Sticky Coconut Chicken with Coconut Rice

This is another great recipe from Melanie over at My Kitchen Cafe. I served sauteed garlic sugar-snap peas on the side.
Sticky Coconut Chicken
6-8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 can coconut milk, divided
1 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger
1 tsp. fresh ground pepper
1 tsp. red pepper flakes (I only used 1/2 tsp)

Marinade chicken in 1 c. coconut milk, ginger, pepper and red pepper flakes at least one hour. Grill on barbecue (I actually baked mine at 425 for about 25 minutes, because my grill is broken, and it was great!).

Glaze:
3/4 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. red pepper flakes (again, I used 1/2 tsp)

While the chicken is grilling, bring above ingredients to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until mixture is reduced and thickened, about 8-10 minutes. Be patient because it takes a little while. But once it starts getting really thick, immediately take it off the heat! Glaze both sides of chicken the last few minutes of grilling and serve chicken over rice.

To make the rice, use the remaining coconut milk to replace part of the water when you cook your rice. Serve rice with toasted coconut on top. Mmmm!

Rich & Hearty Lasagna

I previously posted my recipe for meatless lasagna, but I used a jarred sauce and cottage cheese. I recently tried making my first homemade cheese- Ricotta- and it turned out great, so I thought to celebrate I'd make a from-scratch, authentic lasagna. Oh, it was SO good! The sauce is similar to my mom's recipe, and it is so much better than the stuff in the jar.

Rich & Hearty Lasagna

For the sauce:

1 lb. ground Italian sausage

1 onion, diced

3-4 cloves minced garlic

1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce

1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes

2 cans (6 oz each) tomato paste

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried parsley

salt and pepper

Brown sausage and onions until meat is no longer pink, drain excess fat if necessary. Add in garlic and cook a few more minutes. Add tomato sauce, paste, and diced tomatoes. Stir in spices, season to taste with salt and pepper. Add about a tomato-can full of water. Simmer over low heat for several hours, stirring occasionally and adding water if it becomes too thick. My mom would simmer this all day, and it makes the house smell heavenly!

For the lasagna:

12 lasagna noodles, cooked al dente and drained (I use whole-wheat)

3 c. ricotta cheese

1/2 c. parmesan

2 tb. parsley

2 eggs

2 c. mozzarella cheese

1 recipe meat sauce

Mix ricotta, parmesan, parsley and eggs in a bowl. In 9 x 13 pan spread about a cup of the meat sauce. Lay 4 lasagna noodles on sauce, spread 1/2 of ricotta mixture on noodles. Pour on 1/3 of remaining sauce. Layer 4 more noodles, other 1/2 of ricotta, and another 1/3 of sauce. Layer last 4 noodles and remaining sauce in pan, then sprinkle with mozzarella and more parmesan if desired. Cover with greased foil, bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake 15 minutes more. Remove from oven and let sit for about 15-20 minutes before cutting. Serve with some crusty French bread and enjoy!

Caramelitos

I found this yummy bar recipe over at Sister's Cafe. It was easy and delicious!

Caramelitos
1 cup flour

1 cup quick oats (I used regular)

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 cup milk chocolate chips

3/4 cup caramel topping

1/2 tsp soda

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup butter, melted

3 Tablespoons flour

Mix 1 c. flour, oats, sugar, soda, salt and butter. Press half of the mixture into a 11x7 pan and set the other half aside. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Remove from oven. Sprinkle with chocolate chips. Blend 3/4 cup caramel with 3 T. flour. Pour (drizzle) over chocolate chips. Sprinkle the balance of the flour oat mixture over the dessert. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until light brown. Allow to cool and set before slicing.

Tuna Wiggle

This is my slightly adapted version of a tuna casserole my mom made when I was growing up. I've changed it a little- I use whole-wheat egg noodles and added some seasonings in to jazz it up. Nothing fancy, but it is a great meal when you need something quick and easy- and most of the ingredients are probably in your pantry. My kids love it, and even the hubby has finally admitted he likes it too. I serve it with green beans.

Tuna Wiggle

12 oz. egg noodles (I use whole-wheat)

2-3 c. shredded colby-jack or cheddar cheese

2 cans tuna, drained

seasoned salt

3 tb. butter

1 c. milk

Cook egg noodles according to package directions, drain. In greased 8 x 11 casserole, layer half the noodles, half the cheese and one can tuna. Sprinkle with seasoned salt. Repeat layers of noodles, cheese, tuna and salt. Cut butter into pieces and lay on top of casserole, pour milk evenly over all. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes, or microwave on high for 3-4 minutes, turn, and microwave for 3-4 minutes more (this is what I usually do).

Caramelized Onion & Bleu Cheese Burgers

I found the recipe for this delicious burger on The Pioneer Woman Cooks and slightly adapted it for us. It's a nice change from your ordinary cheeseburger!

Caramelized Onion & Bleu Cheese Burgers
1 lb. ground turkey (or beef)
salt & pepper
Tabasco sauce
2 tb. butter
1 onion, thinly sliced (she uses red, I used white b/c that's what I had)
2 tb. brown sugar
1/2 c. bleu cheese, crumbled
mayonnaise
4 hearty, crusty buns (no pansy soft ones!)
Fresh salad greens

First, melt butter in a skillet. Stir onions and brown sugar in, saute on low heat for about 15 minutes, until soft and caramelized. Next, mix your meat with 1 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. black pepper, and a few shakes of Tabasco. Form into 4 patties (Pioneer Woman makes one huge burger, but that's a bit much for me, so I made 4 normal-sized ones). Grill or fry in skillet on both sides for several minutes, until no longer pink in center. Meanwhile, brush some more butter on a skillet and brown cut sides of buns for a few minutes. Mix about 1/2 c. mayo with a few shakes Tabasco, spread thinly on both sides of buns. Top burgers with a pile of onions and a sprinkle of bleu cheese. Place on bottom bun, top with greens and top bun, and enjoy!

Menu Plan Monday: Week 5

Monday: Caramelized Onion & Bleu Cheese Burgers, potato chips and pickles
Tuesday: Tuna Wiggle and green beans
Wednesday: Baked Cashew Chicken, glazed carrots and rolls
Thursday: Lasagna and French bread
Friday: Omelettes, toast and fruit
Saturday: Italian Wedding Soup
Sunday: Spicy-Honey Chicken, brocolli and rolls

Asphalt Pie

Our favorite things at Winger's are the wings (of course) and Asphalt Pie. One of these days I'll get around to posting my copycat wing recipe (it's awesome!), but for now here is the pie (it was SO good, and it costs less to make a whole pie than to buy one slice!):

Asphalt Pie
1 Oreo pie crust (I make my own with 18 crushed Oreos and 4 tb. melted butter, then freeze)
1 carton mint chocolate chip ice cream, softened (actually I used about 3/4 of the carton)
caramel ice cream topping
sweetened whipped cream, or Cool Whip if you prefer

This is really easy. Pile the softened ice cream into the pie crust (I just melt it in the microwave for about a minute and then stir it up). Place in freezer for several hours, until ice cream is firm again. Remove from freezer about 10-15 minutes before serving to make slicing easier. Slice into 8 wedges, and top each wedge with a drizzle of caramel and a scoop of whipped cream. YUM!