Balsamic Chicken & Pesto Pasta

recipe from Thirty Handmade Days; image from Carlsbad Cravings

One-Pot Cheesy Italian Pasta & Chicken

recipe and image from The Slow Roasted Italian

Chicken Cordon Bleu Lasagna

recipe adapted from, image from Chef in Training

Crispy Southwest Chicken Wraps

 

WOW the last couple of months have been a whirlwind, we are looking for a new home FOUR hours away from our current one! I never thought buying a house would be so exciting and discouraging all at the same time. There is not a lot of homes on the market where we are moving and when they do, if they are decent they sell with in a few days.

My sweet hubby has been living in a hotel and traveling back and fourth. My sweet little children and I spent the last two weeks with him. It was a lot of fun with three kids in a small motel room. I think the best part was …..um…..ok it really wasn’t that fun. (Don’t get me wrong we did have fun but it was really crazy!)

One thing that I did was cook dinner with only a microwave and a electric skillet. Does that make me a SUPPER MOM?!

I think it does!  ;)

I love these crispy southwest chicken wraps! They are really easy to make (even in a motel, with the right equipment)!

I used to make them with flour tortillas but now that we eat gluten free I use corn tortillas and make quesadillas. My kids eat them up!

General Tso’s Chicken

For years after discovering tiny spicy chicken, I searched and searched for the same dish at other Chinese restaurants, always to no avail.  Apparently, tiny spicy chicken is exclusive to Mandarin Gardens (and your own kitchen, now that you have a recipe to make something similar!).  One desperate day, I finally inquired at another favorite Chinese restaurant whether they might have something similar.  It pays to ask, because that day I finally learned that there is a similar dish known as General Tso’s chicken that is commonly found on a Chinese food menu.  While they are different, they both pack that sweet-and-spicy, tangy punch that I just love!  And while all restaurants have different recipes, I find I like most restaurant versions of General Tso’s.  That’s why I was thrilled to find one I could easily make at home.

photo courtesy and recipe adapted from Karen’s Kitchen Stories

Tiny Spicy Chicken

When Sweet Mama shared her recipe (and The Sweet Mister’s love) for sweet & sour chicken last week, I couldn’t believe how similar it was to my own!  Great minds cook alike!  It also reminded me of a couple other similar recipes that my Saucy Family absolutely LOVES!  I’ll share them both today, but I’m going to give them each their own separate post.  They’re similar enough that you probably only need one of them in your Chinese food repertoire, but they’re both good enough to warrant at least one try apiece to decide which one your family prefers.  

This particular recipe is a knock-off of chicken dish they serve at a local Chinese restaurant.  Everybody I know who lives or has lived in Cache Valley knows about the Tiny Spicy Chicken at Mandarin Gardens!  I was so excited when I found a knock-off recipe; I couldn’t wait to try it!  I would say it’s not spot-on, but it is pretty darned close.  Close enough for me, since I can feed my entire family dinner and have leftovers for lunch tomorrow for the same cost of a single dinner plate at Mandarin Gardens!  Just my saucy style!recipe adapted from The Provident Homemaker; image courtesy Mandy’s Recipe Box