Thai Peanut

One of my new favorite recipes and regular week night go-to's is a Thai peanut chicken dish. My mom introduced me to this dish when I visited her earlier this year in Seattle. It was one of the best meals of my life....I might die. My mom used one of those Thai Kitchen Noodle kits that comes with the rice noodles, seasonings, and peanut sauce. She added crushed peanuts, sambal oelek (spicey chili paste)  cilantro, lime juice, crunchy bean sprouts, chicken, and white rice. You drooling yet?! 

Well, when I got home I wanted to re-create this masterpiece but I couldn't find the Thai Peanut noodle kit anywhere!! My mom mailed me a kit and I made the dish but forgot the cilantro  and lime juice and Steve said the chicken pieces were too big. Boo! So, I tried again, this time kit-less. I bought some thai peanut sauce, rice noodles, sambal oelek, and sesame oil, remembered the cilantro and lime, and cut the chicken into tiny pieces! Whew!! My home-made version of the Thai Kitchen recipe was just as good, and now I have lots ingredients to make it again!! 

Here's what you will need if you can't find the Thai Kitchen box:

• chicken breast
• white rice
• rice noodles
• crushed up peanuts
• bean sprouts
• cilantro
• lime juice from fresh limes
• sambal oelek chili paste
• sesame oil
• Thai Peanut Sauce
• any other veggies of your choice

Cook the chicken and saute the veggies in the sesame oil and peanut sauce. Add a quarter size dollop of chili paste and mix. (Use less if you don't like spicy food. A little bit of this stuff goes a LONG way!) Cook the rice and rice noodles. Add the bean sprouts just before you're ready to serve so they get only slightly cooked. Add the rice noodles to the chicken, veggie mix. Dish out over the rice. Sprinkle with cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice. Top with crushed peanuts. 

Mom's Thai Kitchen dish

My home-made Thai Peanut dish

Hawaiian Style

The theme for my Grandpa's 80th birthday was Hawaiian Luau. I thought pineapple fried rice and rainbow fruit skewers would be the perfect addition to bbq'd ribs and veggie kabobs. 

Pineapple Fried Rice

• Cooked white rice
• yellow onion chopped
• chopped roasted red pepper
• small bits of pineapple
• frozen peas
• cashews
• eggs
• sesame oil
• olive oil
• cumin
• S&P

Saute the yellow veggies in olive oil and a tbsp of sesame oil. Add the egg mix up lightly so it scrambles and fries up with the veggies. Add salt, pepper, cumin, to taste. Add the cashews and rice and mix until all cooked and warmed together. SIMPLE and DELICIOUS!

My second dish was rainbow fruit skewers that I found on Pinterest. My mom found the cutest skewers with flowers on the ends and I had help from my little cousins putting these little skewers together. I used blackberries, blueberries, kiwi, pineapple, oranges, and raspberries and they turned out so cute and festive!! They were a big hit!

Butterfinger Cheesecake

This was my very first cheesecake and first time using a springform pan. I wanted to make something extra special for my Bachelorette premiere viewing party for a few girlfriends and this was definitely it! The recipe is a bit complicated with many steps and some unusual ingredients, but overall it was pretty easy and I would definitely make it again. The crust was a bit hard to get out of the pan - and I ended up serving the girls a piece without any crust without noticing!! But, the next day I tried some with the crust and what a difference it makes! YUM! 

Recipe from Back to Her Roots

Crust:

• 15 mini Butterfingers
• 3 ounces of pretzels (1/2 cup)
• 2 tablespoons melted butter

Filling:

• 1/4 cup cold water
• 1 packet unflavored gelatin
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 8 oz cream cheese (I used 4 oz regular cream cheese, 4 oz marscapone cheese)
• 1/3 cup peanut butter
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup Butterfinger and pretzel mixture

Ganache:

• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. 

In the bowl of a food processor, combine Butterfingers and pretzels. Pulse unti well chopped, but not dust. Remove 1/2 cup of mixture and set aside.

Stir in melted butter to Butterfinger/pretezel mixture until well-combined. Press mixture firmly into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan to form the crust.  Bake 7-8 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

For the filling, mix the water and gelatin in a small, microwave safe bowl and set aside to bloom.

Meanwhile, beat heavy cream on high in a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until medium stiff peaks form. Set aside.

In another mixer bowl, combine cream cheese, peanut butter, sugar, salt, and reserved Butterfinger/pretzel mix. Beat on medium until smooth. Set aside.

Place bowl of gelatin in microwave and heat 50% power for 10 seconds. This is to smooth out the gelatin mixture. With the mixer on low, slowly stream the gelatin mix to the cream cheese mixture until well combined. 

By hand, fold the whipped cream in with the cream cheese mixture. 

Spread filling evenly into the springform pan.

To prepare ganache, combine chocolate and heavy cream in a double boiler over low heat. Once chocolate is melted and combined with the cream, remove from heat and drizzle over cheesecake. 

Place cheesecake in fridge and let chill for at least 3-4 hours until set up. Before serving, remove ring on springform pan.

Organic