Mu Shu Chicken or Pork Wraps

When I was younger, my mom loved to take a break from cooking on the weekends and take us out to dinner. And one of her favorite places to take us was a Chinese restaurant where they served Mu Shu Pork. We loved it! So several years ago I was reading a Family Fun magazine and saw this recipe for Mu Shu Wraps made in the crock pot. I made it that very week and it was a hit, it's super simple and my family loves it. I can't think of many things that bring me more joy at 5:00 p.m. in the evening than having dinner already done in the slow cooker!

This recipe actually calls for chicken, but I have also made it with a pork (details will follow :) and it tastes delicious either way.

Mu Shu Pork or Chicken Wraps, makes about 8-10 Wraps

Print Recipe

1 large Onion, sliced

2 pounds boneless, skinless Chicken Thighs OR a 2 pound Pork Roast
1  jar (7 oz) or 1 cup Hoisin Sauce (in the Asian section of the grocery store, see pic below)
2 Tablespoons Honey
1/4 teaspoon ground Ginger
2 cups Broccoli Coleslaw -I have found this at both Walmart and the 99 cent store
1 Tablespoon Rice Wine Vinegar
1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
1 teaspoon Sugar
Flour Tortillas
*Hoisin Sauce


Spray a 4 quart slow cooker (you could also use a 3 or 5 quart if that's what you have) with cooking spray. Place sliced onion in the bottom. Lightly season chicken thighs or pork roast with a bit of salt and pepper and place on top of onions. Cook on low 4 or 5 hours (a pork roast may cook a bit longer)or until meat pulls apart easily with a fork.
With a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken and onions to a bowl and shred the meat. Pour remaining juices out of the slow cooker. Place hoisin sauce, honey, and ginger in the crock pot and stir. Place meat and onions in the crock pot and stir into sauce. Let sit for a few minutes while you gather and prepare other ingredients.
In a small bowl, combine rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, and sugar. Pour over broccoli coleslaw and stir.







Place a tortilla on a plate, spoon on meat and onion mixture.

 

Cover with broccoli slaw and wrap up and eat!! I like serving these with rice and fresh fruit on the side.

Recipe Source: adapted from Family Fun Magazine

Chocolate Scotchekoos

It's summertime, you're tired, it's way too hot to bake, but you're craving sweets? Trust me, I can relate. That's why I'm sharing this amazing, delicious, NO BAKE, 10 minute recipe with you today. These are sooooo good, everyone who tries them asks for the recipe. Once we had about 20 kids swimming in our backyard, and I wanted to serve them a treat. So I quickly made two batches of this and I kid you not, they were all gone in less than 5 minutes.

So I have to tell you about the book this recipe came from. It's called the "Candy Cookbook", and it was handed down to me from my grandma. Unfortunately there isn't a publishing date on it, but it was likely published in the 1950's. Anyway, it opens with this choice tidbit:
 "Candy is energy food for young and old alike. The things that candy is made of-----sugar, corn syrup, molasses, honey, butter, eggs, milk, cream, chocolate, nuts---contain the basic proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals that children and adults need in their daily diets."
I'm TOTALLY serious....it says that!! Ahhh, the good ole' days when candy was health food. Even though it wasn't, I would have loved to eat it back in the 1950's, believing it was a necessary part of a my day!!

Chocolate Scotchekoos
Print Recipe
1 cup Sugar
1 cup Corn Syrup (you can substitute pancake syrup, or use 1/2 cup corn syrup, 1/2 cup pancake syrup. I actually love the flavor of maple mixed in with the peanut butter, it's super yummy!!)
1 cup creamy Peanut Butter
1 teaspoon Vanilla
6 cups Rice Krispies
1 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Combine sugar and corn syrup in a large saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until mixture boils. Remove from heat, stir in peanut butter. Add vanilla. Stir in Rice Krispies. Press into a 13x9 inch pan. Immediately top with chocolate chips and cover with a cookie sheet or foil. Chocolate chips should melt after several minutes, then remove cover and spread melted chocolate over Rice Krispy mixture. (if your chocolate chips don't melt, just put pan in the oven for a few minutes, but I've never had to do that.)

Creamy Orange-Ginger Dip

This fruit dip is the BEST ever!! My friend Adrienne brought this over to share at a swim party we had and I couldn't stop eating it, it is SO good. I have eaten the marshmallow creme/cream cheese dip for years, but when Adrienne added ginger and orange, wow!!

Creamy Orange-Ginger Dip

Print Recipe                                                                                                                
1 - 7 oz. jar marshmallow creme
1 - 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 TBSP. grated orange rind
Dash of (powdered) ginger-maybe 1/8 teaspoon to start and then taste

Add marshmallow creme to cream cheese gradually, mixing until well blended. Add orange rind and ginger, whip until fluffy. Makes 2 cups. Serve with fresh fruit.
Adrienne tells me that sometimes she also adds a touch of orange juice to this. SO Yummy!

Grilled Ground Beef Gyros

I love greek gyros and have to admit that when I first saw this recipe I was skeptical that it would really taste like gyros---I mean, gyros made out of ground beef???  But I had all the ingredients on hand to make it, including tomatoes and cucumbers from my garden, so I decided to try it. And all I can say is WOW!!! Our family abosolutely LOVES this meal!! Even my picky twins gobbled up the meat and then asked for some of mine! And my husband and I couldn't believe how much they tasted like real gyros. I can't wait for you to try these so let's get to the recipe, shall we?

Grilled Ground Beef Gyros (this recipe serves 4, I always double it)

Print Recipe

1 1/2 teaspoons dried Oregano

1 teaspoon Garlic Powder

1 teaspoon Onion Powder

1 teaspoon Salt

3/4 teaspoon Pepper

1 pound Ground Beef

4 Pita Breads, halved and warmed

Sliced Lettuce, Tomato, and Cucumber

1 Onion, Carmelized (Slice onion. Heat 1 Tablespoon oil or butter in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook til they look like this. Sprinkle with a dash of kosher salt and pepper )

 

In a large bowl, combine seasonings. Crumble ground beef over mixture, mix well. Shape into 4 patties. Grill on medium-hot heat for about 5-6 minutes on each side until a meat thermometer reads 160. Slice patties lengthwise into several slices and stuff into pita halves. Top with greek yogurt sauce, tomatoes, cucumbers, carmelized onions, and lettuce.  

Greek Yogurt Sauce:

1 8 oz. carton Plain Yogurt

1/3 cup chopped Cucumber

1/8 teaspoon Onion Powder

1 Garlic Clove, minced

1 teaspoon Sugar

Mix all ingredients together and chill.

Recipe Source: Adapted from " Taste of Home, Prize Winning Recipes, 200 Contest Favorites"

Summer Steak Marinade

Back in the day, before newspapers died, we got the Arizona Republic. And can you guess what my favorite section was? Food, of course!! And ok, along with the celebrity gossip page that I would read almost daily. It just made me feel super good about my life, reading about all those shallow, fickle, moral-less people. I know, bad way to get your self esteem. But it worked for me. Anyway, one day they had this steak marinade in there, and it was so simple I decided to try it. Wow, sometimes the simplest things are really the best!! This has become a family favorite.

Summer Steak Marinade:

Print Recipe

1/3 cup Honey, plus more for rubbing on meat
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup Soy Sauce
4 steaks (about 6 ounces each, rib-eye, New York strip or tenderloin work best, but any grillable steak will do), lightly peppered

Combine soy sauce, 1/3 cup honey and Worcestershire in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 20-30 seconds, until honey stirs easily. Stir sauce mixture. Pour over steaks in a shallow bowl. Puncture the steaks with a fork to help the sauce penetrate. Marinate steaks up to 30 minutes, turning them every 5 to 7 minutes.
Drain the steaks. Rub more honey on the meat.
Place on a hot grill to sear, then reduce heat and grill to desired doneness.

Fried Ice Cream

My awesome friend Tori brought this yummy dish over for a super bowl get together several months back, and I've been waiting for summer to post it, knowing it would be perfect!! Everyone just gobbled this up, it was delicious!! Thanks so much Tori!! :)


Fried Ice cream
Print Recipe

2 1/2 cups of crushed Corn Chex
3 Tbls. melted butter
4 Tbls brown sugar
1/2 c. finely chopped peanuts
1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream

Crumble brown sugar into melted butter.  Mix butter mixture together with Corn Chex and peanuts.  Let ice cream soften a bit, and spread into 9x13 pan. Spread corn chex mixture on top. Freeze til firm. When ready to serve, top with your favorite ice cream toppings like caramel and chocolate, yummy!!

Smoked Provolone & Veggie Pasta Salad

Yum, this is such an awesome summer pasta salad!! Full of veggies and cheese, you can serve this as a main dish on a hot summer day, I sure did!! My husband and kids absolutely loved it and I can't wait to make it again. I actually happened to have some of those real bacon bits from Costco when I made this, so I tossed a few in with the salad. It was super yummy, and just a small handful went a long way. Totally optional though!!

Smoked Provolone and Veggie Pasta Salad

Print Recipe

Dressing:

1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese

1/2 cup fresh Parsley

1/2 cup White Whine Vinegar

3 cloves Garlic

pinch Cayenne Pepper

1/8 teaspoon Sugar

Salt and Pepper to taste

Combine all dressing ingredients (except salt and pepper) in your blender til smooth, then taste for seasoning. Add a touch of salt and pepper if desired. Set aside.

Salad:

12 oz. Pasta of your choice

3 cups Baby Spinach

4-6 oz. Smoked Provolone Cheese, diced. (the original recipe called for smoked mozzarella, but I can never find that. For this, I actually found some sliced smoked provolone cheese on sale, like sliced for sandwiches. I just used that and cut it up into bite sized pieces. It tasted awesome!!)

Diced Veggies of your choice. I used fresh broccoli and tomatoes from my garden, yum! Pretty much any veggies taste awesome with the dressing.

Optional: if you have real bacon bits or ham on hand, you can toss some in

Cook pasta according to package directions, drain. Run some cool water over pasta and drain again. Place in a large bowl, cool for a couple of minutes. Toss with veggies and cheese. Pour dressing over all.

Recipe Source: Adapted from melskitchencafe.com