#ad Grilled Cornish Hens Made With My Favorite Honey Soy Sauce Chicken Marinade

With the unofficial start of summer already here, it's time to pull out some of my favorite grilling recipes, starting with this one for a yummy chicken marinade.

But instead of using it on chicken, I bought Tyson Cornish Hens to put on the grill, and serve a dinner that was a little more special than the usual burgers we make this time of the year.

Sometimes I get in a cooking rut, and tend to cook the same things over and over again, so when I had a couple of friends over for dinner this weekend, I thought it would be fun to grill the hens, and make my favorite honey soy sauce marinade.

I always make it with Kikkoman Soy Sauce, a brand I have been using forever. The marinade gives poultry a sweet flavor that my family and I just love.

The Tyson Cornish Hens come in a twin-pack at Walmart. I picked up four, thinking one each would be a generous portion size for each person.

I have eaten Cornish Hens over the years, and always really enjoyed them. They seem a little fancy to me, and I've seen them served formally. But really, they are just as simple to cook and serve as other poultry, and putting them on the grill is easy.

I always cut up lemons when I serve poultry made with this marinade. Squeezing some lemon juice over the top of the hens, gives it a bit of a lemony kick, and I think it compliments the honey flavoring.

The recipe for this marinade is very simple. It includes the Kikkoman Soy Sauce, honey, oil, minced garlic, and salt and pepper.

Make sure you baste the hens well with the marinade, and let them set for at least 3 hours in the refrigerator. I have actually let chicken sit overnight in the marinade, with delicious results!

I think the key to grilling the hens is to let them cook slowly, to make sure they cook all the way through. I hadn't actually grilled in awhile, because my sons or son-in-law does it.

But I was totally up for it, and wanted to be able to cook dinner for my friends by myself.

And I did it!!

You can find the Cornish Hens in the twin-packs in the open freezer section at Walmart. I always like looking inside these freezers because you never know what you might find!

You can find Kikkoman Soy Sauce at Walmart too, and it comes in various convenient sizes.  There is also the Kikkoman Teriyaki Sauce available, that I use to make  delicious Teriyaki dishes.

Starting Jun 1st, look for a coupon on Kikkoman sauces that lets you save $2.00 when you buy a 10oz. bottle, and a Tyson Cornish Game Hens twin-pack. This combo will really let you #Grill4Flavor, and create a delicious meal.
#CollectiveBias

Recipe for Grilled Cornish Game Hens and Honey Soy Sauce Marinade

Ingredients:

4 Cornish Hens, defrosted

1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste
lemon wedges (if desired)

Directions:

In a bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, honey, oil, garlic, and salt and pepper.
Reserve half of marinade in another bowl, to brush on hens while they are grilling.
With a brush, baste hens generously with marinade, let sit in the refrigerator at least 3 hours.
When the charcoals are medium-hot, place the hens on the grill. Cook slowly until they are done, turning about every 10 minutes. Place lid on grill to cook, but check to make sure they don't burn.
Baste well with reserved marinade in last 5 minutes of cooking.
Take off the grill when done, and cover with foil for 10 minutes so juices can settle.
Squeeze lemon on hens if desired.


Serves 4.

For great cooking ideas, be sure to follow Tyson Foods on Facebook and Pinterest. You can also follow Kikkoman on Facebook and Twitter.

Make Your Own Chicken Yakisoba Recipe

Chicken Yakisoba is one of my very favorite take-out dishes, and I usually buy it a couple times a month.

But at almost nine dollars a plate, it gets expensive. So I decided to try making it at home, and I was very happy with the results. Super yummy!!

As you can see, this recipe makes a nice family sized portion. Pair it with rice, or eggrolls, and it makes a delicious dinner.

The recipe comes from the Budget Bytes blog, and comes with lots of great step-by-step photos.

If you love Chicken Yakisoba as much as I do, and you want it to be budget friendly, try this recipe, and I think you'll love it!!

Chocolate Brownie Cupcakes Made With TWIX Bites Candy

One of my very favorite candies, TWIX, now comes in packages of bite-size pieces. And if you are a candy lover like me, this is great news!!

Of course I love eating my TWIX Bites right out of the bag, but I've also been having some fun with using candy in my baking recipes lately.

Brownies are a big favorite around my house, so I decided to pair my best brownie recipe with new TWIX Bites for a yummy treat that my whole family would love.

I adore chocolate and so do my grandchildren. They quickly figured out that the TWIX Bites are the perfect size for those little fingers to pop right in their mouths!!

I was grocery shopping at Walmart when I found the TWIX Bites, and I saw they come in Milk Way, Snickers, and 3 Musketeers varieties, as well. I bought a few bags, thinking these would be the perfect treat for our family movie nights.

When I made my chocolate brownie cupcakes, the first thing I did was to chop up the TWIX Bites. Since they would be going inside the cupcakes and on top, I used the whole package to make sure they tasted really fabulous.

I made my favorite, super-easy brownie recipe, and filled the cupcake liners about a third full. Then I dropped in three pieces of the cut Twix Bites, and then added more brownie mix.

I filled the liners about 3/4 full because I like a big cupcake, and I'd rather have fewer and have them be big and fabulous, than more smaller ones.

My cream cheese frosting recipe is from Martha Stewart, and it really is delicious. I use this frosting for so many baked goods, including cakes, carrot cake, and cookies.

The brownie cupcakes came out of the oven and sank a tiny bit, but it turns out this just made them even more chocolaty. And they smelled so good!!

Recipe for Chocolate Brownie Cupcakes With Twix Bites

Makes 16-18

Ingredients:                                              
                                                        
1 cup butter 
1 cup cocoa  powder
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
                                                                                                                                             

8 ounces (1 bar) cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Bag of TWIX bites, chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cupcake pan with paper liners. Melt butter in a small sauce pan, then pour into a medium bowl. Add cocoa powder and stir until well combined.
Add eggs and stir into mixture. Stir in vanilla, flour, and salt. Do not over mix. Fill liner with batter 1/3 full. Drop in chopped TWIX pieces, and fill about 3/4 full. Bake 20-22 minutes.

Frosting:
With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla until fluffy. Spread frosting on top of cupcakes when they are cooled, and top with chopped TWIX pieces.
 

The cupcakes ended up tasting super good, so rich and chocolaty, and with TWIX as a delicious center. My family and I ate them for dessert that night, and I snuck one for breakfast the next morning!

This really is an easy recipe, and well worth the effort of making brownies from scratch. They can also be made with the other varieties of candy, and I'm thinking I'll make them with Snickers Bites for my grandson's end of the year barbeque. I'm sure they would be a hit with the kids and the parents, too.
#CollectiveBias

You can find all four varieties, including TWIX Bites, at your local Walmart.

There is also a great coupon at Social Twist that lets you save $1.00 off when you buy two 2.83 oz. or larger bags, or $3.00 off when you buy two 6 oz. or larger bags.

What a great reason to #EatMoreBites, right?

Baked Zucchini Sticks With A Kick

Last year our garden was a little overrun with zucchini. But that was okay because we found some really great recipes to use it for, and we gave away some to friends and family.

I always like to find ways to get my grandchildren to eat veggies, but sometimes that can be a real challenge.

My daughter Samantha came up with this yummy recipe that the whole family loves. It has a nice spicy kick that the grown-ups love, but isn't too spicy for the kids.

Ingredients:

3 medium or in our case 1 extra large zucchini, sliced into thin sticks
2 large eggs, beaten
3 Tbsp. flour
1/2 cup bread crumbs (we used panko)
2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. paprika
Salt and pepper, to taste
1tsp. Emeril's Essence

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425°. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray so the sticks won't stick.

In a small bowl, beat the eggs. In another bowl place the flour. In a third bowl, place bread crumbs, garlic powder, paprika, Parmesan cheese and Emeril's Essence, mix well. Dip the zucchini sticks into the flour, then egg, and then into the bread crumb mixture. Roll the sticks around to make sure all sides get coated well. Place the sticks on your baking sheet. Bake at 425° for about 20 minutes, or until they are golden brown and crispy.

Zesty Chicken Chili

I always think that you can never have enough chili recipes, and I love eating chili year-round, not just when it's cold outside.

Lots of people prefer a beef chili, and though I love that too, this chicken chili is a nice change. It isn't real spicy, so if you'd like more heat, I suggest you sprinkle in some red peppers flakes when it's done.

This recipe makes six generous dinner size portions, and paired with hot buttered corn bread, it's an easy, and delicious meal.

Recipe for Zesty Chicken Chili

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts cut into cubes
4 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 large onion, chopped
1 medium green pepper, seeded and chopped
1 can (10 3/4oz.) condensed cream of chicken soup
1 cup water
1 1/2 cups frozen corn
1 can (15oz.) diced tomatoes, drained
2 cans (15oz. each) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

Heat oil in large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add chicken, chili powder, cumin, onion and pepper, and cook until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are tender, stir often.
Stir soup, water, corn, tomatoes, and beans into pot and heat to a boil. Reduce heat to low.
Cover and cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve in bowls, sprinkled with shredded cheese.

Weekend Cooking With Veggie Pizzas

I started making homemade pizzas with my own dough a few years ago. I really love pizza, and making them from scratch lets me control exactly what is on top of them, and lets me be frugal in the sense that I can use whatever veggies are in the fridge, and still make a delicious pizza.

This weekend it was cold and rainy here in the Seattle area, more like winter than spring. Perfect weather to stay in and make some pizzas for my family to enjoy. This veggie pizza was my favorite.

It had spinach, mushrooms, browned onions, and black olives with a white pizza sauce. I made my super easy pizza dough, and in less than an hour my pizzas were done. And so good!!


Recipe for Veggie Pizza

Ingredients:

For pizza Dough:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 package all purpose yeast
1 cup warm water
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup white (store bought) pizza sauce
1 cup fresh spinach leaves
1 large onion, sliced and fried until lightly browned
6 mushrooms, sliced
1/2 black olives, sliced in half
1 cup mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a medium bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes. Stir in flour, salt, and oil. Stir until smooth. Let dough rest 5 minutes.

Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and pat or roll into a round. Sprinkle with extra flour if the dough is sticky. Transfer crust onto a lightly greased pizza pan.
Spread evenly with pizza sauce, then add toppings and bake in a preheated oven for about 20 minutes, or until crust is golden brown. Let pizza set 5 minutes before slicing.

Makes one large pizza.


Enjoy!!

Glazed Strawberry Cookies

Seeing all the strawberries that are available is inspiring me to want to start baking with them. These cookies are one of my favorites, and are really delicious.

They are perfect with a cold glad of milk at home, but also great to pack up for a picnic. Moist and flavorful, they didn't last long at my house.

Recipe for Glazed Strawberry Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup diced strawberries
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small cubes
1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
zest of 1 lemon

For glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

 1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Place strawberries, lemon juice, 2 tablespoons flour, and 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar into a small mixing bowl and toss together until well coated. Place in refrigerator and set aside.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the remaining flour, remaining sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cut in the butter until a fine/even, grainy texture forms.
4. Stir in the Greek yogurt and vanilla and mix until just combined. Fold in the strawberry mixture and lemon zest and mix until well combined.
5. Line a baking sheet with parchment and spoon on 2 tablespoons of dough at a time, about 1 inch apart.
6. Bake for 17 to 20 minutes or until the cookies have barely started to brown on top. Remove from the oven and transfer cookies onto a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.
7. While the cookies cool, make the glaze: Place the sugar, milk and vanilla into a small bowl and gently stir together with a fork until no lumps remain. Drizzle glaze over cookies and serve or allow to set, about 30 minutes, before serving.

Makes 20-24 cookies.


Inspired by Spoon Fork Bacon

Cowboy Quiche From The Pioneer Woman Cooks



I have to say that I haven't made very many quiches. I made a few attempts many years ago, but I don't remember being very impressed by them.

But that's before I discovered Ree Drummond's The Pioneer Woman Cooks cookbook, and her recipe for Cowboy Quiche.

Ree says she's made this for years, and will keep on making it till the day she dies, because it really is that good. I think she calls it a cowboy quiche so the men in her life won't think it's sissy food.

It really is delicious, and I love that you can put in whatever veggies you have on hand. I used broccoli, but you could use asparagus, mushrooms, or bell peppers, too. Or you can completely leave out the veggies altogether, but I thought the broccoli tasted great.

The recipe calls for two onions, but I only used one onion instead of two. One of my kids isn't a big onion lover, and she was going to be eating this, and I thought two onions might be a bit much for her.

I also used a super easy pie crust recipe instead of the one used in the book. It came out just great, and took just a few minutes to put together and bake.

Recipe for Cowboy Quiche

Ingredients:

For quiche crust:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons milk

For the quiche:
8 slices bacon, fried until chewy
2 yellow onions, sliced
2 tablespoons butter
8 eggs
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
salt and black pepper to taste
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:

To make crust, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place all ingredients in pie plate. Stir together with a fork until blended. Pat mixture into bottom and up the sides of the pan. Poke holes in bottom and sides of crust. Bake for 15 minutes in oven, or until crust is golden brown.

To make the quiche, preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Chop up the cooked bacon into bite-sized pieces. In a heavy skillet, over medium heat, fry the onions in the butter until deep, golden brown, about 12-15 minutes.
Mix the eggs, cream, and salt and pepper in a bowl. Add the bacon, onions and cheese. Add 1 cup of veggies (if you choose to use any). Stir to combine.
Pour the filling into the pie shell, cover lightly with aluminum foil, and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow to set for 10 minutes.

Serves about 8.

Enjoy!!

Time To Fire Up The Grill With Hillshire Farm and Your Best Grilling Recipes



I have really been looking forward to some warm weather, so when it came, I was more than ready to get out the grill and start thinking about some good grilling recipes.

My family and I love to barbeque and eat out on the deck. But our Seattle area weather can be gorgeous one day, and rainy and cold the next.

We took advantage of a couple of sunny days to grill up some new Hillshire Farm American Craft Sausages that I picked up at Walmart.

Let me say right now, that I love these new sausages. I have bought Hillshire Farm meats forever, so I always trust that they will deliver a great tasting product, and they really came through with this one.

Delicious and flavorful, the new American Craft Sausages come in five flavors. I bought the Garlic & Onion, and the Smoky Bourbon flavors.

There are also Original Bratwurst, Jalapeno & Cheddar, and Craft Beer Brat to choose from as well.

These sausages are already fully cooked, so you can grill them, fry them, or microwave them in a short time.

We grilled them for about ten minutes, and they were smelling pretty delicious, and all ready to go into a bun with some toppings.

Sometimes we get fancier with what we put on our grilled sausages, but this time we just wanted the basics, good old-fashioned mustard and barbeque sauce.

I have to admit I have a bit of an onion obsession!!

I just love frying onions until they are soft and brown, and adding a tiny bit of sugar to help caramelize them.

I pile them high on all kinds of cooked or grilled meats. I have to say they were pretty fantastic on my sausages, and they totally brought out the flavor of the Garlic & Onion variety.

My son-law- was the grill master on the day we had this barbeque. Living in the Pacific Northwest, he has really enjoyed trying many of the local beers from some of the small breweries that we have here. So when I told him that Hillshire also made the sausages in the Craft Beer Brat flavor, he asked me why I didn't buy any.

That variety is next on my list to try for sure. If it's as good as the Smokey Bourbon, it's got to be delicious!!

I'm so looking forward to the summer months, where we can enjoy delicious foods, family and friends, outside on the deck.
#CollectiveBias

You can find all five of the new Hillshire Farm Craft American Sausages at Walmart.

From May1st - 4th, select Walmart stores will be featuring a special demo of American Craft Sausages.

Pick up a package today, and #StartYourGrill season off right, with these new delicious sausages from Hillshire Farm.

Recipe For Strawberry Cake

This is another cake recipe from the new Martha Stewart's Cakes book. With all the strawberries that are now available at grocery stores and farmer's markets, this recipe is a real winner for strawberry lovers.

It's easy to make, and moist and delicious inside. Keep a close eye on the baking time, as you don't want it to bake too long and end up too dry.

We put some whipped cream on each slice, and it was a delicious, mid-week dessert that pleased the whole family. The recipe was quite easy too.

I've talked about the Martha Stewart's Cakes book before when I made the Carrot Tea Cake recipe.

I have to say that this book really is a keeper, and one that I can see using for many, many years to come. It has virtually all the cake recipes that a baker would ever need, and many of the recipes are actually very easy.

I know Martha Stewart recipes can be intimidating, but the recipes in this book are not. I love the book for it's simplicity and the down-right delicious cakes that run from every day coffeecakes, to special occasion birthday cakes.


Recipe for Strawberry Cake

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons unsalted butter , room temperature, plus more for pie dish
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pound fresh strawberries, hulled and halved

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 10-inch ceramic or tin pie plate. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl.

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and 1 cup sugar until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low, mix in egg, milk, and vanilla.

Reduce speed to low, gradually add flour mixture. Transfer batter to prepared pie plate. Arrange strawberries on top of batter, cut sides down, and as close together as possible. Sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar over berries.

Bake cake 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 degrees, and continue to bake until cake is golden brown and firm to the touch, about 60 minutes more. Transfer pie plate to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes about 8 servings.

Enjoy!!