Teriyaki Chicken and Rice Casserole

I feel like, if I ever met Yoda, he would say, 

"The love for Asian food, strong in this one is...Aaaauuummmm!"

Haha, how nerdy am I, right?! 

But for real, as I have mentioned before, I am half Korean so I have a natural love for Asian foodage! I love sushi, bulgogi, kimbap, all things rice, black pepper chicken, general tso's chicken...man, the list goes on for days I tell ya'! 

This Teriyaki Chicken and Rice casserole that I made tonight was SO stinkin' easy that the ease of making it alone, was enough to make me want to add it to our meal plan! And on top of this being so easy-peasy, the taste was phenomenal and this is actually pretty cheap to make! I have had a lot of teriyaki dishes in my day, usually I just buy the sauce instead of going the homemade route, but the sauce in the recipe has to be hands-down THE BEST teriyaki sauce that I have ever made! And the fact that this dish has all these veggies makes it even more of a plus! Mr.Hooah loved that it had actual pineapple in it as well! We with that being said, we're definitely sold on this one! I added this from EmilyBites of course, and as always, it did not disappoint! It is also great as leftovers the next day! By the way, this recipe along with all of her other recipes, are WeightWatcher friendly! It is healthier than take-out and you can honestly customize it any way you please; Different veggies, etc... It is healthier and filling, we absolutely LOVED this one! 

SHOUT OUT: 
Thanks Emily, though you probably do not even know me from Adam, for making your recipes and blog so awesome that I am always cooking something new and delicious! :)

-XO
 

Teriyaki Chicken and Rice Casserole

¾ c. low-sodium soy sauce
½ c. water
1/3 c. packed brown sugar
1 TBSP. honey
¾ tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. EVOO
½ tsp. garlic, minced
2 TBSP. corn starch
2 TBSP. water
1½ lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts
32oz. frozen mixed vegetables (look for the un-sauced stir fry or Asian varieties)
1 c. drained canned pineapple tidbits or chunks (packed in juice or with no added sugar)
3 c. cooked brown rice

• Pre-heat the oven to 350.
• Combine the soy sauce, the ½ cup water, the brown sugar, honey, ginger, olive oil and garlic in a small saucepan and cover. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove lid and cook for one minute once boiling.
• While waiting for the sauce to come to a boil, stir together the corn starch and 2 tablespoons of water in a separate dish until smooth to form a slurry. Once the sauce is boiling, add the slurry to the saucepan and stir in to combine. Cook for another minute until the sauce starts to thicken and then remove from heat.
• Lay the raw chicken breasts flat in a 9×13 casserole dish and pour about a cup of the sauce over top of the chicken. Place the chicken in the oven and cook for 30-35 minutes until breasts are cooked through*. Remove the dish from the oven and shred the chicken right in the dish using two forks.

***While the chicken is cooking, steam or cook your frozen vegetables according to package directions.***

• When the chicken is shredded and the vegetables are cooked, add the vegetables, pineapple and rice to the casserole dish with the chicken. Add most of the remaining sauce, reserving a bit to drizzle over the top when finished. Stir everything together in the casserole dish until well combined. Return the dish to the oven and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, drizzle with the remaining sauce and serve.

Sugar Cookie M&M Bars

What do I have to blog about today you ask?

Oh, nothing crazy, just these super delicious Sugar Cookie M&M Bars! 

 OMG you guys, these are SO good and absolutely perfect for the holidays!

I made these yesterday and it makes a whole 13x9 pan... THEY'RE GONE!

 Yes, you read right, gone ALREADY! Lol. In our defense, I sent some home with our friends and Mr.Hooah took some to work with him as well!

I found this recipe randomly on Facebook, someone had shared the Betty Crocker Christmas cookie list and these were on it. I was pretty much sold at just seeing "sugar cookie..." and wrote the recipe down to try. I had initially intended on making these to mail back home with some Christmas presents, but hey, every good cook/baker must test it out before feeding it to anyone else... right?! Lol.

I absolutely LOVE soft sugar cookies and these bars are right on the money!

 And by the way, anyone who knows me well, knows that I'm not crazy about M&M's in anything really... whether it be cookies, ice-cream, etc...

(I've just never really been a fan. I guess that must make me the weirdest person on the planet huh?!)

But the M&M's and the white chocolate chips really OOMPH up this simple little cookie!

These would be awesome for cookie-swaps, a quick dessert for a holiday gathering, or even gifting to a neighbor! This recipe is as simple as it gets for "homemade" cookies.

 Give it a try, you wont be disappointed I promise, and I'm pretty sure you'll get no complaints from Santa if you leave these out with a glass of milk!

-XO 

Sugar Cookie M&M Bars

1 pouch (1lb 1.5oz.) sugar cookie mix

1/2 c. butter, softened

1 egg

1 c. red & green M&M's

1 c. white vanilla baking chips   

• Heat oven to 350°F. Spray bottom only of 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray. 

• In large bowl, mix cookie mix, butter and egg with spoon until soft dough forms. Stir in 1/2 cup of the candies and the white vanilla baking chips. Press dough in bottom of pan. Sprinkle remaining candies over top. 

• Bake 22 to 24 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely on cooling rack, about 1 hour. Cut into 6 rows by 4 rows. Store in airtight container.

 

Sausage and Tomato Risotto

Risotto...

For some reason "risotto" intimidates people.

Not this girl though! 

I absolutely LOVE anything rice wise, it doesn't really matter what.

 I mean, I am half Korean, could that have something to do with it?!  

Perhaps... 

The first risotto that I ever decided to make was a mushroom-parmesan risotto recipe I found on Pinterest and it was pretty delicious. Since then, I realized that the combos are endless really because rice goes well with almost anything!

I probably look like a serious blog-stalker, I have been looking at and cooking so many of the recipes Emily Bites  has been putting up on her blog lately! Coincidentally, Lol, this recipe is also one of hers and Mr.Hooah & I love this as much as we do all of the other recipes by her that we have tried! 

Although, I do have to say that I think this one, so far, is my FAVORITE! 

The white wine and the rich tomato'ey sausage taste paired with the arborio rice (it is a short-grain Italian rice) which absorbs all those good flavors and pulls this dish together... It is seriously just DIVINE!

We shop on base at the commissary and if you grocery shop on payday, you better get there early because a lot of times they have already ran out of stock of some things, such as the turkey sausage we needed for this recipe.

 Usually, we get turkey sausage, bacon, and ground turkey in place of the regular stuff because it is a way we can eat a little healthier... my newest addiction though is the Hillshire Farm Cajun Chicken Sausage, SO GOOD! 

Anywho, this time we had to settle for Johnsonville Hot Italian sausage...

OH HOT DAMN people! 

It was actually really good and SO AMAZING in this recipe! And there wasn't any bother with removing casings etc... of course Mr.Hooah loved it, so we definitely recommend it! 

Ok, so now back to the whole risotto being intimidating to most people... 
DON'T LET IT! 
Let me be completely honest...
Yes, it sounds super fancy and yes to some it sounds complicated, but you guys... it isn't! It is really just about patience, that's it! Waiting for the liquid to absorb so you can add in more liquid and repeating of the process.
 And oh, what a delicious process it is! Lol. 

You can find the original recipe here Sausage & Tomato Risotto. It is a serious must try and I recommend this for when you want that "MMMMM..." kind of food goodness! Enjoy you guys!

-XO 

Sausage & Tomato Risotto

1 (28oz.) can of diced tomatoes in juice
3 c. water
¾ lb hot Italian turkey sausage, casings removed 

1 small onion, finely chopped
Salt & Pepper, to taste
1 c. uncooked Arborio rice
½ c. dry white wine
9oz. fresh spinach, chopped (I used frozen, that I popped in the microwave!)
½ c. grated Parmesan cheese
2 TBSP. light butter (I used Move Over Butter)

• Combine the tomatoes and their juices with the water in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Turn heat to low to keep the mixture warm until needed.
• In a large pot or saute pan, combine sausage and chopped onion, add salt & pepper to taste. Cook over medium heat, breaking the sausage up with a wooden spoon until meat is brown and onions have softened. Add the rice and stir to coat the rice and combine. Cook for 1-2 mins and then add in the wine. Stir until wine is absorbed about 1-2mins.
• Add two cups of the tomato mixture to the rice and stir. Turn the heat down to a simmer (medium-low heat) and cook until liquid is absorbed, stirring occasionally. Add another cup and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is absorbed. Continue, one cup of liquid at a time until all of the tomato liquid has been added and absorbed. Rice will be tender and creamy. Add the chopped spinach and stir in until combined. Cook for another 1-2 mins until spinach is wilted and combined.
• Remove risotto from heat, add the butter and cheese. Stir until thoroughly mixed. 
• Serve immediately.

Creamy Pasta with Sausage and Mustard Seeds

Ok guys, I want to start out by saying,

 "OMGGGG! WHAT IS UP WITH THIS WEATHER?!"

Like, REALLY, what the heck is going on? 

One day you can wear shorts out, the next day you need uggs and a sweater! 

North Carolina weather is so unpredictable! 

But I will take this spastic weather over all the usual rain we usually get! I will say that when it gets cold here that it actually gets freezing cold, which makes me want comfort food more than ever this time of year! 

For me, it usually starts around October... you know, the craving for some comfort foods and Thanksgiving type of foods. 

THE STRUGGLE IS SO REAL! 

Don't believe me, ask poor Mr.Hooah, Lol! He has to put up with all my indecisiveness of not knowing exactly what I want to eat... Bless him! 

I always keep an eye out for new recipes, it is a must as Mr.Hooah does not eat leftovers. And lately, I have discovered Coarse Mustard. I don't know what I have been doing with my life all these years without it! Seriously. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE it on sandwiches and I have a recipe to make a cranberry jelly with it (odd combo, I know!) and it is super yummy! I have never honestly thought to put it into stuff like this pasta recipe I am about to share, but Emily, over at Emily Bites did and this recipe for Creamy Pasta with Sausage & Mustard Seeds is amazing! It is filling and the sausage in it kind of makes this fall along the lines of some yummy comfort food for me. It is definitely an unusual recipe, but that's what we like though right?

This recipe is surprisingly easy and doesn't take many ingredients. The mustard gives it a little something extra and we loved how well it all came together! It is actually a little healthier compared to most other pasta dishes you can make, which is a MAJOR plus to me! All the more reason to love this recipe!

 I hope you enjoy this one as much as we did, and I apologize in advance for the photo quality... I was too lazy to drag my camera out for the pics, does that make me a bad blogger? Lol.

-XO!

Creamy Pasta with Sausage & Mustard Seeds

1lb (16oz.) uncooked wheat pasta shells
2 tsp. EVOO
1 ½ lbs hot Italian turkey or chicken sausage, casings removed
3oz. fresh baby spinach, chopped (about a half a standard salad bag, add more if desired, I used frozen chopped spinach that I popped into the microwave as per box directions then drained it)
¾ c. dry white wine
¾ c. fat-free half and half
3 TBSP. grainy mustard (I used Grey Poupon Harvest Coarse Ground Mustard)

Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
1 c. thinly sliced or chopped fresh basil (I used a few tsp. of dried basil)

• Cook pasta in salted water according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.
• While the water is boiling for step one, place the oil in a large skillet or saute pan and bring over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook for about five minutes or until meat is cooked through, breaking it up into small pieces with a spoon as it cooks. Add the fresh spinach and stir in. Cook for another minute until spinach wilts.
• Add the wine to the sausage and reduce the heat to a simmer. Stir together, releasing any brown bits from the bottom of the pan and cook for another 5 minutes until the wine is reduced by half. Add the half and half, mustard and crushed red pepper. Stir together and simmer for another 2 minutes.
• Remove the skillet from heat and stir in the reserved pasta and basil until well combined. Serve.

Holiday Photog...it is my FAVORITE!

For those of you who didn't already know, I dabble in photography, it is a hobby and has turned into a little passion of mine.

I have to admit, it is actually a little therapeutic!

I am definitely no professional nor have I been at it long enough to even be considered a "pro", but I absolutely love doing it and I love that I keep getting better and better! 

I am actually pretty proud of the work I do! 

I love being able to be a part of making memories for people and my favorite photos have to be holiday photos such as the ones I am about to share with you guys now... 

This couple was the first couple I had ever shot and I am so far now from where I started then.

The first photos were pretty good for a first timer (the one above is one of them and was from last Fall), but the ones I snapped this past weekend turned out so awesome! I am in love!!!

Not only are these types of shoots my favorite because it is a Holiday session, but because these guys include their pups in all their family photos! 

Uh, pets are FAMILY too people!!! Lol.

This has been my favorite sesh I have done and I absolutely LOVE how these turned out!