Saleena: recipe

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Individual Monkey Breads

Matt and I began attending a small group with other married couples towards the beginning of the year. We are currently on break for summer, but I am excited to meet up again. The conversation was always so thought provoking and we always seemed to go to such a deep level of honesty. Studying God's word was great, the people were awesome, and the food...the food! Each week, a couple was assigned to bring food, which almost always meant dessert. :] When our week rolled around, I went searching for the perfect recipe and stumbled upon this. Now, I had never had monkey bread before, but the pictures convinced me almost immediately. I'm sure the same is true for every other food lover.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter or margarine melted
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 cans (7.5 oz each) Pillsbury® refrigerated biscuits

Directions:

Grease or spray muffin pan.

Mix granulated sugar and cinnamon in 1-gallon bag

Separate dough into 20 biscuits; cut each in 6-8 pieces.

Shake pieces in bag to coat.

Place 6-10 pieces in each muffin cup

Mix butter and brown sugar; drizzle 1 tablespoon mixture into each muffin cup.

Bake at 350°F for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 1 minute; turn upside down. Serve warm.

Are you drooling yet?

This was super easy and fun to make. If you have kids, this would be a great recipe for them to help you. Especially if they are learning fractions, have them cut up the biscuits into equal parts! I know, I'm such a teacher. ;]

<3 Saleena

Almond Panko & Sesame Crusted Chicken with Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce

I love love love this recipe. And so does everyone else I've made it for. The chicken is juicy with a crunchy crust that everyone loves. The dipping sauce is delicious and I end up saving whats left of it to put on other things.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup yellow or dijon mustard
1/2 cup honey
About 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
1 tablespoon hot sauce
2 eggs
1 1/2 pounds chicken breast tenders
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup slivered, sliced or blanched whole almonds
1 cup panko or plain breadcrumbs
1/4 cup sesame seeds
Vegetable oil, for frying

Directions:

In a bowl, combine the mustard, honey, chives and hot sauce.

Separate out half of the sauce and reserve. Beat the eggs into the remaining sauce.

Using a food processor, grind the nuts.

Combine with the panko and sesame seeds.

In a large skillet, heat a layer of oil over medium-high heat. Coat the chicken tenders with the egg sauce and then the nut-breadcrumb mixture and fry, turning, until deep golden.

Serve with the honey mustard sauce, which is so delicious.

This dish is one of my favorites to make because it is very simple and the flavor is great.

I promise, you won't be disappointed :]

<3 Saleena

BBQ Chinese Lettuce Wraps

This recipe is so easy to make, very affordable, and it tastes great. If you are a vegetarian, just substitute the chicken for some tofu. It would work great in this dish by Rachael Ray.

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 1/2 pounds thin-cut chicken breasts, chopped

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Coarse salt and coarse black pepper
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1-inch piece of ginger root, finely chopped or grated

Zest of 1 orange
1 red bell pepper, diced small
2 cups bean sprouts

1/2 cup chives, chopped

4 tablespoons hoisin sauce (Chinese barbecue sauce)
1/2 large head iceberg lettuce, core removed, head quartered

Directions:

First, chop the head of lettuce into quarters and separate pieces.

Pre-heat a large skillet or wok to high.

Add the oil to the hot pan. Add the chicken to the pan and sear the meat by stir frying for a minute or two. Add the mushrooms and cook for another minute or two. Add the salt and pepper to season, then add the garlic and ginger. Cook for a minute more. Zest the orange into the pan, then add the bell pepper bits.

Next, add the chives and bean sprouts. Cook for another minute, continuing to stir fry the mixture. Add the hoisin sauce and toss to coat the mixture evenly.

Once everything is mixed nicely, remove from heat. Serve BBQ chicken mixture on top of lettuce.

Yay for healthy cooking!

<3 Saleena

Strawberry & Banana Nutella Crepes

Have you ever had one of those mornings where you feel like eating dessert for breakfast? Please tell me I'm not alone in this! I found this recipe, and decided it was worth repeating...again and again. The only downside to making crepes is the time it takes. If you don't want to sit in front of the stove for an hour cooking one at a time, I would have two pans going, like I did after cooking the first few. The upside to making crepes is you don't have to own a crepe maker! Granted, they may not be as pretty, but your taste buds will agree they are just as delightful. This recipe serves four.

Ingredients:
1-1/3 cup soymilk
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 egg whites
1/2 cup water
2 Tbsp unsalted butter

2 whole bananas, peeled and sliced

10 strawberries, sliced
4 Tbsp Nutella

Directions:

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

Place soy milk, flour, egg whites and water into a bowl and whisk rapidly until well-combined. I used my kitchen-aid stand mixer for this.

Heat a medium-sized, shallow skillet on medium heat. Melt 1/2 tsp of butter in the pan and pour 2 Tbsp of batter in the center of the skillet and lean/swirl the pan to spread out the batter as thin as possible

When the edges begin to look dry, lift with a fork to check the color. Once the crepe is golden brown on the bottom, using the fork on the edge and flip until both sides are golden brown. When cooked, place on a cookie sheet in the oven. Continue this process with the butter, pan and then cookie sheet until all the batter is used.

Here comes the fun part! Spread a thin layer of Nutella on the top of the crepe

Then add several slices of banana and strawberry

Roll it up, and add more fruit

And indulge! :]

First time making crepes = success

They are easy to make and ubber delicioso!

Plus, they are sure to impress any guests you are having over ;]

<3 Saleena

Honey Roasted Peanut & Pretzel Crusted Chicken

If you are looking to cook something easy and fun, or maybe making dinner for kids, this is sure to be a hit. This chicken is so crunchy and has a great flavor. Plus, I am going to add one of my favorite recipes for honey mustard dipping sauce...it's real good.

Ingredients:

For chicken:

1/2 bag salted pretzels, any shape

1/2 cup honey-roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped

3 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme

Salt and pepper

2 eggs

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch-thick strips

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

Honey mustard or barbecue sauce, for drizzling

For Honey Mustard Sauce:

1/4 C Honey

1/4 C Dijon mustard

1/2 Tbsp Hot sauce

2 Tbsp Chives

For the Veggies:

1 Zucchini, sliced

1 Squash, sliced

Salt & pepper

2 Tsp Olive oil

Italian seasoning

Directions:

To make the sauce, add honey, mustard, hot sauce, and chives in a bowl and stir to combine. Place in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Place the pretzels and peanuts in a food processor or blender and grind until fine. Transfer to a shallow dish, add the thyme, season with salt and pepper and mix to combine.

Pre-heat a large skillet with EVOO, enough to go a quarter-inch up the sides of the skillet, over medium-high heat. While your oil is heating up for your chicken, add oil to a small skillet and once it is hot add your veggies. Season with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Cook until tender.

Crack and beat the eggs in a second shallow dish with a splash of water.

Coat the chicken in the ground pretzels and peanuts, then the eggs, then the pretzels again. (Double dippin' :])

Add the coated chicken pieces to the hot EVOO. Cook in a single layer, in two batches if necessary, about 3-4 minutes on each side, until the cutlets' juices run clear and the breading is evenly browned.

Serve with a drizzle of honey mustard or barbecue sauce and veggies.

Yes, there is a bite taken out of one of my crunchy chicken fingers....I couldn't wait! :]

<3 Saleena

Turkey Ranch Bacon Burgers

When given the option of what to eat for dinner, I'll usually decide on a pasta dish with a variety of vegetables or even a homemade pizza with yummy toppings, but every once in a while, I like a good, juicy burger. This recipe, by my favorite chef Rachael Ray, is not only delightfully satisfying for your taste buds, but it is one of the best recipes I've yet to make. You must give it a try.

Ingredients:

For the burgers:

2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
2 pounds ground turkey, 93% or 85% lean
4 cloves garlic, pasted or minced
3-4 tablespoons grated onion
2 teaspoons cumin (2/3 palmful)
2 teaspoons coriander (2/3 palmful)
Salt and pepper
6 rolls or hamburger buns

For the ranch dressing:

1 1/2 cups regular or low fat sour cream
About 2 tablespoons lemon juice
About 3 teaspoons hot sauce
About 2 tablespoon each parsley and chives
About 1 teaspoon of dried dill
Dash of Red Pepper Flakes
Salt and pepper
For the toppings:
12 slices bacon
Shredded or chopped romaine or iceberg lettuce
tomatoes

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 375ºF. Place the bacon on a rack arranged over a baking sheet and bake until crisp; reserve.

Combine oil, turkey, garlic, grated onion, cumin, coriander, salt and pepper in a bowl. Form six large patties.

For the ranch dressing, combine the sour cream with lemon juice, hot sauce, herbs, salt and pepper. Taste to adjust the seasonings.

Heat a griddle, grill pan or cast iron pan over medium-high heat (I think the burgers were so juicy because I cooked them on a pan instead of the grill.) Cook large patties for 5-6 minutes on each side, or slider patties for 3-4 minutes on each side.

Serve the burgers on buns topped with bacon, lettuce, tomatoes, some dressing. (You'll probably want some on the side too!)

This burger had tons of flavor, and the combination of the bacon and homemade ranch dressing was SO yummy. For sure making this one again :]

<3 Saleena

DIY: Ruffled Strawberries

Remember the cake I made for my first craft party? It looked pretty good, but the frosting was WAY too sweet...Of course, everyone who tried it politely pushed their globs of unwanted frosting to the side of their plates. I decided to try it again, so I volunteered to make the cake for my Bridal Shower. I found a recipe for strawberry frosting on food.com and decided to try it out.

Initial ingredients included: Powdered sugar, butter, and strawberries (fresh or frozen)

I pureed the strawberries in the food processor for two reasons: (1) I didn't want chunky frosting, and (2) I used a piping bag to decorate so I needed the frosting to flow smoothly through the tip.

Next I added the strawberries to my powdered sugar & butter mixture...and vuala!

The scrumptious strawberry frosting was still too sweet, so I added salt and some flour. It tasted just right... but I needed about three times that amount. I made a my second batch and it still wasn't enough (this cake takes lots of frosting!). By this time, I was running low on supplies, so I had to get creative. *Make sure to refrigerate your frosting if you are using fruit.

My final recipe:

7 1/2 cups Powdered sugar

1 1/4 cups Butter

1 1/4 cups Strawberries

1 1/6 cups (1/2 cup + 2/3 cup)Flour

1/8 tsp. Salt

It turns out that the extra flour made this frosting quite heavy. While decorating, I noticed my ruffles started sinking! (thats why the bottom half of the cake looks melted) So, I had to stick it in the refrigerator for a bit to harden up. After multiple trips to and from the fridge, the cake was finished! The cake was a hit and the perfect amount!

No globs of frosting left over on people's plates = success :]

My mom collects Precious Moments, and this particular one has a boy proposing to a girl. :] On my actual wedding cake, my cake topper is going to be a Precious Moments bride & groom that my great-grandmother gave to my mom to put on her wedding cake. Total cost: $15

48 MORE DAYS!!