I have a guilty pleasure – PF Changs Dan Dan Noodles. Generally I try to avoid restaurants that advertise on television, I don’t know what it is, but I feel like a lot of mass market restaurants usually don’t have the freshest most delicious food. Seriously though, think about it…Red Lobster, Olive Garden (with their never ending salad and breadsticks – YUCK!), Applebee’s – when I think of fresh, flavorful, unforgettable cuisine the above just don’t come to my mind.
I do however have a few favorite chains that I am particularly fond of and they seem to deliver on delicious food. I just hope they don’t start advertising on TV cause it is all downhill from there. My favorite of all the chains would have to be PF Changs because I LOVE their Dan Dan Noodles. It is one of those items that I crave. I will think about them and my mouth will begin to water. Well, today I had a craving and I decided to try a recipe out. Boy am I glad I did. The taste wasn’t exact, but it was pretty darn close and this is a recipe that I will be adding to my regular repetoire. I have to add that I made this whole meal in about 20 minutes, which isn’t half bad for a quick weeknight dish.
If you love PF Changs or even if you don’t, you should give this recipe a try. One note, PF Changs serves their Dan Dan noodles with cucumbers. I am not particularly fond of cucumbers in this dish, so I left them out. If you like them, by all means add them.
I changed my stuffed peppers from using beef to ground turkey. I also used brown rice instead of white rice for the added nutrition and fiber. For my two boys I gave them the filling minus the peppers and they loved it. A few carrots on the side and they also have a complete meal.
This meal is super filling and since you have all food groups represented, you can be in and out of the kitchen in no time. Enjoy!
I hate mornings. I always have. Since I have two boys I have experienced many early mornings. Luckily I married a guy who is also an early bird so most of the time I am able to get a little bit of extra shut-eye in here and there. The hating mornings aside, I do love a piping hot breakfast which is why I love Paula Deen’s French Toast Casserole. Not only is it prepared the night before so I don’t have to worry about getting up and making three hungry guys a warm breakfast, but it is decadent. Of course it comes with lots of butter, sugar and fat which is a prerequisite in all Paula Deen recipes, so while you may not be able to make this all the time, on the occasional Sunday or holiday, it is definitely worth it.
A couple of things to note, I deviated from the recipe on the Food Network site to adjust it to my own tastes and textures. I cut down the eggs by two and cut down the half-and-half listed to only one cup instead of two. By doing this the casserole is less “soupy” and lighter & fluffier. I also modified the Praline topping a bit, using less nuts. Some may think I am crazy, but again, this is just to my tastes. For Paula’s Exact Frenct Toast Casserole recipe, just click on this link. Yes, the image I used is from the Food Network site because no matter what I do my casserole never looks quite as pretty as Paula’s, but trust me, it is fabulous!
Eggless Caramel Ice Cream. I created this delicious concoction by accident and I am so glad my ingredients were lacking that day because I just love how this creamy dessert turned out.
Every time I go to Costco I buy Half & Half. Mainly because I hate to use cream and sometimes I just can’t make a sauce work with just milk. I also love it because you can get a half gallon of half & half at Costco for something ridiculously cheap like $3. The dilemma I face is that I hate to waste and I just don’t use very much half & half. Many times I end up dumping much of it down the drain, which I just hate to do. I have found a solution to my quandary…
Have you ever ate a whole lot of something and then found yourself feeling bloated and guilty? I have, plenty of times. However, I ate a ton of these Fudgy Quadruple Chocolate Chip “Brookies” (brownie + cookie = brookie) and they were so good, I concluded that they were totally worth it.
If you love chocolate, you have to try these cookies. I almost think they should be called, “brookies” since they are a cross between a brownie and a cookie. There are four different types of chocolate that go into these little gems and they are oh so decadent. Again, if you love chocolate you must try these.
*Warning – consumption of these may cause permanent damage to your skinny jeans.
