Manic Monday Peanut Chicken Pasta

We don't only eat this on Monday because I'm manic every day of the week! (That was lame, but I was dying to say it.) I am not sure where I got this recipe, I’ve had it for years and it's yummy and easy, really easy. I’ve changed it a little from the original.  I use a Pampered Chef Stir Fry Wok as the skillet and it works great. 

1 T vegetable oil

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into ½ inch chunks

1 14 oz. can chicken broth

2 T honey

1 T soy sauce

1/4 cup peanut butter

1 T cornstarch

1 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp hot pepper flakes – I used Sambal Oelek Ground Fresh Chili Paste that I had in the fridge. You can use whatever you’ve got that’s spicy, it just needs a little kick.

2 green onions, sliced

2 cloves garlic, squished

1 green or red pepper, thinly sliced 

1 package thin spaghetti, or linguini - I use Udon noodles because they are pretty

Cook noodles/pasta following directions on package.   

Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet, add the chicken and cook over high heat until lightly browned ‑ 5 to 7 min.  Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside. 

In a bowl whisk together the chicken broth, honey, soy sauce, peanut butter, cornstarch, ginger and hot pepper flakes, or paste. Pour this mixture into the skillet after you remove the chicken, and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened and smooth. Add the green onions, garlic and red or green pepper. Cook for another couple of minutes. Return the chicken pieces (and any juice that has accumulated) to the pan and simmer the mixture for 2 or 3 minutes, until heated through.  Serve over hot, cooked noodles, thin spaghetti or linguine.

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Manic Monday Peanut Chicken Pasta

EZ Brownies

I've had this recipe since the summer of 1994. I got it from Janee Shepherd, my next door neighbor when we lived on Main Street in Farmington. Janee was an awesome cook and a good friend. I'm sure I've made these at least 100 times, probably more. They are really easy and everyone loves them. The frosting is like fudge. FUDGE! How can a brownie not be good with FUDGE as the frosting? If you have extra frosting after frosting the brownies, there's nothing wrong with eating it from the bowl with a spoon. FUDGE!

Melt together either in a pan on the stove or in the microwave:

1/3 cup cocoa

1 cup margarine

Don’t wash the pan, you can use the same one for the frosting

Add cocoa mixture to a mixing bowl then add in order shown:

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 t vanilla

1 ½ cups flour

Mix well. Pour into greased 9x13 pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25 – 30 minutes. Remove from oven and top with ¾ to a full bag of mini marshmallows.  Return to oven and bake an additional 2 minutes. Cool and then frost.

Frosting:

½ cup margarine

1/3 cup cocoa

Melt together and bring to a boil for just a minute:

Add to a mixing bowl then add:

1 t vanilla

Powdered sugar

Milk – about ¾ cup, warm the milk in the microwave before adding

Start with about 2 cups of powdered sugar and about 1/3 cup milk.  Beat this with the cocoa, vanilla mixture, then add more powdered sugar and milk until it is the consistency of frosting. I use almost a full package of powdered sugar and about ¾ cup warm milk. I heat my milk in the microwave so that when I add it to the warm cocoa mixture it doesn’t make lumps. I try to always let the frosting set up before I cut these, but if you want to serve them right away, they will be soft, messy, and yummy.  

Some tips:  It takes 25 minutes in my oven to bake them, I’ve never had to cook them for 30 minutes. I always use an entire bag of marshmallows because I don’t like to have a few left over in my pantry. This can also be baked in a jelly roll pan, but I’ve never done it so I’m not sure how long to bake it. 

I can never make brownies pretty when I cut them in the pan so I have started to line the pan with foil and then spray with generic Pam.  If you do it like this, be sure to spray the edges of the foil because the marshmallows are very sticky.  After the brownies have cooled, I frost them and let the frosting set up, then pull the brownies out of the pan using the edges of the foil.  To cut I use a long knife and I dip it in hot water after each cut and wipe it off with a paper towel.  These freeze beautifully, I’ve frozen them cut, and I’ve frozen them not cut.  If you freeze them un-cut, be sure to remove them from the freezer several hours before you want to cut them.

Print it, it's worth the ink, promise:

EZ Brownies