This was a lesson in ingredient substitution!

Darn WordPress ate my post.  I’ll recreate later.  But suffice it to say, you can substitute a LOT of things and still have a recipe turn out.

Recipe, such as it is, in a bit. Now, to eat!

OK, I’m back. It’s not so much a recipe as it is a “throw some stuff in a pan and see what happens” sort of a dish. I’m flexible in cooking, more precise in baking. I am also not opposed to using shortcuts, like Minute Rice.

In this case, I cut up a boneless skinless chicken breast into bite size chunks, since it was just my daughter and I eating dinner at home. I salted the pieces and set them aside to come to temp while I fixed a couple of cups of instant rice. In the microwave. Hey, when you’ve got a starving tween, sometimes you’re in a hurry.

I preheated a sauté pan, added some peanut oil, and browned the chicken very well. Then I poured in some teriyaki sauce, stirred the chicken around, and turned the heat way down to keep it warm and reduce the sauce a bit.

In the meantime, I heated another, larger pan with high sides. More peanut oil, and then dumped in the rice, along with some onion powder, garlic powder, and fresh pepper. I let that cook for a bit, stirring occasionally. I added half a package of frozen stir fry vegetables, and let those warm through. I pushed the rice mixture to one side, and scrambled a couple of eggs in the pan. Mix it all together gently, and pour in some soy sauce, sesame seeds, the chicken and sauce, and a tiny bit of sesame oil (hoisin too, if you like – my kid didn’t like the smell, so I left it out).

Taste it, see if it needs anything, and voila! It took about 20 minutes total, and it was yummy.

No more pics because I only have two hands.

My version turned out way more pink than the gorgeous dark purple in the recipe. But very, very tasty! It definitely has the taste of yogurt. Fortunately, I like that, so it’s all good. Simple and easy. I had more base than would fit in the ice cream machine. So popsicles!!

More pics coming shortly. I had an unexpected extra hour, and I haven’t taken anything to work lately, so . . . I followed this recipe, and the kids went nuts over the batter, so that’s a good sign.

I subbed greek yogurt for the sour cream, because I don’t keep that on hand. Seems to have worked out ok. I’ll let you know tomorrow when my coworkers try it, I guess!

I’ll be back when I can.

Things have been a little hectic around here lately, so there hasn’t been much time or interest in cooking. But I was looking around Pinterest and my Diigo bookmarks, and I got inspired.

First up, the chicken. This recipe looked so good, and Elder Child loves anything with garlic. She will actually eat a clove of garlic raw. Which I guess is bad for her breath, but she’s protected from any vampires out there.

This was a really easy, and also delicious recipe!

I’ve been wanting to try duchess potatoes, and today was the day, since I had the time. It’s really hard to go wrong with a recipe from Pioneer Woman. These were no exception. I should have baked them longer, but I had a child who was super hungry and wanted dinner to be ready already. These were delish, and something I’ll definitely make again. Probably not on a weeknight, unless I make them in advance.

Also on the menu was peas, which were nothing fancy, but one of the girl’s favorites. Tasty.

Lastly, I made a strawberry cake that’s actually pretty healthy. It uses Greek yogurt and water in place of the oil and eggs, along with a box mix. Apparently devil’s food cake is the best, but I had strawberry. It’s a hit! As is typical, the top got a little too brown, and I had forgotten to thaw some buttercream frosting, so I sprinkled powdered sugar on top and called it a day.

Now, I rest.

Pics below:

Mine ended up far more pink than red, probably because I was using frozen strawberries and had to add some vanilla soy milk. I also used honey, because I don’t have any agave syrup at the moment. It’s on the grocery list though! But I’m sure it’s tasty, and I’ve got breakfast covered for the next four days.

Here’s the recipe. I know it sounds weird, but it’s filling, super healthy, and very, very tasty.

These are yummy, and quick too. Here is the recipe.

I used 2 eggs, spinach, some leftover turkey bacon, shredded cheese, greek yogurt, salt, pepper, garlic, and tabasco. Yummy!!!!

A note – my mini muffin tin holds six, so I had a little more egg mixture in each one. The original recipe calls for eight wonton wrappers. So I had to cook mine a couple of extra minutes to get the egg cooked through. Just watch that the edges don’t burn.

More pics:

This is one of my daughter’s favorite snacks. And it’s so easy to make – I can customize it exactly how she likes it. I use this very flexible recipe from Baking Bites.

My girl likes lots of fruits and nuts, and she likes very clumpy granola rather than little pieces. To accomplish that, I add a little extra honey/maple syrup and applesauce. It you short those ingredients, you should get a drier end result.

Today, I used almonds, and a package of dried mixed fruit. I used honey and golden syrup, because we didn’t have any maple syrup. Sometimes I use dried cranberries, but I didn’t have any today. I added chia seeds and protein powder, along with some PB2 powder.

I usually throw the dried fruit in at the beginning instead of at the end, so it’s not separate from the rest. I’ve never had any problems doing it that way. Also, I am lazy.

It’s delicious.

More pics:

There is no recipe today, because my friend Anna sent me a copy of the new cookbook by Joy the Baker, and this is the first recipe I’ve tried.

All I can tell you is that you should buy this cookbook when it is in stores.