Sesame Ginger Chicken Lettuce Wraps

More and more I find myself turning to Better Homes and Gardens for dinner ideas. I get a weekly e-mail from them with loads of delicious-sounding recipes that are simple to prepare and use few ingredients. That's where I found these sesame ginger chicken lettuce wraps. Joe and I both thought the filling was flavorful, and with some fried rice on the side, this was a delicious and simple meal. I made a few additions to the recipe, which are reflected below, but you can click the link to get to the original.

Sesame Ginger Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Source: Better Homes and Gardens

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size strips
1/2 cup bottled light Asian-style dressing with sesame and ginger
2 cups shredded carrots
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 bunch of green onions, sliced
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 head iceberg lettuce, leaves separated

1. Sprinkle chicken lightly with salt and pepper. Lightly coat a large skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook and stir for 3 minutes or until browned.

2. Add 3 tablespoons of the dressing, the carrots, the bell pepper, and the green onions to the skillet; cook and stir for 3 minutes more or until vegetables are crisp-tender and chicken is no longer pink. Stir in red pepper. On a large platter arrange 4 stacks of lettuce leaves. Serve by filling leaves with chicken mixture.

Corned Beef Hash

Last week I was browsing recipe websites, looking for inspiration, when I saw this recipe for corned beef hash on The Food Network's main page. I love corned beef hash in restaurants, but I'd never taken the opportunity to make it at home. This sounded so simple and delicious that I just knew I had to make it for us for breakfast on Saturday morning.

This was such a tasty, filling, comfort-food type of breakfast. I forgot to pick up a bell pepper at the store, so I had to omit that from the recipe, but this was still so good. One of my favorite things in the world is eating an over-easy egg on top of potatoes, breaking the yolk and watching it ooze down through the hashbrowns. Y-U-M!

Corned Beef Hash
Source: adapted from Food Network

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
8 ounces cooked corned beef, diced
1 white onion, finely chopped
5 golden potatoes, unpeeled, diced
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 large eggs
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1. Heat the oil in a medium skillet over high heat. Add the corned beef and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until it releases some fat and browns slightly, about 3 minutes. Stir in the onion and potatoes and cook, undisturbed, until brown and crisp on the bottom, about 6 minutes. Continue cooking, turning the hash as it browns evenly, about 15 more minutes.

2. Meanwhile, heat the butter in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the eggs sunny-side up or over easy; season with salt and pepper.

3. Sprinkle the cheese over the hash, reduce the heat and let sit until the cheese melts, about 1 minute. To serve, top each portion of hash with a fried egg.

Buffalo Joes

I saw this version of sloppy joes on Deborah's blog earlier this week, and even though I'd just made another version, I knew I had to try these. I absolutely adore all things buffalo, so I just couldn't resist the idea of a sloppy joe that tasted like buffalo wings.

I'm actually in the "I Like Rachael Ray" camp. Sometimes she irritates me, sure, but I don't think anyone can deny that the girl's creative in the kitchen. I watch her shows and I subscribe to her magazine, but I don't think I'd ever actually made one of her recipes. I can't believe that's true, but I'm pretty sure it is.

We really loved this quick and easy dinner. I only used one pound of ground chicken, but I kept the rest of the measurements the same to make a saucier sloppy joe. Neither of us cares much for blue cheese, so we topped these the same way we do our favorite buffalo chicken sandwich: with tomato, lettuce, and ranch dressing. This one is definitely a keeper. Yum-o! (Sorry. I couldn't resist.)

Buffalo Joes
Source: seen on Taste and Tell and adapted from Rachael Ray

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound ground chicken
1 carrot, peeled and grated
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup hot sauce (recommended: Frank's Red Hot)
1 cup tomato sauce
1 cup chicken stock
4 good quality burger rolls, split and toasted

1. Heat a large skillet with extra-virgin olive oil over medium-high heat. Add meat and break it up with wooden spoon. Cook 5 to 6 minutes. Add in carrots, celery, onions and garlic and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook 7 to 8 minutes more.

2. In a bowl combine the vinegar, sugar, Worcestershire, hot sauce, tomato sauce and stock. Pour into the pan and stir to combine. Simmer a few minutes more. Pile filling onto buns and serve with desired toppings.

White Chocolate Chip Lemon Cookies

Believe it or not, I found this recipe on the back of the cardboard insert of a Wilton cookie sheet I was using for the first time. I was in the mood for some cookies, and I had all of the ingredients on hand, so I thought I'd give them a try. I'm a huge fan of anything lemon-flavored, and I was intrigued by the lemon-white chocolate combination, which I don't think I'd ever had before.

I couldn't believe how good these little cookies were! They tasted exactly like lemon cake, so they were right up my alley. Joe even liked these, and he's not a huge fan of lemon (he had a bad experience with a something called "lemonade pie" a few years ago) (and no, it wasn't made by me!). These cookies are light and flavorful and just all-around delicious. They taste like summertime. I'm so glad I noticed the recipe before I threw that cardboard insert away!

White Chocolate Chip Lemon Cookies
Source: Wilton

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg, milk, lemon juice and vanilla; mix well.

3. Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture; mix well. Stir in white chocolate chips and lemon zest.

4. Drop by tablespoonfuls or cookie scoop onto ungreased (Wilton!) cookie pan. Bake 12-15 minutes or until edges are a light golden brown. Cool 3 minutes in pan; remove and cool completely on cooling rack.

Wonderful Pickles

My son turned one year old on Mother's Day, and on the Saturday before we had a party for him. It was largely a potluck-style type of thing, with our friends and family bringing most of the dishes besides the hamburgers and hot dogs, which turned out to be a good thing because I was suffering from a terrible cold and didn't feel like cooking a whole lot. I did make a couple of things myself, though, like my mom's potato salad, which is always requested, and these wonderful pickles.

My little Hungarian grandma has been making this cucumber salad for years. When I called to ask for the recipe, describing the dish to her so she'd know exactly which one I was talking about (she uses cucumbers in another dish with dill and sour cream), she said, "Oh, you mean wonderful pickles." I had no idea that's what she called this salad, but apparently it's what her mother and her mother's mother always called it, so I feel obliged to call it the same thing. This dish has been in our family for generations, and the recipe may be old, but it's still amazingly good. It's perfect for summer, and it was one of the first things to be finished at Andrew's party!

Wonderful Pickles
Source: my grandma

2 cups sugar
1 cup white vinegar

7 cups thinly-sliced cucumber (peels on)
1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 large onion, thinly sliced (red or white onion works)
2 tablespoons celery salt
1 1/2 teaspoons table salt

Combine sugar and vinegar in a large bowl, stirring occasionally until sugar has almost completely dissovled. Add salad ingredients and mix well. Cover and refrigerate overnight to allow the flavors to set.