Copycat Recipe - PF Chang's Beef a la Sichuan

PF Chang's is one of my favorite places to eat in downtown Fort Worth. We always order the same entree, plus something new to try. The old stand-by is their Beef a la Sichuan, which is an amazing twice-cooked beef stir fry with julienned celery & carrots. I have been looking for a good imitation of this recipe for a while now, and I may finally have found what I've been searching for.

In the interest of full disclosure, I have not actually tried this recipe yet. There are a lot of specialty ingredients required to get the signature taste, and I plan to stock my pantry this weekend. However, I did want to go ahead and post, because I'm really excited to finally find this recipe. So without further ado...

PF Chang's Beef a la Sichuan

OK, OK, so it's not the actual recipe! For some reason I am having a real problem copying/pasting from the recipe I emailed myself. I did want to get this posted though, and I promise to come back a little later and type out the entire recipe myself. Right now, I have an interview to get to. Fingers crossed!

It's Been a Long Time, Cupcake!

I know, I'm a bad, bad blogger. But things in my life are changing (as they usually do), and I want to update my blogs more frequently. So, in that vein, here's a new recipe!

A few weeks ago, I resolved (again) to eat more healthy, to take care of myself, lose weight, yadda-yadda-yadda. So now, every morning, I start my day with a smoothie. I started by just throwing a bunch of stuff in a blender, tweaked it a couple of times, and now I think it's great!

Sarah's Smoothies (makes enough for 2 large smoothies):
8 pieces of ice
2 cups frozen fruit medley, slightly thawed & sweetened w 1 Tbsp sugar/artificial sweetener (I use Dole 'Wildly Nutritious' blend of Strawberries, Pineapple, Mango, & Peaches)
6 Tablespoons Dannon Light & Fit (I use Vanilla, but you can get Plain)
1 whole banana, medium, cut into chunks
splash of juice (I alternate btwn Apple & Pomegranate)

Blend to your heart's content & enjoy! I also cannot recommend enough the Ninja Master Prep blender for this task. I had to buy one when my old blender crapped out on me my second day of smoothie making. Wow! It takes more time to put all the ingredients into the Ninja than it does for the blender to actually smoothi-ify them. The taste and texture is the same from the first sip to the last, and everything is dishwasher safe.

If you decide to try my smoothie recipe, please tell me what you think. Have a 'to-die-for' recipe of your own? Please share!

*SJ*

Cinnamon Toast Pecans

Oy! I am so far behind on blogging. Let me first say, with the busy month we had in August, I was unable to submit a recipe for the first Iron Cupcake Challenge. I was bummed, but I simply had way too many commitments already.

Now, on to the good news! The new challenge has been announced, and this month's secret ingredient is...BASIL!! I am really excited to see what I can come up with. Don't forget to check out No One Puts Cupcake in a Corner between September 28 and October 1 to vote for me!

More good news...even though I wasn't able to submit to ICE last month, I still have been busy baking! Tonight I am testing a recipe that I will give as Christmas gifts. I found this yummy sounding delicacy created by Paula Deen.

Cinnamon Toast Pecans

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp butter, melted

2 Tbsp light corn syrup

2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

4 cups (about 1 pound) pecan halves

(Please note: I forgot to include the butter in the shot above, but it is required in the recipe. Oops!)

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 250 degrees.


Stir together first 5 ingredients. Add pecans, tossing to coat. Spread coated nuts in a single layer on a large jellyroll pan. Bake for 1 hour stirring every 15 minutes. Let cool; store in an airtight container up to 2 weeks.


Tips:
**I used only half the pecan halves called for, and substituted cashews (my favorite) for the other half.
**I also used salted nuts and omitted the salt called for in the recipe.


Sounds simple, doesn't it? And you will not believe the smells coming from my oven right now! Give them a try, and let me know what you think!

*S*

To learn more about me, visit Cupcake Toujours' sister blog, Confessions of a PRG. To satisfy your sweet tooth, keep reading!

Iron Cupcake: Earth

I am officially a participant of Iron Cupcake: Earth! It's a competition where members are given an ingredient and have to create a cupcake recipe using said ingredient. This month's ingredient is chile peppers!

Prizes are awarded each month to the winners. This month, prizes are provided by Cakespy, Jessie Steele Aprons, Cupcake Courier, and Taste of Home.

To find out more about the challenge, check out http://www.ironcupcake.blogspot.com/ . Tell the Cupcake Queen that Cupcake Toujours sent you!

*S*

To learn more about me, visit Cupcake Toujours' sister blog, Confessions of a PRG
To satisfy your sweet tooth, keep reading!

Welcome to Cupcake Toujours!

Cupcake Toujours is my Franglais (French/English) interpretation of "Always Cupcakes."

As my poor husband knows, I am drawn to all things miniature. And there is no petite interpretation more dear to me than the beloved cupcake. I find it rather amusing that in a "Super-size Me" nation such as ours, the tiny cupcake is the hottest trend. Whether the question is "What should I make for my sweetheart's birthday?" or "What should we serve at our wedding?" or even "What should I eat with this coffee?" the answer is...Always Cupcakes!

And so it is with great excitement that I embark upon this journey to bring you ever more delightful, delicious, and surprising cupcake combinations. Enjoy!

*S*

To learn more about me, visit Cupcake Toujours' sister blog, Confessions of a PRG
To satisfy your sweet tooth, keep reading!