Shortcut Spanish Rice

This is a really simple recipe that adds flavor to Tex-Mex style dishes. I used it in enchiladas and as the base for burrito bowls. Feel free to double, triple, or cut the recipe in half.

For burrito bowls I serve with a can of refried beans and any other toppings I have on hand. We like cheese, salsa, sour cream, tomatoes, and avocados but anything goes.


2 cup dry white rice
3 1/2 cups water
4 chicken bouillons or enough for  4 cups of water
1 c. bottled salsa

Place all in a medium sized pot. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and cover. Let cook until the rice is tender throughout. 

Check to make sure the bottom isn't sticking and burning towards the end of cooking.

Tomato Zucchini Bisque

I hated tomato soup growing up. The idea of tomato soup with grilled cheese just ruined the grilled cheese for me. I was in college and just starting out really cooking new things when my older sister mentioned homemade tomato soup is actually pretty good.  I ignored her for years until last winter I moved and had a really limited kitchen and decided to try it. I made a tomato soup with fresh basil and a scoop of rice on top. Turns out it was actually pretty good. Since then I have tried a few different versions, this being my latest concoction.

4 Tbsp butter
1 large onion
2 Tbsp flour
2 cans tomatoes
4 c. chicken stock
black pepper
4 oz. Parmesan cheese
3/4 c. heavy cream
2 zucchini, grated

Melt the butter in a large pot and add the chopped onion. Saute until the onion is tender.

Stir in the flour and cook for about 2 minutes so the flour doesn't taste raw. Once it's been cooked a little add the tomatoes. If you have crushed tomatoes great. If not, crush them one by one in your hands as you add them. It's actually one of my favorite parts.  Cook and stir for about 3 minutes before moving on.

Add the chicken stock. Simmer the soup over low for about 45 minutes. Stir the bottom frequently as it tends to stick.

Add the cheese, cream, and zucchini. Simmer for another 20 minutes, stirring often. Taste for salt and add as needed.

Greek Pasta Salad

Dressing
As always, these proportions should be customized to taste

1/4 c. olive oil

3 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
Red wine vinegar might be nice here too

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

1 - 2 cloves garlic, minced

2 - 3 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese
2 sliced green onions
1 - 2 tsp. fresh oregano, chopped 

Dash black pepper
Salt to taste
1 scant tsp. sugar

Salad

1/2 lb penna pasta, cooked and chilled

3 chicken breasts, fillet, season cook, chill

1 bag mixed field greens

Whisk together all of the salad dressing ingredients and let sit at least 30 minutes. I made mine the night before for an easy and quick dinner the next day. I also cooked the chicken and pasta then as well for the sake of ease. 

Toss it all together and eat.

Grandma's Stuffed Pork Chops

Recently I've been thinking and reflecting on family. I loved getting together for large family gatherings, extended family, and always good food. A friend suggested recently I record these memories here by posting family recipes. This one comes from my grandma on my fathers side. My dad talks about how he and my uncle used to fight over the bigger chop.

Start with pork chops on the thicker side. Cut them through the middle, 

not all the way, just a pocket.

 

Heat the oil in a skillet and heat the oven to 425.
Stuff the pork chops with the prepared stuffing and season on both sides with season salt.
Add the chops to the pan and cook until golden brown on one side. Flip all of the chops and add the onion to cook at the same time. The onions are my addition, not Grandmas.

Once the chops are browned on both sides, but not cooked all the way through, top with the can of tomato sauce. Bake at 425 until the chops are cooked all the way through.

Pork Paprika Skillet Dinner

This is sort of funny how this dinner came about. They say necessity is the mother of all invention. Well I really did not want to make dinner tonight, but, it is necessary. So I went out the the freezer, actually hoping for some bacon to eat with pancakes since that seemed really easy. And I found a tiny package of thinly sliced pork I had bought to make a Korean dish with, then forgot about, and bought more pork for that Korean dish. It was delicious though. So that brings me to this. And not wanting to cook dinner. My dad used to make a dish that we loved that was rice, some seasonings, and chicken all baked in the oven until the rice and the chicken were cooked. So I decided to try something like that here. I seared the pork, added the rice and seasonings and baked until done. While that was cooking I cooked some frozen green beans and opened a bottle of sweet and sour red cabbage. And we have a nice Sunday dinner with such minimal work. 

6 fairly thin pork chops

Season salt

2 tsp. Paprika

2 - 3 Tbsp. oil

1 onion

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1 pork bouillon cube (enough for 2 cups)

3 c. water

1 1/4 c. rice

Pre-heat the oven to 450.

Heat the oil until sizzling. Season the chops on one side lightly with the season salt and put in the pan, seasoned side down. Lightly season the other side and sprinkle lightly with paprika. Once the pork is lightly browned in spots flip over and add the onion. 

Once the second side is lightly browned add the water, bouillon cube, and black pepper. Bring to a simmer, when the bouillon cube is dissolved add the rice stirring to combine. Bring to a boil again, cover, and place in the oven. Stir after 10 minutes, replace the lid and bake until the rice is cooked. About 10 more minutes.  

Remove from the oven and let stand still covered for 10 minutes.

Chicken Shawarma

I like to look at other cultures for new flavor ideas. But I also like stuff that is simple enough to use for everyday meals. This is both, a new flavor to enjoy but simple enough to make in a hurry. 

We enjoyed it the first night with couscous and green beans on the side and the leftovers the next day in wraps. I tossed the romaine with a little olive oil, sliced green onions, and a pinch of salt. I think a drizzle of tzatziki would be great too.

 4 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts

2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp. onion powder

2 Tbsp. Coriander

2 Tbsp. Cumin

1 tsp allspice

4 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

Several large squirts Texas Pete

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/3 c. olive oil

Combine all the seasonings and rub all over the chicken. Cover and put in the fridge for 2 - 3 hours. 

Put a cookie sheet with a cookie cooling rack on it in the oven. Heat the oven to 500 and let the pan heat up. Once the oven and the pan are hot spray it with cooking spray and put the chicken on the cookie cooking rack. 

Cook on the top rack in the oven for 5 minutes. Flip the chicken over and cook another 5 minutes. 

Put the chicken on the bottom rack in the oven, turn to 400, and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes before slicing.

Red Peanut Curry

Who doesn't just love pinterest?

You can find all kinds of pins that you love, either because they are great ideas or because they are so bad you get a great laugh out of them.

Well I tried this Chicken Curry from Better Homes and Gardens, with my changes of course. 

I also want to add that I think a tablespoon or two of fish sauce would probably be great in the sauce but I haven't tried it so if it's gross don't blame me. I also just the chicken into small strips so that they would cook faster. This means that the carrots and the bell peppers didn't cook as much. This means the bell peppers didn't turn to mush and the carrots were still crisp tender, which is how we like them.

This would also be really good with beef, just make sure it is thinly sliced so that is cooks in 2 hours.

 

1 onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, sliced

3 large carrots, sliced

2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts

1/4 c. flour

3/4 c. water

1 chicken bouillon cube

3 Tbsp. creamy peanut butter

2 Tbsp. lime juice

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 inch chunk of fresh ginger, peeled

4 cloves garlic

3 Tbsp red curry paste

1 - 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded for less heat, not for more (optional)

1 can coconut milk ( I used the entire can, not just 1/2 c)

2 c. green vegetables 

(frozen green beans, peas, sliced zucchini, or all the above)

3 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

3 Tbsp chopped fresh basil

Place all the sauce ingredients (water to jalapeno) in a blender and blend until smooth. Set aside.

Cut the chicken in half lenght-wise and cut into 1 inch strips. Place the onion carrot and pepper in the bottom of the crock pot. Put the chicken and flour in a large resealable bag and toss to coat. Put the chicken on top of the vegetables and pour the blended sauce on top of the chicken. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours. You can cook on low for longer but the carrots will be a lot more tender. After 2 hours add the coconut milk and green vegetables and cook an additional 30 minutes. If you cooked it on low turn the pot to high for the last 30 minutes.

Remove the pot from the base and stir in the fresh herbs. Serve over rice.

Asian Sesame Chicken Salad

4 large chicken breasts, cooked and shredded Or Leftover

1 head of romaine lettuce

1 c. bean sprouts

1 carrot, sliced with peeler so they're really thin

1/2 cucumber, sliced

1 can mandarin oranges, drained

Crispy chow mein noodles 

Kraft Light Asian Sesame Dressin or your favorite Asian salad dressing

I put the chicken breasts in the crock pot in the morning,
let them cook for a couple of hours and put them in the fridge until dinner time. 

Toss together the romaine and bean sprouts. Top with the carrots.

Layer the cucumbers and mandarin oranges in a ring on the top. 

Shred the chicken and place in the middle, pour the noodles in a ring around the chicken.

Serve with the salad dressing.

Zucchini Garlic Pasta

I wish I had double, or even tripled, the zucchini in this recipe, so while the picture doesn't look like it has all that much zucchini in it (it doesn't) I added more to the written recipe to reflect that change

3 large or 6 medium zucchini

8 large cloves garlic, minced

6 Tbsp butter

2 chicken bouillon cubes

6 oz. fettuccine pasta

2 Tbsp half-an-half (or cream)

Parmesan cheese (about 1/4 cup)

Large pinch marjoram, oregano, and cayenne pepper

Cook the pasta in 4 c. water with the chicken bouillon cubes. 

Meanwhile melt the butter over medium-low heat and add the garlic. You are not sauteing the garlic yet, cook over low for 7 or 8 minutes. 

Chop the zucchini pretty fine, a food processor is great here, and add to the garlic. Turn the heat up to medium high to saute the zucchini. Add the seasonings, and 1/4 cup of the pasta water. Add the half-an-half and cheese.

Drain the pasta and immediately toss with the butter garlic sauce in the pan.

Spicy Asian Noodles with Chicken

I joined the "Secret Recipe Club", you can see the link on my sidebar. It's a really cool idea. Basically a bunch of food bloggers get together and everyone is given a blog. Then from that blog you pick any one of the recipes that looks good to you and you make the dish and then post on your assigned reveal date.

I was given the blog "Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts", while looking through her archives there were two that really stood out to me. I have been looking for some good, simple Asian inspired dishes as of late and been having fun working with rise noodles so thats what I ended up going with. You can see her post here. She links back to Cooking light, and I think if I had seen it in the magazine I would have ignored it completely, but because another blogger made it, ie. a real person, I couldn't wait to try it. I'm like that with food.

I have to say I was very impressed with how simple it was to make and yet how great it tasted. The other recipe that stood out to me, and I still plan on trying eventually is her "Lemon Turkey Cutlets"

I did make a few changes. I added the egg, zucchini, and carrot cause I love eggs in Asian noddle and wanted to add some color and variety with the vegetables. I also didnt have any precooked chicken so I decided to just make that one of the step and lastly I think I might have changed a few of the amounts on things.

Any leftover meat would work here though, just heat up in the sesame oil and continue with the recipe. Leftover beeg, chicken or pork would all fit, and my 6 year old said shrimp would be perfect in here too.


1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 (6.75 oz) pkg. rice stick noodles
2 Tbsp sesame oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 large chunk fresh ginger, minced (about 1 Tbsp)
7 or 8 green onions, rends removed and sliced all the way up the green part
1/4 c. fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 c. low sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
3 Tbsp hoisen sauce
1 Tbsp. sambal oelek
(chili paste, use more or less depending on the heat level you want,
but make sure you at least add some)
1 egg
1 carrot, grated
1 small zucchini, quartered lenghtwise and sliced
Sunflower seeds or chopped peanuts

Prepare the rice noodles according to the package directions. Mine said soak in hot water for 10 minutes. Drain then when they are still just a tiny bit firm, they finish cooking in the liquid from the pan.

Chop the chicken into bite sized pieces. Heat the sesame oil in a large skillet and add the chicken, stirring until the chicken is cooked through and starting to brown. Add the zucchini and saute 2 minutes more.

Add the garlic and ginger and saute until fragrant, between 30 seconds to a minute. Add the soy sauce, rice vinegar, hoisen, and sambal oelek and stir very well to combine.

Stir in the carrot, and onions and stir fry for another minute. Tilt the pan a little and push everything, including the sauce to the bottom. Crack the egg in the pan and let it cook, breaking the yolk after a few minutes, until the egg is completely cooked.

Add the soaked noodles and stir to combine all. Stir in the cilantro and enjoy.

Top with sunflower seeds or peanuts if you so desire

Persian Pomegranate Chicken

Quite a few years ago I went with my dad to the Philippines. Somewhere on that trip, I can't remember exactly which stop on the way, we ate at a Persian restaurant in a mall. A little small place, but that is one of my favorite memories of that trip and with my dad in general.

Fast forward several years, my husband was showing me around the Old Market near where he grew up and we planned on having lunch at the Persian restaurant. We had been looking forward to it for weeks, checking the menu online beforehand and such and I had decided on the pomegranate chicken.

The restaurant was closed.

It wasn't a total loss though, we found a very nice Indian place a few doors down. But still, I was curious about pomegranate chicken. Since Savannah seems to be limited to seafood and Thai places (not entirely a bad thing) and I like to cook I decided to make my own.

And last but not least I happened to have a bottle of fake grape juice sitting on the counter from something else so at the end when I decided it needed a little sweetener thats what I added. I think a tiny drizzle, probably a scant teaspoon of honey would do as well.

1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 c. cornstarch
1 tsp salt
Oil

1/8 tsp. chili powder
1/8 tsp. yellow mustard
1/8 tsp. cumin
1/8 tsp. turmeric
1/8 tsp. paprika
Dash cloves
Dash freshly cracked black pepper

16 oz. bottle 100% pomegranate juice
1 large onion
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp brown sugar
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp grape juice cocktail

Cut the onion in half and slice, not too thin, and then cut in half again. Saute in olive oil until the onion is translucent. Add the brown sugar and continue to cook until the onion is starting to turn golden. Add the garlic and saute just until fragrant.

Add the pomegranate juice and simmer on low. Add the chili, mustard, cumin, turmeric, paprika, cloves, and pepper. Keep simmering until the liquid is reduced by about half.

Meanwhile, cut the chicken into bite sized pieces. Combine the cornstarch and salt and toss with the chicken. Cook in oil until starting to brown and the chicken is cooked though.

Add the chicken and grape juice to the pan and mix in really well. Simmer an addition 10 minutes and serve over rice or quinoa.

Pork, Southern Fried Rice, and Steamed mixed veggies

• 
  
• Pork Loin
• 1/2 c. olive oil
• 1/3 c. lemon lime soda
• 2 Tbsp minced garlic
• 1 Tbsp granulated garlic
• 2 tsp. powdered ginger
• 1/3 c. soy sauce
• 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp horseradish
• 3 Tbsp lemon Pepper seasoning
• 2 - 4 lb. pork loin, boneless
• 
  
• Combine all the ingredients, except the pork and whisk together. Add the pork, cover, and refrigerate overnight.

Place a long sheet of tin foil in the bottom of a glass baking dish. Add the pork and the marinate. Pull the tin foil up around the sides and ends of the pork and seal on top. Bake at 350 for 2 hours, remove the tin foil and bake an additional hour until meat thermometer reads 145.

Southern Fried Rice

1 lb. bacon

1/2 medium onion, chopped

1 carrot, grated

1/2 c. peas

2 eggs, very lightly beaten

4 c. cooked rice

Saute bacon in a large skillet until crisp. Remove bacon and reserve drippings. Saute onion in drippings until onion is almost tender, add carrots the last 30 seconds of onions. Add peas and rice. Toss to mix and heat rice. Push rice mixture to the sides creating a well in the middle. Add eggs, scramble until solid. When cooked, chop up fine. Mix with the rest of the rice mixture. Top with crumbled bacon and serve immediately.

Veggies

1 lb fresh asparagus

1 carrot

lemon pepper sprinkle

oil

Peel the carrot, and then use the carrot peeler to make thin ribbons of carrots. Saute the carrots and asparagus for about 3 minutes, add 1/3 c. water. Cover and steam until veggies are tender. Sprinkle with lemon pepper.