Pizza Pizza!

I totally forgot about these:

English Muffin Pizzas
Printable recipe

Ingredients:
1 Package English Muffins
Pizza sauce
Shredded mozzarella cheese
Pepperoni or other toppings

Optional:
Oregano, red pepper flakes and/or Parmesan cheese

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350º.
2) Using your fingers or a knife, split English Muffins in half.
3) Place "nooks and crannies" side up on a baking sheet.

4) Spread a layer of pizza sauce on each muffin.

5) Sprinkle a layer of cheese over sauce and add toppings if desired.

6) Bake for 6-9 minutes.
7) Sprinkle with oregano/Parmesan cheese/red pepper if wanted.
8) Serve and enjoy!

Love it? Do it!

I've only posted a few of these, but this week I am diverging from the regular Treat Tuesday format and welcoming guest blogger: Sreesha from Love it? Do it. Her blog is filled with awesome recipes so you should go check them out! I would actually love to use Treat Tuesday for more guest recipes so if you are interested email me at about.to.blog(a)gmail.com! Okay now, without further ado I bring you: Sreesha's Summer Salad recipe.

"I'm delighted to be doing a guest post at Lauren's blog. She is such a lively ball of energy, and her enthusiasm is contagious. I decided to fix myself a salad for lunch and it turned out so delicious. The sun decided to show up today with slight traces of spring approaching on us in Birmingham, UK. I thought it would be ideal to fix a light summer salad just to get into the groove of welcoming spring. I was a little weary about the combination in the beginning but it worked. This salad makes for a light lunch, exactly what I wanted."

Sreesha's Summer Salad
Printable version

Ingredients:
1 cup boiled chestnuts
1 cup light mayonnaise
1 cup red or green grapes, halved
1/2 cup sweet canned corn
1/4 cup sugar
7 cups fresh broccoli florets
some Craisins to taste

Directions:
1) In a large bowl, stir together mayonnaise, grapes, chestnuts, corn and sugar.
2) Add broccoli and stir to coat.
3) Cover and chill in the refrigerator for up to 30 minutes.
4) Garnish with Craisins and enjoy!

Chickity China the Chinese Chicken

So I was at home thinking how much I wanted Chinese but also how much I didn't want to have to order it. I already had chicken so I looked up a recipe and was quite pleased with how it came out!

It was a bit of a hassle with the deep-frying but I felt it was worth it!

General Tso's Chicken

Printable recipe

 Ingredients:
1-1½ lbs boneless chicken breasts,
     cut into chunks
1 scallion, chopped
4 small dried chilies, seeds removed (I used arbol chiles)

Sauce:
¼ cup cornstarch
2 Tbsp water
½ teaspoon fresh garlic , minced
½ cup sugar
¼ cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp white vinegar
2 Tbsp sherry or white wine
1 cup chicken broth

Batter:
1/4 Tbsp soy sauce, low sodium preferred
1 egg , beaten
3/4 cup cornstarch

Directions:
1) Mix batter in a large bowl. It should seem thick almost putty like. Add chicken and use a wooden spoon to coat the chicken evenly.

2) Set deep fryer to 350º or fill a sauce pan with 2-3” deep oil and monitor temperature with a cooking/candy thermometer.

3) Mix the sauce ingredients together in a separate bowl and set aside.

4) Using wooden spoon and a fork, remove 7-9 chicken pieces, letting the excess mixture drip off, and drop into the oil. Fry until golden brown and crispy, about 3-4 mins.

 

5) Remove from oil and drain on paper towels.

 

6) While frying chicken, in a saute pan, add a small amount of oil over medium heat.

7) Add green onions and hot peppers and stir fry about 30 seconds, then add the sauce mixture.

8) Stir sauce until thick, making sure to keep an eye on your frying chicken!

9) Add chicken to sauce and cook until bubbly. The quicker this is done the crispier the chicken stays.

8) Serve over rice and enjoy!


OMG Remember this song!?

That's a Spicy Meatball!

This could really be served as an entree but I've mostly seen them served as an appetizer so thus that's where this recipe is being filed!

Swedish Meatballs
Printable recipe

Ingredients:
1 1/2 c. Panko style bread crumbs
1/4 cup milk
1+2 tablespoons butter, divided
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
A pinch plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 pound ground chuck
3/4 pound ground pork
2 large egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups beef broth
1/4 cup half and half or heavy cream

Directions:

1) Combine bread crumbs and milk in stand mixer bowl or a large mixing bowl and set aside.

2) In a 12-inch saute pan over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and sweat until the onions are soft. Remove from the heat and set aside. 

3) Add to your bread crumb mixture: the ground chuck, pork, egg yolks, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, black pepper, allspice, nutmeg, and onions.

4) Beat on medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes. 

5) Measure out tablespoon sized meatballs, rolling into round, and place on a sheet pan or plate.

6) Preheat oven to 200º.

7) Heat the remaining butter in the saute pan over medium-low heat, or in an electric skillet set to 250º. 

8) Add the meatballs and saute until golden brown on all sides, about 7 to 10 minutes. 

9) Remove the meatballs to an ovenproof dish using a slotted spoon and place in the warmed oven.

10) Once all of the meatballs are cooked, decrease the heat to low and add the flour to the pan or skillet.  If needed add a couple tablespoons of oil.

11) Whisk until lightly browned, approximately 1 to 2 minutes.

12) Gradually add the beef stock about 1/2 c at a time and whisk until sauce begins to thicken.

13) Add the cream and continue to cook until the gravy reaches the desired consistency.

14) Remove the meatballs from the oven, cover with the gravy and serve.


I hadn't actually known where the "spicy meatball" phrase came from until I just now Googled it.

Top of the Mushroom to You!

I've served these at one of my restaurant jobs and as long as they're hot enough they are pretty tasty. I decided that I wanted to make them myself and that they would probably be even better.

Crab Stuffed Mushrooms
Printable recipe

Ingredients:
1Lb Whole mushrooms
Pinch dried thyme
Pinch paprika + more for topping
1/4 tsp salt
pinch black pepper
1/2 c plain or Panko bread crumbs
1+2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp lemon juice
4 oz drained crabmeat
1/2 Tbsp Sherry

Directions:
1) Wash and dry mushrooms and remove stems.

2) Coat baking pan with cooking spray or butter.
3) Melt 1 Tbsp of butter and brush mushroom tops.

Imagine the pastry brush here, I only have two hands...

4) Place mushrooms, top down, in baking pan and brush edges with remaining butter.

5) Melt 2 Tbsp butter and combine with the other liquid ingredients.
6) Drain crab meat, put in a small bowl and pour liquid mix over it. Stir to combine evenly.
7) Combine all the dry ingredients, pour over crab mixture and stir till evenly mixed.

8) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
9) Using your finger, ball up chunks of the crab mixture proportional to each mushroom cap, enough to press into the hole and pile on top a bit.

 

10) Bake for 15-20 minutes, until tops are crusty and browned.
11) Sprinkle with paprika and serve.

I'd Like to Buy You a Coke

Welcome to another edition of Tasty Treat Tuesday! Today's treat is:

Coke Float!

Scoop vanilla ice cream

Pour Coke

Enjoy!

You Got Chocolate in My Peanut Butter!

I'm starting to feel like I should change the name of this blog to Scrumptious Sundays. But then it would get get left for Mondays sometimes and it would be an endless cycle of procrastinating. Although I actually like the sound of Scrumptious Sundays better now that I'm hearing it. So maybe in the future but for now I'll keep trying to post them on Saturdays.

Okay, with out further adieu...

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
Printable recipe

1c. Granulated sugar
1 Egg
1c. Peanut butter
1/3c flour
1tsp Vanilla extract
Mini peanut butter cups (about 20)






Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350º.
2) Mix sugar, egg and peanut butter and vanilla together.

3) Add flour in slowly.

 

4) Line mini cupcake pans with preferably paper liners. (I tried my silicone ones but they didn't come out as good.)

 5) Roll (or scoop) 1Tbsp of dough and place in each cup.

6) Flatten a bit if needed, then push a peanut butter cup into each cup.

7) Bake for 12-14 minutes, let cool then enjoy!