Chicken Fried Rice {Gasp!}

Yes, that’s right. This white girl made Chinese food for the first time ever. And, let me tell you… it was unbelievably amazing! Plus, the kids are on a roll. They loved this one too! Husband said it was great. Like eating at a Chinese restaurant if ya ask me.


Totally took the pic after I was already eating it. It’s SO good!

So make some!

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked rice**
• 2 cups of chicken {I used my leftover rotisserie chicken from yesterday’s recipe. Easy peezy lemon squeezy}
• 2 Tbs sesame oil
• 1 small white onion, chopped
• ½ frozen peas and carrots, thawed {I used a can of mixed veggies because that’s how I roll}
• 2-3 Tablespoons soy sauce (more or less to taste)
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 Tbsp chopped green onions (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat a large skillet or wok to medium heat. Pour sesame oil in the bottom. Add white onion and peas and carrots {or 3/4 of the can if you’re lazy like me} and fry until tender.
2. Slide the onion and veggies to the side, and pour the beaten eggs onto the other side. Using a spatula, scramble the eggs. Once cooked, mix the eggs with the vegetable mix.
3. Add the rice to the veggie and egg mixture. Pour the soy sauce on top. Stir and fry the rice and veggie mixture until heated through and combined. Add chopped green onions if desired.
   
   **Side note: this works better with not-freshly-cooked rice. But, I used freshly cooked rice because I don’t have time to wait! It was still perfect!
   
   Enjoy loves!

You Asked and You Shall Receive

My kids have become increasingly picky. And I’ve cooked less and less because of it. BUT I'm back at it because I was craving enchiladas and just went on a roll with recipes from there!

Kid Friendly Chicken Enchiladas



Ingredients

• 1 Rotisserie chicken shredded or cut up (about 2.5 cups shredded chicken, I saved the rest for tomorrow’s dinner)
• 8 oz sour cream
• 1/4 cup milk (I used whipping cream instead just because)
• 1 can of mild, red enchilada sauce
• 1 Tbsp cilantro
• 1 can of diced tomatoes
• 1 cup onion, diced (I sautéed these before so they would be hidden from the kids)
• 8  flour tortillas
• 1/2 cup Mexican shredded cheese

                                                                              Instructions

1. In a saucepan, mix together sour cream, enchilada sauce, milk (or cream) and cilantro. Heat through and set aside. (This will boil quickly and make a huge hot mess if you don't keep stirring. I learned the hard way.)
2. Combine the chicken, tomatoes, and onions in a mixing bowl. (Or now you would sauté your onions if you want them soft and sneaky :) )
3. Fill each tortilla with about 3 Tbsps. of the chicken mixture.
4. Roll the tortilla up and place seam side down ( or they will unravel ) in an 8x11 dish ( or whatever you have ) sprayed with cooking spray
   (side note…  I like rubbing my pans down with butter. We never have spray. Ever.)
5. Pour/spread the sour cream sauce over enchiladas and top with cheese. ( One more side note, I like to cover all the tortillas, including the ends especially,  with sauce. Because if you don’t, they come out majorly crunchy and I hate that )
6. Bake at 350°F for 25-30 minutes until bubbly and cheese is melted.
   
   Yuuuum! Seriously so good. So so good.

The Best Chicken Spaghetti Ever!

Hi friends! I took a way-too-long break from cooking or posting my recipes! It’s sad. Mr. Spouse is probably more sad than anyone. Poor guy. I promised to him tonight that I would start cooking dinner again. I also promised my friends I’d start posting recipes again. So here’s to you guys!

So, there’s a lot of “stuff” in this spaghetti, BUT it’s super easy to make. So don’t fret when you see the ingredient list :)

Chicken Spaghetti

Ingredients:
1 "Cut Up Fryer" (Basically, one lovely rotisserie chicken that someone else cooked for you. Makes mama’s life much better. Don’t you agree?)
Thin or regular Spaghetti (1-2 Cups)
1 can chicken broth (You’ll only use half the can)
2 Cans of Cream of Mushroom soup (You can use one can cream of mushroom and one can cream of chicken, if you’d like.)
1 onion chopped very finely (so the children can’t find them-mine don’t like onions)
1 green pepper (I don’t use the whole thing. I chop it up in little pieces and spread it all around so the kids can’t find them)
3 cups cheddar cheese
Lawry’s Seasoned Salt (about 2 teaspoons)
salt, pepper.

This is basic stuff, folks!

1. Boil a pot of water and the broth to a boil. When it’s boiling, break the spaghetti into 2-inch pieces until you have around 2 1/2 to 3 cups and let it cook according to the directions on the package.

2. I buy my rotisserie chicken the day I know I’ll make this and let it cool on the counter. It’s painful to tear up a hot chicken! So wash your hands, and start pulling chunks off the chicken. Maybe use a knife to cut them into smaller pieces if you’d like.

(Tip: You can use any cut of chicken you like. I like the whole chicken because it gives you a mixture of dark and light meat. If you’d like to do just breasts, that would work just fine! Also, if you are using a rotisserie instead of your own cooked chicken, be sure to add the canned chicken broth to the water before you boil the spaghetti. (I only use half of the can because it’d make the dish too salty.)

3. Cut up the veggies however you’d like.

4. Now, add all the ingredients into a mixing bowl. Since I don’t like dirtying up extra dishes, I mix mine all in the casserole dish and skip the bowl. It’s up to you! Add the spaghetti (drained), cut-up chicken, 2 cans of soup,  veggies, 2 cups of cheese, and your spices and mix it all together.

5. Bake it at 375 for 30 minutes. The last five minutes, spread the remaining cup of cheese and let it melt.



Yum!
Husband and kid approved!

Take it Easy

CROCK POT BAJA PORK TACOS

recipe from Chef in Training

1 {3lb} Boneless pork tenderloin

5 {4oz} cans chopped green chiles

2 tbsp. taco seasoning, reduced sodium

1 tbsp. ground cumin

flour or corn tortillas

Optional toppings

lettuce

cheese

pico de gallo

avocado

Directions:

Cut the tenderloin in half and place in crock pot. In a small bowl, mix together chiles, taco seasoning, and cumin. Pour mixture over pork, cover, and cook on low for 8-10 hours or until pork is tender and easily falls apart. When it’s about ready, shred pork with a couple of forks. I didn’t remove the pork from the crock pot to shred it. I was able to shred it while it was still cooking. Ohmiword…it was SO tender!!!!!

Place a generous heaping of pork down the middle of your tortilla. Then, I load up on sour cream and cheese. Husband likes to add pico and gauc or avocados. I’m a simple girl myself.

The best part about this recipe was that it was ready when we got home from my pain injections. Good for husband because I was OUT. So good, y’all! And they were even better the next day!!!!

Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Chicken Breasts

I didn’t really have anything planned this night, so I pulled what I had out of the refrigerator and it turned out to be really good!!


Ingredients:

4 skinless boneless chicken breasts (halves)
salt
pepper
Mrs. Dash Tomato Basil Seasoning
15 oz. ricotta cheese
10 oz. spinach (frozen chopped, thawed and drained)
1 clove garlic cloves (minced)
2 beaten eggs
8 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese (divided)
16 oz. spaghetti sauce

Directions:

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees  (175 degrees C).
-Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper to taste. Slit open on the side for stuffing; set aside.
-In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, spinach, garlic, tomato basil seasoning, eggs and 3/4 of the cheese. Mix well and stuff each breast with 1/4 of the mixture; secure with toothpicks and place stuffed breasts in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Pour sauce over all and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
-Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 45 to 60 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear.

Lemon-Scented Carbonara

Definitely was so hungry the night I made this that I totally forgot to take a picture! But, my brother, husband and I thought it was very good!

Ingredients:

• Salt and coarse black pepper
• 1 lb. egg tagliatelle pasta
• 3 tbsp. EVOO
• 1/3 lb. pancetta, finely chopped
• 1 bunch thin scallions, finely chopped whites and greens separated
• 1 small fresno chile pepper, seeded and finely chopped (optional)
• 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 large ripe organic lemon
• About 1 tbsp. chopped fresh thyme
• 3/4–1 cup dry white wine
• 3 large organic egg yolks
• A handful flat-leaf parsley, very finely chopped
• A couple of handfuls freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
• A couple of handfuls freshly grated pecorino-romano cheese
• Shredded basil and diced yellow tomato, for garnish

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain, reserving about 3/4 cup of the pasta cooking water. While the pasta is working, in a large skillet, heat the EVOO, 3 turns of the pan, over medium heat. Add the pancetta, season with 1 tsp. black pepper and cook until lightly browned. Stir in the scallion whites, chile pepper (if using) and garlic. Zest the lemon over the pan, stir in the thyme and cook for 3 minutes. Add the wine and cook until reduced by half, 1 to 2 minutes. Turn the heat to low.

2. In a medium bowl, beat the reserved pasta cooking water with the egg yolks to temper them. Add the juice of the lemon, the parsley and scallion greens to the skillet.

3. Add the pasta to the skillet, turn off the heat and pour in the tempered eggs. Sprinkle in a small handful of each of the cheeses and toss vigorously for 1 minute until the sauce coats the pasta and is thick and shiny. Serve in shallow bowls with a little extra cheese, the basil and tomato on top.

Mediterranean Chicken Salad Pitas

This recipe is seriously amazing. I could eat these everyday and never get tired of them! Husband said they are so good he would order them from a restaurant!! :)

 
Ingredients:

• 4 pocketless pitas
• 3 cups Pulled Chicken
• 1 cup chopped Roasted Peppers, chopped
• 1 large tomato, seeded and diced
• 1 cucumber—peeled, seeded and diced
• 1/4 cup minced red onion
• 2 tbsp. EVOO
• 1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
• Salt and pepper
• 4 romaine lettuce leaves

Directions:

1. Place pitas in stack in 350° oven to warm. In large bowl, combine chicken, peppers, tomato, cucumber, onion, EVOO, vinegar and 1/2 tsp. each salt and pepper. Toss well. Top each pita with a lettuce leaf, fill with chicken salad and fold to enclose.
   
   ** Instead of preparing the veggies as stated above, I mixed them all together and made a salsa out of it because I like my veggies non-crunchy like. Let me tell you, it was the BEST salsa I have ever had!!!!**

New and Improved Recipe!

I changed up my chicken parmesan recipe a little bit and it’s so much better than my last one, so I had to share!!


{ I cut one end off for Noah before I snapped a picture :) }

Ingredients:

1 lb. chicken breasts {I used tenderloins because we like them better}
2/3 cup dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/3 cup parmesan, asiago and Romano cheese {shredded}
2/3 cup mozzarella cheese
1 tsp. oregano
1tsp. parsley
1 egg beaten
1 jar spaghetti sauce

Directions:

-Mix all dry ingredients together in a medium bowl. Beat one egg into small bowl.

-Dip chicken in dry mixture first, then into egg mixture, and back into the dry ingredients. This makes a crispy shell on the outside of the chicken once it’s baked and it’s so yummy!

- Place on foiled baking sheet and top with mozzarella cheese.

- Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.

-

King Ranch Chicken

Ingredients:

3-4 chicken breasts, cooked & cubed {or shredded}
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can Rotel
1-2 cups cheddar cheese
1 small pkg flour tortillas 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.  Tear tortillas into small pieces and line the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish.

Mix together soups, Rotel, & chicken and evenly pour on top of tortillas.

Top with cheese and bake for 30 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.

Hot Chicken Salad

Darn good for dinner AND {an added bonus} lunches!!

Ingredients:

2 cups chicken breast meat, cubed {I used rotisserie chicken, shredded & chopped, because it’s easier!!!
1 cup diced celery
1/2 tsp. Cajun seasoning {I used Tony Chachere’s.  The original recipe called for 1/2 tsp. of salt, but I substituted this instead}1/2 tsp. pepper
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 cup mayonnaise
pita pockets
1 cup shredded cheese {I used a colby & monterrey jack blend…and I probably used something a little closer to a cup & a half}
Potato Chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 & spray an 8x8 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray {PAM}.  Meanwhile, cut your celery & shred/cube your chicken.  Add both to a mixing bowl.

Toss in the mayonnaise, Cajun seasoning, pepper, cheese, and lemon juice.

Mix well until evenly coated.  Transfer mixture to an 8x8 baking dish.

Top with crushed potato chips.  The original recipe calls for 2/3 cup of crushed chips, but you can use more/less depending on your preference.  Pretty sure we use more!

Bake for 20 minutes, or until bubbly.  Remove from oven & serve HOT!  We put ours inside pita pockets and they were seriously TO-DIE-FOR!

Cajun Chicken Pasta

So yum!

Ingredients:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 tsp. cajun seasoning {I used Tony Chachere's}
4 tbsp. butter
3 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 tsp. lemon pepper seasoning
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. garlic powder {garlic salt would be good here, too!}
1 pkg. penne pasta
Roma tomatoes, chopped
Shredded parmesan cheese
Green onions {optional}

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Slightly moisten chicken with water and place in a large Ziploc baggie.  Add Cajun seasoning, seal baggie, and shake it up.  You want to get the chicken nice and coated with all the Cajun seasoning.

In a large skillet, sauté chicken in 2 tablespoons of butter, turning when necessary.  I probably cooked mine for about 10-15 minutes.

While chicken is cooking, grab another pot and combine cream with 2 tablespoons of butter and remaining seasonings {salt, pepper, garlic powder, lemon pepper}.

When the cream mixture starts to bubble, turn off heat and pour over cooked pasta.  Toss to coat evenly.  When the chicken is all cooked, remove from heat and transfer to cutting board.  Slice chicken into strips.

Spoon pasta onto plate & top with several strips of chicken.  Top with tomatoes, green onions, and sprinkle with parmesan.

New Recipes!

I’ve been SO busy lately with such random things and haven’t had time for blogging! I have however, had time for cooking some yummy meals! So, I’m going to catch up and send everything I’ve made lately your way…. Starting with this one below:

LOADED CHICKEN & POTATO SKILLET

3 medium potatoes, peeled & cubed
4-6 strips of bacon, cooked & crumbled
2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 cups Monterrey jack cheese, shredded

Optional:
sour cream
green onions
salt & pepper
Cajun seasoning

Cook bacon…. While bacon cooks, peel and cube potatoes. Boil on stovetop and remove from heat when cooked {soft & mushy}. 

In a large skillet, cook chicken until brown on both sides and no more pink inside.  Remove from heat & cut into cubes.  In the same skillet, heat olive oil and add onions & peppers.  Mmmmm...smells heavenly right about now.

Add potatoes to the pepper/onion mix and cook for another 3-5 minutes. Add Cajun seasoning if preferred

Add chicken, bacon, and cheese. Cover the skillet with a lid and remove when cheese is melted. Season with salt and pepper...serve & ENJOY {because you will!!!} I topped mine off with some sour cream and green onions and I might as well have been in heaven.

Chicken Capri Pasta

This recipe was very simple and easy to make. Quick too!

Ingredients:

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts {cut into strips}
1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
1 bag {or 2 cups} frozen broccoli florets
1 tub  (10 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Savory Garlic Cooking Crème
Angel hair pasta
1/4 cups shredded parmesan cheese

Directions:

Boil pasta according to package directions.  Meanwhile, cut chicken & pepper into strips.  Combine chicken & peppers in a large nonstick skillet and cook on medium heat for 5-7 minutes or until chicken is cooked.

Stir in broccoli and cook for about 2-3 minutes or until heated through.  Now pour in the tub of cooking crème and cook for about 2-3 minutes or until heated through.  Don’t expect a runny sauce outta this recipe. If you’re looking for something more saucy, I’d probably add another 1/2 tub of cooking crème.

CHICKEN-CHILI CRESCENT BAKE

Seriously, in LOVE with this recipe. It’s so easy and really, really good!

Ingredients:

Rotisserie chicken, shredded
1 can Bush’s Grillin’ Beans {Fiesta Black Beans}
1 can Rotel {we used HOT!}
2 tbsp. taco seasoning
1-2 cups shredded cheese {we used monterrey jack & colby}
1 can crescent seamless dough sheets

Directions:

Mix together chicken, beans, Rotel, and taco seasoning in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook for about 5 minutes or until heated through.

Transfer mixture to a 9x13 baking dish. Cover with cheese and top with the crescent seamless dough sheet.

Cook at 375 for about 18-25 minutes or until crescent topping is golden brown. Remove from oven and cool for about 10 minutes.

Chicken Swiss Bundles

Ingredients:

1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 1/2 tsp. butter
1 garlic clove, minced
2 chicken breasts, cooked & cubed
1/2 cup sweet roasted red pepper, chopped
1 tbsp. honey mustard {dressing}
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. Italian seasoning
2 cups shredded swiss cheese
12 frozen bread dough dinner rolls, thawed
2 tbsp. butter, melted

Here are the rolls you’ll need. I got them at Wal-Mart. The bag says it’ll take a few hours to thaw out, but it only takes about 30 minutes.

Press each roll into a 5 inch circle on a greased baking sheet. I didn’t measure, so I’m not sure how accurate I was, but whatever I did managed to do the trick :)

In a large skillet, saute onion & mushrooms in 1 1/2 tsp. of butter until tender. Then toss in the garlic and saute for a minute longer.

Add chicken, peppers, mustard, and dry seasonings. Stir to mix well and heat through. Remove from heat and stir in the cheese.

Place the chicken mix in the center of the dough circles. No exact measurement for this, but not TOO much. Make sure you leave room around the edges!!

Now take the remaining dough circles, place on top of the chicken mix, and press the edges with a fork to seal. Then brush the tops of each bundle with melted butter.

Bake at 350 for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown.

Enjoy!!

Slow Cooker Jambalaya

Ingredients:

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1/2 lb. andouille sausage, diced
1 {28 oz.} can diced tomatoes
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded & chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 cup chicken broth
2 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. cajun or creole seasoning {I use either Tony Chachere’s or
1 tsp. hot sauce {I use Tobasco}
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 lb. frozen shrimp, peeled & thawed
2 cups cooked rice {I used 2 boil in a bags!!}

Directions:

In a crock pot, combine chicken, sausage, tomatoes, onion, green pepper, celery, & chicken broth. Stir in oregano, cajun seasoning, hot sauce, bay leaves, & thyme. Cover & cook on low for 7 hours…or on high for 3 hours. Stir in thawed shrimp, cover, and heat until shrimp are cooked through {about 5 minutes}. Discard bay leaves and spoon mixture over rice to serve.

Pretty darn good :)

Quesadilla Casserole

Ingredients:

1 packet McCormick’s Recipe Inspiration, Quesadilla Casserole {in the spice aisle!!}
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 {8 oz.} cans tomato sauce
1 {15 oz.} can black beans, drained & rinsed
1 {8 3/4 oz.} whole kernel corn, undrained
1 {4 1/2 oz.} chopped green chiles, undrained
6 flour {or corn} tortillas
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Just incase you need a little visual of these heavenly little recipe packets, here ya go. How convenient is that?! Pre-portioned spices and a recipe on the back?! LOVE IT!

Follow instructions on the back of the spice card :) very simple!

Garlic and Soy Chicken

This was an easy chicken marinade. It turned out {of course} to have a Chinese flavor to it, but I served it with mac & cheese and green beans. Ha. It was still good!

Ingredients:

• 1/4 C soy sauce
• 1/4 C vegetable oil
• 2 T. ketchup
• 1 T. vinegar
• 4 cloves minced garlic
• 1/4 t. pepper
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Directions:
Combine all ingredients and place in plastic bag, allow to marinate for at least 4 hours. I let mine marinate for 1 hour and it had PLENTY of flavor. I baked mine at 375 for 25 minutes. You can grill it also.

Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole

This turned out to be really good! I love it because it’s a one dish recipe. Easy cleanup!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked and diced chicken breast
• 1 can cream of mushroom or celery soup
• 1/2 cup mayo
• 2 cans french style green beans
• 1 box Uncle Ben's long grain and wild rice (fast cook)
• 1 can water chestnuts

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together and pour into casserole dish. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Chicken Tetrazzini

I love any version of this recipe! One of my favorite dishes!

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 lbs of sliced fresh mushrooms
• 2 cloves of minced garlic
• salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup half and half
• 8oz cheddar cheese shredded
• 12 oz package of pasta
• 1 8oz package of frozen peas
• 4 cups cooked chicken or turkey cubed
• 1/4 cub bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup parmesan

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400

Cook noodles according to package directions. When 1 minute left stir in peas. Drain, add back to pot and add chicken or turkey.

Melt butter over medium high heat. Add salt pepper and mushrooms. Cook until liquid is mostly absorbed, about 12 minutes. Add flour, stir and cook for 1 minute. Slowly add broth and milk. Reduce heat and simmer for 3-5 minutes until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in cheddar.

Add sauce to noddle mixture. Top with bread crumbs and parmesan.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until crumbs are browned and sauce is bubbly.