Guest Chef ~ The Versatile Stir-Fry!

I love a good stiry-fry!
It's quick, easy, delicious and a great way to use up leftovers!
This is another Guest Chef entry from Wild for Wildtree with Yvonne who believes stir-fry is not limited to Asian flavors.

Why oh why do we all think of Asian style food when we hear the term, “stir fry”? Wildtree does have some great Asian style stir fry sauces. I LOVE using the Asian Ginger Plum or the Thai Sesame Sun Butter. Hubby prefers the Kickin Asian Stir Fry Sauce since it is more traditional. But there is so much more that we can do with stir-fry! If you have some sort of protein (beef, pork, chicken, tofu) and/or veggies and some rice, try some of these other varieties of my favorite stir-fries! They are quick and easy (since the meat should be diced whether precooked or raw) and good for ya!
Italian Stir FryGarlic grapeseed oil sautéed chicken (or sausage), mushrooms, onion and diced tomatoes. Combine the tomatoes with some Hearty Spaghetti blend or Garlic Galore prior to adding them to the stir-fry skillet. Serve over Parmesan Rice.
Mexican Stir Fry Jalapeno grapeseed oil sautéed chicken/beef, onion, peppers, black beans, Fajita or Adobo blend (use about 1/2 TBSP). Top with shredded cheese & Fiesta Salsa and serve over Cilantro Lime Rice. You can also just add some cilantro and a squeeze of lime as well.
Basil Pesto Stir Fry Basil Pesto grapeseed oil sautéed chicken/shrimp and tomatoes – add spinach the last few minutes to wilt. Also great with some toasted pine nuts. Mix with some prepared Basil Pesto blend, to taste, with rice.
The All American (Yvonne's Hubby’s FAVORITE!) Butter flavored grapeseed oil sautéed chicken/steak, onions and mushrooms, diced potatoes and liberally sprinkled with Rancher’s Steak Rub to taste.

Here’s another one that I enjoy straight from the Wildtree recipe search tool:
Chipotle Lime Fried Rice 2 tablespoons Wildtree European Dipping Oil - Hot Chili
1 small onion diced
1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms
2 cups white or brown rice, cooked
2 teaspoons Wildtree Chipotle Lime Rub
3/4 cup frozen peas
3/4 cup pineapple cut into small chunks
PREPARATION: Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook the onion until soft and translucent and add the mushrooms. Cook for a couple of minutes and then add the rice and seasoning. Finish by adding the pineapple and peas and cooking for 3-5 more minutes.

Guest Chef ~ Marvelous Mac and Cheese, Wildtree Style!!

I am fortunate to be surrounded by many Wildtree Reps who love to cook and share recipes as much as I do! Keep an eye out for these 'Guest' Chefs on my blog.

Marvelous Mac & Cheese, Wildtree Style from Wonderfully WIldtree with Becca 1/2 (8 oz) package any pasta such as whole wheat fusilli
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded provolone cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese
1 TBSP Wildtree Buffalo Wing Marinade (this is on the discontinued list...BOO!! Get it while you can!!)
1 TBSP Wildtree Scampi Blend
1 cup protein (leftover ham, chicken or turkey or leave out!)
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
1/2 cup Panko Bread Crumbs

Directions:
1.Bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Place macaroni in the saucepan and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente; drain.

2.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease an 8x8 inch baking dish. (Becca used her Pampered Chef Spritzer with Roasted Garlic Grapeseed Oil.)

3.Spread the Cheddar cheese over the bottom of the baking dish. Top with a thin layer of macaroni. Top macaroni with Provolone cheese, another layer of macaroni, a layer of mozzarella and a third layer of macaroni. Top with a layer of Colby-Monterey Jack cheese. Mix protein choice throughout casserole. Mix the egg and the milk together, add the Wildtree Seasonings. Pour into macaroni dish. Sprinkle with Panko bread crumbs.

4. Bake in the preheated oven 20 minutes, or until bubbly and golden brown.
Enjoy!!

Thanksgiving is coming...are you ready?

Fall is an absolutely beautiful time of year!

It makes me homesick and fills my mind with memories in New England of vibrant colored changing leaves, cool crisp air, pumpkin patches, apple picking, making applesauce, pumpkin pies, drinking fresh apple cider, getting cozy under blankets at a football game and looking forward to a delicious Thanksgiving meal with family.

To help make your Thanksgiving meal planning easy, I have a Thanksgiving Recipe Booklet that contains 6 Holiday Favorites made with a Wildtree twist! For $82 plus shipping you'll receive 10 Wildtree products plus the recipes for... Holiday Turkey Holiday Stuffing Amazing Sweet Potatoes Spinach Artichoke Green Bean Casserole Cheesy Garlic Mashed Potatoes Pumpkin Mousse

You must order it TODAY (Monday Nov 15) to ensure it arrives in time for the holiday. Simply contact me today to place your order.

Slow Cooker Freezer Meal Workshops

It's that time of year...time to break out the slow cooker. If you want to come home to a house filled with the smells of a soulful meal that only took minutes to prep, then you must invest in a slow cooker. To make life even easier, sign up for my November or December Freezer Meal Workshop (or both) in Culver City, where every meal will be ready for your Crockpot! If you do not own a slow cooker, don't worry - just let me know and we will adjust your recipes. And if you cannot attend - just place your order and the meals will be assembled for you for pick up! November 10th's Menu (almost filled up!) Garlic Galore Chicken Lemon Rosemary Chicken Chicken Curry with Sweet Potatoes and Coconut Rice Apricot Chicken Citrus Rotisserie Chicken Bolognese Sauce Korean Style Beef Harvest Pork Roast Caribbean Pork Cowboy Style Chili

December 7th's Menu...so far! Butternut Squash Soup Sweet Mustard Roast Sweet & Sour Meatballs Szechuan Chicken French Dip Sandwiches

Provencal Chicken Supper

Crockpot Lasagna

Sloppy Joe Stuffed Bell Peppers

Simple, delicious and oh so healthy! Sloppy Joe Stuffed Bell Peppers 1 lb Extra Lean Ground Turkey 3 TBSP Sloppy Joe Blend 1 1/4 cup water 1 can tomato paste Brown the turkey; add water, Sloppy Joe Blend, and tomato paste. Mix together and simmer 10 minutes. Serve on a bun, over pasta or stuffed in a bell pepper. If you stuff in a bell pepper, cut the top off, remove seeds and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

What to do with all that Halloween Candy?

I love this time of year and it is especially exciting to experience it through the eyes of my 6 year old son, Oliver. He has been putting on his astronaut costume everyday and would eat, sleep and go to school in it if he could! We decorated our house for Halloween early on as Oliver could not wait. We still need to carve the pumpkins, but Oliver is filling in for one right now since he has lost 4 teeth and looks like a Jack-o-Lantern himself!

I happen to love any combination of chocolate, caramel, crunchy rice crisps and peanut butter, but sadly I have recently been enlightened to some really scary stuff found in common candy. Please check out this wonderful website called Out of the Box Food ~ Fresh Alternatives to Processed 'Kid Food'. There is a great article called Trick or Treat that explains these scary ingredients a but more. In an ideal world, Oliver would collect homemade popcorn balls, organic candy made without food dyes, HFCS or TBHQ, but I know that is not reality. Here are some suggestions for how to handle the Halloween Candy!

Employ the Switch Witch
Whether you are the Switch Witch or there is a magical one who comes to your house, have your children put their candy out for the Switch Witch to collect and leave a toy for them to enjoy instead. I told Oliver about this and he LOVED the idea. He's excited to eat some of his candy that night, and leave the rest of it for the candy-loving witch to take home to Hallow Heights with her black cat, Corn.  
Share the Candy
Our school collects candy for children who are not able to enjoy a night of Trick-or-Treating. They have bins at school to collect candy that they bring to a local hospital. We actually don't share the Halloween candy we collect as I just cannot feed something so unhealthful to a child with a fragile immune system. Instead, we bought some Yummy Earth Organic Lollipops which are a delicious and more body-friendly treat. Candy Experiments
Here are some great ideas to have fun with Halloween Candy that will not promote tooth decay.

Color Separation
 • Cut out a rectangle of coffee filter paper. • Wet an M&M or Skittle. • Dab color onto paper, 1 inch from the bottom. • Stand up in ½ inch of water. • Watch the colors separate.

Test Candy for Acid
• Dissolve candy in water. • Add a spoon of baking soda. • If it bubbles, the candy contains acid.

Floating Letters
• Drop M&M’s or Skittles in water. • Wait a few minutes. • The m’s and s’s will float to the top.

Test Candy for Oil
• Microwave the candy until it melts. • Let candy cool. • Look for waxy oil spots.

For more experiments, please visit http://www.candyexperiments.com/.

Tangy, Spicy Chicken in the Crockpot

Here's a real simple recipe for your slow cooker!

Tangy, Spicy Chicken in the Crockpot
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup (packed) brown sugar
1/4 cup Wildtree's Pacific Fusion Sauce***
2 TBSP apple cider vinegar
 
Mix all ingredients and pour over 8 - 10 chicken thighs or 3 - 4 leg/thigh quarters in the crockpot. Cook on low for about 6 hours depending on how fast/slow your crockpot cooks.

***You can substitute any of Wildtree's Asian sauces such as Teriyaki, Outrageous Orange or Kickin' Asian.

To order any Wildtree groceries, please go to www.jenwarr.mywildtree.com.