Chicken Stir Fry

My son and I had this for dinner tonight and we really liked it.  I was super pleased with the way it cooked up.  It is very easy to prepare and quite tasty.  And I'll admit, I was trying to finish up laundry so instead of stir frying the veggies properly, I stirred them long enough to coat them with the sesame oil to give them the proper taste and then threw a small amount of water in the pan and put the lid on and let them steam a bit while I took care of the laundry.  Maybe it's cheating, but when you're the only one doing every bit of the housework for two humans and four animals, shortcuts become a way of life.

2 cups white rice
4 cups water
2/3 cups soy sauce (I used reduced sodium soy sauce, but either works fine.)
¼ cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch (If you don’t have cornstarch, 2 tablespoons flour will work.)
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger (If you don’t have fresh ginger, ¼ teaspoon ground ginger will work.)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, thinly sliced
2 tablespoon sesame oil, divided
1 green bell pepper, cut into matchsticks
1 can (8oz) sliced water chestnuts, drained
1 head broccoli, cut into florets (If you don’t have fresh, 3 ½ cups frozen florets will work.)
1 cup sliced carrots
1 onion, cut into large chunks

1. Prepare rice according to package directions. I like to put a bit of sesame oil in the water.

2. Combine soy sauce, brown sugar, and cornstarch in a small bowl; stir or whisk until smooth. Mix ginger, garlic, and red pepper into sauce; coat chicken with marinade and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.

3. Heat 1 tablespoon sesame oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir bell pepper, water chestnuts, broccoli, carrots, and onion until just tender, about 5 minutes. Remove vegetables from skillet and keep warm.

4. Remove chicken from marinade, reserving liquid. Heat 1 tablespoon sesame oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir chicken until slightly pink on the inside, about 2 minutes per side; return vegetables and reserved marinade to skillet. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until chicken is no longer pink in the middle and vegetables are tender, 5-7 minutes. Serve over rice.

**Try adding bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, snap peas or any other of your favorite veggies. You can also serve over noodles.**

Serves 6

Thanksgiving 2014

I've gotten several questions this year asking what we serve at Thanksgiving and asking for the recipes.  Ours is not a traditional Thanksgiving meal, but it does have a few traditional dishes.  And it's very good.  At least we think so! 

2014 Thanksgiving Menu

Chicken (As a family, we do NOT like turkey.  So as a family we decided we wanted a heavy hen for
   dinner.  My mom roasted it and it was very good, of course.)
Hog Maw (This is our preferred holiday meat.  I made this.)
Gravy (Of course my mom made this using some of the pan juices from the chicken.)
Mashed Potatoes (My son requested these and I made these.)
Green Bean Casserole (My son requested this and I made it.)
Sweet Potato Casserole (My son requested this and I made it.)
Collard Greens (I love these and so does my mom.  My son and dad do too, but not as much.  I made
   these.)
Steamed Pole Beans (My mom thought perhaps we needed a "normal" vegetable on the table.  I made
   these.)
Fried Cabbage (I had cabbage leftover from the maw so decided to fry it up.)
Cranberry Sauce (My mom requested this and I made it.)
Cole Slaw (My dad requested this and my mom made it.  Her's is perfect and I can't duplicate it.)
Deviled Eggs and Hard Boiled Eggs (I wanted the deviled eggs.  My mom made them because I can't
   duplicate her perfect deviled eggs.)
Stuffing and Dressing (My mom made this.)
Cornbread (My mom made this.)
Biscuits (My mom made these.)
Pineapple Upside Down Cake (This is my son's favorite so my mom made it.)
Homemade Pink Lemonade (My mom made this.)

And this was only for four people.  Needless to say we have a ton of leftovers.  We've eaten some of the leftovers today, but I fear I'll be eating leftovers for the rest of my life!  And then comes Christmas.  My son has already requested a ham so I'm on the quest for the perfect ham now.

In the coming days I'll post recipes for the individual dishes.  As I post the recipes I'll come back here and add a link directly to the recipe.  I won't post recipes for my mom's dishes (I don't know them).

Chili

This is a recipe I developed on my own over the last few years.  Often I put more of the seasoning in my chili than what I've listed below, but my son and I like our chili a little more flavorful than most.  So for the sake of my readers, I've toned the recipe down to accommodate the more sensitive palate.

1 lb hamburger
1 lb ground sausage
1 large red onion, diced
1 large green pepper, diced
1 (27 oz) can Bush’s Chili Beans in mild sauce
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon garlic powder or substitute minced garlic to taste (I usually use minced garlic)
3 tablespoons chili powder
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 teaspoons ground cumin

Put onion, green pepper, hamburger and sausage in large skillet and cook until meat is done and onion and green pepper are soft. Onions will be translucent. While you are cooking the meat, combine the rest of the ingredients in a Dutch oven or similarly large pot and warm over medium-low heat. When meat has finished cooking, drain well and then add to Dutch oven. Turn heat to medium-high and heat until bubbly. Turn heat back to low and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.  If you are in a hurry you can skip the simmering step and simply serve immediately, but you won't have the same flavor as when you let it simmer.

I usually serve this chili with sour cream, shredded cheese and warm cornbread.

Serves 6-8

Cheese Crusted Fish with Creamy Grits

This has been the best meal we've had all year!  I was amazed at how good this meal was, and it was such a simple recipe.

Cheese Crusted Fish

1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup egg substitute (or 2 large eggs, beaten)
2 cups crunch cheese flavored corn snacks (such as Cheetos)
Large ziptop bag
1 cup panko bread crumbs
2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 firm, white fish fillets (like tilapia or cod), 20-24 oz; thawed
2 tablespoons canola oil

1.  Place flour on plate (may be paper); places eggs in shallow bowl.  Place cheese snacks in large ziptop bag; seal tightly and crush with fingertips until ground finely.  (I cheated and used a food processor.)  Add panko, parsley, coriander, ad pepper; mix until well blended.  Place mixture in a second shallow bowl.

2.  Dip each fillet in flour (coating both sides); shake off excess.  Dip each fillet into egg (allowing excess to drip off).  Finally, dip into crumb mixture (coating both sides); press with fingertips to coat evenly.

3.  Preheat large saute pan on medium 3-4 minutes.  Place oil in pan, then add half of the fish fillets; cook 3-4 minutes on each side or until golden and crisp.  Place on paper towels to drain.  Repeat with remaining fillets; add a little more oil, if needed.

Serves 4
Calories:  440; Fat:  18g; Cholesterol:  55mg; Sodium:  430mg; Carbs:  33g; Fiber:  2g; Protein:  35g

Creamy Corn Grits

1 (14.75oz) can cream style corn
2 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup plain yellow corn meal
1/2 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

1.  Combine corn, water, butter, seasoned salt, and pepper in medium saucepan; bring to a boil on high.

2.  Add cornmeal, whisking constantly, until blended.  Reduce heat to low; cook 8-10 minutes, whisking often, or until thickened.

3.  Stir in cheese until well blended.

Serves 8
Calories:  150; Fat:  6g; Cholesterol:  15g; Sodium:  300mg; Carbs:  21g; Fiber:  2g; Protein:  4g