Asian Chicken with Broccoli

The Mission:

Make something a little different using the chicken that I thawed.  We haven't had any Chinese in a while, so I figured that a chicken/broccoli stir-fry would be tasty and easy enough to make.  So I added broccoli to the grocery list and hit up Food.com for a simple recipe.  Hopefully I have sesame oil.... I can't remember if I ran out or am almost out.  Oh well.  I added in some cornstarch to thicken the sauce a bit as well. 

The Ingedients: 

• 4 cups cubed chicken 
• 1 bag ( 16 oz) frozen broccoli florets 
• 4 cloved minced garlic 
• 5 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1/3 cup sesame oil - I was out so used peanut oil
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1 1/2 tsp grated ginger root 
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 2 Tbsp oil (I used peanut oil)
• rice to serve with 

The Instructions: 

1. Heat 2 Tbsp oil in a large skillet. 
2. Add the chicken and the garlic and stir-fry until chicken is no longer pink. 
3. In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine the sauce ingredients (brown sugar, sesame oil, soy sauce, ginger, and cornstarch) until smooth. 
4. Pour over chicken and stir. 
5. Add broccoli and stir-fry until broccoli is tender (but not mushy) 
6. Serve over hot rice. 

The Results & Reviews:  
This recipe is a definite keeper.  Not only was it super easy to make, my husband just raved about it.  I'm glad I decided to make extra.  As mentioned above I was out of sesame oil, so I just used peanut oil.  Though the sesame oil would've given it a slight bitterness to offset the sweetness of the brown sugar, I think the full third cup would add too much bitter, so when I make it again I will start with adding just a tablespoon of the sesame oil to see how it turns out.   Adding the cornstarch to the thicken the sauce gave it a great texture - so that was a definite plus.  I have a feeling that my husband is going to be requesting this meal often.  Actually - he thinks the sauce would be good with beef, so I'm sure I'll be blogging about that in the next few weeks!

Jumbo Stuffed Shells with Spinach

The Mission:
Use up some leftover ricotta cheese from lasagna the other day, and use the box of jumbo shells that has been sitting in the cabinet for the past two months or so. I didn't really use a recipe for this, instead I kinda just tossed the ingredients together. I thought it turned out okay, but next time I'll use less spinach.

The Ingredients:

• 1 box of jumbo shells
• 15 oz ricotta cheese
• 2 eggs
• 3 cups mozzarella - shredded
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 6 oz chopped spinach (I used frozen since I had it on hand)
• 4 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese, divided
• 1 big jar of the sauce of your choice

The Instructions:

Prepare the jumbo shells as directed on the package. Drain them and set them aside to cool off a bit (they're easier to stuff when they don't burn you). Brown the ground beef in a medium saucepan with the garlic and the Italian seasoning. You can also add other spices to taste. I think I threw in a tsp or two of crushed red pepper to pep it up a little. Thaw and drain the frozen spinach. Add half of it to the ground beef mixture. Pour 1/2 cup of the sauce into the ground beef mixture and stir. Set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, beat the eggs then stir in the ricotta cheese, 2 cups of the mozzarella, 2 Tbsp of the parmesan, and the remaining spinach. Set aside. Now you're ready to stuff the shells. Spoon a bit of the meat mixture and a bit of the cheese mixture into each shell - I think I put about 1 Tbsp of each into each shell. Set the stuffed shells into a 9x13" baking dish. When all the shells are stuffed and placed in the dish, pour the remaining pasta sauce over them, top with remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. Cover and bake in a 350*F oven for 40 minutes, uncover and bake 15-20 minutes more - until cheese is melty.

The Result:

My husband HATED the spinach. He said that it really took away the flavor of the cheese. So, if I ever make this again, I will only use half of the spinach and add it only to the meat mixture, leaving the cheese mixture green-free. I thought that I'd made these for him before, but apparently not. Oh well - he at it anyway and it kinda grew on him. This recipe can be made without any of the spinach of course, in case you have a picky eater. Other than that issue, everything else was fine.

The Reviews:

I thought it tasted pretty good, and we had one friend who shared leftovers with us who liked it as well. I wish it had gone over better with my husband, but it's no big deal. I can leave out the majority of the spinach and still sneak a little bit into the meat mixture. I will dice it very small so maybe he won't even notice it :)

White Bean Chicken Chili

The Mission:

Make the recipe that my friend Heather gave to me after I begged her for it. She served me this Chili at her place on Superbowl weekend and I thought it was absolutely fantastic. Her recipe actually said "Superbowl Chili" on the top. (Bonus - I'm a huge Steeler's Fan, and they won the Superbowl this year!) I tried this out on a Friday so my husband wouldn't have to deal with eating leftovers at work the next day - just in case he didn't like it.

The Ingredients:

• 1 lb. boneless chicken, cubed
• 1/4 cup diced onion
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 cans (10.5 oz each) chicken broth, divided
• 2 cans (15 oz each) great northern beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can (small) diced green chilis
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 packet of white gravy (country gravy)

The Instructions:

In a large sauce pan, sautee the chicken and onions in oil until chicken is done and onions are transparent. Add 1 can of the chicken broth, both cans of northern beans, the can of chilis, and the cumin. Stir well. Mix the packet of gravy with the reserved can of chicken broth until blended. Pour the gravy mixture into the sauce pan and stir untl thickened. Cover and simmer for 1 to 2 hours.

The Result:

I thought it turned out fantastic. I served it with shredded sharp white cheddar cheese and tortilla chips. I found out later that eating it with the tortilla scoops is fabulous - this chili is thick enough to use as a dip!

The Reviews:

My very good friend Jess came to visit me the night I made this and she was impressed - I'm glad I finally remembered to email the recipe to her. My Husband and our Friend Mark enjoyed the chili and it has since been requested a few times. A couple of our other friends (we have quite a few people who regularly join us for dinner) have been pleased as well. I'm glad to have yet another hearty meal to add to my repetoire!

Yummy Marinade

The Mission: Make my delicious marinade to pour over boneless tenderloin chops for dinner. I'm not sure where I first came across this recipe. It appears to be something printed out and cut into a 4x6 recipe card, and it's covered in splattered spots... most likely soy sauce. Anyway - it's very good. Even my picky eater of a husband likes it, and he knows what's in it!

The Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup peanut oil
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 3 Tbsp lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 Tbsp chopped parsely
• 1 Tbsp dry mustard
• 1 1/2 tsp pepper
• Whatever meat you want - pork, chicken, etc.

The Instructions:

Combine all of the ingredients together and mix well, recipe makes about 1 1/2 cups of marinade. Place in a shallow container or a heavy duty zip-lock plastic bag. Add whatever meat you desire, turning to coat. Cover or seal and chill at least 4 hours,turning meat occasionally. Grill, bake, broil, or sautee meat as desired until meat reaches proper temperature. Serve with your favorite sides.

The Result:

Delicious as always. I've tested it out on many people using both chicken and pork. Chicken is a big favorite. I've never tried it with beef... maybe I'll do that some day. I typically marinade overnight because I find it easier to make it the night before.

The Reviews:

I've named this "Yummy Marinade" because that is what my sister called it in the past. I've never gotten a bad review on this one - even though my picky husband loathes many of the ingredients. If you have a picky eater - just don't tell them what's in it. You can rub it in later ;)

Chicken Cordon Bleu Bake

The Mission:

Test out one of the recipes that sounded good from my current Taste of Home: Simple and Delicious Magazine. The ingredients and preparation looked simple enough, and hopefully the result will turn out fantastic. I know that casseroles aren't exactly "gourmet" but I love a simple, hearty meal that's easy to make and tastes good. As soon as my husband found out that mayo was NOT on the ingredient list for this dish, he gave it his approval for a test-run.

The Ingredients:

• 1 (6 oz.) box chicken stuffing mix
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1/4 cup milk
• 4 cups cubed, cooked chicken
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/2 lb. deli ham, sliced into 1" strips
• 2 cups shredded Swiss cheese, divided

The Instructions:

Prepare the stuffing mix as directed and set aside. Combine the soup and the milk in a small bowl and set aside. Place the chicken in a greased 9x13" baking dish and sprinkle with the pepper. Layer the chopped ham strips onto the chicken, then sprinkle with 1 1/2 cups of the swiss cheese. Pour the soup mixture over the cheese layer and then top with the stuffing. Sprinkle with remaining cheese, then cover and bake 30 minutes in a 350*F oven. Uncover and bake 15 minutes more until cheese is melty. I like to bake for 25 minutes until the cheese is a little crispy crunchy, but that's just me. Serve with your favorite side dish.

The Result:

It turned out great! The first time I made it I followed the Taste of Home recipe exactly (which called for a mixture of swiss and cheddar cheeses), but decided that using all swiss cheese would taste better to me, so I changed the recipe to suit my taste. The dish set up well in the oven, didn't take long to make, can be prepared the night before, and is definitely going into my "main rotation" of week-day dinners.

The Reviews:

Let me see..... so far I've fed this dish to a number of people and they all seemed to really like it. My husband is thrilled with it, Friend Mark thought it was tasty, and I've received compliments from everyone else as well :) I'm very pleased. This recipe is definitely a winner!