originally from martha stewart, but we made a few modifications. thank you anna for the zucchini!

serves 4 •  total time: 40 minutes

• 1 1/2 lbs. chicken breast halves, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices
• 2 T. cornstarch
• salt and pepper
• 4 tsp. vegetable oil
• 1 onion, halved and cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 1 bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch stripes
• 1 medium zucchini, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 c water
• 2 T. rice vinegar
• 2 T. soy sauce
• 1/2 c. basil leaves, larger leaves torn in half
• cooked white rice, for serving (optional)

1. Pat chicken pieces dry with paper towels. In a medium bowl, toss chicken with cornstarch until coated; season generously with salt and pepper.

2. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 teaspoons oil over medium-high. Cook the chicken, turning once, until browned, but not completely cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes total. Transfer chicken to plate and set aside.

3. Add remaining 2 teaspoons oil, onion, bell pepper, and zucchini to the skillet; cook over medium-high heat, tossing often, until beginning to brown, 3 minutes. Add garlic; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

4. Add 1/4 cup water, vinegar, soy sauce, and chicken to pan; cook, tossing, until chicken is cooked through, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in basil leaves. Serve immediately, over white rice, if desired.

bret took this image last night from our living room! he is amazing and has set up a system to control a telescope in delta, utah from anywhere and have everything run automatically so he can still get some sleep!

click image to see bigger

bret made these last night, and topped them with mango, banana, and sloppy strawberry deliciousness!

serves 4 •  total time: 30 minutes

• 1 T. yeast
• 2 c. lukewarm milk
• 4 eggs, separated
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 T. sugar
• 2½ c. flour
• ½ c. melted butter

1. Dissolve yeast in milk. Beat egg yolks and vanilla; add to yeast. Add flour, salt, sugar, and butter. Mix well with a hand mixer.

2. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff and then fold into flour batter. Let rise until doubled.

3. Put a heaping ½ cup of batter into a lightly sprayed waffle iron and spread it out slightly. Bake for 3 minutes. Top with powder sugar, fruit, jam, syrup, whipped cream, etc.

no recipe–still trying to find one that really works for me.

Coconut Cream Pie

serves 8 • prep time: 25 minutes • total time: 1 hour + chilling

For the crust:

• 30 wafer cookies
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 5 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1/3 c. sweetened coconut

For the topping & filling:

• 1 3/4 c. sweetened coconut
• 2 3/4 c. milk
• 4 egg yolks
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1/3 c. cornstarch
• 3/4 tsp. vanilla
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 c. heavy cream

1. Make crust: preheat oven to 325°. In a food processor, combine cookies and salt; process until fine crumbs form. With machine running, slowly add butter and process until mixture resembles wet sand. Stir in coconut. Press crumbs in bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan. Bake until crust is set, about 25 minutes. Let cool completely in pie pan on a wire rack.

2. Make topping: increase heat to 350°. Spread 1/2 c. coconut on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until golden, about 4-6 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Make filling: in a saucepan, whisk together milk, egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, and salt. Cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until bubbles form at the edge and mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Stir in 1 1/4 c. coconut, and pour into cooled crust. Smooth top and refrigerate until filling is chilled and completely set, about 2 hours.

4. To serve, whip cream until soft peaks form. Top pie with whipped cream and toasted coconut.

From Martha Stewart Kitchens

chicken tostadas

serves 4 • prep time: 10 minutes • total time: 45 minutes

• 2 onions, thinly sliced
• 2 bell peppers, thinly sliced
• 1 can corn
• 1 can black beans
• 1 c. salsa
• 2 tbsp. oil
• salt & pepper
• 2 chicken breasts
• 4 corn tortillas
• 1/2 c. shredded sharp cheddar

1. Preheat oven to 450°. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. On foil, mix onions, peppers, corn, beans, 1/4 c. salsa, 1 tbsp. oil; season with salt and pepper. Roast, tossing occasionally, until vegetables are tender and lightly browned, 15-20 minutes.

2. Cook chicken breasts, shred. Add chicken to pepper mixture, and continue to roast until warmed through, 5 minutes. Transfer chicken and vegetable mixture to a bowl.

3. Arrange tortillas on baking sheet. Brush tortillas with remaining oil. If desired, cover tortillas with cheese. Bake until edges are golden, 5-8 minutes.

4. Dividing evenly, top tortillas with chicken-vegetable mixture and remaining 3/4 c. salsa. If not previously used, top with cheese.

From Martha Stewart Kitchens

serves 4 • total time: 30 minutes • oh so delicious

• 2 medium potatoes (1 1/2 lbs.), peeled, quartered lengthwise, and thinly sliced crosswise
• 2 tbs. olive oil
• 1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
• salt & pepper
• 1 medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
• pepper flakes

1. rinse potatoes well under cold water, then drain and pat dry. in a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. add potatoes and onion and season with salt and pepper. cook, stirring frequently, until potatoes are almost cooked through and golden, about 15 minutes.

2. add zucchini, reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring, until zucchini is soft and potatoes are cooked through, 7 minutes. season with salt, pepper, and pepper flakes. for a delicious meal, serve with another tasty food, such as french toast or fried eggs.

recipe from martha stewart kitchens

go here for williams recipes galore!

even though they are on my site, i don’t endorse every recipe. i do, however, really like:

• cranberry chicken
• gunpowder chicken
• raspberry cream jell-o (way better than just jello)
• poppy seed bread
• blueberry muffins
• caramels
• chex-almond stuff (this isn’t difficult to make, but it is really difficult to stop eating. really, it is evil. and so are the caramels.)

bret and i are planning on one day compiling all of our recipes and creating something similar but way better! hopefully that will happen in the nearish future