A Dinner The Whole Family Will Like

It was requested that I share a meal I prepared for a great group of people, a few months ago, who have become like a second family to me.  The picture is of the whole meal and not of individual dishes making it a little harder to see how it turned out but believe me when I say it's easy to make and EVERYONE will love it!  The meal consisted of Braised Balsamic Chicken, Eggplant with Garlic Sauce, Rice Noodles and Broccoli as a back up for the eggplant and for dessert, Banana Caramel Cream.  I will be sharing how to make the Chicken, Eggplant and Rice Noodle dishes.  As for the dessert I will leave that for another time! These are all really easy and fairly quick recipes, that everyone will like.  EVEN THOSE PICKY EATERS!

Braised Balsamic Chicken (6 Servings)
  
You'll Need:
6 Chicken breasts (any that you prefer)
Garlic Powder, Season Salt, Pepper, Parsley Flakes, Mrs.Dash
3 tablespoons Olive or Canola Oil
1 Onion, diced
1 can Diced Tomatoes (14.5 oz)
1/2 cup Balsamic Vinegar 
Basil, Rosemary, Thyme

Preheat oven to 350

Clean the chicken you will be using, I used skinless and boneless Chicken Breasts but you can use what ever you prefer (if making this whole meal I would recommend using breast halves, unless you want left overs for lunch the next day.)  

Season both sides of the chicken with 

Garlic powder, pepper, season salt, Parsley flakes, Herb and Garlic Mrs.Dash and any other seasons would like (If you don't have or like something listed no biggie just use the seasonings you prefer)

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat.  Cook seasoned chicken until sides are browned, about 3 minutes on each side.  While chicken is browning, in small frying pan heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat.  Add onions, cook and stir until onion is caramelized (browned), about 5 minutes.  

Place chicken in baking dish pour caramelized onion, diced tomatoes, and balsamic vinegar over chicken, then season with Basil, Rosemary and Thyme.  Bake until chicken is no longer pink and the juices run clear, 15-20 minutes and ENJOY!

Eggplant with Garlic Sauce

You'll Need
3 tablespoons Olive or Canola Oil
4-5 medium Chinese Eggplant, cut into 1 inch half moons
1 cup Water
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon Garlic Powder
5 teaspoons White Sugar
1 teaspoon Cornstarch
2 tablespoons Soy Sauce
2 tablespoons Oyster Sauce (I found this on the international aisle and is fairly cheap)

Heat olive oil in a frying pan over high heat, cook and stir eggplant until soft, 5 minutes.  

Stir in 
water, red pepper flakes, and garlic powder. 

Cover and simmer until all the water is absorbed, I had a small amount that didn't want to dissolve so if that is the case for you don't worry.  

While waiting, mix 
sugar, cornstarch, soy sauce, and oyster sauce in a small bowl until the sugar and cornstarch have dissolved.  

When there is little to no water left to be absorbed stir sauce into the eggplant, making sure to evenly coat the eggplant.  Cook for 4-5 minutes or until sauce has thickened.  Mix with rice noodles and ENJOY!

I've made this dish multiple times since this dinner, I have even started adding tofu making it a meal instead of just a side dish.  When I add the tofu I double the ingredients required for the sugar, cornstarch mixture and let it soak for a few hours before I start the eggplant, so it can soak up the flavors.  The first time I made it I also left out the crushed red pepper flakes because not everyone wanted the spice added and it was still good!


Rice Noodles

You'll Need 
6 cups Water
1 packet of Rice Noodles
1 teaspoon Olive or Canola Oil
Salt to taste

Bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a pot with a lid.  Remove from heat, add the packet of rice noodles and cover, with lid.  Let them soak in the water for 15 minutes or as the package specifies.  

Drain water and rinse with cold water to stop any further cooking.

No Bake Cookies

My boyfriend, Eric LOVES no bake cookies, and with me going to see him in a few days I figured I'd surprise him with a batch.  I love these cookies because they are easy to make and there is NO BAKING! So the house stays cool and more importantly I CAN'T burn them!  Today I made a batch of original No-Bake Cookies, for Eric, and a batch of Peanut Butter Almond No-Bake Cookies because I was in the mood to try something new.  And let me tell you the Peanut Butter Almond No-Bakes turned out AMAZING!

Original No-Bake Cookies

In a medium sauce pan combine

1 3/4 cups Sugar

1/2 cup Milk

1/2 cup Butter

4 tbsp. Unsweetened Cocoa Powder 

Bring to a boil, and cook for 1 1/2 minutes stirring continuously.  Remove from heat and stir in 

1 1/2 cup Peanut Butter 

3 cups Old Fashioned Oats (I used Quaker Quick Oats)

1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

Drop by spoonfuls onto parchment paper, freezer paper or wax paper.  Which ever you have!  Let them sit about 10 min. or long as you can stand.  And don't forget to lick the spoon!

Peanut Butter Almond Cookies

For these I 

replaced Milk with Almond Milk

added 1 tsp. of Almond Extract

reduced Vanilla Extract to 1/2 tsp.

 

I wanted to add some shaved almonds but didn't have any on hand, so next time I'm definitely going to.  And I may even leave out the cocoa powder.

Here Goes Nothing....

I've been cooking for years but have recently started sharing my love for food with friends and family, in doing so it was suggested that I start a blog so I could share the recipes I use and the pictures of how it turned out, instead of just pictures. 

So this blog is my love for food, with the recipes I use, problems I ran into while making it (suggestions for others), mess up because no one does it right every time, and pictures of the food I've created. Along with things I will probably change the next time I make the dish because cooking is experimenting, there's nothing wrong from straying from the way everyone else does it. Also I'm not a baker so please don't expect a ton of baked goods because sorry but that's not my passion. You can expect to see the dishes I prepare on a budget that will taste like there is no budget, along with easy to follow directions on how to create the same dish yourself. Even for those who aren't so good at cooking. I know the struggle, remember YOU ARE YOUR OWN WORSE CRITIC! 

I enjoy sharing my love for cooking with my family! I don't get to see my boyfriend very often but when I do I want to spend as much time with him as possible and going to a restaurant isn't always in the budget. So instead of me doing all the cooking he loves to help where he can, let's just say he need a little help. He does makes up for his lack of cooking skills in his baking skills, which I lack, so it works out great for us. While cooking we talk and have a great time with together. When it's time to eat we enjoy the meal we prepared together making it that much better. So I recommend cooking with your loved ones, and don't forget HAVE FUN even if you mess up NO ONE GETS IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME EVERY TIME, I'm speaking from experience. 

I will try to share at least 2 recipes a week, so be on the look out for new dishes to try. If you use a recipe let me know how it turned out for you, I love hearing what was liked/disliked along with what if anything you changed. I don't mind sharing but I do ask that you don't use my pictures/recipes as your own, take the time to create the dish if you want the picture. So create and share with me, and know that no matter what  

THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS!