Sweet and Sour Chicken

Wow! This recipe was absolutely amazing! I found it at My Kitchen Cafe while I was browsing for something a little different to make. I haven't made Chinese food in a long time so it was a great change of pace and absolutely delicious! I made extra sauce as both the hubby and I like to drown our food in sauce.

Sweet and Sour Chicken
Chicken:
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
1 cup cornstarch
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup canola oil

Cut boneless chicken breasts into chunks. Season with salt and pepper. Dip chicken in cornstarch and then in egg. Fry in a little oil until brown but not cooked through. The dipping part gets a little messy. I've found that it's easier if I dip all the pieces and put them in a bowl. Then get my frying pan ready and fry them. That way I'm not hurrying to dip and fry and trying not to burn all at the same time.
Place in a single layer in a baking dish. Mix sauce ingredients (below) together and pour over the chicken.

Sauce:
¾ cup sugar
4 tablespoons ketchup
½ cup vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic salt

Bake for one hour at 325 degrees. Turn chicken every 15 minutes. Serve over rice.
If you like extra sauce, make another batch of sauce and bring it to a boil on the stovetop. Stir constantly and let cook over medium heat until thickened and reduced - about 6-8 minutes.

Honey Cashew Green Beans

Wow! These were delicious. I could have eaten them for my main course they were so good. I was tired of serving plain green beans for our vegetable and found this little treasure on All Recipes. You are supposed to use fresh green beans but I just had canned and they still turned out completely awesome!!! I imagine they'd be great with almonds too. So simple, yet so divine!

Honey Cashew Green Beans

1/2 pound fresh green beans, trimmed (you can use canned, too! I used 2 cans)
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped cashews (a little more or less to suit your taste)
4 1/2 teaspoons butter or margarine
1 tablespoon honey

1. Place beans in a steamer basket. Place in a saucepan over 1 in. of water; bring to a boil. Cover and steam for 8-10 minutes or until crisp tender.
   
2. Meanwhile, in a small skillet, saute cashews in butter for about 2 minutes or until golden brown. Stir in honey; heat through. Transfer beans to a serving bowl; toss to coat. Serve immediately.

Stay tuned for the awesome dinner I served with these babies. One of the best dinners I've made yet!!

Mini Oreo Surprise Cupcakes

These were so much fun to make. I found them on the Kraft Foods website and new instantly I had to try them out. I made them as a special treat for my kids and hubby for Valentine's Day. Their faces were priceless when they found the hidden surprise inside. It's the little things that can make or break a day, and for my kids that little surprise was all it took to have them raving. Surprisingly my sweets only occasionally husband gobbled his up to.

1 pkg. (2-layer size) chocolate cake mix

1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

1 egg

2 Tbsp. sugar

48 Mini OREO Bite Size Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

1-1/2 cups thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

HEAT oven to 350°F.

PREPARE cake batter as directed on package; set aside. Mix cream cheese, egg and sugar until blended.

SPOON 1/2 of cake batter evenly into 24 paper- or foil-lined muffin cups. Top each with about 1-1/2 tsp. cream cheese mixture and 1 cookie; cover with remaining cake batter.

BAKE 19 to 22 min. or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool 5 min.; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.

FROST with COOL WHIP. Top with remaining cookies.

Makes 24 cupcakes.

I just love that hidden surprise in the middle!!

Classic Tator Tot Casserole

This one has been around for ages. And it's so versatile that almost everyone makes it different to fit their family's needs. This is my go to recipe when I need a quick, easy dinner and I can't think of what to make. My kids love it, my husband loves it, and I love that they all clean their plates. Everyone wins! This is the way that I make it:

Tator Tot Casserole

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup rice, cooked
1 can cream of mushroom soup
3 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
Salt & pepper (to taste)
1 to 2 cups cheddar cheese depending on how cheesy you like it.
1 bag (1 lb) frozen tator tots

Directions
Brown ground beef in frying pan with salt & pepper and onion; drain grease. Add Worcestershire sauce, cooked rice & cream of mushroom soup. Transfer to 2 qt baking dish. Layer cheese on top of beef mixture. (we like lots and lots of cheese) Pour tator tots over top.
Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and tator tots are heated through.
Serve with ketchup and/or Tabasco sauce.

Creamy Italian Chicken

My sister in law had us over for dinner and made this delightful dish. I thought it was so delicious and when I found out how easy it was to make, I was even more impressed. It is so so so good. I could eat it for dinner every night. I love it that much. Thanks, Amy, for the great recipe!

Creamy Italian Chicken

4- 6 chicken breasts
2 cans cream of Chicken Soup
1 dry packet Italian Dressing Mix
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened

Put chicken breasts in crock pot. Sprinkle with dry Italian dressing mix. Mix cream cheese and soup in separate bowl. Pour over chicken. Cook on low all day ( 8 hours). Serve over rice, noodles, or mashed potatoes. (Add milk if needed to thin sauce out) I use frozen chicken breasts and put them in frozen. No need to defrost.

Rolo Cookies

I'm not exactly sure where this recipe came from, but I remember making them in high school and devouring them. I love carmel, and Rolo's have always been a favorite of mine. The cookies taste similar to brownies and with carmel thrown in there, you just can't go wrong. My kids absolutely loved these cookies. I had to hide them becuase they kept sneaking them. They are absolutely divine with a nice glass of cold milk. The best way to eat these is right out of the oven when the carmel is warm and ooey gooey. Delicious!!

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup brown sugar, firm pack
• 1/2 cup pecans chopped (or other nuts)(optional)
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 (13 ounce) bag Rolo chocolates (unwrapped)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
  
  
  Heat oven to 375. In small bowl combine flour, cocoa and baking soda. Mix Well. In large bowl beat 1 cup sugar with brown sugar and margarine until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs and beat well. Add flour mixture and blend.
  For each cookie, shape about 1 tablespoon dough around 1 Rolo, covering compleletly. If dough is too sticky to handle easily, refrigerate until desired firmness is achieved.
  In a small bowl combine nuts and 1 tablespoons of sugar. Press 1 side of each ball into the nut mixture and place, nut side up, two inches apart on ungreased baking sheet. (I often make these without the nut/sugar part and they are still delicious)
  Bake for 7-10 minutes or until set and slightly cracked. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet and then transfer to wax paper to cool completely. Do not cool on wire rack or caramel centers will fall through.