{recipe} Teriyaki Stir Fry

This recipe comes from a Pampered Chef cookbook that my sister lent me. I bookmarked several recipes that I'd like to try, but this one was the lucky first.

Teriyaki Stir Fry (from Pampered Chef: It's Good For You)


2/3 c. reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/4 c. packed brown sugar
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 tsp. peeled, finely chopped fresh gingerroot (I used 1 tsp ground ginger)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 lb. boneless pork loin chops (or chicken), cut into 1/8" strips (I omitted this, and instead added sliced fresh mushrooms)
2 c. uncooked instant whole grain brown rice
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into 1/4" strips
6 oz. fresh snow peas, trimmed (I used frozen)
1 bunch green onions with tops, cut into 1" pieces (I used minced yellow onion)
1 tsp. sesame oil, divided
1 can (8 oz.) bamboo shoots, drained
(I also added sliced carrots, and next time will add broccoli)

PREP ALL INGREDIENTS BEFORE STARTING!

In small bowl, combine soy sauce, brown sugar, and cornstarch. Whisk until blended, then stir in ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Add pork (or mushrooms!) to soy sauce mixture, stir to coat, and refrigerate 15 minutes to marinate. Cook rice according to pkg directions. Heat 1/2 tsp. sesame oil over high heat until hot. Remove pork (or mushrooms!) from marinade and add to skillet (save the marinade!). Stir-fry 1-2 minutes until no longer pink. Remove from skillet and keep warm. In same skillet, heat other 1/2 tsp. sesame oil. add veggies and stir-fry 2-3 minutes until veggies are slightly tender/slightly crisp. Return pork (or mushrooms!) to skillet. Stir in reserved marinade and bamboo shoots, and bring to boil. Cook and stir 1 minute until sauce is thickened. Serve over rice.

Makes 6 servings.

YUM! YUM! YUM! So good! And once all the prep work was done, it cooked together in a flash. Slightly sweet, slightly spicy - a keeper!

New Wall Art

Blank wall behind my tv for the past year and a half. Time to fix it. Based on this tutorial, I came up with this:

CONAN! (I <3 U)

It only took a couple hours to cut out (while catching up on DVR). Easy!

Cake Decorating

I got a Wilton cake decorating set from my sister for Christmas, and I tested it out this week when I made a cake for a coworker's birthday. Here's the result:

I used Wilton tip #21 to make the stars.

And here's a link to the Old Fashioned Yellow Cake recipe I tested from Sing for Your Supper.

Quilting Experiment

When it came time to pick out a wedding gift for some friends, their registry was pretty well-picked over. So I decided to make a personalized appliqued wall-hanging. The only experience I have with applique/quilting was a baby blanket I helped my Mom make almost 3 years ago. To say the least, I was a bit rusty and inexperienced. Flash forward to a few days of scouring applique books at Hobby Lobby, searching for tutorials from various blogs, and a hand-drawn pattern...Here's what I came up with:

I'm very pleased!

The technique was largely based on this tutorial from Samelia's Mum.

Linking up to Get Your Craft On @ Today's Creative Blog.

Heart Cake

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Cake from (here)

{recipe} BBQ Chicken Pizza

I've never had the desire to try BBQ Chicken pizza before, but Tony had an idea to create one yesterday, so I went with it. It was delicious! Here's how it went down...

Chicken:


In crock pot, place 2 chicken breasts, 1/2 cup-ish BBQ sauce, 1/2 cup-ish water, 1/2 Tbsp. butter, 1/2 c. chopped onions, 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 Tbsp. Mesquite seasoning, 1/2 tsp. each: thyme and oregano. All measurements are estimates as it was not actually measured. Cook 3-4 hours on high in little mini crock pot. Shred chicken and then strain off juice. Reserve the juice for the pizza sauce.

Pizza:

Make your crust. Preheat for 5 minutes so sauce doesn't soak in. Brush crust with reserved juice. Layer on chicken, cooked spinach (used about 4 oz., will add more next time), sauted fresh mushrooms (8 oz.), and cheese. We used a mix of sharp cheddar, mozzarella, and parmesan. Bake until yummy.

New Project

A little sneak peak at my next project:

:D