Tzatziki

• 12 ounces plain Greek yogurt
• 1 cucumber, peeled and shredded
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar (or lemon juice)
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• salt & pepper
• *optional: 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill, mint, or chives 

1. Squeeze all the excess moisture out of the shredded cucumber, then blot it on a paper towel. Try to dry it the best you can.
2. Mix all the ingredients together, refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

I didn't take any pictures.. Whoops.

We had 'Greek Chicken Pitas' (grilled chicken seasoned with Greek seasoning from World Market, tomatoes, cucumber, red onion & feta cheese on flatbread) for dinner and this complimented them perfectly.

Pancakes with Blueberry Sauce

Pancakes

• 3/4 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 1 cup flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1. Combine milk with vinegar in a medium bowl and set aside for 5 minutes to "sour".
2. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. 
3. Whisk egg, butter, and vanilla extract into "soured" milk. 
4. Pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and whisk until lumps are gone.
5. Heat a skillet over medium to medium low heat, and coat with cooking spray. Pour  batter onto the skillet, and cook until bubbles appear on the surface. Flip with a spatula, and cook until browned on the other side.

Serves 2-4, depending on how many pancakes you eat!

Blueberry Sauce

• 2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen 
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup sugar (depending on your sweetness preference, I used 1/3)
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest (optional)

1. Combine the sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan. Whisk in the water until the sugar dissolves.
2.  Add the blueberries and orange zest- bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
3. Let the sauce boil for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve warm.

Strawberry & Spinach Salad

Strawberry & Spinach Salad

• 16 cups baby spinach
• 3 cups strawberries, sliced

Dressing

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar (can be found at Asian markets, or in the Asian section of supermarkets)
• 3 tablespoons red onion, finely minced
• 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar 
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 1/2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
• salt & pepper

Whisk all the dressing ingredients together until combined. Toss the spinach and strawberries with the dressing right before serving.

Salad portions are large enough to be considered a main dish. The picture above is of ONE serving. One serving of the dressing is 3 tablespoons.

Serves 4

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.

Baja Sauce for Fish Tacos

Baja Sauce

• 1/4 of a red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
• 2 T. diced onions
• 1 garlic clove
• 2 T. cilantro
• 1/4 c. mayo
• 1/4 c. sour cream
• 2 t. vinegar
• 1/4 t. black pepper
• dash of cumin

1. In a food processor or blender, puree the bell pepper, jalapeno, onions, and garlic until smooth. 
2. In a small bowl, combine the mayo, sour cream, vinegar, pepper, and cumin. Stir in the pureed vegetable mix. Refrigerate at least 3 hours to allow flavors to combine.

Beautiful Man. :)