Chinese Chicken Salad

My husband requested this salad this week. And when my husband actually wants to eat a salad, you better believe I jump at the request. This tasted fresh and delicious...just what he wanted.


Chinese Chicken Salad

2 green onions
1 carrot, grated
1 celery stalk, diced
1 cucumber, diced
1/2 head cabbage, chopped (or you can do a cole slaw mix, whatever)
romaine lettuce (I added about a cup to mine)
chow mein noodles
cooked chicken, diced or cooked
Asian dressing (I went with store bought because we had some)

Toss everything together and enjoy! Simple as that.

Grilled Chicken Fajitas

A few things to mention before I get into telling you how great these fajitas are. First, I don't know who started this lame trend but I read it in some article the other day that New Mexico and another State (can't remember the other one, but remind me to never consider moving there) primarily use Swamp Coolers as a means to cool their houses. BARF! Did you know a Swamp Cooler basically only cools your house 15 degrees? Yeah, do the math...it's been 95 degrees out there, which means, I still sweat inside my house too. With that being said, I am on an oven strike. I have not used my oven in almost two months and refuse to use it until October when it starts to cool down a bit. It is getting really hard to do you know. How many dinners can YOU make without an oven? I am not even making bread!!! ARGH!

This had lead me to the Internet and lots of attempted creativity. We were given a bbq a few weeks ago, which has allowed me to branch out in my non-oven cooking...or rather, allow GARY to do some cooking! The other night we made grilled pizza, something I am most likely going to be making again tonight as well. :) I'll have to post that one soon too. But last night, we had the missionaries and another member in the ward over for dinner and I attempted a new recipe (I like the missionaries to be my guinea pigs for new recipes) on the grill.

The other thing I ought to mention is this: I don't know where it started but without my permission, there has been some sort of 'reputation' started among the missionaries who serve in our ward. Every time a new one comes to dinner for the first time, he says something like this "Oh, Sister Fears, I've been looking forward to coming to your house for dinner, I've heard so many wonderful things about your cooking" - HUH?! Seriously? I guess it doesn't take much to please a 19 year old boy who is on his own to cook for himself right? But, its like this talk they have behind my back and so now I feel all this pressure every time they are coming over to make sure they get a yummy meal and that it meets their expectations for a good dinner! It is causing stress people! And without an oven?!?!

Anyhow, I decided to try fajitas out on the grill yesterday and boy did they turn out! I will NEVER be making fajitas on the stove again. Honestly! Now, quick...go start thawing some chicken and try this out, you'll LOVE it!

Here is what you need:

1 Onion (I used a red onion) sliced and then cut into 1-inch strips
1 Red Pepper sliced into 1-inch strips
1 Yellow Pepper sliced into 1-inch strips
1 Tbs. McCormick Grill Mates BARBECUE Seasoning (and more to season fajitas if desired)
Olive Oil
Italian Dressing to marinade chicken in - Our FAVORITE is Ken's LITE Northern Italian with Basil and Romano. YUM!
3-4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, cut into thirds lengthwise
Flour Tortillas (Of course, the Costco kind you cook on the stove)

Toppings: Sour Cream, Shredded Lettuce, Tomatoes, Salsa, Avocados, Shredded Cheese, etc.

So, the night before or morning of, take your chicken strips (breasts sliced into thirds) and drop them in a zip lock back with enough Italian dressing to cover and marinade well. Let it sit in the fridge all day. Every time you open the fridge, just see that chicken and let your mouth water for the delicious meal you are going to make a few hours from then! :)

When the time comes to start dinner, preheat the grill on to HIGH for 10 minutes. Clean grill with wire brush. Using a soft cloth, coat grill grate litely with vegetable oil. Toss your peppers and onion slices with 1 Tbs. BBQ seasoning and 2 Tbs. olive oil. Pour into a disposable 9x13 inch foil pan. Cover pan tightly with foil, seal well. Reduce heat to MEDIUM. Place pan on grill; close lid.

Cook 10 minutes, shaking pan occaisionally. Remove from grill and set aside. Return grill heat to HIGH.

Lay chicken pieces on grill for about 2 minutes or until it has started to change color about 1/4 the way up from bottom. Turn over, and sear another 1-3 minutes. Turn chicken back over again. Reduce heat to MEDIUM and cook 12-15 minutes until internal temp. reaches 165 degrees. When chicken is getting close, put veggies back on the grill just to get them warm again.
Remove chicken from grill and chop into thin bite sized pieces. Remove veggies from grill and stir chicken into veggies.

Eat up!

Might I mention that last night was the first time in my entire life that I actually grilled dinner? Gary has always done it and he ended up having to work late and wouldn't be home in time. If I wasn't having company for dinner, I would have just waited. After a small panic attack, I decided to try my own hand at this and hope it didn't get ruined. I have to say, it all turned out quite nicely! :)

Oh, and if you have any other grilling recipes that are to die for, send them on my way. I will most definitely be using them in the next two and a half months!

Chicken Teriyaki

2 boneless chicken breasts, sliced into thin slices
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 medium garlic clove, minced or pressed
2 tablespoons mirin
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch

Combine soy sauce, sugar, ginger, and garlic in a small saucepan. Stir together mirin and cornstarch in a small bowl, then stir the mirin into the saucepan. Bring the sauce to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce forms a syrupy glaze.

Heat a small amount of olive oil in a frying pan. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat until nicely browned.

Put chicken on serving platter or bowl and cover with teriyaki sauce. Serve with rice and steamed vegetables.

{Modified slightly from America's Test Kitchen:2006}

Cream Cheese Chicken Potato Soup

Just made this soup tonight and it was fabulous!!! With easy, normal ingredients. My kind of meal! I thought I'd just put a link to the blog in case any of you want to check out any of her other recipes. They're mostly desserts.

Stovetop Chicken Fajitas

2 tsp canola oil

2 red bell peppers,stemmed, seeded, and sliced thin

1 red onion, halved and sliced thin

salt and pepper

4 (6 ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed, pounded if necessary

1/2 cup orange juice

3/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

1 TB Worcestershire sauce

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp minced canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce

1 tsp yellow mustard

1 tomato, cored, seeded, and chopped, medium

3 scallions, sliced thin

8 whole-wheat flour tortillas, warmed

1. Heat the oil in a 12 inch skillet over medium high heat until just smoking. Add the bell peppers and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and well-browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, season with salt and pepper to taste, and cover to keep warm.

2. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Combine the orange juice, 1/2 cup of the cilantro, Worcestershire, garlic, and chipotles in the skillet. Add the chicken and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, about 5 minutes. When the liquid is simmering, flip the chicken over, cover and continue to cook until the chicken registers 160 to 165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, 10 to 12 minutes longer.

3. Transfer the chicken to a plate and shred it into bite-sized pieces when cool enough to handle. Meanwhile, continue to simmer the sauce over medium heat until slightly thickened and reduced to 1/4 cup, about 5 minutes.

4. Off the heat, stir in the mustard, tomato, scallions, remaining 1/4 cup cilantro, and shredded chicken. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve with the pepper-onion mixture and warm tortillas.

From America's Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook

Parmesan-Crusted Chicken Cutlets

In honor of Valentines day, allow me to share with you the menu tonight. Not sure if you've figured out that Jess and I are pretty much in love with America's Test Kitchen...but uh, we are. And my entire meal consisted of their recipes, including dessert. It was fabulous...so, enjoy! And next time you're standing in the checkout line at the grocery store and you see a magazine called "Cook's Illustrated" - it will be the best $8.00 you ever spent! :)
Parmesan-Crusted Chicken Cutlets
Serves 4 (can easily be halved to serve two or doubled to serve 8...can I come?)


-2 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, tenderloins removed, breasts trimmed of excess fat and halved horizontally (see note)
-Table Salt & Black Pepper
-1/4 C. plus 1 Tbs. flour
-1/4 C. Parmesan cheese, grated (I used the powder stuff you get at the grocery store, or you could grate some fresh stuff on a mircoplane rasp grater. Either way, it needs to be very small)
-3 large egg whites
-2 Tbs. minced fresh chives (optional. I did not use this tonight)
-2 cups Parmesan cheese, shredded (buy a block and grate it like you would cheese on the largest holes of the grater. )
-4 teaspoons olive oil
-1 lemon, cut into wedges

Note: chicken breasts are easier to slice into cutlets if you freeze them for 15-20 minutes until firm but not fully frozen. To slice in half, place one hand on top of the breast to secure it, hold a chef's knife parallel to the cutting board, and slice through the middle of the breast horizontally.

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat to 200 degrees.
2. Set a oven safe cooling rack on a rimmed baking sheet. Whisk together 1/4 c. flour with 1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese in a pie plate. In medium bowl, whisk egg whites and chives (if using) together until slightly foamy. Pour into a pie plate. In third pie plate, combine shredded Parmesan and remaining Tbs. of flour.
3. Using tongs and working with one cutlet at a time, coat chicken in flour mixture, shaking off excess. Transfer chicken to egg-white mixture; coat evenly and let excess run off. Coat chicken with shredded Parmesan mixture, pressing gently so that cheese adheres. Place on wire rack. Continue with the rest of chicken cutlets.
4. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Place 2 cutlets in skillet and reduce heat to medium. Cook until cheese is pale golden brown, about 3 minutes (I actually cooked 4 minutes on each side). Carefully flip cutlets and continue to cook until cheese is pale golden brown on second side and meat is no longer pink in center, about 3 minutes. Transfer chicken to wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet and keep warm in oven. Wipe out skillet with paper towel and return to medium heat. Add remaining 2 teaspoon oil and cook remaining 2 cutlets. Serving immediately with lemon wedges.


I served this with Spagheti with Garlic and Olive Oil. - I'll post this quick fix too.
For Dessert we had the recipe that Jessica posted today. Fallen Chocolate Cake. Oh heavenly.

Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas

I have been cooking...lots actually. I just forget to take pictures (and partly on purpose because I can't take nice pictures like Jessica) and then figure why post a recipe for something yummy without a picture? No one will even be tempted to make it because, let's be honest...we all love pictures of good food, right? Well, sorry to say. No picture here. But Ryan (brother) was visiting us for a few days and I made this recipe and he said to me "This is really good. Is this on the food blog?" - Uh, he KNOWS about the food blog? Yeah, because his wife is the one that mostly posts on this blog. So, I decided to post it on the food blog. Just for him...and for his wife, if she ever wants to make them. Make them...they were yummy. And it's a little bit of New Mexico right in your home! :)

Filling:
1 Rotisserie Chicken, skinned, and chopped...or about 3-ish cups chopped chicken
2-4 oz. cans of diced green chiles
1-8 oz. package of softened cream cheese, cut up into cubes
1 can black beans
1 cup corn (I use costco corn and just run tap water over it to thaw it out a little bit)

Sauce:
2 T. Butter
1/2 C. chopped onion*
2 Tbs. Flour
1/3 C. chicken broth
1/4 C. milk
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1-10 oz. can green chile enchilada sauce
1/2 C. sour cream

8 oz. monterey jack cheese, shredded (I've used mozzarella but it just wasn't quite the same)
Flour Tortillas (I use the Costco ones....love them!)
Fresh Cilantro

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Combing cream cheese, and green chiles. Mix together well. Add the chicken, black beans, and corn. Mix to combine. Set aside.

In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens and begins turning translucent, this will take about 3-4 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the onions as you stir. Cook for about 1 minute, stirring. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth and milk. As you whisk and the mixture cooks, the flour will get less lumpy around the onions and the mixture will become smooth. Cook over medium heat until it begins to bubble and has thickened (about 3-4 minutes). Add salt and pepper. Remove from heat and stir in enchilada sauce and sour cream.

Spread about 1/4 C. of the green sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 dish. (Or, if you have a smaller family, like me. Use a 8x8 pan and a tin 8x8 pan and freeze one of them for another quick dinner in the future. This freezes well!) Fill each tortilla with about 1/2 C. of the chicken/cream cheese filling. Top with a small handful of shredded cheese, a couple Tbs. for each enchilada. Save at least 1/2 C. cheese for the top of the enchiladas. Roll the tortillas up and place seam side down in the prepared baking dish. Continue filling enchiladas until the dish is full.

Pour the green/white sauce over the top of the enchiladas. Top with remaining cheese. Bake for 20-30 minutes until the enchiladas are bubbling, hot and lightly browned. Sprinkle fresh cilantro over the top and serve.


*Go buy a Vidalia Chopper right now if you don't already have one. Jess, do you like yours? I LOVE LOVE LOVE mine. Honestly, if there was a fire in my house, it would be the second thing I'd grab second only to my child! :) I buy a big bag of onions at Costco and chop about half of them up right away and freeze them (about one onion per freezer bag) and it makes it SO nice when I'm cooking something with onion, which I do often. I just pull out an already chopped, frozen bag of onion. If I know I'm going to use it early enough, sometimes I'll pull it out and let it thaw, but it really doesn't matter.

I adapted this recipe from my kitchen cafe

Oven Fried Chicken

I have a confession: I love fried chicken. KFC is a slight weakness of mine...of course, it is a real blessing that up here in Canada they don't have the biscuits (love that hot, crumbly goodness) which means we never go. My waistline thanks me.

In an effort to assuage my craving I have been trying a few baked, or oven-fried, chicken recipes. I tried a few with bread crumbs which were good, but just didn't compare with the taste of fried chicken.

Then Rookie Cookie pulled through (like always).

Her recipe uses cornflakes which stay crispy and help fake out your mouth to thinking you are crunching away on fried chicken.

I also love the idea of having the cornflake/spices mixture already mixed up so dinner can be thrown together quickly.




OVEN-FRIED CHICKEN

3 1/2 lb chicken, legs or thighs or both

Kosher salt and pepper

3 cups corn flake cereal

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

2 eggs

1/4 cup milk

3 Tbsp butter, melted

Set oven to 350 degrees.

Pat chicken dry with a paper towel. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine corn flakes, basil, thyme, oregano, garlic powder and red pepper flakes. Process until corn flakes are coarse crumbs. Pour corn flake crumbs into a pie plate and set aside.

In another pie plate, combine eggs and milk. Whisk until well combined. Set aside.

Set up your breading station. In order, line up seasoned chicken, egg mixture, corn flake crumbs and a greased rimmed cookie sheet. With one piece at a time, dip the chicken in the egg, then into the crumbs (coating well) and then onto the sheet pan. Repeat until all chicken is breaded. Drizzle each piece with a little bit of the melted butter.

Bake for 45-60 minutes or until the chicken's internal temperature is 165-170 degrees.

{Recipe from Rookie Cookie}

Chicken Corn Chowder

We ate this for dinner tonight and were scraping the bowl by the end. Delicious. Such great flavors and so great for a chilly winters day. Or any day if you live in Canada. I'm so ready for winter to be over.

Chicken Corn Chowder

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (I found that the olive oil all rose to the top when the soup was done and made it look more unappetizing, hence no picture, so I would try less)
2 stalks of celery, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 jalapeno, finely chopped, seeds and membrane removed (this is important for flavor - but doesn't add heat because the seeds and membranes are removed and it is cooked with the other veggies)
1/4 cup thinly sliced or cooked chopped ham
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 (14-oz.) cans chicken broth
3 tablespoons flour
3 ears of fresh corn kernels or 1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels
2 large chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
4 oz. softened cream cheese
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Place olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute celery, bell pepper, onion and jalapeno until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and ham; cook for another 3 minutes. Whisk the broth with the flour in a liquid measuring cup or bowl and then stir into the soup. Stir in the corn and chicken. Bring to a low boil and reduce heat.

Whisk together the cream cheese and milk in a large bowl until smooth (I had a difficult time getting my cream cheese to completely whisk into the milk so my soup had some minor small lumps but next time, I'll soften the cream cheese until almost melted in the microwave). Whisk the cream cheese/milk mixture into the soup along with the salt, pepper and cheddar cheese. Simmer on low until ready to serve.

{recipe from My Kitchen Cafe}

Lemon Chicken

Looking for an easy main dish? That is delicious? This fits the bill. Of course, I am a lemon nut. But my husband, who thinks my obsession is a little over-the-top, loves these as well.

Lemon Chicken

2 chicken breasts, cut in 1/2 to make thinner
1/3 cup flour
salt and pepper
2-4 T butter
1 lemon

Once chicken breasts are cut, pound to make as thin as you can. Pound in the flour and salt and pepper. Melt the butter in a pan. Add the chicken. Cook 3-5 minutes on each side and remove from pan. Pour out all but 2 T. of the butter/juice (I like to leave any bits of chicken/flour in that may have come off). Add juice of 1 lemon to pan. Stir. Bring to boil. Add the chicken back in. Flip and cover with the sauce. Serve. And enjoy.

Crispy Southwest Chicken Wraps

Well, I just finished the last one and totally told myself I was going to take a picture before I started eating it. I just totally forgot and snarfed it down...it's good!

1 1/2 - 2 C. cooked rice (I use brown rice), warm or at room temp.
1 C. cooked, shredded chicken
1/2 red or green pepper, diced (I used a little of each)
1/4 C. fresh cilantro, chopped
juice of 1 lime
3/4 C. corn, cooked
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
2 C. shredded cheese
sour cream (optional)
Flour Tortillas (of course, I only use the costco ones!)

Mix rice together with chili powder, cumin, and garlic salt. Add remaining ingredients except for the cheese and sour cream. Sprinkle cheese over tortillas then dot sour cream down center. Arrange chicken mixture down center. Roll stuffed tortillas. Arrange wraps seam side down on skillet (med-high heat) and cook until golden brown and crisp, about 2-3 minutes per side.

Recipe adapted from mykitchencafe

Chicken Curry

One of my dear friends gave me a collection of her favorite recipes for our wedding. As a mother of 5 kids, she definitely knows what it means to make a fast, easy, and delicious meal. So this is one of those recipes.

This recipe was perfect when I wanted something exotic, but not as time-intensive as this dish. Because... lets be honest. We make Indian food in our house once a week. We just can't get enough. And I feel like when you make Indian food you just have to have Naan bread. And a strawberry lassi is such a cool, refreshing contrast to the spice, so you have to have that. Sooo if I want to cut down on time prep, I go with an easier main dish. This was perfect.

Curry Chicken

4 tablespoons butter
1 onion, chopped
1 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon slat
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup sour cream
2-3 cups cooked, chopped chicken
cilantro (optional)

Melt butter and saute onions. Stir in flour and spices. Cook 5 minutes. Add broth and cook until it thickens. Remove from heat. Stir in chicken and sour cream. Serve over rice and garnish with cilantro.

Note for Next Time: I thought the sour cream made it a little too....sour creamy. Next time I would substitute at least half of the sour cream with plain yogurt.

Chicken Enchiladas

I love enchiladas. Might be because I life up in the frigid north where there is no such thing as Mexican food (ok I may be exaggerating a little, but not much).

I love using this recipe and splitting it into two pans, freezing half for later.




2-3 Chicken Breasts
1 tablespoon oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can chopped green chiles
1/4 cup chicken broth from chicken just cooked (or to your preference...depending on how saucy you like it)
1/4 cup cream cheese, diced
1 cup sour cream
8-10 flour tortillas (have you tried the uncooked tortillas at Costco? We buy like 5 bags every time we are down in the states. So yummy)
1/2 pound Monterey Jack Cheese, grated

Place chicken breats in saucepan and cover with water. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer until chicken is done (about 30 minutes). Shred chicken and save the broth.

Saute the onions and green chiles in the oil until golden brown. Drain off any excess fat. Add broth, cream cheese, and sour cream. Heat through.

Lay out tortillas one at a time. Put in each about 1/3 c. of filling, 2 T. chicken, and a sprinkle of cheese. Roll up. Line up each enchilada in a 13x9 inch casserole pan (or two smaller pans). Spread remaining sauce and cheese over top.

Bake uncovered at 350 for 20 minutes.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Bake

This is oh-so similar to Ryan's favorite dinner that I made our first Valentine's as a couple, with some delicious changes. Sentimental? Just a little.

Another great easy to throw together freezer meal. I served this over rice and it was the perfect sauciness.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Bake

1 package stuffing mix

1 can (10 3/4 oz) cream of chicken soup

1 cup milk

1/2 tsp pepper

3-4 thick slices of deli ham, cubed
2 cup combination of swiss and cheddar cheese, shredded

2 cooked chicken breasts ( I used shredded)

Prepare stuffing mix according to directions on box. Meanwhile in a bowl, combine soup and milk. Put chicken in a greased 9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle with pepper. Layer with ham, half of the cheese, soup mixture and stuffing. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cover and bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake 10-15 minutes longer.

To make into a freezer meal, I would recommend preparing this in two separate smaller pans (especially if you are a small family like ours...this was plenty for two meals). Prepare both pans until ready to bake in oven and then stick one in the freezer for later!

{Recipe, with adaptations by me, from Sister's Cafe}

Sweet and Sour Chicken

I know we have already posted a few recipes for Sweet and Sour Chicken, but this recipe is a little-bit different. It is baked in the oven and more like what you would get in a Chinese restaurant (as in not saucy, more breaded). It was fast, easy, and yummy. Definitely a good stand-by for those nights you are out of ideas.


Sweet and Sour Chicken

Chicken:
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
1 cup cornstarch
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup canola oil

Cut boneless chicken breasts into chunks. Season with salt and pepper. Dip chicken in cornstarch and then in egg. Fry in a little oil until brown but not cooked through. Place in a single layer in a baking dish. Mix sauce ingredients (below) together and pour over chicken.

Sauce:
¾ cup sugar
4 tablespoons ketchup
½ cup vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic salt

Bake for one hour at 325 degrees. Turn chicken every 15 minutes. If you like extra sauce, make another batch of sauce and bring it to a boil on the stovetop. Stir constantly and let cook over medium heat until thickened and reduced - about 6-8 minutes.

{Found on My Kitchen Cafe}

Jambalaya

It has been too long since I have posted! Vacations have a way of putting the rest of your life on hold...

I tried this recipe awhile ago, froze most of it, and reheated it a few weeks ago. It was delicious! We especially love it with some Red Hot Chili Sauce. Yummy.


2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
1/2 pound smoked sausage, chopped
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
3/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
2/3 cup chopped cooked ham
4 to 5 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 pounds chicken, cut into bit-sized pieces
4 medium tomatoes (about 1 pound, chopped)
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup tomato sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon bottled hot pepper sauce
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup chopped green onion
Creole seasoning
2 cups uncooked long grain white rice
18 medium peeled and deveined uncooked shrimp

Preheat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add sausage, onion, celery, bell pepper, ham and garlic. Saute for 5 to 6 minutes or until onions are tender.

Add chicken, cook and stir fry for 1 minute. Add tomato, broth, tomato sauce, salt, hot pepper sauce, black pepper, and bay leaves. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring often. Stir in green onion, cook 2 minutes more. Season to taste with Creole seasoning.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove pan from heat. Stir in uncooked rice and shrimp. Bake, covered, about 20 minutes or until rice is tender and shrimp are opaque, stirring halfway through baking. Remove bay leaves before serving.

TO FREEZE: Prepare all the way. Place in a freezer container and freeze up to 2 months. Defrost in refrigerator. Reheat at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until heated through.

{From Super Suppers Cookbook, which I picked up at my local library and have liked a lot!}

Shish Kabobs

On Saturday night we made some awesome shish kabobs. I thought I would share it here just to give people ideas. I think this mostly needs to be done for a party-sized group, it seems like it would be hard with just two people.


What we used:
Marinated beef
Marinated chicken
Fresh pineapple
Green peppers
Potatoes
Tomatoes
Onions
Mushrooms
Squash

They were so good!!

Chicken and Vegetable Pasta Bake

I don't know about you, but dinner time at my house is C-H-A-O-S. Think baby screaming, toddler who is hungry and irritable, house that is a mess, and me...wondering what we are going to have for dinner.

To maintain my sanity I have been experimenting lately with freezer meals, using 1/2 for dinner and freezing 1/2 for later. So far I have found some REALLY great recipes to share and I have a stocked freezer (yippee!).

Here is one that we liked, with a few changes by moi:

Chicken & Vegetable Pasta Bake

Ingredients

• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 brown onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled, finely chopped
• 2 celery sticks, ends trimmed, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup frozen corn
  
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• About 3 cups dried risoni pasta
• 2 chicken breasts
  
• 1 1/4 cups fresh breadcrumbs (made from day-old bread)
• 1 cup grated cheddar

Bechamel sauce

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/3 cup plain flour
• 3 cups milk, warmed
• 2/3 cup grated cheddar

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, corn, and garlic and cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes or until the vegetables are soft. Transfer to a large heatproof bowl. In the same frying pan, brown chicken until no longer pink.
   
2. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large saucepan of salted boiling water for 10 minutes or until al dente. Drain.
3. To make the bechamel sauce, melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until the mixture bubbles. Remove from heat. Gradually add the milk, stirring constantly until well combined. Place over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens. Simmer, stirring, for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the cheddar.
4. Preheat oven to 375 F. Add the pasta, bechamel sauce and chicken to the veggie mixture and stir until well combined. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon the pasta mixture into a 3L (12-cup) capacity ovenproof dish.
5. Combine the breadcrumbs and cheddar in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the pasta mixture. Bake in oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden. Serve.

• Freeze: At the end of step 5, set aside to cool. Divide among freezerproof, ovenproof dishes. Cover with lids, plastic wrap, or foil. Place in fridge for 4 hours or until cooled. Label, date, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge before baking 6-8 hours. To bake, leave foil on and cook at 375 for 25 minutes or so. I think you could cook it frozen, just adjust the cooking time accordingly. In case you forget to take it out in the morning...
  

{Photo & Recipe, with slight changes, from taste.com}

Easy Chicken Skillet

To save time, I'm just going to post a link for this recipe. I printed it off like a year or 2 ago and finally just made it tonight. It is so easy and tastes absolutely amazing!

Spring Stir-Fry in Peanut Sauce

Jess, I talked to Ryan about this recipe in Phoenix and told him I would post it on here so you could make it for him. I got it from kraftfoods.com. It's so yummy!

1/2 cup Catalina Dressing

2 Tbsp. peanut butter

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper

1 Tbsp. oil, divided

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips

4 cups mixed cut-up fresh vegetables (broccoli florets and red bell pepper strips)

8 oz. fettuccine, cooked and drained, reserving 2 Tbsp. of the pasta cooking water

2 green onions, sliced

MIX dressing, peanut butter, soy sauce and crushed red pepper; set aside. Heat 2 tsp. of the oil in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook and stir 5 to 8 min. or until chicken is cooked through. Transfer chicken to large serving bowl; cover to keep warm.

HEAT remaining 1 tsp. oil in same skillet. Add broccoli and bell peppers; cook and stir 5 min. or until vegetables are crisp-tender.

ADD pasta, vegetables and dressing mixture to chicken; mix lightly. If desired, gradually stir in enough of the reserved pasta cooking water until sauce is of desired consistency. Sprinkle with the onions.

Nutrition information can be found here.