Yum-Yum Chicken - A Quick and Easy, Mostly Pantry Staples Recipe

That Girl told me about a dish she made - shrimp and yum-yum sauce over pasta.  I didn't go looking

for the sauce, but during my last foraging trip to Sam's Club, I walked past a BIG bottle of yum-yum sauce and decided to give it a try.  I already had some chicken breasts thawed, ready to cook for dinner, so that's what I used.  

It's a quick, easy, fairly brainless thing you throw together with just a few ingredients.  There are recipes online for yum-yum sauce if you want to make your own.  But the deal here is something you can pull together with minimum time and effort.

[NOTE:  I know this looks different from my earlier recipe posts, but the platform has been "streamlined," and now I can't control the line spacing!  We will see how this shakes out.]

Yum-Yum Chicken

2 T canola oil

2 lb skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into strips or cubes, as desired

3 T minced garlic

1 T red pepper flakes

2 c bottled yum-yum sauce

2 t sesame oil

8 oz pasta (your choice - I used farfalle), cooked per package directions

Heat oil in a 12" skillet or a 14" wok on medium heat, add minced garlic and cook one minute.  Add chicken, brown on both sides, and cook thoroughly.  Sprinkle with red pepper flakes.  Turn heat down to low and add sauce.  If you don't turn the heat down enough, the sauce will separate.  When heated through, remove from heat, stir in sesame oil, and serve over pasta.

Key Lime Pie - A New-to-Me (and EASY!) Recipe

When I go to Florida, I make a point of trying key lime pie at restaurants because I LOVE it, and you don't find it here at home.  I love the sweet/tart filling, the graham cracker crust, and the whipped cream on top.  YUM!

I finally decided it might be fun to try to make my own key lime pie.  First of all, of course, you need key lime juice.  Not from the limes you're used to seeing in the grocery.  Key limes are actually a different species from "regular" limes.

Key limes are also known as Mexican or West Indian limes and grow in tropical and subtropical areas.  Key limes grown in Florida are also more aromatic (sort of floral) and the juice is more tart but less acidic than grocery store limes.  They are small and spherical, light yellow when ripe instead of green, have more seeds, and have a much thinner skin, which means they don't store well.  Key limes are grown in Florida, parts of California, and Mexico, but the ones grown in Florida's alkaline soil are less bitter and juicier than the ones grown in Mexico and California.

Grocery store limes are called Persian or Tahiti limes and are larger and more acidic than Florida Key limes.   They are large, dark green, oval-shaped, and juicy.  They have thick skins that help them keep longer and ship more conveniently than Key limes.  Each Persian lime contains two to three tablespoons of juice, compared to two to three teaspoons in a Key lime.

You can substitute lime juice for key lime juice in recipes, and the taste won't be all that different, especially in sweet recipes like Key Lime Pie, but I really wanted to use real Key lime juice for my first try at making it, so I found bottled (GASP!  Heresy!) Key lime juice and used that.  

Nellie & Joe's Key Lime Pie (Baked)

9" graham cracker crust

14-oz can sweetened condensed milk

3 egg yolks (no whites are used)

1/2 c Nellie & Joe's Key West Lime Juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks, and lime juice.  Blend well until smooth.  Pour filling into graham cracker pie crust.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.  Allow to stand 10 minutes before refrigerating.  Refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving.  Top with whipped cream.

Easy Beef and Onion Cheese Ball (A Quick and Easy Recipe)

New Year's Eve is almost here, and it's holiday party time!  I made this cheese ball recently just for the heck of it, and took it to my writing group.  They raved.  They said I could bring another one anytime.  They ate the whole thing - it's gone!  I'm going to make it again soon - just to have at home.  YUM!

Easy Beef and Onion Cheese Ball

8 oz cream cheese, softened
3 green onions, thinly sliced or chopped
2 1/2 oz dried beef (or chipped beef)
1/2 t celery salt
1 1/2 t Worchestershire sauce
1 c chopped pecans

Mix all ingredients, except pecans, together well.  Form into a ball, roll in the pecans until completely covered.  Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.

NOTE:  I used my stand mixer to make this recipe, but it's not at all necessary if the cream cheese is softened.  Maybe if you were making a BIG cheese ball or a bunch of them in a bigger batch.

Greek Tabouleh Salad (A CSA Box Recipe)

Greek Tabouleh Salad

1 package tabouleh wheat salad mix (I use Near East)
1 c boiling water
1 T olive oil
2 T lemon juice
1 large tomato, seeded and chopped
1 cucumber, seeded and chopped (about 3/4 c)
1/4 c chopped fresh basil leaves (about 10-15 leaves)
3 oz crumbled feta cheese (about 3/4 c)
garlic powder to taste

In a 2-quart bowl, combine the wheat and seasoning from the mix package with the boiling water.  Stir well, cover, and let stand at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator.  Then stir in the rest of the ingredients.  Mix well, cover, and chill in the refrigerator at least 1 hour or overnight.  Toss well before serving.

You may also add 1/2 c black olives and/or  1 c chopped bell pepper (any color).

Caprese Salad - A CSA Box Recipe

Caprese Salad

Tomatoes, sliced
Olive oil
Salt
Fresh mozarella cheese
Fresh basil leaves, chiffonade (about 10-15 leaves)
Balsamic glaze

Arrange tomato slices on a plate or platter.  Drizzle olive oil over the slices.  Lightly salt all the tomatoes.  Arrange the cheese pieces and basil leaves over the tomatoes.  Drizzle balsamic glaze over all.

This is a great way to use up the late summer tomato explosion, and it's quick and easy to make.