One of my favorite tools

I never thought I'd need or want, much less love having a citrus press but I do. I got it mostly by accident, one of the youth leaders at church bought it for a dinner they were doing. It was a going away dinner for the mission team going to Guatemala and they were serving (non-alcholic) sangria. She bought the press, used it that night, but didn't need it after. I'm not sure if she already had one or what but we ended up taking it home with us. I don't use it very often, but when I need some lemon juice or lime juice, like tonight, it sure is handy to have around. It does a great job of getting out all the juice and leaves these cute little rounds of pressed peel. If you don't have one, I highly recommend getting one.

Easy Sesame Chicken

One of my girls made sesame chicken to take to bible study one night a while back. It was really good and pretty easy. It was requested again for dinner at home. Of course, we couldn't find the recipe we printed off and a quick search didn't bring it up but I did find this one. It was even easier, really tasty, and quick. My only quibble with it is that it didn't make enough sauce so I've doubled the recipe here for the sauce. The recipe calls for boneless, skinless chicken thighs; you can also use breasts or tenderloins (which is what I had and used).

Easy Sesame Chicken
serves 4

Not the prettiest picture, but I had already eaten

 all mine.

chicken
1 egg
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 pinch each salt & pepper
1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
2 Tbsp vegetable oil

sauce
4 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
3 Tbsp brown sugar
3 Tbsp rice vinegar
2 inches fresh ginger, grated
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 Tbsp sesame seeds
2 Tbsp cornstarch

for serving
4 c cooked jasmine rice
2 whole green onions, sliced

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, 2 Tbsp cornstarch, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Trim any extra fat from the chicken, then cut into small 1 inch pieces. Toss the chicken in the egg and cornstarch mixture.

Heat a large skillet with 2 Tbsp of vegetable oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is very hot, add the chicken and all of the egg mixture. Cook the chicken, stirring only occasionally, until it is golden brown and cooked through (about 7-10 minutes). Drain off the excess oil, if desired.

While the chicken is cooking, prepare the sauce. In a small bowl stir together the sauce ingredients. Once the chicken is cooked through and golden brown, pour the sauce over top. Toss the chicken to coat the sauce. The sauce will begin to thicken as soon as it hits the hot skillet. Once the chicken is coated and the sauce thickened, turn off the heat.

Serve the chicken over a bed of rice and sprinkle the sliced green onions over top.

modified from Budget Bytes

Coconut Lime Chicken Soup

Oh. My. Gosh. This soup was so fabulous! I had some leftover coconut milk that I needed to use (most of a can) and I found this on my soups pinterest board. I figured I'd give it a try since it was supposed to be cooler today (it was, but it was still very humid) and since I wasn't sure how the rest of the family would like it, I made it while they were gone. This is a super easy recipe and very flavorful.

Coconut Lime Chicken Soup
serves 6

3 Tbsp butter
1 or 2 small carrots shredded
Thai seasoning:
    1/2  tsp curry powder
    1/4 tsp cinnamon
    1/4 tsp ginger
    1/4 tsp chili powder
    1/4 tsp paprika
    1/4 tsp salt
3 c chicken broth
1/2 bunch cilantro
1 15oz can unsweetened coconut milk
1 2-2 1/2 lb deli roasted chicken, shredded
1 c cooked long grain rice
juice of 1 lime
1 Tbsp soy sauce
optional garnish: extra cilantro and lime wedges

Add the butter, carrots, and Thai seasoning to a large pot, cooking over medium-high heat until carrots are softened.

In a blender, combine the chicken broth and cilantro, pulse a few times then pour contents into pot.

Add the rest of the ingredients, bring to a low boil, then remove from heat. Serve with extra cilantro and lime wedges.

slightly modified from Favorite Family Recipes

Mt. Dew Cake

This is another recipe from my friend Wendy. We needed to take a dessert to a potluck for the Guatemala mission team and I was told by one of my girls that this was really good. This is really easy and makes a good tasting, moist Bundt cake. This would probably be really good with a lemon glaze drizzled on it. Maybe we should try that next time.

Mt. Dew Cake

Lemon cake mix
12 oz. Mt. Dew
4 eggs
Lemon pudding
2/3 c oil

Mix all the ingredients together. Spray a Bundt pan really well with non-stick spray. Bake at 325* for 40-45 minutes. Cool 20 minutes, then remove from pan and finish cooling on a rack.

Thick, Chewy Oatmeal Cookies

We needed to make cookies for something recently and went for oatmeal. The containers of oatmeal that I had didn't have a recipe on them for cookies so we had to hit the web to find something. We came across these and they were really good. They didn't last long enough for a picture! I guess that just means that we'll have to make more and remember a picture before they're gone again.

Thick, Chewy Oatmeal Cookies

1 c butter, softened (2 sticks)
1 1/2 c brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
3 c rolled oats
1 1/2 c raisins
1 c walnuts, chopped (optional)

Cream butter, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. In a separate bowl whisk flour, baking soda, cnnamon, and salt together. Stir this into the butter/sugar mixture. Stir in oats, raisins, and walnuts.

Chill the dough for a bit (this makes for a thicker, chewier cookie) then scoop onto a parchment lined cookie sheet. You could also scoop the dough, put it into a freezer container and just bake as needed.

When you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350* for 10-12 minutes (perhaps slightly longer if you bake them from frozen). Take them out when they are golden on the edges but still a little undercooked-looking on top. Let them sit on the cookie sheet 5 minutes, then put on a rack to cool.

Recipe from (and ever so slightly modified) smitten kitchen.

Food of the South

We just got back from a bike trip in the deep South. We had a good time cycling and mostly ate at the campgrounds, but we did go out to eat a few times to partake in Southern specialties, namely pulled pork and fried catfish.

The first stop we made was in Natchez, MS at The Pig Out Inn. This was (obviously) a bbq joint that probably gets crowded and hopping pretty good some evenings. We were there early for dinner so it wasn't busy but the food was really good. Most of us got either pulled pork or ribs. You had a choice of sides and the baked beans were good with a smokey flavor and the cole slaw had a  bit of a kick to it (good but not what I'm used to). We all enjoyed that meal very much. After we drove a very short distance to the Mississippi River and overlooked Louisiana.

The next meal out was to get fried catfish. The place we were going to go was closed but we ended up at a place that was really good. We ate at the Sawmeal in Adamsville, TN. Now the only reason you'd be in Adamsville is if you're going to Shiloh National Military Park which is nearby. Otherwise, there's nothing nearby that would draw you there. We finished riding early that day and went over to Shiloh to do some sightseeing and stopped at the Sawmeal for dinner. For the true Southerner with us, the catfish was perfect; I'd have to agree. The meal was delicious! We started with hush puppies, then most of us got the fried catfish that came with cole slaw and another side. The second side varied by interests, Sarah got a baked sweet potato, most got fries, and I got the onion rings. Whitney had a steak and baked potato and raved (and probably dreamed) about her steak. The service was friendly and efficient. We really enjoyed eating at the Sawmeal.

The last meal out was at the River Rat Grill in Hohenwald, TN. Another good meal and a fun waitress. The catfish wasn't quite as good, from the reports of those that got it, but I can say the reuben was fantastic. I don't remember what the rest ate, I think the girls got steaks, but mostly they said the food was good. The only downside to the River Rat was that the choices of sides was pretty much limited to some form of potato or another starch (mac & cheese or white beans). Most meals came with a choice of two sides so it made it hard.

Aunt Betsey's Carrot Cake

I've had this recipe of my aunt's for carrot cake for years and love it each time I make it.

Carrot Cake

1 1/2 c cooking oil
2 c sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
2 c flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
2 c chopped walnuts
3 c grated carrots

Blend oil and sugar, add eggs one at a time. Beat well after each addition. Combine dry ingredients, add to creamed mixture. Stir in remaining ingredients. Bake in a 13" x 9" pan, 50-60 minutes, 350* oven.

Frost with cream cheese frosting.