Pinterest Review - Sweet & Sour Chicken

Hey everyone! As usual, I have been absent as of late. Busy with life and all that - the usual excuses.

But you all know I gotta come back and share when I come across an amazing pin from Pinterest! That's right -  time for another Pinterest review!

So, this pin comes from Made It. Ate It. Loved It. I am normally a little leery about Sweet & Sour Chicken recipes because somehow they always seem to be WAY WAY off of what I think it should taste like. I used to work at a Chinese food restaurant, so I'm used to the good stuff, people! But after looking over the ingredients list I decided to give it a try. It sounded the closest to what I remembered from working at that restaurant.

Now, in my previous Pinterest reviews I listed the ingredients and directions next. I have since been informed that it's impolite to do so, as it takes away from the web traffic of the original blog. Whoopsie! I didn't mean any harm by it, but just as a general rule from now on I will be simply providing the link to the original recipe and then listing what I changed (if anything). So here we go!

Sweet & Sour Chicken

Original recipe can be found here.

Sorry about the absolutely horrid photo quality. I wasn't originally planning on blogging about this recipe, so I didn't think to take any nice photos. This one is brought to you courtesy of my cell phone haha. But after eating it, I just had to share!! This stuff is absolutely great!

This recipe is pretty easy as it is, and as the pin said - you really do most likely have everything you need already in your pantry. The only thing I needed to buy was garlic salt. That's it. But this recipe also calls for uncooked chicken breasts that you slice up into cubes. That's all fine and dandy - if you want to do that, go ahead!! More power to you. However, I'm the epitome of a lazy cook, so I used frozen diced chicken. The only thing I did differently to accommodate for that is microwaving the frozen chicken first (ice crystals + hot oil = NO NO!) and then cutting the cook time in half. I don't think it made too much of a difference - the sauce might have been not quite as thick for mine, but it still thickened up pretty freakin' nicely after it had cooled a bit. Other than that, follow the recipe to the letter and you are good to go! Super easy. Super delicious. Your family and your taste buds will thank you! This one is getting officially added to my monthly dinner calendar!

Thanks so much to Made it. Ate it. Loved It. for this amazing recipe, I will definitely be coming back your blog for my future recipe needs!

See you all next time!

Pinterest Review - Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies & Coffee Creamer French Toast

Oh, man!

Hopefully I'm not the only one who has been enjoying this beautiful Spring weather lately!

Our days have been filled with walks in the park and family fun since my son got out of pre-school earlier this month. It has been great! We live in Southern Utah on the border of Arizona so it's unusually warm here year-round, but I think it has been especially warm and nice lately. Goodbye, Winter! Don't come back too soon!

So today I have a couple of cool recipes for you all that I discovered on Pinterest recently. The first one is:

Coffee Creamer French Toast

The original recipe can be found here from Today's Creative Blog. I cannot even tell you how happy I was to find this recipe! I have been craving french toast lately even though I have never found or created a recipe that really satisfies me. So today I searched Pinterest looking for any french toast recipe to just get me through dinner tonight. I could not have been happier! 3 ingredients people! Three! Well, actually more if you count the optional cinnamon and use my modifications. But you get the drift.

Ingredients

4 eggs

1/2 cup coffee creamer of your choice

1 loaf french bread

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

butter (optional)

Directions

1. Crack eggs into medium bowl and whisk until well blended.

2. Pour in coffee creamer and cinnamon. Mix well.

3. On hot griddle or skillet, melt a small amount of butter. Dip french bread slice into egg mixture covering both sides, then quickly place in buttered area.

4. Let sit on medium to medium-high heat for approx. 1 minute, flip over.

5. Allow to cook for approximately 2 minutes or until golden brown, flip again.

6. Allow first side to finish cooking about 1 minute more or until golden brown.
7. Repeat process with all french bread slices.

8. Serve with syrup, whip cream, fruit toppings, or whatever you enjoy!

Now, the original recipe calls for International Delight's Cinnabon creamer, but any of your favorite creamer flavors will do. That's another thing that makes this recipe so fantastic - you can change the flavor any time with no extra hassle! I can only imagine how this stuff tastes with Pumpkin Spice creamer. Mmm!

The reason I added such detailed instructions about flipping the french toast is because I know for some people making french toast is like rocket science. I know this because I used to be one of those people. My french toast would always turn out soggy in the middle or burnt on one side etc etc. But this is the method I have created for perfect french toast. You see, when you place it on its first side, all that extra mixture is falling down toward the griddle and making it impossible for it to cook evenly. So you have to flip it over relatively quickly to prevent that from happening. By the time the other side is done, there isn't too much mixture left that isn't already cooked, so browning evenly isn't a problem when it's flipped over the second time. It's a science!

My own review of this recipe? I am never parting with it. Ever. It's so easy. 3-5 ingredients. The eggs blend easier with the thick creamer than it does with milk. Not to mention the fact that the french toast turns out sweet, delicious, and lactose free! That's a big one for me since I am lactose intolerant.

So here's our next one:

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I found this pin a while ago and have been dying to try it since I found it on Pinterest a week or so ago and read the list of ingredients. Yes, even the ingredients make these sound like a mouthful of heaven. This recipe is originally from Six Sister's Stuff blog and can be found here. I love the Six Sister's site! They are the masters of creative cooking and I bow down to them. Plus, they are based right here in Utah! Hooray!

Ingredients

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 egg

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup oats (quick or old fashioned)

2 cups milk chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. In large mixing bowl, combine butter and sugars until creamy. 

3. Stir in peanut butter, vanilla, and egg until well combined. 

4. Add flour, baking soda, and salt.

5. Fold in oats and chocolate chips and mix until combined.

6. Roll into 1" balls and place on a lightly greased baking sheet.

7. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

So I didn't change a thing to this recipe. It already sounded so good, I just baked as directed. The only notes that I have for you are to never ever use spreadable margarine for baking cookies. Ever. I truly and honestly believe that the only way your cookies will come out looking and tasting perfect is if you get real unsalted butter. I make a lot of cookies. In my family they call me "The Cookie Queen", and it's because mine always come out looking beautiful and staying soft without crumbling in your hand. And this is my secret. My personal favorite is Tillamook unsalted butter.. Use the real butter people. It's the only way. 

Then soften it the perfect amount. It takes between 30-45 minutes for it to be softened to perfect consistency. If you forget about it and it gets too soft, do not use it anyway. Put it in the fridge until it's right. If you don't have time to soften, do not put it in the microwave. You could jeopardize your whole batch of cookies. Just save yourself the hassle and grate it with a cheese grater instead.. Comes out perfect every time.

The only other note I have about this recipe is that the original says it makes about 2 dozen, but mine made almost 3 dozen. Not that I'm complaining. =)

And these cookies are good! Ridiculously good! They look just like regular chocolate chip cookies, but your friends/family/party guests will be in for a pleasant surprise! Peanut butter-chocolatey goodness and with a yummy oatmeal texture that gives it a little extra something. Loved it, loved it. Another point for the Six Sisters - this one's a keeper!

That's all I've got for you this time, but let me know if you try these out. Tell me what you thought! Give me some suggestions on them, or even suggest a pin for me to review if you've ever wondered if it really works.

Thanks for spending some time with me today!

Churro Cookies Review & Glad to Be Back!

Oh my goodness, the last few weeks have been insane! We have been running around like crazy in this house, but finally things are starting to settle down and I can hopefully update a little bit more often. Summer vacation is starting and we can finally take a little breather.

Like I said, I have been very busy with family responsibilities lately, so I haven't been doing a whole lot for my shop and the sales have really trickled down to almost nothing. I don't really mind, I have needed all the time I can get lately haha! But now that I have some free time I am hoping to make a few more cute, Summery bows. So keep an eye out for that!

As for today, I have a review for you all! As you all know, Cinco de Mayo was just a couple of days ago. Normally our annual tradition is heading over to Taco Bell for dinner, but this time my hubby was working and so I decided to make something instead. But I am a super lazy cook. I don't hate cooking necessarily, but I do hate being stuck in the kitchen for a long time when I could be spending time with my family. Because of this I am a huge fan of Betty Crocker's Helpers. They are so easy and great for when you don't have a ton of time. So I used one I've never tried before on Cinco de Mayo - Crunchy Taco Hamburger Helper. It was one of the best I've had so far! It tastes like tacos, spanish rice, and nachos all mixed into one delicious bowl. Try it out if you are ever in the mood for some easy, delicious Mexican food.

But my review today is not about the dinner, it's about what I made for dessert! I 'like' Pillsbury's page on Facebook because I use their refrigerated doughs and such all the time for dinners (like I said, lazy cook here!) and they periodically post recipes that you can use their products in. The other day they posted one for Churro Cookies from Oh, Bite it! I love churros, and I thought this recipe looked promising so I tried it out. Here is the recipe I used, but you can find the original here.

Churro Cookies

Ingredients:

2 pie crusts (made from scratch or packaged)

4 oz cream cheese

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 Tablespoons melted butter

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 cup sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. In medium bowl, mix together cream cheese, 1/4 cup of sugar, and vanilla until well blended. Spread over one pie crust, then layer the other pie crust on top.

3. With a cookie cutter, cut out as many cookies as you can manage, place on parchment-lined baking sheet.

4. Gently press together all cookie edges with a fork to seal them.

5. Bake in oven for 12 minutes, allow to cool.

6. Mix together 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.

7. Brush top of cookies generously with melted butter and immediately dip into cinnamon sugar mixture. Enjoy!

Now, mine is a little bit modified from the original. For starters, I have to admit right here and now that I completely forgot to add the vanilla to the cream cheese mixture. I am super sad that I did because I'm sure it would have been delicious, but in the end I don't think it made too big of a difference. Also, the original calls for 2 Tablespoons of cinnamon. I looked at that and immediately thought that was a ridiculous amount. Even the 2 teaspoons of cinnamon that I used made the sugar a little darker than what I normally use. Another difference is that the original said to butter and coat both sides of the cookie with cinnamon sugar. I thought that was kind of overkill, and so I only did the tops and they were fine. You can do whatever you prefer, though. Oh, and one more thing - be sure to brush one with butter then dip it right into the sugar. Don't try to butter them all before you start dipping them - they won't retain as much sugar and the cinnamon sugar looks prettier that way.

The jury is still out on this one and whether I will be making them again. I personally don't care for pie crust. Never have. I like my pies with a cookie or graham cracker crust. Because of that, I didn't care too much for these cookies but I sort of predicted that from the beginning. My husband, however, could not get enough of them! The batch I made yielded 12 cookies, and I'm pretty sure my husband ate six. But he also loves pie crust, so I guess that's understandable. My 5 year old son loved them as well, but my 1 year old daughter licked the cinnamon sugar off and wouldn't touch the rest haha!

That being said, I think I am interested in making them again using sugar cookie dough. I am sort of worried that they would be way too sweet or even taste more snickerdoodle-y than churro-y, but I might still try it out and let you guys know what happens with that.

Feel free to leave any suggestions or tips in the comments below, and if you tried it then give me your own review! I'd love to know what you thought.

Thanks for stopping by!

Pinterest Review - Easter Edition

Happy Easter!

Whenever a holiday rolls around, our family always has fun traditions. However, that doesn't ever stop me from trying to find new activities and recipes to keep things interesting. Besides, if you come across a really good one and your family loves it... That's how new traditions are born!

So this year I turned to Pinterest. I don't know about you guys, but I am pretty picky with pins. I always like to look at the source first and make sure the pin leads to a good, valid, helpful source before it goes on my board. Sometimes I even Google the pin to see if others have already tried it and to see what their thoughts were on its ease, taste, etc. That made me think that maybe I should also be trying pins out and reviewing them so others can see what worked for me and what didn't!

Welcome to my very 1st Pinterest Review!

Bird Nest Treats

So this first pin I tried can be found here. It originated (as far as I know) from the Curvy Carrot. I made these yesterday and gave them to family and friends as an Easter gift. I have to admit, I didn't actually look at the recipe beforehand because I didn't really plan on making these, it just sort of happened. As a result, I ended up using slightly crushed pretzel sticks instead of chow mein noodles and also I didn't have any butterscotch chips to use so I stuck with milk chocolate and peanut butter. But this was the end result!

They ended up really cute! They held together really well, too. As far as the pin goes, they are not kidding when they talk about greasing the muffin pan beforehand. These things want to stick in there. But I used a generous amount of cooking spray instead of butter and they came out relatively easily that way. I also put the mini Cadbury eggs in the nests before they set up in the fridge. That just made them stick in there instead of roll around, which made more sense to me and it worked well. Overall, I am pretty happy with it! Taste-wise they taste like.... Well, pretzels in chocolate and peanut butter. Haha. Nothing too special about the taste, but still yummy.

Hard Boiled Eggs in the Oven

The second pin I tried was the claim that you can make better hard boiled eggs in the oven. That can be found here. This blog originally got this idea from the food science guru himself - Alton Brown. I love that guy, and that's what really pushed me into the decision to try it this year. Before that, I used this method for years and trusted it with every fiber of my being. Now I have to say... My heart may have been stolen by Mr. Brown's method.

So basically the pin says that you put raw eggs in your oven for 30 mins at 325 for perfect hard boiled eggs that are creamier, cooked more evenly, and easier to peel. It also mentions that putting the eggs on their sides will keep the yolk in the center and positioning them in a mini-muffin pan will keep them from rolling around. Then after they are done baking, you plunge them in an ice bath to stop the cooking and supposedly they are done to perfection.

After mine were cool, I sacrificed one to check that it had been cooked thoroughly. I cracked open the bottom of it and some watery liquid came out. I almost freaked out! I thought that they were sooo under-cooked that they were practically raw. But I was mistaken. I don't know what the deal is with the little bit of liquid that came out, but as I peeled more shell away (relatively easily I might add!) it revealed a perfect egg. The only difference I could tell between actual hard-boiled eggs and this baking method was this:

I know these pictures aren't very good, but you can kind of see a golden-brown discoloration on the bottom of the egg there. There wasn't anything wrong with it, it just looked like when you bake something in the oven and it gets a golden-brown color. It only got it on the bottom and in the two spots where it was touching the muffing tin. It doesn't bother me at all, but if you are making deviled eggs or something and it matters to you, I just thought it would be good to mention. However, these eggs are definitely the easiest to peel I have ever encountered (the peel doesn't slide right off like some pins say about it, but it's definitely easier), so if you are making deviled eggs and don't mind the discolored spots - I would still say this method is best because your egg whites won't end up with chunks missing. As for the yolks...

Ahhh... Beautiful! There is no weird raw-looking spot in the middle and absolutely no yucky green discoloration. They really were perfect. Amazing! They are so velvety and creamy too. So happy with them. I'm really not a yolk person, I will take scrambled egg whites over regular eggs any day, but these were really good.

So be brave! Try it out! This pin is Gela approved! ;)

Marbled Egg Dye

The last pin review I have for you today (I know! This post is already sooo long as it is! But hang in there, we're almost done!) is the marbled egg dyeing method that can be found here. The basic idea behind this one is that if you add some vegetable oil to your egg dye, you can swirl your egg around in it for a few seconds and get these gorgeous marbled, shiny eggs. Now, this pin was confusing because the information is messed up. On the actual pin it said to use one teaspoon of oil, then on the actual website it said to use one tablespoon. I decided to experiment and see what worked best.

First I tried the Tablespoon because that's what the actual website said. This is how it turned out.

Umm... Kinda weird and splotchy. I didn't really like it at all. So I tried it with a teaspoon instead.

Better! Now we are getting somewhere. I achieved this with the one teaspoon of oil, 10 drop of food coloring, 1 Tablespoon of vinegar, and 1/2 cup of water. Then I let it sit for about 10 minutes on the cookie rack before wiping it off. And when I did wipe it off, I didn't just pat it like the pin suggests. I rubbed it all around. This still doesn't match the amazing photos that the pin claims to have accomplished, but it also said to try swirling it around in multiple colors. So I did try that as well. This was the end result.

Now, I'm not gonna lie. This egg is pretty cool. And it did retain a little bit of shine even after wiping off the excess oil! But.... I still don't think it looks marbled, and it definitely doesn't match the picture from the pin at all. It's still a fun way to decorate eggs, but if you're expecting the amazing results shown in the photo.... Sorry kids.

You guys should definitely feel free to try out any of these methods and let me know how they worked out for you! In fact, if you got them to work better some how, please share with us! If you have any questions, I would love to help you out so feel free to ask in the comment section below.

Thanks for stopping by - hope you all have a fabulous Easter Sunday!

My Signature Dish

I think everyone should have a signature dish. Something that people can say "Oh, _______ makes the BEST ________". I didn't have one for a long time. I pretty much lived off of boxed dinners and my Mom's old recipes to get us by in the first few years of our marriage. Not that my family was complaining, it did us just fine. But then I started getting tired of it. (Watching the Food Channel a lot didn't help much either!) So I started searching for cool recipes and experimenting on my own. It was kind of a hit-and-miss process, but in the end I came out with some great stuff that my family LOVES.

One dish in particular was Twice Baked Potatoes. I had never heard of them before my hubby told me about it. He said his brother used to make twice baked potatoes for him and the rest of his siblings when they were growing up. He told me about the basic process of making them, and it sounded SO amazing that I decided to try my own version with stuff that I love in potatoes. And I came up with my signature dish.

Ever since I started making these, I have been doing it at LEAST twice a month (it is my favorite food in the world now, just FYI), and I have never ever had a single complaint about them. In fact, one of my extended family members wouldn't try them at first because he said he HATES sour cream, but he sucked it up and tried them one night when I made them and he said he was shocked because he loves them so much.

OK! Enough with the suspense. Here is the recipe for them, as well as an awesome tutorial.

Twice Baked Potatoes

Prep Time: About 30 minutes total

Cook Time: About 1 hour total

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients:

8 medium Russet potatoes

salt

olive oil

8-16 oz sour cream

1/4 - 1/2 cup fancy shredded cheddar cheese

4 Tbsp butter or margarine

6 Tbsp real bacon bits/pieces

Directions:

1. Lightly coat each potato in a small amount of olive oil and salt.

 I normally put some salt and some olive oil in small dishes like these and then dip the ends of each potato in the olive oil and then coat it evenly with my hands. Just a small amount! Don't drench them, just make them slightly moist. Then repeat the process with the salt. Lightly coat them with your hands.

 2. Place in oven directly on center rack for around 45 minutes, or until the potatoes feel tender.

 I do it this way because I like to have a crispier shell. If you don't like it that way, you can always wrap them in foil before you stick them in the oven for a soft shell.

3. Remove from oven, place on a cookie sheet or other baking pan. Cut out tops of each potato and set aside.

 When you're done with this step it should look something like this. (Excuse my horrible pizza pan. It's in desperate need of replacement.) You can also just cut off the whole top quarter of the potato and achieve basically the same result, but I like to cut big ovals in the tops like this because when it's done it makes it look like the potato is exploding right from the shell. =)

4. Use a spoon to scoop out all the flesh of each potato and place it into a large mixing bowl.

 The potatoes should look similar to this when you are done scraping the insides out.

 And the bowl will look similar to this.

Remember to scrape the flesh off the top of the potatoes that you cut off as well. Then you have little left-over "potato skins" that my family loves to eat as a little tiny appetizer. Here's Vincent stealing one of them here. Hehe.

5. Add sour cream, butter, about 1/2 teaspoon of salt, bacon bits, and about half of the total amount of cheese you want to use.

 I don't have a specific amount of the sour cream and cheese listed because you should really just keep adding it until it tastes how you want it to. Just make sure to keep some of that cheese off to the side, we are going to do something else with it later.

6. Use a potato masher to mash and mix all ingredients together thoroughly.

 7. Transfer the new potato mixture back into the potato shells with a spoon.

 Fill them all up evenly first.....

 Then OVER-stuff them.

8. Sprinkle some of that leftover shredded cheese on top and gently pat down onto potato mixture.

9. Place in oven (still at 425) for another 10-15 minutes, or until top of cheese is golden brown and all inside potato mixture is re-heated.

 That's it! They are done. In case you were wondering, I use fancy-shredded cheese specifically because it makes the cheese on top crispy. I like it that way. If you don't, you can feel free to use regular shredded cheese. It will come out more melty and gooey.

 I usually eat the insides with a fork first, then pick up the shell and eat it with my hands. Sort of like soup in a bread bowl.

Or you can just be a crazy neanderthal like my son here and dig it out with your fingers.

Lol.

So there you have it. This recipe is a no-brainer but it is freaking delicious. I have never had a twice baked potato at any restaurant that tastes better than mine. They are great for parties because you can very easily up the quantity of potatoes you make and the ingredients you use, and it looks fantastic when it's done. People will think you slaved away for hours. I have done a batch of 20+ potatoes for a large family get-together and it was really no harder than my regular batch of 8. Plus everyone loves it. Like I said, I have never had a complaint.

They are definitely not that great for you though. Especially since it's so hard to eat just one. Here's the nutrition info in case you were wondering about it.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 potato (218.0 g)

Amount Per Serving

Calories 294 Calories from Fat 112

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 12.4g 19%

Saturated Fat 5.5g 28%

Cholesterol 19mg 6%

Sodium 963mg 40%

Total Carbohydrates 37.9g 13%

Dietary Fiber 3.8g 15%

Sugars 2.1g

Protein 8.3g

Vitamin A 10% • Vitamin C 30% Calcium 8% • Iron 11%

Read more: http://caloriecount.about.com/twice-baked-potatoes-recipe-r1121745#ixzz27VkSfvOc

Have fun creating your culinary masterpiece!! Let me know if you try it, I would love to hear your thoughts!

~*~Gela~*~