Sesame Chicken w/ Lo Mein

I found this recipe on Wegmans' site and it is one of my favorite make-at-home Asian dishes. It's so incredibly easy to make and doesn't take long at all. Some of the ingredients are Wegmans brand, but you can find the same ingredients in your local grocery store. The only thing I forget is that it has a bit of a spicy kick (the garlic sauce from Wegmans does, at least), so it's not too Lindsay/Luke-friendly.

Sesame Chicken with Lo Mein & Green Beans
Ingredients
12 oz pkg green beans
16 oz. lo mein noodles
1 lb chicken breast strips
3 T vegetable oil, divided
2 cloves minced garlic
1.5 cups Asian slaw
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup Wegmans Garlic Sauce (International Foods)
1 T sesame seeds

Directions

1. Blanch green beans in large pot of boiling salted water 3-4 min. Remove beans with slotted spoon; drain and set aside. Add noodles to blanching water; blanch 2 min. Drain and set aside.
2. Drizzle 2 Tbsp oil around sides of stir-fry pan; tilt pan to distribute evenly. Heat oil in pan on HIGH until oil faintly smokes. (If oil smokes too much, pan is too hot.) Stir fry chicken 4-5 min; remove from pan and set aside.
3. Drizzle remaining Tbsp oil around sides of pan; tilt pan to distribute evenly. Heat oil in pan on HIGH until oil faintly smokes. Add garlic, Asian slaw, and green beans. Stir and toss, 2-3 min. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Add chicken, noodles, and garlic sauce to stir-fry pan. Stir briefly to heat through, 2-3 min. Garnish with sesame seeds.

June 28 - Sesame Chicken & Lo Mein

I found this recipe on Wegmans' site and it is one of my favorite make-at-home Asian dishes. It's so incredibly easy to make and doesn't take long at all. A lot of the ingredients are Wegmans brand, but I know you can easily find the same ingredients in your local grocery store. The only substitution I made from the recipe was using Purdue chicken shortcuts which made the cook time even quicker since they are precooked.

Sesame Chicken with Lo Mein & Green Beans
Ingredients
1 pkg (12 oz) Food You Feel Good About Cleaned & Cut Green Beans
1 pkg (16 oz) Asian Classics Lo Mein Noodles (Frozen Foods), thawed per pkg directions
1 lb Wegmans Seasoned Chicken Breast Strips for Stir-Fry
3 Tbsp Wegmans Vegetable Oil, divided
2 cloves Food You Feel Good About Peeled Garlic, minced
1 pkg (12 oz) Food You Feel Good About Cleaned & Cut Asian Slaw
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup Wegmans Garlic Sauce (International Foods)
1 Tbsp JFC White Roasted Sesame Seeds (International Foods)

Directions

1. Blanch green beans in large pot of boiling salted water 3-4 min. Remove beans with slotted spoon; drain and set aside. Add noodles to blanching water; blanch 2 min. Drain and set aside.
2. Drizzle 2 Tbsp oil around sides of stir-fry pan; tilt pan to distribute evenly. Heat oil in pan on HIGH until oil faintly smokes. (If oil smokes too much, pan is too hot.) Stir fry chicken 4-5 min; remove from pan and set aside.
3. Drizzle remaining Tbsp oil around sides of pan; tilt pan to distribute evenly. Heat oil in pan on HIGH until oil faintly smokes. Add garlic, Asian slaw, and green beans. Stir and toss, 2-3 min. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Add chicken, noodles, and garlic sauce to stir-fry pan. Stir briefly to heat through, 2-3 min. Garnish with sesame seeds.

Wegmans Menu Summer Kickoff Event

If you're lucky enough to live near a Wegmans, you might want to check out this event! They'll have nearly a dozen stations set up around their stores that feature dishes created with Wegmans' own recipes. Free food?! I'm there! Here's a sampling of what they'll have:

Veggie Station: Try a taste of our Fajitas with Lemon Garlic Chicken. Our Fajita Vegetable Grilling Kits make it fast and easy!

Produce: Baby Vegetable Crudités with one of our Yogurt Dressings make an easy complement to grilled meat and seafood. 

Seafood: Our Food You Feel Good About Cooked Shrimp from Belize make a fast and delicious meal when paired with veggies and a Vinaigrette dressing. Try a bite.

 The event runs from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. in all of their stores and is at no cost to you. Check it out!

***Click here to enter my contest for a FREE cookbook!***

June 1 - Fajitas

The kids and I took advantage of the Dutch Wonderland season passes my parents bought us today and took a trip out to Lancaster. It was just the three of us who went and we had a blast! It's not always easy juggling both of them in an excitement-filled venue like an amusement park, but neither threw a fit, both stayed close the whole time...I couldn't have asked for a better day.

We left the park around 4:00, so I wanted to plan on something easy for dinner. I've been in the mood for fajitas, and I knew that only required cutting up an onion and pepper, and sautéing them up with a package of Purdue chicken shortcuts. I split it into two pans - one unmarinated, and the other mixed in with Wegman's fajita seasoning (YUM!) and served them in Chi Chi's whole wheat tortillas. I also made a pot of rice, some refried beans, and guacamole to go into the tortillas, and then topped them with some cilantro (and cheese for the boy).

They tasted fantastic! Scott ate two huge ones and kept going on and on about how delicious they were, and Lindsay ate an entire one on her own! Luke is another story, but he had a huge lunch, so I should have seen the throwing of the food coming. I love the fact that dinner took a whopping 20 minutes to make and that everyone devoured it. A definite success!

May 13 - First Corn on the Cob of the Season

I was planning on doing Valerie's chicken today but realized I had two chicken breasts left...enough for the boy and the kiddos with the way Luke and Linds have been eating lately. When I was at Wegmans buying some burgers and their amaaaaazing baked potato salad (it is SO delicious!), I came across a halibut fillet with pesto, sun dried tomatoes and a little mozzarella cheese. It looked like it would taste heavenly and I needed a protein for my meal...the fact that it was $4 was even better! I also saw they had corn on the cob out, so I bought six ears, figuring that would be enough for us. Next time, I need to buy at least 10!

Now, of course, I cut up the chicken for Luke and Lindsay, assuming that's what they would eat. Linds started picking at it (she was eager for the corn), but Luke just tossed his overboard. I know he likes this chicken, but I figured maybe if I gave him a bite of the fish and pesto and tomatoes that he would be so grossed out by the alternative that he'd scarf down the chicken. NOPE! The kid ate 2/3 of my fillet. Every time I took a bite he shrieked and banged on his tray table.

So, my meal (and Luke's I guess) was a little halibut with pesto, sun dried tomatoes and mozzarella cheese, paired with corn on the cob and white rice (with a little of the Val's chicken sauce on it for flavor). The boy and Linds ate the chicken instead of the fish. I took a few photos and I'm going to post them all...I got a new camera today, so I went a little picture happy.

Another Guest Blog!!

My dear friend, Julia, agreed to guest blog on Dining with the Rissers! She, like myself, is a former public relations guru who left it all for the kiddos. We could sit and "talk shop" for hours on end (preferably over a glass or two of wine!) while the kiddos play. We met through the Coatesville MOMS Club, and in the fall, Lindsay and one of her daughters will be in the same preschool at about the same times. We'll have lots of opportunities to enjoy a few cups of coffee and let her 7-month old son and Luke chase each other around the house! Here's what she wrote...

Our family has fallen into pretty regular mealtime traditions. We have a very busy household with three children under the age of five, so designating certain days for particular meals makes a lot of sense. And on the weekends we try to make meals that don't require a lot of fuss. Saturdays, when my hubby is often in charge of the kitchen, we usually have homemade burgers on the grill. Todd is a big guy, from western Pa., and likes his meat and potatoes like the best of them. He's a great cook, too, having managed a restaurant and bar throughout most of his college career. Being the health-conscious mom and wife that I am, I try to make sure we all watch our fat and cholesterol intake.

This week I decided that turkey burgers would be a perfect option, whipped up easily but with a bit of a gourmet twist. With my gentle instruction, he made the patties and then I topped them with roasted red peppers and feta cheese. (Although, the girls ate their burgers sans topping, with the exception of some ketchup and mustard.) Served with a side of sweet potato fries and a nice glass of pinot noir, we had a delicious and healthier version of our regular favorite.

Turkey Burgers
Ingredients
2 1-lb. packages of ground turkey
McCormick onion powder
McCormick Grill Mates Hamburger spice
Roasted red peppers (we got these from a favorite Italian deli my dad goes to in NJ)
Athenos Feta cheese (chunk), from Wegmans, cut into small slices
Alexia Julienne Sweet potato fries, sold in frozen section of Wegmans
Rolls of your choice

Directions

1. Mold ground turkey into patties.
2. Season with onion powder and hamburger spice.
3. Grill over medium heat.
4. Put turkey burger on roll and top with feta.
5. Add roasted red peppers.
6. Serve with sweet potato fries, baked according to directions.

Coupon alert! 4/12

For those of you who subscribe to Parents magazine, there are a few great coupons in there!

First, there's $3 off Pampers diapers at CVS. There was also a $1 off manufacturer's coupon in the paper a week or two ago that you can use with it. That's a total of $4 off! Get to CVS by Saturday and you can pick up a jumbo pack of diapers that are on sale pre-coupons for $8.49. A pack of 35 size-3 diapers is less than 13 cents/diaper! That's a big savings from regularly priced 34 cent diapers.

There's also a coupon for $1 off Ronzoni Smart Source pasta (which even the boy agrees that it tastes no different than regular pasta, but is fortified with lots of calcium and fiber). Wegmans has been having a sale with boxes priced at $1 (which would make it free!), but according to their website, it's currently $1.29. Even still - 29 cent pasta is a GREAT buy!

Wegmans Savings - 4/9

I missed out on a killer deal on Huggies diapers at CVS the week before last, and was totally bummed that I missed it. I had printed four $3 off coupons and was ready to get jumbo packs of diapers for the equivalent of $3.50! What a find!

So, Friday morning, I'm surfing the internet, looking for sales at the local grocery stores to see what kind of good buys are out there. I started looking up diaper prices at a few places and popped onto Wegmans' website. Lo and behold, there are jumbo packs of diapers advertised for $3.26?!? I did a double take, not believing it. They were on size 6 diapers (Linds still uses size 5 at night, although she's on the cusp of size 6), so even though they weren't exactly what we currently use, they were already cheaper than the CVS buy AND I could use my coupon!

In the end, I got 26 diapers for a mere 26 cents. Seriously, you can't beat that deal - that's practically FREE diapers! Originally priced at $8.99, that's a savings of more than 97%. Thank you, Wegmans!

Happy 1 yr. Wegmans Anniversary!

I feel like I need to celebrate - today is my one year anniversary of becoming an official Wegman's lover customer. How in the world do I remember when I converted, you ask? Well, it's actually quite simple! Every time I've shopped there, I use their online grocery list creator. Honestly, it is the BEST invention ever. The store is overwhelmingly large, and sometimes it's tough to find what you're looking for (especially coming from another chain of grocery stores). If you use their online grocery list creator, however, it will give you a list of the products they carry, their current price, nutritional information, etc. You can adjust the quantities you want to buy, compare prices of generic vs. name-brands, look for all sorts of those "weird" products (bamboo skewers, for example - where the heck are those?!)...and so much more that I'm not even elaborating on. The grocery list printout will list the cost of the item, the quantity, and the exactly location in the store (bamboo skewers are in the International Food section/Asian aisle in case you were wondering).

Now you're probably trying to figure out why on earth I'm raving about this thing. Well, every time I've made a list, I just save it with the date of when I'm going shopping. I saved my list today with, "March 24" and didn't think much of it, until I went to print it out on my desktop. I signed in and went to print out "March 24" and realized that I had a "March 24, 2009." Now, I started looking for an earlier month (I feel as if I've been a loyal shopper there much longer than just a year), but that was the first instance in 2009.

I was thinking of buying a cupcake or cookie to celebrate, but realized that was probably a bit silly (and way too caloric). Instead, I saved $30 with coupons (my obsession with coupons is paying off nicely!), came home, and snuggled up on the couch with my Herr's tortilla chips (half-price from the factory store) and my Wegman's black bean dip, and watched an episode of Shear Genius.

So happy first year, Wegmans! May we continue to enjoy each other's company for many more to come.

I made Wegmans' Twitter page!

I just have to share my shock and excitement - Wegmans mentioned Dining with the Rissers on their Twitter page! I wrote about their Half-Plate Healthy event yesterday and they found my post, added themselves as a follower of my blog, and gave me a shout-out on their Twitter page. I'm so honored to be mentioned, I can't even explain it. It's so cool for a large corporation to acknowledge one single customer of their millions. This is, again, all part of that love affair with Wegmans!

Half-Plate Healthy Event

Normally, you would NEVER see me in a Wegmans on a Saturday - it's pure madness and chaos! And if I didn't have a Risser family event on Saturday, I'd for sure go to this. Wegmans is having a "Half-Plate Healthy Event" where they have about 10 stations set up offering samples of different healthy foods. Wegmans is amazing when it comes to pushing nutrition and healthy living, and one of their main campaigns is this "half-plate healthy" - fill up half of your plate with fruits, vegetables and salad, and then fill your other half with whatever you want. It's a pretty novel idea - most people don't get enough of the "good stuff" in their daily diet - and it's a flexible eating challenge that lets you choose your own food (versus so many diets out there).

So, from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. (and for FREE!), check out a Wegmans near you. Here's what they'll have:

• Veggie Station: Swiss Chard and Beet Greens
• Produce: Rainbow of fruits topped with yogurt dip
• Bakery: Wegmans Food You Feel Good About Whole Grain Naan topped with Bruschetta and Cheese
• Prepared Foods: $6 meals
• General Merchandise: Half-Plate Healthy Kids Coloring Contest
• Nature’s Marketplace: CLIF Kid ZBar & Wegmans Food You Feel Good About Organic Apple Juice
• Frozen: Wegmans Food You Feel Good About Special Blends Broccoli, Cauliflower & Pine Nuts
• Grocery: Wegmans Food You Feel Good About Fruit Cups
• Seafood: Shrimp Scampi
• Pharmacy: Blood Pressure Awareness and Wegmans Food You Feel Good About Juice Blends

Free food that's good for you? Man, I would be ALL over that! On another note, wonder if Wegmans would pay me to market their chain? I'm beginning to do a lot of that on here... ;-)

Mar. 17 - Honey Chicken Skewers

The nearly-70 degree grilling weather trumped any plan to do something green or Irish in nature for the St. Patty's holiday. I've been wanting to do the skewers, but hate waiting until Scott gets home from work (usually around 6:30 p.m.) to get dinner STARTED. I like to eat as soon as he walks through the door - not wait for him to make it?! He was off today for Lindsay's dance class (it was parent observation day), so we took advantage of both the weather and the fact that he was home to make the honey chicken skewers and some roasted veggies.

Before I delve into the specifics, I'm super excited - I learned how to turn on our grill! For the past ten years, Scott is in charge of "outdoor cooking," while I've been in charge of anything indoors. I've always wanted to learn how to grill, but never challenged the unwritten rules. But 2010 is bringing in some changes in the way I cook (remember my ribs?!?), so I asked him to teach me how to turn on the grill and some of his basic "grilling principles." You might all laugh at me - but I'm so naive when it comes to this!

So, anyways, back to the meal! I made the honey chicken skewers and then roasted some corn and broccoli to accompany the chicken. The corn was just frozen kernels and then I bought some fresh broccoli from Wegmans today. I drizzled them with a little olive oil, some balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper, then roasted them in the oven for about 25 minutes on 450. They turned out really well - crisp and flavorful...although the corn was a tad overdone (the broccoli, however, was perfect!). The honey chicken skewers were super easy - here's the recipe:


Honey Chicken Skewers
Ingredients
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
kosher salt and pepper
bamboo skewers

Directions

1. Place twenty 8-inch wooden skewers in water to soak. Heat grill to medium-high. In a small bowl, combine the ketchup, honey, and Worcestershire sauce; set aside.
2. Slice the chicken lengthwise into twenty 1/2-inch-thick strips. Thread each strip onto a wooden skewer. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
3. Lightly oil the grill. Cook the chicken, turning occasionally, until cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes, basting with the ketchup mixture during the last 2 minutes of cooking.

Lindsay LOVED the fact that she could eat these chicken pieces right off of the bamboo stick - finger food is always a hit in our house! The boy thought the chicken was good - very light with it being cut up that small - and suggested it accompany corn on the cob in the summer. He was still starving after dinner (I only made 10 skewers - 4 for each of us and 2 for Linds), but if he had two or three cobs to eat with the skewers, then he'd fill up quickly. I'd suggest making the full 20 skewers for a family of 3 or 4.

We also agreed that while the ketchup sauce was good, you could also get the same tastiness from some good ol' Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce. It might not have been the recipe that kicked ass, rather the skewers and smaller portions (i.e. how it was cooked). All in all, it was a fantastic dinner (finished off well with some Girl Scout cookies, courtesy of our niece, Caroline, and a few Coronas and lime)...but a few small changes could have made it perfect!

Mar. 11 - Sesame Chicken & Lo Mein

There's nothing I love more than a good bowl of Chinese food! The downfall, however, is the high caloric content. I found this recipe on Wegmans website and at 540 calories per serving, you can't do too much better. It's quick to make (only 20 minutes of active cooking time - no prep or bake time otherwise) and uses prepackaged ingredients (if you shop at Wegmans). If you don't live near a Wegmans, you can substitute a garlic stir-fry sauce for the Wegmans-brand garlic sauce (Kikkoman has one out there). You'll also need a large size wok for this one - mine is a bit small, so I was thinking of getting something like the one above.

So, anyways, if you are a fan of sesame chicken from your local Chinese restaurant, give this one a shot - definitely a keeper in both the boy's and my opinion!

Sesame Chicken with Lo Mein & Green Beans
Ingredients
1 pkg (12 oz) Food You Feel Good About Cleaned & Cut Green Beans
1 pkg (16 oz) Asian Classics Lo Mein Noodles (Frozen Foods), thawed per pkg directions
1 lb Wegmans Seasoned Chicken Breast Strips for Stir-Fry
3 Tbsp Wegmans Vegetable Oil, divided
2 cloves Food You Feel Good About Peeled Garlic, minced
1 pkg (12 oz) Food You Feel Good About Cleaned & Cut Asian Slaw
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup Wegmans Garlic Sauce (International Foods)
1 Tbsp JFC White Roasted Sesame Seeds (International Foods)

Directions

1. Blanch green beans in large pot of boiling salted water 3-4 min. Remove beans with slotted spoon; drain and set aside. Add noodles to blanching water; blanch 2 min. Drain and set aside.
2. Drizzle 2 Tbsp oil around sides of stir-fry pan; tilt pan to distribute evenly. Heat oil in pan on HIGH until oil faintly smokes. (If oil smokes too much, pan is too hot.) Stir fry chicken 4-5 min; remove from pan and set aside.
3. Drizzle remaining Tbsp oil around sides of pan; tilt pan to distribute evenly. Heat oil in pan on HIGH until oil faintly smokes. Add garlic, Asian slaw, and green beans. Stir and toss, 2-3 min. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Add chicken, noodles, and garlic sauce to stir-fry pan. Stir briefly to heat through, 2-3 min. Garnish with sesame seeds.

My love affair with Wegmans

Tuesday was grocery shopping night! I usually go as soon as the boy gets home so I can take my time, meandering through the aisles, looking for all sorts of treasures that unfold in Wegmans. Of course last night he didn't get home until well past 7:00, and I had to stop at BJs, but that was okay - I was kid-free and nothing important to rush home to.

There's just something calming about having a cup of hot decaf tea, my shopping list, and a world of products to explore (half of which I don't even know what they are?!). The international section fascinates me - all sorts of authentic Japanese, Mexican, and French (amongst many other cultures') products. I'm still not ready to buy much of anything in that aisle, but by the end of this year, I will work myself up to it! The cheese department is another one that intrigues me...I've always wanted to be a cheese connoisseur, so I try to pick up a new cheese each time to try out (of course I forgot yesterday). On top of the food, they have aisle upon aisle of fun little holiday items, cookware, dishes, kitchen supplies, etc.

And their latest addition - a beer section - just makes this perhaps the greatest store ever! Now I can grab my beer when I get my groceries and avoid another stop. I did learn, however, that you cannot walk around the store with an open beer (no, I didn't try - but I was curious and had to ask!).

As if this place couldn't get any better, their staff is just the most amazing group of people. I couldn't find stew meat except for in their club savings section, so the butcher separated it, repackaged and re-priced it so that I didn't have to buy 6 lbs. of beef cubes. Then, as I'm walking toward a register, opting for the line with only one woman ahead of me who was already being checked out, an employee comes running over and opens an aisle to check me out. Seriously? I was only going to wait in line for another couple minutes, but he made sure I could be helped immediately. On top of all of that, they have their "Helping Hands" who will walk your cart to your car and load your groceries for you!

I didn't think I could go on this long about my love affair with Wegmans, but here we are. Some women get their hair or nails done to de-stress...me? No, I go grocery shopping!