Dinner via Pinterest

I haven't touched my blog in a very long time.  I sure miss it.  I just find that working nearly full-time, running a household, and trying have time with the family just doesn't leave me with the time or energy to blog much.  But, while I planning dinner tonight, I thought I would share my menu and dust off my blog and breath a little life back into tonight.

Tonight, we are having an Asian inspired dinner.

Ahh, Pinterest... you are an endless source of inspiration.

Click the pictures below to follow the link to my pins, then onto the source.

Starting with these delectable morsels...

Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken

To be served with some yummy fried rice.  I don't actually follow a recipe for my fried rice, so it ends up different every time.  But this one is very close....

Market Vegetable Fried Rice

I am going to cheat a little here...  I do not make pot stickers from scratch, but one day I will tackle them and may very well use this recipe....

Wolfgang Puck's Potstickers

 Mmm... now I'm hungry!!

Dajaj Ablama (Syrian Chicken Stew)

This chicken stew is ready in under an hour, but tastes like it stewed all day.  Sooo good!

Dajaj Ablama

(Syrian Chicken Stew)

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

½ cup flour

¼ cup butter

1 large onion, chopped

5 tbsp pine nuts

4 ½ cups chicken stock

Pinch of salt

¼ tsp black pepper

¼ tsp cinnamon

3 tbsp lemon juice

Fresh cilantro, roughly chopped, for garnish

Seen here served with brown basmati rice.

Directions:

Trim chicken breasts of any fat, rinse and pat dry. Cut each breast into 3 pieces and dip them in the flour. Melt butter in a frying pan and brown chicken over moderate heat. Remove chicken from the pan.

Fry the onion in the same pan until golden brown. Remove and fry the pine nuts in the same pan until golden brown. Remove and drain on paper towels. Add the chicken stock, salt, pepper and cinnamon to the pan, stirring continuously for 2 minutes.

Transfer the chicken and onions to a large saucepan. Add the stock and cook over moderate heat for about 40 minutes, until tender. Add the lemon juice and cook further for 5 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with the fried pine nuts and cilantro.

Cookies and Cream Cheesecake Bars - 2 Ways

If you have a lover of cookies and cream ice cream in your house.

If you open a package of Oreos, then turn around and they are gone.

If cheesecake a one of the main food groups on your household.

Then this is a recipe for you!

I got this recipe from Recipe Girl.  I have made it several times and it is always a hit.  Once, I converted it from squares into a cheesecake.  That rocked also.  And now, I have taken it a step further. 

Forgotten Jambalaya

I recently bought myself a copy of Taste of Home's Most Requested Recipes, and although many recipes caught my eye, this one stopped me in my tracks.   Jambalaya slow cooked in the crock pot?  Yes please!

It turned out every bit as good and the recipe promised.

(Click on the recipe name to go the original for a printable version.)

Old Fashioned Apple Crisp

Serve still warm with some creamy vanilla ice cream...  oh my. 

Note:  For best flavor, use a variety of apples.  Crisp textures work best. The tartness of Granny Smith apples combined with the wonderful flavor of the Honeycrisp is always a winning combination!

2/3 cup flour
2/3 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup brown sugar
cinnamon and nutmeg to taste
1/2 cup soft butter
6/7 med apples, peeled, cored and sliced 
1  tbsp sugar
1  tsp cinnamon

Girl's Night In

I love to be a hostess.  There is nothing better than planning a party, then lovingly preparing an assortment of foods then welcoming friends into your home to share it with you.  I love that.  I did that this weekend.  It was Girl's Night In at my house.  

As I planned the evening, I wanted to have 'girly' food.  Or, to put it another way, as it was the eve of Super Bowl, 'anti-Super-bowl-party-food'.  The menu was vegetarian. Everything, except the crackers and chips, were homemade.

In My Kitchen Right Now

Caramelized Mango Upside Down Cake