Lazy sour cream and Chicken Enchiladas!

Today in a desperate hunger for my favorite sour cream and chicken enchiladas and an overwhelming laziness I made these very TASTY and EASY knock off sour cream enchiladas. I am not sure I would call this a real recipe, but it is definitely a good substitute that takes almost no time!

Ingredients:
Several Delimex (or any other brand) Chicken and Cheese Taquitos
2 Cups Sour Cream
3/4 cup Chicken broth
Flour for thickening
Your choice of Cheese for melting on top (I used Swiss today)

Directions:

1.Place Chicken taquitos in a pan to cook for 5 minutes in a 400 degree preheated oven.
2. Prepare sauce in a saucepan on the stove. Mix Sour Cream and chicken broth thoroughly and add flour in to thicken the sauce. Do not boil the sauce.
3. Pull the taquitos out of the oven and drench them in the warms sauce. Place slices of Cheese on top and return it to the oven. Bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes.


Serve warm and enjoy!!!

Oreo Cheesecake Balls/Truffles

This is not the prettiest batch I have ever made...but when it really comes down to it the taste of something FAR outweighs the presentation. These balls of goodness are INCREDIBLY easy to make...and yes, you will probably make a mess...but isn't that the fun of stirring up trouble in the kicthen?

Ingredients:
 Cheesecake balls

• 1 pkg Cream Cheese (If you want to experiment try the Honey nut or you can even used Whipped Cream cheese)
•  1 pkg oreos 
• 2 tsps Vanilla extract 
• 1 cup powdered sugar

garnish/coating

• 2-3 cups chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

1.  Use a hand mixer to combing your package of cream cheese, vanilla extract and cup of powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Mix until well blended. 
2.  Use a food processor to crush the oreos into tiny pieces (You can also use a ziploc bag and/or rolling pin)
3. Mix the oreos and cheesecake mixture until fully combined. 
4. Form balls of cheesecake mixture and place them onto a sheet of wax paper in a pan. 
5. Freeze cheesecake balls for about 30 minutes. 
6. Melt your chocolate chips (You can use microwave or stove...careful not to burn or overheat your chocolate) [If using microwave stir every 30 seconds) 
7. Remove balls from freezer and dip them in the melted chocolate. Return to parchment paper in pan. 
8. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Keep chilled until serving time!

These are so easy to make and very yummy! Hope you enjoy!

Homemade Marshmallows...actually makes them tasty!!

A friend of mine has requested Fudge as a nice little treat and when I set to make it to my dismay I didn't have any marshmallows of a normal nature in the house (we do have multi-color Disney cars ones in the house!) so I decided to make my own! I have heard very amazing things about homemade marshmallows so I thought I would give it a try!

• 2 tablespoons gelatin (2 envelopes Knox)
• 8 tablespoons cold water
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup of COLD water
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (You can also get creative if you wish!!) 

Directions:

1. Dust an 8- or 9-inch square pan with powdered sugar. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, soak gelatin in 8 tbsp cold water. Set aside.
3. Combine granulated sugar and 1/2 cup of water in a large heavy saucepan.
4. Cook and stir over medium heat until dissolved.
5. Add gelatin and bring to a boil.
6. Remove from heat. Pour into a large mixing bowl and let stand until partially cool.
7. Add salt and vanilla extract.
8. Beat with an electric mixer until soft and double in volume. About 10-15 minutes.
9. Pour into prepared pan to about 1/2 inch thick.
10. Set to cool until it will not stick to your finger.
11. Cut into 1.5 inch pieces and roll in powdered sugar and thoroughly enjoy!

I had never before really enjoyed marshmallows until I had made these! Absolutely delightful! Please stay tuned for the fudge recipe!!

Theme Night: Asian Style!

Inspired by mine and my husband's love for Kobe Japanese Steakhouse I decided to open my mind up to trying to create homemade Asian fare. I have since discovered that I make amazing beef with broccoli and sesame chicken! (I think egg roll, fortune cookies and wontons will be my next adventuresome attempt at Asian cuisine). After two hours in the kitchen this is what I turned out..(Please Note: I don't think it is supposed to take this long).

 Sesame Chicken:

These are your needed ingredients.

Reminder: Cooking is not baking..you can add a little extra and be short on ingredients..just go with what feels right. When it comes to the sauce I go by the smell as I let is simmer on the stove. If it smells too spicy I add more sugar, not spicy enough then you can add some more chili paste. 
  
For the batter/fried chicken pieces

• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon dry sherry or Chinese rice wine (Both are optional)
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1-2 tbsps of sesame oil (Or just a dash)
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast meat - cubed

 Keep in mind you can get away without the sherry or the rice wine and also without the sesame seeds. The sherry will definitely enhance the flavor of the dish, but if you don't have it, you don't have it. And the sesame seeds are for garnish.

For the sesame sauce

• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1  cup white sugar (Plus whatever extra you want to add for a sweeter sauce)
• 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
• 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon chile paste
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 cup water 

additional ingredients

• 1 quart vegetable oil for frying
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Directions:

1. Sift flour, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, baking soda, and baking powder into a bowl. Pour in low-sodium soy sauce, sherry, 2 tablespoons water, vegetable oil, and a dash of sesame oil; stir until smooth. Stir in chicken until coated with the batter, then cover, and refrigerate for 20 minutes. 
2. Meanwhile, bring chicken broth, sugar, vinegar, dark soy sauce, sesame oil, chile paste, and garlic to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Dissolve 1/4 cup cornstarch into 1/2 cup of water, and stir into boiling sauce. Simmer until the sauce thickens and turns clear, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low, and keep sauce warm.
3. Heat vegetable oil in a large saucepan until it is ready to fry (I usually gauge by sound)
4. Drop in the battered chicken pieces, a few at a time, and fry until they turn golden brown and float to the top of the oil, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain on a paper towel lined plate. To serve, place fried chicken pieces onto a serving platter, and pour the hot sauce overtop. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds to garnish. 

Beef with Broccoli:
 

• 3/4 pound flank or sirloin, sliced thinly across the grain
• 3/4 pound broccoli florets
• 2 tablespoons high-heat cooking oil
• 2 cloves garlic, very finely minced or smushed through garlic smusher
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch, dissolved in 1 tablespoon water

For the beef marinade

• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon Chinese rice wine (or dry sherry)
• 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the sauce

• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 1 teaspoon Chinese rice wine (or dry sherry)
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/4 cup chicken broth

This is another recipe where the sherry WILL enhance the flavor but you can do without if you need too! Also, a tip for those local to Killeen the O Mart can be your best friend when making these dishes.

1 Marinate the beef: Stir together the beef marinade ingredients in a medium bowl. Add the beef slices and stir until coated. Let stand for 10 minutes
2 Prepare the sauce: Stir together the sauce ingredients in a small bowl.
3 Blanch the broccoli: Cook the broccoli in a small pot of boiling, salted water until tender-crisp, about 2 minutes. Drain thoroughly.
4 Heat a large frying pan or wok over high heat until a bead of water sizzles and instantly evaporates upon contact. Add the cooking oil and swirl to coat. Add the beef and immediately spread the beef out all over the surface of the wok or pan in a single layer (preferably not touching). Let the beef fry undisturbed for 1 minute. Flip the beef slices over, add the garlic to the pan and fry for an additional 30 seconds to 1 minute until no longer pin. (If you are using a smaller frying pan and your pieces are touching just continue to cook until all pieces are no longer pink) Pour in the sauce, add the blanched broccoli and bring to a boil. Pour in the dissolved cornstarch and cook, stirring, until the sauce boils and thickens, 30 seconds.

I paired this with Ramune sodas and Sake bombers and a side of Jasmine rice. Everyone seemed thoroughly pleased with the meal..it seemed to go well!! Hope it works out for anyone else who tries it!

My place to share!!

A few friends and family members have been asking for recipes to my recent culinary endeavors and I have now found a tool to share them! I guess I will be blogging my wonderful journey through recipes and theme nights! (Theme nights have become a newly found love of mine!). I hope to be pretty consistent in posting my adventures, everyone is more than welcome to nag me if I fall off my game.


Well, let's begin..