Teriyaki Chicken

So tonight I made teriyaki chicken and it was really good.  (I had veggie chicken and it was equally as good)  Everyone was scarfing it down and I forgot to take pictures.  Craptastic.  Here is the recipe without pictures.

1 Bottle Teriyaki Sauce (Ryan got it at Bakers) Not the marinade kind.  The good thick kind with the garlic floating in it.
1 can Pinapple chunks (get the kind in its own juice or the finished product will be ridiculously sweet)
1lb chicken (whatever kind you like.  We used Breasts with Ribs)

Put all the ingredients into the crock pot on high for 4-5 hours.  You can put the chicken in frozen.

I used the sauce and put it in with some stir fry veggies and cooked it down a bit on the stove then served the veggies over brown rice, put the chicken on top (cut up) and spooned a big spoonful of the crock pot sauce with pineapple chunks over the top.  It was so good that I ate way too much and the kids were begging for more!  Yay!

Dinner-- And it was Double Deee-licious!

Tonights dinner consisted of Chicken Cordon-bleu (or my version of it), Butternut Squash, Creamy Mushroom Noodles, and Parmesan Knots.  Holy crap was it fabulous!

The Chicken Cordon Bleu:

Chicken with the ribs still on
Sliced Black Forest Ham
Cheese (I used Havarti)

I took chicken with the ribs still on and cut it off the ribs.  I put the chicken breast between a 2 pieces of saran wrap and pounded that breast part as flat as I could (with a coffee mug because my tenderizer is MIA).  I then put a piece of Havarti cheese and a slice or two of Black Forest Ham and rolled it up.  I put that all in a baking dish and baked it at 400 degrees until it turned golden brown.

The Squash:
Butternut Squash
Butter
Garlic

I just sliced it in half, scooped out the seeds, peeled the outside off, and cut it into cubes.  Then I cooked it in a skillet with the butter until it was sort of soft.  I then sprinkled in the fresh garlic, sauteed it a few minutes, then took it off the heat and let it sit with a lid on until dinner was ready.

The noodles:
Leftovers! 
These consisted of fettucine noodles, white sauce and mushrooms in it.  Super simple.

Parmesan Knots:
3 tsp Italian Seasoning (mine was a jumbo size one but I can't remember the brand--Tones I think)
1 tsp Garlic Powder
3 tbsp Parmesan (I used the green lid grated kind)
1/4 c Canola Oil
2 cans of Grands Biscuits

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Take each biscuit and roll into ropes.  Then tie into knots.  I found it was easiest to tie them with a long tail then tuck the tail underneath.  Grease your cookie sheet and bake them until they turn golden brown.  Combine all the ingredients while those are cooking.  When the knots are done baking, brush with the cheesy seasoning mix.  Thats it!

I took and brushed the chicken with the leftover parmesan knot seasoning.  It sounds like a lot but it was really a pretty easy dinner to make and it turned out beautifully!

Home Made Dishwasher Detergent

Since we were out of dish detergent, I took a chance and made my own!  I figured what the hell... I would only be out $14 if it didn't!  It was so easy that my 8 year old actually made it all for me-- All I had to do was pour it into the container!  She even started the dishwasher for me!

I didn't take any pictures because I forgot to!  Sorry folks!

All it takes is a big bowl, 2 gallon baggies and:

1 Box 20 Mule Team Borax (about $6)
1 Box Arm and Hammer Washing Soda (for wash machines and not the stuff you cook with) (about $4)
3 Cups of Epsom Salt (about 1 box) ($1)
24 packets of Lemonade Drink Mix (envelopes of kool aid) ($2.40 because I used the off brand)

Mix it all together and put into your 2 gallon baggies!  I filled an entire 1 gallon pitcher and a full gallon ziptop baggie! 

You only use 1tbsp. per load so that will last you a VERY long time! 

I tried it on my last load and the dishes came out sparkly clean!  I can not believe how much I will be able to get out of it! 

Try it out and let me know what you think!

PS! If you want a green "Dishwasher Rinse Aid" use vinegar poured directly into your rinse aid resevoir and see what you think of that!  It works great and should leave them all sparkly clean!

Home Made Chocolate, Peanut Butter, Banana Ice Cream-- super healthy and less than 100 calories!

Ok so I have no idea how many calories are in this stuff but it is really awesome and can be made in no time flat!  Plus since it is only 3 ingredients, it is healthy and really easy to make.

You will need

Bananas- Your choice of how many but I used 6 and after my family of five we had a serving left over.
Chocolate- Again- your choice of how much.  I used powdered chocolate but I think it would have been better with choclate chips.
Peanut butter- Your choice

Thats it-- Just Bananas, chocolate, and peanut butter.

Slice the bananas.  Put them in the freezer.  When they are frozen solid, take them out and put them in the food processor (A blender might work for smaller servings too).  Process until smooth and creamy!  You can add the chocolate and peanut butter in whenever you want to depending on how you want them. If you want it all creamy together- add them in the beginning.  If you want them more swirled in, add them after you have creamed the banana. 

This is seriously good stuff and is a really good way to have something that is guilt free!

Let me know what you think after you try this!  I would think you could do the same thing with peaches and other fruits like that too!  yummy!

Home Made Mac and Cheese

1 pkg of Noodles (Elbow Noodles, Spiral Noodles, some kind of noodles that isn't spaghetti)
1 Can Cheddar Cheese Soup (Campbells)
Milk
Shredded Cheese
Italian Seasoning
Bread Crumbs
Butter

Cook the noodles until Al Dente.  While those are cooking, preheat the oven to 400.  Mix the soup and milk until it is about half thickness.  Dont ask me how much this is, just mix it until it is about the consistancy of a milkshake.  Add some italian seasoning.  I used Pampered Chef and it was really good. 

When the noodles are al dente, drain and rinse them.  Layer them in a baking dish with the cheese.  (Noodles, cheese, noodles, cheese, noodles)  Pour the cheddar cheese soup on top and jiggle the pan a bit.  Put into oven to bake.

While that is baking, toast the breadcrumbs wih a little butter in a pan until they brown up a tiny bit and get a little crispy. 

When the bake is bubbly or turning slightly brown, layer with one more thin layer of cheese and sprinkle with toasted bread crumbs.  Bake more until the crumbs are brown.  Take out of oven and enjoy!

It was so good that even my non-eaters at 3 plates of it!

DIY Chalkboard Paint

This is such an easy project!  You can create as much or as little as you would like and you can put it anywhere!  You only need a few things to create it too!  (This will be on the shopping list for next weeks project too!)

Ingredients:

Jar with lid that seals tight (to keep your paint in)

Unsanded Grout (small can will last you forever)

Acrylic Paint (Apple Barrel, Anitas, etc...) in ANY color you wish!  *I recommend Apple Barrel.  Its cheap and it is a little thinner than the other paints so it mixes a little easier.

Mixing brush or stick (popcicle stick works great!)

Measuring Spoons and Cups

Foam Brush for applying

Thats it! 

1: Measure out 2 teaspoon of the non-sanded grout into your jar.  It will be very dusty so be prepared.

2: Add 1 cup of your chosen paint into the jar (This will be more than 1 small bottle).

3: Mix together!  Use your popcicle stick to mix.  The consistancy will be slightly lumpy because of the grout.  This will spread out fine when you brush it on your project. 

4: Apply with your foam brush and you are done!  You may need more than one coat depending on what you put it on.  I did 4 coats just to be sure I had a very consistant color.

*It may work best to prime your item if it is bare wood.  Use a water based primer like Kilz or Zinsser.

 

5: You will need to prepare your chalkboard surface once it is completely dry.  To do this, all you have to do is rub a piece of chalk across it then erase completely!  Voila!

Shopping lists...

I think I am going to come out with a new project every Wednesday.  From now on, every Thursday I will be posting a "Finding" list for everyone.  That way, you guys can follow along and have your products ready to create the project of the week!  I am going to create a few things in between too so keep an eye out for those posts!

Let me know what you think of this and I can't wait to show you what I have in store for you this week and next!