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Thai Style Chicken

This recipe is one of my daughter’s favorites, and is a great (and easy!) way to break up the monotony of every day dishes — not to mention introducing new types of food to your family.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup peanut butter (shown with creamy, use chunky if desired)
3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon chili powder
dash cayenne pepper (optional)
2 cups uncooked pasta
2 boneless chicken breasts

Directions:

Take two cups of your favorite pasta and cook according to package instructions. I made mine with thin spaghetti. While that’s cooking, chop the chicken breasts into bite size pieces and cook until meat is no longer pink in the middle and the juices run clear.

To mix up the sauce, combine the peanut butter, water, soy sauce, lemon juice, honey, garlic, chili powder, and cayenne pepper (optional) in a medium sized bowl. I found it easiest to mix with a small wire whisk to combine the peanut butter and wet ingredients first, then use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl and fold in dry ingredients.

When the chicken is done, toss in with peanut butter mixture until well mixed. Drain pasta, toss in olive oil (if desired).

Serve in a bowl with pasta topped by chicken and peanut butter mixture.

Suggestions:

I think next time I may make this with chunky peanut butter to add a bit of texture to the sauce. My daughter suggested topping with cashews — which I would have done if I had any.

I ran across a similar recipe earlier tonight that added crushed pineapple (drained), so I’ll keep that in mind for future alterations to this recipe!

Jules’ Homemade Tomato Soup

Recipe Source: Everydaymommy.net

Ingredients:

2 cans (28oz) whole tomatoes or homegrowns
1-2 cans (14oz) beef or chicken broth
1 small yellow onion, finely diced
1-2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup Half & half
1/2 stick butter
1/2 tsp sugar
House seasoning to taste *

Directions:

In large soup pot saute diced onion in olive oil over medium heat till tender. Season with house seasoning to taste.

Blend the whole tomatoes in a blender until just smooth, only a few seconds. You’ll want a slightly lumpy consistency. Pour tomatoes into soup pot. Add broth to pot to a pleasing consistency. If you prefer a thicker soup add 1 can broth. If a thinner soup add 2 cans broth. Season again with house seasoning to taste. Simmer 10 minutes to allow flavors to combine.

Add half & half, sugar and butter. Stir well as butter melts. Simmer another 20 minutes. Serve with grilled cheddar cheese on rye bread. Yum!

* House seasoning is equal parts kosher salt, black pepper and garlic powder.

Gert’s Summer Chicken

Recipe Source: Gert Meyers, by way of Cookie at The Cook Shack Gab & Grub

Marinated Chicken for grillin’ or BBQin’…

This makes a lovely marinade with a slightly sweet yet tangy flavor, ideal for grilled or barbecued chicken. It’s my own recipe, loosely based on a book-recipe, now long lost…

Marinade:

Mix together using a spoon or blender:

juice of a small lemon
4 tbsp of runny honey
1 tbsp of toasted sesame oil (or equivalent)
3 tbsp of vegetable oil (peanut or sunflower)
3 tbsp of light soy sauce
1 tsp of balsamic vinegar (optional)
a few drops of Tabasco(TM)
some finely, freshly ground black pepper
a small pinch of ground cayenne pepper
a small pinch of fenugreek or ginger powder

Marinating:

It’s often believed that increasing the time of marinating to overnight improves the result but in my view that’s not entirely true. A marinade can only penetrate the meat almost no more than skin-deep and so it’s my experience that a couple of hours (even shorter) works quite well. For an instant marinade, I recommend adding a little cornflower to the marinade, which will make it more clingy: then you can simply brush your meat with the mix, minutes prior to cooking.

Cooking:

Use skinless pieces of chicken: chunks or strips of breast meat for instance, although turkey would also work well. You can be fancy and create skewers with some yellow or orange pepper, some red onion and some cherry tomatoes or even pineapple pieces, for a great presentation and a bit of Wow!-factor…

Alternatively, simply marinate the strips or chunks together with the pepper etc, then cook and serve on a preheated serving dish. Tuck in!

I suggest cooking these on low heat barbecue (make sure it’s cooked through and through) or a ribbed skillet (I usually put a good dollop of salt on my skillet, which acts as an anti-adhesive ).

Happy eating!

Cheeseburger Pasta (2)

Recipe Source: Campbell’s Tasty Tuesday website (tastytuesday.com)

Prep/Cooking Time: about 15-20 minutes total

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef
1 can cheddar cheese soup
1 can tomato soup
1 1/2 cups water
2 cups uncooked medium shell pasta

Directions:

Cook beef in skillet until browned. Pour off fat.

Add soups, water and pasta. Heat to a boil. Cook over medium heat 10 minutes or until done, stirring often.

Nicki’s Variation:

This is an excellent recipe as-is, but we love it with small shells, southwestern pepperjack cheese soup and chicken!

Aztec Chicken Salad

Recipe Source: From the Cookbook, “Cajun Clark’s One Inch from the Top”

Notes:

Like most recipes, the amount of ingredients you need is in direct proportion to the number and size servings you want to wind up with, including any leftovers. This once again being the case, you can estimate how far the following amounts will go. But, do yourself a favor and cook the entire package at one time; you can then make a larger salad or have what you don’t use for another meal the next day. Makes sense to da ol’ mon Caj, especially if you’re cookin’ One Inch From the Top.

Ingredients:

2 boneless chicken breasts, seasoned to your liking, cooked–broiled, fried, grilled, you name it; it’s your decision–and sliced in 1 inch chunks.
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1/2 head iceberg lettuce, chopped
1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
1 medium to large tomato, chopped
1/2 bottle Catalina dressing
Tabasco: brand Pepper Sauce
Tortilla chips

Directions:

Mix chicken, beans, corn, lettuce, onion and tomato together. Add Catalina dressing and hot sauce to taste. Serve over Tortilla chips. Can’t get much easier than this, no way.

Buffalo Wing Sandwiches

Recipe Source: Bob Sassone / slashfood.com

Ingredients:

1 pkg (9 oz) southwestern chicken strips
1 cup butter, softened and divided
2 tbsp hot sauce
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tbsp bbq sauce
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp parsley, minced and fresh
4 cups shredded lettuce
2 tbsp celery, chopped fine
2 tbsp blue cheese dressing (on the side)
salt and pepper
4 hoagie buns

Directions:

In large skillet, combine chicken, 1/2 c butter, hot sauce, bbq sauce and chili powder. Cook uncovered over low heat for five minutes or until heated through.

In a small bowl, combine garlic, parsley and remaining butter. Spread over cut sides of buns. Place on baking sheet and broil 8 inches from the heat for 3-5 minutes or until lightly browned.

Spoon chicken mixture onto bun bottoms; top with lettuce, celery, salt and pepper and dressing. Top with bun tops.

Chicken Curry

Recipe Source: Michelle Smith / New Castle, KY

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons butter or margarine
6 tablespoons flour
3 teaspoons curry powder (or to taste)
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups milk
4 cups shredded or cubed cooked chicken
1 teaspoon lemon juice
6 to 8 cups cooked white rice

Directions:

Melt butter over low heat in heavy saucepan. Blend in flour, curry powder, salt, ginger, sugar and onion. Cook until onions are translucent.

Gradually stir in chicken broth and milk. Stirring constantly, bring mixture to a boil and cook for 1 minute. Reduce heat to simmer; add cooked chicken and lemon juice. Heat through and serve over cooked rice.

Note: Fresh chicken broth is best, but canned or broth made from bouillon is good also. This dish is also great served over mashed potatoes or egg noodles instead of rice.

Cheesy Chicken Chowder

Recipe Source: Marsha Baker / Pioneer, OH

Ingredients:

3 cups chicken broth
2 cups diced, peeled potatoes
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced onion
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
2 cups diced cooked chicken

Directions:

In a large pan, bring chicken broth to a boil. Reduce heat. Add potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Add flour and mix well. Gradually stir in milk and cook over low heat until slightly thickened. Stir in cheese and cook until melted. Add to broth and vegetables along with chicken. Cook and stir over low heat until heated through.

Serves 6 to 8.

Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce

Recipe Source: cooks.com

Chicken:

1 1/4 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 tbsp. sesame oil
2 tbsp. corn oil
1/4 c. dry sherry
1/4 c. soy sauce
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. powdered ginger
1/4 tsp. salt

Directions:

Cut chicken into 1/2 inch wide strips. Combine remaining ingredients, except peanut sauce, and marinate in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours.

Peanut Sauce:

4 teaspoons corn oil
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1/2 cup minced red onion
2 tablespoons of minced garlic
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/3 cup peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
3 tablespoons ketchup
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

Heat oils in saucepan. Saute onions and garlic until they are softened. Add sugar and vinegar, cooking until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and stir in remaining ingredients.

To serve:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Thread chicken strips onto small skewers and arrange on baking sheets. Bake approximately 10 minutes or until just cooked through. Serve hot with sauce which is at room temperature.

Chicken Provolone

Recipe Source: ashbeth, allrecipes.com

Prep/Cooking Time: 45 Min

Ingredients:

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 slices provolone cheese, halved
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
2/3 cup white wine
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 (16 ounce) package herb seasoned stuffing mix

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Arrange chicken breast halves in a single layer in a 9×13 inch baking dish. Top each breast half with a half slice of Provolone cheese.

In a medium bowl, blend cream of chicken soup and white wine. Pour over the chicken. In a separate medium bowl, mix the butter and stuffing mix. Top the chicken with the stuffing mixture.

Bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.