Jessica Gleason Bruno's World Famous Thai Noodles

I got this recipe from my sister-in-law Jessica. I love it not only because it is delicious, but because it is simple and can be made with everyday ingredients that you should already have in your kitchen.

UPDATE:

I know I said that this recipe could be made from "everyday ingredients that you should already have in your kitchen," but I'm deviating a little from that thought. My Chinese neighbor brought me some special soy sauce/dipping sauce that I used the last time I cooked this, and it tastes ten times better with it. 

 It's a seasoned soy sauce for use with meat dumplings. If you have a Chinese store in your area, I recommend that  you find some of this stuff. It makes this amazing recipe outrageous. Okay, back to the recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

2-3 medium sized carrots cut into short, thin sticks

1/2 a 17 oz package of spaghetti noodles, cooked in boiling water (you can use rice noodles, too)

1 cooked, boneless chicken breast, medium sized (I cook mine on the grill)

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2/3 cup chunky peanut butter

4 tablespoons soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2/3 to 1 1/2 cups water taken from water used to cook the noodles (depending on how thin you like your sauce. I like mine quite thin, so I use the whole 1 1/2 cups.

Chop 2-3 medium carrots into small, thin match stick looking pieces. Set aside 

Chop one cooked, medium sized, boneless chicken breast into small chucks. Like so. Set aside.

 Boil your water then cook your spaghetti noodles for eight minutes. While your noodles are cooking...

Heat  1/4 cup vegetable oil in a medium sized pot. (Can you even see the oil in this photo? It's hard to see, but it's there...and it's heated.)

Cook your carrots in the oil for 1-2 minutes.

Add chopped chicken breast and cook for another 1-2 minutes.

Stir in  2/3 cup chunky peanut butter, 4 tablespoons soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon sugar, 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, and 2 teaspoons minced garlic. I will look thick like this.

Take 2/3 cup water from your boiling noodles before you strain them and mix it into the thick peanut sauce.

Pour the sauce on top of your noodles and enjoy.

Classic No Bake Cookie Recipe

No bake cookies are a classic, but for some reason, I've never made them before tonight. They are quick, easy and I had company suddenly coming over, so that is how they made it on my cooking list tonight. Here we go. 

INGREDIENTS:

1 stick butter

2 cups sugar

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup milk

1 cup peanut butter

1 tablespoon vanilla

3 cups oatmeal

In a pot, melt one stick butter over medium heat.

Add 2 cups sugar and a 1/4 cup cocoa powder. Mix together and heat until boiling. 

Add 1 cup peanut butter and one tablespoon vanilla. Stir in until combined. 

Stir in 3 cups old fashioned oatmeal. 

It will look like this. 

Lay out wax paper on cookie sheets. 

Using a cookie scoop or a large spoon, drop one inch blobs on the wax paper. 

Let them cool on the wax paper. 

As I mentioned, we had friends coming over, so I...

...cooled them off a little quicker in the freezer. Note: I did not freeze them.  Eat and enjoy. 

Breakfast Sandwich: Not So Healthy, But Very Delicious

I love this breakfast sandwich, but I don't eat it too often. It is quite unhealthy. Here we go.

INGREDIENTS:

2 slices of bread, toasted and buttered

3 eggs, fried and seasoned with salt and pepper (I like my yolk runny, but you decide how to cook yours)

2-3 slices of bacon, cooked (I do not like mine crispy, but you decide how you want yours)

First, cook 2-3 slices of bacon. I usually throw mine on a baking sheet and cook them in the oven, but these are the Costco pre-cooked bacon slices. I just warmed them up in the microwave. Much faster, easier and less messy. Set bacon aside. 

Fry up three eggs. I use non-stick spray on the bottom of my All Clad frying pan, and once the bottom of the whites start to cook, I add skim milk and cover to steam the tops. While the eggs are steaming...

...I toast two slices of bread and butter the insides. The eggs and the toast should be done at about the same time. 

 Place your fried eggs on top of the toast. 

Then your bacon on top of that. You can eat it as an open-face sandwich, like so or...

...put another slice of bread on top like I do. Yum!

Texas Roadhouse Chili (Healthy Knock-Off Version With Low Cholesterol)

My wife's doctor ordered her to "Lower your cholesterol!" So we have been making diet changes around here. She read that pinto beans lower cholesterol, and she loves our chili recipe (which happens to taste exactly like Texas Roadhouse's chili). So, we substituted the ground beef with ground turkey (which is much lower in cholesterol and fat) and presto! We have chili that is healthy AND tastes delicious, just like Texas Roadhouse's secret recipe. You can thank me later. 

NOTE: This recipe makes a ton of chili, but when we cut it in half, it's not enough. You decide what's going to be the best amount for your family. 

INGREDIENTS:

2 lbs ground turkey

1 medium onion, chopped

2 -15 oz cans chopped tomatoes

4-15 oz cans pinto beans

1-12 oz can tomato sauce

1-8 oz can tomato paste

3 tablespoons chili powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 bay leaves

In a large pot, brown 2 lbs ground turkey meat and one medium onion, chopped.

Add 2 -15 oz cans chopped tomatoes, 4-15 oz cans pinto beans, 1-12 oz can tomato sauce, 1-8 oz can tomato paste, 3 tablespoons chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 bay leaves. Stir. Cook over medium heat until boiling. Simmer for 3-4 hours. 

Now you have some amazing chili that is healthy to boot. 

The Trick With Brown Sugar Is...

I was making pumpkin biscuits this morning (I had to use up the leftover pumpkin from last night's batch. Good excuse, right?), when I realized I was out of brown sugar. I knew that brown sugar was made of white sugar and molasses, so I figured it couldn't be that hard to make. I looked at a few recipes on the internet, and they all said pretty much the same thing. Here is my version. 

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup sugar

3 teaspoons to 2 tablespoons of molasses (depending on how dark you want it. I use one tablespoon)

Add one cup of sugar to a mixing bowl. 

Add one tablespoon of molasses.

Mix in the molasses with a fork. It will get clumpy like this, but just work it in. 

Eventually it will look like regular old brown sugar. It doesn't have quite the same tasted of store-bought brown sugar and why go through the hassle of making it if you can just buy it for about the same price. I plan on using the recipe only if I am out of brown sugar. Also, if you have a recipe that calls for a cup of brown sugar, just use one cup of white sugar and add a tablespoon of molasses. You don't even necessarily have to go through the trouble of making the brown sugar. 

Another tip. I learned this one from my brilliant wife. Are you tired of rock-hard, dried-out brown sugar? Just throw a slice of bread in your brown sugar container for a couple of days. The sugar will absorb the moisture from the bread and soften itself. Just discard the bread, which will be hard and dry. 

Well, there you have it. How to make homemade brown sugar. 

How To Fold A Fancy Dinner Napkin

Yesterday, we had a fancy dinner and discussed what our family will do in 2013. It was a huddle where we, the parents, told our kids what we expect of them this year and our family focus - being doers in 2013. 

What does this have to do with napkins? Well, we couldn't have a fancy dinner without fancy napkins, so I looked online for ideas. There were many to pick from, but I chose this simple yet elegant one. I don't remember what website I got this from, but I did find it using Google Images. 

NOTE: I found the site again. You can link to it here if you care to see the source.

We don't have any cloth napkins, so I used these black paper ones I found stashed away in a drawer. 

Step one: open your napkin and place it in front of you like this, in a diamond shape. 

Step two: Fold the bottom half up and form a triangle. 

Step three: fold corners up to the top of the triangle. 

Step four:  flip it over like this. All open points should now be facing you. 

Step five: fold the bottom half up to form another triangle. 

Step six: fold it over again from right to left. 

If you pick it up, you should see this pleated part along the side. This is the front. 

Step seven: prop it up on your plate like this. 

Now you have a fancy dinner setting. Yay!

 The fancy napkins, ended up in random heaps across our table, but our dinner turned out well and the napkins created an elegant atmosphere when we sat down to eat.