PW's Strawberry Sparkle Cake: SA Style

I love the Pioneer Woman.  I look at her blog weekly. I think almost every week, I'm trying a new recipe from her, and loving every single one.  On the fourth of July, I saw her post of the Strawberry Sparkle Cake... I didn't even read the post, because I saw the strawberry filling and knew there was no way I could pull it off... strawberries have been gone here for months.

But a few days later, on a whim, I went back and read the recipe.  And I had a stroke of genius. Strawberry crush.  Have you ever bought a crush?  I bought a bottle just out of curiosity a few weeks ago, and turns out, the strawberry crush has real whole strawberries and is really sweet and yummy.  It made the perfect filling for this cake!  It turned out great, except for the whipped cream frosting, which I didn't expect to work anyway.  The regular Amul cream is only 25% fat, and to properly whip cream, it needs to have at least 40% fat... anyone had success getting a heavy high fat cream for whipping? What's it called?!?

Head on over to Pioneer Woman for this recipe, grab a bottle of Strawberry crush, and make this yummy cake this week!

Apricot Ginger Chicken with Make-Your-Own Rice A Roni

I've had this recipe in my stash for a long time, and never tried it until this week.  The Rice A Roni kept putting me off, because I just didn't really know how to do that... until I found a blog post with a make your own Rice A Roni!  I immediately thought of this recipe and decided to try it this week, and it was a huge hit with dad and the kids.  Quick and easy too... I was able to make it with no husband home while being responsible for four children, so that tells you how quick and easy it is. : )

Apricot Ginger Chicken with Rice A Roni
2 T. butter
4 Boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1/2 c. apricot jam (I used Druk brand)
2 t. Dijon mustard
2 t. American mustard
1/2 t. ground ginger

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt 1 T. butter.  Add chicken.  Cook 5 minutes on each side or until browned.  Remove from skillet, set aside.  In the same skillet over medium heat, sauté rice-pasta mix with remaining 1 T. butter until vermicelli is golden brown.  Slowly stir in 2 cups water and Special Seasonings; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low.  Cover; simmer 10 minutes.   Stir in broccoli.  Place chicken over rice, return to a simmer.  Cover; simmer 5-10 minutes or until rice is tender and chicken is no longer pink inside.  In a small bowl, blend jam, mustard, and ginger.  Spoon 1 T. glaze over each chicken breast and drizzle remaining glaze over rice.  Cover; let stand 3 minutes before serving. 


For the Rice-A-Roni:

½ c. Vermicelli
¾ c. Uncooked Long Grain Rice
3 c. Water, Plus More As Needed
2 T. Butter Or Oil
⅛ t. Salt 
⅛ t Paprika
⅛ t Pepper
⅛ t Onion Powder
⅛ t Garlic Powder
2 cubes Chicken Bouillon 
1 Medium Onion, Diced

Directions:
In medium skillet sauté onion.  When translucent, add broken pasta pieces and rice in butter, stirring constantly, until the pasta is golden brown. Carefully pour in water, spices and bouillon. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer 15 to 20 minutes or until rice is tender.