Sunshine Pancake Mix

This is my favorite pancake recipe and now it is even better...because it is a mix. It is a family recipe that I am happy to share!


Ingredients:
12 c. flour
4 c. powdered sugar
2 ¼ c. powdered milk
½ c. baking powder
2 T. baking soda
1 ½ t. salt





Mix together and store in large tupperware or ice cream bucket.

Directions:
For every 1½ (to 1¾) cup dry mix add:
2 T. melted butter
1 egg
1 c. water

Mix until just combined.

Cheese Garlic Bread {Pizza Dough}

This one here is a total keeper ladies. I came across this recipe on Pinterest and knew I HAD to try it out. I am a total lover of pizza but even more...BREAD STICKS! Yum! You will NOT be disappointed in this one. The Pizza Dough recipe was great too. Only one thing, if you have a big bosch, I would maybe try to double this recipe, there just wasn't enough dough to mix well enough. I had to take it out and transfer it to my smaller bosch.

Basic Pizza Dough:
Yield: 2-12 inch pizzas, approximately 1 lb. of dough

Ingredients:
1 C. warm water
2 1/4 tsp. yeast
1 Tbs. honey {or sugar, but go for the honey if you have it}
2 tsp. salt
2 Tbs. olive or canola oil
3 C. bread flour {give or take 1/2 c. depending on heat, humidity, and altitude}

Directions:
In mixer, stir yeast and honey into warm water. Sit for 5-10 minutes or until bubble form and mixture starts to foam. Add salt, oil, and half of the flour and mix.

Once flour has been 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 ti it doesn't stick to your hands.

Once you reach this state, turn the mixer on high to knead for 6 minutes. Turn a timer on and walk away. Resist the temptation to stop earlier than 6 minutes. Once done mixing, the dough should be smooth and easy to work with and the bowl should be clean.

Lightly grease the bowl and the dough so it doesn't dry out, cover with plastic wrap (or a clean towel) and let it rise 1-2 hours. Done!

We made our own version of Margarita Pizzas on the grill. Fabulous! I love the Classico Tomato and Basil Sauce, Mozzarella cheese and a little Parmesan because I love it so much, chicken pieces and some basil straight out of my beloved garden. Yummers. Oh yes, and we cook it on the grill which is so much better than the oven!

So, I used half the the dough to make two smaller pizzas and the other half to make some Cheesy Garlic Bread...keep reading.

Cheese Garlic Bread Sticks
Yield: 1-12 inch pizza

Ingredients:
1/2 recipe Pizza Dough (above)
2 Tbs. softened salted butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese (use the real stuff)
1/4 lb. grated mozzarella cheese
{salt and pepper, if desired}

Directions:
Preheat oven to 500 degrees with pizza stone inside. Mix butter and garlic in small bowl and set aside. Roll dough out into 12 inch circle. Spread butter and garlic mixture over dough and top with Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses. Top with a light sprinkling of salt and pepper, if desired. Bake 9-10 minutes or until bubbly and golden. Remove from oven and cool 1-2 minutes before cutting. Serve hot with marinara.

{Recipe from www.laurenslatest.com}

Chinese Chicken Salad

My husband requested this salad this week. And when my husband actually wants to eat a salad, you better believe I jump at the request. This tasted fresh and delicious...just what he wanted.


Chinese Chicken Salad

2 green onions
1 carrot, grated
1 celery stalk, diced
1 cucumber, diced
1/2 head cabbage, chopped (or you can do a cole slaw mix, whatever)
romaine lettuce (I added about a cup to mine)
chow mein noodles
cooked chicken, diced or cooked
Asian dressing (I went with store bought because we had some)

Toss everything together and enjoy! Simple as that.

Chicken Teriyaki

2 boneless chicken breasts, sliced into thin slices
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 medium garlic clove, minced or pressed
2 tablespoons mirin
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch

Combine soy sauce, sugar, ginger, and garlic in a small saucepan. Stir together mirin and cornstarch in a small bowl, then stir the mirin into the saucepan. Bring the sauce to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce forms a syrupy glaze.

Heat a small amount of olive oil in a frying pan. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat until nicely browned.

Put chicken on serving platter or bowl and cover with teriyaki sauce. Serve with rice and steamed vegetables.

{Modified slightly from America's Test Kitchen:2006}

Honey-Mustard Salmon

I know that fish is usually a love it or hate it thing. I love it. And you might hate it. That makes me feel sorry for you, because this salmon was delicious. And so easy!!


Honey-Mustard Salmon

1 Tablespoon butter
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 Tablespoon honey
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 Tablespoon olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
4 salmon fillets, 6 ounces each

Preheat the oven to 400F. Combine the butter and brown sugar in a bowl and microwave for 30 seconds, until they have melted together. Stir in the mustard, honey, and soy sauce.

Heat the oil in an ovenproof skillet over high heat. Season the salmon with salt and pepper and add to the pan flesh-side down. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes until fully browned and flip. Brush with half of the glaze and place the pan in the oven until the salmon is firm and flaky (before the white fat begins to form on the surface) about 5 minutes. Remove, brush the salmon with more of the honey mustard and serve!

{From Cook This, Not That}

Quick and Easy Breadsticks

This recipe is so fast and goes delicious with pizza, pasta, salad, soup, fruit...you get the idea. They literally come together in 5 minutes and cook in 10, which means I make them weekly. I usually sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top but this time we were out, so I tried mozzarella and LOVED it. The cheese got all crunchy and delicious.

Just try them and you'll see what I mean.

Quick and Easy Breadsticks

3 to 3 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon yeast

1 tablespoon honey

1 1/2 cups warm water

melted butter

cheese (parmesan, mozzarella, cheddar...whatever you want to try!)

Add 3 cups flour, salt, yeast, and honey to a bowl. Slowly mix while adding warm water. Knead until shiny and smooth. If you need to add more flour, do so until the dough isn't sticky.

Roll into rectangle. Put dough on cookie sheet and slice with pizza cutter.

Spread melted butter and sprinkle grated cheese (I love mozzarella!) on top.

Bake at 400 degrees for 10-14 minutes until golden brown.

Grilled Pizzas

During the summer I hate turning the oven on. So for dinners, my favorites include anything cooked on the grill. This pizza was perfect, fast, and really, really yummy. this recipe suggest tomatoes, sausage and fresh basil but I just did personal size pizzas and let each person make theirs as they wanted. They were a huge hit.

Dough
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (I used half white and half wheat flour)
1 1/2 tsp yeast
1 tsp salt
Vegetable oil cooking spray

Topping
1 lb red and yellow cherry tomatoes, halved (or only red if your grocery store doesn't carry yellow)
1/2 lb turkey sausage, cooked and thinly sliced
1 cup grated part-skim mozzarella (I used half fresh mozzarella and half grated)
1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Or, really, whatever toppings you want.

Directions:
Mix flour, yeast and salt in a bowl. Gradually add 1/2 cup warm (110°) water until a soft dough forms. Divide dough into 4 portions. Using hands, roll dough into balls, coat with cooking spray, cover with plastic wrap and set aside to rise 30 to 45 minutes. When ready to cook, place each ball of dough on a piece of wax paper and flatten into a 4-inch circle. Coat grill with cooking spray and heat on high. Gently lift dough onto grill and cook until dough puffs and underside stiffens (about 30 seconds); flip and reduce heat to low. Mix topping ingredients, then divide among crusts; cover grill. Grill until cheese melts, 5 to 6 minutes more. Slice and serve.

Lemon Chicken

Looking for an easy main dish? That is delicious? This fits the bill. Of course, I am a lemon nut. But my husband, who thinks my obsession is a little over-the-top, loves these as well.

Lemon Chicken

2 chicken breasts, cut in 1/2 to make thinner
1/3 cup flour
salt and pepper
2-4 T butter
1 lemon

Once chicken breasts are cut, pound to make as thin as you can. Pound in the flour and salt and pepper. Melt the butter in a pan. Add the chicken. Cook 3-5 minutes on each side and remove from pan. Pour out all but 2 T. of the butter/juice (I like to leave any bits of chicken/flour in that may have come off). Add juice of 1 lemon to pan. Stir. Bring to boil. Add the chicken back in. Flip and cover with the sauce. Serve. And enjoy.

Easy Alfredo Sauce

Another great, easy, yummy recipe from allrecipes.com. We've made this a couple times and I love it because I usually have all the ingredients on hand and it is fast to whip it up for a delicious dinner.

• 1/2 cup butter


• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese


• 2 teaspoons garlic powder


• 2 cups milk (or to the consistency you like - I usually add about 1 1/2 cups)


• 6 ounces grated Parmesan cheese


• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

1. Melt butter in a medium, non-stick saucepan over medium heat. Add cream cheese and garlic powder, stirring with wire whisk until smooth. Add milk, a little at a time, whisking to smooth out lumps. Stir in Parmesan and pepper. Remove from heat when sauce reaches desired consistency. Sauce will thicken rapidly, thin with milk if cooked too long. Toss with hot pasta to serve.

Crispy Southwest Chicken Wraps

Well, I just finished the last one and totally told myself I was going to take a picture before I started eating it. I just totally forgot and snarfed it down...it's good!

1 1/2 - 2 C. cooked rice (I use brown rice), warm or at room temp.
1 C. cooked, shredded chicken
1/2 red or green pepper, diced (I used a little of each)
1/4 C. fresh cilantro, chopped
juice of 1 lime
3/4 C. corn, cooked
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
2 C. shredded cheese
sour cream (optional)
Flour Tortillas (of course, I only use the costco ones!)

Mix rice together with chili powder, cumin, and garlic salt. Add remaining ingredients except for the cheese and sour cream. Sprinkle cheese over tortillas then dot sour cream down center. Arrange chicken mixture down center. Roll stuffed tortillas. Arrange wraps seam side down on skillet (med-high heat) and cook until golden brown and crisp, about 2-3 minutes per side.

Recipe adapted from mykitchencafe

Chicken Curry

One of my dear friends gave me a collection of her favorite recipes for our wedding. As a mother of 5 kids, she definitely knows what it means to make a fast, easy, and delicious meal. So this is one of those recipes.

This recipe was perfect when I wanted something exotic, but not as time-intensive as this dish. Because... lets be honest. We make Indian food in our house once a week. We just can't get enough. And I feel like when you make Indian food you just have to have Naan bread. And a strawberry lassi is such a cool, refreshing contrast to the spice, so you have to have that. Sooo if I want to cut down on time prep, I go with an easier main dish. This was perfect.

Curry Chicken

4 tablespoons butter
1 onion, chopped
1 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon slat
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup sour cream
2-3 cups cooked, chopped chicken
cilantro (optional)

Melt butter and saute onions. Stir in flour and spices. Cook 5 minutes. Add broth and cook until it thickens. Remove from heat. Stir in chicken and sour cream. Serve over rice and garnish with cilantro.

Note for Next Time: I thought the sour cream made it a little too....sour creamy. Next time I would substitute at least half of the sour cream with plain yogurt.

Chicken and Black Bean Salad

This meal fits right into my mantra of "yummy meals, fast and easy." My mom made this salad growing up and it is flavorful, beautiful, and filling.

Chicken & Black Bean Salad

Dressing

1/3 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper, to taste

Mix all together.

Salad

1 can black beans
1 can corn or Mexicorn
1 red bell pepper
1/2 bunch green onions
1 chicken breast
lettuce
cilantro
lime wedges

Combine black beans (rinsed and drained) and corn (drained). Marinate in dressing.

Cook chicken breast in drizzle of olive oil. Slice into chicken strips. Slice red pepper and green onions.

Mix lettuce with black beans, corn, and chicken. Top with red pepper, onions, lime wedges, and cilantro.

NOTE: I usually find that this is enough dressing, but if you need more, drizzle some Italian dressing on your salad.

Mexican Rice

This was an excellent side dish for anything Mexican. Easy. Yummy. Just what I like.

Mexican Rice

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup uncooked long-grain rice
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon taco seasoning
1/2 cup stewed tomatoes, chopped small
2 tablespoons Tomato paste
2 cups chicken broth

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and add rice. Cook, stirring constantly, until puffed and golden. While rice is cooking, sprinkle with salt,cumin, and taco seasoning.
2. Stir in tomatoes and tomato paste and chicken broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

I know we have already posted a few recipes for Sweet and Sour Chicken, but this recipe is a little-bit different. It is baked in the oven and more like what you would get in a Chinese restaurant (as in not saucy, more breaded). It was fast, easy, and yummy. Definitely a good stand-by for those nights you are out of ideas.


Sweet and Sour Chicken

Chicken:
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
1 cup cornstarch
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup canola oil

Cut boneless chicken breasts into chunks. Season with salt and pepper. Dip chicken in cornstarch and then in egg. Fry in a little oil until brown but not cooked through. Place in a single layer in a baking dish. Mix sauce ingredients (below) together and pour over chicken.

Sauce:
¾ cup sugar
4 tablespoons ketchup
½ cup vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic salt

Bake for one hour at 325 degrees. Turn chicken every 15 minutes. If you like extra sauce, make another batch of sauce and bring it to a boil on the stovetop. Stir constantly and let cook over medium heat until thickened and reduced - about 6-8 minutes.

{Found on My Kitchen Cafe}

Shish Kabobs

On Saturday night we made some awesome shish kabobs. I thought I would share it here just to give people ideas. I think this mostly needs to be done for a party-sized group, it seems like it would be hard with just two people.


What we used:
Marinated beef
Marinated chicken
Fresh pineapple
Green peppers
Potatoes
Tomatoes
Onions
Mushrooms
Squash

They were so good!!

Easy Chicken Skillet

To save time, I'm just going to post a link for this recipe. I printed it off like a year or 2 ago and finally just made it tonight. It is so easy and tastes absolutely amazing!

Sesame Chicken

Wow was this ever yummy and easy. Try it. Tonight.



Sesame Chicken

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed of any fat and cut into bite-size pieces
2 Tbsp flour
Kosher salt and ground pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp sesame seeds
1 bunch green onions, chopped
Cooked white or brown rice

In a bowl, combine soy sauce and sugar and stir well to combine. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine chicken pieces and flour. Season with salt and pepper. Stir well to combine.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Once hot, add chicken. Cook, stirring often, until cooked through, about 5 minutes.

Transfer chicken pieces onto a plate and put the pan back on the heat. Pour in the soy sauce mixture. With a wooden spoon, scrape the cooked bits on the bottom of the pan while the soy sauce mixture simmer. Let simmer for 2 minutes, until slightly thickened. Add the chicken back into the pan. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top and toss well, coating all the chicken pieces in the soy mixture.

Serve over rice and garnish with green onions.

{The credit for this recipe goes to Rookie Cookie}

Tortilla Soup

This recipe is so easy and very tasty.

Tortilla Soup

3 chicken breasts cut in cubes and cooked
2-3 cups of chicken broth
2-3 cups water
1 TB chili powder
1/4 C fresh chopped cilantro
3 Roma tomatoes diced or 1 can stewed tomatoes

Boil together for 15 minutes

Serve in bowl and cover with:
broken tortilla chips
grated cheese
diced avocado with fresh lime juice over top

Hawaiian Haystacks

I know this isn't a new recipe to anyone, but I thought I'd put it on here just for an idea of something easy to make. I am all about making easy recipes. The ones with lots of ingredients taste good and are fun to make as well, but I don't always have all that stuff on hand. For this recipe, I do!





All you need is:

• Rice
• Chicken Sauce (Cream of Chicken soup, 3/4 can milk, chicken)

And then you can add whatever toppings you have on hand. Last night I used:

• Mandarin Oranges (a must...for us anyway)
• Pineapple
• Green Onions
• Tomatoes
• Cheese

I also like to use:

• Chinese Noodles (we're out right now)
• Celery
• Raisins
• Peas

Chicken Broccoli Stir-Fry

Does everyone want to hear how cute my husband is? So Sunday after Church he rushes home and starts making dinner. He is a WAY better cook than me and doesn't have to use recipes. So, there is no recipe for this, but if you're looking for a good idea for a quick meal, he just cooked some broccoli, chicken, and spaghetti noodles, and then stir-fried it together with some Teriyaki sauce. It was DIVINE.