Fruit Crepes with Sweetened Cream Cheese

Kyle and I love to make these crepes. We started making them together while we were dating and make all the time usually for breakfast, but occasionally for lunch or dinner too. We usually make them with strawberries or mixed berries or berries and bananas, but our very favorite are with fresh local peaches when they come in season (nectarines are almost as good though) and sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar.

Crepes

3/4 c flour
1/2 TBS sugar
1/4 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1 c milk
1 T melted butter
a little vanilla
1 egg

Combine ingredients. The batter should be very thin (add more milk if too thick). Heat a small skillet and lightly butter before the first crepe. Subsequent crepes shouldn't stick. Pour a small amount of batter into the hot pan and promptly swirl the skillet to make the batter spread thin covering the bottom of the pan. Cook until very light brown, then flip and cook the other side likewise. Put aside and continue to cook crepes until batter is gone.

Spread each crepe with Sweetened Cream Cheese (recipe below) and add fresh fruit. Roll and sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired. They are also good with jam as well.

Sweetened Cream Cheese Spread

1-8oz brick of cream cheese, regular or reduced fat
1/4 c sugar
vanilla to taste (at least a 1 tsp)

Combine until well mixed and smooth. (This makes enough that we usually have enough for the next time we make crepes as well).

Thai Peanut Stir Fry with Noodles

I came across this recipe last week from one of my favorite food blogs, "Favorite Family Recipes" and thought it was fantastic. I would caution you to go a bit easy on the hot sauce if you don't like spicy. We found that the left overs seemed even more spicy the next day. This recipe is definitely restaurant quality and is very quick to make!

1-2 pounds chicken, cut into strips
vegetable oil (to saute)
2 T Sriracha chili sauce (easily found in the Asian section of grocery store, or can use a hot chili sauce that you like)
juice of 1 lime
3 cloves of garlic
1 T fresh ginger, minced
3-4 shakes of soy sauce
salt and pepper, to taste
16 oz. linguine noodles (I used Taiwanese noodles, but any noodle should work)
peanut sauce (see below for recipe)
peanuts
veggies of choice (shredded carrots, broccoli, green onion, bean sprouts, or any favorite stir fry veggies)

In a large skillet, saute chicken in a small amount of oil, and add chili sauce, lime juice, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, salt and pepper. While the chicken is cooking, prepare the noodles and make the peanut sauce. After the chicken is cooked, set aside and cover to keep warm. Re-oil the skillet and cook the vegetables, with the exception of green onion or bean sprouts until the very end so they don't get over cooked (you will want the veggies still a bit crisp). After the veggies are cooked, add chicken, noodles, and peanut sauce. Garnish with chopped peanuts.

Peanut Sauce:
1 c chicken broth
6 T (heaping) creamy peanut butter
2-4 tsp. chili sauce
3 T honey
6 T soy sauce
3 T fresh ginger, minced
4-5 cloves of garlic, minced

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat until sauce peanut butter melts and sauce blends well.

Awesome Steak Marinade

We love this marinade for steak. It works well on any kind from sirloin to T-bone. Feel free to scale it down if you don't have much meat to marinade. I usually half the recipe, but found that the full recipe is good if you are preparing about 2 lbs. of meat.

1/3 c soy sauce
1/2 c olive oil (or veg. oil works fine too)
1/3 c lemon juice
1/4 c Worcestershire sauce
1-1/2 T garlic powder
3 T dried basil
1-1/2 T dried parsley
1 t ground white pepper
1/4 tsp Tabasco or other hot pepper sauce

Combine all ingredients and pour over meat. (I like to put everything in either a large ziploc or bread bag with a twist tie and then on a plate). Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 8 hours. Discard marinate and cook meat as desired.