What's for Dinner??

I remember as a teenager it was a big joke between my sister and I that our mother would ask us "What's for dinner?" before we left the house for school in the morning.  Boy did we think she was nuts!  I always remember telling her how am I supposed to know when I haven't even had breakfast yet?!

Well.... guess what?!?!  I have found myself asking my husband when I talk to him in the morning, "So, what do you want for dinner tonight?"  I would even bet my last key lime chocolate square(don't judge, they are good! And right now I only have one left SO it's big ante ok?  ok) IF he was home at the same time I got up in the morning, that would be the first thing I would say.  I mean I guess the first thing I should say is "good morning" but I bet it would very quickly be followed by THE question.  

So...what are you having for dinner tonight?

What's that?  You don't know?  Well...Here is an idea for you.

Crunchy Honey Chicken  (serves 4 or 5)

1 pound  chicken breasts 

1 to 2 Large egg whites

Cornstarch

1 cup broccoli florets

1/2 red pepper, thinly sliced

3/4 cup of sugar snap peas 

1 clove garlic, minced

3 T olive oil

1 T soy sauce

1/4 cup honey

salt and pepper to taste

       Prepare and slice all veggies.  

(Lets pretend you see pea pods in the picture ;) I forgot to get them that day.  Also this is a double batch)

In a bowl, add the egg whites (lightly beaten) and then add the cornstarch to a sandwich bag.(you could also put cornstarch in a separate bowl)  Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon olive oil.  Add garlic and veggies with a sprinkle of salt and pepper and saute for about 5 minutes, until softened.  Remove from skillet and set aside in a bowl.

       If using chicken breasts pound the chicken and then cut  into 1-inch pieces and season with salt and pepper.  Heat the same skillet over medium-high heat and add remaining olive oil.(2T)  Dip chicken pieces into egg whites and then place in bag in cornstarch.  Give it a shake.(You will want to do this in batches)  Add to the skillet and let brown for a couple of minutes, then flip.  Continue with remaining chicken pieces, and do so in batches if needed.  Once chicken is cooked, add veggies back in the skillet.  Add honey and soy sauce.  Thoroughly mix to combine.  Taste and season with salt, pepper, additional honey or soy sauce.  

         (again we are pretending you see snap peas.  The good thing about this recipe is you can interchange veggies.  I forgot pea pods so I increased the broccoli and pepper.  I bet carrots would be great in here as well)

 I like to serve this over rice but you could choose a pasta as well. 

This recipe has been kid tested...and Approved!

Let the fun begin!

Everyone has to start somewhere....here is the begining! 

Ok so I am going to do it!  I. am. going. to. jump. off the ledge and start a post.  

See you don't understand, I have been staring at this blank screen for weeks wondering what was "cool" enough to write.  I have done lots of things these past couple of weeks/months that I could share, however I never remember to take pictures!  UGh!  Who wants to read about something and NOT be able to see the masterpiece??  NOT me.  So here I am back at square one.   

Ok thats a lie.  I am at "square two".  What?!  There is no "square two"?  Well there is now! (cause I said so)  How do you get to square two you ask?  Well...I made these yummy cupcakes yesterday and of course I have zippo for pictures of the before and during BUT I do have pictures of the final product!  

I promise to do better with the whole picture part.


SO here they are:   Banana cupcakes filled with Caramel and frosted with Peanut Butter frosting (wow that is a long name)  Maybe we should refer to them as BC & PB?

Cupcake recipe from Crazy About Cupcakes by Krystina Castella.
Banana Cupcakes
Makes 18-22
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup mashed ripe bananas
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Insert liners into a medium cupcake pan.
2. With an electric mixer on medium speed, cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Add the eggs to the creamed mixture and beat well. Add the bananas and mix well.
3. In a separate bowl sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
4. Add all the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and mix until completely integrated.
5. Add the milk and vanilla. Mix for 1 minute on medium speed.
6. Fill cupcake liners one-half to three-quarters full with batter. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of cupcakes comes out clean. Cool cupcakes in the pan.
MY NOTES: It took 2 1/2 bananas to get 1 cup mashed. I got 21 cupcakes. My first batch was done at 19 minutes and my second was done at 21.After they cooled, I dug out the center, and filled them with a store bought caramel sauce I had picked up from the King Arthur Flour store.

Finally I made the frosting. I was looking around webland to find "the perfect peanut butter frosting",  well I didn't find anything that got me excited so I took the knowledge of all the recipes I read and went to create.  
Here is what I came up with:

Peanut Butter Frosting.

1 stick of butter
1 cup of peanut butter
2 cups of powdered sugar
5 tablespoons of heavy cream

I creamed the butter and pb together.  mixed in 1 cup of  powdered sugar at a time and then at the end added the cream and blended til fluffy.


There you have it.