Asian Glazed Chicken

Asian Glazed Chicken

• 4 chicken thighs, boneless, skinless
• Pam spray oil
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 t. Sriracha (more or less to taste)
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tsp sugar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 t. ginger, grated
• 1 T. scallions, chopped
• 1/2 t. sesame seeds

1. Brown the chicken over high heat in a large, heavy saucepan lightly sprayed with Pam. About 3-4 minutes. It doesn't need to be cooked- just browned.
2. Combine the water, sriracha, balsamic, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, and ginger in a small bowl. Pour over the browned chicken. Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Remove the cover, bring the sauce to a boil, and allow it to reduce down for 8-10 minutes on medium-high heat. Watch the sauce carefully so it doesn't burn, and turn the chicken occasionally. 
4. Once the sauce has reduced down (will be about the consistency of maple syrup), transfer the chicken to a platter, drizzle with the sauce, and top with the sesame seeds and scallions.

Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies

Use a cookie scoop to make uniform balls.

Mine aren't very aesthetically pleasing..

Cut them in half. 

Roll each half into a ball.
The Hancock boys claim these look like lady-parts. Little pervs.

Flatten each ball ever-so-slightly with a fork.

Baking them was a pain. 

I burned two batches.

But I figured out the perfect temperature & time!

325 for 8-10 minutes. Until just golden brown on the bottom sides.

Allow them to cool completely before flipping half the cookies over.

Whip the filling together.

Put a ziplock bag into a glass, then load the filling in it, & cut a corner off.

A little make-shift pastry bag!

Squeeze a dollop of filling onto the middle.

(This was my burnt batch. Still delicious.)

Squeeze that little bad boy together.

Peanut Butter Cookie:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup peanut butter (I used extra chunky)
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup quick cooking oats

Filling:

• 3 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 2 1/2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

Cookies:

1. In  a small bowl, combine the flour, bs, bp & salt. Cream the butter and sugars together until fluffy. Add in the peanut butter until well-mixed. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Mix in the flour mixture. Stir in the oats. Refrigerate for two hours.
2. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Using a cookie scoop, make 24 uniform dough balls. Cut them in half and roll into balls (48 total). Place onto a lightly greased cookie sheet, and flatten slightly with a fork. They will be small cookies! That's okay! Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the cookies are a light golden brown. Allow the cookies to cool completely.

Filling: 

1. Cream 3 tablespoons butter  with the confectioners’ sugar, 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter, and the cream until light and fluffy.
2. Fill the filling into a large ziplock bag, cut one of the corners, and squeeze  the filling onto half of the cooled cookies, then top with the other half, squeeze them together until the filling reaches the ends of the cookie! 

Tiffany's Broccoli Salad

I love this picture of Michael & Tiffany :)

Tiffany's Broccoli Salad

• 10 cups Broccoli Florets, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 small Red Onion, diced
•  1/2 cup Raisins
• 1 can of sliced water chestnuts, drained (I forgot to buy these, Oops!)
• 1 cup Mayonnaise (I used low-fat mayo, doesn't make a difference)
• 1/3 cup White Sugar
• 3 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
• 2/3 cup Cashews
• 1/3 cup Sunflower Seeds
• 5 slices Bacon, cooked and chopped

1. Whisk together the Mayo, Sugar & Vinegar in a large bowl- toss in the Broccoli, Onions, Raisins & Water Chestnuts. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
2. Before serving- mix in the Bacon, Cashews & Sunflower Seeds.