Teriyaki Chicken Lettuce Wraps

I have to give Julie the credit for this delicious Teriyaki sauce that I used in these Chicken Lettuce Wraps. We have used her sauce in Supper Club meals to marinate chicken breasts for grilling and they are one of our most popular items. Using her sauce as a starting point, these wraps came together quickly and made a great light summer meal. I think they would also be wonderful if you used shrimp in place of the chicken. I'm planning to try that next time.

Teriyaki Chicken Lettuce Wraps
For the glaze:
1/2  cup soy sauce
1/4  cup brown sugar
1/4  cup honey
1/2  cup red wine vinegar
1/2  teaspoon garlic powder
1/4  teaspoon onion powder
1/4  teaspoon ginger
2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

For the filling:
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
1/2  teaspoon pepper
2  tablespoons Sesame Oil
1/2  cup onion, diced
1  tablespoon garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes (optional), omit if you don't like "heat"
1/2 lime, juiced (1 1/2 tablespoons)
1 red bell pepper, diced
4 green onions, sliced
1/2  cup dry roasted peanuts or cashews
8 lettuce leaves
Fresh Cilantro for garnish

In a medium saucepan, mix all the glaze ingredients together, except the cornstarch, and bring to a slow boil. Take 1/3 cup of sauce and put in a small bowl. Mix with the cornstarch and whisk together. Add back into the sauce and simmer until it thickens to desired consistency, about 5 minutes. If it gets too thick, you can thin with a little water. Set aside.

Season the diced chicken with pepper.  Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat and add the Sesame oil. Saute the onion and garlic for a few minutes until beginning to soften. Add the chicken and continue cooking until chicken is cooked through, about 5-7 minutes. Stir in the red pepper flakes, if using, cook another minute. Pour the Teriyaki sauce into the skillet with the chicken. Add the lime juice, red bell pepper, green onions, peanuts (or cashews).  Spoon about 1/2 cup of the mixture into a lettuce leaf and garnish with fresh cilantro.

Cooks Note: Don't let the red pepper flakes scare you. Start with half the amount if you are not sure. We love the little "bite" that it gives the dish.

Serving size: 2 lettuce wraps per person

Enjoy!

Kim and Julie

Linked to the following parties:
Weekend Potluck
Foodie Friday
Church Supper
Six Sisters' Stuff Strut Your Stuff
Gooseberry Patch Lightening Up in 2013
Addicted to Recipes Scrumptious Sunday Link Party

Key Lime Bars

My daughter and I love to look at the beautiful photos on foodgawker. If you are not familiar with foodgawker you have to check it out. You can see Supper Club's foodgawker photo gallery here.  You can just scroll through pictures and if you see something that interests you, just click on the picture and it will take you to the website of the recipe. They are really particular about the photos they will accept so there are some gorgeous photos. It is like pinterest with just beautiful photos of food!

My daughter saw this recipe for Key Lime Bars and immediately wanted to make them. We love key lime at our house. The recipe is from a food blogger named Gerry and his blog Foodness Gracious. He also has a facebook page that can be found here. His photo is gorgeous! 

Key Lime Bars
courtesy of Foodness Gracious

For the crust

2 sticks of unsalted butter at room temperature
3/4 cup of granulated sugar
1/4 cup of packed brown sugar
2 cups of all purpose flour
Pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon of chopped fresh mint

For the lime filling

4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups of sugar
6 tablespoons of flour
1/2 cup of fresh lime juice (I used about 23 key limes but regular limes would work, enough to make one half cup of fresh juice)
2 teaspoons of lime zest
1 drop of green food coloring
Powdered sugar and fresh mint for topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9x13- inch baking pan and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer cream the butter and sugars until fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl. Add the flour, salt and mint. Beat on low speed until the mixture just comes together.

Dump the crust mixture into the prepared pan and use your finger tips to spread it out evenly all over the base of the pan. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until slightly browned on top.

To make the filling: While the crust is baking, In a medium bowl whisk together eggs and sugar until light and pale, about 8 minutes. Add the flour, lime juice, lime zest and green coloring. Whisk until completely blended.

Remove the baked base from the oven and immediately pour the filling mix over the hot crust. Return to the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, until brown around the edges and set in the middle.

Cool completely in the pan. Cut into squares and dust with powdered sugar and more chopped mint. To store lime bars, place in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Cooks Note: We used regular limes because we couldn't locate Key Limes. We are looking forward to trying it with key limes!

Enjoy!

Kim

Reprinted with permission from Gerry at Foodness Gracious.


I've linked this recipe to the Church Supper over at Everyday Mom's Meals.

Weekend Potluck #19

Summer has officially begun in our home. Our kids had their last day of school yesterday. I now have 2 that will be at the high school next year. I can't believe how fast the time goes. When they were little, there were many stages I thought would never end! 

Hope everyone has a nice holiday planned. We are planning on a lot of relaxation. Take a look back at past Weekend Potlucks for some great ideas for your holiday barbecue or get together.

Last week's Weekend Potluck made it difficult for our team to choose which recipes to feature. I guess that is a good thing, right? If you missed it, go back and take a look at all the delicious recipes available. I promise that Pinterest-addicts will be very happy.

NOTE: We cannot feature the recipe with the most clicks since it was not linked back from within the post. (Please refer to the linky guidelines for more information.) That makes us sad, but we are very happy to recognize...

The recipe with the 2nd most clicks was ~

                                                Lofthouse Sugar Cookies by Stella B's Kitchen

Recipes that caught our attention ~

                                             Gooey Peachy Butter Cake by The Cannery Family

                                           Easy Cheesy Bacon Chicken by Serving Joyfully

And, a personal favorite ~

                          Chicken Ravioli in Tarragon Garlic Cream by It’s Not Just About The Recipe

If you were featured today, please feel free to grab the red “featured” button from my sidebar.

Your hosts ~

• The Better Baker ~ Marsha
• Sunflower Supper Club ~ Kim & Julie
• 4 Little Fergusons~ Tonya
• The Country Cook~ Brandie
• Meet Penny ~ Tabitha

Remember that when you link up, it shows on all FIVE blogs. Plus…

We TWEET. We PIN. We LIKE.

When you are kind enough to follow our guidelines, we work hard to get you as much exposure as possible so that your time here is well invested. Linky Guidelines: If you wish for us to promote your recipe or want to be a featured recipe, you must follow these instructions. Please link up to your exact post and not the main page to your blog. Also, LINK BACK HERE from your post so that others can find the fun. (Need help linking back? Read this.) You can use the button or a direct link within your post. If you have a recipe to share, please be sure that you are following ALL co-hosts (The Country Cook, 4 Little Fergusons, The Better Baker, Sunflower Supper Club, AND Meet Penny) by either RSS feed, Daily Email Digest, Facebook or Twitter. Thanks so much for participating!


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Sweet Chili Asian Chicken Salad

Have you ever had the Asian Chicken Salad from Old Chicago restaurant? If you are familiar with Old Chicago, salads are not generally what they are known for. They are more well known for their pizza or calzones, but my daughter and I love their version of an Asian Chicken Salad. Unfortunately we live about an hour from the closest restaurant so we decided to make our own version of this delicious salad. 

Sweet Chilli Asian Chicken Salad
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup Teriyaki sauce or marinade (click here for our tasty Teriyaki sauce)
4 ounces spaghetti
1/2 cup Sweet Chilli Sauce, divided (I use Mae Ploy brand, from Asian section in grocery store)
12-14 cups crisp salad greens
1 red bell pepper, chopped
4 green onions, sliced, green tops included
1/2 cup carrot, shredded
4  teaspoons Sesame seeds, toasted
8  wonton wrappers, that have been cut in half and sliced into strips and fried. 

For the dressing:
1/3 cup Sweet Chilli Sauce
1/4 cup lime juice
1/2  teaspoon ground ginger
2 small cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2  cup canola oil

Place the chicken breast in a ziplock bag and pour in the marinade. Seal and place in fridge and marinate for at least 30 minutes up to a couple of hours. Grill the chicken breast over a hot grill or cook in grill pan on the stove-top. Set aside to rest.

While the chicken is cooking, boil the spaghetti in salted water and cook until al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water. In a bowl, mix the cool spaghetti noodles with 1/4 cup of the Chilli sauce. Set in the fridge to chill while assembling the salad.

In a large bowl, mix together the salad greens, red bell pepper, green onions and carrots.

For the Dressing: 
In a small bowl mix the Sweet Chilli Sauce, lime juice, ginger, garlic and salt. Slowly whisk in the vegetable oil and whisk until combined.

Drizzle dressing on the salad greens mixture and toss. Divide onto 4 serving plates. Top with chicken breast that has been sliced. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and top with fried wonton strips.

Cooks Notes:
To toast Sesame seeds: Place in a dry skillet over medium heat. Shake the pan frequently. Watch carefully, it only takes 4-5 minutes.

The Wonton strips can also be baked. Just place on a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Spray the tops with more cooking spray and cook in a 375 degree oven for about 7-10 minutes. 

Enjoy!

Kim

I've shared this recipe at the following link parties:
Our very own Weekend Potluck 
Everyday Mom's Meals Church Supper.
Recipes For My Boys Thursday's Treasures
Six Sisters' Stuff Strut Your Stuff Saturday Link Party
Lemon Sugar Share It Saturday

Creamy Cajun Jambalaya Pasta

Inspired by our love of Cajun food, this pasta dish incorporates the basic flavors of Jambalaya. The peas are a recent addition. The kids and I liked them, but Dan said he would prefer the dish without. I am pretty liberal with the Cajun seasoning. You might try starting with half of the amount so it doesn't get too spicy for your family.

Creamy Cajun Jambalaya Pasta

1 package (16 ounce) Polska Kielbasa, sliced into half moons

2 chicken breasts (6-8 ounces each), pounded about ½ inch thick

Cajun Seasoning, about 2 teaspoons, divided (Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning)

4  tablespoons butter, divided

1 pound pasta, I used Penne

½  cup onion, chopped

½  cup carrots, diced

½  cup celery, sliced

½  cup red pepper, diced

¼  cup sundried tomatoes, chopped

2  cloves garlic, minced (1 teaspoon)

¼  cup flour

1 ½  cups chicken broth

2  cups whole milk

1  cup frozen peas, thawed

1  cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Heat a Dutch Oven or large pot over medium high heat. Add the Polska Kielbasa and cook until browned, stirring often. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.  Remove all but 1 tablespoon of grease from the pot and add 1 tablespoon butter. Sprinkle chicken breasts generously with Cajun seasoning (about 1 teaspoon) and cook about 4 minutes per side over medium high heat or until cooked through. Remove from Dutch Oven and set aside with the kielbasa.

Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water, until al dente.  Drain.

Meanwhile, while the pasta is cooking, turn the heat to medium and melt the remaining 3 tablespoons butter to the Dutch Oven.   Add the onions, carrots, celery, red pepper and sun dried tomatoes.  Sauté about 3-5 minutes until soft.  Add the garlic and cook another minute until fragrant. Add the flour and whisk for about 2 minutes. Slowly add the chicken broth and the milk.  Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce heat and simmer for a couple of minutes until beginning to thicken. Add the peas and simmer another couple of minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the Parmesan Cheese and an additional teaspoon of Cajun seasoning.

Dice the chicken and add back into the Dutch Oven with the kielbasa and cooked pasta. Mix well. Garnish with additional Parmesan cheese if desired.

Enjoy!

Kim

I've linked this recipe to the following parties:
Weekend Potluck
Family Fresh Meals Recipe of the Week Pasta
Six Sisters' Stuff Strut Your Stuff Saturday Link Party

Weekend Potluck #18

Every week you fabulous foodies just amaze us. There were so many delicious recipes linked to the Weekend Potluck all we can say is...

WOW. Last week was a super-tremendous party and it was almost too difficult to pick favorites, but we tried...

The recipe with the most clicks was ~

Banana Pudding Cheese Cake by Recipes for Divine Living

Recipes that caught our attention ~

Chicken Crescent Roll Casserole by Simply You & Me

Strawberry Cream Dessert by The Big Green Bowl

And, a personal favorite ~

                                           Parmesan Popovers by Lisa’s Dinnertime Dish

If you were featured today, please feel free to grab the red “featured” button from my sidebar.

Your hosts ~

• Meet Penny ~ Tabitha
• The Better Baker ~ Marsha
• Sunflower Supper Club ~ Kim & Julie
• 4 Little Fergusons~ Tonya
• The Country Cook~ Brandie

Remember that when you link up, it shows on all FIVE blogs. Plus…

We TWEET. We PIN. We LIKE.

When you are kind enough to follow our guidelines, we work hard to get you as much exposure as possible so that your time here is well invested. Linky Guidelines: If you wish for us to promote your recipe or want to be a featured recipe, you must follow these instructions. Please link up to your exact post and not the main page to your blog. Also, LINK BACK HERE from your post so that others can find the fun. (Need help linking back? Read this.) You can use the button or a direct link within your post. If you have a recipe to share, please be sure that you are following ALL co-hosts (The Country Cook, 4 Little Fergusons, The Better Baker, Sunflower Supper Club, AND Meet Penny) by either RSS feed, Daily Email Digest, Facebook or Twitter. Thanks so much for participating!

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Old Fashioned Garlic Cheese Grits

I've told you before that my family's favorite meal is a big juicy grilled steak, cheesy grits, a big green salad and cheesy bread. It is often our Sunday evening meal if we haven't eaten a big lunch after church.  This is my standard grits dish that I have made for years. If you can find stone ground grits it is definitely worth it. I love the texture of stone ground grits. Don't worry if you can't find them, instant grits also work and are delicious. 

Old Fashioned Garlic Cheese Grits
7  cups water
2  teaspoons salt
2  cups grits 
1/2  cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1/2  cup milk
1  teaspoon granulated garlic
1  teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1  teaspoons Frank's hot sauce 
4  cups (16 ounces) Sharp Cheddar Cheese
4  eggs, beaten


Bring water to a boil in a large saucepan.  Add the salt and slowly whisk in the grits. Be sure and whisk constantly for about a minute so there are no lumps. Reduce heat and simmer until well done, about 25 minutes. If you are using instant grits it won't take as long, about 5 to 7 minutes. 


Remove from heat and stir in butter, milk, garlic, Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce. Add the cheese a handful at a time and mix until blended. In a small bowl, crack the eggs and beat well. Take the whisk and add a small amount of the hot grit mixture to the bowl with the eggs and whisk. Pour the eggs a little at a time back into the saucepan with the grits and whisk until blended. Work quickly so you don't end up with pieces of scrambled eggs in your grits!


Pour into a greased 9 X 13 inch dish and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. If the top is browning too quickly, cover loosely with foil.


Enjoy!


Kim 


I linked this to the Weekend Potluck.

Weekend Potluck #17

Each week the Weekend Potluck just seems to get better and better! We had a difficult time picking our favorites! You guys always bring the best of the best, thanks so much for that!

Now...let's get onto today's business and take a look at last week's Potluck...

The recipe with the most clicks was ~

Key Lime Poke Cake by Everyday Moms Meals

Recipes that caught our attention ~

Sausage Gravy Biscuits by A'Lil Country Sugar

Rhubarb Dump Cake by Hot Eats and Cool Reads

And, a personal favorite ~

                                            Blueberry Pound Cake by Served Up With Love

If you were featured today, please feel free to grab the red “featured” button from my sidebar.

Your hosts ~

• The Country Cook~ Brandie
• Meet Penny ~ Tabitha
• The Better Baker ~ Marsha
• Sunflower Supper Club ~ Kim & Julie
• 4 Little Fergusons~ Tonya

Remember that when you link up, it shows on all FIVE blogs. Plus…

We TWEET. We PIN. We LIKE.

When you are kind enough to follow our guidelines, we work hard to get you as much exposure as possible so that your time here is well invested. Linky Guidelines: If you wish for us to promote your recipe or want to be a featured recipe, you must follow these instructions. Please link up to your exact post and not the main page to your blog. Also, LINK BACK HERE from your post so that others can find the fun. (Need help linking back? Read this.) You can use the button or a direct link within your post. If you have a recipe to share, please be sure that you are following ALL co-hosts (The Country Cook, 4 Little Fergusons, The Better Baker, Sunflower Supper Club, AND Meet Penny) by either RSS feed, Daily Email Digest, Facebook or Twitter. Thanks so much for participating!


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Asian Chicken Egg Rolls

Here is my take on take on Chicken Egg Rolls, minus the fat and calories of frying. These are baked, and they come together easily so you'll have dinner to the table in a flash. I served them with my fried rice, minus the chicken. You can find the recipe here.

Asian Chicken Egg Rolls
5  cups shredded coleslaw mix (about 10 ounces)
1   pound cooked chicken breast, finely chopped or shredded
5  green onions, sliced
1/2  cup shredded carrot
1/4  cup Asian plum sauce
1/4  cup Asian hoisin sauce
1  tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1  tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1  package (15 count) egg roll wrappers
1/4  cup olive oil

In a large bowl, mix together the coleslaw mix, cooked chicken, green onions, shredded carrot, plum sauce, hoisin, ginger and sesame oil.

Place an egg roll wrapper on counter with a point facing toward you. Place 1/3 cup (heaping) of the mixture toward the lower 1/3 of the egg roll wrapper and fold the point up away from you. Roll tightly away from you and fold the sides in. Dip your finger in a little bowl of water and run it along the other point and finish rolling the eggroll pressing to seal the point.

Place the eggrolls on a cookie sheet coated with cooking spray. Brush the eggrolls with the olive oil. Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes, turning them halfway through, until golden brown. 

Enjoy!

Kim 

Linked to the following parties:
Weekend Potluck
Family Fresh Meals Recipe of the Week
Walking on Sunshine Foodie Friends Friday
The Mandatory Mooch Tasty Thursdays

The Summer Garden and Sweet and Sour Green Beans

Are you an optimist by nature?  I sure am!!!  I’m not over-the-top bubbly, feet off the ground silly or anything like that but, I do see the glass as half full.  I think that has to be an inherent trait of people who garden.   If you garden, you know the phrase . . . there’s always next year!!  

My vegetable garden last year was a bust.  We had very dry weather here in Kansas and a bazillion  days in a row over 100 (o.k., I’m sure all of you in Phoenix are turning your noses up now) which turned into a not very productive year.

But, being the little optimist I am, it’s another year!!!!!  Veggies are planted, the soil is tilled and we are off to a great start.  We have planted 42 tomato plants in the hopes of giving some of them to our Supper Club clients along with their meals. Isn’t that what life is all about – sharing!!

During the summer months I want to share with you the progress of the garden (you will note our wonderful little tomato plants and if you look closely a lovely tomato even!!) and some great recipes that utilize veggies.

Since the only thing I have harvested from the garden so far is lettuce and spinach, I thought I would share an old standby recipe that uses canned green beans.  I think a canned veggie can be a great alternative in a pinch.  The following recipe is as old as the hills but always a good go-to recipe. 

My family will eat canned green beans no other way.  Try it sometime, or at least until fresh green beans are available in your area . . .

Sweet-n-Sour Green Beans

1 can cut green beans – drained

2 Tablespoons vinegar

2 Tablespoons sugar  (I use splenda sometimes)

2 Tablespoons diced onions

2 Tablespoons butter

In a saucepan melt the butter.  Add the onions and cook for a few minutes, stirring often.  Add the sugar and stir together.  Then add the vinegar and stir together.  Once combined add the green beans.  Cover and let cook for a few minutes. 

There you go!!  Done!!

Hope you enjoy the recipe and enjoy any gardening you have to do!!

Julie

Weekend Potluck #16

Happy Friday! Welcome back to another Weekend Potluck. Grab a cup of coffee and pull up a chair and stay for awhile. We had over 130 delicious recipes linked up last week. Thanks so much!

Now, let's take a quick peek back at last week...

The recipe with the most clicks was ~

Busy Day Chicken by 4 Little Fergusons

Recipes that caught our attention ~

Snickers Cheesecake by The Joy of Caking

Cheesecake S'mores Danish by Inside BruCrew Life

And, a personal favorite

Pasta with Sweet Italian Sausage by Hungry Couple

If you were featured today, please feel free to grab the red “featured” button from my sidebar.

Your hosts ~

• 4 Little Fergusons ~ Tonya
• The Country Cook ~ Brandie
• Meet Penny ~ Tabitha
• The Better Baker ~ Marsha
• Sunflower Supper Club ~ Kim & Julie

Remember that when you link up, it shows on all FIVE blogs. Plus…

We TWEET. We PIN. We LIKE.

We want you to get as much exposure as possible so that your time here is well invested. Over the last couple of weeks, we have not been able to feature certain recipes because they have not followed the linky guidelines. If you are unsure how to participate in a linky party, we recommend you take a look at the following video, courtesy of The Domestically Impaired Guide to the Retro Kitchen Arts. (A video is embeded.) Linky Guidelines: If you wish for us to promote your recipe or want to be a featured recipe, you must follow these instructions. Please link up to your exact post and not the main page to your blog. Also, LINK BACK HERE from your post so that others can find the fun. (Need help linking back? Read this.) You can use the button or a direct link within your post. If you have a recipe to share, please be sure that you are following ALL co-hosts (The Country Cook, 4 Little Fergusons, The Better Baker, Sunflower Supper Club, AND Meet Penny) by either RSS feed, Daily Email Digest, Facebook or Twitter. Thanks so much for participating!


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Peanut Butter Pretzel Brownies

I'm not much into baking cookies(I know I've told you that before), thankfully I have older kids who love to make cookies. I don't have the patience to scoop out the individual cookies. Usually I will bake bar cookies or brownies. I have seen a lot of brownie and cookie recipes on Pinterest that add pretzel bits. If you're on pinterest I'd love for you to follow me, you can find me here. This brownie recipe with peanut butter and chocolate chips is a favorite at our house. One day when I was on pinterest, the little light bulb went off and I decided to make a batch and add pretzel pieces. We were mighty pleased with the result!

Peanut Butter Pretzel Brownies
6  tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2  cup creamy peanut butter
1  cup packed brown sugar
2  eggs
1  teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1  cup flour
1  teaspoon baking powder
1/2  teaspoon salt
1  cup chocolate chips
1  cup pretzel sticks, broken


In the bowl of your mixer, beat together the butter, peanut butter and brown sugar. Beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla extract.


In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add to the mixer a little at a time, mixing until just combined.


Fold in the chocolate chips and pretzel pieces.


Spread batter in a lightly greased 9" baking dish.


Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.


Enjoy!


Kim