Party Punch

Thanksgiving was such a wonderful day. You can read about our Thanksgiving dinner here. I made this punch that has received rave reviews for our Thanksgiving beverage. It lived up to they hype. Sooo good! Recipe found here.

1 can frozen piña colada concentrate, thawed
1 can frozen orange pineapple juice concentrate, thawed
4 liters of diet lemon-lime soda
1 bag of pebble ice (You can buy it at Sonic Drive-In or at most grocery stores in the deli or meat departments.)
1 bag of frozen raspberries

Directions:
Pour the thawed concentrates into your punchbowl and stir.
Use one of the empty cans and fill it with water four times and add it to the mixture. Stir.
Add your diet soda to the mixture.
Next, add about half your bag of pebble ice.
Add your frozen raspberries to the top.

Kung Pao Chicken

Image and Recipe from Blog Chef

Ingredients:

1lb boneless-skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1” pieces)

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 teaspoons sesame oil

3 tablespoons green onions (chopped)

3 garlic cloves (minced)

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

½ teaspoon powdered ginger

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons sugar

1/3 cup dry roasted peanuts

Step 1: combine chicken and cornstarch in a small bowl and toss to coat. Heat sesame oil in wok over medium heat, add chicken and stir fry 5-7 minutes or until no longer pink inside. Remove chicken from wok.

Step 2: Add green onions, garlic, red pepper flakes and powdered ginger to the wok and stir fry for 15 seconds.

Step 3: Combine vinegar, soy sauce and sugar in a small bowl. Mix well and add the sauce to the wok.

Step 4: Return chicken to the wok and coat with sauce. Stir in roasted peanuts. Heat thoroughly. Top with additional green onions if desired and serve over white rice.

Chocolate- Coconut Bars

Recipe and Image

Ingredients

• 3 cups finely ground cookies (12 ounces), such as graham crackers or chocolate wafers, or a combination
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup pecan pieces
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips or chunks
• 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
• 1 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 15-by-10-inch rimmed baking sheet.
2. In a large bowl, stir together cookie crumbs, sugar, and butter until combined. Evenly press onto bottom and up sides of prepared baking sheet. Bake, rotating halfway through, until firm, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; cool, about 20 minutes.
3. Sprinkle cooled crust evenly with pecans and chocolate. Pour condensed milk over the top, spreading to cover completely. Sprinkle with coconut.
4. Bake until coconut is toasted, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool completely.

Cheesy Garlic Bread

Here is a delicious cheesy breadsticks recipe that I made! Super simple!

Basic Pizza Dough Recipe from THIS gal (she is so great at explaining!)

Ingredients:
1 cup warm water
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 tablespoon honey {or sugar}
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons olive or canola oil
3 cups bread flour {give or take 1/2 cup…depending on the heat & humidity}

Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, preferably that of a stand mixer, stir yeast and honey into warm water. Sit for 5-10 minutes or until bubbles form and mixture starts to foam. This tells you that the yeast is alive and kicking. Pour in salt, oil and half the flour and mix.

Once that flour is incorporated, start adding flour in bit by bit until you get the pizza dough to the consistency you want: slightly tacky, but when you touch it it doesn’t stick to your hands

Lightly grease the bowl & the dough so it doesn’t dry out, cover with plastic wrap and let it rise 1-2 hours. That’s it!

Cheesy Garlic Bread Sticks yield: 1- 12 inch pie

Ingredients:
1/2 recipe Fail-Proof Pizza Dough
2 tablespoons softened salted butter
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese {use the real stuff!}
1/4 pound grated mozzarella cheese{salt & pepper, if desired}


Directions:
Preheat oven to 500 degrees with pizza stone inside. Mix butter and garlic in a small bowl and set aside.Spread pizza dough out into a 12-inch circle on parchment paper. {This makes it easier to transfer to the pizza stone.}Spread the butter and garlic mixture over dough and top with Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses.

Recipe and below image from HERE

Apple Strudel

Our family created a Summer Bucket List for things to do in the summer and we are still trying to finish up a few of them. One of the things we wanted to do was to learn about a different country. We did this last Sunday night with some friends where we learned about Germany. For dessert I made this delicious apple strudel. I found the recipe here.

Apple Strudel:

• 1/4 cup bourbon or apple juice
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 2 to 3 Granny Smith Apples (about 1 pound), peeled, cored, halved, and thinly sliced
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more for sprinkling
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans
• 2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
• 5 sheets phyllo dough from 1 pound package of frozen dough
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted, for brushing phyllo sheets, plus more if needed
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• Confectioners' sugar
• Caramel sauce, purchased

Glaze:

• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 3 1/2 tablespoons milk

For the Strudel:

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, pour the apple juice over the raisins and microwave on high for 45 seconds. Let sit for 15 minutes.

Combine the raisins, apples, lemon juice, lemon zest, cinnamon, brown sugar, cookie crumbs, pecans, and butter in a large bowl.

Remove the phyllo dough from the box, unfold, and cover with a damp towel. Place 1 sheet of phyllo on the work surface and brush lightly with melted butter. Repeat with the remaining sheets, brushing each with melted butter, stacking when done, being sure to keep the unbuttered phyllo covered.

Place the apple mixture on the nearest third of the phyllo stack, being sure to leave a 2-inch border. Gently lift the bottom edge of the phyllo stack to cover the filling and fold the side edges over. Continue to roll the stack away from you until the filling is completely sealed in and the seam is on the bottom. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Brush the top with melted butter and sprinkle with granulated sugar.

Bake for 30 minutes, until golden brown. Pour over the glaze and sprinkle with cinnamon and confectioners' sugar. Pass warm caramel sauce, to drizzle over the strudel.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cake

Image and Recipe

We made this Fall treat today and LOVED it. I got the idea from a recipe on Pinterest and modified it a bit If you are a pumpkin fan, you have to try this!

1 cup pumpkin

2 whole eggs

4 egg whites

2 tbsp vegetable or canola oil

2 cup flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground allspice

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Grease a 9 X 13 pan.

In a large bowl, combine pumpkin puree, eggs and oil until smooth. Set aside.

In a separate medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, spices, salt and brown sugar. Add to the wet ingredients and mix until thoroughly incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Pour into prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake for 15 – 20 minutes or until passes toothpick test. Cool completely before cutting.

Cheesy Potato Soup

6 cups potatoes, peeled and diced

5 cups water

2 cups chopped onions

4 chicken bouillon

6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

1(12 ounce) can evaporated milk

2 cups grated cheddar cheese

Directions: Combine the potatoes, water, onions, and bouillon in a greased 5- to 7- quart slower cooker (I love slow cookers). Cover and cook on high heat for 3-4 hours on until the potatoes are tender. Stir in the bacon, milk, and cheese. Cover and cook 20 minutes more, or until cheese is melted.

DELISH!