Monday, July 20, 2015

20 minute Sweet and Spicy Chicken

I'm a sucker for chicken, and even more so for quick and easy meals. This dish is a happy marriage of both. We came home late one night and were super hungry. There was leftover pizza but not enough to fill both of our stomachs. I scrounged the internet and my fridge and came up with the simple, delicious recipe. Here's what you'll need:


  • 4 chicken breasts, diced
  • 1 Red Pepper, diced
  • 2 Tbsp Honey
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 2 tsp chopped fresh ginger root
  • 2 tsp pressed garlic
  • 3 Tbsp Sriracha 
  • 1 Thai chilli pepper, chopped
  • Flour for coating chicken
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • Vegetable oil for frying chicken
  Combine honey, brown sugar, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, Sriracha and Thai chilli pepper in a bowl. Mix well. 

Cook red pepper until tender, remove from pan. Dredge chicken in flour until lightly coated.

Heat oil in pan and add diced chicken. Cook until brown on both sides and cooked through. Add peppers back into pan until heated through. Pour sauce over chicken and sautee for about 8 minutes, or until sauce is thickened. 

That's it! Serve over rice and enjoy! The ginger and Thai chilli pepper give this dish a nice spice, but the honey and brown sugar keeps it sweet. If you try this out let me know what you think! 

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

How to make a quick and easy appetizer your whole family will love

March is coming, and any Pampered Chef fan knows what that means... The Pampered Chef Spring/Summer season is about to begin! In addition to the many new products being released, our Season's Best cookbook is also making its debut. As soon as I saw the Veggie Quesadilla cups I just HAD to make them. I tweaked the recipe a little because I'm not vegetarian and I had to fill two very hungry men in their 20's, the food came out amazing and got rave reviews. You know it's a hit when they're gone within seconds, I'm going to teach you how I made them so your family can enjoy these delicious cups of goodness too.

Ingredients:
6 Burrito sized flour tortillas
2 Medium red bell peppers
1 Medium sized jalapeno
3 Green Onions
10 Oz Colby Monterey Jack cheese
1 Avocado, cut in half, skin on and seed removed
6 Pieces of  Chicken tenderloins

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Spray your Brownie Pan with nonstick cooking spray (optional, the brownie pan already has an amazing non-stick coating).

2. Stack tortillas in sets of 3 on Cutting Board.
Using the Pizza Cutter, cut off the rounded corners to create a square . Cut into quarters so that you'll have 12 squares total (24 once you cut the other set of 3). Press one square into the corners of each well of the pan. It won't look perfect, its not supposed to. This is the Pampered Chef, not the Perfect Chef.

3. Using the Utility Knife, cut off the tops of the bell peppers; cut lengthwise and remove the seeds and veins. Cut bell pepper, jalapeno, and green onions into small pieces. Add to Manual Food Processor and process until chopped; transfer to Classic Batter Bowl.

4. Cut raw chicken into small cubes and toss into the batter bowl as well, add the rub.

5. Using Microplane Adjustable Coarse Grater, grate cheese. Add half of the cheese and mix well with Small Mix 'N Scraper. (you can get this item free with a $70 purchase until the end of March 2015)

6. Using a heaping Medium Scoop, fill cups with the mixture. Top with remaining cheese.

7. Bake 12-14 minutes or until cheese is melted, chicken cooked, and corners of tortillas are golden brown. Remove pan from oven to Stackable Cooling Rack.

8.Using medium scoop, scrape along the avocado half to create shavings over each tortilla cup. Using Mini Nylon Serving Spatula, loosen cups from sides of pan and serve.




That's it! I hope you enjoy this simple, delicious recipe. Share your pictures and experiences with me, you can contact me at yourathomerestaurant@gmail.com  
My mission is to be able to take the experiences of the restaurant and bring them into your very own home. Why pay more for a meal that you have no idea who cooked it or what's really in there? Spend some time at the grocery store really looking for those fresh ingredients, you'll appreciate your meal more once you know what's in it and how much time you spent selecting the perfect ingredients. Cook together with your kids or spouse for quality bonding time, and then enjoy the fruits of your labor when you sit down at the dinner table.

Thursday, January 15, 2015

How to make homemade meatloaf cups

I posted a picture on facebook of my meatloaf cups and everybody loved them so I decided to share the recipe! Usually I just throw whatever in the mix, but here is the general gist of what you'll need. I love excuses to use my new brownie pan! If it isn't in your kitchen yet, you're missing out!
Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1/4 cup onions, chopped
1 egg
1 piece of bread - crumbled (or you can use breadcrumbs)
1/4 tsp salt and pepper
1 clove of garlic - crushed
1/2 tsp crushed red peppers
1/2 tsp steakhouse onion burger from McCormick
1/4 tsp kick'n chicken from Weber
1/2 tsp roasted garlic and herb from McCormick
1/3 cup ketchup

Tools: (Click on name to purchase)
Brownie Pan
Batter Bowl
Mini Nylon Spatula
Garlic Press
Direction:
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Combine all of the ingredients in your batter bowl. I like to do the dry first, then wet, then meat. Mix well with your hands (yes your hands, they're your best tool in the kitchen) until well combined.
- Pinch out enough to fill each cup in the brownie pan about 3/4 of the way full to ensure you will have enough to fill each cup.

- Top it off with a bit of ketchup and place in oven for about 30 minutes.
- Once done, take out of the oven and let rest for 5 minutes.
- Enjoy! My favorite thing to pair with meatloaf is roasted garlic and onion mashed potatoes! It is the ultimate comfort food meal. As you can tell from the ingredient list, this meatloaf is packed full of flavor. You don't have to use the exact spices I used, just use whatever is in your pantry! Food it meant to be fun, experimented with. I hope you love it!




Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Rice Krispies Treats in a Brownie Pan!?

If you're anything like me - you love rice krispie treats. And if we're similar in that aspect, I bet you also hate getting your hands slathered in butter while attempting to coat whatever pan you're using so that these marshmallowy squares of goodness pop right into your mouth without clinging to the sides of the pan. I've been there, its a pain to clean. Ever since my new pampered chef consultant kit came in I have been using my brownie pan non-stop. I've made chicken fried rice cups, mini meatloaves, and philly cheesesteak bombs to name a few. And tonight there wasn't much in the pantry and I was hungry. I spotted a box of rice krispie cereal and a bag of marshmallows just waiting to be cooked. This was also a good test of how much our batter bowl holds. It's big enough to measure out the 6 cups of cereal as well as combine the melted marshmallows so its a definite winner in my book. Saves one less measuring cup from having to be rinsed. After everything was combined I poured the mixture into the brownie pan UNGREASED. I wasn't sure how well this would work, I've tried nonstick pans before and the marshmallow still clung to the pan. This time was different. I waited for the rice krispies treats to cool and then, using only my hands, popped them out easily to taste. If this pan isn't in your home I strongly encourage you to purchase one, it is my favorite thing in the kitchen. There are endless possibilities for it! Happy cooking!

Thursday, January 8, 2015

So it begins

Hi everyone!
As a certified picky eater, its a big deal when I like something that isn't chicken fingers and potatoes. Not only that, but as a working college student, I don't always have a lot of time to make a meal when I come home. I've developed, tested, and failed at a lot of recipe's over the years and I'm going to be bringing you the best of the best that have also been boyfriend tested and approved. I'll share my secret ultimate cookie recipe, the easiest, most delicious chicken you will ever taste, and what I've found that works in the kitchen and what doesn't. I'm going to be completely honest with you about everything, if I don't like something it won't be posted. If I hate something, you'll get an explanation to why. And if I completely fail at making a dish, I'll offer tips so that the same mistake doesn't happen to you. Albeit, when I find something I love you will be the FIRST to know. I hope you'll check back often for updates, recipes, and ideas. For now, if you're available on Thursday 1/15 and Saturday 1/17 I'd love to invite you into my home to give you a taste of what's to come. RSVP here http://www.pamperedchef.com/pws/samanthatraggis/guest-landing/8899889085595?fb_ref=Default&fb_source=message And if you want to shop the pampered chef store, or want any product ideas before the show go to pamperedchef.biz/samanthatraggis. I hope to see all of you soon! Until then, happy cooking!


Samantha
yourathomerestaurant@gmail.com for any inquiries
774-271-1621 call or text
pamperedchef.biz/samanthatraggis for product info and shopping
Let's put the fun back into cooking