Cool completely.

MEANWHILE, beat sugar, cream cheese, butter and juice with electric mixer on low speed until well blended. Frost cupcakes. Garnish with lemon zest.

Cashew Chicken

This is one of Mike's most favorite dishes. I hope you enjoy.

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, such as safflower
6 cloves garlic, minced
8 scallions, white and green parts separated, each cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
3/4 cup raw cashews (4 ounces), toasted

1/2 cup celery (optional)
White rice, for serving (optional)

In a medium bowl, toss chicken with cornstarch until chicken is coated; season with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Cook half the chicken, tossing often, until browned, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
Add remaining oil and chicken to skillet along with the garlic and white parts of scallions. Cook, tossing often, until chicken is browned, about 3 minutes. Return first batch of chicken to pan. Add vinegar; cook until evaporated, about 30 seconds.
Add hoisin sauce and 1/4 cup water; cook, tossing, until chicken is cooked through, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in scallion greens and cashews. Serve immediately over white rice, if desired

Whats Cookin'

So, I decided to create a blog of all of the yummy recipes that I have tried and are worth sharing. Cooking is one of my favorite things to do. I hope that you all enjoy and if you have any yummy recipes that you would like to share, feel free to let me know!