Sticky Honey Garlic chicken wings

This weekend we were super busy we went to Santa's Enchanted Forest which is huge Christmas themed carnival down in Miami Florida, and while we were there I saw a food truck that made a variation of chicken wings.  I said to myself after I paid a whopping $15 bucks for the wings "I could totally make these myself and better"! so here they are! my take on these yummy honey garlic wings! which are by the way a new family favorite! Enjoy!  Happy eating from my kitchen to yours! 

Even the hubs and kids helped with the prep work!

Marinade getting sticky!

Delightfully adapted from www.foodness.com

• 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 3/4 cup honey
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp sesame oil (optional)
• 1/8 tsp cayenne
• 2 green onions, finely chopped
• 3 lbs chicken wings

1. Double-line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together soy sauce, honey, garlic, sesame oil (if using), and cayenne. Add chicken wings and toss to coat. Marinate for 1 hour, (or up to overnight).

3. Remove wings from marinade and spread in a single layer on foil-lined baking sheet. Reserve marinade. Bake wings for 35 minutes, brushing with sauce twice (after 10 minutes and 20 minutes – but not during last 10 minutes of cooking because the marinate will not have long enough to cook properly, having touched raw chicken).

4. Boil remaining marinade over high heat until thick and syrupy – pay close attention, it goes from syrupy to burnt very quickly. Toss with chicken wings. Sprinkle with chopped green onions and serve.

Oatmeal- Raisin Bites

My daughter and I love to bake together, it's one of our favorite hobbies to do and being that she is 3 it's the easiest way to keep her little hands busy and not writing on my walls!;  so we decided to make these yummy oatmeal raisin bites.  I don't know about you but I have this really bad tendency of eating more then just one, when something is mini or bite sized. For some reason I lack self control in that department when it comes to mini food.  However the good thing about these sweet little treats is that they are not that bad for you they contain oats whole grain flour and raisins.  I hope you enjoy these as much as my family did, we gobbled them up!  Happy eating from my kitchen to yours! 

delightfully adapted from: Meet Points plus 2012

Ingredients needed:

1 1/2 cups rolled oats

3/4 cup whole-grain wheat flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

1 large egg

1tsp vanilla extract

1 cup raisins chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

in a medium bowl, combine oats, flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon; set aside.  Using an electric mixer, cream butter and both sugars until incorporated   Add egg and vanilla; mix thoroughly. Add oat mixture and mix until just combined; fold in raisins.

Drop rounded teaspoons of batter onto greased cookie sheet ( I used pam) about 1 inch apart.  Bake 9-10 minutes for chewy cookies or 11-12 minutes for crispy cookies.  Remove from oven and let cookies rest about 3 minutes, then remove to wire rack to let cool completely.   

Eat and enjoy!!!

Creamy Vegetable soup (hold the cream)

This week has been pretty trying; the kids got some sort of a stomach bug and they have been on the ever so wonderful (BRAT) diet for the past week.  For those of you who may be unfamiliar with it it's a variation of bananas applesauce rice and toast. Anyhow, the kids tummy's were still a bit sensitive so I wanted to make them a really healthful yet tasty meal that would be easy on their belly's.  This is how I came up with this fab soup and it was something that the entire family enjoyed, including the baby!  I hope you all enjoy delish dish! Happy Eating!!

Ingredients:

2- 32 ounce box of chicken stock (or if your a vegetarian you can certainly substitute this will vegetable broth)

4 cups of water

drizzle of olive oil

10 garlic cloves

baby carrots chopped

2 onions chopped

1 zucchini chopped

1 yellow squash chopped

4 stalks of celery chopped

2 cups of raw broccoli

1 yellow bell pepper chopped

1 table spoon dried parsley

1 table spoon dried basil

salt and pepper to taste

4 cups of brown rice

Heat the pot that you will be making the entire soup in on medium.  Drizzle your olive oil on the bottom of the pot. Then add onion, garlic, carrots, zucchini, squash, yellow bell pepper, celery and let them caramelize (this should take about 5-8 minutes.)  After the vegetables have caramelized add your chicken stock.  Next add broccoli  dried parsley and dried basil and salt and pepper.  Cover pot and turn stove on high for about 20 minutes and let all the vegetable get happy together (this process makes vegetable tender) .  Lastly add the brown rice about 40 minutes before serving

(Tip) You may need to add more water to soup while the rice is cooking, keep an eye on it to make sure the rice does not absorb all the liquid, I had to add about 4 cups of water during this process.

This past Sunday we had the fam over for our usual Sunday indulge fest.  They like to come over and I make all my famous foods, goodies, and salads.  But this salad I just threw together because I realized that I hadn't made a salad for our main course!  It's super easy unique and delish!  Enjoy! Happy Eating!!!

1 pack of prosciutto

1 cantaloupe cut and cubed

2 cups of mixed greens

1 cup of red grapes

Cut and cube your cantaloupe, thereafter wrap the cubed pieces of cantaloupe with one piece of prosciutto each.  Lay they cantatloupe on a bed of mixed greens, and garnish with red grapes.  Serve chilled for best taste. Emjoy!

Taco bread braids

Have you ever had one of those nights where you haven't been to the grocery store in about a week and your kids have eaten you out of house and home and you feel like there's nothing in your house but maybe a pack of ground meat? Well that was my issue the other night! and I didn't want to really put out a spread! So I found this online and made a few changes that make it a lot easier for quick dinners or even lunches!  Enjoy! Happy eating!!

 Source: http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Taco-Braid

Ilb. of any lean ground meat ( I used turkey)

2 cups of Mexican cheese and 1/4 cup of queso blanco

Pillsbury pizza crust ( you can find this in the cooler isle of your market)

1 sweet onion chopped

1 bell pepper chopped

2 cloves of minced garlic

8 ounces softened cream cheese

2 cups of your favorite salsa

In a skillet put a good drizzle of olive oil, the onions, bell pepper, 2 cloves of garlic, and cook on medium heat until caramelized (which means they are softened and have a browned color)  then add the meat keeping the temperature on medium.  When meat is browned it is ready.  

Combine creme cheese and salsa together in a bowl and mix.  Then spread onto the pizza crust, which should be laying opened flat.  Then add the meat mix on top of the cream cheese spread.  On top of the meat, layer the cheeses as well.  

Pizza crust- You want to cut small pieces on the sides so that way you are able to braid the top part of the dough.  Braid dough by overlapping the loose cut pieces over each other.  Put in oven and bake as directed on back of the dough package.  Eat and enjoy.  Happy eating!!

Fish tacos with a mango chutney

The other day I was in the mood for some fish tacos and man oh man! are these things absolutely incredible! they are healthy and super tasty as well!  Enjoy! Happy eating!!!


Ingredients
 Fish
4 pieces of any white flaky fish ( I used tilapia)

Salt and pepper to taste

4 tablespoons Soy sauce

1 fresh juice of lime

vegetable oil

white tortillas

Marinate fish in in soy sauce and lime juice and then cook fish on medium heat for 3 minutes per side add fish into tortillas (for additional texture serve with chopped cabbage or romaine lettuce).  For additional flavor add the marinade in the pan to be cooked along with the fish.


Mango chutney

1 ripe mango cut in small square pieces

1 red pepper chopped

1/2 red onion chopped

1 handful of cilantro chopped

2 cloves of fresh garlic

3 leaves of fresh mint chopped

1 juice from a lime

salt and pepper to taste

Mix all the ingredients into a bowl and then serve over fish tacos

Lime sauce

1/2 cup of plain yogurt

2 tbsp of mayonnaise

1 juice from a lime

1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped

1 fresh garlic minced

salt and pepper to taste

mix all ingredients into a bowl and serve on top of fish tacos

Fried Ravioli

I was a little intimidated when I decided to make this.  Just the shear thought of fried ravioli sounded hard to me, but come to find pout it's super duper easy!!!  All you need its a few ingredients, which is always, a plus for me!  Enjoy! and happy eating!

1 package of fresh ravioli ( you can find it where your market has the fresh pastas)

2 cups of Italian bread crumbs

2 eggs (beaten)

1 cup of half and half

vegetable oil

1 jar of store bought marinara sauce

Pour about 2 cups of vegetable oil into a deep pan, heat the oil on medium heat.  Meanwhile while the oil is heating begin the breading process for the ravioli.  Dip the ravioli into the eggs and half and half and then dip ravioli into the bread crumbs until the ravioli's are covered completely   Then put a few raviolis at a time into the oil, and they will be ready when outside of the ravioli turns golden brown.  put fried ravioli on a plate that has a paper towel on it so that the remainder of the oil from the ravioli drains   Then heat you sauce and serve it on the side for dipping the ravioli.  Eat and enjoy!  Happy eating!