Teriyaki Marinade / Stir Fry Sauce

My husband's mom made grilled pork chops marinaded in this sauce for us back in the summertime.  We loved the flavors so I had to ask for the recipe.  I've used it several times since then for pork chops and I also tried it as a stir fry sauce.  I will never buy stir fry sauce from the grocery store again!!  This stuff is delicious both as a marinade and as a sauce.  I'm going to list the original ingredients but wanted to let you know I've messed around with the sugar content a bit when I've made it the last few times and it does not mess up the taste.  I have tried reducing the brown sugar by half and I have also tried it by leaving out the brown sugar completely and replacing it with 1/4 cup of splenda (both ways worked fine).  I like adding a teaspoon of red pepper flakes to make it spicier.  I found the cutest little red sauce pan which was a gift to myself and its perfect for boiling the left-over marinade to use as a topping sauce on the pork chops.  Enjoy!!

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup ketchup
1/3 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic, pressed
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

DIRECTIONS
Combine the ingredients.  If you are using this as a marinade ... pour over top of meat and store in the refrigerator in a closed container for several hours or even a day.  Works well with pork chops & chicken.  Remove meat from marinade and grill to the appropriate temperature.  The remaining marinade can then be discarded or even better bring it to a boil on the stove top and use as a topping sauce when the meat is finished cooking.  A tablespoon of corn starch can be added to make the sauce thicker.

If you are using this for a stir fry sauce ...add one tablespoon of corn starch and bring sauce to a boil.  Pour over top of your cooked stir fry ingredients.  I like to use chicken, broccoli, peppers and carrots and serve over white rice.

Crockpot Lemon Chicken Soup

If you've been reading my blog then you already know I love making soup.  I tried a new one today adapted from a Pampered Chef recipe and it turned out so good!  The aroma from this soup is absolutely delightful.  Using a crockpot and frozen chicken breasts made this recipe almost effortless.  Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

INGREDIENTS
2 chicken breasts (frozen or thawed)
2 carrots, peeled & chopped
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon parsley flakes
1 garlic clove, pressed
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup (10 3/4 oz)
3 cans chicken broth
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup dry white wine (not sweet)
dash of salt
1/3 cup orzo

DIRECTIONS
Put everything in the crockpot except for the pasta.  Cook on high for 4 1/2 hours.  Shred the chicken breasts using 2 forks. Add pasta and continue cooking for an additional 30 minutes. Makes about 10 cups.

Recipe adapted from Pampered Chef Its Good For You cookbook..."Greek Lemon Chicken Soup"

Strawberry & Spinach Salad

Strawberries were on sale today at the grocery store so that's what inspired me to blog this recipe.  I love this salad even in the winter time! Its also a great salad for a party because its simple and already includes the dressing ... plus it looks beautiful.  I use an egg slicer tool to cut the strawberries.  This saves time and also makes the slices exactly the same size.  If you want to serve this as an entree versus a side dish you could top it with grilled chicken breast, feta or goat cheese and maybe a small amount of thinly sliced red onion.  Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS
1 bag of fresh spinach leaves (8 - 10 oz)
1/2 quart strawberries (remove stems & slice thinly)
1/3 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup sugar (if using a sugar substitute reduce to 2 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
dash of salt

DIRECTIONS
Make the dressing first by mixing the vinegar, sugar, mustard, oil & salt. Place the spinach leaves, strawberries and almonds in a large bowl and toss together with the dressing.  Serve immediately. If making ahead do not coat with the dressing until you are ready to serve. If you don't feel like making your own dressing, I suggest Ken's Steak House Lite Raspberry Walnut Vinaigrette.

Vegetable Quiche Cups to Go

This is a great low-carb/low-calorie breakfast that can be made in advance.  You can try the ingredients I used or try it with something you like better.  Maybe try replacing the ham with bacon bits or try broccoli vs spinach, swiss cheese vs cheddar, etc.  Make it your own! Be creative!

INGREDIENTS

2 cups fresh spinach chopped finely (or 1 package of frozen spinach, 10oz thawed & drained)

6 eggs

3 oz shredded cheddar cheese

3 slices chopped deli ham (optional)

1/4 cup chopped pepper (yellow, orange or red)

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped tomato (optional)

3 drops hot sauce

dash of salt & pepper

DIRECTIONS

Line muffin pan with papers.  Spray the papers with non-stick cooking spray.  Combine the ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix until well blended.  Divide evenly among the muffin cups.  Bake at 350'F for 20-25 minutes, until a knife inserted comes out clean.  The muffins can be kept in the refrigerator or freezer and reheated in the microwave.

Makes 12 muffins.

recipe adapted from "The South Beach Diet" Book 

Cream Cheese Frosting

Happy New Year everyone!  I'm sorry I have not been blogging lately.  Actually "lately" is not the correct word here ... I haven't blogged anything since July which is super embarrassing!!!!  I had 3 people in the last month ask me about my food blog (one of which was all the way from California) ... just when you think no one is out there reading this stuff, BAM!!!  So, I'm not going to dwell on my lack of motivation or recipe/story inspiration.  I'm just going to jump right into to 2015 with a fresh start.

I'm sure there's lots of you out there who are starting the new year with healthy eating goals or maybe even a weight loss plan and here I am posting a recipe for cake frosting.  Its a good one though ...so good I wanted to share it and if you are one of those people focusing on healthy eating the beginning of the year just bookmark this one for later because I promise you will like it!

This frosting is a cross between a butter cream frosting and a cream cheese frosting so it gets the best of both worlds without being too sweet or too cream-cheesy.  I hosted a lunch on Monday at my house to celebrate my mom's birthday.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!!!  I kept the lunch light with Italian Wedding Soup and a garden salad so I could finish things off with birthday cake.  The cake was a white cake with seedless raspberry jam between the layers and topped with cream cheese frosting. I think the frosting was what made the cake so delicious.  Here's the recipe ...

KATH'S CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

INGREDIENTS
2 sticks butter (1 cup), room temperature
1 package cream cheese (8 oz), room temperature
1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS
With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the butter until fluffy 2-3 minutes.  Add the cream cheese and vanilla and continue to beat for an additional 2 minutes.  Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add the powdered sugar, mix until combined. Increase mixer speed to medium-high and beat for another 1-2 minutes until light and fluffy.