thai chicken and rice

this is based on a recipe i found on the website 365 days of slow cooking. i'm not sure how authentic it is to thai food, but it turned out pretty tasty and my family likes it a lot. you can find the original recipe here.

serves 6

1 1/2 lb chicken cut in bite-sized pieces
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup carrots, cut in short strips
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2" piece of fresh ginger, finely grated
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or to taste)
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 red bell pepper, cut in short strips
1/2 can of coconut milk*
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup cornstarch

hot cooked rice
3/4 cup peanuts or cashews, chopped (i prefer cashews)
1 1/2 cups broccoli florets
3/4 cup cilantro, chopped (i leave it out)

place the first 7 ingredients into a slow cooker. cook on low for 3 hours. mix cornstarch and lime juice. turn slow cooker to high. stir in peanut butter, cornstarch/lime slurry, coconut milk, and red bell pepper strips. cover and cook 45 minutes to 1 hour or until sauce is thickened and chicken is cooked through. place broccoli and 1/4 cup water in a microwave safe bowl. cover with plastic wrap and cook in the microwave for 1 1/2 minutes or until crisp-tender. drain the broccoli. serve the chicken and sauce over rice, add steamed broccoli to each serving, and sprinkle with nuts and cilantro.

*check out this recipe to see what to do with the leftover coconut milk.

pumpkin bread

i know pumpkin bread is made a lot around christmas time, but my little boy and i couldn't wait that long.

see, he's totally eyeing the bread while planning his next move.

i found this recipe on allrecipes.com, it makes 3 loaves or 6 mini loaves. i only have 4 small loaf pans so i use those plus a regular sized loaf pan. the original recipe can be found here as i made some minor adjustments.

pumpkin bread
adapted from allrecipes.com

• 3 cups canned pumpkin puree
• 1 cup applesauce
  
• 1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 3 cups white sugar
• 6 eggs
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoons ground nutmeg
• 3/4 teaspoons ground cloves
• 6 ounces dark chocolate chips
  

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 9x5 inch loaf pans.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the pumpkin, oil, sugar, and eggs. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and chocolate chips; stir into the pumpkin mixture until well blended. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour. The top of the loaf should spring back when lightly pressed.

spring pasta

i got this recipe from a local cooking class many, many years ago. it tasted so delicious then, but i never got around to making it until today. the recipe says it serves 8 -- that would be as a main dish, 12-15 as a side dish. today i used spaghetti, a few pinches of dried thyme, and a diced roma tomato because that's what i had on hand. i think i'll cook up some chicken breasts and serve this for dinner.

ingredients:

1 pound linguini pasta

sauce:
juice of one lemon
2 tablespoons white wine
1/3 cup olive oil
1 stick of butter
2 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 sprig fresh thyme
2 teaspoons cavender's greek seasoning (found in the spice aisle at any grocery store)

1 bunch fresh asparagus (1-1/2 lb.)
1/2 lb. grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 lb. mushrooms, sliced
1/2 bunch of green onions, finely chopped
1 can olives, coarsely chopped
1 cup grated parmesan cheese

cut woody ends off asparagus. boil asparagus for 5 minutes then run them under cold water. cut into 1" pieces. sauté the mushrooms in a tablespoon or two of butter until golden brown, set aside. prepare sauce in a food processor, all ingredients except butter. transfer sauce to a small pan, add butter and heat until the butter melts, but do not boil. meanwhile, cook linguini according to package directions, drain. add all vegetables and 1/2 cup parmesan cheese to the pasta. pour warm sauce over pasta and vegetables, toss. sprinkle remaining cheese on top and serve immediately.

*jessica's note* i love this pasta dish, but am not a big fan of raw garlic. so the next time i make this recipe, i will either sauté the garlic with the mushrooms, or use roasted garlic. see how to roast garlic here.

breakfast burritos

we have a hard time with leftovers at our house. no one wants to eat them, but i feel bad when food goes to waste. the other night i made some tasty street chicken tacos. we had quite a bit of
tortillas, rice and beans left over so i had to come up with a good use for them. these breakfast burritos are quite delish and are a great way to start the day out with some protein. i may just keep rice and beans in the fridge from now on.

breakfast burritos
-serves 1

2 - 5-6" corn tortillas
1 egg, scrambled
4 tablespoons cooked black beans
4 tablespoons cooked rice
2 tablespoons salsa
2 tablespoons sour cream or plain yogurt

warm the tortillas on both sides in a hot, dry pan. warm up the rice and beans for a few seconds in the microwave. divide the egg, beans, rice, salsa, and sour cream evenly between the two tortillas. roll them up (if you can) and enjoy.

gyoza

gyoza is a japanese version of the chinese pot sticker. i made this recipe for new year's eve and it was a big hit. and my sister who lived in japan said they tasted pretty authentic. they are quite time consuming to make, but if you can get a few people to help fill the wrappers, it should take no time at all. i got the recipe from this food blog: wasabi bratwurst. so if gyoza sounds like something you want to make, check out that site because it has pictures of what they should look like.

This recipe will make just over 50 gyoza, adjust as necessary. I would recommend freezing a batch to enjoy at a later date.

6 cups minced napa cabbage leaves, shredded
1 1/2 teaspoon table salt (no kosher as it is too coarse)
1 1/2 lbs ground pork
3/4 cup of garlic chives, minced. If not accessible, white and green parts of scallions can be used for substitute.
1/4 teaspoons white pepper
2 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons grated ginger*
2 tablespoon grated fresh ginger* (No substitution with the dried stuff, please!)
3 large cloves of garlic, minced or pressed through garlic press
3 egg whites, lightly beaten
1 package of gyoza wrapping skins
vegetable oil and water for cooking
* (not sure if that was a typo adding ginger twice, so i just used 2 tablespoons ginger and called it good.)

Gyoza Dipping Sauce

1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoon rice vinegar
chili oil to taste (sesame oil and hot sauce can be used as substitute)
Dash of white pepper
Minced scallions - green parts only

Combine all ingredients in bowl, sauce can be refrigerated overnight.

the Procedure

1. Toss cabbage and salt in colander and place inside a medium bowl - the salt will help to draw out the extra moisture in the cabbage. After about 20 minutes the cabbage will begin to wilt, at which time you will want remove the excess water. You can use a rubber spatula and press the cabbage along the sides of the bowl, however, I find squeezing the cabbage in my hands with a towel is much more effective. If you used your hands be sure to toss cabbage to separate and fluff the combine with other filling ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold (minimum of 30 minutes, no more than 24 hours).
2. Now for the fun part…Wrapping Things Up! When working with the wrappers you want to be sure to keep them from drying out, the best way to do this is to keep them covered with a damp cloth until they are ready for use. Remove one wrapper from under the cloth and begin…
* Place the gyoza wrapper in your palm and place a small spoonful of filling in the center. Use enough of the mixture to fill out the wrapper completely without overstuffing it. Be sure to keep the edges clean giving you room to enclose the filling with the wrapper. It may take a couple to get it just right; just remember practice makes perfect.
* Place your index finger of your opposite hand into the water and use it to wet the edges of the gyoza skin (no need to wet the edges all the way around, just the top half). If you have any filling that is approaching the edges at this point, you have too much filling. Remove the excess and reposition the remaining filling in the center of the wrapper with your fingers.
* Fold the bottom half of the wrapper to meet the top half that you moistened in the previous step. I work from one edge of the skin to the other, making pleats by crimping the bottom half of the wrapper to meet the top half. I follow each pleat with my index finger to keep the sides from sticking before I am ready to bring them together. I also use that same finger to keep the filling from escaping. Continue making pleats until the filling is completely encased, you should have about 5-6 pleats total. The gyoza should naturally curve as you’re working.
* Place the wrapper gyoza on a baking sheet to flatten the bottom of the dumpling. At this point you can also press down on the pleats to ensure a tight seal while eliminating any air bubbles.
* If you are not eating right away, freeze gyoza in a single layer on a baking sheet. Once fully frozen, place into freezer bags.

If you are like me and cannot resist, move on to the cooking phase…
3. Grease bottom of a 12-inch nonstick skillet with vegetable oil using a paper towel to spread to all edges of the pan. Add gyoza to the skillet, laying them flat and being sure not to crowd. Place skillet over medium-high heat and cook for 4-5 minutes WITHOUT moving. You want the bottoms to become golden brown. At this point add a couple of shots of water (just enough to cover the bottom of the skillet) and cover with a tight fitting lid. The intention is to steam the dumplings - you do NOT need a lot of water. Cook for another 4-5 minutes. You will undoubtedly have to cook and eat in batches. Serve with Scallion Dipping Sauce and eat while hot!

eggnog shakes -- just like hogi yogi

this recipe was created out of necessity. i absolutely love the eggnog shakes hogi yogi makes around the holidays, but the location near me went out of business. plus they were kind of expensive, so this was what i came up with. only 2 ingredients! (and i'm sure this version is much more figure friendly.)

1 serving

1 cup eggnog
1+ cup ice

mix the eggnog and ice in a blender until smooth, adding additional ice cubes until desired thickness is reached. serve immediately.

cauliflower soup

i serve this spicy soup with bread sticks and a green salad for dinner during the winter months.

1 head of cauliflower cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
3 cups low sodium chicken stock or broth
1 cup water
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
2 cups milk
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese*
1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese*
salt and pepper to taste

in a large saucepan, add the cauliflower, chicken stock, and water. cover and bring to a boil. turn the heat to medium-low and simmer for 12-15 minutes, or until tender. remove from heat and allow to cool. ladle the cooked cauliflower into a blender and add some of the chicken stock. puree until smooth. (this can be done in two batches and you will probably use most, if not all of the chicken stock.) pour the puree into a bowl and set aside.

in the empty saucepan, melt the butter. stir in the garlic and flour. whisk in the milk gradually so no lumps form. over medium heat, bring the milk to a slow boil, stirring constantly until it thickens. continue to boil for 2 minutes more. turn the heat to low. add the cauliflower puree, shredded cheddar and pepper jack cheese one handful at a time, stirring each addition until it melts into the soup. season with salt and pepper. serves 5-6.

*do not use pre-shredded cheese; it won't melt.

Make-Ahead Dinner Rolls

from America's Test Kitchen

To ensure the softest, most tender rolls, avoid flouring the work surface during hand kneading; if necessary, flour your hands instead. The flour that you use to dust the work surface during shaping stays on the surface of the dough and is meant to give the rolls a soft, delicate look. The dough is best made in a standing mixer; there is too large a quantity of soft dough for a food processor, and it is difficult to make by hand.

Makes about 2 dozen triangular rolls

1 1/4 cups whole milk
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 package rapid-rise yeast
1 large egg, beaten lightly
3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus extra for work surface and dusting rolls
1 1/2 teaspoons table salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), cut into 8 pieces and softened

1. Adjust oven rack to low position and heat oven to 200 degrees. Once oven reaches 200 degrees, maintain oven temperature 10 minutes, then turn off oven heat.

2. Microwave milk and sugar in microwave-safe measuring cup or bowl at full power until warm (about 95 degrees). (Alternatively, heat milk and sugar in small saucepan over medium heat until warm; remove from heat.) Whisk to dissolve sugar. Sprinkle yeast over surface of liquid, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside for 10 minutes to soften yeast. Whisk egg into milk mixture, dissolving yeast.

3. Combine flour and salt in bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment; mix on lowest speed to blend, about 15 seconds. With mixer running, add milk mixture in steady stream; mix on low speed until flour is just moistened, about 1 minute. With mixer running, add butter one piece at a time; increase speed to medium and beat until combined and dough is scrappy, about 2 minutes. Replace paddle with dough hook and knead dough until smooth but still sticky, about 4 minutes. Scrape dough out onto work surface. Knead by hand until very smooth and soft but no longer sticky, about 1 minute; do not add more flour. Transfer dough to large bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and place in warm oven until dough doubles in bulk, about 45 minutes.

4. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Punch down dough, replace plastic wrap, and let dough rest 5 minutes. Turn dough onto lightly floured work surface and follow steps 1 through 8 (below) to shape and cut into triangles. Transfer rolls to baking sheets, then cover each with clean kitchen towels and let rise until almost doubled in bulk, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove towels and (without pressing on the rolls) wrap baking sheets tightly with greased plastic wrap. Freeze rolls until solid, about 6 hours; transfer to large zipper-lock bag and freeze for up to 1 month.

5. When ready to bake rolls, adjust oven racks to upper- and lower-middle positions; heat oven to 375 degrees. Place frozen rolls on 2 parchment-lined rimmed baking sheets; let stand at room temperature for 30 to 45 minutes. Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes, rotating baking sheets front to back and switching positions from top to bottom halfway through baking time. Transfer rolls immediately to wire rack; cool 5 minutes and serve.

STEP BY STEP: Forming the Rolls

1. Lightly flour work surface, and pat dough into 9-inch square. Fold dough into thirds, folding upper 3 inches down and lower 3 inches up. Pinch together edges to seal.

2. Using the side of your outstretched hand, firmly press an indentation along the length of the dough.

3. Fold and roll upper sealed edge of dough toward center indentation, pressing firmly with your fingertips to seal.

4. Pull the upper edges of the dough down over the thick portion to meet the seam, pressing with your fingertips to seal. Repeat 5 or 6 times. The dough will lengthen and form a taut, narrow cylinder about 17 inches long.

5. Dust with flour, then roll the dough seam-side up and pinch firmly to seal.

6. Press an indentation into the length of the dough along the seam with the side of your open hand. Repeat steps 4 and 5 to form a long, taut cylinder.

7. Gently stretch and roll the dough cylinder until it measures 36 inches long and about 21⁄2 inches wide.

8. Holding the bench scraper at a 45-degree angle to the cylinder, lop off one end. Cut triangular-shaped rolls along dough, alternating the scraper 45-degrees to right and left. You should get 24 rolls.

street chicken tacos

from good things utah

okay, so the online directions are pretty bad. they don't give much detail, so i am going to explain what i do. if you used the giant chicken breasts (like from costco) the full recipe can serve up to 12 people.

4-6 boneless chicken breasts – trimmed
1 large can green enchilada sauce, bigger than the one in the picture
2 cans el pato (found at the grocery store by the enchilada sauce)
1⁄2 cup cilantro (or desired amount for garnish)
1 sweet onion – diced
1 1⁄2 cup brown sugar
corn or flour tortillas ( i like the 6 inch corn tortillas)
cheese
shredded lettuce, optional
sour cream, optional

simmer chicken for 30 min. (i actually put the chicken breasts in a crock pot, fill with water and cook on low for 4-5 hours or until it is cooked through and falls apart. drain the water.) shred the chicken. combine the green chili sauce, el pato, onion, and brown sugar in the crock pot and get it warming up. place shredded chicken in the sauce and cook on low heat for 3-4 hours.

rice *this makes a ton so you might want to cut it in half or fourths unless you are making it for a crowd*

2 cups white or wheat rice
4 cups water (i use chicken broth)
1⁄2 onion diced
4 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
season salt (i like to use 1 teaspoon ground cumin and a few shakes of the season salt)

combine rice, butter, onion and garlic and sauté on med heat till onions have softened. add the water (or broth) with the spices, and allow the rice to come to a boil. simmer on low until all liquid is absorbed. mix the black beans in with the rice.

how i assemble the tacos:

heat a nonstick skillet on medium high heat. put a few tortillas in the pan and heat for 30-60 seconds on each side to soften them. on the warmed tortillas, spoon some of the chicken, rice and beans, cheese, lettuce, and sour cream. fold in half if using the 6", or do the burrito wrap if using a large tortilla.

peach bread

from allrecipes.com

3 eggs
2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups diced canned peaches, drained
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
*i also add 1 teaspoon almond extract and 1 teaspoon nutmeg

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch loaf pans.
2. In a large bowl, beat the eggs lightly. Blend in the sugar, oil, and vanilla. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; mix just to combine. Stir in the peaches and nuts. Pour batter into prepared pans.
3. Bake for about 1 hour, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.