Cashew Chicken

We love Chinese food! We have been eating so much of it that I have been buying chopsticks and take out boxes at the restaurant supply store! Yes, it is more fun to eat out of take out boxes! :o) So, here is my version of cashew chicken… I’m pretty proud of it!

1 egg white

1 Tablespoon cornstarch

1 Tablespoon soy sauce

1 pound cubed chicken breast (boneless, skinless)

Mix egg white, cornstarch and soy sauce. Add chicken and stir to coat. Let stand 15 minutes.

Prep veggies and sauce while chicken sits.

Sauce:

1/4 cup chicken broth

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1 Tablespoon soy sauce

Veggies:

1/2 cup onion, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 cup bell pepper, cut into bite-sized pieces

2-3 carrots, sliced

2-3 ribs celery, sliced

1 can sliced water chestnuts, drained

1/2 cup whole cashews

1/4-1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Drain chicken in strainer. Heat 2 Tablespoons of sesame oil in large skillet. Stir fry chicken until it turns white. Add veggies and stir-fry until chicken is cooked through and veggies are crisp-tender. Add cashews and water chestnuts. Cook until chestnuts are heated through. Add crushed red pepper flakes. Stir fry for about 30 seconds.

Whisk together the sauce ingredients and pour into stir-fry. Stir until thick and bubbly. Remove from heat and serve over rice.

Vanilla Extract

I made my own vanilla extract! I’ve actually been saving a cute bottle for almost a year for just such a purpose. :o)  It was so easy that I wish I had done it sooner.

Start with a bottle of 80 to 100 proof vodka. I’ve heard you can even go higher proof than that. But only if you can get it in your state…

Then you’ll need vanilla beans. Use 3 beans for every cup of vodka.

Split the beans in half with a sharp knife to about 1-2 inches from top.

Place split beans in a quart canning jar and pour vodka over beans.

Let stand in a cool dark place for at least 2 months.

It will darken in about a day…

After about 2 months it will be ready to use. Vanilla will stay good for years, stored in a cool dry place.

When mine was ready I placed a few of the beans in my cute little bottle and poured in the vanilla.

     Now you’re all ready to do your baking!

Coconut Lime Cottage Cheese Pie

This is a combination of a few recipes I’ve seen and a recipe that was given to me by a friend from church. The result was pretty satisfying! It has a nice blend of flavors and is cool and refreshing. I think it would be just lovely on a hot summer evening… Or as a dessert following a spicy Mexican dish!

Crust:

1 cup flour

1/2 cup coconut

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter

1/2 tsp vanilla

Combine ingredients to form the crust. You can use a pastry blender, mixer or food processor.

Then press into a 9” pie plate and set aside.

Filling:

1 3/4 cups cottage cheese

2 eggs

3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon lime juice

zest of one lime

Put cottage cheese in blender and blend until perfectly smooth. The trick is to blend it until it is very smooth with no lumps.

Add remaining ingredients and blend until well mixed.

Pour into pie crust and bake at 325 for 45 minutes or until center is set.

Topping:

1 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons sugar

Mix in a small bowl and put on top of the back of the stove where it is warm while the pie is baking.

After removing pie from oven, gently spread topping over pie and bake for another 10 minutes.

   Place on wire rack and let cool to room temperature. Keep in fridge until cool and set.

  Store any leftovers in fridge.

Flower Pot Mud Pie

I hadn’t made this in a while and decided it was the ideal dessert for our April Fool’s Day Craft Nite potluck! I was so so right! It turned out FANTASTIC! The secret… real whipped cream. You can use Cool Whip, but you really don’t want to… :o)

Crush up chocolate sandwich cookies in your food processor to make the “dirt”. You don’t even need to remove the filling. Just process the heck out of them and they’ll look just like potting soil.

Then make your filling.

First whip 1 cup of whipping cream until thick. Stir together 4 Tablespoons of powdered sugar and 1 Tablespoon of instant clear gel (to stabilize cream). Add to whipped cream along with 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Whip until very thick. *You can also use an 8oz tub of whipped topping.

Cream 4 oz softened cream cheese

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup powdered sugar

Mix until smooth

Beat 1 3/4 cups milk with one 3 oz box of chocolate instant pudding mix until thick.

Mix together the pudding and cream cheese mixture.

Fold in whipped cream.

Now begin to layer the mud pie into a small plastic flowerpot (be sure to clean it well before using). First place a piece of parchment, wax paper or plastic wrap in the bottom of the pot.

Cover with some of your cookie crumbs.

Top with some of the filling

Sprinkle with more cookie crumbs. Continue to layer, ending with crumbs on top.

Stick a bunch of artificial flowers (be sure to clean these, too) into the pot for a fun finished look. You can also throw in some gummy worms for fun!

Store in the fridge until ready to serve. This is best if not made too much in advance.