Rainbow Cupcakes

My husband is watching Fox News, and there is this columnist on the TV monotonously droning on about who knows what.  I looked up and nearly screamed. The man looked like a vampire!  To find out, his last name is Krauthammer, and he has this thick Transylvanian (or something) accent.  I swear if that man was wearing a black cape and a red bow tie, I would run as fast as I could in the other direction.  I can guarantee that he never eats any Emeril Lagasse recipes because that man would shrivel up and die with all the garlic used in the those recipes.  Bam!

I can promise you that our dear Krauthammer vampire man would not appreciate something as lovely as this rainbow cupcake.  He probably turns his nose at anything that isn't covered in cobwebs and darkness.  My family, however, loves unicorns, astronauts, and rainbows.  These cupcakes were the culminating activity of our St. Patrick's Day festivities, and we loved making them.  We loved eating the even more!  I thought for sure that the colors would run together and be a complete disaster.  Much to my surprise, the layers stayed and looked awesome.  I can't wait to make these again.  

 Rainbow Cupcakes:
source: Familyfun.go.com (I couldn't get the exact site because it was under construction)

1 box white cake mix
food coloring
frosting

Preheat the oven according to package directions.

Make the cake according to package directions.

Separate the cake batter into six different bowls.  Add food coloring to make the different colors of the rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple.  I kept mine a bit pastel, but the original recipe on familyfun had very bold colors.  Either way will work.

Place muffin cup liners in a muffin tin.  Scoop about 2 T of each color into the bottom of each muffin cup in the following order:
purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red.

I did one color at a time.  I also smoothed out the color the best I could to try to get to fill the whole area.  Some didn't work though.  The cupcakes will still be awesome!

Bake according to package directions.

Cool the cupcakes and frost.  You can use cool whip or white frosting or whatever else floats your boat.

Don't these just make you happy?  I surely hope so.  :)  

Breaded Garlic Chicken in Lemon-Butter Sauce

Sometimes, as a pregnant woman, I feel like I have more in common with a furniture store every day.

1. My swollen feet have the properties of a Tempur-Pedic mattress.  When I hold my finger down on the top of my foot, I remove it, and the indentation is still there.  I'm sure if you could fit a glass of wine on the top of my foot and jump on it, that wine glass wouldn't budge.  

2. I have a built-in shelf.  My kids thought it was just hilarious when my husband placed the remote on top of my big 'ol pregnant belly.  They quickly starting looking around for items to put on my built-in shelf.  By the end of it, I had a remote, two pairs of scissors, a couple small action figures, and a pen all balancing on my built-in belly-of-a-shelf.

3. As people see me, they feel inclined to touch my stomach just like people have to touch every couch, rug, and table in a furniture store.  

Furniture store or not, this chicken will blow your mind.  If you like lemon, garlic, and parsley, this recipe is for you.  I've made it twice this month (which is saying a lot for me), and I've just loved it both times. The first time I made it, we had company over, and the other husband inhaled this meal.  I mean, I sat down to eat, saw it on his plate, and one minute later, he was licking his plate clean.  The recipe says that you can serve it with rice, potatoes, or pasta, and i chose to do angel hair pasta toseed with a little of the Lemon-Butter sauce.  Good grief- it was tasty.  

 Breaded Garlic Chicken in Lemon-Butter Sauce
source: Melskitchencafe.com (I can't get enough of this woman's recipes!)

2 chicken breasts, trimmed, and halved horizontally (They seemed to thick when I didn't half them)
1 c seasoned flour (1 c flour, 1 t salt, 1/2 t pepper)
1 c Panko bread crumbs (This is a step that I added)
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c fresh parsley (or 1 T parsley flakes)
2 T lemon juice
3 eggs
1/3 c grated Parmesan cheese
1 T olive oil
5 T butter

Pour 1 T olive oil and 1 T butter in a skillet over medium heat.

Place the season flour in a Ziplock bag.

 Combine the Parmesan cheese and egg in a shallow plate.

 Plop your prepared chicken breasts in the bag with the flour.  Shake it!

 Place the coated flour in the egg-Parmesan mix.  Make sure it is well-coated.

 Put the chicken in the Panko bread crumbs to coat evenly.

 Place the chicken in the heated skillet and brown both sides for 2-3 minutes per side.  A nice, light brown crust will form. The chicken does not have to cook all the way through.  It will finish cooking in the oven.

By the way, if this chicken could have sang, it would be belting out "Islands in the Stream" because this was one of the biggest chicken breasts I had ever seen.  Nice Dolly Parton chicken!

 Once they are browned, place them in a baking dish.

 In the same skillet, add the remaining 4 T of butter.  Add the minced garlic, lemon juice, and parsley.  Cook and stir over medium heat for 1-2 minutes.

 Pour the garlicky goodness over the chicken.

 Bake in a 325 degree oven for 35 minutes.

 When the chicken is about ten minutes from being finished, prepare the angel hair pasta according to the package.  Cook to al dente.

While it is cooking, melt 4 T butter.  Add 1 T minced garlic, 1/4 c fresh parsley, and 2 T lemon juice.

 When the pasta is done, add the Lemon-Butter sauce and toss well.  Serve on a plate and top with the baked chicken.

Oh, man.  I seriously love this recipe!  I've been a bit obsessed with angel hair pasta lately, too.  My kids love it, my husband loves it, and I love it.  This would be just as good with any kind of pasta or a rice pilaf with fresh parsley and sauteed garlic.

Tuscan Garlic Chicken

My kids are in this stage right now where they each lay in their beds at night and just talk back and forth.  They don't argue.  They don't fight.  They simply talk to each other and laugh.  Even though it gets to the point where it's 9:30, and they're talking like a couple of old women at a knitting party, I don't have the heart to tell them to quit  It's actually really cute.  Right now, for example, my 4-year-old son is giggling as he asks, "Do you know how big Anakin Skywalker's head is?"  I don't hear my daughter's response or his, but I hear them laughing.  I love it.

Now, to the chicken.  I loved, loved, loved this recipe.  The garlicky, red peppery, Parmesany sauce was amazing.  I don't have single complaint about this recipe.  I'm glad I stumbled upon it.  It's out of sight!

Tuscan Garlic Chicken
source: Melskitchencafe.com (an unbelievable site with amazing recipes!)

3/4 c flour
1/2 T salt
1 t pepper
1/2 t dried basil
1/2 t oregano
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
5 T olive oil
1 T minced garlic (4-5 cloves)
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 c chicken broth
6 oz fresh spinach (my spinach looked rough, so I used about three green onions, chopped)
1/2 c heavy cream
2 T corn starch
1 c milk
1 c freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 pound angel hair pasta

Preheat the oven to 350.

Heat 3 T of oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  While it is heating, combine the flour, salt, pepper, basil, and oregano in a shallow dish.  Dip each piece of chicken in the flour.  Once your oil is hot enough, add the chicken and cook about 2-3 minutes per side or until golden brown on each side.  They don't need to be cooked all the way through since they will finish cooking in the oven.

Once it is browned, remove it to a foil-lined baking sheet.  Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.  Once it is done, take it out and tent it with foil while you finish the rest.

While the chicken is baking in the oven, cooking the angel hair pasta to al dente according to the package directions.

Wipe out the skillet that was used for the chicken, heat the remaining oil over medium heat.  Once the oil is hot, add the garlic and bell pepper.  Cook for 2-3 minutes.

Add 1 T of flour to the skillet. Cook and stir for one minute.  Add the chicken broth and bring to a simmer.  Whisk almost constantly until it is thickened- 3 to 4 minutes.  In a small bowl, whisk together the corn starch and cream.  Set aside.  Add the spinach (or green onions), milk, and cream/cornstarch mixture to the skillet.  Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook for another 2-4 minutes or until thickened.  Add the Parmesan cheese.

When the pasta is finished, drain it and return it to the pan.  Add half of the cheese sauce to the pasta.  Toss to combine.

Place some pasta on a plate, top with a piece of chicken, and top with some sauce.

Magical Layered Brownies

Believe it or not, I did not name these brownies.  This is the name that they came with, and they couldn't be more aptly named.  The recipe makes a 9x13 pan, and while I am pregnant and can easily eat a whole pn of brownies, I'd better not. 

I took a couple brownies to a friend whose husband is deployed for a year.  She deserves some chocolate every day of the week for going through that!  She has been losing weight, so I only took her two brownies so I wouldn't have the appearance of a temptuous devil-friend.  Well, I get a text from her and she says, "Only two brownies?  What is this?  Communist China!  I need a whole pan of those amazing brownies!"  Sorry, pal.  Next time, I'll put on my devil horns and bring the whole pan.  :) 

Then, I took a bunch into the admin office for the school I work for.  I went up to one desk, and the girl was actually sending a message to someone else in the office asking them what I brought in.  She was not disappointed!  I got nothing but compliments from everyone that tried them.  One guy said that he's still waiting for me to open a bakery.  If I did that, I'd probably end up on that show "My 600 pound life" because I couldn't resist eating all the inventory.

Magical Layered Brownies

source: Melskitchencafe.com (my new favorite website for recipes)

Brownies:

1/2 c butter

6 oz unsweetened chocolate

2 c sugar

4 lg eggs

1/4 t salt

1 c flour

1 t vanilla

Browned butter frosting:

1/2 c butter

2 c powdered sugar

1/4 c heavy cream

1 t vanilla

glaze:

3 T butter

4 oz (1/2 c) semi-sweet chocolate, chopped (or chocolate chips)

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.  Line the bottom of a 9x13 pan with parchment paper.  If you don't have parchment paper, grease the bottom of the pan.

Place the 6 oz chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe dish.  Cook in microwave for 30 seconds- stir.  Continue in 30 second intervals until it is smooth.  It only took 30 seconds for me since I chopped the chocolate before putting it in the microwave.  Set aside to cool.

Put the sugar, eggs, and salt in your mixer bowl.  Place it on medium-low speed for 3-4 minutes.  The mixture will get lighter in color and thicken.  Turn the mixer to low and add the cooled chocolate mixture.  Blend.  Add the flour and vanilla.  Mix until well combined.  Pour it into the prepared pan.

Bake the brownies for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean and the edges are starting to pull away from the sides of the pan.  Cool completely. 

For the frosting, place the butter in a small saucepan over low heat.  Melt the butter.  Continue to cook it over low heat for about 15 minutes.  The butter will start to turn a light brown color.  Watch it carefully, stirring often, making sure that it doesn't burn.

Pour the butter into your mixer bowl and add the powdered sugar, cream, and vanilla.  mix until the frosting is smooth and thick.

Spread it over the cooled brownies.

For the glaze, put the butter and chocolate into a microwave-safe dish and melt in the microwave.  Stir until smooth.  Pour the glaze over the brownies to try to cover as much of the top as you can.  Use a spatula to gently spread the glaze across the top of the frosting. 

Chill the brownies for 1-2 hours or until the glaze is set. 

Store them in the refrigerator.

Orange Chicken #2

Awhile back, my husband was watching the first primary election, and he said, "Oh- wait until Super Tuesday."  As a non-political wife and mother, I think Super Tuesday is one of the following:

1. A Tuesday when all children decide to nap for a full 24 hours.

2. A Tuesday when professional maids make surprise visits and clean your entire house without being paid.

3. A Tuesday when Neilsen's Frozen custard gives away free sundaes.

Boy, was I shocked when I found out the it was a day when several states hold their primary election or caucus for presidential candidates.  There is nothing super about that!  They need some other adjective to precede "Tuesday."  Tortorous Tuesday.  Turn-off-the-TV-so-you-don't-have-to-listen-to-political-analysists-talk-about-every-county-in-Ohio Tuesday.  Tedious Tuesday.  More appropriate?  I think so.  I might need to send my suggestions to Fox News.

Now, this chicken... This chicken is super!  I love to make Chinese food, and one of the hardest things is to figure out how to fit all the skillets on your stovetop since nearly every Chinese food dish is done in a skillet.  This chicken is actually done in the oven.  I was skeptical at first because I'm used to frying the battered chicken and tossing it in sauce. This was a totally new way to do it, and I loved it.  The flavor was wonderful and the chicken was slightly sticky like the orange chicken from Panda Express.  And better yet- It's a bit healithier since it's not fried at all.  I loved this chicken and shall make it again and again.

Orange Chicken
source: melskitchencafe.com (bless that woman's soul!  Her website has some amazing recipes!)

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size chunks
1/2 c flour
1 t garlic powder
1/2 t pepper
2 T oil or butter
1 1/2 c water
1/4 c plus 2 T fresh orange juice (I just used Tropicana orange juice)
1/3 c rice vinegar
2 1/2 T soy sauce
1 T orange zest
1 c brown sugar
1/2 t finely minced ginger (I used 1/2 t dried ginger)
1 t minced garlic
2 T green onion
3 T corn starch
1/4 c water

Heat oven to 350.  Pour the 2 T oil or melted butter into a cookie sheet.

Put the flour, garlic powder, and pepper in a Ziplock bag.  Put  couple handfuls of chicken at a time in the flour and seal the bag.  Shake to coat all the pieces.  Place the coated pieces onto the cookie sheet in a single layer.  Repeat with the remaining chicken. 

Bake for 30 minutes, uncovered.

While that is baking, get out a saucepan.  Combine the water, fresh orange juice, rice vinegar, soy sauce, and orange in the saucepan over medium heat.  Whisk until well combined.  Add the brown sugar, ginger, garlic, and green onion.  Bring it to a boil.  Combine the 1/4 c water and corn starch in a small bowl and whisk until it is dissolved.  Add it to the sauce and stir until it is thickened.  It should only take about a minute.

After the 30 minutes is up for the chicken, take it out, turn each piece over, and pour 1/2 the sauce over the chicken.  Bake it another 30 minutes.  Baste it frequently, adding some of the extra sauce, if necessary.

Put the chicken on a serving plate.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onions (that's my own special touch!).  Serve it with rice. 

Stacked Enchiladas

Brace yourself... I don't have anything witty or lame to say.  I just want to share this recipe with you because it's delicious.  It's just like enchiladas but without the mess of rolling up the sauce-soaked tortillas. Yum.

 Stacked Enchiladas:
source: Taste of Home magazine February/March 2012

2/3 c chopped red pepper
1/3 c chopped onion
2 t canola oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 c shredded, cooked chicken or pork
1 c black beans, rinsed and drained
1/3 c chopped green onion
1/2 c enchilada sauce
1/2 c picante sauce
4 corn tortillas
1 c shredded cheddar cheese

Pre heat the oven to 350.

In a large skillet, saute the red pepper and onion in canola oil under they are crisp-tender.  Add the chicken, beans, and green onions.  Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

I actually used some of the left-over Conga Lime Pork that I had made the night before, and it was delightful.  I'm sure you could even use ground beef, if you'd like.

 In the same skillet, combine the enchilada sauce and the picante sauce.  Dip a tortilla in the sauce to coat both sides.

 Put the tortilla in the bottom of a round dish. 

 Top with 1/3 of the chicken or pork mixture.

 Add 1/4 of the cheese.

 Repeat the layers:
tortilla
meat mixture
cheese
tortilla
meat mixture
cheese
final tortilla
cheese

My husband said that he would have liked it a little bit saucier, so after you place the final tortilla, you may want to pour some more of the sauce over it or even over each tortilla as you place it in.

When you're done, you'll have a lovely parfait of Mexican love. 

 Bake, covered, for 18-22 minutes.

When it's all done, you'll have a cheesy, meaty layered dinner that everyone is sure to love.  This may have earned its way into my rotation of meals.  We loved it.  It looks rather terrifying, but I promise it's packed with flavor.  :)

Conga Lime Pork

My daughter will be turning six in just a few months.  She is something else.  I love her to pieces, but I honestly think that if the Emperor (from Star Wars) showed up this afternoon when she got home from school, she actually would have joined him on the dark side.  There are these moments of craziness that come out of her, and I honestly wonder if she's watching one of those housewives shows where the women flip out if their cereal gets soggy too fast.  I don't know where she's learning that!  sigh.  Kids. 

Now- to the recipe.  I found this pork recipe in a Taste of Home magazine, and I'm so glad I tried it!  The pork came out tender and flavorful.  I changed to recipe a little bit in that she served it with corn muffins on the side, and I served the pork on toasted buns with BBQ sauce and the cole slaw. Glorious.

Conga Lime Pork
Source: Taste of Home magazine Feb/Mar 2012

1 t salt, divided
1/2 t pepper, divided
1 boneless pork roast (2-3 lb)
1 T canola oil
1 lg onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 c water
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, seeded and chopped
2 T molasses
2 c broccoli coleslaw mix (or plain cole slaw mix)
1 medium mango, chopped
2 T lime juice
1 1/2 t lime zest

BBQ sauce
hamburger buns


Sprinkle the pork roast with 3/4 t salt and 1/4 t pepper.  Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Brown the pork roast on all sides.  Transfer the meat to a 3 or 4 quart slow cooker.

In the same skillet, saute onion for 2 minutes.  Add the garlic.  Saute one minute longer.  Add the water, the seeded and chipotle peppers, and the molasses.  Mix well.  Pour over the pork roast.

Cover and cook for 4-5 hours on high or until the meat is tender.

Remove it, let it cool slightly, and shred it with two forks.  Return the shredded meat into the crock pot with the juices. 

In a large bowl, combine the slaw mix, mango, lime juice, lime zest, and remaining salt and pepper.

Toast the hamburger buns on a griddle.  Top with pork, your favorite BBQ sauce, and some of the lime slaw. 

Easy and tasty.  :)