Chicken Teriyaki

Some of you may have figured out by now, I like to cook. The funny thing is when I married my husband, Wade, I had cooked a full meal on my own *maybe* three times. My mom stayed home with us growing up and she just did it all. As I am training my teenagers to cook (and other things as my husband and I grow them into adulthood), I understand why sometimes it’s just easier to do it yourself. ;) So I learned on my own, but did watch my mom cook many delicious meals all those years so I know I learned from her as well.

>>>>Side Note>>>>I have also learned why it is often easier to do it yourself during the training process, once you have suffered through that stage, the benefits outweigh what you went through initially!>>>>>Back to the regular blog post.....

The crazy thing is, although I feel like I’m a pretty good cook recipe-picker-outer, I rarely ever pig out on my own food. You know, the pigging out you do when you go out to eat? Usually, I get a small portion and eat it and leave satisfied but never get seconds…..with the exception of a few of my recipes. One I already shared back in August, Chicken Bryan. Yep, that is one that I will get seconds on and don’t stop eating until I hurt. It's sooooo good!

Today, I am sharing another one of *my* favorites – a “eat until I’m stuffed” favorite!

Originally, I made this recipe with beef but my dear friend, Amanda, (you all met her when she did a guest post for me while I was on vacation in October, Simple Fall Crafts for the Crafty Impaired), who cannot eat beef asked me about swapping out the beef in the recipe for chicken. So I tried it, and it was just as delicious!

To my family this is one of those meals that is better than what you get at the restaurant, plus it’s a whole lot cheaper and you can control the ingredients. I’m calling it CHICKEN Teriyaki but you can use the same amount of beef if you have that or prefer it. It seems we are all trying to find good ways to cook chicken all the time, so I’m sharing this recipe as CHICKEN Teriyaki instead of BEEF Teriyaki. The chicken is so tender cooked this way......

Chicken Teriyaki
click here for printable recipe

Marinade
1 pound chicken, cut ¼” thick across the grain and on the bias
¼ cups gluten free (La Choy brand) soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar

Coating
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons coconut oil
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons gluten free flour

Sauce
¼ cup gluten free (La Choy brand) soy sauce
½ cups water
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
½ cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar
¾ teaspoons grated fresh ginger
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 pinches red pepper flakes

Veggies
1 red bell pepper, cut into ¼” strips
1 bunch scallions (white and light green parts), chopped

Cooked rice, for serving

Cut the chicken across the grain and on the bias into ¼” thick pieces. To cut the meat on the bias, position your knife on top of the meat (perpendicular to the grain), then tilt your knife at a 45 degree angle, then slice through the meat. Place the cut meat in a resealable bag or covered glass bowl, add the soy sauce and rice vinegar, then seal and refrigerate for about 2 hours. *I have only marinated it for 20 minutes and it is enough to get the flavors when using chicken.*

Make the sauce by whisking together the soy sauce, water, rice vinegar, sugar, ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Set aside.

Add the meat to a colander and allow it to drain. While it is draining, combine the coating ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk. Add the meat and toss to coat evenly.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons coconut oil. Add half of the coated meat in an even layer and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes, flip, and cook 1 to 2 minutes longer. Add the meat to a clean plate and add some additional oil to the pan if needed. Cook the other half of the meat and remove it from the pan when done.

Add the sauce, red bell pepper slices, and scallions to the skillet and allow the mixture to briskly simmer for 2 minutes. Add all of the meat to the skillet and toss to coat. Cook 2 to 3 minutes or until the sauce has thickened enough to coat the chicken.

Add the chicken and veggies on top of a bed of steamed rice using a slotted spoon – leaving most of sauce in the skillet. This recipe serves 4 but can be easily halved to serve 2.

Truth: When I first decided to try this recipe, I will admit that the length of ingredients and directions made me put it off for quite a while. Do not fear! While this recipe is hands on pretty much the whole time, I can have it made in about 30 minutes counting my chicken marinating (for only 20 minutes or so). I serve it to the family as is with them getting veggies with the bell pepper and onions but you could throw a simple salad on the side if you want more vegetables.

This recipe reheats REALLY well with chicken or beef so you probably won’t want to halve it….double it, maybe. We usually barely have a serving left that *I* call dibs on for lunch the next day. Hey, I AM the cook after all.

I have also used green bell peppers when they are in my garden or use what I have put up in my freezer. It tastes just as good if you use frozen, but you lose the crunch of fresh. If you are not gluten free then simply substitute regular plain flour for the gluten free flour. Use flank steak if you want to try it with beef instead cutting it the same way and doing everything else the same but it does need a two hour marinating time.

If you are trying to stay away from soy, here is a no soy homemade option that Amanda shared with me but I have not tried yet. I cannot wait to though! It requires beef bouillon but use healthier bouillon using my recipe here. There is also a vegan soy sauce option at that link.

I’m sharing all my family’s favorite recipes with you all and hope you enjoy them! Remember, you don’t have to be a good cook, just good at picking out recipes! *smile*

T-Shirt Extender DIY

Today I'd like to share a DIY project with you. It only takes a few minutes, and can likely be made for free with items you already own. I was talking to Leslie recently about how I have a little problem with the button of my jeans sticking out and making a big bump under my shirts. I wanted some kind of band that would go over it and hold it down. Plus I've recently lost twenty pounds and a lot of my clothes are a little baggy. I'm still hoping to lose a few more pounds so I'm not quite ready to invest in new pants yet. At the time of our conversation I only had one pair of jeans that fit. I've since found another pair hiding in my closet. They're ancient and out of style, but they fit. Tops aren't a problem. Some of them were starting to get a little snug, so now they're back to fitting properly.

Somehow I knew that what I wanted existed, but I didn't know what it was called. In about two seconds Leslie had pulled it up on Google and told me they were called T-shirt extenders. That girl is a genius, I tell you.  They cost around $20 each, and I'm not about to pay that for something I can make for a few dollars or maybe even for free.

They are worn a lot by pregnant women who want to continue wearing their non-maternity shirts as long as possible, but they get a draft on their sweet little baby bumps. I remember that happening to me. Both of my boys were born in December, so I was in full bloom when it was cold outside. Also, they are great for wearing under tops that are a little too short and show some skin that you don't necessarily want showing when you raise your arms. I've even seen where you can use them 'up top' for extra coverage if you have top with a loose neckline.

The layered look is 'in' and is great when you need an extra layer for warmth, but sometimes with t-shirts it adds bulk and makesyour top layer not lay as smoothly as you would like. I love how this option gives you both the coverage and the style without the bulk.

The concept is so simple there really isn't a need for a pattern, and I headed to the fabric store. I came home with four knits. (I could have shopped from my own stash, but that's not as much fun.) I found a pretty peacock blue, a crazy pattern that I fell a little bit in love with. (I bought extra of it... you will see it again, I'm just not sure where.) and a basic black and white. The black and white are kind of a heavy duty knit like foundation garments would made of. They will hold in lumps and bumps, but they're not shiny. They were expensive at $16/yard, but they were 30% off and I only needed 1/3 yard each.

Before I took to my sewing machine I decided to look online for some tutorials to make sure I didn't miss any good tips. What I found was a FANTASTIC idea! Use t-shirts to make them. You can purchase inexpensive t-shirts in many solid colors at places like Hobby Lobby or Michaels. I happened to have a basket of them in the floor of my craft closet. I cleaned out my husband's clothes a while back. He lost a bunch of weight a couple years ago and still had a bunch of XL shirts in the closet. I saved some that had colors I like to use for projects that require knits. I've seen where people make skirts and scarves from t-shirts and thought they would make good bases for those projects.


The beauty of starting with a pre-made shirt is the bottom hem, the one that will show is already done. You don't have to worry about it puckering or doing anything weird. If you don't get the top perfect, it won't matter at all, because nobody will see it. Mine is actually pretty wonky and not up to my normal standard, but I am limited on time right now so I went with it. It will still serve its purpose quite well.

I found this gray t-shirt that was a good neutral to start with. It is LITERALLY only TWO seams to make this project. I suppose you could do this by hand, but I wouldn't have patience for that. I would have used my serger, but since I figured most of our readers probably don't have one, I used my regular sewing machine. Measure from your waist (a little high) to where you want the bottom of your T-shirt extender and add an inch or inch and a half. I wanted mine 8" long so I cut my fabric at 9 1/2". Then cut straight across. It would actually be good if you turned the shirt inside out first.

Then measure your waist at the top of where the extender will be. Cut your fabric to that width and sew a new seam up the side.

You won't need to fold over or anything like that. Just make sure you use a zigzag stitch so it will stretch and you won't be popping threads when you put it on.

I'm going to insert a funny story here... The 'popping threads' remark reminds me that one day this week my seven year old came into the kitchen after his bath. Usually these days he has his hair combed STRAIGHT down plastered flat to his head and it looks awful and he freaks out if I try to fix it. It's one of those battles I've decided not to fight. This day, he had his hair combed straight back in some new 'style'. I wouldn't say it looked good, but I'll take it over his usual style. I looked at him with big eyes and he grinned and broke into song and dance singing a PG version of "I'm gonna pop some tags, I got twenty dollars in my pocket! This is awesome!" He keeps us all in stitches.

Back to your regularly scheduled programming:

The only other thing you need to do is take a piece of elastic and wrap it around your waist. Cut it half an inch or so longer than your actual waist. You might be tempted to stretch it a little, but don't. If you have any 'fluff' at all you'll just give yourself a nice little muffin top, and I'm sure you don't want to do that. If you don't have any 'fluff'' I hate you  you don't need to do it anyway.

Now, this is where you are going to do as I SAY, not as I DID. I sewed the ends of my elastic together first, but it would be MUCH easier if you folded your top edge down, slightly wider than your elastic and did your zigzag stitch leaving a one to two inch opening at one of the sides. Then put a safety pin on the end of your elastic and thread it through that opening. Make sure it is not twisted inside the hem and sew both ends of the elastic together going over it several times to secure it. Then, stretch our your extender and the elastic will disappear inside. Now just sew up the hole and you're done!

This project will take you less than ten minutes unless you are stopping to photograph each step. Then add five to your total time investment. I still plan to make more out of the fabric I bought, but I'm out of elastic. I plan to use a thinner elastic on the next ones I make.

Oh my goodness.... I did NOT just post that on the world wide web! I have a 'back' view that I've decided might be suitable for all audiences. My husband was my photographer. I think he was confused about which part I was trying to demonstrate.

If you have a sewing machine I hope you will give this a try. If you do, let us know how it goes!

Kristy








A N.E.W. Y.E.A.R. Challenge

I had another post ready to be published today, but I had wanted to share something with you all that really encouraged me last Wednesday. Our family went to the regular church service that evening, and I was so glad we did. It was one of those “I would rather stay home” nights, but “I got blessed” endings.

Our pastor gave us a challenge on the New Year. I know what you are thinking: "Leslie, it’s January 5th. The 'new' year is 'old' news." Did anyone think that yet? No? Yes? Well, keep reading no matter your answer….maybe you will get something out of this like I did.

Using “N.E.W. Y.E.A.R.” as an acrostic, our pastor brought out something each letter stood for that as a child of God, we should put into practice this year. As you read this, I hope you will ask and let the Lord speak to your heart as He did mine. These are taken from my notes – what our pastor said and what I thought of – during this challenge. If any of my fellow church members were there, then this will be a partial repeat. If any were not there, then you'll see what you missed out on!

N – Number Your Days
Invest your time IN THE LORD. We are not promised tomorrow.
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Do not forget the people the Lord has placed in your life. Hug your loved ones. Tell them you LOVE them.

One of these days, all we have worked for will turn into ashes metaphorically and realistically. Don’t devote your life to the things of this world.
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References: Psalm 90:12; James 4:14; Ecclesiastes 2:11

E – Exalt the Lord Daily
In a world that worships self and even promotes it (“If you believe in yourself”), let us realize we exist to uplift the Lord. Everything we do as God’s children is either MAGNIFYING Him or MINIMIZING Him.
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References: Psalm 99:5,9; 29:2; 34:3; 95:6; 100

W – Walk with God Daily
Read God's Word.
Pray.
Meditate on the Scriptures.

Determine to walk CLOSER with God because doing all these things - if your heart is not in it - will not mean you are "walking with God".
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If you only pray when you are in trouble....then you are in trouble.
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At this point of the challenge, I was thinking of a song I sang as a child,

"He's still working on me, 
To make me what I ought to be.....
There really ought to be a sign upon my heart, 
Don't judge me yet, there's an unfinished part. 
But I'll be perfect just according to His plan
Fashioned by the Master's loving hands.....
How loving and patient He must be
'Cause He's still workin' on me"

It's a  song some of you may have sung as a child too, but oh, still applicable today even as adults (at least to me!).
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References: Micah 6:8; I Thessalonians 5:17; Joshua 1:8

Y - Yield to the Holy Spirit's Control
This is a command in Scripture, not a suggestion. Think of a garden glove laying on your table. Can that glove go work out in the soil on its own? No, you have to put your hand inside the glove to fill it, and once you do, you control the spade or trowel. The Holy Spirit is the same away; allow Him to fill you and use you. Allow Him to control you.
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References: Romans 6:13; Ephesians 5:18, John 15:5

E - Engage in Soul Winning
You should know if the devil fights against it, then it is probably something you should be doing. Don't feel like you have the right words? Do you feel afraid to broach the subject? There are so many excuses reasons we use to not do it. But guess what? It is a commandment too just like the prior point. Just like the commandments that tell us what we should not do, there are ones that tell us what we should do. If we do the opposite, it is sin.
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One of the Bible classes I took last semester at my church was "personal evangelism". Talk about going home every night feeling like your toes had been stepped on. But also, it was good for me. I knew it was something I needed to work on. If we would TRULY get a picture of what HELL will be for our family, our friends, and even the bagger at the grocery store, we would get over our pride and tell others about our faithful, holy, and loving Savior. (I'm "preaching" to myself right here and my toes are hurting, believe me.)

References: Proverbs 11:30; Mark 5:1-20

Feeling convicted yet? I was already before this point. Keep going though....it'll end good. ;)

A - Attend Church Faithfully
If you do, what are you going to lose? Nothing. What will you gain? Just like when I went to church last Wednesday night and did not FEEL like it, I left FEELING encouraged, uplifted, and motivated. It was good for the growth of my Christian life.
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We will make time for the things that are important to us. How important is our sweet Jesus to you? And me? Spending time with other believers in worship and praise is important to Him. The way we spend our days and hours and minutes shows to ourselves, our family, friends, and those watching us that we don't realize are watching what has priority in our lives. Is that your career? Your family? Sports? A relationship with Christ?

References: Ephesians 4:11-12; Proverbs 22:6, II Timothy 3:13-14; Colossians 1:18, Matthew 6:25-34; Ephesians 3:21; John 14:15, 21, 23; I John 5:3; I Timothy 3:15

R - Rejoice in the Lord Always
This year could be the best year of our lives or in all reality, it could be the worst year. (I know, I said I was going to end good.) We need to determine that no matter what takes place this year, good or bad, we will rejoice in the Lord always! Our God is good ALL. THE. TIME. He makes no mistakes.
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Think of Paul in prison in the book of Philippians, he was possibly chained to a guard, he had no privacy, no freedoms, and lived in appalling conditions. Yet in Philippians 4:4, he wrote, "Rejoice in the Lord always: and again, I say, Rejoice."
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I have several friends right now going through cancer, and they are honestly choosing joy on a daily basis. They know the joy of the Lord, the peace that comes in knowing Him.

References: Philippians 4:4; Habakkuk 3:17-18

So many have made resolutions and set goals to lose weight, get out of debt, learn a hobby, etc. Hey, even I am. I am participating in Kristy's 2015 Detox, but guess what? You could have a perfect body, be debt free, and complete 2015 by crocheting a sweater using the Tunisian cable stitch (supposed to be one of THE hardest), but unless you have made Jesus your Lord and Savior and are close to Him, you will not be happy. Scratch that. You may be happy without Him, but you will not be filled with joy. Happiness is a result of circumstances, but God gives us joy.

If you have not experienced the joy the Lord can give and are interested in learning more, then please feel free to email me with questions or check out my church's site for information (where you will also find a link to the message my pastor taught from 12-31-14). If you have asked Jesus to forgive you from your sins, then I hope this was as much of a challenge AND encouragement as it was for me. I felt like the Lord wanted me to share it even though I was hesitant, so maybe there is just one out there for which it was meant.

It's not too late to start this N.E.W. Y.E.A.R. challenge! Even if you fall off the proverbial bandwagon a month later, you can get back on and start again. Hey, none of us have arrived. There is ALWAYS room for growth.

P.S. I do not necessarily support any of the sites I have listed as sources for my images. They were images I had pinned on Pinterest over the last few years. :)

Detox Water

I don't know about you, but I have a hard time drinking enough water. Drinking plenty of water is a vital part or a healthy lifestyle. Many people, myself included, walk around partially dehydrated all the time. It can cause myriad healthy problems including headaches, dizziness, dry skin, bad breath, and brain fog. Someone please tell me if I have bad breath. The good news is that there is a simple solution! Drink more water. What could be easier?

For some people, asking them to drink water is like asking them to drink POND water. They gag and carry on like its poison. They say dumb things like "the only thing I like to drink is Pepsi." To them, I would like to say, its time to grow up! Being mature means making dietary decisions based on what is best for your body, not what is most pleasing to the palate. Sure, a milkshake from Chick-fil-A tastes better than water. So what. Drink the water.

That might sound mean... and I guess it is, but I do get tired of hearing the same lame-o excuses. (Even from me.) Sorry for being a Kranky Kristy. (I just made that up.) I'll sweeten up for the rest of the post.

I am going to share some tips for jazzing up your water, but first, let's just talk about the water. There are so many options for water. You can buy distilled water, spring water, tap water, filtered water, ionized water, alkaline water, water from Fiji, reverse osmosis water and probably a dozen more kinds of water. If you have access to good, clean spring water, drink that! If not, use filtered water. I was recently at a friend's house and she had a filter that looked like THIS sitting out on her kitchen counter. It filters the fluoride out of the water. If you haven't read about why you should remove the fluoride from your water, you can learn more about it HERE. 

I want to focus on ways to add a little variety to your water for those of us who don't drink enough. I spent some time researching Detox waters, and it turns out, that if you put any kind of fruit in it, you can call it detox water. Just drinking a lot of water is, in itself, a detox. It helps your body to flush out toxins. Without enough H20 coursing through your veins (and bladder) all the crud we take in is more likely to get stashed instead of excreted. 

So, without further ado, here are some ideas to help you kick it up a notch with your water. Some of them are cute enough you might even put an umbrella in them, like THESE my son requested a while back.

1. Lemon Water
One of the simplest things you can do is to squeeze half of a lemon into your glass of water. Lemon is quite effective at helping to flush out toxins. It is easy and inexpensive. 
2. Slim Down detox
There is no reason lemons should get all the glory! You can add other citrus fruits! Try taking a gallon of water, adding a grapefruit (open it up and squeeze it and then add the whole thing), a lemon, and some mint leaves. Let it sit for several hours or overnight, for the fruits to 'infuse'. Growing up we would put slices or lemon and oranges in a pitcher of water in the refrigerator. As the pitcher got empty, we just added more water. The fruit should stay fresh for several days up to a week. At that point you need to wash your pitcher and start over. 

3. Apple/Cinnamon water
Slice up your favorite apple and put it and a cinnamon stick in a pitcher of water. Again, for best results let it sit for several hours. Cinnamon has many wonderful medicinal properties in addition to its delicious taste. 

Y'all DO know that you need to wash these fruits REALLY well before you put them in your water to soak. I thought so... I just felt like maybe I needed to clarify just in case. You can soak your fruits and vegetables in the kitchen sink with a cup of vinegar added to water to clean them and remove any waxy buildup. 

4. Master Cleanse
You can't read a post about detox waters without coming across this one. It is sometimes called the lemonade diet and I am definitely going to try it as soon as I get some cayenne pepper. In a 12oz glass of water add two TBSP of fresh squeezed lemon juice, two TBSP of organic grade B maple syrup, 1/10th of a TSP (wouldn't that be a pinch?) of cayenne pepper and a dash of salt. 

Don't forget to eat the fruit afterwards! The fiber is good for you and there are still a lot of nutrients left in it. 

Other fruits you might consider are pineapple, watermelon, strawberries or raspberries. Also using fresh herbs is a good way to add some flavor. I had a mini-herb garden growing on the window sill at my kitchen sink, but sadly, they've all gotten quite puny in the last couple months. I've been reading Rosemary Gladstar's BOOK on medicinal herbs and am already planning on expanding my herb garden this next year. I have grand plans of drying them and making assorted concoctions, salves, tinctures, and poultices. If you stick around I am sure you will get to hear all about it. 

Oh, and happy new year! I pray 2015 is your best year yet! 
Kristy










Braided Crocheted Scarf


When I was nine years old, one of my grandmothers taught me how to crochet. This was back in the day when everyone’s grandmother knew how to crochet or quilt or knit and definitely sew. Did you have a grandmother like that? Both of mine were creative in their own ways.

I did not learn many types of stitches. In fact the majority of what I crocheted were doubled potholders. In fourth grade I would crochet single chain bracelets and sold them for 25 cents. If you wanted a two colored bracelet, it was 50 cents. I made quite a few bucks in my little fourth grade class until everyone (the girls at least) bought one.

Last December we bought our dog, Jax. Remember my cute Australian cattle dog from my dog treat posts?
Well, when Christmas came I had not bought him a gift. Not that he understood, of course, and not that my husband would have understood after we had paid the money for him plus all the other stuff that comes with getting a dog. So I decided on Christmas morning when I was getting to relax after gift opening to crochet him a dog toy.

This how it turned out. I obviously used some cheapy (and ugly) yarn but very appropriate for a dog toy, I thought. lol

This was Jax back in January when he was playing with it.
Look at that cutie patootie!

I’ll admit. I was quite proud of this little creation. I had NEVER followed a pattern and it had been yeeeeeeears since I had crocheted. Yes, that many “e’s” to show how long it had been. It turned out how it was supposed to and only took a couple of hours. (Here’s the free pattern I used if you want it for your pooch.)

Well, I got the crochet bug again late this summer while on vacation. I was determined to try making some boot cuffs and maybe a scarf. I made both but like how the scarf turned out better. I ended up doing a loose braided scarf. I wish I had braided it a bit tighter.

It only took a few hours and it pretty easy for novice crocheters like moi.
You just crochet three long pieces, braid them, and stitch them together.

Here’s what I did:
Chain desired length. I single chained 100 stitches.
Chain 3 more then start DC on 4th stitch.
Work down chain and around then flip and begin DC to complete 5 rows (not counting chain).
At the end of each row, chain 3 then begin DC on 2nd stitch.
Repeat two more times to make three crocheted strands.
Clip off any loose ends.
Braid the three strands and pin to hold together while you stitch them together.

I used worsted weight size 4 medium yarn and hook size J.

You can probably find better instructions. This is what I wrote down as I was making it. If you are better than me then you probably can just read my instructions and go with it.

This Christmas I took some yarn and a needle along as we visited Wade’s family and I crocheted a simple headband. It took all of an hour, if that!

I wanted to share the scarf because it is quick and easy and I know many of you are having some time from your normally hectic schedules with Christmas and New Years. You may want to do this tonight if you are staying up to welcome in the new year.

Have a Happy New Year!
 
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