52 Recipes for 2012 :: FINAL UPDATE

Weeks into 2012: 52
New Recipes Tried: 54
* = recipes I’ve made more than once this year…meaning they must be REALLY good!

54. Mongolian Beef: Simple and good! I will probably make this again!
53. Peanut Butter, Banana and Honey Cookies: These were good! Made them for Christmas Eve at church and taste-tested a couple. Definitely something different.
*52. Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies: I was given a bunch of Hershey kisses and decided to use them up with this recipe. I think made about 4 batches in one week’s time. Made some for a cookie exchange and also for some coworkers. Definitely a classic that everyone loves.
*51. Homemade Hot Chocolate: Very simple, three ingredients and very good! Made this for my coworkers for Christmas.
50. Peppermint Stick Cocoa: Gross! Don’t waste your time (or money…that powdered milk is expensive!).
*49. Marshmallows: These were made at the cookie class we went to at Truffles and Trifles. Soooo good and so much better than any store-bought marshmallow you’d ever have. I’d like to try and make Rice Krispie treats with these homemade marshmallows.
48. Vanilla Oatmeal No Bakes: I wasn’t a huge fan of these, but most people that tried them said they liked them. I just thought they were too sugary.
47. Oreo and Peanut Butter Brownie Cakes
46. Oreo Brownies
45. Quick Easy Rolls
44. Pumpkin Cookies
43. Pecan Pie Cheesecake
42. Nutella Marshmallow Cookies
41. Buttermilk Pumpkin Pancakes
40. Lasagna
39. Ghostly Peeps Brownie Smores
38. Pumpkin Cream Cheese Icing
37. 5 Minute Homemade Mac and Cheese
36. Melt in Your Mouth Chicken
35. Chick-fil-A Sauce
34. Chick-fil-A Nuggets
*33. Halloween Brownies
32. Pumpkin Coffee Cake
31. Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies with Creamy Peanut Butter Filling
30. Easy Pancakes
29. Red Velvet Sheet Cake with Nutella Frosting
*28. Cake Batter Bars
*27. O’Carrs Copycat Chicken Salad
26. Upside Down Key Lime Pie Cupcakes
25. Red Velvet Cookies
24. Garlic Chicken
23. Key Lime Pie Sandwiches
*22. White Chocolate, Peanut Butter and Banana Cupcakes
*21. Pioneer Woman’s Sangria
20. Peanut Butter Filled Chocolate Cupcakes
19. Paleo Chicken Enchilada Bake
18. Disappearing Marshmallow Blondies
17. Baked Mini Donuts
16. Churros
*15. Churro Cupcakes
14. Tres Leches Cake
13. Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Larabars
12. Girl Scout Cookie Tagalong Bars
11. PKU Pancakes
10. Mashed Sweet Potatoes
9. Chicken Veggie Packets
8. Garlic and Rosemary Roasted Chicken Bites
7. Sweet Potato Chicken Casserole
6. Roasted Vegetables
5. Chicken Enchilada Pasta
*4. S’mores Cups
3. Molasses Cookies
*2. General Tso’s Chicken
*1. Sticky White Rice

52 Recipes for 2012 :: update

Weeks into 2012: 47 weeks, 6 days
New Recipes Tried: 47
* = recipes I’ve made more than once this year…meaning they must be REALLY good!

47. Oreo and Peanut Butter Brownie Cakes: Wanted to be productive with the extra Oreos from the recipe below and also needed something to take to church tomorrow. These are in the oven as I type and they smelled divine even before I put them in. Can’t wait to try them!
46. Oreo Brownies: I made these for a lunch I was going to with friends. They were a big hit! Believe or not, there is ice cream baked into the brownie portion! Also, the recipe doesn’t say what temperature to cook the brownies at. I opted to go with 350. 🙂
45. Quick Easy Rolls: I wanted fresh bread to go with soup I was making the other night. I didn’t have any yeast (or time to let bread rise), so I found this recipe. It was ok and satisfied my need for warm bread, but I’m not sure that I would make them again.
44. Pumpkin Cookies: Last week, I went to Truffles and Trifles with my mom, sister and two family friends for a cookie class. Kati and I made the pumpkin cookies. I can’t share the recipe, but they were good. The only change I would have made would be to use pumpkin pie spice rather than just cinnamon.
43. Pecan Pie Cheesecake: I made this for Thanksgiving. Once we were able to get it out of the pan (it really stuck for some reason), it was a huge hit.
42. Nutella Marshmallow Cookies: I decided to make a little tasty treat to snack on while we watched the presidential election returns. I had all of the ingredients for these on hand and they were really quick to make. Also very quick to disappear. 🙂
41. Buttermilk Pumpkin Pancakes: I had some buttermilk and pumpkin that I needed to use up. I found this recipe and decided to give it a go. They were very good, but I think I prefer traditional pancakes.
40. Lasagna: One night I was really craving lasagna. This recipe was GREAT. I tasted just as good leftover. I would definitely make this again.
39. Ghostly Peeps Brownie Smores
38. Pumpkin Cream Cheese Icing
37. 5 Minute Homemade Mac and Cheese
36. Melt in Your Mouth Chicken
35. Chick-fil-A Sauce
34. Chick-fil-A Nuggets
*33. Halloween Brownies
32. Pumpkin Coffee Cake
31. Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies with Creamy Peanut Butter Filling
30. Easy Pancakes
29. Red Velvet Sheet Cake with Nutella Frosting
*28. Cake Batter Bars
*27. O’Carrs Copycat Chicken Salad
26. Upside Down Key Lime Pie Cupcakes
25. Red Velvet Cookies
24. Garlic Chicken
23. Key Lime Pie Sandwiches
*22. White Chocolate, Peanut Butter and Banana Cupcakes
*21. Pioneer Woman’s Sangria
20. Peanut Butter Filled Chocolate Cupcakes
19. Paleo Chicken Enchilada Bake
18. Disappearing Marshmallow Blondies
17. Baked Mini Donuts
16. Churros
*15. Churro Cupcakes
14. Tres Leches Cake
13. Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Larabars
12. Girl Scout Cookie Tagalong Bars
11. PKU Pancakes
10. Mashed Sweet Potatoes
9. Chicken Veggie Packets
8. Garlic and Rosemary Roasted Chicken Bites
7. Sweet Potato Chicken Casserole
6. Roasted Vegetables
5. Chicken Enchilada Pasta
*4. S’mores Cups
3. Molasses Cookies
*2. General Tso’s Chicken
*1. Sticky White Rice

52 Recipes for 2012 :: update

From DexMex’s Etsy Shop

Weeks into 2012: 41 weeks, 3 days
New Recipes Tried: 39
* = recipes I’ve made more than once this year…meaning they must be REALLY good!

39. Ghostly Peeps Brownie Smores: I made these for a LifeGroup hangout last week. They are really good. Realllllly rich, but good. The only thing I did different than the recipe is that I used two boxes of brownie mix instead of one. I don’t like when the brownies are too thin. 🙂 Also, one tip on broiling the Peeps…I made the mistake of putting the broiler on high and ruined the first attempt. Fortunately, I had enough extra to give it another go. I put the broiler on low and left the oven door cracked. Worked like a charm.
38. Pumpkin Cream Cheese Icing: I used this chocolate cupcake recipe with the pumpkin cream cheese icing. They were really good. Not as “pumpkin-y” as I expected, but still really good. I’d definitely make it again.
37. 5 Minute Homemade Mac and Cheese: Definitely quick. Definitely easy. Not my favorite. I’ll keep looking for a tried and true mac & cheese recipe. (Still a huge fan of Picky Palate though!)
36. Melt in Your Mouth Chicken: Saw this on Pinterest and everyone was raving about it. It was ok, but I don’t know that I’ll make it again.
35. Chick-fil-A Sauce: I didn’t think this tasted like Chick-fil-A sauce, but it was definitely a good honey mustard. I’d make it again if I was looking for a honey mustard dipping sauce.
34. Chick-fil-A Nuggets: These were pretty good! And I was able to eat them as leftovers for a couple of days.
33. Halloween Brownies: Super easy. Super good! I was skeptical about the one box of brownie mix because I always feel like they get dry during baking, but these were great!
32. Pumpkin Coffee Cake: As the blogger suggested, I doubled the crumble topping on this. I didn’t really like the consistency of the “cake” part of it though. It tasted just fine, but the cake seemed really dense to me.
31. Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies with Creamy Peanut Butter Filling: These were really good, but for some reason my cookies didn’t bake flat like hers did. That made them a little difficult to eat in “sandwich” form.
30. Easy Pancakes
29. Red Velvet Sheet Cake with Nutella Frosting
*28. Cake Batter Bars
*27. O’Carrs Copycat Chicken Salad
26. Upside Down Key Lime Pie Cupcakes
25. Red Velvet Cookies
24. Garlic Chicken
23. Key Lime Pie Sandwiches
*22. White Chocolate, Peanut Butter and Banana Cupcakes
*21. Pioneer Woman’s Sangria
20. Peanut Butter Filled Chocolate Cupcakes
19. Paleo Chicken Enchilada Bake
18. Disappearing Marshmallow Blondies
17. Baked Mini Donuts
16. Churros
15. Churro Cupcakes
14. Tres Leches Cake
13. Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Larabars
12. Girl Scout Cookie Tagalong Bars
11. PKU Pancakes
10. Mashed Sweet Potatoes
9. Chicken Veggie Packets
8. Garlic and Rosemary Roasted Chicken Bites
7. Sweet Potato Chicken Casserole
6. Roasted Vegetables
5. Chicken Enchilada Pasta
4. S’mores Cups
3. Molasses Cookies
*2. General Tso’s Chicken
*1. Sticky White Rice

52 Recipes for 2012 :: update

from Unraveled Design’s Etsy Shop

Weeks into 2012: 32 weeks, 5 days
New Recipes Tried: 30
* = recipes I’ve made more than once this year…meaning they must be REALLY good!

30. Easy Pancakes: I wanted pancakes this morning but didn’t have any milk. Most recipes call for milk, so I did a quick search for one without. This definitely satisfied my need for pancakes, but I’d only make them again if milk were in short supply.
29. Red Velvet Sheet Cake with Nutella Frosting: I made this for an event at work and it was ok. I didn’t think it was anything spectacular, but it wasn’t awful either. I probably won’t make this again.
*28. Cake Batter Bars: YUM! Also made these for a party at work. They were really good…kind of like blondies. I will definitely keep this recipe in the back of my mind when I need a quick and easy dessert.
*27. O’Carrs Copycat Chicken Salad: A few years ago, I traveled to Birmingham, AL where I was introduced to O’Carr’s. They have the most amazing chicken salad, and they make wonderful cheesecake that they serve warm! When I saw this recipe show up in my Pinterest feed, I knew I had to try it. It’s as close to the chicken salad at O’Carr’s that I can remember. I can’t even remember how many times I’ve made this since I first tried the recipe. So good!
26. Upside Down Key Lime Pie Cupcakes: I was excited about this recipe because of the graham cracker frosting–just sounded fun and interesting. The cake was a little too tangy for my liking and also pretty crumby (because of the cake flour in the recipe). The concept still intrigues me, so I might stay on the lookout for a different variation of this recipe.
25. Red Velvet Cookies: Blah. I made these for an event at work and everyone seemed to enjoy them. I didn’t think they were anything special. They were definitely quick and easy to make, but I probably won’t make them again.
24. Garlic Chicken
23. Key Lime Pie Sandwiches
*22. White Chocolate, Peanut Butter and Banana Cupcakes
*21. Pioneer Woman’s Sangria
20. Peanut Butter Filled Chocolate Cupcakes
19. Paleo Chicken Enchilada Bake
18. Disappearing Marshmallow Blondies
17. Baked Mini Donuts
16. Churros
15. Churro Cupcakes
14. Tres Leches Cake
13. Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Larabars
12. Girl Scout Cookie Tagalong Bars
11. PKU Pancakes
10. Mashed Sweet Potatoes
9. Chicken Veggie Packets
8. Garlic and Rosemary Roasted Chicken Bites
7. Sweet Potato Chicken Casserole
6. Roasted Vegetables
5. Chicken Enchilada Pasta
4. S’mores Cups
3. Molasses Cookies
2. General Tso’s Chicken
1. Sticky White Rice

Adventures in Africa

It’s hard to believe, but in 42 short days, I’ll be boarding a plane for an exciting adventure in Africa. Along with a few others from my church, I’ve been given the incredible opportunity to travel with my mentors, Dr. Mark and Pam Kuhl, to Kenya from July 26-August 5.

We will partner with Kenya Relief (http://www.kenyarelief.org), an organization founded in 2003 with the mission of living out “pure and undefiled religion” which is “caring for widows and orphans in their distress.”  They are about creating a legacy of hope in the country of Kenya, meeting the needs of the whole person (body, mind, and spirit). I would encourage you to go to their website and look around in order to get a feel for the heart and scope of their ministry. Mark and Pam have been working with Kenya Relief for several years and they truly trust the organization’s heart to serve the people of Kenya.

While in Kenya, we will proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ in both word and deed, engaging in a variety of activities that will impact the lives of those we encounter, infuse with energy the efforts of the full-time missionaries, and aid in the spiritual growth of each team member. For example, we will provide basic healthcare services (such as dental care), lead a Vacation Bible School, teach the Scriptures in a local jail, care for orphans, and work to improve the facilities of the Kenya Relief organization.

I truly believe God gives each of us ways to be involved in efforts like this. Some of us are given the opportunity to go, while others have the opportunity to provide prayer support and financial backing. I’d like to invite you to become part of our team as a prayer partner or financial partner. We will need your prayers for the journey ahead and we need financial partners to help our team by sharing in the cost for this trip, which is $3,000 per team member. Through partnering together we will be able to mutually share in the joy of seeing lives changed and the blessings of being used by God for His glory. If you’d like to partner with us in one or both ways, here’s how you can help:

• Prayer Partner: Simply reply to this post and let me know that you’ll be praying. We’ll be glad to send a list of specific prayer requests so that you can join us in asking God to be at the center of this endeavor. We also plan to provide updates while we’re there, so I’ll be sure you have website information to keep up with the trip.
• Financial Partner: If you’d like to give online, visit http://redeemer.freehostingcloud.com (as a warning: the site isn’t fancy, but it’s legitimate and will serve its purpose). If you’re not comfortable giving online, you can send a check made payable to Redeemer Church (4064 Winter Garden-Vineland Road; Winter Garden, FL 34787). Please include a little note with the check indicating it’s for the Kenya Relief trip.

I am certain that this trip will be transformational for those we serve and those of us serving together as partners on the team. I’ll be sure to follow up with you after the trip and let you know about the experience. Feel free to contact me, should you have any questions or wish to know more about this mission trip.

Thank you for your support and I hope you have a wonderful summer!

52 Recipes for 2012 :: update

Weeks into 2012: 22 weeks, 4 days
New Recipes Tried: 24

24. Garlic Chicken: Made this tonight for dinner. Simple and tasty. I would make this again for sure. I used Italian seasoned bread crumbs as one reviewer suggested. Glad I did, because I’m pretty sure that’s where most of the flavor came from.
23. Key Lime Pie Sandwiches: Pinterest fail. They weren’t horrible, but they weren’t great and I wouldn’t make them again. They looked beautiful in the picture (don’t they always?!) but they didn’t look that pretty in real life!
22. White Chocolate, Peanut Butter and Banana Cupcakes: Ummm…yum. I’ve made these twice already and they’re great. I think it’s the peanut butter icing that makes them! The flavor combination is great. The first time I made them, I couldn’t taste the white chocolate at all. So, the second time, I put about a tablespoon of batter in each cupcake cup, added 4-5 white chocolate chips and then covered that with the rest of the batter. Good idea! I could definitely detect the white chocolate taste during the second go-round.
21. Pioneer Woman’s Sangria: O.M.G. Has P-Dub ever disappointed me? Hardly ever. This sangria was SO good. I will be making it ANY TIME I have the opportunity. During the first batch I made, I inadvertently used the wrong amount of wine. And, we actually liked that batch the best! The recipe calls for 1.5 liter of red wine and 1.5 liter of white wine. During the first batch, I used two 750mL bottles of $2 wine (one white, one red) that I got from Walmart. To that I added 1 cup of orange-flavored rum and 1 cup of orange-flavored vodka (like the recipe calls for). It was delish! One piece of advice for this recipe: buy the cheap wine. The flavor is going to come from all the fruit you add.
20. Peanut Butter Filled Chocolate Cupcakes: I pinned these cupcakes and a friend subtly (or not so subtly) hinted several times that I should make them for small group. I finally had time to try them and I was a little bit disappointed. Everyone at small group said how much they loved them, but they weren’t the most spectacular thing to me. I expected the peanut butter center to be more prominent, I think. Also, I was a little bit short on powdered sugar for the icing and I accidentally thinned it out too much. I couldn’t pipe the icing on, so they weren’t as cute as they could have been.
19. Paleo Chicken Enchilada Bake: I really liked this. It felt hearty and healthy. I was the most excited about the cauliflower “rice.” I really liked it. I would make this again.
18. Disappearing Marshmallow Blondies: I didn’t have any mini marshmallows, so I made these with regular sized marshmallows that I cut into quarters. Because of that, I don’t think they were as pretty as they should have been, but let me tell you…they tasted DARN good. I took them into work and in no time flat, 3/4 of the pan was GONE!
17. Baked Mini Donuts
16. Churros
15. Churro Cupcakes
14. Tres Leches Cake
13. Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Larabars
12. Girl Scout Cookie Tagalong Bars
11. PKU Pancakes
10. Mashed Sweet Potatoes
9. Chicken Veggie Packets
8. Garlic and Rosemary Roasted Chicken Bites
7. Sweet Potato Chicken Casserole
6. Roasted Vegetables
5. Chicken Enchilada Pasta
4. S’mores Cups
3. Molasses Cookies
2. General Tso’s Chicken
1. Sticky White Rice

52 Recipes for 2012 :: update

Weeks into 2012: 18 weeks, 4 days
New Recipes Tried: 18

18: Disappearing Marshmallow Blondies: These just came out of the oven and they’re still cooling, so I’ll have to report back on them. 🙂
17: Baked Mini Donuts: I made these on a whim one day just because I wanted to use the mini donut pan I got for Christmas (thanks, Mom & Dad!). They were easy enough to make, but piping the dough into the pan was kind of difficult. They tasted fine, but I think next time I’ll try another recipe.
16: Churros: I tried to make mini churros to use as decor/garnish on the churro cupcakes (below), but it didn’t go so great. The piping tips I had were either too big or too small. And the dough was REALLY hard to pipe. They tasted ok, but if I were to try them again, I’d need to get a better piping tip.
15. Churro Cupcakes: Our friends are expecting a baby boy and he’s due on May 5. We thought it only appropriate to throw a Cinco de Mayo themed baby shower in his honor. I searched long and hard for the perfect dessert. These churro cupcakes fit the bill. I kind of combined pieces of two recipes to come up with this end product and I couldn’t have been more pleased. They were a big hit with everyone at the shower. Don’t wait until Cinco de Mayo…go ahead and make these AHORA!
14. Tres Leches Cake: I made this for the same shower I mentioned with the churro cupcakes. I’d never made/had tres leches cake before, but it was definitely good. Once again, Pioneer Woman did not disappoint!
13. Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Larabars: I buy these often and found a recipe online, so I thought I’d give them a go. I did need to add a little water, as the recipe mentions and I also added a few mini chocolate chips. Rather than make them into bars, I made them into balls. I kept them in the fridge and ate them over about a week and a half. I even think they taste better than the actual Larabar!
12. Girl Scout Cookie Tagalong Bars: Made these at the beach house and they were a hit. At first, I thought they were too rich, but since I couldn’t stop eating them I guess it’s safe to say I got over that. They didn’t last long with 6 adults (and one always-hungry two-year-old) in the house.
11. PKU Pancakes: I made these for Paulie when we were at the beach house for spring break. He said they were very good. 🙂
10. Mashed Sweet Potatoes: These were good! Definitely different than my beloved mashed potatoes, but I suppose they are healthier for you. I will be making these (or a variation of them) again.
9. Chicken Veggie Packets: This didn’t go so great. For some reason, the chicken had a difficult time getting cooked all the way through. I had to leave the packets in MUCH longer than the recipe called for. Won’t be trying these again.
8. Garlic and Rosemary Roasted Chicken Bites
7. Sweet Potato Chicken Casserole
6. Roasted Vegetables
5. Chicken Enchilada Pasta
4. S’mores Cups
3. Molasses Cookies
2. General Tso’s Chicken
1. Sticky White Rice

Churro Cupcakes

Our friends are expecting a baby boy and he’s due on May 5. We thought it only appropriate to throw a Cinco de Mayo themed baby shower in his honor. I searched long and hard for the perfect dessert. These churro cupcakes fit the bill. I kind of combined pieces of two recipes to come up with this end product and I couldn’t have been more pleased.

They were a big hit with everyone at the shower. Don’t wait until Cinco de Mayo…go ahead and make these AHORA! 🙂

Churro Cupcakes
(from Bakingdom and The Novice Chef)

For the Cinnamon-Sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

Combine in small bowl and set aside.

For the Cupcakes
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup milk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners; set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In a large bowl, or the bowl of a standing mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, until just combined then stir in the vanilla and oil. Sprinkle 1/3 of the flour mixture over the butter mixture and gently stir in until barely combined. Add half of the milk, mixing until just combined. Repeat these steps with the remaining flour mixture and milk, ending with the flour. Do not over mix.

Fill each cupcake tin with 2 tablespoons of batter, or until the cupcake tin is filled half way. Bake the cupcakes for 14 to 16 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with one or two crumbs clinging to it. Allow the cupcakes to cool for 2 to 3 minutes, then dip the top of each cupcake into the cinnamon-sugar mixture to coat it the top of the cupcake. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.

For the Frosting
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Cream the butter and cream cheese together in a large bowl. Add the sugar, one cup at a time, beating well between each addition. Stir in the cinnamon until thoroughly combined. then stir in the vanilla. Beat the mixture well, until light and fluffy.

52 Recipes for 2012 :: update

Weeks into 2012: 9 weeks
New Recipes Tried: 8

8. Garlic and Rosemary Roasted Chicken Bites: This was quick and simple to make. The flavor was good and I have enough left over for two more meals. I added green beans on the side.
7. Sweet Potato Chicken Casserole: I was looking for a recipe to use up several things I had around the kitchen. I used AllRecipes.com’s ingredient search and came up with this dish. I made half of what the recipe called for and ended up with enough for three meals. I left out the half and half in the recipe. I would make this again.
6. Roasted Vegetables: Saw this on Pinterest and just kind of made it up as I went. I tossed everything in some olive oil first and then baked it. I also left off the Parmesan cheese. I would definitely make this again.
5. Chicken Enchilada Pasta: Thanks again to Pinterest, for this one! It was good and made a lot. I ate it for way too long. 🙂 For this recipe, I also used my KitchenAid to shred the cooked chicken. It was the first time I’d tried that and it worked like a charm! Details on that? Pinterest. 🙂
4. S’mores Cups: Annnnd, another Pinterest find. These are so simple to make and super cute. Not to mention very tasty. They will definitely be added into the party treat rotation.
3. Molasses Cookies: My Mom gave me my grandmother’s recipe for molasses cookies, but they didn’t turn out quick like I’d expected. They were pretty flat, rather than fluffy. They still tasted great, but I’m going to need to give them another try.
2. General Tso’s Chicken: General Tso’s is pretty much the only thing I order when I get Chinese food. When I saw a recipe on Pinterest, I knew I needed to try it. It was not a difficult recipe, but I would probably leave out the cayenne pepper next time (at least on my pieces). The first two new recipes of the new year get rave reviews from me! If you like General Tso’s chicken, give it a try!
1. Sticky White Rice: This went along with the General Tso’s and it was exactly what I was going for. Perfect.

General Tso’s Chicken and Sticky White Rice

Here we go…the first two new recipes of the new year! General Tso’s is pretty much the only thing I order when I get Chinese food. When I saw a recipe on Pinterest, I knew I needed to try it. I was cooking for five, so we quadrupled the recipe below. (Good thing…there was enough for everyone to have what they wanted and only one leftover serving that was perfect for my lunch today.) It was not a difficult recipe, but I would probably leave out the cayenne pepper next time (at least on my pieces). The sticky white rice recipe I found was perfect and exactly what I was going for.

The first two new recipes of the new year get rave reviews from me! If you like General Tso’s chicken, give it a try!

General Tso’s Chicken
from Favorite Family Recipes

1 pound chicken breasts (cut into 1″ pieces)
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup “lite” soy sauce
1/4 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
1/4 cup white distilled vinegar
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp. fresh ginger, finely grated
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp. cornstarch, mixed with 3 Tbsp. water
4 green onions, sliced

Dredge chicken in flour and fry in oil over medium heat (in a wok or a skillet) until golden brown and crispy. Drain excess oil. Sprinkle cayenne over the chicken and keep warm on low heat. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine sauce ingredients (sugar, soy sauce, pineapple juice, vinegar, garlic, and ginger) and heat gently. When sauce is smooth and sugar has dissolved, SLOWLY add cornstarch mixture and stir constantly until sauce has thickened to desired thickness. Pour sauce in the wok and stir to coat chicken. Stir in green onion and hot red pepper flakes (optional). Remove from heat and serve with rice.

Sticky White Rice
from Food.com

2 cups long grain white rice
3 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt

Place rice in fine-mesh strainer set over bowl. Rinse under running water, swishing with hands until water runs clear. Drain thoroughly. Bring rinsed rice, water, and salt to boil in saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, uncovered, until water level drops below surface of rice and small holes form, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until rice is tender and water is fully absorbed, about 15 minutes. Serve.