Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Indonesian Peanut Chicken


Another night, another decision -- what to make for dinner?  Seems like my friends were in the same boat, as they, too, needed some inspiration.  The call went out "What's for dinner?"  One friend post the link to our friend Martha's blog (hey, we haven't heard Martha's name on here in a while!) -- Indonesian Peanut Chicken.  I looked over the ingredients and saw I had everything on the list!  Viola -- DINNER!  I thought it would be similar to the PF Changs Lettuce Wraps, minus the lettuce; although there are similar ingredients, this is very different, but EXTREMELY fantastically delicious!  I served it over jasmine rice with peas, corn and sautéed onions.  Very satisfying meal!


  • 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts 
  • 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil 
  • 1 medium onion, chopped 
  • ½ cup peanut butter
    (I used chunky peanut butter) 
  • 1/3 cup chili garlic sauce 
  • ½ tsp. cayenne pepper 
  • 1 cup water 
  • ¼ cup chopped peanuts (optional)
    (I didn't use it because I ended up using chunky peanut butter) 
  • ¼ cup chopped red bell pepper

DIRECTIONS

  1. Heat vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. 
  2. Sauté chicken for about 15 minutes, turning occasionally, until browned on both sides. 
  3. Cook over medium hat for about 10-15 minutes, or until juice is no longer pink when center of thickest piece is cut. 
  4. Remove chicken from skillet. 
  5. Drain all but 1 tablespoon of drippings from skillet. 
  6. Cook onion in drippings over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until tender. 
  7. Reduce heat and add peanut butter, chili sauce, and cayenne. 
  8. Gradually stir in water, stirring constantly, until peanut butter is melted. 
  9. Add chicken back to skillet and spoon sauce over chicken. 
  10. Heat to boiling, and then reduce heat, simmering uncovered about five minutes, spooning sauce frequently over chicken, until sauce is slightly thickened. 
  11. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts and red bell pepper.


Adapted from Martha's Throwing Spoons blog

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Bailey’s Irish Cream Cupcakes




It's St. Patrick's Day on the Circle!  What better way to celebrate than to make a dessert with "a little" Bailey's Irish Cream (ok, maybe not so little).  When looking for "an Irish dessert" on Pinterest, I found tons of chocolate based desserts, but I was really trying to find something sans chocolate so our friend Rich could partake (he's sadly allergic to anything of chocolatey goodness).  I asked Charlotte if he liked Bailey's and she said HECK YA.  I came across this recipe.  They smell phenomenal while baking and were pretty good.  I will say the cake batter was a little heavier than I thought it would be, but now that I think of it, with this much Bailey's in it, I doubt it would be a fluffy cake, you know what I mean?  All-in-all, I'd give them a bottoms up :-D

  • 2/3 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 2 tsp. vanilla
  • 1 1/3 cups Bailey’s Irish Cream
  • 2/3 cup water
  • 2 Tbsp. milk
  • 4 cups flour
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • 2 tsp. salt


DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Prepare cupcake pans with liners – approximately for 24-30 cupcakes.
  2. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes with a stand mixer.
  3. Add eggs and vanilla and beat well.
  4. In a separate bowl, combine the liqueur, water and milk. Mix well.
  5. In a third bowl, thoroughly combine flour, baking powder, and salt.
  6. Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture, alternating with the liqueur mixture. Beat on medium speed for approximately 2 minutes.
  7. Fill cupcake liners ¾ full and bake for about 25 minutes or until tops spring back when lightly touched.
    (The tops also crack a little- that’s fine.)
  8. Frost with Bailey’s Irish Cream Buttercream Frosting



Bailey’s Irish Cream Buttercream Frosting

  • 2 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 6 cups powdered sugar
  • 6 Tbsp. (more or less, to preference) Bailey’s Irish Cream

DIRECTIONS

  1. Cream the butter on high speed for approximately 3 minutes.
  2. Add the Bailey’s Irish Cream and mix thoroughly.
  3. Slowly add the powdered sugar until well blended.
  4. If necessary, add more Bailey’s to thin or more sugar to thicken it to desired texture.


Adapted from Cupcake Rehab blog

Saturday, March 16, 2013

Pepperoni and Cheese Pretzel Bites


Another weekend, another party on the Circle.  I took to Pinterest again for inspiration to come up with what I would bring.  Since the pretzels have gone over so well in the past, I saw this recipe for stuffed pretzel bites.  Thankfully, LaDawna came over to help me out.  This is a fabulously delicious recipe but is pretty labor intensive and definitely could use at least two sets of hands.  The original recipe called for ham, but I decided to use pepperoni slices instead.  Really, I think you could mix this recipe up and do any number of variations -- buffalo chicken with cheddar was another idea that came to mind.  Either way, if you have the time, this is definitely worth it.  And if you are making this for a party, I suggest doubling this recipe, like I did for this one.

  • 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
  • 1 cup warm milk (110-115 degrees F)
  • 1 package (¼ oz.) dry yeast
  • 2 ½ cups flour
  • ½ - 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1 package of pepperoni slices (may not use all)
  • Water for boiling
  • 1/3 cup baking soda
  • 1-2 eggs, whisked
  • Kosher salt

DIRECTIONS
  1. In a stand-mixer fitted with the hook paddle, combine together in a mixing bowl the brown sugar, warm milk and yeast, stirring until the sugar is dissolved.  Let sit for 5 minutes.
  2.  Add flour and mix for about 2 minutes until well combined.  Add an additional ½ cup of flour, as needed. 
  3. Gently knead into a smooth ball and place into a greased container.  Cover with a lid or plastic wrap and place in a warm spot to rise for 1-2 hours. 
  4. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 4 equal pieces. 
  5. Lightly dust a rolling pin with flour and roll each piece of dough into roughly a 12x4-inch rectangle. 
  6. With the long sides facing you, sprinkle an even amount of mozzarella cheese and pepperoni slices onto the bottom half of each piece of dough. 
  7. Roll the dough as tightly as you can, starting with the long edge holding the cheese and pepperoni. 
  8. Cut each roll into 12 equal pieces. 
  9. Transfer the pieces to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Let them rest, uncovered, at room temperature for 30 minutes. 
  10. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. 
  11. Bring a pot full of water to a boil, along with 1/3 cup of baking soda, and reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. 
  12. Boil the pretzel bites in batches, cooking for about 20 seconds each and turning once.
    (Be forewarned that you may lose some of the cheese and pieces of pepperoni in the process.  They should look slightly puffed when they are done.)
     
  13. Use a slotted spoon to transfer them back to the baking sheet. 
  14. Whisk together the eggs combined with a small amount of water, to create an egg wash. 
  15. Brush tops of each pretzel bite with the egg wash and sprinkle kosher salt conservatively over entire baking sheet. 
  16. Bake in the preheated oven until they are puffed and golden, about 15-18 minutes. 
  17. Serve warm – enjoy!



Adapted from P&E Yummilicious blog

Monday, March 4, 2013

Garlic Brown Sugar Chicken


Another night, another dinner.  What to make, what to make?  And what to make when there isn't much in the cupboard?  My fingers went scrolling around Pinterest, and I came across this recipe.  Super easy, and it only needed a total of 4 ingredients.  SOLD!  Even better was the fact that it was something a little different, with a really nice flavor.  Definitely blog-worthy, especially when you need a quick meal, with very little effort and being short on ingredients.
  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts 
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced 
  • 4 Tbsp. brown sugar 
  • 3 tsp. olive oil
DIRECTIONS
  1. Preheat oven to 475°F and lightly grease a casserole dish. 
  2. In small sauté pan, sauté garlic with the oil until tender. 
  3. Remove from heat and stir in brown sugar. 
  4. Place chicken breasts in the prepared baking dish and cover with the garlic and brown sugar mixture. 
  5. Add salt and pepper to taste. 
  6. Bake uncovered for 15-25 minutes.

Adapted from Pia Recipes blog