Yummy Chicken Stir Fry

One of my favorite things to make is chicken stir fry. Its nothing special, but tastes super yummy! You can make it with a chicken bullion base or a soy sauce base...I prefer the chicken base then putting a little soy sauce on the finished product. I generally make white or brown rice with my stir fry, but I forgot the buy some at the store and I didn't want to waste any of my basmati rice...so I did what any other domestically challenged person would do, I used Rice-A-Roni Fried Rice flavor and added 1 egg to it.

Stir Fry Ingredients

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast cut into small pieces

1-2 chicken bullion cubes

1/2 lb pea pods

1/2 lb bean sprouts

2-3 baby bok choy

1 tbsp flour

water

dash of salt and pepper (to taste)

Directions

In a large skillet (or better yet, a wok), cook the chicken (with some salt and pepper) until it is thoroughly cooked (I'm paranoid so I cook it until it starts to brown). Add about a cup of water and the pea pods. Cover and let the steam cook the pods for a couple minutes. Next, add the bean sprouts and replace the cover. Cook for another minute. Add a touch more water and the bullion cubes then mix the flour with some water and use it as a thickening agent and thicken the chicken stock. The final step is adding the bok choy. Mix everything up and serve with rice.

I've Been Tagged!!!

The rules:
Each player answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

What was I doing ten years ago?
Working a dead end job that I hated!

What are five (non-work) things on my to-do list for today?
1. Wash the towels
2. Clean the bathroom
3. Put laundry away
4. Dust the house
5. Make dinner (nothing special, chicken on the grill, rice and mixed veggies)

Five snacks I enjoy:
1. Fruit Naturals Grapefruit Cups
2. Snikers
3. Cheese cubes
4. Cookies
5. Pineapple

Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
1. Pay off debt
2. Have a kick butt house built on 200 acres of land
3. Travel the world for a year
4. Take my family on a dream vacation for at least 2 weeks
5. Go on a shopping spree (clothes, furniture, car...)

Places I’ve lived:
1. Waterford, MI
2. Hazel Park, MI
3. Southfield, MI

Jobs I’ve had:
1. Fast food manager
2. Administrative Assistant
3. Business Coordinator
4. Controller

I will be tagging:
1. Shelly - http://lovestonom.blogspot.com/
2. Steph - http://lokiskitchen.blogspot.com/
3. Lindsay - http://lovedeliciousness.blogspot.com/
4. Amy - http://amyvan317.blogspot.com/
5. Tori - http://hyperpinkmini.com/ (sorry, I know you were tagged already...but... :-) )

Taco Bake (Yummm)

I love Lindsay (Iheartkeith on theknot...love deliciousness on blogspot) for this recipe! I have made it twice now and it tastes better each time. I swear it gave me my "O" face (lol). I used regular taco seasoning the first time, but this time I used Ortega Jalapeno and Onion and it was fabulous!!! The left overs are just as amazing! This dish makes me happy!

Ingredients

1 lb. ground round (or turkey or chicken)

1 package taco seasoning

15 oz. can tomato sauce

8 oz. seashell pasta

8 oz package cream cheese (softened in microwave)
1/2 c. sour cream

8 oz. shredded sharp cheddar cheese (I like mild cheddar)

Directions

Brown ground beef, drain. Add taco seasoning and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 20 minutes.

In the meantime, cook pasta according to directions. Drain.

Mix softened cream cheese and sour cream in separate bowl.

Spray bottom of 9 x 13 pan with Pam. Put pasta in bottom of pan. Spread cream cheese mixture over pasta. (This is kind of hard to do. Just dollop spoonfuls of the mixture about an inch apart and spread the best you can.) Spoon ground beef mixture over this. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top.

Bake @350 for 30 minutes. Cool about 15 - 20 minutes before serving.

Delicious Fruit Salad

I made this fantastic fruit "salad" and fruit dip for my best friend, Jennifer's, Mehendi party on July 2. I purchased the bowl that the salad and dip is in from Bed, Bath and Beyond and it was the best $29 I spent. The bowl I think really made the salad look so much nicer than if it were in just a regular glass, metal or Tupperware bowl.

Fruit Salad Ingredients
(any portion of)
Strawberries
Honeydew
Cantaloupe
Grapes (red and green)
Kiwi
Pineapple
Fresh Mango
Blueberries

Chop all the melons up, slice the kiwi and strawberries, mix it all together and PRESTO you have fruit salad!

Fruit Dip
8-16 oz Cream Cheese, room temperature
1 large container of Marshmallow Fluff

Using your stand mixer (or hand mixer if you don't have a KitchenAid), beat the cream cheese on medium until it is smooth (lumps = bad). With your mixer on low, start adding in the marshmallow fluff to the point where your mixture starts to form somewhat solid peaks. You can add food coloring (I used red in the picture) to make your desired color or just leave it white...it tastes fantastic no matter what!

The fruit dip also makes an excellent cake frosting (white cake with fruit dip frosting makes me drool thinking about it)

Enjoy!

New Kitchen Coming Soon!

Last night Rob and I talked about the projects that are left to do with our house. We made a list of what needs to be done and took a bunch of measurements. We are getting new carpet throughout our house and after that we are going to start our kitchen remodel!!! The remodel will start "hopefully" at the end of the summer! We are going today to order all of our cabinetry and purchase the items needed to make our pretty tile counter top and back splash and all the other miscellaneous supplies. We are taking advantage of the Lowes or Home Depot 10% off for opening a credit card...we figure we may as well get everything and use the 10% at one time! Yay for saving a little bit of money!!!

We are doing white cabinets with a tanish floor and the tiles for the counter are all tanish colors and we will be accenting with some "special" tiles to make the kitchen look prettier!!!

Check back in the next couple months for remodel updates!!!

Basmati Rice

Basmati rice is an Indian rice that is quite different from regular long grain rice like Minute Rice or other rices along those lines. Its a longer rice that requires either being rinsed or soaked in clean water. The rice above is what I have found in the local grocery store and is very good. Its about $5 for this 1lb bag.

Tandoori Chicken

Tandoori chicken is a-mazing and rather simple to make (don't let the ingredients list deterr you from this delicious, flavorful dish). Rob and I opted to chunk the chicken breast and place the chicken on skewers rather than do whole breasts which would need to be cut anyway (it was easier this way, I strongly recommend it). Tandoor Chicken is best served with Basmati rice (or veggie rice, see below) and Naan...steamed curried vegetables would be very tasty too...but I haven't tried making those yet!

Note: All the Indian food I have had, and what I have made, is served "warm" not "hot"

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts (I prefer boneless)
1/2 C plain yogurt
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 cloves garlic
1 inch piece fresh ginger
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp ground cardamom

DIRECTIONS

Run garlic through a press, or finely mince. Grate ginger. Mix together yogurt, oil, lemon juice, garlic, ginger, and spices.

Make diagonal slashes in the chicken meat to allow marinade to penetrate better. Pour yogurt mixture over chicken parts.

Marinate for 4 hours at room temperature, or overnight in the refrigerator, turning occasionally. If the chicken is placed in the refrigerator, bring it to room temperature before cooking (approximately 1 hour). I recommend overnight to get full flavor!

Preheat broiler.

Brush grill or shallow baking pan with a little oil to keep chicken from sticking. Arrange chicken on the pan.

Broil chicken 2-3 inches away from the heat until cooked through, approximately 25 minutes, turning halfway through.

Naan (Indian Flat Bread)

Naan is a simple and delicious flat bread that is the most common bread in India. It is wonderful to use with rices, curries and my favorite, Tandoori Chicken. The recipe looks like it is very difficult, but it is really quite simple. In all, it took about a half hour to make (minus the time for proofing). I have a feeling this bread is going to become a staple in my house!!! Delicious!!! The picture above shows the raw Naan ready to be cooked and the second picture is the cooked Naan...I used a fry pan and cooked stove top.

Note: You can add spices to this bread if you are feeling daring. I have had it with cumin seeds, onion seeds, blackened sesame seeds and so on. I think it is best without spice and brushed with Ghee.

INGREDIENTS
2/3 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 teaspoon white sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup ghee
2 tablespoons plain yogurt
2 teaspoons kalonji (onion seed) - opotional

DIRECTIONS
Whisk the warm water with the yeast and sugar until the yeast is dissolved. Cover and let stand in a warm place for 10 minutes.

Sift flour and salt three times into a large bowl add the yeast mixture, half of the ghee and all the yogurt. Mix into a soft dough then knead on a floured surface for about 5 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a large greased bowl, cover and let stand in a warm place for 1 1/2 hours or until the dough is doubled in size .

Punch down dough then knead for 5 minutes. Divide dough into 6 pieces. Roll each piece out into 8 inch round naans.

Cover an oven tray with foil and grease the foil. Brush the naan with a little of the remaining ghee and sprinkle with some of the kalonji. Cook naan one at a time under a very hot grill for about 2 minutes on each side or until puffed and just browned.

Biryani (Vegetable Rice)

This dish is amazingly aromatic! The spices that are used are simply delicious...my entire house smelled of Indian food last night and it was so yummy! I suppose you can change the vegetables used if you are not a big fan of tomatoes, peas and carrots...but the onion is a must have in this dish. If you don't like spicy food, then this dish is not for you (although, I do believe you can control the heat by skipping red or black pepper). I skipped the potato in my rice because I forgot to buy one at the market.

Note: The recipe calls for a spice mix (which is homemade) called Garam Masala. To make this spice mix you take whole uncooked spices, brown them stove top and grind them. I found a Curry spice at a local market that has everything Garam Masala has for a lot cheaper than buying whole spices and easier than cooking and grinding them myself (yeah, I'm lazy like that). Here is a picture of the Curry spice I used:

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter)
1 onion, cut into 1/2-inch dice (red or yellow onion)
1/2 teaspoon cumin seed
1 tablespoon garlic
1 tomato, diced
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup peas
1/2 cup diced carrot
1/2 cup diced potato
1 cube chicken bouillon
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground red chile pepper
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
4 cups water
2 cups basmati rice, rinsed and drained

DIRECTIONS
Melt ghee in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir Garam Masala; cook until the spices are fragrant, and the cumin seeds begin to pop, about 3 minutes.

Stir in garlic, tomatoes, and 1/2 cup water. Bring to a simmer, and cook until the water has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Stir in peas, carrot, and potato. Season with chicken bouillon, salt, red chile, black pepper, and turmeric. Stir well, then cover, and cook for 3 minutes.

Pour in 4 cups water and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, stir in basmati rice, reduce heat to medium, recover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low and continue to cook until the rice has softened, 10 to 15 minutes more.

Kheer (Indian Rice Pudding)

I got this recipe off AllRecipes and changed it up just a little. When I had this dessert (which was homemade by Indian ladies) it included Vermicelli and cashews rather than Basmati rice. It was absolutely fantastic. Because cardamom pods are very hard to find (and somewhat expensive) I purchased already ground cardamom (which mixed in milk tastes an awful lot like Chai). I used 1/4 tsp of ground cardamom. This dessert is very rich and is fantastic served with a sweet corn bread on the side.

Note: I like kheer to be a little on the liquid side rather than a true "rice pudding". You can adjust the thickness of kheer by adding or taking away milk. So, if you like a thicker kheer then add less milk or a runnier kheer, add more milk. Get it?

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup uncooked Basmati Rice
2 quarts milk
1 1/2 cups white sugar
4 pods cardamom
2 teaspoons rose water
1/4 cup Raw Cashews

DIRECTIONS
Place the rice in a small bowl and cover with water. Soak for one hour.

Drain the rice and place it in a large, heavy saucepan with the milk over low heat. Cook, covered 50 minutes, stirring occasionally, until rice is tender. Stir in sugar and cardamom and cook 20 minutes more. Remove from the heat and stir in the rose water. Serve topped with cashews.

Ghee

So, ever since my best friends wedding I have been on an Indian food kick. I was spoiled the week of her wedding with endless homemade Indian cuisine that was so fantastically delicious I thought I'd try my hand in it. What I didn't know is that traditional Indian cuisine calls for Ghee about 90% of the time. Ghee is a refined butter and very easy to make. I decided to search on how to make it since the cheapest I could find it online was about $20 after shipping. The directions are very simple. (The pictures above show Ghee in its final clarified state and the second picture is of the milk products curdled at the bottom of the pan).

Ghee

1 lb Unsalted "real" butter (not margarine)

In a heavy saucepan, put the 1 lb of butter in the pan on medium heat. Allow the butter to melt down and come to a rolling boil. Let the butter boil for about 15 minutes. It will smell sort of like popcorn (no kidding). The milk fats will curdle at the bottom of the saucepan and the oil on top of the curdles is what's left, and that is called Ghee. The Ghee should be a clear gold color, once the Ghee reaches the clear gold color you will want to remove it from the heat and let it sit until it is room temperature. Once it is cooled you have to strain it into a clean glass jar. I used a couple of old pantyhose to strain it (cheese cloth or a super fine sieve will work if you have either, if not, use pantyhose). Avoid any water getting into the glass jar as it will cause harmful bacteria to form and ruin your Ghee.

Ghee has many beneficial elements to it. It is refined to the point where all the fats that are bad for you are boiled out leaving you with an oil. The Ghee aids in digestion and offers other benefits that you can't get from using olive oil or actual butter. It can also be used as massage oil (I don't think I'll be using it for that, but good to know).

London Broil w/ Butter-Lemon Broccoli

I made this for dinner on June 1, and I think it will go down in my recipe books as a keeper! I was sceptical of marinating the beef in wine (or marinating it period). It turned out amazing with a very subtle wine and herb flavor. The broccoli was very good, but I used a touch too much lemon. The potato is just a plain jane baked potato with real butter. For the London broil, I used a cheap $8.99 bottle of dry red wine from the local grocery store.

London Broil Ingredients
1-1.5 pound London Broil (cut is a Flank Steak)
1 cup dry red wine (any red wine is fine, but go cheap since you are using it to cook)
1/2 cup olive oil
2tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp black pepper (fresh ground is better)
dash of salt (I prefer sea salt)
1 tsp oregano
dash of seasoning salt
1 tsp italian seasoning (like McCormick or something similar)

Directions
Mix the marinate ingredients together in large bowl or ziplock bag. Poke meat with fork and place into marinate. Coat meat. Let stand about 30 minutes to 1 hour, massaging meat frequently. Place meat on grill (be careful, between the wine and olive oil, the grill will flare up). Grill to desired doneness (I prefer rare). Cut and serve.

Lemon Butter Broccoli Ingredients
1-2 large brocolli heads chopped
1-2 tbsp fresh minced garlic
Juice of 1/2 large lemon
2 tbsp butter

Directions
Steam brocolli until it is tender but crunchy. On high heat, put butter, garlic and lemon juice into saute skillet and saute until garlic turns a white color. Place broccoli into butter mixture and toss to evenly coat it. Dish it up.

Hearty Spaghetti

I make a nice hearty spaghetti every now and then, and normally from scratch until I figured out that it is so much easier and less messy to just use a "traditional" ragu (you know, that jar crap you get at the grocery store). I know, "gasp"! Really though, its just plain tomato sauce and a good base to build on. I am going to post my traditional recipe, but rather than making the sauce from scratch, omit the sugar and tomato sauce/paste and use Traditional Ragu (this is good, especially if you don't have time for the full "homemade" version).

Ingredients

4 (15) ounce cans tomato sauce

1 small can of tomato paste

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1lb ground beef

1/2 large yellow onion, chopped

1-2 green peppers, chopped

Mushrooms (if you care to ruin the sauce by adding them)

1-2 tbsp olive oil

to taste:

Salt

Black pepper

Cracked red pepper

Oregano

Basil (I prefer sweet)

Garlic powder (if you add garlic salt, omit the salt from above)

Fresh or dried parsley

Directions

Brown the beef and drain the grease. Heat the olive oil in large stock pot and add the chopped onion and green pepper. Sautee the peppers and onions enough to make them "sweat". Add ground beef, seasonings, tomato sauce, tomato paste and sugar. Stir completely to combine. Simmer on low for 4-5 hours (or put this into a crock pot). Stir occassionally. Serve with your noodle of choice and garlic bread. Yum!

Hump Day Feast!

I am so embarrassed that I won't even post pictures! I was so swamped with homework last night and DH worked late...for dinner...mac-n-cheese with the little chicken nugget things from the grocery meat department...the "processed" breaded chicken things. The only saving grace was the yummy Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce...yum!

My Yummy Taco Salad

I made my yummy taco salad for Memorial Day and it was, as always, a huge hit. Generally I add all the toppings to the salad and I get all artsy-fartsy with it, but with finicky ass eaters I put the toppings on the side...chopped onion, tomato and minced black olives (and I even stuffed one the the whole olives with tomato for presentation...LOL). I don't allow people to put Catalina dressing on my taco salad. Taco salad is to be served with sour cream and salsa or some sort of hot sauce.

The recipe will depend on your crowd size...this is the recipe I use for parties and such.

Ingredients

2 lbs ground round (you can use turkey or a higher end ground beef if you like)

2 packages Ortega taco seasoning (or seasoning of your choice)

1 head lettuce

1 head leaf lettuce

1 head romaine lettuce

1 (8)oz. bag of mild cheddar cheese (shredded)

4-5 roma tomatoes, chopped

1/2 large vidalia onion, chopped

Black olives (however many you like)

Sour cream

Salsa (jar of any type store bought salsa)

1 bag tortilla chips

Directions

Brown the ground beef on medium heat, drain grease (also use paper towel to soak up grease that didn't drain, making sure the beef is somewhat dry). Add taco seasoning following directions on the back of the package. Simmer for about 10 minutes and let stand to room temperature. Put into Tupperware, seal and put it into the refrigerator.

Chop up all the lettuce and put into bowl. When ground beef is cold, spread over the top of the lettuce, do the same with the cheese and chopped veggies. Serve with sour cream and salsa (a Tbsp. of each on top of each serving), and crushed tortilla chips on top (do not mix the chips into the salad...nothing worse than soggy tortilla chips).

Side note:

This is also really good to put inside of a taco salad bowl, which you can buy at the grocery store...its like the old taco salad "bowls" Taco Bell used...the flour tortillas shaped into a bowl and you put your salad in it.

Keltik's Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

This pie is almost better than homemade apple pie! Some people think "rhubarb, ewww"...but let me tell you, rhubarb is da bomb! The strawberries give the pie a sweetness while the rhubarb adds a bit of tartness. The flavor combination offers a wonderful contrast of sweet and tart. The picture you are about to see is my failed attempt to properly seal the edges of the pie (you can kind of see the juices coming through in the spot where I didn't seal it good). I should have listened to my inner voice and put foil under the pie. :::sigh:::

Now, I am going off memory for this recipe as it is at home in my overflowing cookbook.


Ingredients
1 2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
3 cups sliced rhubarb (1/2 inch pieces)
3 cups sliced strawberries
2 Tbsp of butter
2 pre-made rolled pie crusts (yes, I cheated...LOL)


Directions
Preheat oven to 425.


In a bowl, mix togther flour and sugar, set aside. Roll out one of the pre-made crusts on the bottom of an ungreased pie dish (I used my glass Pyrex one). Spread 1/2 the rhubarb and 1/2 the strawberries on the bottom.

Spread 1/2 the sugar mixture over the fruit. Spread the remaining fruit, top it with the remaining sugar mix. Dalop the butter on top of the fruit. Roll out the top layer of the pie (an "try" to follow the directions for sealing the edges on the pie crust box). Put slits on the top using a sharp knife or butter knife (whichever is handier).

Line foil on oven rack (trust me). Place foil around the edges of the pie (this protects the edges of the pie from being burned). Put in oven about 40 minutes. Remove the foil around the edge of the crust and bake another 10 minutes. Remove and let it cool.

We ate as is, but this would be wonderful with real whipped cream or vanilla bean ice cream.

McDonalds Sweet Tea Sacrilege

When you can't get your hands on McDonald's Sweet Tea...This is the next best thing! Produce Palace (12 Mile and Dequindre) has them on sale right now 2 for $5.00.

Somewhat Traditional Flan

This is a yummy and simple flan recipe. It's not overly heavy and has a very nice texture and just the right amount of sweetness (I hate flans that kill you with sugar). Serving with strawberries adds a little more flavor, and depending on ripeness of the berry, offers either tart or sweetness. I had already taken a bite when I realized I forgot to take a picture! LOL.

INGREDIENTS
2/3 cup white sugar
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk
5 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In a small nonstick saucepan, heat the sugar over medium heat. Shake and swirl occasionally to distribute sugar until it is dissolved and begins to brown. Lift the pan over the heat source (4 to 6 inches) and continue to brown the sugar until it becomes a dark golden brown. You may slightly stir while cooking, but continually stirring causes the sugar to crystallize. Pour caramelized sugar into a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish or a large loaf pan, and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan evenly.

In a blender, combine sweetened condensed milk, cream, milk, eggs and vanilla. Blend on high for one minute. Pour over the caramelized sugar.

Place the filled casserole dish into a larger pan and add 1 inch of HOT water to the outer pan. Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes, or until set.

Firehouse Machaca Taco Filling

This is a wonderful alternative to boring taco meet. I made this once before and it was so good I had to do it again. Be careful though, this is one heck of a spicy dish!

INGREDIENTS
2 quarts water
3 pounds beef chuck
1 small onion, quartered
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 cup green salsa
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon chopped jalapeno pepper

DIRECTIONS
In a stockpot, combine, water, beef and quartered onion. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low, and simmer covered for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until meat is very tender. Strain and reserve broth. Shred meat with 2 forks; set aside.

Heat oil in a heavy skillet over medium high heat. Saute chopped onion and bell pepper until tender. Stir in 1 cup of the reserved broth, shredded beef, salsa, cilantro and jalapenos. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 to 5 minutes, or until heated through.

This recipe is also good if you cook in a slow cooker and eliminate about 2/3 of the water. I suggest the directions above though.

The New Look!

Welcome to my updated blog. I've turned my Lemon Cleanse Blog into my foodie blog for all to enjoy, laugh at or learn from!

I'll be updating VERY soon with some recent cooking adventures!