Baked Cod with Crunchy Lemon Herb Topping

This was good. It was super easy and quick. How I like my weeknight meals. The only thing I would do different next time is use thicker fillets of cod. The ones I had were so thin. I didnt know that until I opened up the package. I guess Im just not a huge cod fan. Id much rather have mahi mahi or sea bass for a nice white fish. Anyways, I will make this again, but with different fish.

From RecipeZaar

24 Ritz cracker, broken into crumbs about the size of peas
2 tablespoons herb, fresh, minced (parsley, dill or basil, or a combination, divided use)
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon lemon zest, finely grated
1 tablespoon lemon juice, fresh
2 lbs skinless cod fish fillet, 1/2 inch thick, pin bones removed, patted dry
salt & freshly ground black pepper

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 450°F Lightly grease a rimmed baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the cracker crumbs and 1 tablespoon of the parsley, dill or basil. Set aside.

In a separate small bowl, combine the remaining 1 tablespoon parsley, dill or basil with the mayonnaise, garlic, and lemon zest and juice. Set aside.

Season the fish fillets with salt and pepper to taste. Place on the baking sheet, spacing the pieces about ½ inch apart. Brush the tops and sides of the fish with the mayonnaise mixture, then press the cracker crumbs into the mayonnaise.

Bake for 8 to 15 minutes, or until the crumbs are golden brown and the fish flakes apart when gently prodded with a paring knife. If the cracker crumbs brown before the fish is cooked, cover the fish with aluminum foil. Serve hot with the lemon wedges.

Poor Man's Beef Stroganoff

Beef Stroganoff is one of those staple meals that is quick and easy to throw together on a busy week night. I used to always make it with sliced steak. Now I usually make it with ground beef (hence the title) since that is how Carl and Sam prefer it. They think its too chewey with sliced beef. I dont mind because I think it pretty much tastes the same either way. Plus, its cheaper. With the growing prices at the grocery store, cooking balanced, healthy meals can get expensive. I make it the same way I used to, with onions, mushrooms and sour cream. We always eat beef stroganoff with steamed broccoli. I dont know why, but for some reason, it just goes together. I love it all mixed together on the plate.

Poor Man's Beef Stroganoff

1 lb ground beef

1/2 cup chopped onion

8 oz sliced mushrooms

1 cup beef broth

2 Tbsp tomatoe paste

1 Tbsp Worcheshire sauce

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 lb wide egg noodles

chopped parsley to garnish

Brown beef with onions until cooked through. Drain fat. Add mushrooms and beef broth. Cook 5-10 minutes, until liquid reduces and thickens. Cook noodles according to package directions. Add tomato paste and Worcheshire sauce to meat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in sour cream just before serving. Let the mixture heat back up but dont let it boil or the sour cream could curdle. Serve over egg noodles and steamed broccoli. Sprinkle parsley to taste.

Midnight Snack: Chicken Salad Sandwiches

I absolutly love chicken salad. I like it on croissants, in a salad, on crackers or by itself. Its good on any bread. You can put so many different things in it to jazz it up, raisins, dried cranberries, grapes, apples, celery, bell pepper, just about any kind of nut. Its also wonderful if you have some fresh dill to add. I love this stuff. Tonight I was hungry and everyone was already in bed. I had some grilled chicken leftover in the fridge and turned it into the best little sandwich for myself. Now Im full...right before bed. Doh!! Ive gotta stop doing that.

Chicken Salad Sandwiches

(makes 2 servings)

1 cup cooked chicken (I chopped up grilled chicken breast)

1/4 cup chopped apple

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

1/4 cup raisens

1/4 cup chopped celery

1 tsp pickle relish

2 Tbsp lite Mayo

1 tsp mustard

4 slices whole wheat bread, toasted

lettuce

Mix all ingredients except bread and lettuce. Season with pepper to taste. Pile onto toasted bread and enjoy.

Bacon and Egg Pizza

When I first saw this recipe posted at Blake Makes I was really intrigued! I love fried eggs with a runny yolk so I thought I should try this out. It turned out so good! Im always amazed at how many things eggs can go with. I was the only one who wanted to try this, so I made myself a personal sized pizza all to myself, then made pepperoni pizzas for the boys. We were all happy. For the recipe, click Here .

Charlie's Snake Cake

I made this cake for Charlie's bday party that we had today. It was a great party and everyone thought the cake was really cute. It was super easy. I had alot going on, so I used boxed cake mix. I also bought vanilla frosting and just died it green. Its made out of 2 bundt cakes, one chocolate and one vanilla. Just cut the cakes in half and position them to look like a snake. Once frosted, I piped on a diamond design down the back with chocolate, then decorated it with M&Ms. The tongue is some candy that I bought and cut to look like a tongue. the eyes are a large marshmallow that is cut in half, with a black M&M for the pupil. I probably invested an hour total into this. Definatly worth the effort!

Mini Farfalle with Tomatoes and Corn

My mom made this a few weeks ago for my kids when they stayed at her house and she told me that they both just ate it up. Tonight I decided to try it out. I was skeptical of corn in a tomato sauce, but it turned out so yummy. I used canned tomatoes and I added a little chopped spinach since I had some that needed to be used up. This was so quick and easy! Really good. I think it would be great with some chicken in it. My mom put ham in it when she made it. I will definatly be making this again.

This recipe came from the back of the box of Barilla Piccolini.

1 box Barilla Piccolini Mini Farfalle

1 28 ounce of canned tomatoes

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp chopped onion

1 15 ounce can of corn, drained

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

4 basil leaves, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

In a medium skillet, saute onions in oil over medium heat for 5 minutes. Cook pasta according to package directions. Add tomatoes to the skillet and simmer for 3 minutes, season with salt and pepper. Add corn and simmer for 2 minutes. Drain pasta and toss with sauce. Stir in cheese and basil before serving.

Farfalle Alfredo

Mmmm creamy Alfredo sauce. It really is sooo good. And you cant be concerned at all about calories when eating this because its loaded with them!! I find that lower fat sauces arent as good. Go figure. I served this up tonight as a side with Eggplant parmesan. I got this recipe from a blog I recently started reading called Good Things Catered.

1 1/2 c. heavy cream

5 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste

1 lb. pasta

In a large saucepan over high heat, bring the cream and butter to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 1 minute. Add 6 Tbsp of the cheese and whisk until smooth, about 1 minute more. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper and a generous pinch of nutmeg. (Be judicious with the salt. Parmigiano-Reggiano is salty, so too much added salt will throw this creamy, sweet sauce out of balance.)

Serve over your favorite pasta.

Eggplant Parmesan

I really like eggplant parmesan if the eggplant is fried and crispy. So many times when I order it in a resturant, its soggy and then I dont like it. Im not really sure where I got this recipe. Ive been making it with these ingredients for a long time. A couple years ago I was watching Mario Bartoli on the Food Network and he had a great tip for crispy eggplant parmesan. By letting the eggplant "sweat" for 30 minutes before frying it, it gets alot of the moisture out, then you end up with great eggplant with a crispy breading that stays on!

1 large eggplant, 1/4 inch slices
1 egg
1 T water
1/2 C flour
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp oregano
1 C bread crumbs
1/2 C grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp dried basil
salt and pepper to taste
enough oil to cover bottom of frying pan 1/4 inch thick
1 1/2 cups marinara sauce
1 ball of fresh mozzerella cheese, packed in water

Lightly salt the eggplant slices and set in a large colander to rest for 30 minutes then rinse eggplant and pat dry with a paper towel.

Slice mozzerella cheese into thin slices and set aside. In a small bowl whisk together egg and water to make an eggwash and set aside.

In a shallow dish mix flour, paprika, oregano,and a dash of salt and pepper, In another shallow dish, mix bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, basil, and a dash of salt and pepper. Dip the eggplant intp flour mixture to coat it lightly on both sides, then dip into the eggwash and let excess drip off. Then dip into breadcrumb mixture and be sure to get a thick coat on the eggplant. Fry eggplant in oil on both sides until crisp and golden. Drain on paper towels.

After all eggplant is cooked, lay slices slightly overlapping in a shallow baking pan. Pour marinara sauce over eggplant and top with slices of mozzerella cheese.

Broil 6 inches from heat until cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve immediatly

Mini Italian Turkey Meat Loaves with Roasted Broccoli

I have never made turkey meatloaf before. I've never even bought ground turkey before, just because Ive always been afraid of it for some reason. Is it supposed to be like ground beef, but with a poultry taste? Ive always just been a bit wierded out by ground turkey in general. Like we were trying to trick ourselves that we were eating ground beef. Well, I decided to put that behind me and figure out if I could find a recipe we would like. Afterall, it is a healthy alternative to beef. Carl isnt a huge meatloaf fan, but I wonder if he would like it if it were a lighter version? I was inspired by this recipe to make mini meat loaves in a muffin pan. Meat muffins! Yeah! I came up with my own recipe based on what I had on hand. I served this up with some garlic roasted broccoli and thick sliced Hawaiian bread with lots of butter. This was the first time I made broccoli this way and I LOVED it. The broccoli recipe is below. All in all, everything turned out great. Carl, the meatloaf hater, even said they "exceeded his expectations." Just like when I first made Salmon Burgers. I remember when I made the salmon burgers the first time, we were both so skeptical. But they ended up being sooo good! A wonderful alternative to regular burgers. Better even! A great new way to eat Salmon. This was the same way. It really was so much better than meat loaf with ground beef.

Mini Italian Turkey Meat Loaves

1 lb ground turkey breast
1 can diced tomatos, drained
1/2 cup diced bell pepper
1 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
1 tsp worchestishire sauce
1 tsp hot sauce
lots of salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl with your hands until well combined. With a large spoon or ice cream scoop, fill a muffin tin to the top with the meat mixture. Top with parmesan cheese. Bake for 25 minutes or until a nice crust forms on top of each "muffin."

Garlic Roasted Broccoli with Parmesan

1 bunch of broccoli
1/4 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 lemon juiced
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
salt and fresh ground pepper

In a small pan, cook the garlic in the olive oil on low until it starts to sizzle. Continue to cook it slowly, making sure it doesnt burn, but turns a nice brown color. Add the pepper flakes and cook 1 more minute. Strain the garlic and pepper out of the oil and throw away. Add the oil to the broccoli in a bowl. Add lemon juice, parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste and toss to coat. Pour the broccoli into a large baking dish in one single layer and roast at 425 degrees for 10-15 minutes stirring once.

Whole Wheat Buttermilk Waffles

I decided to make waffles today. I rarely make them because I dont like only making 1 waffle at a time. Id rather have 8 pancakes going on the griddle instead. But today I got out the trusty old waffle iron. I have a nice one that was a wedding present. Its a Vintantonio Premier Five of Hearts Waffler. I love this little machine. It has never made anything except perfectly cooked waffles. I had Sam pull up a chair and we made these together. Adapted from this recipe.

1/2 cup white flour
1/2 cup wheat flour
1 Tbsp cornmeal
1 Tbsp flaxmeal
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup whole milk
1 large egg
2 Tbsp melted butter

In a large bowl, mix all the dry ingredients. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, milk, egg and melted butter. Pour all at once into dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Pour onto hot waffle iron in 1/4 cupfuls. Cook until golden and crispy.

Shrimp Ceviche

Tonight we had Carl's sister Audrey and her husband LaRue over for dinner. Carl requested that we have ceviche. I had made a great ceviche last year, but could not find the recipe anywhere. So I posted on The Nest that I was looking for a recipe and Nest Colleen, who writes a Dinner Q&A posted this recipe. I followed it almost to a tee, except I only used 1/2 the bunch of cilantro and I added about 1 tsp of Cholula hotsauce to give it a kick. Also, I used a yellow onion instead of a red one, because that was all I had on hand. Also, I didnt do the olive oil, just because I forgot all about it until later. It was still great! I served it with home made tostada shells. We had it for our main course and it was perfect. Light and healthy. Next time I will double the recipe because we had no leftovers. Ceviche is even better the next day! We will definately be having this one in the future! Everyone loved it!

Mike & Jan Thompson's Shrimp Ceviche

1 pound medium shrimp
3 limes, juiced
3 lemons, juiced
1 orange, juiced
1/2 cup seeded tomatoes cut into 1/2-inch dice
1/2 cup red onion cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 bunch cilantro, stemmed and chopped
1 Serrano chili, roughly chopped
1 large Hass avocado, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch dice
large cucumber peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 ripe mango peeled and diced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
Tortilla chips

In a large pot of boiling water, add the shrimp and simmer until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the shrimp to a bowl of ice water to chill.

Drain the shrimp, cut into 3/4-inch pieces and transfer to a bowl. Add the lime, lemon and orange juice, stir to combine and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Stir the tomato,onion, cilantro, salt and chili into shrimp mixture and let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes.

Prior to serving, stir in the avocado, cucumber and mango. Drizzle the olive oil over the mixture, stir gently and serve with tortilla chips.

Hole In One Eggs

I love to make these for Sam. He loves fried eggs with toast and making it this way makes breakfast fun for him and more interesting, therefore he is more likely to sit there the entire meal and eat. (Something that seems to be a challenge sometimes) My son loves the little circle shaped toast he gets. He keeps asking for more circle toast when his is gone. My dad used to make these for my sisters and I when we were kids and I remember loving them.

For each serving:

1 slice of whole wheat toast

1 egg

1 Tbsp butter

cooking spray

salt and pepper to taste

Heat a pan with cooking spray on med-high heat. Cut a circle shape out of the slice of bread with a muffin cutter. Butter one side of the cut toast and put it in the pan. Crack an egg into the hole and let it cook for several minutes, then flip it and cook the rest of the way until its done to your liking. Season with salt and pepper.

Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes

Ive been making alot of buttermilk pancakes lately because I needed buttermilk a few days ago and could only find a 1/2 gallon at the store. So today I finally used it all up. I adapted this recipe from a blog I came across called Whipped. They were so light for whole wheat pancakes. We all really liked them.

1 1/4 cups flour

3/4 cups whole wheat flour

3 Tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 cups buttermilk

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

4 Tablespoons melted, unsalted butter

Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl whisk together buttermilk, eggs and melted butter. Add to dry mixture all at once and stir until just combined. Mixture will be lumpy. Cook pancakes in a hot pan with a little oil or butter to make the edges crispy.

This makes about 16 large pancakes. I freeze the leftovers and have them on a morning when I dont feel like cooking from scratch.

Minestrone Pasta with Crispy Bacon

Adapted from Everyday with Rachael Ray. I didnt have any zucchini, so I chopped up a fresh tomato instead. I added 1 Tbsp minced garlic to the onions in the pan. I also substituted 2 cups vegatable broth for 2 cups of water to add a bit more flavor. I added 1/2 cup of toasted pinenuts just because I had been wanting to use them for awhile and I thought they would be good. This would be so easy to make into a vegetarian dish by just leaving out the bacon and sauteing the onions in 2 Tbsp olive oil. All in all it was very good. I prepped it a couple hrs before and cooked the bacon ahead of time. I usually prep dinner in the afternoons when Charlie is napping. Then at dinner time I can tell Carl to take the boys outside for a bit while I throw it all together as quickly as possible. It usually works well.

6 slices thick-cut bacon, coarsely chopped (about 6 ounces)
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound short pasta, such as ditalini (1 1/2 cups)
One 15-ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed
2 zucchini, cut into matchsticks
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
Pepper
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
1/4 cup chopped basil, parsley and mint
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel

In a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium-high heat until crisp, about 4 minutes; reserve 2 tablespoons of the fat and drain the bacon on paper towels.

In a large saucepan, heat the bacon fat over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add 4 cups water and the salt and bring to a boil. Stir in the pasta and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is just tender and the liquid is more than halfway absorbed, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the beans, zucchini and peas and season with salt and pepper. Return to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are fork-tender, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the parmesan, herbs and lemon peel.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pasta and vegetables to bowls. Top with more parmesan and the reserved bacon.

Peking Peanut Penne

I decided to try this recipe after someone from Whats Cooking? posted a link to their blog with this recipe in it. Here is the link to the Food Blog. I served this with Asian Cabbage Salad. I have to say that when I was grilling the chicken breasts for this recipe, I got a phone call and completly forgot about my chicken on the grill. When I finally remembered, I had a mini heart attack as I tried to remember how long I was on the phone. I went to check the grill, expecting charred to the crisp breasts, but I was pleasantly suprised when I found my chicken cooked to perfection! My verdict on this recipe was that it was missing something. I didnt really know what. Carl and I both thought it was bland. I added extra salt. And when I mixed it with the Asian Cabbage, it was really yummy. I did love the flavors, but the texture was very clumpy and thick. Like cooled down alfredo sauce. I think I will try this again and maybe cook the sauce and use milk and add more of it to make it thinner. Its definately got potential!

1 lb. Penne Pasta

4 chicken breasts grilled, cubed
1 c. Creamy Peanut butter

1/3 bottle Bangkok Padang Peanut sauce

4 garlic cloves, pressed

1/2 c. heavy cream or milk

1/2 c. plus 1/2 c. shredded parmesan cheese

Cook pasta and chicken. Toss hot pasta with peanut butter, peanut sauce, garlic, milk and 1/2 c. parmesan. Use salt to taste. Transfer to Casserole dish and top with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 until cheese is light brown. Enjoy!

Asian Cabbage Salad with Sesame Seeds

This was a light cabbage salad that I served with the Peking Peanut Penne. I thought it was very good. I used honey because I coudnt find Agave nectar. It had a tangy taste that we all thought was really good. I got the recipe from Kalyns Kitchen.

6 cups green cabbage, sliced in strips (about 1/2 large head of cabbage)

2 T sesame seeds, toasted

2 T peanuts (or more)

Dressing:

2 T rice vinegar

1 T sesame oil

1 T agave nectar (or honey)

1/8 tsp. hot sauce

1/8 tsp. grated ginger

Slice cabbage in strips about 3/8 inch wide, cutting strips in half crosswise is they are too long. Mix rice vinegar, sesame oil, agave nectar, hot sauce and ginger in a small jar and shake to combine. (Can also wisk together in a bowl.) Toast sesame seeds about 1 minute in a small dry pan, until they start to be fragrant and slightly browned. Put cabbage strips into mixing bowl, toss well with dressing, arrange on individual serving plates and sprinkle with sesame seeds and peanuts.

Tasty Lentil Tacos

I decided to enter my first food blog cooking challenge. Its called Recipe Remix and its all about cooking outside of the box. Basically, there are 5 different main dishes that are normal everyday foods in the US. I picked Tacos and set out to find a taco recipe that was different than anything I had ever tried. I found this recipe for Tasty Lentil Tacos from Allrecipes and I knew I needed to try these. I followed the recipe exactly, except we made them into tostadas since I already had tostada shells on hand and no taco shells. Also, the lentils needed to cook 20 minutes longer to get soft enough to mash so I needed to add more chicken broth to keep them cooking right. All in all, this turned out very good. It is definately not a subsitute for meat. Its just different. We really enjoyed these and they are a nice, light version of tacos. I will definatly make these in the future for some of my family members that I know LOVE lentils.

1 cup finely chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon canola oil
1 cup dried lentils, rinsed
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 cup salsa
12 taco shells
1 1/2 cups shredded lettuce
1 cup chopped fresh tomato
1 1/2 cups shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
6 tablespoons fat free sour cream

In a large nonstick skillet, saute the onion and garlic in oil until tender. Add the lentils, chili powder, cumin and oregano; cook and stir for 1 minute. Add broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes or until the lentils are tender. Uncover; cook for 6-8 minutes or until mixture is thickened. Mash lentils slightly.

Stir in salsa. Spoon about 1/4 cup lentil mixture into each taco shell. Top with lettuce, tomato, cheese and sour cream.

Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

I have to be honest that usually when I make pancakes, it is Bisquick mix. I love Bisquick and think its yummy. The only time I make pancakes from scratch is when I am out of Bisquick and then I realize that its not that much more work to just throw pancakes together from scratch. I usually do add blueberries. I chop them up in my food chopper because Sam doesnt like them whole in the pancakes. This recipe is from my trusty Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook that Ive been using since I moved out of my parents house.

1 cup flour

2 Tbsp cornmeal

1 Tbsp sugar (I leave this out)

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1 beaten egg

1 cup buttermilk or sour milk

2 Tbsp cooking oil

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

In a medium mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients and set aside.

In another bowl, stir together the egg, buttermilk and oil. Add egg mixture all at once to dry mixture. Stir just till moistened (batter should be lumpy). Gently fold in blueberries.

For each pancake, pour about 1/4 cup batter onto a hot, lightly greasted griddle or heavy skillet. Cook over medium heat about 2 minutes on each side or until pancakes are golden brown, turning to second sides when pancakes have bubbly surfaces and edges are slightly dry.

Cinnamon French Toast

I love good french toast. The key to good french toast is a good bread. Sure you can use your normal sandwich bread when nothing else is available, but it doesnt compare to thick cut french bread or challah. Usually, we have french toast anytime I have good leftover bread from the night before. See even the kiddies love it!

1/2 loaf of french bread, cut into thick slices

5 eggs

1/4 cup milk or half&half

1/2 tsp vanilla

butter and cinnamon to taste

Preheat a griddle and spray with cooking spray. Whisk the eggs, milk and vanilla in a shallow dish. Dunk the bread slices into the egg mixture and let sit for 15-30 seconds. Fry for about 2 minutes on each side, or till golden. When the toast has been flipped, slather butter on it and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Lemon Garlic Baby Dutch Yellow Potatoes

This turned out really good! Potatoes are like that though, easy and you cant usually go wrong. I got this recipe right off the packaging my potatoes came in.

1 1/2 lbs Baby Dutch Yellow Potatos, halved
1/2 cup butter (I used 1/4 cup butter and 2 T Olive Oil)

2 tsp. minced garlic

1 tsp salt & 1 tsp pepper

juice of 1 whole lemon

1 Tbsp Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Place potatoes in a large ziplock bag. In a small bowl, combine melted butter, garlice, salt and lemon juice. Pour over potatoes and shake to coat. Pour into a baking pan and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake covered for 30 minutes, then bake an additional 10 minutes or until golden brown. (I just baked uncovered the whole time. I stirred every 15 minutes and baked for almost an hour to get them really crispy.)

Easy Chicken and Veggie Stir Fry

This is a quick easy way to make a good stir fry. You can use Chicken or Beef and any veggies you have in the fridge. The Sauce is a yummy garlic hoisin sauce that I love on just about anything. Its got a sweet spicy taste. I also like to eat stir fry with brown rice since I like to incorporate whole grains whenever I can. Oh and you can't forget those yummy crispy chow mein noodles to top it off and give it some crunch. If I would have had peanuts, Id have added those to this dish as well. I bet cashews would go wonderfully too. Yum!

1 lb chicken breast, cut into 1 inch chuncks

2 large carrots, sliced on the bias

3 large celery sticks, cut on the bias

6-8 asparagus spears (depending on size) cut into 1 inch pieces

1/2 cup frozen peas

1 bell pepper, chopped (a red one would have added more color)

1 cup of Soy Vay Garlic Hoisin Sauce

peanut oil

Marinate the chicken in 1/2 cup of hoisin sauce for at least a couple or hours.

In a large skillet or wok, heat oil on Med heat for 1 minute. Add the veggies and stir fry until the carrots and celery are crisp tender, about 5 minutes. Pour onto a plate and set aside.

Now heat a little more oil and fry up the chicken until no longer pink, about 3 minutes. Return the veggies to the pan and add remaining 1/2 cup of sauce or more to taste. Heat an additional minute until hot and bubbly. Serve over rice.