Chicken Fried Rice

My boyfriend has been begging me to make him chicken fried rice for over a week now and I finally caved in.  We looked at a bunch of different recipes online and sort of mixed them all together to make my chicken fried rice.  My boyfriend really liked it even though it was not quite like what he remembered from a restaurant when he was a kid.  Make the rice as far ahead of time as possible (a day or more), it should be cold when added to chicken and vegetables.  

Chicken Fried Rice 

Ingredients: 

2 cups of white rice 
4 cups of water
Peanut Oil
3 eggs, scrambled
2 inch piece of ginger, minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
½ to 1 pound chicken, diced
3 Tbsp Sweet Chili Sauce  
1 12oz bag Mixed Vegetables (corn, beans, peas and carrots)
Soy Sauce, to taste
3 Green Onions, chopped

Instructions:

1.     Cook 2 cups of rice in 4 cups of water.  Put rice into the fridge.

2.    Marinate chicken in Sweet Chili Sauce for a couple of hours. 

3.    Put about 1 Tbsp of oil into a wok over high heat.  Add eggs and a couple splashes of soy sauce.  When eggs are cooked place in a bowl.  Clean out wok.

4.    Put about 1 Tbsp of oil into wok.  Add minced garlic and ginger, cook for 30 seconds.   Add chicken and cook through, about 5 minutes.  Add vegetables, cook for 2-3 minutes.  Add rice and soy sauce, heat through stirring constantly.  Turn off the heat and add the cooked eggs.

5.    Stir in green onions and serve.           

Slow Cooker Cream Cheese Chicken

I found this recipe a couple months ago and it was a hit the first time I made it.  It is super simple to make and absolutely delicious.  You can use chicken breasts right out of the freezer.  The first time I made this I severed it with rice, since then I have used it as the base for tacos (served with rice, peppers, onions, and cheese).   

Slow Cooker Cream Cheese Chicken

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts
1 can Rotel tomatoes
1 can corn kernels
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 pkg. Ranch dressing mix
1 Tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 8-oz pkg. cream cheese

Instructions:
1. Put the chicken in the slow cooker.  Top with the tomatoes, corn, beans, ranch dressing, cumin, onion and chili powders, stir to combine.  Then top with the cream cheese.
2. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, stirring one or twice to blend in the cheese.
3. Shred the chicken to serve. 

Final Tacos

Katherine Noodles

This recipe got renamed when my best friend in high school, Katherine, would ask my dad to make this dish when she would come over.  Then when I moved to Boston I started making this dish for my new best friend, whose name also happens to be Katherine.  So now every time I make this dish, which is pretty often since it is one of my favorites, I remember all of times I have had Katherine Noodles with my 2 favorite Katherines. 

Besides reminding me of 2 of my best friends I also love this dish because it is pretty simple to make, has turkey sausages, and is a 1-pot meal (I don’t count the sauté pan you toast the pecans in because you don’t have to wash it just have to wipe it out with a paper towel).   If you want to make with regular sausages make sure to cook completely.   

Toasting Pecans: just put them into a small saucepan in a single layer on medium heat.  Stir occasionally.  Pecans are done when they are fragrant and golden. 

Katherine Noodles

Ingredients:

2 Tbs Butter

1 cup diced chicken, cooked and diced

Turkey Sausage, sliced

1 Medium Onion, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

3-4 cups Chicken Stock

1/4 cup dry white wine

1/2 tsp salt and pepper

1lbs corkscrew noodles

1 cup pecans, toasted

1/2 cup fresh parsley, minced

1 cup sour cream

Instructions:

1. Heat large saucepan over medium-high heat until it is hot; then add the butter until it begins to smoke.

2. Add the chicken and sausage, sauté for 3 minutes.

3. Add the onions, red bell pepper and garlic. Sauté for 5 minutes.

4. Add chicken stock, white wine, noodles, salt and pepper. Make sure most of the pasta is covered in liquid (if you need to add a little water). Bring to a boil for about 7 to 9 minutes; most of the liquid should be absorbed.

5. Remove from heat and stir in the pecans, parsley and sour cream.  Return to heat for 1 more minute, stirring often.

Flattened Chicken

This is one of the few meals my boyfriend actually makes for me (well I help but he tries lol).  His mom use to make this in her deep fryer and I have lightened it up a little by making him cook it in just a little bit Olive Oil.  I also make my own breadcrumbs (have you ever looked at the ingredients of commercial breadcrumbs?  There are a ton of unpronounceable ingredients, yuck!).  The breadcrumbs are pretty simple and absolutely delicious.   I served this with a little bit of simple gravy (I froze the leftovers from No-Fail Gravy recipe a couple weeks ago), Foil potatoes and a salad. You can not be afraid to a little messy with this recipe.   There will probably be leftovers, which are great on a sandwich or a salad. 

For the breadcrumbs I save all of the say old ends from our French Bread (we go through about a loaf and a half a day now that the bakery across the street is open).  Put them in the freezer until you are ready to make breadcrumbs.   Any extra breadcrumbs you have just put into a container and save for later. 

Flattened Chicken

Ingredients:

2-3 Chicken Breasts

2 cups Breadcrumbs (recipe below)

1 cup Flour

2 eggs

Salt and Pepper

Olive Oil for Frying

Instructions:

1. Pound Chicken until about ¼ inch thick.  

2. Prepare 3 shallow bowls.  Flavor each with salt and pepper. 

            1. Flour

            2. Eggs, whisked

            3. Breadcrumbs

3. Take a piece of chicken and place in flour, flip chicken to cover completely.  Shake off any extra flour then place in egg bowl. Flip breast to cover completely, and then place in breadcrumbs, flipping to cover.  Repeat until all the chicken has been breaded. 

4.  Heat Olive Oil in a frying pan over medium heat.  Take a small piece of chicken to use as your test piece.  Oil is ready when you dip the test piece of chicken into the oil and it begins sizzling immediately.   Fill frying pan with a couple pieces of chicken (do not over crowd).

5. Once chicken reaches a golden brown color flip and cook until that side is golden brown.  Remove and place on a plate lined with paper towels.  Repeat until all the chicken is cooked.  Add more oil as needed to an empty frying pan, let the oil heat up before adding chicken. 

6. Serve and Enjoy!

Bread Crumbs 

Ingredients:

French Bread

Italian Seasonings (omit if you want)

Salt and Pepper

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°

2. In a food processor chop small pieces of bread until they are close to crumbs.  If you have a smaller food processor like I do just do it in batches.       

3.  Pour crumbs onto cookie sheets in a single layer.  Bake until golden and toasted, about 10 minutes. 

4.  Put crumbs back into food processor.  Top with Italian Seasonings, Salt and Pepper.  Pulse until combined.  Put aside until ready to use.   

Chinese Chicken Salad

This salad was originally made by my Aunt Celia when she was working at a restaurant in San Francisco.   It has a ton of toppings and loaded with protein so it really can be a whole meal.   This makes about 4 adult portions.  I have made this to last for a weeks worth of lunches, to do this keep the dressing until you are ready to serve. 

Toasting Almonds and Sesame Seeds: just put them into a small saucepan in a single layer on medium heat.  Stir occasionally.  Almonds are done when they are fragrant and light golden.  Sesame Seeds are  done when fragrant.     

Chinese Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

1 head of Romaine Lettuce , torn into pieces 

3 stalks of Celery, chopped 

4 stacks of Green Onion, chopped

¼ cup Cilantro, chopped

¼ cup slivered almonds, toasted

1 chicken breast, poached 

Dressing:

½ cup Olive Oil

¼ cup Rice Wine Vinegar

1-2 teaspoons sugar

2 tablespoons Soy Sauce

2 tablespoons Sesame Seeds, Toasted  

1. Make the dressing by mixing everything together.  

2. Place all of the salad ingredients in a large bowl.  Top with dressing when ready to serve.  

Slow Cooker Enchilada Lasagna

I have absolutely no Mexican blood in my body but Mexican/Southwestern is my favorite type of food.  I love enchiladas and make great traditional enchiladas, they will show up on the blog later.  Since I don't have a full size oven right now so this is the next best thing.  I got inspired to make these while watching the Slow Cooker Week on the Rachael Ray Show, and seeing this recipe.  I do not eat pork so I needed to change up the recipe a little bit.  The first time I made these I followed the recipe pretty closely just switching ground turkey for the pork and by adding some enchilada sauce at the end. This time around I changed it up a little bit.   I had leftover chili so I added that to the dish along with adding sliced chicken (spiced with some of my chili spices).

We eat a lot of Mexican food in my house.  We put "Mexican Sprinkles" on pretty much every Mexican dish we make.  "Mexican Sprinkles" is a great spice mix, actually called Pico de Gallo con Limon, from Bolner's Fiesta Brand.  We put it on everything from tacos and enchiladas to homemade guacamole.  If you are looking for Mexican spices I highly recommend Bolner's Fiesta Brand.

Enchilada Lasagna

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons EVOO

½ pound chicken, sliced

Salt and pepper

1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1½ tablespoon chili spices (from making chili)

1 can of tomatoes with chilies

1-2 cups to leftover chili

2 cups shredded Sharp Cheddar cheese, saving ½ cup to put on top. 

9 corn tortillas

1 cup Green Enchilada Sauce

Mexican Sprinkles

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Instructions:

1. In a skillet, heat the EVOO over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt, pepper, and ½ tablespoon chili spices and brown. Add the onions, garlic and remaining tablespoon of chili spices to the skillet with the meat and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the can of tomatoes and beans, and cook for about 5 more minutes. 

2. To assemble lasagna, layer a third of the chicken mixture and a third of the chili down on the bottom of the a slow cooker pot, top with third of the cheese, then layer 3 corn tortillas on top. Repeat this layering method 2 more times, then place the lid on and cook for 5 hours on low.  With about an hour remaining pour enchilada sauce over the top, then top with cheese and sprinkle with “Mexican Sprinkles”.  Allow Lasagna to finish cooking. 

3. When you are ready to serve, garnish with a sprinkling of chopped cilantro to brighten up the flavor! 

Southwestern Crockpot Turkey Chiil

I have been making chili for a long time and this is my absolute favorite.  My boyfriend, a red meat eater, says that he can't even tell that there isn't beef in it.  There are a ton of great flavors that really shine when cooked in the slow cooker.  Feel free to use more or less of any ingredients depending on what you have in your pantry and what you like.    

I make a bunch of the spice mix and put it in a jar to use next time.  Depending on how spicy you like your food you can adjust the amount of cayenne. 

I have made this vegetarian for my brother by cooking in vegetable broth and waiting to put the turkey in until the last hour (I took out a large portion for him and put it on the stove to keep it warm). 

Southwestern Crockpot Turkey Chili

Ingredients:

1¼ pounds Ground Turkey

1 Red or Yellow Onion, diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced 

1 Red Pepper, diced

1 can Kidney Beans, drained and rinsed

1 can Black Beans

1 10oz. package frozen corn

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can diced tomatoes with green chiles

Chicken Broth   

Instructions:

1. Brown turkey a skillet with a couple teaspoons of Chili Spice Mix.  Put into slow cooker.

2.  Cook onions and garlic in a couple teaspoons of Chili Spice mix for 2-3 minutes.  Add red peppers and cook 2 more minutes.  Add to slow cooker.

3. Add the beans, tomatoes and corn to slow cooker.  Cover with chicken broth. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.  Add Salt as needed.  

4. Serve with toppings of your choice.  We have corn tortilla chips and sharp cheddar cheese.

 

Spice Mix

Ingredients:

Cayenne

Cumin

Chili Powder

Paprika

Instructions:

1. Mix everything together in a small bowl

2. Store any unused spice mix until the next time you make chili.  

Pasta with Arrabbiata Sauce, Pear and Gorgonzola Salad

I had a feeling that making stuffed shells might be a mistake, and I was right.  My Italian boyfriend did not even wait for all of the leftovers to be eaten before he started demanding I make them again.  Since the shells are labor intensive I was not ready to make them again so soon so I decided to make the Arrabbiata Sauce from the shells and have it pasta. 

Whenever I make a marinara sauce I like to let the sauce simmer for a long time before serving so the flavors get lots of time to mix.  I start with a basic tomato sauce (I like Classico Tomato and Basil).  I had some leftover onion leftover so I also added it.

I made one of my favorite salads to have with our pasta.  I love pears and they are great in this salad.  I love having lots of textures in my salads and a flavorful dressing.  When making this salad just adjust the amounts to fed the number of people you are serving.  You can make extra dressing to have later.   

Arrabbiata Sauce

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

2-3 teaspoons dried crushed red pepper flakes

4 garlic cloves, minced

½ Yellow Onion, diced

5 cups marinara sauce

1 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves

1 teaspoon chopped fresh mint leaves

1 teaspoon fresh thyme

Instructions:

1. Heat the oil in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat, add the red pepper flakes. Add the garlic and sauté until you just start to smell the garlic.   

2. Add the onion and sauté until onion are slightly softened, 2 to 3 minutes.

3. Add the marinara sauce, parsley, basil, mint, and thyme. Bring the sauce to a simmer, stirring often.  Let simmer until ready to serve. 

Pear and Gorgonzola Salad 

Ingredients:

Lettuce, Romaine or other dark green

Pear, cut into bite size pieces

Gorgonzola Cheese, crumbled

Walnut pieces  

Instructions:

1. Put everything into a large salad bowl and top with Balsamic Dressing.   

Balsamic Dressing 

Ingredients:

Olive Oil

Balsamic Vinegar

Salt

Pepper

Instructions:

1. Put the Balsamic Vinegar into a bowl and mix in salt and pepper, let sit for a couple of minutes.

2. Slowly whisk in olive oil.  Adjust the amount of oil and vinegar to your taste.    

Green Beans in Thai Chili Sauce

Green Beans in Thai Chili Sauce

My dad is the stir fry king.  He normally makes this for us when I need to make Lily (my puppy) her soft food topping because we have the rest of the ground turkey to use.  There are a lot of great flavors in this dish, and it has a ton of veggies.   We have it with brown rice. 

Green Beans in Thai Chili Sauce

2 Tbsp. peanut oil

4 dried Thai Chili’s
1-2 Tbsp. ginger, minced

2 Tbsp. sliced shallots 
1 lb. lean ground turkey

2 Tbsp. lime juice
3 Tbsp. roasted red chili paste
1 Tbsp. sweet red chili sauce
1  lb. thin green beans, sliced into 1 inch pieces

1 Red Pepper, diced

1. Heat the peanut oil in wok over high heat.  Add the Thai Chili’s and cook for about 45 seconds to flavor the oil.  Remove chili’s and discard.  

2. Add ginger and shallots stir-fry for 30 seconds until just beginning to turn golden.  Put in green beans and cook for 2 minutes.   Add the ground turkey, lime juice, roasted red chili paste and sweet red chili sauce. Cook until turkey is almost brown, 3-4 minutes.   Add red pepper and cook for 1-2 minutes, until peppers are softened. 

3. Serve over rice.

Lily's Soft Food

Lily’s Soft Food

This is not people food but it is something that I make on a very regular basis and want to share it.  This will probably be the only time I have a recipe for dogs on the blog.  

After moving to Montana and having multiple natural pet food stores within a mile of my house I took a really close look at what I was feeding Lily.  She really is like a child in my family, she pretty much rules the house (Houdini the cat does stand up to her) so I wanted to be feeding her food that I would eat, trying to cut down on the chemicals.    The old food that I was feeding her had a ton of things in it that I couldn’t even pronounce.  Also since she is only 8 and ½ pounds everything she eats is even more concentrated.  So I started by changing her kibble, after trying a couple of different options she decided she likes Now Fresh Grain Free Small Breed DogFood. 

Since the day I got her I have always given her a couple of teaspoons of a soft food toper (smalls dogs are known to be picky eaters).  Her soft food use to be from a can but then while reading and Everyday with Rachael Ray I found her recipe for Thank Your Dog Casserole and decided I would see if Lily liked it.  She LOVED IT!!  This is now what she gets everyday as the topper on her kibble.  I put it in little containers and freeze them until needed.  For Lily this lasts close to a month.  I use whatever vegetables I have on hand, normally: green beans, corn, peas, and carrots.  I also use homemade breadcrumbs to keep all the yucky chemicals out of her food. 

Puppy Dog Soft Food  

Ingredients:

extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)

¼ pound ground turkey

¾ to 1 cup Dog Safe Vegetables  

½ cup bread crumbs  

1-2 Tbls Parsley (for fresh breath)  

Instructions:

1. In a medium skillet, heat EVOO, 1 turn of the pan, over medium heat. Add the turkey and cook until light brown.

2. Add the vegetables and cook for about 5 minutes until they are soft.

3. Mix in bread crumbs and let cool.

4. Once cool add parsley then transfer to small containers to freeze.      

Stuffed Shells

We have some really good friends who are neighbors at our cabin and most Saturday nights my dad and I cook dinner for them, Mary normally makes dessert (she makes amazing fruit pies and cobblers!).  The Murphy's are great people and I love catching up with them every week.  Jerry has tons of stories from growing up in Montana and how much things have changed, and Mary always has news from her job in Yellowstone.  Normally dinner is followed up either by sitting in front of the fireplace and watching the puppies, Lily and Bubs, run around or by playing Mexican Dominos or 3-13.  The last time we were together they requested that I make my stuffed shells so that is what we had.

I have been making these stuffed shells for years and they are a great cold weather dinner.  They do take a little bit of effort to make but totally worth it on a cold winter night.  I adapted this recipe from Giada de Laurentiis' Stuffed Shells with Arrabbiata Sauce.  I like to start with a plan marinara sauce and then add my own herbs, using the herbs in the recipe and whatever I have in the pantry (remember that dried herbs are more potent than fresh herbs).  

Stuffed Shells

Ingredients:

12 ounces (1 box) jumbo pasta shells (approximately 36 shells)

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for greasing baking sheet

2-3 teaspoons dried crushed red pepper flakes

2 garlic cloves, minced

5 cups marinara sauce

2 (15-ounce) containers whole milk ricotta cheese

1 1/3 cups grated Parmesan, plus more for topping 

4 large egg yolks

4 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

4 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves

2 teaspoon chopped fresh mint leaves

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions:

1. Heat the oil in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat, add the red pepper flakes. Add the garlic and saute until tender, about 1 minute. Add the marinara sauce, 1 TBPS parsley, 1 TBPS basil and 1 tsp mint. Bring the sauce to a simmer, stirring often.  Let simmer until ready to assemble. 

2. Lightly oil a 12 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish and set aside. Lightly oil the baking sheet and set aside.

3. Partially cook the pasta shells in a large pot of boiling salted water until slightly tender but still quite firm to the bite, about 4 to 6 minutes. You will continue cooking the shells in the oven after they have been stuffed. Using a slotted spoon, drain pasta shells and place on oiled baking sheet, spreading them out so that they don't stick together and allow to cool.

4. In a medium bowl, stir the ricotta, Parmesan, egg yolks, basil, parsley, mint, salt, and pepper. Set aside.

5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

6. Spoon 1 1/4 cups of the sauce over the prepared baking dish. Fill the cooked shells with the cheese mixture, about 2 tablespoons per shell. Arrange the shells in the prepared dish. Spoon the remaining sauce over the shells, then sprinkle with the mozzarella and a little extra parmesan.

7. Bake in the lower third of your oven until the filling is heated through and the top is golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes.

Corn Pasta

This is a favorite in my house, I have probably made it about 30 times in the last 2 years, it is my boyfriends favorite meal that I make.  It was adapted from Rachael Ray's Pasta Carbonara with Corn and Chiles.  Since I do not eat pork I make it with Turkey Bacon and it is still amazing.  We like a little more heat so I use Jalapeno Peppers.  I personally like to make it with rotini or penne pasta so I get a little bit of everything in each bit.  In the summer I will make this with fresh corn but the rest of the year I use frozen sweet corn.

Timing Hint:  Do not add the pasta to the boiling water until your corn is cooked and you are ready to add the garlic, pepper and thyme.  Doing this makes sure that your pasta and sauce are ready at the same time.

Tempering Egg Yolks:  Just in case you do not know what it means to temper the egg yolks.  Basically you are gently cooking the egg yolks so you are not eating raw egg in your pasta while making it super creamy.  To temper the egg yolks, crack them into a bowl (saving the whites for another use) then you slowly add the hot pasta water (that was just boiling) in batches while whisking the whole time.  If they get clumpy, and look like scrambled eggs, you added the water too fast and need to start over.      

Corn Pasta

Ingredients:

1 pound rotini or penne pasta

3 tablespoons EVOO

1 package Turkey Bacon, sliced 

1 1/2 to 2 cups thawed frozen corn kernels

2 Jalapeño Peppers, seeded and finely chopped

6 cloves garlic, minced 

2 tablespoons fresh thyme

1/2 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

1/2 cup dry white wine

Salt and Pepper, to taste 

3 egg yolks, beaten

1/2 cup each grated (nutty) parmigiano-reggiano and (tangy) pecorino-romano cheese, Plus more for topping

A handful chives, snipped into 1-inch pieces

Instructions:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain, reserving about 1 cup of the pasta cooking water (or pull it out just before draining).

2. Heat the EVOO in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the Turkey Bacon and brown until desired crispiness  Add the corn kernels and lightly brown their edges, stirring, about 5 minutes. Add the chile peppers, garlic and thyme and stir for 2-3 minutes. Add the parsley, salt and pepper, and wine and simmer on low heat.

3. In a small bowl, beat the reserved pasta cooking water into the egg yolks to temper them.

4. Add the pasta and egg yolks to the corn sauce and toss. Remove from the heat, add a handful of each cheese and toss vigorously to form a silky sauce, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve the pasta in shallow bowls and top with the chives and remaining cheese.