Monday, October 12, 2009

Sweet and Sour Chicken

This was always a favorite in my house growing up. My mom made it when we were young, and eventually found an easier recipe that just didn't taste as good. My brother's, sister's and my favorite is now back!

What you'll need:
4 pieces boneless chicken breast (fresh or frozen will both work)
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 chopped onion
3 Tbsp ketchup
3 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp cornstarch

1. In a large frying pan, over medium heat, saute chopped onion, in oil, until soft.
2. In a small bowl combine ketchup, sugar, soy sauce, lemon juice, and black pepper. Add this mixture to the onion in the skillet.
3. Add the chicken to the pan. Bring the mixture to a boil, cover, and simmer for 25 to 35 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked.
4. Remove the chicken from the pan and put on serving platter.
5. Dissolve cornstarch with 2 Tbsp water, and add to pan with sauce.
6. Bring the sauce to a boil, stirring constantly, until thickened.
7. Slice chicken into strips.
8. Pour sauce over chicken and serve warm.

Cream Porter Chili

This recipe was adapted from the chili recipe that can be found previously in this blog. We wanted to try making it with a porter beer that our local brewery makes.

What you'll need:
2 pounds ground beef or turkey
1 small green pepper
1 small onion
2 cloves garlic
1/4 to 1/3 cup chili powder
2 cans stewed tomatoes (drained)
2 cans kidney beans (drained)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 bottle porter beer (you won't use the whole thing)

1. Chop up onions and green peppers.
2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet.
3. Fry onion, pepper, garlic, and meat until meat is cooked.
4. Pour meat/vegetable mixture into crock pot.
5. After draining tomatoes, replace drained fluid with porter.
6. Empty tomatoes and kidney beans into crock pot.
7. Pour in some extra porter. The more you use the thinner the chili will turn out..
8. Allow to simmer for a few hours.
9. Serve and enjoy.

Mulled Cider

We had a party this weekend where we served mulled cider. The cider was awesome, and we've been drinking it ever since. We made this in the crock pot. I adapted a stove-top recipe for it. The next time I make this cider I plan to remove the spices a bit earlier in the process. After 8+ hours in the cider the spice flavor was a bit too strong.

What you'll need:

8 cups cider
4 Tbsp light brown sugar or honey
22 whole cloves
11 lemon slices (I cut the lemon into eighths, so you'll need about 1-1/2 lemons)
10 cinnamon sticks
1 cup light rum

1. Put 2 cloves into each lemon slice. I make a small cut in the rind of the lemon to slide the end of the clove into.
2. Put all ingredients into the crock pot and stir.
3. Allow to cook on low heat for a few hours.
4. Once the cider is warm and all of the flavors have integrated, remove the cinnamon and lemon.
5. Serve hot. More rum can be added at the bottom of each cup before pouring the cider in. To dress up the mug serve with a cinnamon stick in it.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

This dip was delicious. Everyone who came to the party that I served this at asked for the recipe.

What you'll need:
8 ounce package of cream cheese
2 cups cooked chicken
2 Tbsp butter-melted
1/2 cup hot sauce
1/2 cup ranch dressing (you can substitute blue cheese dressing if you prefer that)
1/4-1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

1. Cover the bottom of a glass dish 9x9 or larger.
2. In a medium sized bowl combine the chicken, hot sauce, and butter and pour the mixture over the cream cheese.
3. Top with just enough ranch dressing and mozzarella cheese to cover. Be careful to not use too much cheese or it will be difficult to dip anything.
4. Cook in 350 degree oven for 20 minutes, or until cheese bubbles.
5. Remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before serving warm.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Lemon Chicken Penne















What you'll need:

1 Pound dry penne
2 Chicken cutlets
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 Tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4-1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1. Cook penne in boiling salted water until al dente.

2. Drain pasta well

3. Season chicken with salt and black pepper

4. Cook in preheated grill pan over medium-high heat until golden and completely cooked.

5. Remove chicken to plate and cut into fingers.

6. Add garlic and red pepper to pan with olive oil. Saute until aromatic.

7. Add cooked pasta and turn off heat.

8. Stir pasta and garlic, olive oil, and red pepper.

9. Pour pasta mixture into large bowl. Add in chicken and season with salt and pepper.

10. Add lemon juice and mix.

11. Top with cheese and serve.

I made this dish because I wanted to bring my husband some dinner at work. I needed to find something that could be transported easily, wasn't too complicated to eat, and would work well reheated. This worked perfectly.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Chili

What you'll need:

1 small green pepper (to taste)
1 small-medium onion (to taste)
2 cloves freshly minced garlic
2 pounds ground beef/turkey
1/4-1/3 cup chili powder
2 cans stewed tomatoes
2 cans kidney beans
2 tablespoons olive oil


1. Brown meat with olive oil, pepper, onion, and garlic.

2. Add tomatoes and chili powder and stir until well integrated.

3. Add in Kidney beans and mix gently.

4. Heat until boiling then turn down the heat and allow to simmer for at least half an hour.

5. Serve hot.

Also good in the crock pot:
After Step 1, put tomatoes and chili powder in crock pot. Stir until integrated then add kidney beans and stir gently. Cook on higher heat until boiling then turn down and simmer for at least 3 hours.

Potential garnishes:
Sour cream, tortilla chips, corn bread, hot sauce, cheddar cheese, etc.


We made this a few weekends ago when we had a few friends over. A friend had bought some habanero chili and corn bread, but I'm not a fan of the spicier foods, so I wanted to make something milder for myself. Another one of our friends doesn't eat red meat so I made this chili with ground turkey for the first time. It was awesome!

Friday, July 3, 2009

Cheddar Chive Burgers















This is a fun spin on an American classic

What you'll need:
1 pound ground beef
4 ounces cheddar cheese
Chives
Bar-B-Que sauce
Hamburger buns

1. Cut the cheese into very small cubes/strips

2. Cut the chives, to taste (I use 2-3 shoots), into small slices.

3. Mix the ground beef, cheese, and chives until thoroughly integrated.

4. Divide the mixture into four parts.

5. Form the mixture into thick patties.

6. Cook the hamburgers. I prefer them on the grill, but they are really good pan-cooked as well.

7. Put the hamburgers onto a bun and add a bit of Bar-B-Que sauce.

8. Eat and enjoy.