Egg Drop Soup

Hey, did I mention I'm in school full-time this year? Ya... doesn't leave much time for posting. But, I've found so many new recipes in the past month that I really want to share them. First on the list, Egg Drop Soup. If you've only ever had Egg Drop Soup at a buffet restaurant, then give this a try. It's the real deal and SO much better.

Egg Drop Soup

• 4 cups water
• 4 chicken bouillon cubes
• 1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 green onions, chopped
• Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Boil the water in a medium saucepan. Add the bouillon cubes and boil until dissolved.
2. Remove 2 tablespoons of the chicken bouillon broth and put in a small bowl.
3. Add ginger and soy sauce to the saucepan and bring to a boil.
4. To the 2 tablespoons broth, add 1 tablespoon corn starch. Stir until dissolved.
5. Slowly add the corn starch mixture to the saucepan, stirring constantly for 1 minute.
6. In a separate bowl, slightly beat the two eggs.
7. Reduce the heat on the saucepan to simmer. Gently pour in the eggs, stirring constantly in one direction for two minutes.
8. Add the green onions. Let simmer for 3-4 minutes.
9. Serve warm with wonton strips.

Pork Meatballs

It's 4:30 p.m. The kids are starting to ask what's for supper, even though we all had a big lunch. I have very little in the fridge (need to go grocery shopping) but plenty of meat to chose from. The answer: Meatballs and Rice

2-3 Tablespoons oil
1 pound ground pork
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 1/2 cup Stove Top
1 egg
2/3 cup Kraft Asian Sesame Dressing

1. Heat oil in a skillet at medium-high heat.
2. Combine first four ingredients and form into 1-inch meatballs.
3. Place sausage in skillet. Cook on medium-high heat with the cover on.
4. Turn after 3-5 minutes, once they start to brown. Cook 3-5 minutes more, until cooked through.
5. Add Asian Sesame dressing. Bring to a boil. Stirring constantly, let it boil for 3-5 minutes, until thickened.

Serve over rice.

Hello, again!

Let's just say, something had to give, and this blog was it. Now that the insanity has passed, it's time for me to get back on the wagon of eating at home, saving money, and finding creative new recipes...just in time for the garden to start producing in bulk.

We had some lettuce volunteer very early this year and let it grow, just to see if it would taste good. Lettuce wraps seemed the ideal recipe to try, with leaves that look like this:

My sister-in-law had mentioned making Lettuce Chicken Wraps from PF Chang's recipe, but after looking at it, I didn't have most of the key ingredients. A little more searching found this recipe, but again, I didn't have all the essentials. So, I improvised. I substituted white radish and turnip for the water chestnut -- YUM! And, the sauce wasn't exactly how they said to make it but it was delicious. From start to eating, including picking the veggies from outside, this meal took about 35 minutes.

Ingredients:

8 large lettuce leaves

2-3 Tablespoons canola oil

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, thawed

3-4 white radishes

1 small turnip

1 small onion

6 baby carrots, or one big carrot

1/4 cup almond slivers

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 Tablespoon soy sauce

4 Tablespoons white vinegar

3 teaspoons EVOO

1. Wash the lettuce and lay flat.

2. Prep work: Cut thawed boneless skinless chicken breasts into thin strips. Dice carrots into matchsticks. Dice 1 small onion. Peel and slice 3 white radishes and 1 small turnip.

3. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet. Stir fry the chicken for 3-4 minutes until cooked through. Drain.

4. Return skillet to heat. Add garlic, turnip, radishes, onions, carrots, almonds, pepper and ginger to the chicken. Stir fry for about 5 minutes, until radishes and onions soften and almonds start to turn golden brown.

5. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, whisk together the garlic powder, red pepper flakes, vinegar, olive oil and soy sauce.

6. To serve,  lay a lettuce leaf on each plate. Top with a spoon full of the chicken mixture. Spoon the sauce over the chicken mixture. Roll up, burrito style.

My girls don't like anything spicy, so their lettuce wraps had Western dressing on them instead of the red pepper sauce. Also for the girls' sake, they had asked for oven-baked french fries. That's not what I would normally serve with this, but a peaceful dinner is a beautiful thing. 

The only bad part about this meal: no leftovers for lunch today.

Ways to improve: Add 2 tablespoons teryaki sauce to the sauce mixture. Add fresh ginger instead of ginger "powder". Add more almonds.

Orange-Chicken Rice Bowl

These days, my priorities in the kitchen are:

1. easy
2. cheap
3. nutritious
4. yummy

This Orange-Chicken Rice Bowl recipe from Kraft Foods fits all those priorities. It takes about 30 minutes, including prep. The flavor is sweet enough that my girls love it, yet flavorful for the adult tastes. To make it seem more like take-out, we cheat and pick up a few egg rolls from Ray's (local grocery store).

Homemade Chinese Food: Jay's Broccoli and Beef

I give up. Round steak and I don't get along. No matter how I make it, it chews like beef jerky. Then, Jay decided to try a new recipe, just for kicks. And, WOWZA. Yum. Tender, and fast.

Beef and Broccoli

3 Tablespoons corn starch, divided
1/2 cup water
2 Tablespoons water
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 pound boneless round steak, cut into 3-inch strips
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
4 cups broccoli florets
1 small onion, cut into wedges
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground ginger
hot cooked rice

1. In a bowl, combine 2 Tablespoons cornstarch, 2 Tablespoons water, and garlic powder until smooth.
2. Add beef and toss.
3. In a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat, stir-fry beef in 1 Tablespoon oil until beef reaches desired doneness. Remove and keep warm.
4. Add remaining Tablespoon of oil to the skillet or wok. Stir-fry broccoli and onion in oil for 4-5 minutes.
5. Return beef to pan.
6. Combine soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, and remaining cornstarch and water until smooth. Add to the pan.
7. Cook and stir for 2 minutes.

Fried Rice Recipe

In case you didn’t get a chance to make the pizza rolls on Tuesday and are wondering what to eat tonight, here’s another “ol’ reliable” that we use. The peanut oil gives it an authentic, restaurant flavor, and the flexibility of the recipe means I usually have the ingredients on hand.

Fried Rice for 6
3 cups minute rice, cooked
2 eggs, beaten
1 small onion, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
1 carrot (or 3 baby carrots), diced
1-2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon peanut oil (can substitute vegetable oil)
1 chicken breast OR 1 cup diced ham, optional

1. Prepare the minute rice as instructed on the box. Set aside.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet to medium-high heat.
3. If you are using meat, add the chicken or ham to the skillet and saute until cooked through. Remove from skillet and set aside
4. Add the onions, celery, and carrots to the skillet. Stir fry until just tender.
5. Add the meat and cooked rice to the skillet. Stir and let cook for 1-2 minutes over medium-high heat.
6. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, beat the eggs.
7. Pour the eggs over the rice mixture and stir until cooked through.

Bonus the meal by stopping by your local Chinese food restaurant or grocery store for a few egg rolls. Or, if you are really ambitious, you can make your own.