Honey Sriracha Chicken

I have spent too many years of my life scared of food. While I'm not exactly at the point of being willing to try anything, I am working at stepping out of self imposed box. Many of you may not think of this type of chicken as "out of the box," but I assure you for me that it is. I tried a pizza at a local restaurant that had honey sriracha chicken on it, and I was floored at how much I like it. So, I went on a search to find a recipe that sounded good and I found this one for Honey Sriracha Grilled Chicken Skewers on Pinterest, and my daughter and I have loved it! I have found another use for this chicken in a pizza variety I'm making of Honey Sriracha Chicken, Spinach Alfredo pizza. Again, this is delicious (blog coming soon) and everyone who has tried it has loved it!

6-8 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into large cubes (I use 2.25-2.5 lbs separated into two batches)
1/2 cup honey or agave
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup sriracha chile sauce
1/2 tsp salt

Cube chicken and place chicken cubes into two quart size freezer ziplock bags, set aside.

In a small bowl, combine honey, soy sauce, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, sriracha, and salt; whisk well.

Pour  mixture evenly into the two bags of chicken. Squeeze air out of bag and seal bag, coat chicken with sauce.

Here is where you choose which course you're going to take. If you are planning on cooking a bag of the chicken that day, then marinate it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. A few hours would be better. I generally prep a 5-lb or 10-lb bag of chicken at one time and divide it among multiple bags for freezing. The night before I plan to cook the chicken, I pull it out of the freezer and place it in the fridge. When I get home from work the next evening, I remove the bag from the fridge for an hour or so while I do chores around the house. There is already oil in the marinade, so you don't need extra in your skillet before cooking. Just heat up the skillet on medium-high heat; either drain the chicken in a colander or use  tongs to remove chicken and let the sauce drip off. Either way, once the skillet is heated, add the chicken to begin cooking.

I have found that marinade and other juices tend to build while the chicken is cooking and to get a nice char mark on the chicken this liquid will need to be drained during the cooking process. Keep stirring and draining chicken until you have the amount of browning that you desire. This is one of my 15 minute meals - cook a pot of Minute Rice and a veggie and dinner is served.

Lemon Herb Chicken

Chicken is one of the most versatile proteins to add to a meal. It can be prepared in so many delicious ways that it's hard sometimes to decide where to start. I was searching Pinterest a few weeks ago for some new chicken recipes when I stumbled onto: Grilled Chicken Breasts with Lemon and Herbs. I made it for the first time the very day that I found it... and it was goooooooood! Very juicy and tender and light. Pairs great with my Sautéed Spinach and Herb Roasted Potatoes. This will be a great addition to your recipe collection. It's simple and easy and so very tasty... so check it out!

2-4 Foster Farms Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds total)

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 Tbsps finely chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tsp finely chopped fresh thyme
1/2 tsp finely chopped fresh oregano
1/4 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
3 Tbsps lemon juice
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Prepare the chicken by cutting off excess fat or gristle and rinsing. Pound each piece with the flat side of a mallet between a folded piece of plastic wrap to avoid splattering.

Prepare spices, salt, pepper and garlic.

Put chicken in a freezer bag of appropriate size for how many chicken breasts you have. Pour the spices mixture over the chicken. Squeeze in the lemon juice and then add the oil. Massage the marinade onto the chicken to ensure it is evenly coated. Put in the refrigerator to rest.

The marinade should stay on as long as possible. I've done as little as 2 hours and as much as 3-4 days (with slightly frozen chicken to start with). At least overnight would be ideal. The longer you can let it set, the better it will be. Pull the chicken out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before ready to cook. Heat the skillet. You can add a spoonful of marinade to know when the skillet is hot enough. Add chicken to the skillet and cook on both sides until browned and cooked through.

Pair this chicken with your favorite sides and enjoy!

Oatmeal Cake

What is oatmeal cake, you ask? One of the best desserts you will every try. It is moist and tender with this amazing flavor. I don't know who originally created the cake. My recipe came to me via my mother who got it from my paternal grandmother. The recipe is handwritten out in the old style of recipes. I love it. I don't have too many recipes from my grandmother. As a matter of fact, I think this is the only one. I also have two or three quilts that she made, but that's a different topic. Back to the cake...

This cake really is delicious. There's a little butter and oatmeal, and the usual cast of cake characters. But instead of icing, this cake is topped with butter, sugar, condensed milk, vanilla, pecans and coconut. You will love this cake; I promise. Check it out!

1 cup oats 
1 1/4 cup boiling water
1/2 cup margarine or butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/3 cup self rising flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and grease and flour or spray with baking spray a 9x13x2 baking pan. Boil water; in a large bowl combine oats and water. Add to this 1/2 cup (1 stick) of margarine cut into small pieces. Stir and let rest for 20 minutes.

Add sugar and brown sugar, and stir until combined.

Add eggs, one at a time, and combine after each addition.

In a small bowl combine flour, baking soda and cinnamon. Sift dry ingredients into wet, and stir until combined.

Pour into pan and bake for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

While cake is baking, gather ingredients for the icing and begin making it. I think the topping is one of the best parts of this cake, so I make  1 1/2 servings of it.

1/2 cup margarine
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup pecans
1 cup angel coconut

To begin with, I really love this topping. I think it's much better using one and a half or twice the original recipe. That being said, whichever amount you decide to make, in a large enough pot to accommodate the ingredients, combine the margarine, sugar and condensed milk. Bring to a slow boil and allow to thicken.

Once mixture has thickened, remove from heat and vanilla, pecans and coconut. Pour over cake while the cake is still warm.

Broil the cake in the oven until the topping is lightly toasted and golden brown. Watch it carefully; it can go from not toasted to very toasted very quickly... ask me how I know this. lol

Allow the cake to cool, cut yourself a slice, and enjoy!!!