Thai Lettuce Wraps (Recipe 16 of 150)

Whenever my BFF and I go to PF Changs we order their lettuce wraps. We each have two and then immediately regret it because then our meal shows up and we're mostly stuffed. I guess that's what happens when you eat more protein than carbs. Ahem. 

Tonight's recipe screw up was somewhat intentional. Ok. It was completely intentional. But only because I didn't read this recipe fully until tonight. See, I assumed the "chicken" in this recipe would be ground chicken. All the other recipes I have are, so why would this one be any different? Well, it is. 

So, how'd I fix this? Simple, and I might say probably more delicious. 

I cooked the chicken in a skillet, added the garlic. The sauce I made on the side, took out about 1/3 of a cup and poured the rest over the chicken. Let that simmer and cook for a bit. I used the other sauce to drizzle over each lettuce burrito. 

Thai Lettuce Wraps
Recipe from Food Network

Serves 4

Chicken and Marinade:

• 1/3 c hoisin sauce
• 1/3 c soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons grated ginger
• 1 T Sriracha
• 1 T rice wine vinegar
• 3 cloves garlic, grated
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
• 2 T chopped peanuts
• 2 T chopped fresh cilantro

Lettuce and Fillings:

• 8 butter lettuce leaves
• 1 c bean sprouts
• 1 c thinly sliced red cabbage
• 1 c julienned carrots
• 1 c cucumber slices
• 1 c cooked thin rice noodles
• 1/3 c sweet chili sauce
• 1/3 c hoisin sauce

For the chicken and marinade: Mix the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, grated ginger, Sriracha, rice wine vinegar and grated garlic in a large bowl or resealable plastic bag. Add the chicken strips and marinate, refrigerated, for 2 hours.

Heat a grill pan over high heat.

Remove the chicken strips from the marinade and grill until cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a serving platter and sprinkle with the peanuts and cilantro.

For the lettuce and fillings: Set out the lettuce, bean sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cucumbers and rice noodles on the serving platter.

To assemble, use the butter lettuce leaves to contain the chicken and fillings. Add some chili and hoisin sauce, then roll them up and eat!

Crock Pot Spicy Vegetable Beef Soup (Recipe 15 of 150)

Photo from Spicy Southern 
Kitchen blog

 It is not very uncommon for me to misread a recipe or make my own edits. But it's very unlike me to NOT recognize a recipe belongs in a crock pot when it's actually in the title. Alas, that's what happened in this case. 

It was 5pm when I started dinner. I pulled out the recipe and started reading the instructions. Only THEN did I realize it's a crock pot recipe. So I improvised. Thankfully, these ingredients don't really require slow cooking. 

The rest of the recipe I did manage to follow. The only ingredient I did not include was the potato - taking out carbs where I can. And there was enough going on in this recipe I really didn't think it mattered much. 

Spicy it was. Though I think it was spicy because I added Cholula Hot sauce to it. Otherwise, I didn't find it spicy at all. But I guess "spicy" is in the eyes of the beholder. 

Crock Pot Spicy Vegetable Beef Soup
Recipe from Spicysouthernkitchen.com

Serves 8

• 1 pound ground chuck
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 (24-ounce) jar pasta sauce
• 1 can beef broth
• 1 c water
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 (10-ounce) can Rotel tomatoes, undrained
• 2 T ketchup
• 2 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 package frozen mixed vegetables
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Cook the beef and onion in a large nonstick skillet, crumbling the beef as it cooks. When beef is no longer pink, drain off the grease and transfer the beef/onion mixture to a 6-quart crock pot.

Add remaining ingredients and stir together.

Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours or on HIGH for 5 to 6 hours.

Korean Chicken Kabobs (Recipe 14 of 150)

A good marinade is something I'm always on the look out for. This one was yummy. It needed salt though. I didn't season my chicken before or after putting it in the marinate. It has soy in the marinade and sometimes I worry it'll be too salty. This one was not. 

Korean Chicken Kabobs

Recipe from Damn Delicious

Serves 4

1/4 c gochujang (Korean red pepper paste)

1/4 c reduced sodium soy sauce

2 T seasoned rice wine vinegar

2 T light brown sugar

1 T toasted sesame oil

1 T freshly grated ginger

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks

1 1/2 T canola oil

1 green onion, thinly sliced

1/2 tsp toasted sesame seeds

In a medium bowl, combine gochujang, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, brown sugar, sesame oil, ginger and garlic. Reserve 2 tablespoons and set aside.

In a gallon size Ziploc bag or large bowl, combine gochujang mixture and chicken; marinate for at least 2 hours to overnight, up to 8 hours, turning the bag occasionally. Drain the chicken from the marinade, discarding the marinade.

Preheat grill to medium high heat. Thread chicken onto skewers; brush with canola oil.

Add skewers to grill, and cook, turning occasionally, until the chicken is completely cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 10 minutes. Brush skewers with reserved gochujang mixture, cooking for an additional 1-2 minutes.

Serve immediately, garnished with green onion and sesame seeds.

Chicken Pot Pie Soup (Recipe 13 of 150)

Photo from
ButterYourBiscuit

Who doesn't love chicken pot pie? I mean, does it get any more comfort food esk than chicken pot pie? Secretly I like the "pie" part the best. And Mrs. Braspir (a LONG time family friend who's so close to us we combined her last name with ours) makes the best chicken pot pie!

In an attempt to NOT eat so many carbs, and still get the chicken pot pie fill, this soup steps in perfectly. 

I did some modifications to keep the carbs down, so here's the list. 

1. No noodles. I really didn't think they were necessary, but I can see how they would add to this soup. So if you're not afraid of carbs, add the noodles. 
2. I missed the entire section of putting flour in. Frankly, I'm ok with that. I like my soups to be, well, soupy not gravy texture (unless it's clam chowda...)
3. No rosemary. Blech. I barely put thyme in. Both of those herbs tend to be very overpowering to me so I use them in very small amounts. In this case, no rosemary, but a little thyme. And I sure wish I had parsley to add some more green and to sing "Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme."
4. And lastly, I did not eat it with a biscuit, but man that would have tasted good. A side salad filled that role, and definitely not as good as a biscuit. 
5. I cut my recipes in half so I only used 2 c chicken broth and 3/4 c half and half. I really didn't think it needed more than that.

Chicken Pot Pie Soup
Recipe from Butter Your Biscuit

Serves 6

• 5 tablespoons butter
• 1 medium onion diced
• 1 large carrot diced
• 2 celery stalks diced
• 2 tablespoon minced garlic
• 6 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 3 cups half and half
• 5 cups chicken broth
• 3 cups shredded chicken
• 1 teaspoon fresh chopped thyme
• 1 teaspoon fresh chopped rosemary
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 8 ounces egg noodles
• salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta al dente and set aside.

Heat butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions, carrots, and celery and saute for 3-4 minutes. Add in garlic and cook another minute.

Add in the flour and cook another minute. Pour in chicken stock and half and half and let the soup come to a low simmer for 5 minutes.

Add in thyme, rosemary, chicken, peas, and corn, bring the soup back to low simmer. Simmer on low for 15 minutes.

Add in cooked egg noodles and serve with buttermilk biscuits or crusty bread if desired.

Slow Cooker Beef Tips and Gravy (Recipe 12 of 150)

It hasn't been a great week of recipes. I did cook more than on Monday, but those recipes were not worthy. In fact, they were down right icky. Maybe it was because I wasn't feel great. Or maybe they were just icky recipes. Either way, they weren't worth sharing. 

This recipe is a standard slow cooker recipe. Beef, onions and a sauce. How hard could it be? 

I don't dust my meat in flour for stews like this. First, the GF BFF was coming over, and flour is not in her GF world. Plus, it's not really necessary. I tend to cornstarch it up later if I want a thicker gravy. 

I also swapped out the soy for Tamari. Again, GF eater tonight. You really can't tell the difference with that. 

Otherwise, this recipe was made as it's written. Good, hearty meal for a cold winter's day. 

Slow Cooker Beef Tips and Gravy
Recipe from Thesouthernladycooks.com

Serves 6

• 1 1/2 pounds stew meat or sirloin tips
• 1 medium onion cut in rings
• 3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil or cooking oil
• 1/2 c all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 2 10.5 ounce cans beef broth
• 1 package onion soup mix
• 1/2 c water
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 T cornstarch optional

Heat oil in skillet and brown onions. Remove onions and put in crock pot. In a bowl whisk together the flour, salt, garlic powder and black pepper. Dredge the meat in the flour mixture and cook in skillet where you browned the onions until browned.

Add meat to crock pot. If you have flour left in the bowl from dredging the meat leave it in the bowl and add the 2 cans of beef broth, 1 package of onion soup mix, 1/2 cup water, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and whisk all together. Pour over meat and onions in the crock pot

Cook on low for 6 to 7 hours or high for 4 to 5 hours. If you want the gravy to be thicker, remove a 1/2 cup gravy and whisk in 1 tablespoon cornstarch and add back to the crock pot. Cook on high for 10 to 15 minutes longer. Makes about 8 servings.

Grilled Mexican Citrus Chicken (Recipe 11 of 150)

This is a meh recipe. I marinated it for 3 hours and thought it would be really flavorful, but found it lacking. I'm not really sure what about it made it "just ok" to be honest. All the ingredients in it, together, make up something yummy. 

Grilled Mexican Citrus Chicken
Recipe from Justapinch.com

Serves 6

• 6 chicken breast halves, skinless and boneless
• 1/4 c orange juice
• 1/4 c lime juice
• 1/4 c olive or vegetable oil
• 2 Tbsp cilantro, fresh-chopped
• 2 Tbsp onion, chopped
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp red pepper sauce

Prepare marinade in a resealable plastic bag. Tenderize chicken with kitchen mallet and place in marinade bag. Seal bag and refrigerate, turning chicken occasionally, at least 30 minutes to 3 hrs.

Then throw them on the grill. They will only take 15 to 20 minutes to cook. Ole'!

Chicken and Rice Soup (Recipe 10 of 150)

Soups are quick and easy recipes for me. When it's chilly out I love a good soup. This is a one pot soup
that is full of flavor. Lemony flavor to boot. 

I used left over rice instead of cooking it in the soup. I never know what to do with left over rice, so this recipe is perfect for it. 

I did not use rotisserie chicken though. I don't like the taste of "reheated" cooked chicken. I'm weird I know. Instead I put the chicken into the stock to boil. It makes the soup a little cloudy, but it was still tasty. 

Chicken and Rice Soup

Recipe from Iheartnaptime.net

Serves 4

1-2 T olive oil

1/2 c chopped onion

1 c sliced carrots

1 c chopped celery

1 tsp minced garlic

6 c chicken broth or stock , use more as needed

1 c water

2 tsp fresh chopped thyme , or 3/4 teaspoon ground thyme 

3/4 c long grain rice

2 1/2 c cooked chicken breast

1 T fresh lemon juice , more to taste

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery. Cook about 3 minutes and then stir in the garlic. Cook until the onions are translucent.

Add the chicken broth, 1 cup water, thyme, lemon juice and S&P. I usually start with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and taste at the end.

Bring the soup to a boil and then turn the heat to medium-low. Add the rice and cover with a lid. Let simmer for about 10-20 minutes, or until the the rice is almost cooked through. Then add the chicken. Add more lemon juice, thyme, salt and pepper to taste. Cook just until the rice is tender.

Remove soup from heat. Serve soup while hot.

Creamy Pesto Tortellini (Recipe 9 of 150)

The sister in law came over for some scrapbooking goodness today. When she comes over for scrapbooking, I always cook. I mean when don't I cook. 

This week's random recipe selection was full of pasta dishes. I can tell you that I do not need 4 pasta dishes in a week. That's just too much. But one of the pasta dishes was this simple little recipe. 

I used the polish sausage I get from Double DD Meats. I'm addicted to this sausage. I thought it'd be perfect for this recipe. I'm not a fan of turkey sausage, so I knew I wasn't going to use that. Turns out, this recipe really would have been better with chicken and not sausage. Maybe turkey sausage would have made it. The polish sausage was a bit overpowering.

The cream sauce with pesto was...OMG...so good. It's your standard cream sauce and comes together really well. The pesto is a nice touch to this recipe. 

I also didn't use tortellini. These small raviolis were on sale, so that's what I used.

Creamy Pesto Tortellini
Recipe from Dinnersdishesanddesserts.com

Serves 6

• 2 T Butter
• 13 ounces Smoked Turkey Sausage, such as kielbasa, sliced
• 20 ounces Fresh Cheese Tortellini
• 3/4 c Heavy Cream
• 3/4 c Skim Milk
• 1/2 c Parmesan Cheese
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
• 1/2 c Pesto

Boil tortellini according to package directions.

In a large skillet melt butter. Add sausage and sauté over medium high heat until browned.

Mix cream, milk, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper together. Pour over cooked sausage.

Bring to a simmer and cook for 3-4 minutes until it starts to thicken. Add in cooked tortellini, tossing to coat.

Stir in pesto until everything is blended. Taste and add more salt and pepper if necessary.

Steak Burrito Bowl (Recipe 8 of 150)

Photo by Six Sisters
Stuff

Bowls are fun. They put all the goodies in one, compact spot. When/if I go to Qdoba or Chipotle (I prefer Qdoba), I will get a bowl. They're not messy and they have all the goodness a burrito will. 

This bowl was easy to put together, and scrumptious. The left over (I cut my recipes in half you see) was equally as delicious. Although I mistakenly put the pica de gallo in with the meat and rice, so when I warmed it up, the pico also got warmed. That's just wrong. 

I didn't use flank steak. I used a NY steak I had in the freezer (I'm trying to eat through my freezer). I cut it into very small pieces, not strips. If you've been to Qdoba or Chipotle you know how small those meat pieces are? That's the size. For me the crunch is an added flavor and when the meat is smaller, you get more crunchy sides. Jenn logic. 

Ahem - Smaller, bite size pieces of meat means I don't need to cut it while eating. Everything is then about the same size. 

This recipe calls for beef, but I could see doing it with chicken for sure. Give it a shot! 

Steak Burrito Bowl
Recipe from Sixsistersstuff.com

Serves 4

• 2 pounds flank steak
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1/4 c soy sauce
• 1/4 c olive oil
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• 2 T lime juice
• 2 c cooked white rice
• 4 c chopped romaine lettuce
• 2 c pico de gallo
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans
• 1 c shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 bunch chopped cilantro
• 1 lime

Slice steak into 1/4 inch strips.

In a resealable gallon-size ziploc bag, combine steak, garlic, soy sauce, olive oil, cumin, chili powder, and lime juice.

Marinade in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour (it tastes better the longer it marinates).

Remove steak from the marinade and pan fry over medium heat until it is cooked all the way through.

In four bowls, evenly distribute the cooked steak, rice, romaine lettuce, pico de gallo, black beans, guacamole, and shredded cheese.

Top with cilantro and lime juice.

Cheese Fondue (Recipe 7 of 150)

Tonight was the first themed Sunday Dinner - FONDUE! It's been a thousand years since I've done a fondue gathering. It's been so long, in fact, I've forgotten how much work they can be. I had the guests bring the proteins for the dinner part of this Fondue gathering. We did 3 courses: Fondue appetizer, fondue dinner, and fondue dessert! It was perfect. 

Oddly enough none of us knew what "fondue" meant in French. So Google told us it means "melted". Which makes sense for the cheese and dessert portion of tonight's dinner. Not so much for the meat part. Fondue dates back to 1699 where the earliest recipe was found. I'm sure it's come a long way since then. 

Tonight I made this cheese fondue. It turned out so good. Creamy and full of flavor. I used white wine instead of brandy and I think that really made the fondue more savory. 

Cheese Fondue
Recipe from WellPlated.com

Serves 6

For the fondue:

• 1/3 pound firm alpine-style cheese such as gruyere
• 1/3 pound fontina
• 1/3 pound gouda
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 cup dry white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon brandy
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

Grate all of the cheeses. In a medium bowl, combine the cheeses with the cornstarch, tossing thoroughly to coat all pieces.

In a stove-safe fondue pot or large heavy saucepan, bring the wine, garlic, and lemon juice to a simmer over medium-low heat. Add the cheeses to the simmering liquid a little at a time, stirring well between each addition to ensure a smooth fondue. Once smooth, stir in the brandy, mustard, and nutmeg.

Arrange an assortment of bite-size dipping foods on a platter. If necessary, carefully pour the fondue into a fondue pot. Serve with fondue forks or wooden skewers. Dip and enjoy!

Slow Cooker Beef Curry (Recipe 6 of 150)

It seems it's a curry week. Wednesday's dinner was spicy as all get out - same amount of curry and garam masala used. I'm not more than ever convinced those spicy stewed tomatoes was the culprit.

My slow cooker gets a work out during the fall and winter months. I just love the smell of something cooking all day long. This recipe couldn't be any easier if it tried. Big, beefy chunks of stew meat meets curry, garam masala and you've got yourself a winning combination. My only regret is I didn't think to buy naan to have handy to slop up the sauce. 

This recipe is going to be tagged as a favorite. The ingredients are "simple" and relatively basic. The key is the ton of flavor you get from the curry and garam masala. If you can't find garam masala you can make your own. Though that may be more challenging than this recipe. If you can't find it, the recipe author recommends upping the yellow curry amount a little. 

The only negative I can say about this recipe is I burnt my mouth eating a chunk of meat because it smelled so good I couldn't wait. 

Slow Cooker Beef Curry
Recipe from The Food Charlatan

Serves 6

• salt and pepper
• 2-3 tablespoons oil
• 2-3 pounds chopped stew beef or chuck roast*, chopped into chunks
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 (8-oz) can tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1-2 tablespoons Better Than Bouillon Beef Base
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 & 1/2 tablespons yellow curry powder
• 1 tablespoon garam masala
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• cilantro, to garnish
• red onion, chopped, to garnish

Heat a large, high-sided skillet (or a wide-bottomed pot), over medium high heat.

Salt and pepper the beef chunks.

Add about a tablespoon of oil to the pan and swirl. It should start to shimmer if the pan is hot enough.

Add 1/3 of the seasoned meat to the pan. Place the pieces of meat so that they are not touching each other (You don’t want them to steam–see photos). Turn the pieces with tongs to brown all sides. Remove the beef to the slow cooker and repeat 2 more batches, adding more oil as necessary.

Once all of the beef is browned and in the slow cooker, turn the heat on the pan down to medium. Add the water, tomato sauce, garlic powder, salt, beef bouillon, black pepper, curry powder, and garam masala.

Stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture is bubbly and the bouillon has dissolved. It should thicken up a bit.

Pour the mixture over the beef in the slow cooker.

Add the chopped onion and stir it all together. Cook on low heat for 6-7 hours, until the beef is fork tender

Garnish with chopped cilantro and hot rice!

I love to serve this curry with lots of cilantro, Coconut Jasmine Rice and Homemade Naan! It's the best combo! You could even throw in a Strawberry Lassi to sip with it, if you wanted to get really fancy!

Breaded Parmesan Ranch Chicken (Recipe 5 of 150)

Photo from AllRecipes

This is a pretty easy recipe and it's one of those really common recipes. Parmesan crusted chicken is an all time favorite of mine. 

Recently my BFF made corn flake chicken for book club and it was delicious. This recipe pales in comparison to hers. Overall it's still a good recipe. I made extra to cut up chicken to put on a salad later this week. 

This recipe adds crushed corn flakes to the ingredient list. I cheated and bought already crushed corn flakes and that, my friends, was a mistake. Take the time and buy corn flakes and crush them yourself. 

If you are looking for simple and flavorful, this is it.

Breaded Parmesan Ranch Chicken
Recipe from AllRecipes

Serves 4

• ¾ c crushed corn flakes
• ¾ c grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 envelope ranch salad dressing mix
• 8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• ½ c butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.

Combine corn flakes, Parmesan cheese, and ranch dressing mix in a bowl. Dip chicken in melted butter; roll each chicken breast in corn flake mixture until evenly coated. Place coated chicken in the prepared baking dish.

Bake in the preheated oven until chicken is no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, about 45 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).

Country Captain (Recipe 4 of 150)

Y'all...this recipe was so delicious. So full of flavor. I LOVE the flavor of yellow curry and garam masala together. That combination makes the house smell delicious for days. 

Tonight was book club and I was the host. One of our club members got sick and couldn't make it tonight. Its a good thing she wasn't here though. She's not a fan of spicy and this recipe I made a boo boo and bought a can of diced tomatoes that were spicy. It made this dish WAY hot. We were all drinking more water than normal. 

Spicy but super flavorful. I'll be adding this to the favorites list for sure. I did forget to put the almonds on at the end - so now I have a bag of sliced almonds to use. 

I also forgot the bacon. Frankly, I'm not disappointed about that. The dish didn't need the bacon at all. 

Country Captain

Recipe from Spicy Southern Kitchen

Serves 6

• 1 c chicken broth
• 1/2 c golden raisins
• 1 T curry powder
• 1 T garam masala
• 2 tsp salt, divided
• 1 tsp black pepper, divided
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 4 thick-cut bacon slices, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 c sliced carrot
• 1 c diced red, orange, or yellow bell pepper
• 1 c diced onion
• 1 dried guajillo chile
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 T tomato paste
• 1 T minced fresh ginger
• 1 (14-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes, undrained
• 5 c cooked white rice
• 1/3 c toasted slivered almonds

Bring the broth to a simmer in a small saucepan. Add the raisins and remove from heat. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine curry powder, garam masala, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and cayenne pepper. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large Dutch oven, preferably enameled cast iron, cook the bacon until crispy. Remove it with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Drain off all but 2 tablespoons of bacon grease.

Season the chicken with the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

In 2 batches, brown the chicken in hot bacon grease, about 5 minutes per side. Remove from Dutch oven and set aside.

Add the carrot, bell pepper, and onion to the grease. Cook for 5 minutes to soften, stirring occasionally.

Add the chile pepper and garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Stir in the curry powder mixture, the tomato paste, and ginger. Stir for 30 seconds.

Add the broth/raisin mixture and the diced tomatoes. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes.

Place chicken thighs in the sauce. Cover the Dutch oven and bake in the oven for 15 minutes.

Remove lid and bake for 15 more minutes.

Discard the chile.

Serve with rice and top with slivered almonds and crumbled bacon.

Arroz con Pollo (Recipe 3 of 150)

This recipe started out good, but I couldn't help myself. I modified it pretty significantly to fit my way of cooking. See, I have an issue with cooking rice on the stove. I can never cook it so it turns out right. It always turns out mushy and gross. 

So to avoid that situation, I cooked the rice in the rice cooker. I put the chicken stock into the rice cooker. I didn't have saffron (which I thought I had), so it didn't feel like it mattered much.

I sautéed the chicken, then the onions. Then I deglazed with the wine and a little chicken stock. I let that cook down quite a bit. I also don't like tomatoes in things. I like canned tomatoes just fine, but not fresh tomatoes in hot dishes (don't ask me why cuz I couldn't tell you). So I put in a half of a can of diced tomatoes without the sauce. 

Once the rice was done, I dropped it and the green olives into the chicken mixture. The result was delicious. 

So you see, while I started with this perfectly find Martha Stewart recipe, I really didn't follow it at all. But since I made up this recipe as I went along, I am counting it. 

Oh and it was fantastic. I'm writing all this down so I can try it again. And in case you like following real recipes, here's the Martha Stewart recipe. I added my changes to the ingredients below.

Arroz con Pollo

Recipe from Martha Stewart

1 c dry white wine

Pinch of saffron

6 chicken thighs (6 ounces each) (I used chicken breast)

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

1/3 c extra-virgin olive oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 T minced garlic (2 to 3 cloves)

1 large tomato, diced (I used 1/2 can diced tomatoes)

2 dried bay leaves (oops, totally forgot these)

4 1/2 c chicken stock, plus more if needed

3 c short-grain rice, preferably Valencia

1 c pimiento-stuffed green olives

Combine wine and saffron; let stand until ready to use. Season chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Cook chicken, skin side down, until browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Flip, and cook until golden brown, 2 minutes; transfer to a plate.

Reduce heat to medium, and cook onion and garlic, stirring often, until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Add tomato, and cook, stirring often, for 15 minutes. Stir in wine-saffron mixture, 1 tablespoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and the bay leaves. Cook until wine is almost completely evaporated, 10 to 15 minutes. Add chicken, stock, rice, and olives; bring to a simmer.

Reduce heat to low. Cook, covered, stirring halfway through, until rice is tender, about 45 minutes. (If rice is not done, add more stock, 1/4 cup at a time.) Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes. Discard bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper.

Traditional Tejano Carne Guisada (Braised Beef for Tacos) (Recipe 2 of 150)

It's still cold and I still have snow on the ground here in the PNW. I'm so very over the snow. But, the bonus is when it's this cold and icky out, I crave stews or soups. Tonight I made Carne Guisada, again. 

I've made Carne Guisada twice in 2020. One from SkinnyTaste and then the one I compare all others against from Cook's Country.

I made the one from Cook's Country first. That one was so fantastic that I was afraid no other recipe would come close. This recipe came pretty close. It lacked the full depth of flavor as the Cook's Country recipe, but overall, a great dish. 

I added about a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce towards the end of cooking. It was just missing something. That did the trick. I also added a couple of dashes of hot sauce. I mean, why not. 

If asked whether I'd make this one again, the answer would be no. But ONLY because I liked the other one so much. If I hadn't had that one, this would be the favorite - hands down.

I made this on the stovetop instead of the slow cooker. I cooked it on the stove for 3 hours and the meat turned out perfect.

Traditional Tejano Carne Guisada (Braised Beef for Tacos)
Recipe from Thefoodcharlatan.com

Serves 6

salt and pepper

• oil
• 2-3 pounds cheap steak or roast, chopped into bite size pieces
• 1 large onion, chopped well
• 3 cups water (I used 3 cups of beef bouillon instead of water)
• 8 ounces tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons beef bullion, good quality (skipped this, see above)
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin

Stovetop Instructions:

Heat a large, high-sided skillet over medium high heat.

Salt and pepper the beef chunks.

Add about a tablespoon of oil to the pan and swirl. It should start to shimmer if the pan is hot enough.

Add 1/3 of the seasoned meat to the pan. Place the pieces of meat so that they are not touching each other. Turn the pieces with tongs to brown all sides. Remove to a plate and repeat 2 more batches, adding more oil as necessary.

Remove the final batch of meat, then add the onions to the pan, adding more oil first if there is none left.

Sauté the onions over medium heat for 5-8 minutes, or until mostly cooked through. Do your best to scrape up the browned bits.

Return the meat to the pan. Add the water, tomato sauce, garlic powder, salt, beef bullion, pepper, and cumin.

Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer. You want there to be some movement. If the mixture is completely still, turn it up a little. I had my burner set just below medium.

Simmer for 2-3 hours, or until the meat is tender and the gravy has thickened. Stir occasionally.

To serve authentically, put the meat, some rice, cheese, and guacamole in a warm flour tortilla.

It's important to note that this is not a shredded beef recipe; "Carne Guisada" literally means "Stewed Beef" so you want it to be just like beef stew, but without any veggies.

Slow Cooker Instructions:

Don't add 3 cups of water! Read on:

Brown the meat and sauté the onion as instructed above. Add the meat and onion to a crock pot. In a glass measuring bowl, measure out 1/4 cup HOT water. Add the beef bouillon and dissolve. Add the tomato sauce, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and cumin to the measuring cup. Stir and combine, then pour over the meat in the crock pot, stirring to coat.

Cook on low for 6-7 hours.

Remove the lid for the last half hour of cook time, and turn the heat up to high. This is to burn off some of the excess liquid. If it's at a consistency you like, you can skip that step.

Slow Cooker Sweet and Tangy Asian Pork Chops (Recipe 1 of 150)

Photo from Spicy
Southern Kitchen

Happy New Year! Here we are on the first day of 2022! And here I have my first recipe. 

The sister-in-law and BFF are coming over to plan our adventures for 2022. We know if you don't put it on the calendar it won't happen. 

Since they'll be here early, we're having an early dinner. Which meant I had to get the food in the slow cooker early. So while the Rose Parade was playing, I threw this into the slow cooker. 

This was a good recipe. I served it over rice. I also cut back on the salt a bit and regretted it. It definitely needed more salt. Nothing a little soy sauce over it when serving didn't fix. 

Slow Cooker Sweet and Tangy Asian Pork Chops
Recipe from Spicy Southern Kitchen

Serves 5

• 4-6 thick-cut, bone-in pork chops
• salt and pepper
• 1/3 c all-purpose flour
• 2 T vegetable oil
• 1 medium red onion, sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced
• 1 c Heinz chili sauce or ketchup
• 2/3 c apricot or peach preserves
• 1/3 c packed light brown sugar
• 1/3 c soy sauce
• 1 T apple cider vinegar
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 to 1 T cornstarch
• 2 green onions, sliced

Season pork chops with salt and pepper. Dredge both sides of pork chops in flour.

Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add pork chops and brown both sides.

Transfer pork chops to a 6-quart slow cooker. Place onion and bell pepper on top.

Drain grease out of the skillet. Add the ketchup, preserves, brown sugar, soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, garlic, red pepper flakes, and ginger. Stir and pour into the slow cooker.

Cover and cook on LOW for 5 to 6 hours. Remove pork chops from slow cooker and place on a platter. Cover with foil to keep warm.

Whisk cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water. Add to slow cooker and whisk in. Cover and cook on HIGH for 15 to 20 minutes to thicken the sauce.

To serve, spoon sauce over pork chops.