No more take out, take 2

First let me start by saying I don't do meatballs!... or meatloaf for that matter! Or at least that used to be what I would say, that was back when I thought they had to be squished up ground beef with huge chunks of onion, smothered in bbq or worse, ketchup!

Then I found this lovely recipe called Teriyaki Turkey Meatballs. At first glance it was all wrong... I didn't really care for Teriyaki flavoring, I had no desire to begin eating ground turkey, and like I said meatballs were a no no. 

I have no idea why I tried it but I did and my whole family fell in love and this meal has been in our regular menu cycle ever since. So whether your like me and are on the fence about it or you just really love great Asian food, give it a try! 

Meatball Ingredients

• 1 pound ground turkey
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 green onions, diced
• 1 egg beaten
• 3/4 cup planko bread crumbs
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil

Other Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 cup teriyaki marinade
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon siracha sauce (optional)
• 2 cups cooked rice  (optional)
• Frozen peas  (optional)

 Notes:
 *With this little siracha sauce the heat does not come through but it enhances the flavor. My kids don't notice any heat at all, if you want it spicy add more. 
*Not all siracha sauce is created equal get the Huy Fong Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce (the red bottle with green cap and has a rooster on it. You can find it at any Asian market or Hy-vee)
*This recipe does not make a lot of sauce but I find I don't need to double it as the sauce is fairly strong so when put over rice not much is needed to get great flavor.

Instructions:

1. Prep ingredients by mincing and separating your garlic and chopping your green onions.
2. I serve this over steamed white rice and steamed peas. If your doing the same start your rice.
3. Combine meatball ingredients together in a bowl. Mix well. (These will be pretty wet) Form into meatballs. I make ping pong size balls and end up with around 30 of them.
4. In your largest frying pan heat both tablespoons of the olive and sesame oil in a skillet over medium heat. Brown the meatballs on all sides, about 6 minutes, they will finish cooking in the sauce. 
   
5. Combine 2 of your garlic cloves, teriyaki marinade, soy sauce and siracha in a bowl.
   
6. Once the meatballs have browned, our sauce over them and gently stir to coat. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
   
7. If your serving over steamed peas start them when you have about 8 mins left on the meatballs. 

Like I said I serve this meal all in one dish, steamed rice topped with steamed peas topped with meat balls and a little of the sauce. And on the side....spring rolls. Yes homemade Chicken spring rolls to be exact! I'll tell you more about those in the next post. 



Recipe adapted from this blog http://www.lifesambrosia.com/2009/01/teriyaki-turkey-meatballs-recipe.html

No more Chinese take out

Ok so to be honest my family is way to "frugal" to spend money on Chinese take out more than once every YEAR or two. So saying that this recipe is why we don't have to order Chinese take out anymore isn't quite accurate but it is one of the reasons we can live when we decide not to go out for our beloved Chinese dinner once a week.

My favorite Chinese Garlic Chicken
(This makes enough for 4-5 adults, we love leftovers but you could easily half the recipe)

Ingredients 
2 lbs Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 egg white
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 can of sliced water chestnuts
2 small cans of sliced mushrooms
2-3 cups uncooked white or brown rice

Brown Sauce Ingredients 
2 cup beef broth
1 cup soy sauce
4 tablespoons cornstarch
4 tablespoons sugar
1/2  teaspoon fresh minced ginger
4  teaspoons minced garlic


Ok so one of the reasons this recipe is so amazing is that it uses a Chinese cooking technique in stir-frying called velveting chicken. Do not skip this part, it is a must. 

• Start prep by mincing your garlic and ginger, straining your water chestnuts and mushrooms
• Cook your rice according to directions. (We use a rice cooker, easy peasy)
• Slice your chicken breast into thin strips. 
• Place chicken in a large bowl or ziplock baggie add 1 egg white and mix. Add 3 tbs of cornstarch and mix 
• Add chicken to a large pot of boiling water for 3-4 minutes to blanch it. Give it a slight stir to break up the sticky chicken pieces.
• Dump chicken into a large colander to strain water
• Add chicken, water chestnuts and mushrooms to a large skillet/wok on low heat
• Make your brown sauce in a med. saucepan by adding broth, soy sauce, sugar, ginger, garlic. Whisk in the cornstarch last. Heat over med-high whisking often. The sauce will get darker and begin to bubble, turn down to med-low for 1-2 minutes.
• Pour sauce over chicken/veggies and heat for 3-4 minutes over med heat to combine flavors
• Serve over rice.

I adapted this garlic chicken recipe from this website http://cookingwithcarrie.blogspot.com/2009/03/chinese-chicken.html

Thankful for His resurrection

Easter this year felt a little different, well it was different...our hearts were still freshly wounded by the loss of Josh's mother, Carol. I know I wasn't the only one who felt like there was a gaping hole in the house as we all gathered to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus. It was just 4 weeks earlier we had all said goodbye to a women who had forever impacted our lives. 

Carol was so many things I am not, things I inspire to be. But the one thing that really stuck out to me about Carol was how she always remained calm. Calm, when every nerve in my body was shot and I felt like I had steam coming out of my ears! When my children were running, screaming, arguing, disobeying...there she was with a calm attitude and sweet gentle voice. A voice that encouraged them to, yes ultimately correct their behavior but it never came out of her mouth that way, no it always came out as this encouraging, loving suggestion that my children responded to. That, that is something I inspire to be, calm, gentle, and loving in my responses to the chaos that sometimes comes with raising young children. I thank Carol for being a great example of a Godly mother. I only wish I had more time to spend learning from her.  

Clinging to Hebrews 13:14- For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come.

 Although the air was heavy with our grief I wanted to make sure the girls still had some fun to distract them from the difficult changes. They were a delight to watch as I lead them around Grandpa's house on a Easter scavenger hunt for their baskets.

Then out to enjoy grandpa's yard and the nice weather!

Chicago, New York, South Bend, Oh My! (Part 3) THE END!

Ok here is the last leg of our cross country summer vacation!

After staying 5 nights in Ellicotville, NY we said our good-byes to our family over breakfast at good-ole McDonalds. It was perfect, a little food for our bellies, some great conversations and a play gym to help the kids burn off energy and prepare for our long road trip to South Bend, Indiana.

Love them!

Four Generations!

We got to our hotel in South Bend Friday evening a little before dinner. Once we unloaded a few things from the car everybody relaxed while I made some BLT's. (Pre-cooked bacon makes doing this on the road super easy! Although we did forget the ketchup and knife, my mom was sent to the rescue=across the parking lot to Arby's!)

The next morning we had some questionable breakfast from the hotel, packed up and headed for Notre Dame college campus. The part I was looking forward to was the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, the colleges Roman Catholic church. It was breath taking! The rest of the campus was beautiful as well and provided a lot of photo opportunities.

Silly girls wanted their photo taken with the manikins

We stopped at the Cancer Survivor & Awareness Tree. Each tiny ribbon represents someone who is battling or has battled cancer. The girls and I tied on a ribbon for Grandma Scherb and Grandma Diane (Grandma Diane is cancer free, Yeah!). I thought this was such a beautiful symbol of remembrance and celebration of life.

 There was about to be a wedding in the church so we had to make our visit quick.
Now as you can imagine my photos do not do this beautiful place any justice!

It was a wonderful trip with my family that I am so thankful for.