Saturdays Are For Sweets

Pretty much every Saturday my hubby brings me a treat from Astoria in Royal Oak. I certainly don't need it but it sure is yummy.

Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken

I have a ton of recipes saved on Pinterest. I am sure that I am not the only person out there who can make this statement. However, in my 2014 quest to clean up my surroundings - both digitally and physically - I am trying to actually use some of these recipes. Earlier this week I made Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken and it was to die for! It was so good that I made it again last night and I very rarely - if ever - make a recipes twice in such a short time frame. 

Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken

The chicken coating:

3-4 boneless chicken breasts

salt + pepper

1 cup cornstarch

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup canola oil

The sweet and sour sauce:

3/4 cup sugar

4 tbs ketchup

1/2 cup distilled white vinegar

1 tbs soy sauce

1 tsp garlic salt

 

Start by preheating your oven to 325 degrees. Rinse your chicken breasts in water and then cut into cubes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Dip chicken into the cornstarch to coat then dip into the eggs.  Heat your 1/4 cup oil in a large skillet and cook your chicken until browned but not cooked through. Place the chicken in a 9×13 greased baking dish. Mix all of your sweet and sour sauce ingredients in a bowl with a whisk and then pour evenly over the chicken. Bake for one hour and during the baking process you will need to turn the chicken every 15 minutes.

 

This one is going into the regular rotation for sure. Until next time ....

Baked Oatmeal Squares

Tomorrow it is Clark's turn to bring the snack to school. Now I could just buy something but I really want to be one of those moms so I bake instead. Last time I made blueberry muffins (but for full disclosure it was from a mix) and was looking for something healthy and easy that I had the ingredients on hand for. That is when I found this recipe.

Baked Oatmeal Squares

1 egg, lightly beaten
1-1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup chopped nuts (I omitted these)
1/4 cup raisins
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Pour into a greased 8-in. square baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes. Cut into squares.

One tip - I read the reviews and many people said these were very crumbly. My first batch was a disaster - completely fell apart but tasted really good. One suggestion was to press them down with the back of a spoon and put them back in the oven with the heat off for 5 minutes. I did that and then pressed them with the spoon one ore time. I have not tried cutting them yet so I am not sure if it worked but I hope so. Otherwise I will be heading to the store before work to pick up something else. Until next time ....

Apple Breakfast Bread

For some reason yesterday morning I was in the mood to bake something. Maybe it was the time change and cooler weather that was to blame. However, I decided to make this recipe. If you don't want to click on the link here is the recipe.

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
2 apples - peeled, cored and chopped 

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease an 8x4 inch loaf pan
2)  In a bowl, mix the butter and sugar until smooth and creamy. Beat in the eggs. 
3) In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cloves. Mix into the butter mixture until moistened. Fold in the apples. Transfer to the prepared loaf pan. 
4) Bake 1 hour in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Some things I did differently from the recipe. 

1) I added another egg. The batter is very thick anyway but it really needed the extra moisture. You could also add some vegetable oil but I was out.
2) Like I said the batter is VERY thick. I am glad I read the reviews or I would have though I did something wrong.
3) I used more cinnamon because we love it. I probably used close to 2 tsp. Next time I may add some nutmeg as well.
4) I didn't peel my apples. Next time I think I will shred them instead because they were not very evenly distributed.
5) I made them as muffins instead of a loaf. I baked them for 20 minutes and got 12 muffins.

All in all these were really yummy. Clark and I have eaten  almost all of them already. Until next time ....