Norris' New House!

Norris built his own new house!!

Well, not quite, but when I went out to see his progress, it looked as though he'd built a house. It's really a hunting blind, and maybe, just maybe, I will spend a day in the field reading while he watches for his prize.

Buffalo Chicken Bites

After seeing these on multiple blogs I like to read, I decided we better try them for a football Saturday. I got the version I used from Pennies on a Platter, who quotes all of her sources if you'd like to see :) They evolved from a deep-fried concoction to a crushed cornflake covered baked item. I used the chicken I cooked overnight to make these. I wound up freezing a ton of them, which will be perfect for our next get-together. Maybe we'll even try them deep-fried the next time we have a fish fry! The only thing I would change for next time is to make even smaller balls out of them. The inside is almost a dip-like consistency when they first come out, although it sets up as they stand. I think if they were even smaller, the ratio of inside to surface crunch would be just perfect!Buffalo Chicken Bites

Yield: 44 medium sized bites (I would say you'd need 3-4 per person as an appetizer if you had two other appetizer options)

~5 cups shredded cooked chicken (I cooked a 4 lb chicken, skinned and deboned in, then shredded it in my food processor (basically ground) and it yielded about 5 cups
~3/4 cup mild buffalo wing sauce (adjust to your own tastes)
5 oz softened low fat cream cheese
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup sliced green onions or chives, optional
1 cup all purpose flour
4 eggs, beaten
4 cups Cornflakes, crushed

Preheat oven to 350 F (if baking same day). Line a baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper.
Combine chicken, cream cheese, and hot sauce. Stir in cheddar cheese and green onions.
Use a small scoop in order to make even bites. Scoop and roll into a small ball. (I rolled them all and put them on a plate, then dipped them all at the same time)
Make a line up of 3 shallow bowls or pie plates. Put the flour in the first, the egg in the second, and the crushed cereal in the third. Put the baking sheet by the cereal.
Dip chicken ball into the flour, then egg, then cereal, then place on baking sheet. (Always use one hand to dip in the flour and toss into the egg, the other hand to actually dip and remove from the egg and toss into the cereal, and back to the first hand to roll in cereal and place on sheet so that you don't find yourself washing your hands after every two dips!)
Bake for 25 minutes. Serve warm with ranch or bleu cheese dressing!

A tip from Pennies on a Platter: If you're freezing them, go all the way up until where you're ready to bake them (but don't bake!). Place the baking sheet in your freezer for about 20 minutes, then transfer the chicken balls to a freezer bag (same method with freezing cookie dough). To bake, place the frozen chicken balls back onto a lined baking sheet and bake at 350 F for 25 to 30 minutes.

Crockpot Roasted Chicken

If you want tender, fall of the bone chicken without heating up your whole house with your oven (or done while you're at work!), this is the recipe for you! I just combined a bunch of different ideas I saw for this, so I'll type out what I wound up using. This is the easiest way to roast a chicken, considering clean up takes about 2 minutes! I put this in the crockpot, went to bed, and woke up to a great smelling kitchen and perfectly cooked chicken.
Just be certain your chicken actually fits into your crockpot--I was so bummed when I tried to put mine in my smaller one and it was like me trying to fit into size 2 jeans...more than a little tight!:) Luckily Norris reminded me of a larger one we had in the garage!

Crockpot Roasted Chicken

1 whole chicken (about 4 lbs.)

~3/4 cup chicken broth

3 garlic cloves, peeled

any seasonings you like

olive oil

foil

Prepare your chicken by cleaning out the inside (there is normally at least neck in there..Grandma, that doesn't scare me anymore, fortunately:). Save it for making stock sometime if you want!

Roll up three foil pieces into balls. This is so your chicken isn't touching the bottom of your crockpot and burning. Place them in a triangle pattern on the bottom of your crock.

Pour in the chicken broth and garlic cloves, then place your chicken on the foil balls. Rub it down with olive oil and any seasonings. (at least salt and pepper!!)

Cook on low for 8.5 to 9 hours. When you pull it out, it will be falling off the bones tender!

So tender and good smelling that if you have dogs, you should put them outside:) Don't worry, there wasn't any countertop licking involved. But look at Bear's face (if you can find the dark knight in the picture)--I think he thinks he got caught!

Barbecue Cups

Every week, when I make the grocery list, I ask Norris what he wants on it, and I pretty much always get the same answer. This time, he had a some dinner requests, including chipped beef on toast, spaghetti with clam sauce, and barbecue cups. I decided I'd do one a week for the next few weeks, so I'm starting with barbecue cups from Michelle's Meals on a Budget. I went all out and used refrigerated biscuit dough for the full effect :) (hey, nothing wrong with the already made stuff, I just think it's fun to make my own normally!)
They're nice and sloppy, quick, cheap, and easy! I'm certain this would please any kid, and most grown men, too:) It did bring back a little taste of childhood!

Barbecue Cups

makes 12 servings
1 lb ground beef, browned and drained (I used lean ground turkey)
1/2 cup barbecue sauce (took more like 2/3 cup for me; used Sweet Baby Ray's)
1 T dried minced onion, optional (used it!! the only time I can get away with onion is when it's dried:)
1 T brown sugar
1 can refrigerator biscuits (used Pillsbury buttermilk flaky--10 in a can; should have used 12 though)
3/4 cup grated Cheddar cheese
Preheat oven to 400 F.
Mix cooked ground beef with barbecue sauce, onions, and brown sugar.
Grease muffin tins. Flatten biscuits, then press in to cup shape in the tins. Spoon beef mixture into the cups. Top with grated cheese (save some for topping after they bake).
Bake at 400 degrees for 12-14 minutes.

Mushroom Swiss Sliders with Spicy Fry Sauce

I have probably mentioned this lots of times, but Norris loves mushrooms! They are something I don't really remember eating growing up, and have never gravitated toward, but cook a lot with now that I found my man :)

The Pioneer Woman is forever posting butter-laden dishes that will make you drool, and I don't normally try out many of them even though I love looking at them, but when I saw these, I immediately printed the recipe because I knew I'd have to give them a try in our house! Lauren and Zac also ate with us, and we all liked the flavor combination. I had just a touch of heavy cream left from making s'mores ice cream, so I was glad to use that up. I just bought some rolls and toasted them under the broiler. The "fry sauce" was really great, too!!

For the most part, I followed her instructions, except I cooked the mushrooms and onions separately, then put them in separate bowls on the table so we could each top our own. I cooked the burgers most of the way in the pan, then topped them with cheese and finished them off in the oven, also so they would stay warm. These would also be great in full-size burgers!

Link to Recipe (and you can see her step by step photo instructions!)

Cashew Chicken

My menu plan for the week is scattered with fish and deer meat, so I decided I better do a more "normal" chicken one night, too. The Sisters' Cafe girls post lots of great recipes, and I love the idea that all of the sisters contribute recipes to the same site! Melanie submitted this Cashew Chicken, and we both love this dish, so I decided to give it a try.

This wound up being the closest to Chinese kitchen cashew chicken (say that phrase five times fast..whew!) that I have ever had at home! The only change I would make for next time is to add a little more lemon juice and sugar (probably 2 tsp of sugar and 1 tbsp of lemon juice for total amounts). This is a lot better for you than most of those Chinese dinners, too! Add in some veggies and you've got a complete meal!

Cashew Chicken

makes 4 servings

4 chicken breast halves, cut into pieces

1 tsp sugar (would change to 2 tsp)

4 Tbsp cornstarch, divided

1/2 tsp salt (optional--if you're using full sodium soy sauce, you may want to cut this back, depending on your preferences)

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 tsp vinegar

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

3 Tbsp oil (I used 2 Tbsp)

2 cups hot chicken broth

2 tsp lemon juice (would change to 1 tbsp)

1/2 cup cashews (used about 1/3 cup)

cooked rice (used brown)

Combine sugar, 2 Tbsp cornstarch, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and W sauce. Dredge chicken pieces in this mixture. Drain and save the dredge.

Heat oil in wok or medium saucepan over medium high heat. Stir fry chicken in pan for about 10 minutes, or until light brown and tender.

Meanwhile, add in the remaining 2 Tbsp to your dredge mixture and whisk well to combine.

Remove chicken from oil and drain excess oil from pan.

While pan is off heat, pour in leftover dredge/cornstarch mixture and stir again. Put back on medium low heat and add in hot chicken broth. Whisk quickly to combine, then turn heat up to bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook until thickened.

Add lemon juice and stir. Add chicken pieces and reheat, but do not boil. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.

Add in cashews (I just sprinkled over top at the end because I don't like them to already be in the leftovers!). Serve over hot rice.

Banana Bread

Or, as my cousin Amber says, this bread is banana, B-A-N-A-N-A-S!! :)

For some reason, I buy bananas almost every week and rarely eat them plain. I put frozen banana chunks into the smoothies I make a few times a week for breakfast, but only really eat a banana once a week or so, so I always wind up with more ripe bananas in the fridge. This should serve as my "note to self" for next week's grocery list!!
It's in my eventual plan to make banana soft serve, but banana bread sounded better at the moment, mainly because I knew we would want a carb-y side with our chicken salads that night! I got this from Amber's blog, and I really really liked it. It has simple ingredients and good flavor. You could add in chocolate chips, nuts, etc., but I liked it just as is!

Banana Bread

4 ripe bananas, mashed
1/3 cup melted butter (Amber used Smart Balance and it worked for her!)
1 cup sugar (can easily be reduced to 3/4 cup--I used 1/2 cup sugar and 1/4 cup Splenda)
1 t vanilla
1 egg, beaten
1 t baking soda
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
Preheat oven to 350 F. With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Mix in the flour. Pour mixture into a greased loaf pan and bake for ~55 minutes. Cool on rack.