one family. four kitchens.

Brussels Sprouts for Jess! (with pancetta and balsamic glaze)

2012-06-19T15:32:00.002-07:00

A few years ago, I cooked dinner for a few of my friends and family while visiting home from NYC. I completely forgot to post the recipes that I made that night, but promised Jessica I would do so. Here is my attempt at recollecting how I made these brussels sprouts!

Ingredients:

About 1/2 - 1 cup of pancetta (depending on how much you want), diced

A couple Tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil

12 oz of Brussels sprouts (about 20 - 24 medium sprouts), trimmed and cut in half

1/4 - 1/3 cup of balsamic vinegar

3 Tbsp. butter

Recipe:

1. Heat a skillet over medium-low heat that is big enough to hold the amount of brussels sprouts. Once heated, pour in about a Tbsp or two of olive oil. Add in pancetta and cook until a bit crispy (about 10 minutes).

2. Once the pancetta is cooked, remove it onto a plate with a paper towel (with a slotted spoon! This way, the flavor from the pancetta will help cook the brussels sprouts). There should be enough fat still left in the pan, however, if not, add about another Tbsp. of olive oil and make sure it's hot before adding the brussels sprouts.

3. Turn up the heat to medium and add the brussels sprouts. Cook for a few minutes until they start to brown. Once this happens, add about 1/2 cup of water and cover the pan. After about 4-5 minutes, you should be able to easily pierce the brussels sprouts with a fork.

4. Remove the brussels sprouts with a slotted spoon. If there is more water in the pan, just let it boil off. Once this is done, add the balsamic vinegar to the pan. Boil the vinegar for about two minutes, turn down the heat to low, and then add butter (so the butter doesn't burn).

5. Once the butter is melted, add both the pancetta and the brussels sprouts back to the pan and evenly coat with the balsamic glaze!

Enjoy!!

Chicken Korma

2011-08-23T19:25:00.000-07:00

I NEVER cook from cookbooks but a close friend, whom I trust to only give me the best advise, recommended the Williams-Sonoma 'Essentials of Slow Cooking' Cookbook. Well, to my disbelief, ALL the recipes have turned out AMAZING! (obvi... its william-sonoma)

So I had to post this and recommend everyone get this cookbook!

1/2 cup canola oil

1 yellow onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated

2-inch cinnamon stick (I used ground cinnamon)

2 bay leaves

1 T. ground coriander

1 t. ground turmeric

1/2 t. cayenne pepper

1/2 t. ground cumin

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 cup canned tomato sauce

1 T. sugar

salt

2 lbs. skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into strips 1/2 wide

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup roasted cashew nuts

3 T. chopped fresh cilantro

In a large frying pan (I use my dutch oven to make it a 1 pot meal) over medium-high heat, warm the canola oil. Add the onion and saute until it begins to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, cinnamon, bay leaves, coriander, turmeric, cayenne, and cumin and saute until the spices are fragrant and evenly coat the chopped onion, about 1 minute. Stir in broth, tomato sauce, sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt and de-glaze the pan, stirring and scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Bring to a boil.

STOVE TOP: Add chicken strips into broth-spice mixture and stir to coat. Partially cover and cook over low heat until the chicken is very tender and the sauce is thickened, about 1 hour.

SLOW COOKER: Transfer the broth-spice mixture to a slow cooker. Add the chicken strips and stir to coat. Cover and cook until the chicken is very tender and the sauce is thickened, 3 hours on the high-heat setting or 6 hours on the low-heat setting.

About 15 minutes before the chicken is done, combine the buttermilk and cashews in blender or food processor. Blend or process until the nuts are finely pureed and combined with the buttermilk. Add to the chicken and stir to blend with the chicken and sauce. Continue cooking until the sauce is completely heated through and thick, about 5 minutes. Remove and discard the cinnamon stick (if used) and bay leaves.

Divide the chicken and sauce among warmed bowls, garnish with the cilantro, and serve at once.

About

Sweet & Spicy Thai Chicken Pizza

2011-08-23T19:06:00.000-07:00

This is one of my FAVORITE pizzas!!! Not traditional and such a fun change for a weekly norm.

1 package store bought pizza dough

1 jar Sweet Thai Chili Sauce (trader joes has it)

1/2 T. red pepper flakes

5 slices 'canadian bacon', each cut in 4 pieces ... americans don't have 'real' canadian bacon apparently- it's pretty much ham here. so if you want to save money just get 4 slices of ham.

4 slices cooked bacon, crumbled

1/2 tomato, chopped

1/2 red bell pepper, sliced

1/2 cup chopped pineapple (or more... )

2 cups mozzarella cheese

3 green onions chopped

1. Preheat oven to the packaged temperature for the pizza dough.

2. Prep pizza dough as directed on package.

3. Par-bake pizza for 2 minutes (this helps the dough from not becoming soggy when all the toppings go on)

4. Take pizza out of oven and spread sauce on pizza (the more the better)

5. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes and layer the following:

- 'canadian bacon'/ham

- 'real' bacon

- tomato

- bell pepper

- pineapple

- cheese

6. Bake as directed or until cheese has melted and is bubbly

7. Remove from oven and sprinkle with chopped green onion!

Serve with a asian slaw and enjoy!

Tabouli (Parsley Salad)

2011-03-18T16:09:00.000-07:00

3 large bunches of parsley
1/3 cup burghul (crushed wheat #2)
2 cups water
4 green onions, with ends
1/4 cup fresh mint (chopped)
2 large tomatoes (diced small & seeded)
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup lemon juice (or to taste)
1/4 cup olive oil

Wash parsley well, drain and shake out excess water.
Soak crushed wheat in water in large mixing bowl for 20 minutes, stirring the wheat every 5ish minutes.
Drain well and set aside. Remove stems from parsley and chop fine (I put the parsley in the food processor and pulse a few times till "chopped finely").
Add wheat, tomatoes, and green onion and mix.
Add the rest of the ingredients and stir.

*To serve, line outside of a platter with romaine leaves, green ends facing out. Add tabouli in center of platter. Scoop tabouli with leaves and eat! (it's kinda like an arab lettuce wrap!)

Hommous Bi Tahini (Hummus)

2011-03-18T16:01:00.000-07:00

In lou of Lent, I thought we should post some "veggi" foods... since we are supposed to be fasting from meat and dairy. If you have a chance to go to a middle eastern store to get Tahini, DO IT! it's worth it. I usually use the glass jarred Tahini's... usually the brand "MidEast"

1 19oz can chickpeas or garbanzo beans, liquid saved and set aside
1/4 cup sesame seed past (Tahini)
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup lemon juice (or to taste)

Combine all the above ingredients in a food processor, adding only enough of the reserved liquid to meet your satisfaction...(the more liquid added, the thinner the dip). Blend for 2-3 minutes to a smooth consistancy.
*Place in a shallow bowl or on a platter, smooth out. Take a spoon and add little divits in the hummus. Sprinkle with good olive oil and garnish center with parsley sprigs, lemon wedges, or a tomato rose.

Serve with Pita Bread (also worth getting fresh at a middle eastern store)

Arabic Rice

2011-02-28T23:04:00.000-08:00

1/2 cup vermicelli (cut into 1 inch pieces)

1/4 cup unsalted butter (or clarified butter)

1 1/2 cups rice

1/2 tsp. salt

3 cups water

Brown vermicelli with butter in saucepan. Add rice stirring over medium heat for 1 minute. Stir in salt and water. Turn to high heat and bring to a boil. Turn heat to simmer; cover and cook for 20-25 minutes or until rice is tender.

*when rice is tender, there may be some liquid at the bottom of the pan. After it has cooked, let rice sit for 10-15 minutes to absorb and liquid and "set" the rice. Cooking time varies.

*Garnish with toasted pine nuts, pomegranate seeds, and parsley.

Lubi bi Ziet (Green Bean Stew)

2011-02-28T22:57:00.000-08:00

2 cans green beans or 2 lbs. fresh or frozen

1 medium onion, diced

3 T. olive oil or vegetable oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp. salt

1.4 tsp. pepper

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

water

1 can tomato paste

In a saucepan, saute onions with oil until almost brown. Add garlic and saute 1 minute. Add tomato paste and cook about 2 min. Using the can from the tomato paste, add 3 cans of water.

Bring to a boil and add salt, pepper, and cinnamon. Cook 5 minutes.

Drain and rinse green beans and add to the tomato mixture. Let cook at a simmer for 20 minutes.

Serve over Arabic Rice

Laham Bi Ajeen (also a meat pie)

2011-02-25T23:07:00.000-08:00

1 lb lean ground beef

1 t. dried Mint

1 t. Lemon Pepper

1 T. Paprika

1/2 t. Chili Pepper (depending on how spicy you want it)

1 T. Flour

2 cloves Garlic, minced

1 1/2 t. Salt

1 Onion, minced

1 Red Bell Pepper, finely chopped

1/2 Green Bell Pepper, finely chopped

1/2 bunch Parsley, finely chopped

1 15oz can Diced Tomatoes, well drained

2 T. Tomato Paste

Pine Nuts

Pizza dough

Mix beef with hands with first 7 ingredients.

Add all other ingredients except pine nuts and mix well.

Spread onto little stretched out rounds of pizza dough about 6" in diameter, pressing meat into dough so it stays.

Sprinkle with a few pine nuts.

Bake in oven at 400 for 10-15 minutes or until meat is cooked and dough is done.

This mixture is enough for (2) 1lb packages of pizza dough.

(I've baked a whole pizza with the mixture... it only took half of this mixture to make a 15" pizza)

You can also make little turbans (pictured) or triangles like the spinach pies.

Fataya (Mom's Meat Pies!)

2011-02-25T22:48:00.000-08:00

Mary and I are still trying to get Mom to post something on One Family Four Kitchens. But of course, trying to explain how to "post" something over the phone 1500 miles away is nearly impossible. (we are still trying to teach her how to scan something and send it in an email... sorry mom!)

So here is Mom's Meat Pies!

1 lb. ground beef

1 onion, finely chopped

1 t. salt

1 t. Lemon Pepper

1-2 Lemons, juiced

Dash or 2 of cinnamon (this is the most important thing, next to the lemon juice)

2 cans Pillsbury Biscuits Dough (the blue can)

Brown meat and onions, chopping meat into small pieces while in pan.

Drain if needed and start adding the rest of the ingredients while you are still cooking the mixture.

Cut biscuits in half so you have 2 circles. Roll them out with rolling pin on floured board so they are about 4 inches in diameter

Add a tablespoon or two of meat mixture at one edge of dough

Roll meat in dough so like a cigar. (or you can do it in triangles like the spinach pies)

Bake at 375-400 degrees for 8 minutes or until dough is light brown in color.

Remove from oven and serve!

As a child, being one of the only "brunettes" in our neighborhood, my parents would pack these in our lunches instead of a sandwich. I didn't know the difference till I got older... I thought everyone knew what a meat pie was!

Fataya (spinach Pies)

2011-02-24T23:29:00.000-08:00

1 lb. frozen chopped spinach, thawed, and squeezed dry

1 Small Onion, chopped fine

1 t. salt

1/2t. lemon pepper

juice of 2 lemons

dash or two of cinnamon

2 T. Olive Oil

Pizza Dough (or buy Bridgeford frozen rolls or loaves of bread)

Mix all ingredients together except dough.

Roll out 4" rounds from dough.

Add 1-2 Tablespoon of spinach mixture to middle of dough

make a triangle with dough, pinching the seams together.

Spray a baking sheet with oil and place spinach pies on sheet 1 inch apart from one another

Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until dough is golden brown.

Take out of oven and brush with olive oil immediately

Strawberry French Toast

2011-02-16T08:41:00.000-08:00

This is going to be my new go-to breakfast item when cooking for a group. A few great things about this recipe: 1. you can use the fruit of your choice, 2. you can use either fresh OR frozen fruit, and 3. you can (and should) make this ahead of time--the day before is best!

This recipe is meant for a 9 x 13 dish, but it can easily be cut in half or quarters when baking for a smaller group. Because it's more of an assembly/layering of the ingredients, everything can be altered to your liking (the amount of fruit, cream cheese, bread, etc.)

Ingredients:

12 slices DRY white bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 8 cups)*

2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, cut into 3/4-inch cubes

1 1/2 cups of frozen (or fresh) strawberries**

12 eggs

2 cups milk

1/2 cup your favorite syrup (i.e., maple or flavored)

*The easiest way to DRY bread for this recipe is to cut them into 1/2 inch cubes (as called for) and place them on a baking sheet. Bake, uncovered, in a 300 degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes (or until dry) stirring twice. The reason for doing this is to make sure that the bread absorbs as much of the egg mixture as possible (so it truly tastes like french toast.)

**Originally, I used 1 cup, but I found that the more fruit, the better! Also, instead of a bag of frozen strawberries, I grabbed strawberries in a syrup (the ones in those containers so it was literally a block of strawberries. I defrosted just enough to break apart, but still frozen.)

Recipe:

1. Place half of the bread cubes in the bottom of a well-buttered 3-quart baking dish.

2. Sprinkle cream cheese cubes and strawberries on top.

3. Arrange remaining bread on top of strawberries.

4. In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs together. Beat in milk and syrup.

5. Pour the mixture over the assembled casserole. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and let chill for 2 to 24 hours.

6. When ready to serve, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Remove plastic wrap and cover dish with foil.

7. Bake for 25 minutes. Uncover, bake for about 25 minutes more or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.

8. Let stand for 10 minutes. Serve warm with syrup. Enjoy!!

Garlic and Rosemary Roasted Potatoes

2011-02-16T08:01:00.000-08:00

This recipe is extremely easy to prep and tastes amaaazing!:

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs red potatoes (about 5 medium sized red potatoes)

1/8 cup olive oil

4 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, minced*

3/4 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoons ground pepper

*If you have dried rosemary, use 2 teaspoons. The potency of dried spices/herbs is heightened compared to fresh.

Recipe:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Pre-cooked

2. Cut the potatoes in quarters or eighths (depending on the size of the potatoes, and the size you want them. Anywhere around 1-inch cubes/triangles is perfect.)

3. Add potatoes and rest of ingredients to bowl; toss until the potatoes are well coated.

4. Spread potatoes on baking sheet and spread out into 1 layer.

5. Roast in oven for 1 hour, or until browned and crisp, flipping every 15 to 20 minutes.

Crab Cakes! (For Beginners!)

2011-02-14T09:53:00.000-08:00

I have never ever EVER made crab cakes before. Although some people are scared of the actual frying part, I was scared of having it taste decent. This is an altered version of crab cakes that has already been tested and re-tested and will probably go through one more round of alterations. My first problem was underestimating the saltiness of the crab; no salt and hardly any spices are added to this recipe. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
8 oz. lump crabmeat, drained
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup non-seasoned bread crumbs (panko works fine too!)
1 tsp. garlic powder (or your favorite seasoning)
1 egg
1 tsp. lemon juice
panko bread crumbs
vegetable oil, for frying

Step 3

Recipe:
1. In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, bread crumbs, garlic powder, egg, and lemon juice. Mix well.
2. Add crab meat and fold (instead of stirring) into the mixture to combine.
3. Form crab cakes approximately 2-inches in diameter (about 5 crab cakes).
4. Pour panko bread crumbs onto a plate or shallow dish. Lightly dredge the crab cakes into panko (both sides!) and set aside.
5. In a large skillet over medium heat, add enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan. When oil is hot, fry crab cakes in batches for about 2-3 minutes on each side.*
6. Transfer to a sheet man or plate lined with paper towels.
7. Serve with tarter sauce or homemade spicy remoulade sauce and ENJOY!

Woohoo! First ever crab cakes!

Once I figure out exactly how I made this awesome spicy remoulade sauce, I'll post it. Remoulade is a fancy name for an aioli- or mayo-based sauce (used on meats, fish, and everything fried.) This was a mayonniase-based sauce and was thrown together based on what spices and sauces were available! (cajun seasoning, lemon juice, ground mustard, worcheshire sauce, garlic powder, etc.)

*If the oil is not hot enough, the crab cakes will easily fall apart while you're cooking them. Test out the heat by putting either a piece of the crab cake, or some panko bread crumbs in the pan. Another mistake is making the oil TOO hot, causing everything to crisp and burn in the matter of seconds.

The great thing about crab cakes is that you can make them ahead of time. After step 3, you can wrap each crab cake individually in plastic wrap to preserve its shape. When you're ready to serve, bread with panko and fry!

Eggplant and Beef Casserole

2011-02-14T09:29:00.000-08:00

Lately, I have been obsessed with casserole dishes. ob-sessed. I found this recipe but tweaked it to make it a bit less calorie-filled by not breading the eggplant (even though the original recipe only had 340 cals per serving!) This dish is simply a layer of eggplant, then a layer of meaty tomato sauce and finished with a layer of cheese--and then repeated! mmmmm.

This dish is SUPER easy. Unfortunately, I have an oven that is the WORST and sometimes cooks things at supersonic speeds, and other times it's right on track. Because of this, I cooked the eggplant pieces a little bit on each side before putting them into the dish. This worked out perfectly because I only cooked my casserole for a bit (I hate New York City kitchens.)
For most normal ovens, this step (step #2) is unnecessary.

Ingredients:
1 1.5 lb eggplant (an eggplant usually is anywhere between 1 and 1.5 lbs. If you find one that's not quite right, it will still work!) . Cut these into 1/2 thick slices.
1 lb. lean ground beef.
1 large green sweet pepper, chopped (1 cup)
1 medium onion, chopped (3/4 cup)
~25 oz can tomato sauce (there are big cans that contain 28 and smaller ones that are 15- and 8- oz which will work)
1 1/2 tsp. dried Italian seasoning, crushed*
2 cups shredded mozarella cheese**
(if necessary: oil)

Recipe:
1. Grease a 9 x 13 baking dish (or a 3-qt baking dish) and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. If necessary, heat oil in skillet and cook eggplant just a few minutes on each side.
3. In a large skillet, cook ground beef, pepper, and onion until meat is cooked through, using a wooden spoon to break up meat as it cooks; drain off fat. Stir the two cans of tomato sauce and Italian seasoning into meat mixture.
4. Layer half of the eggplant slices in the prepared baking dish, cutting slices to fit. Spread with half of the meat mixture; sprinkle with half of the cheese. Repeat layers.
5. Cover dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for 10 to 15 minutes more or until heated through. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
6. ENJOY!!!

Eggplant and Beef Casserole!

*If you don't have Italian seasoning, you can make your own by using equal parts: basil, oregano, thyme, sage, and rosemary. Other variations can consist of savory, marjoram, and other spices that you can experiment with.

**I used mozarella cheese because that's all my little market had. An Italian blend cheese will work too.

WTF? Stuffed Pizza

2011-01-31T21:29:00.000-08:00

My new goal for this blog is to learn how to ONLY Cook for Two... not Twelve... and learn to use only what's in the fridge and pantry.

I'm doing my best to stay away from italian food, but for some reason, my fridge has everything I need this week for Pizzas and Pastas... sorry! :)

So tonight was WTF? Stuffed Pizza. When "creating" this... I had no idea what I was doing. I was attempting to make a stromboli, or something of that nature, and it turned into a stuffed pizza! My taste-tester, Kev, has a new fav for a red sauce pizza pie!

What I had in my fridge:

8 small meat balls (the frozen kind you find at Costco... ya... I think a new staple in the freezer)

1 1/2 chicken sausage links (left over from Presto Pesto Pizza)

1/4 ball Mozzarella

1 Green Bell Peppers

3 slices of a Onion

Pizza dough

Parmesan Cheese

Butter

Pantry:

Marinara Sauce (you only need 1/2 a jar)

1 T. Red Pepper Flakes (or less if you don't like it spicy)

1 T. Flour

Oregano

Salt

Directions:

1. Let dough rest for 15-20 minutes

2. While dough rests, slice bell pepper and o

nion in 1/4 inch slices and put into a pan with a 1/2 T. of Canola oil on medium-high heat. Sprinkle with salt.

3. Let onions and bell peppers caramelize for 3 minutes.

4. Slice Sausage into 1/4 inch rounds and add to pan.

5. Slice Meatballs in half and add to pan and heat through.

6. Add red pepper flakes (to taste) and stir.

7. Once everything is heated through, add marinara sauce and let simmer till dough is ready.

8. Roll dough out to a rectangle. About 13x9 (the size of the pan your going to cook it on) and place dough on pan.

9. Place dough so the short end is facing you. Place mixture in section 2 of picture.

10. Fold section 1 over section 2.

11. Add the rest of the mixture to section 3 and fold section 4 all the way over the whole pie.

12. Poke 6-10 holes on top of pie and spray or brush with olive oil.

13. Bake 10 minutes (or as directed on dough packaging)

14. Remove from oven and brush immediately with butter, sprinkle with parmasan cheese, and sprinkle with oregano.

15. Put back in oven for 2 minutes

16. Let sit for 5 minutes before cutting and serve!

Presto Pesto Pizza

2011-01-29T18:02:00.001-08:00

Are you sick of the same old pizza? Is your basic pie a little sauce, cheese and pepperoni? We are eating frozen pizzas 2 times a week because they are so cheap and easy, especially since I've been coming home late from classes. So instead of throwing another pie in the oven, I decided to make it myself but didn't want it to taste like... well... another pizza!

*This is Kevin's New Favorite Pizza... next to Rusty's Pepperoni Thin Crust.

Presto PESTO PIZZA

Pizza dough (fresh if you can get it... I get ours at Trader Joe's)

Pre-made pesto sauce

Chicken Sausage

Sun-dried Tomatoes

Marinated Artichokes

Yellow Bell Peppers

Mozzarella Cheese

1. Preheat oven to temp specified on package. (around 450)

2. Let dough proof (20 minutes)

3. While dough is resting, cook chicken sausage links on stove or on BBQ

4. Prep all ingrediants (grate cheese, cut tomatoes, drain tomatoes and artichokes)

5. After Sausage is finished cooking, let rest before cutting into angled circles

6. Stretch dough to desired width and put on a baking sheet.

7. I par-cook the dough for about 5 minutes before I put the ingredients on

8. Take pizza dough out of oven and add pesto sauce, sausage, tomatoes, artichokes, bell pepper and cheese.

9. Bake until cheese is bubbling and dough is cooked through.

Take pizza out of oven and let sit for 3-5 minutes. Cut and serve with a garden salad!

Super Easy!

***Really COOL*** instead of doing a pizza, you could easily do a pasta with all these ingredients!

Campbell's Cream of Chicken Soup Chicken.

2011-01-28T08:17:00.000-08:00

No, I didn't make a type-o on that title. This recipe (obviously) calls for Campbell's cream of chicken soup and...chicken!

This is super easy and SUPER tasty!

Ingredients:

I already snuck a few servings out of the pan before
taking this picture! Oops! :)

2 cans of Campbell's cream of chicken (or mushroom!) soup
1/2 cup of cheddar cheese
garlic powder
chicken breast (I used about 1.5 lbs of chicken breast cut into thinner slices than normally seen in the grocery stores--about 3 oz each which made for 8 perfect servings)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Add the 2 cans of cream of chicken soup, cheese, and a little bit of garlic powder to a bowl. Mix.
3. Add chicken to the bowl and coat thoroughly.
4. Grease cooking pan
5. Add chicken and soup mixture to the pan. I made sure that each chicken breast was flat and on its own (instead of kinda stacked on top of each other). Add rest of mixture on top and around chicken.
6. Add salt and pepper
7. Bake until the mixture starts to bubble. (About 10 min.) Remove from oven and stir the chicken around.
8. Replace chicken to oven and bake again until it starts to bubble. (About 5-10 min.) Remove and let sit for about 5 minutes (it will still be cooking from the heat of the pan.)
9. Enjoy!

I originally added milk to this recipe (just a bit), but the water that is released from the chicken is enough liquid to thin out the soup just enough. The garlic power and cheese amount can be altered based on your liking!

easy breezy stir fry!

2011-01-28T07:48:00.000-08:00

There are a few amazing things about stir fry.

1. It's idiot proof (My type of dish!)

2. It's fast

3. It's easy.

4. It's versatile

All you need is a protein (tofu, chicken, etc.), a bunch of vegetables, and teriyaki sauce. You can make rice or noodles as the base to this dish (actually adding these carbs to the stir fry may mean adding more teriyaki sauce, yielding more calories!)

Last night, I decided to wander down to Chelsea Market to pick up some produce. I already had chicken breast in my freezer and teriyaki sauce in my cabinet, so all i needed were some good vegetables.

Here was my spin on the simple recipe:

1 chicken breast (cut into bit size pieces)

1/4 cup of teriyaki sauce

Mushrooms

Snow peas

Brocolli

Onion

(Other vegetables to consider: carrots, peppers, water chestnuts, yellow squash, zucchini, cabbage...)

(Other proteins to consider: FIRM tofu, shrimp...)

If you're Angel, then the rotisserie chicken will do just fine, and you won't need to cook the chicken! That means you can add the chicken after ALL the vegetables (but before the teriyaki sauce)

1. Add oil to a wok (or regular pan)

2. Add onions until they start to become soft/transparent

3. I added my bite size pieces of raw chicken breast into the pan to cook.

4. Once everything starts cooking, I added the vegetables as I see fit: brocolli, then snow peas, then mushrooms (i like the firmness of mushrooms)

5. Add the teriyaki sauce and let simmer!

For an EASY spin on rice, I added oil and two minced garlic cloves to a pot. Add your rice and follow the packaged directions. Instead of using water, however, I used CHICKEN BROTH to give it more flavor.

Rotisserie Chicken- Recipe #3 ?!

2011-01-25T23:23:00.000-08:00

So apparently, 1 Rotisserie Chicken has gotten my husband and I 3 different meals... with leftovers for lunches! It's totally awesome that a $5 bird ... plus the fixings... was able to stretch so far.

Apparently I sold myself short when I posted the "Rotisserie Chicken 2 Ways" recipe because here's Number 3! We had left over BBQ Chicken that I didn't use on the pizza. So instead of putting the chicken in between two slices of bread, we made a BBQ Chicken Salad!

Again... Sooo Easy!

Chicken Recipe #3

BBQ Chicken Salad

This was done on a whim and based on what was in our fridge so improvise to your likin'-

BBQ Chicken (What's left over)

Chopped Tomato

Lettuce

Thinly sliced red onion

shredded carrot

Thinly sliced red bell pepper

Bottled Ranch

Bottled BBQ Sauce (KC Masterpiece... ovi)

(you can add avocado, boiled eggs, shredded cheese, olives, and/or black beans)

Put everything in bowl except Chicken, Ranch, and BBQ Sauce.

Season salad with salt/pepper/salad seasoning (we use Spike)

Add just a little Ranch to slightly coat lettuce (1-2 Tablespoons)

Add Chicken

Add a little of the BBQ Sauce (1 Tablespoon)

Mix and serve!

Rotisserie Chicken

2011-01-24T13:34:00.000-08:00

Rotisserie Chicken- 2 ways! Perfect for College….

Kev wanted enchiladas, so instead of going through the process of boiling chicken, shredding it, re-seasoning it, cooking it again… I bought a rotisserie chicken. Easy. So I shredded the whole thing, and kept half for another meal.

So easy to do bomb enchiladas.

Chicken Recipe #1-

Bomb Enchiladas

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Get a baking dish ( I use glass) and add enough enchilada sauce to coat the bottom.
1. Take flour tortillas ( you could totally do corn, but make sure to dip them in canola oil that’s heated on the stove for about 5 seconds…it softens them)
2. Dip both sides in enchilada sauce (store bought… the big can)
3. Put into glass and add the shredded chicken, grated cheese, and some finely diced onion.
4. Roll into burrito and leave in dish
5. keep doing this until pan is full (I make about 6 in a pan)
6. Pour remaining sauce on top of enchiladas and add more cheese on top.
7. Bake for 20 minutes (or until cheese has melted)
8. Serve!
Can easily feed 3 people (2 enchiladas each) or have it for left overs

Chicken Recipe #2

The BEST BBQ Chicken Pizza!

I totally didn’t want tacos or more enchiladas with the rest of the shredded chicken, so I was trying to figure out what to make with it. I’m a sucker for BBQ sauce so I started thinking… BBQ Chicken Sandwiches, BBQ Chicken Quesadilla, BBQ Chicken Pizza…. Oooo… Pizza! Yup! BBQ Chicken Pizza!!!

What you need: (all this was in my pantry and left over from the enchiladas!)
PIZZA:
Store bought Pizza Dough
BBQ Sauce (KC Master Piece.. the OG)
Mozzarella Cheese (or whatever)
Minced Red Onion
Cilantro
Red Bell Pepper
Shredded Chicken (other half from Chicken Recipe #1)

BBQ SAUCE for CHICKEN: (adapted from Rachel Ray)
½ medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
½ T Tabasco
1 T Santa Maria Seasoning (or your favorite seasoning mix)
3 T brown sugar
4 T tomato paste
3 cloves garlic, minced
So this is what I did…

- Add 2 Tablespoons of Canola Oil to a deep pan (something with high edges).
- Add minced garlic and chopped onion
- Let simmer on medium low for 10 minutes. (while this is cooking julienne your bell pepper, chop cilantro, and thinly slice the red onion).
- To onion and garlic mixture add Tabasco, Seasoning, Brown Sugar, and tomato paste and let simmer/slight boil for 3-5 minutes.
- Add the shredded chicken (what was left over from the rotisserie chicken you bought to make enchiladas.)
- Let cook for 10 minutes or so, or until sauce has lightly thicken.

Start assembling pizza

Take pizza dough and add a very light layer of cheese (this acts as the glue for the toppings).
Add BBQ sauce from bottle… just a little. I did a swirl starting from the outside going inward. Don’t use too much.
Drain chicken from sauce with slotted spoon (or tongs) and add a layer to pizza.
Add more cheese.
Sprinkle bell pepper, onion, and cilantro then add… more cheese!

Bake according to pizza dough directions… make sure cheese is melted and WALLA!...the best BBQ Chicken Pizza Ever!