Homemade Bread Crumbs

YES! I have been looking for a long time for this! Thank you Taste the Joy !

"We don't eat the bread heels at our house and I had some baguettes left in the freezer from a party and I stuck those in the oven.

Let bread cook at 325 for 10-15 minutes (turn over half way through) or till bread is dried out. Cool. Place in a blender or food processor and blend till desired consistency is achieved. (I like finer crumbs)
You can mix in some garlic and parsley like I did or put in whatever season you prefer. I threw these in a Ziploc and put in the freezer for maximum freshness. "

Honey Red Wine Vinaigrette

From Our Best Bites

1/2 c. red wine vinegar

1/2 c. honey

1-2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped (really, that's pretty optional; it all goes in the blender)

1 tsp. Kosher salt

1 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper

1/2 c. canola oil

Firecrackers!

From Taste the Joy:

"Need a super easy treat for the fourth? Even if you don't, these are cute and fun to make especially if you want to get your kids involved in the kitchen; no baking is involved!

I can't remember where I saw these...a little holiday pamphlet from somewhere....Anyway here is what you need:

• chocolate cake rolls, like Hostess Ho-Hos or Little Debbie Swiss Rolls (I used Ho-Hos)
  
• frosting (white, red or blue) you can make this or buy it.
• candles (red, white, or blue)"

Pipe a swirl of frosting on top of each cake. Write on each firecracker if desired. Insert candles and display. Eat! Easy Peasy!!

Red Robin Seasoning

Yum! I LOVE Red Robin's fries more than any other fries of had. Purely delish! I found this recipe on the blog Taste the Joy and can't wait to try it out!

3 TBS salt
1 TBS instant tomato soup mix (I used tomato bouillon)
2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
Combine ingredients. Use an empty spice bottle to mix, store and sprinkle. Makes 1/3 cup.

Taos Chicken and Pasta

Found at My Favorite Recipes

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 large bell pepper, cubed

1/2 cup chicken broth
1 Tbsp. dried basil leaves

1/2 tsp. ginger

1 Tbsp. cornstarch

1 lb. chicken breasts, raw

1 lb. pasta of choice (bow tie is our favorite)

"--Combine soy sauce, broth, oil, basil, ginger and garlic powder. Marinate with chicken (cubed) for 2-3 hours, refrigerated. Stir occasionally. Pour off marinade and save. In large skillet, coated with non-stick spray, cook chicken until lightly browned and no longer pink in center. Add bell pepper and saute 5 minutes. Remove from skillet and add marinade to skillet. Stir in cornstarch and cook until thickened. Add back chicken and peppers. Cook pasta according to package directions. Serve over cooked pasta. Serves 8.

I tend to alter the way I make it from the original recipe--mainly for ease and to make it quicker. Often I make it without even marinating the chicken (no longer than just mixing it together). Usually I just mix all the ingredients together and then "stir-fry" all of it together (except the cornstarch) in the pan until the chicken is no longer pink, then I add the corn starch. I feel like it skips a ton of steps, and still tastes great...but if you're a purist, then you'd better stick to the recipe! (:

One more thing: I've tried playing with the amounts of pasta. When I mix everything together I sometimes feel like the pasta dulls the flavor a bit. Sometimes I put in just slightly less than 1 lb. pasta (maybe about 3/4 of a pound?)...but if you're pouring the sauce over the top of individual servings of noodles, you can easily decide to add more or less to taste."

Honey Glazed Chicken Stir-Fry

From Eat it Up

Ingredients:

12 oz. chicken breast

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons vinegar

2 tablespoons orange juice

4 teaspoons soy sauce

1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

4 cups cut up veggies : broccoli, peppers, onions, mushrooms,

carrots, snap peas..... anything you like!
2 cups cooked rice

1. Cut up chicken into bite-size strips. Set aside. For sauce mix honey, soy sauce, vinegar, oj, and cornstarch. Set aside.

2. Drizzle a little bit of oil into a skillet or wok. Heat over med-high heat. Add veggies to pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes until crisp-tender. Remove veggies and add chicken. Cook for 4-5 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Push chicken to side of pan and add the sauce to center of pan. Stir until thick and bubbly.

3. Return cooked veggies to pan and cook and stir until warm. Serve over rice and there you have it!

* You can buy minute brown rice, which is soooo good for you. With this yummy sauce you can't even tell!

Caesar Chicken with Orzo

From Eat it Up

Ingredients:

1 lb. chicken breast, cut into cubes

1 can chicken broth (14 oz.)

1 cup water

1 cup uncooked orzo ( in the pasta aisle)

1 bag (1 lb.) of frozen broccoli, green beans, pearl onions, and red peppers ( I didn't have that so I used fresh broccoli and carrots and steamed them a little bit to soften them up before adding them)

1/4 cup fat free Caesar dressing

pepper and salt

1. Heat a skillet over med. heat and cook chicken about 10 minutes until browned on both sides. ( I seasoned mine up with onion and garlic powder, salt and pepper) Remove chicken and keep warm.

2. Add broth and water to skillet. Heat to boiling. Stir in pasta. Heat to boiling. Cook uncovered for 8-10 minutes until almost done. Stir occasionally. Stir in frozen veggies, or freshly steamed and dressing.

3. Add chicken to mixture. Sprinkle with pepper. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat. Simmer uncovered for about 5 minutes until pasta and veggies are done. Warm about 1/2 cup dressing and drizzle over individual servings. Serve with muffins or corn bread!

* I buy low-fat or fat free muffin mixes at the store so I can whip up a quick bread to go with dinner!

* When I make corn bread or muffins I add a shredded carrot or zucchini to the mixture before baking to add a little extra veggies and no one can even tell! Get those kids eating veggies!

* Add any veggies that your family likes to this ..corn, peas, carrots, broccoli, peppers, mushrooms.... the list goes on!