My New Favorite Kitchen Thing

*The opinions of this post are solely my own. I was not approached by Pampered Chef nor did I receive compensation for my review

A couple weekends ago, my mom hosted a Pampered Chef Party.  It was the third one I have been to this year.  The first party piqued my interest in the product again but I wasn't in a position to buy anything. BUMMER! My Seeeester had a Pampered Chef party a couple months later and a I just bought 1 item.  My mom just hosted one a couple weeks ago and I ordered this little beauty! :

The Small Baker! 

To say I LOVE this thing is an understatement! The best part?! I can use this baby in the oven OR the MICROWAVE! SHUT UP!!! No really!  I can! I'm so excited.  

Now I know what you are probably thinking - or your significant other is thinking - no WAY am I eating microwaved meat.  I was skeptical initially too.  But then at the 3 shows I recently went to, the rep used it so I had first hand taste-tested the food prepped in it. AND My mom and sister had purchased one and SWEAR by it.  I ordered it and could hardly wait to get it in! 

Well it arrived on Tuesday night! My mom brought it to my yesterday morning and I used it last night!!! People - before you walk away from this post, I HAVE to tell you how amazing this thing is!! 

I have been with The Husband now for nearly 5 years and he has ALWAYS been the one to make any meal using fish. I had never been around much fish until I met him. The man is truly a hunter/gatherer! He loves to fish and, well, being the amazing significant other that I am, I learned and participated in his hobbies. Who knew I would grow to enjoy and love them so much?! I don't clean the fish (ick!) and I have never cooked any of it...until LAST. NIGHT! 

We were both REALLY impressed - ANNNNNNNDDDD it only took FOUR MINUTES! in the microwave. It was DELICIOUS.  I am so so glad I bought this and it is DEF my new favorite piece of kitchen-ry.  

I guess all I ever needed was a rock and a microwave ;) 

Do you have any Pampered Chef ware?

::Recipe:: Brown Sugar-Pecan Cupcakes & Caramel Frosting

Dessert HAS to be my favorite part of a day.   I LOVE dessert and anything sweet.  I prefer cupcakes to cake, which is why as part of my Day Zero Project, I decided to make 20 different kinds of cupcakes. This is my second cupcake recipe!

{INGREDIENTS}

{FOR THE CUPCAKES}Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup cake flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 1/4 cups coarsely chopped toasted pecans
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

{FOR THE FROSTING}
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
2 large egg yolks
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

1 cup coarsely chopped toasted pecans

Please pardon my crappy phone pic - I couldn't find my camera

{DIRECTIONS}
::FOR CUPCAKES ::
1. Place rack in bottom third of the oven; preheat to 350*F.  Spray  muffin pan with nonstick spray. Line with muffin cups.
2. Whisk both flours, baking powder, baking soda and sea salt in medium bowl.  Stir in chopped pecans.
3. Beat butter in large bowl until smooth.  Add brown sugar; beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
4. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating to blend between additions.  Beat in sour cream and vanilla.
5. Add dry ingredients; beat on low speed just to blend.  Divide batter among muffin cups.
6. Bake cupcakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 23 minutes. Cool in pan on rack 15 minutes.

::FOR FROSTING::
1. Stir sugar and 1/4 cup of water in medium saucepan over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves.  Increase heat to medium -high; boil until syrup turns deep amber, swirling pan and brushing down sides with wet pastry brush, 6 to 7 minutes.
2. Remove from heat; add cream (mixture will bubble up). Stir over low heat until caramel bits dissolve. Whisk egg yolks in medium bowl. Very gradually whisk hot caramel into yolks. Cool to room temperature.
3.Using electric mixer, beat butter and salt in large bowl until smooth.  Beat in caramel. Add powdered sugar and beat until smooth.  let stand at room temperature until thick enough to spread, about 1 hour.
4. Spread frosting over cupcakes. Place pecans on plate. Roll edges of cupcakes in nuts.

The cupcake part is AMAZING! I ate one this morning without any topping! it's so good!  I was a little skeptical while making the caramel topping ... the white sugar was going to turn amber?! It did! I think next time I will add more than the 1 cup of powdered sugar to have more of a frosting rather than a topping but it was DELICIOUS!

::Recipe:: Chicken Pad Thai

A couple weeks ago a friend of ours hosted a party where they served a variety of Thai food.  At the end of the party, we were provided with a copy of the recipes.  My favorite was the Chicken Pad Thai. So I decided to make it for J and I one night this week.

{INGREDIENTS}

4 ounces Thai Kitchen Stir-Fry Rice Noodles

2 tblps vegetable oil, divided

1 egg, lightly beaten

4 ounces boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips

6 tblsp Thai Kitchen Original Pad Thai Sauce

2 green onions, thinly sliced

1/2 cup bean sprouts

1/4 cup coarsely chopped unsalted peanuts

{DIRECTIONS}

• Bring 4 cups water to boil in medium saucepan. Add rice noodles; cook 3 to 5 minutes or until noodles are tender but firm. Rinse under cold water; drain well. Set aside.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in large skillet or wok on medium-high heat. Add egg; scramble until set. Remove from skillet. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to skillet. Add chicken; stir fry until cooked through. Add rice noodles, Pad Thai sauce and green onions; stir fry 3 to 4 minutes or noodles are tender.
• Stir in bean sprouts and scrambled egg. Place noodle mixture on serving platter. Sprinkle with peanuts. Serve with cilantro sprigs and lime wedges.

We really enjoyed this dish and it's fairly simple.  I probably would have added more of the Thai Sauce but it was really wonderful.  I even took it for lunch the following day =)

 **You can find this and other recipes at the Thai Kitchen website

{Recipe} - Chicken & Rice

As many of you know, I have been attempting new recipes.  I'm tired of the same things all the time (plus I have the Day Zero Project I am working on) so I am trying to get creative but mostly I am just scouring the Internet for new recipes.  Heaven knows me just throwing things together into a pan isn't going to make for the best meal!
I got this recipe from a co-worker.  It's very tasty and I look forward to having it again!

{INGREDIENTS}

1 can Rotel

1 can black beans

2 chicken breasts

brown rice

shredded cheese (optional)

tortilla chips (optional)

{MAKE}

Cut the chicken breasts into strips or chunks. Cook all the way through in a skillet/pan on the stove. While the chicken is cooking, start making your brown rice.  We used Minute brown rice and it actually took about 10 minutes total to prepare the rice, which is perfect timing for everything else to finish.
Once the chicken is cooked all the way through, add drained black beans and rotel. When the rice is finished, mix in with chicken, beans, Rotel. Let heat all the way through.

{SERVE!}

We ate ours with shredded cheese sprinkled on top.  J ate his as a dish, I ate mine as a dip with tortilla chips.

Next time, I think we will make our cheesy Rotel dip as normal and pour it over the chicken, rice and beans.  Either way -- it was DELICIOUS and a super easy meal -- those are the best!

{Recipe} Chicken Noodle Casserole

Last night I decided to try another new recipe.  The Cajun Chicken Pasta didn't work out very well and I was really disappointed.  I scoured the Internet for another chicken recipe that didn't require a LOT of ingredients but DID have ingredients that I like.  Enter: Chicken Noodle Casserole. 

{INGREDIENTS}
2 Chicken Breasts, boiled (Reserve Water)
1 1/2 c. Spiral Pasta
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup

1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup

1 can Sweet Corn (drained)

Crushed Potato Chips

{INSTRUCTIONS}Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Boil chicken in about 3 c. of water until done (about 20 minutes). 
Remove the chicken and add the pasta to the water.  Cook pasta for 7 minutes. Drain.

Shred the chicken and add chicken and pasta to 9X13 baking dish.

Stir in canned soups and drained corn.  Mix well. 

Smooth top of the casserole and cover with the crushed potato chips.

Bake for 30 minutes and Viola!

This recipe was easy and really tasty.  We both even had seconds AND we saved it for leftovers.  For those of you who don't know us, we NEVER eat leftovers so this is pretty huge. =)  It's definitely going to become part of our menu cycle.

{Recipe} Cajun Chicken Pasta

Last night I decided to try a new recipe.  J and I need to eat in more often and I am tired of the 'usual' menu.  I browsed the Internet for about an hour coming up with new recipes.  The one I made last night is Cajun Chicken Pasta (modeled after the TGIFriday's dish).

{Ingredients}

10 oz. Cooked Fettuccine (cooked al dente)

Spicy Cajun Pasta SAUCE (recipe to follow)

1 or 2 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast, cooked and sliced in strips

Parmesan Cheese (optional)

Chopped Parsley (optional)

SPICY CAJUN PASTA SAUCE

2 oz. Olive Oil

1 Tblspn fresh chopped garlic

1/2 c. coarsely Chopped Onion

1/2 c. coarsely Chopped Green Peppers

1/2 c. coarsely Chopped Red Peppers

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1 c. chicken stock

1 c. V-8 juice

Cornstarch (mix 1 tblsp w/ a couple tblsps of cold water to form a slurry)

Salt and Pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

Prepare Sauce: Heat oil in saute pan; add garlic; saute for 30 seconds; add onions and saute for 1 minute; add peppers and continue to saute for another minute.  De-glaze with chicken stock and reduce to half.  Add V-8 juice and cayenne pepper; bring to boil; simmer 10 minutes.

Thicken to consistency with cornstarch; season to taste with salt and pepper.

Add cooked pasta to sauce and heat through until hot.

I really didn't like it =/  I didn't like it so much that I didn't take a picture. =/  I was really disappointed...J on the other hand, LOVED it.  I think my things was the peppers.  I didn't think it would change the taste to vegetable-y like it did with only a cup of peppers.  Maybe since it was sauteed it was so pungent??  If you like peppers, you will probably really enjoy this recipe.  If you are like me and don't particularly care for many vegetables of any kind, you should probably pass on this one. =/  I was disappointed to the point that I felt bratty last night! UGH! so annoying.  I was really excited that I was cooking for J and that I had found a new recipe to try and then it was a big fat flop in my mind.  I have to keep telling myself that J loved it and that I just didn't care for it.  It wasn't inedible or anything like that, it just wasn't my cup of tea. 

I am trying a new recipe tonight...so keep your fingers crossed! 

Breakfast at Tiffany's

So it's NOT Tiffany's -- actually it's at our house haha!! ok in all seriousness, John roped me into buying pre-made pancake mix in an aerosol can, kind of like whip cream. It's called ORGANIC (can you believe it?!) Batter Blaster. I was INCREDIBLY skeptical. I actually thought he was joking when we were in the store but hey he was excited about it so we bought it. He's like a kid sometimes -- we barely get in the door from grocery shopping and he wants to start up the stove.
I know what you're thinking -- this can't be good. That is exactly what I was thinking but what could I do, he was so excited about it. And if it WAS terrible, we would only be out $3.
So my wonderful husband cooks up 2 pancakes from this can. Shockingly, the house is filled with sweet homemade pancake aroma -- you know, the kind that use to wake you up on Saturday mornings while your parents were cooking breakfast.
I'm floored that they smell so delectable, let alone EDIBLE! I was expecting to have to fumigate the house once the cooking was over. My sweet, sweet husband fed me bites of these pancakes. SHOCK!!! They are SO YUMMY! and SO easy and so much less of a hassle. I am in the habit of making mine from scratch - so it's messy and a little time consuming and I haven't quite figured out how to not make enough batter to feed a small army. This thing is - well let's be honest - brilliant AND for you health nuts, it's organic! If you only want 2 pancakes, you make 2 and put the rest of the batter in the refrigerator. I am definitely a fan! So if you have kids or don't like the mess or hey aren't the best cook, try some of this. really I was shocked!
You can get more info at http://www.batterblaster.com/