Chicken and Rice Casserole

I am not a big fan of Casseroles, but this looked interesting. very easy to make, and I served it with the previous post of Wheat Bread. :) ... *Kid Approved* again! Wow, Carter really enjoyed this. I did not think he was going to take to it like he did. He was shoveling large portions into his mouth and even had seconds! Wow...this is noted for sure.

Recipe:
1 Tbs Butter 1 Medium Onion, peeled and diced
3 Cups diced, cooked chicken
2 (14.5 oz) Cans of green beans, drained and rinsed
1 (8 oz) can of water chestnuts, drained and chopped (or left whole if you like the large crunch)
1 (4 oz) jar of pimentos (I actually did not have any, so this was exempt)
1 (10.34oz) can of cream of celery
1 cup Mayonnaise (did not have this either! so, added a whole can of cream of chicken - it worked)
1 box of wild rice, cooked
1.5 Cups of Cheese
Pinch of Salt

1. Preheat oven to 350F

2. heat butter in a small saucepan over medium heat and add the onions. Saute until translucent - about 5 or so mins. Remove from heat and transfer to a large bowl.

3. Cook your wild rice, according to package.

4. Cook the chicken! I actually cooked 3 small breasts whole, then shredded and added to bowl. I like shredding better than having cubes awkwardly placed in my dish.

5. Add all remaining ingredients top a bowl and mix together until thoroughly combined.

6. Pour into a greased 3 quart casserole dish and bake for 20-25 mins, or until bubbly. Let stand for a few mins, than serve! Yes, it is that easy. :)

Whole Wheat Bread ...mmmmm!

More bread!? Yes, yes indeed. I already admitted I have a problem, now just get on the wagon with me already! You know you like bread too...and you'll love this wheat bread! Especially when its fresh and hot out of the oven; with honey dripping off the sides. DROOL.....

Recipe:
3- 3.5 Cups White Flour
1 package of dry active yeast (I use the jar yeast, and add 1 Tbs)
1 3/4 Cups of water
1/3 Cup packed brown sugar
3 Tbs butter (margarine or shortening)
1 1/4 tsp Salt
2 Cups of whole wheat flour

1. In a large mixing bowl combine 2 cups of white flour and the yeast, stir and set aside.
In a medium sauce pan heat and stir the water, brown sugar, butter and salt just until warm and the butter starts to melt. Now add this mixture to the flour mixture and stir well (either with an electric mixer or a wooden spoon) Add the 2 cups of whole wheat flour and when that is mixed, add as much of the remain white flour as you can. Careful, don't go overboard! You don't want dry cracking dough.

(p.s. CONFESSION! I was trying to occupy Carter at the same time as making this recipe and did not pay attention to the 2 cups of WHITE flour in the beginning, but added 2 cups of wheat flour and yeast instead. It all turned out fine in the end, and I feel it did not make a difference. I just added 2 cups of white after mixing everything together, then extra white flour as needed. No worries :D)

2. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead till moderately stiff/smooth and elastic. Place in a greased (I use PAM spray) bowl and allow to rise for about an hour or so. Till double in size.

3. Punch dough down, and divide into 2 portions for 2 bread pan loaves. Allow to rest and rise for another 10 mins. ( or you can cover and let rise for another 30-45 mins... bread will be a lot fluffier!)

4. Preheat oven to 375F and bake for about 35 mins. Mine never take that long, make sure to check every 10 mins. You want them golden brown and split/pulled open at the top.

5. Dump out of bread pans and place on a cooling rack. Serve warm...and with honey. Mmmmmm Enjoy!

Sloppy Joes

Okay, so this is not really a gourmet wowzers type meal; but it was fun and something Don had been craving for some time now. I did not even do a sloppy Joe recipe completly homemade either! haha Whoops... but here is what I did do. ....and P.S. Carter LOVED it! *Kid Approved*
(Oh man, sorry for the *paper plate and half eaten picture!* haha, I almost forgot to document it and I had already cleaned the whole kitchen and didn't want plates to clean again. ....some might call it lazy. I just call it efficient! :-P

Recipe:

1 Package of McCormick Sloppy Joes seasoning1 8 oz can of Tomato Paste
1 Lb of Lean Beef (we use lean, but whatever)
Water
Hamburger Buns

1. Cook your ground hamburger thoroughly. Drain the fat out and place back on low heat.
2. Add the seasoning packet along with the tomato paste and required water (1 and 1/4 Cup I believe).
3. Cook till mixture has thickened up a bit.
4. Open bag of Buns.
5. Smile because you are making Sloppy Joes.
6. Dish out meat mixture onto buns.
7. Drool.
8. SERVE UP! I made served mine with some Bushs baked beans (which Carter was not a huge fan of, though he loves black beans) and with some Curly fries. YUM...was a fun meal, and very filling. :) Enjoy~

Breaded Pork Chops

I am trying to catch up all my recipes that I have gotten behind with - so my explanation will be brief. I read, I made, We ate. Plain and simple :D Sorry for the photo quality, I was in a hurry to get this meal cooked, because I was rushing it to Don at school before his next class. I just threw it into a Tupperware, so only a skillet shot for y'all. - It was very tasty though! :)

Recipe:
1/4 Cup Original Bisquick
7 Saltine Crackers
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp Pepper
1 Egg
1 Tbs water
4 boneless pork loin chops

(SUPER SIMPLE!)

1. Mix the Bisquick and Saltine crackers (crushed), salt and pepper in a shallow bowl. Mix egg nd water into another bowl.

2. Take your pork chops and dip them in the egg mixture, wetting both sides well.

3. Take your pork, and one by one, coat both sides well with the Bisquick mixture. Pat, squish, sprinkle...whatever you must do to layer that dry ingredients on well. :)

4. Spray your skillet with some PAM and heat over a medium-high temperature (6/7). Cook pork in the skillet 8-10 mins, turning once - until pork is white when cut through.

5. WOW, you're done. How easy was that!?

I served mine with french styled green beans and potatoes. Also, I made a pound cake earlier and cooked in little tin foil pans (the give away type) - cut up some strawberries - and put some whip cream in a jar and gave to Don for a little dessert afterward. A strawberry shortcake...but with pound cake. hehe :) Sorry....no pictures. But a nice idea for ya! :-D

Toasted Tortilla Chicken Enchilada (kid approved!)

I have been trying to figure out stuff that Carter would like to eat. Some friends sent me a great line of ideas and when I was browsing different recipes the other day I saw this and thought Carter might like it! It seemed super easy and worth a shot. I perhaps added a little more cheese than needed, and scraped a lot off when I gave it to Carter. They are called Oven cooked tortilla chicken enchiladas. Super simple! Don came home late that night from school and took it upon himself to eat all the remaining leftovers. So apparently they were good enough for a full grown man too (though, I think Don would eat just about anything... must be that lack of a Y chromosome...)

Recipe:
2 Burrito sized Tortillas
2 Chicken breasts
Sour Cream
Cheese
1 Can Green Enchilada Sauce
Olives

1. Turn the oven on to 400F. After it is heated place 2 tortillas on a cookie sheet and place in the oven for about 10 mins, or until golden brown and crunchy.

2. Cook your 2 whole chicken breasts in a skillet until almost all white, then add your can of enchilada sauce. Slice into the thickest breast to see if it is cooked thoroughly, turn the heat down to a simmer and take your chicken and shred it - Placing the shredded pieces back into the skillet. Turn the temp back to medium and stir around all the chicken and sauce. After it is all well coated, take the skillet off the heat.

3. Spread sour cream over your now crispy tortillas (spread generously- then add the chicken evenly over the top. Sprinkle olives evenly, then add cheese.

4. Pop those yummy looking tortillas back in the oven for about 5 mins (until cheese is melted well) and TADA, you have a kid friendly meal! I used a pizza roller and sliced up the tortillas and Carter and I sat down to eat. When Don got home he smothered his in Salsa. Add whatever you would like. ENJOY!

Homemade Dinner Rolls (buttermilk!)

Mmmmm BREAD! Curse you Italian lineage! I am a sucker when it comes to bread, and if I had my choice could live off of that and cheese alone. Mmmmm. Well these rolls were awesome! Don I think liked them more than I (which is weird)! After the dough process was complete I made a few different types to throw in the oven. Some I rolled in a ball, others I flattened out and made pretzel/knot tying shapes and even crescent ones. All tasted the same, but allowed Carter and Don to grab what they preferred, aesthetically speaking that is. :) P.s. I made the Buttermilk version. I will list the variation below.

Recipe:
4 1/2 to 5 Cups of white flour
1 package active dry yeast (I use a jar of yeast and put 1 Tbs in)
1 Cup Milk (see**)
1/3 Cup Sugar
1/3 Cup butter/margarine/or shortening
1 tsp Salt
2 Eggs(see **)
(** For Buttermilk use 1 and 1/4 Cups of buttermilk for the milk and only 1 egg**)

1. In a large ixing bowl stir together 2 cups of the flour and the yeast. In a small saucepan heat and stir milk, sugar, butter and salt just until warm (120-130F if you're using a thermometer). You want the butter to almost melt, but not too hot or you'll kill the yeast when you add to the flour. Now after it is starting to melt add to the flour mixture then add the eggs. Mix well together with an electric mixer or wooden spoon (I actually use a flat large fork). After this is all combined, slowly add as much of the remaining flour as you can. Don't over do it though!

2. Now knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic. Shape dough into a ball and put in a greased bowl (greased with cooking spray or shortening - I just spray with PAM). Place in a warm spot and cover with a towel. let it rise until the dough is doubled. -- about an hour or so.

3. Now punch the dough down and turn onto a lightly floured surface. Tear and shape into balls, or roll out and cut and shape into whatever you are trying to achieve. Like if you are wanting to try a knot type, roll the dough out into a long "snake" (like when we all played with play-do back in the day) then simply take the two ends and loosely tie a knot. Simple!

4. Now you can either shape and make everything you want and let rise for another half hour till large and fluffy, or you can let stand for 10 mins then through them into the oven. Which is what I normally do.

5. Oven should be pre-heated at 375F. Stick those yummy looking guys into that oven and set the timer for 12-15 mins. check after 10 mins to make sure they are not getting too golden/brown. Your oven might cook hotter than the average!

6. Serve warm with melted butter over the top, or place on wire racks to cool. Mmmmmm!

Don brought these to school the next day to eat and give to others because I did not want them in the house. I knew if I could see them during the day I would eat them all.

Hi my name is Ashley, and I am a bread-aholic.

Chicken Marsala

Carter actually liked this chicken recipe! Sorry, not going to write much- trying to catch my recipes up. Don and I liked it as well - nice and tender and the garlic made for a good flavor with the coating. :)



4Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts halves
1/4 Cup Flour
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper
2 Tbs Olive oil
2 Gloves Garlic, finely chopped
1/4 Cup chopped parsley (or 1 Tbs parsley flakes)
1 cup of sliced mushrooms (I left this out, neither of us care for mushrooms)
1/2 cup Chicken Broth (or marsala wine, but I used the broth)


Mix flour, salt and pepper together. Then coat chicken with flour mixture. (I used a large zip lock bag, and just shook the chicken inside one by one)

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium (5/6) heat. Cook garlic and parsley in oil for about 5 mins, stirring frequently.

Add chicken to the skillet. Cook fully (white all the way through) Turning once, until brown. Add the mushrooms (if you want) and chicken broth now. Cook about 8-10 mins, turning chicken once.

Serve with pasta and/or veggies. I served mine with a creamy cheesy potato soup and snap peas. ENJOY!

Asian Orange Chicken

I am sorry everyone (everyone, being my 2 or 3 devout followers)!! I am still making food, but have been very busy and accidentally forgot to document a few of my creations...and then I was hit hard with a stomach virus last Monday and took the whole week to recover. I mean seriously, that virus wiped me out! The smell of food was revolting, so that was the last thing I wanted to use my ounces of energy toward. Carter got a little sick too, so this past week has just been a yucky one. I had some yummy sounding meals planned for that week too, oh well. I will just have to get my food groove on this week!

One meal I did make that I never posted on here...and that Don enjoyed thoroughly was an Asian Orange Chicken dish. Yum! I served over white rice with snow peas, carrots and chow mein noodles.

Recipe

Sauce:

1 1/2 cups water

2 tablespoons orange juice

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/3 cup rice vinegar

2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon grated orange zest

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger root

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

2 tablespoons chopped green onion

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

(for another bag)

3 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons water

Chicken:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut

into 1 inch cube pieces

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

3 tablespoons olive oil

	Okay now pour 1 1/2 cups water, orange juice, lemon juice, rice vinegar, and soy sauce into a saucepan and set over medium-high heat. Stir in the orange zest, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, chopped onion, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat, and cool 10 to 15 minutes. Now place the chicken into a resealable plastic bag. When your saucepan has cooled, pour 1 cup of sauce into bag. Reserve the remaining sauce. Seal the bag, and refrigerate at least 2 hours. ( I only did about 30mins...the longer the better though!)
	In another resealable plastic bag, mix the flour, salt, and pepper. Add the marinated chicken pieces, seal the bag, and shake to coat. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat (4/5). Place the chicken in the skillet and brown on both sides. Scoop them out into a large bowl (don't worry, they are going back into the pan soon). Wipe out the skillet and add all the sauce. Bring this to a boil over a medium/high heat (6/8) Mix together the cornstarch and 2 Tbs of water - stir into the sauce. Reduce the heat to medium low and add the chicken pieces. Simmer and cook till chicken is tender and white in the middle. You are done my friend! Good job~ Now go sit down and enjoy your hard work. Yummy Bunny!

Cinnamon Pear Muffins

Sorry I am behind on some of my posts. I have always enjoyed making these since I discovered the recipe from the P90X nutrition book. I have modified it a bit for the ingredients I had in my house that day and have kept it the same ever since. They are delicious for a morning snack and freeze well for later enjoyment.

Recipe:
Oven @ 350F
Whisk together:
3/4 Cup canned pear juice
2 Egg Whites
2 Tbs Vegetable Oil
1 Tbs Lemon Juice
Then Stir In:
2 Cups All Purpose Flour
2/3 Cup Brown Sugar, packed
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 Tbs Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Salt
1 Can of pears (the pears inside the can you used the pear juice from! silly...)Be sure to cut up into pieces the pears!
((Optional:: 1/2 Cup low fat granola, or 1/2 Cup Oatmeal))

Now the batter should be lumpy...and yummy to the taste. Not that I ever eat the raw batter, ha! that's just unheard of....uh....ummm, yeah....

Dish out into your muffin tray (which you already sprayed heavily with Pam or use a muffin paper cup)

Toss in the oven for about 16-20 mins (watch, don't burn them! Your oven might cook very hot) and enjoy them nice and warm! Scrumptious!! :)

Creamy Cajun Chicken

My mother came to Arizona from Tennessee to visit us for the week. Unfortunately Carter got sick that weekend and was an extreme grumpaholic all week that she was here. Sorry mom! We did manage to go to the park a few times, but that was the extent of our exciting adventures. My mother and I did bake/cook a little though! After eating "Cafe Rio" on Monday (delicious restaurant in the western USA... mmmmmm) I tried out this recipe on Tuesday. It is called "Cream Cajun Chicken." I found it on delish.com and thought it looked interesting and wanted to give it a try. It smelled great, but was too hot for me. Hot, as in spicy. It was hot for my mother too, but she liked it - and as for Don he loved it and thought it was not hot at all! So, I guess it just depends on your level of tolerance. I think it would taste just as good without the cajun....but, I guess it would not be a creamy *cajun* chicken recipe then....
(oh, and p.s. I did forgot an important step/ingredient in this recipe!! That's what happens when you cook and take care of a sick kid at the same time) So this probably would taste 10x better with the... CREAM in it.... :-P haha ... I seriously thought something was off! Now I know...

Recipe:

• half a bag of rotini noodles
  
• 1 Tbs) canola oil
• 4 slices of Turkey bacon, chopped
• 1 large sweet onion, halved and thinly sliced
• about 1 pound of boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 medium green bell pepper, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 tsp Cajun seasoning
  
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 1 Tbs all-purpose flour
• 1 can (28-ounce) crushed tomatoes
• 1/3 cup reduced-fat sour cream

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta until just tender, 8 to 10 minutes or according to package directions. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a skilled about medium heat. Add bacon and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Add chicken, bell pepper, garlic, Cajun seasoning, and pepper. Cook stirring, until the onion and bell pepper are beginning to soften, about 4 minutes.
3. Add flour and stir to coat. Add tomatoes and their juice; bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring often, until the sauce is bubbling and thickened and the chicken is cooked through, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in sour cream. -----NOTE: I forgot about the sour cream!! Guess I left out the "creamy" part of my creamy cajun chicken) WHOOPS! - please include the cream people!
   
4. Stir the pasta into the sauce
5. Serve up! I sprinkled Parmesan cheese over mine :)
   
6. ENJOY~
   

Quick and Easy Korean Bolgolgi

The other night I made a Korean dish called "Bolgolgi" (known as the Korean BBQ). I had this for the first time back in 2004 with a good friend of mine, Brian, who is half Korean and eats practically anything in that genre. He had a Bolgolgi recipe and that is where I got this from. It's been a few years since I have made it - but Don requested the dish - mainly because a few week previously we went to a local Korean restaurant called Seoul, and had the Bolgolgi there....and it was AWESOME. My dish did not look real pretty though, sorry. I normally would have gotten a nice high quality meat and thinly sliced into long lengths - (like thin and long jerky)....but the meat I bought was...well, was "on sale". haha... Sorry Don! So not as tender or juicy, and short strips instead of long....still tasty though.

Recipe:

• 1-1/4lb Thinly sliced meat/steak
• 4 Scallions
• 3 Garlic Cloves - crushed and finely chopped
• 1 Tbs Soy Sauce (I added actually about 1/2 Cup!)
  
• 2 tsp Rice wine
• 1 -2 Tbs Sesame Oil
• 2 Tbs Sugar
• Freshly ground black pepper - sprinkled over-

I took a large ziplock bag and added all the ingredients in and mixed around. Then after I thinly sliced all my meat I added that to the bag. Shake, Squish and Mix all around really well - then put in the fridge for 10 or some mins. This helps with marinating.
Now cook up your meat on a skillet or wok and serve with rice and veggies... or kimchi and watermelon. Mmmmmmm :) Enjoy~