Asian Chicken Noodle Soup 

Colds have brutally been striking all members of my family since Fall. Even my husband (who never gets sick) got to experience one this year. In addition, we've had a record amount of rainfall here in the Pacific Northwest that has not exactly helped with the constant sickness. This amazing soup was our go to dish through all our sickness and weather withdrawals. I'm just getting over a sore throat so tonight was the night to whip this one up. My hubby and I have been having fun getting the recipe right on this one and I finally took the time to measure and write down what we created.

If you don't have the ingredients I've used on hand you may need to make a trip to a nearby Asian store to find them. I've added a photo of the specific noodles I like to use below but any rice noodles should work.

We simply added additional sauces (such as Sriracha) after dishing it out to accommodate the little ones. Our boys are satisfied with any dish including noodles or pasta so they scarf this down pretty quickly!

Ingredients:

1 14oz. package of rice noodles.

1 Tbs Sesame oil
1 lb Chicken
1 Tbs olive oil or Coconut Oil
2 cloves minced Garlic
1/2 medium onion
2 cups Carrots (any veggies)
4 cups Bok Choy
5 cups water (roughly)
1/4 cup Oyster Sauce
2 Tbs Red Cooking Wine
1/2 Tbs Sugar
1 Tsp Salt
3 Chicken Bouillon cubes or 3 cups chicen broth
Optional for serving:
Lime
Hoison Sauce
Sriracha

1. Place hot water in a large pot and let boil. Once boiling, place noodles in and cook for approx. 10 min until softened. Drain, drizzle sesame oil over and let sit.
2. Place oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Once hot, place garlic and onions in pot and saute 1 min then put carrots in to saute for about 5 min until starting to soften. Put chicken in pot and cook until no longer pink. When juices are boiling, add the cooking wine, half of the oyster sauce, Sugar, and salt. Cover and let simmer for 10 min.
3. Add water to the pot then the chicken cubes or chicken broth. Bring to a boil and let simmer for approx. 10-20 min. Add boy choy and let cook for 10 more min until softened. 
4. Serve by putting rice noodles into each bowl then adding the soup. Add remaining optional ingredients to taste.

Soft Pretzels - Germany

Happy Oktoberfest!

Happy belated Oktoberfest! I just had to make these yummy pretzels before October ended in honor of the famous German holiday of Oktoberfest. Soft pretzels are one of the most famous delicious staples of Germany and pretty simple to make. We discovered my little man (son) loves pretzels while eating them at the mall one day and knew he would  love walking around with one of these homemade pretzels in his hand/mouth. My husband also scarfed down a couple of these delectables fresh out of the oven.

I served these warm pretzels with some homemade soup making a cold evening a cozy and delicious one. Since my husband doesn't like them too salty I added salt to some of them leaving the others plain. They are fabulous served with your favorite toppings (I sprinkled on some parmesan cheese) or with your favorite dip, including honey mustard or a cheese dip. I used the recipe from allrecipes.com to make these pretzels. After making these, let me know how they compare to mall bought ones you've had!

Ingredients:

4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 1/4 cups warm water (10 degrees F)
5 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup baking soda

1. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt. Make a well in the center; add the yeast mixture then oil. Mix and form into a dough. If the mixture is dry, add one or two tablespoons of water. Knead the dough until smooth, about 7 or 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
3. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. In a large bowl, dissolve baking soda in hot water.
4. When risen, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope and twist into a pretzel shape. Once all of the dough is shaped, dip each pretzel into the baking soda solution and place on a greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with kosher salt.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes, until browned. Remove and enjoy hot!

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

Happy Aloha Friday!

Since today is the last Aloha Friday of the summer, I thought it would be appropriate to celebrate by sharing this fabulous cookie recipe. For my family and I, macadamia nuts are the most important souvenir to bring home when traveling to Hawaii. Baking them in these cookies is one of the most delicious ways to indulge in them. Including the white chocolate chips brings out the yummy sweet taste of the cookies.

I found the recipe on allrecipes.com and it's great for some nice chewy and soft Macadamia Nut Cookies. If you don't have almond extract (like me) don't worry about not adding it because they'll still taste amazing without it.

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup coarsely chopped macadamia nuts
1 cup white chocolate chips (chopped or not)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the extracts. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; gradually stir into the creamed mixture. Mix in the macadamia nuts and chips. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheets (not greased).

3. Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown. Enjoy!

Hummus - Middle East

Hummus with pita bread/chips is a delicious and refreshing summer snack. I can't believe summer is almost over and couldn't end it without making some yummy hummus. I first came across this recipe when I was pregnant trying to find all different kinds of healthy snacks to munch on. It's an excellent healthy snack and would also be great as an appetizer when visitors are over.

It's a pretty simple dip to whip up by throwing all the ingredients into a blender or food processor. Make sure you refrigerate it after and enjoy it for a week (maybe even longer) after it's made. The recipe is from Our Best Bites: Mormon Moms in the Kitchen.

Ingredients:
1 (15.5-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
1 large clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons tahini
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
4-6 tablespoons water, divided
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon minced parsley for garnish

1. Combine chickpeas, garlic, lemon juice, tahini, salt, pepper, cumin, red pepper, and 3 tablespoons of the water in a food processor. Process until smooth. With processor running, pour in olive oil. Process until just combined. Add additional water by tablespoon until you reach the consistency you like.

2. Place in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator. For optimal flavor, refrigerate for at least 2 hrs before serving. Right before serving, top with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and chopped parsley if desired. Enjoy!

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

This is cake #2 I made for my boy's birthday; his special "smash" cake! I probably ate about 20 times more of this cake than he did because of it's addicting flavor. It was really simple and even a slightly healthy alternative to a store bought frosting.

Cupcakes or carrot cake/cupcakes would also taste delicious with this frosting. The lemon zest adds a yummy taste without overdoing it for your taste buds. This recipe is a must try and I promise you will not be dissapointed with it's extreme deliciousness. I found the recipe on food network.com by Ellie Krieger.

I couldn't resist adding a pic of my cute big boy!

Ingredients:

8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest


With an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and lemon zest until smooth and creamy.

With an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and lemon zest until smooth and creamy.

Frost cake or cupcakes as desired and indulge!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Monkey Cake and Cupcakes

Happy 1st Birthday Maikah!

My son's 1st birthday was the 18th and I couldn't resist making this delicious and cute monkey cake. I know it doesn't really go with the international theme of my blog but there was just no way I couldn't post this yummy cake. 

Since there was no room to write Happy Birthday on the cake I decided to make cupcakes to go along with the cake. The peanut butter frosting adds a unique and delicious flavor to the cake. It's also not too sweet to handle. The Cocoa Krispies add a unique and tasty crunch to the cake. Since I love chocolate chip cookies I decided to use those for the ears but I'm sure any other cookie would work.

I found the recipe from birdonacake.blogspot.com doubling the frosting recipe for the cupcakes and ended up just using a box mix for the cake with store bought chocolate frosting. For a healthy alternative I substituted the oil required for the cake mix with applesauce, it still came out delicious.

Ingredients:

1 chocolate cake mix
1 `jar of chocolate frosting
1 cup Cocoa Krispies cereal
2 large cookies
2 white candy melts
2 brown M&Ms

1/2 cup salted butter (softened)
1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 cups confectioners' sugar
approx. 1/8 cup milk

Peanut Butter Frosting:

In a medium bowl, beat the butter and peanut butter with an electric mixer until well combined. Gradually add the sugar. When it starts to get thick, add the milk a little at a time until frosting is spreadable. (The amount of milk you use depends on the thickness of your peanut butter.) Beat for 3 minutes or until fluffy.

Assembling Your Cake:

Level your cooled cake layers. Place one layer on a cake stand. Spread peanut butter frosting on it, then top with the second cake layer. Spread peanut butter frosting on top of the cake, in the shape of a monkey face. Carefully spread chocolate frosting around the edges of the face and down the sides of the cake. Slide the cookies into the frosting between the cake layers, opposite from each other. Press cocoa rice cereal into the chocolate frosting. Spoon some chocolate frosting into a decorating bag or ziploc with the corner snipped off (cheaper alternative). Pipe dots on the back of the M&M's and attach them to the flat side of the candy melts. Put candy melts on the cake or the eyes. Pipe a nose and mouth.   Enjoy and maybe make some cupcakes to go with it!

Taco Pizza - Mexico and Italy

Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

 If you ever get tired of making the same tacos or the same pizza, you must try this recipe! The delicous taste of Italian pizza is combined with Mexican tacos resulting in a yummy creation.


My husband gets tired of eating Mexican food consisting of tacos,taco salad, and enchiladas; so when he bit into this fabulous combination he couldn’t stop eating. For those of you who might have that one family member (like my husband) who is not too fond of either tacos, pizza, or both; they may have a pleasant surprise when biting into this dish. A great thing about pizza in general is it can easily be modified according to any taste bud. For example, if you prefer spicy foods you can add tobasco sauce and if you don’t like onions just subtract them. In the end, this is a must try recipe!


The pizza dough is adapted from Our Best Bites: Mormon Moms in the Kitchen and the pizza is adapted from the allrecipe.com website with some personal modifications.

Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:

1 can fat-free refried beans

1/3 cup salsa
½ pound ground turkey
1 package taco seasoning
¼ cup water
1 teaspoon tobasco sauce, or to taste
¼ cup chopped onions
3 cups cheddar cheese
2 tomatoes
lettuce

The dough:

1 1/2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
3-4 1/2 cups flour, divided

1. In a large bowl combine water, sugar, and yeast. Let stand for 10 minutes or until yeast is bubbly.

2. Add salt and stir. Add 1 1/2 cups flour and mix well. Gradually add more flour (usually between 1 1/2- 2 1/2 cups) until dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl and it barely sticks to your finger.

3. Spray a glass or metal bowl with cooking spray and place dough in the bowl. Cover and let rise for 45 minutes or until doubled in bulk. Remove from bowl and place on a lightly floured surface. Roll dough into a circle. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.

4. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.

5. In another bowl, mix refried beans, salsa, and onion; set aside. In a large skillet, cook ground beef until evenly brown; drain excess fat. Season with the remaining 1/4 package of taco seasoning and a small amount of water. Simmer a few minutes, then remove from heat.

6. Spread a layer of the bean mixture on. Sprinkle with seasoned beef and top with cheddar cheese.

7. Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted.

8. Top with lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, and your favorite toppings!