The Best Sweet and Sour Chicken EVER!

Ok so i found this recipe on Pinterest and decided to give it a try. Well let's just say it was a huge success! Greg and I love it! It is from a blog that has become one of my favorite. Her recipe actually says to make fried rice, which I will probably make someday, but we just use steamed white rice. Hopefully you will all enjoy this as much as we do. The best part is that it is baked, so it is a lot more healthy for you than if you were to deep fry the chicken. ENJOY!

Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken

The chicken coating:

3-4 boneless chicken breasts

salt + pepper

1 cup cornstarch (We use flour because we do not have cornstarch and it worked great!)

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup canola oil

The sweet and sour sauce:

3/4 cup sugar

4 tbs ketchup

1/2 cup distilled white vinegar

1 tbs soy sauce

1 tsp garlic salt

       Start by preheating your oven to 325 degrees. Rinse your chicken breasts in water and then cut into cubes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Dip chicken into the cornstarch to coat then dip into the eggs.  Heat your 1/4 cup oil in a large skillet and cook your chicken until browned but not cooked through. Place the chicken in a 9x13 greased baking dish. Mix all of your sweet and sour sauce ingredients in a bowl with a whisk and then pour evenly over the chicken. Bake for one hour and during the baking process you will need to turn the chicken every 15 minutes. 

Here is the fried rice recipe if you would like to try it. 

Fried Rice                                                                                             

3 cups cooked white rice (day old or leftover rice works best!)

3 tbs sesame oil

1 cup frozen peas and carrots (thawed)

1 small onion, chopped

2 tsp minced garlic

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1/4 cup soy sauce

      On medium high heat, heat the oil in a large skillet or wok.  Add the peas/carrots mix, onion and garlic. Stir fry until tender. Lower the heat to medium low and push the mixture off to one side, then pour your eggs on the other side of skillet and stir fry until scrambled. Now add the rice and soy sauce and blend all together well. Stir fry until thoroughly heated!   **You could really play around with this rice too! Try adding some diced ham, or green onion :) Yum!  

Friday Night Shennanigans, 3 C's Style

Kevin and Chelsie carving pumpkins

Sam making pumpkin cinnamon rolls. She didn't know this was going on the interweb. Heh.

I made pasta. Please excuse the crazed look, I'd just woken up from a nap, as per usual.


Why do we never use this blog anymore? Look how cute we are!

Brussel sprouts aren't actually gross.

Who knew, eh?

So as you know, when you get a lovely bountiful basket filled with delicious fruits and veggies you occasionally end up with weird melons you've never heard of or vegetables you haven't actually ever eaten in your life and could possibly be allergic to... Nevertheless, as a recipient of some fine looking Brussels sprouts I considered them a challenge! So I found this recipe, followed it, and discovered that Brussels sprouts aren't as gross as you've always heard (unless overcooked, then they are yucky).

Take it away Martha Stewart...

Sauteed Brussels Sprouts

This delicious seasonal vegetable becomes sweet and nutty when browned. For the best flavor and texture, make the dish just before serving.

Everyday Food, November 2009

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 pints brussels sprouts (2 pounds total), trimmed and halved lengthwise
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions

1. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add brussels sprouts, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring frequently, until caramelized, 8 to 10 minutes. Add 1/3 cup water and cook until evaporated, about 2 minutes. Add lemon juice and toss to coat. Serve immediately.

DEEP. DARK. Chocolate cookies.

Well, I guess you could say me and Todd are pretty domestic. These are gluten and dairy-free, which means I can eat them. For those of you who don't  know yet, I've been "diagnosed" with a dairy and a gluten allergy. For those of you who also don't know yet, Todd is an eligible bachelor and very domestic. Anyways, we haven't actually eaten the baked ones yet cause they're not done, but the batter is really really X1209578709856382 delicious.

And we got the recipe from pinterest who got it from  http://www.divine-baking.com/2011/04/deep-dark-chocolate-cookies.html#more .

Deep Dark Chocolate Cookies

Adapted From Epicurious

Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1 1/2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips (about 9 ounces), divided 
3 large egg whites, room temperature 
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, divided (I used 2 cups)
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 
1 tablespoon cornstarch 
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 2 large baking sheets with nonstick spray. Melt 1 cup chocolate chips in glass bowl in microwave, stirring twice, about 2 minutes. Cool slightly.

Using electric mixer, beat whites in large bowl to soft peaks. Gradually beat in 1 (I halved the sugar here) cup sugar. Continue beating until mixture resembles soft marshmallow creme.

Whisk 1 cup sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt in medium bowl to blend. On low speed, beat dry ingredients into meringue. 

Stir in lukewarm chocolate and 1/2 cup chocolate chips (dough will become very stiff).

Place 1/2 cup sugar in bowl. Roll 1 rounded tablespoon dough into ball; roll in sugar, coating thickly. Place on prepared sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, spacing 2 inches apart.

Bake until puffed and tops crack, about 10 minutes. Cool on sheets on rack 10 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool.

Yield: Makes about 18

** Update: We just ate them. And I think this allergy is going to be alright. Need I say more?

T-Shirt Headband

A few weeks ago Alena and I went to another Thrice concert (on their farewell tour...how sad...), and the shirt I was wearing got a hole in it, as well as a giant stain on it from standing in the front row next to the gates that kept me from storming the stage (which also gave me a really cool bruise on my rib cage). Anyway, I couldn't just part with this shirt--it had so much meaning. Obviously.

So I made it into a head band. I know, I'm getting craftier and craftier by the hour.

Here it is on my head

I guess you can't see it very well, but it's doing its job at holding back my hair, and that's what matters.

1.  I cut the shirt up into strips. All the internet things told me to make the strips the same width and blah blah blah, I don't own a ruler. I just cut. They were really jagged and different widths and uneven, but whatevs. It worked. I also cut them so they weren't in a circle anymore. 
2. I pulled on the strips until they curled into themselves.
3. Then I took five of the strips and decided I was going to braid them. I didn't actually know how to do that, so I turned to the trusty interwebz and they told me how to here.
4. I tied one end of the strips together and because I didn't have any tape, I shut the tied end knot into a drawer and it worked just fine. 
5. Then I braided.
6. And I braided.
7. And I braided until I looked at it and thought "that's about the size of my head methinks."
8. So I took it out of the drawer and wrapped it around my head in a headband like fashion, and tied it.
9. Then I cut off the lose ended (but still leave enough to tie and untie it later--it's going to stretch and it'd be a shame to have all that braiding go to waste. Oh, and don't cut your hair on accident). 
10. And then I picked Shane up from work and he was S-O impressed with my crafty, crafty skills. 

I like the way the braid looks a lot. That's also a big tupperware filled with the kitchen stuff I never got to unpack because my current roommates have so much, and most of it I'm told doesn't even belong to anyone. So Sam and Chels, when you come back to me, we're cleaning. And we're cleaning good. 

And that, my ladies, is how it is done. 

Necklace & Earring Holders

I was in desperate need of somewhere to hang all of my jewelry in my new apartment. I didnt want them to look too cluttered. I tried and tried to think of something cute to do, when I finally got a genius idea. I bought two old frames from the D.I., picked out the color of spray paint I wanted for the frame and the background, picked out some knobs, and what do you know....It actually worked!!!

Here is my finished product! 

I also made an earring holder, because I figured while I was at it I might as well. I found this frame and it already had the mesh with it. But it would be super easy to get something similar and attach it. 

It fits perfectly on my closet door!!! LOVE THEM!!

Mashed Potatoes with Bacon & Cheddar

Ok so these are some of my favorite potatoes ever!!! I found the recipe on Pinterest about a month ago, made them, and Greg and I loved them!!! 

Description

Reminiscent of twice baked potatoes, this take on mashed potatoes includes bacon and cheddar.

Prep time: 1 hour

Yield:1 (Servings)

Ingredients:

• 5 lb russet potatoes
• 10 sli bacon
• 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
• 0.5 c unsalted butter, melted
• 1 c sour cream
• 0.25 c chives, minced
• 2.5 c cheddar cheese, grated
• 2 t kosher salt
• 0.5 t pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Peel potatoes, and cut into 1-inch chunks. Place in a large saucepan, and add enough cold water to cover by about 2 inches. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and reduce to a simmer. Cook until tender and easily pierced with a paring knife, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a colander to drain; return to pan, cover, and set aside.

2. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add bacon, and cook until crisp and browned, turning once. Transfer to paper towels to drain; let cool, and crumble into pieces.

3. Using a fork, mash the potatoes in pan until light and fluffy. Add the cream cheese, butter, and sour cream, and stir until combined and smooth. Add the chives, 2 cups cheddar cheese, half the bacon, salt, and pepper. Stir until well combined.

4. Transfer to a buttered 3-quart baking dish. Top with remaining 1/2 cup cheddar cheese. Bake until top is slightly golden and potatoes are heated through, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven; garnish with remaining bacon. Serve immediately.