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).

Mexican Corn-Chicken Chowder

My favorite type of cooking is piecing together three or four different recipes and creating something new, hoping the result is tasty enough for everyone in our family to enjoy it. This weekend's invention was a definite hit.

Mexican Corn-Chicken Chowder

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 Tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 Tablespoon cumin
1/2 Tablespoon southwest seasoning or chili powder
10-12 splashes of hot sauce
1 can cream-style corn
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
2 cups Monterey jack/cheddar cheese mix
1 cup sour cream
1 cup milk
1 diced bell pepper (or Anaheim, jalapeno, or banana pepper for added heat)
1 diced tomato

1. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic, onion, chicken, cumin, and southwest seasoning. Cook until chicken is cooked thoroughly, about 6 minutes.
2. Add corn, creamed corn, cheese, sour cream, diced pepper, and milk. Stir until mixed thoroughly. Reduce heat to medium.
   
3. Add hot sauce and additional cumin or southwest seasoning to achieve desired spiciness.
4. Continue cooking until heated thoroughly, about 10-15 minutes.
5. Just before serving, stir in chopped tomato, if desired.
   
6. Serve topped with tortilla chips and extra cheese.
   

Blogger Borrowing

Borrowing a recipe from a friend tonight. Yummy breakfast casserole, via Anne. Check it out and try it!

Sloppy Joes, slow-cooker style

From my friend, Sue, who got it from her mom, Roberta, who got it from a co-worker back in 1962. A good recipe will spread faster and last longer than ANY gossip! And like gossip, it changes a bit as it passes from one person to another. I added corn to sneak in some vegetables, and Sue adjusted it for crockpot.

1 - 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1/2 to 3/4 cup ketchup
4 Tablespoons Worchestershire sauce
1/2 cup water
1 can corn, drained
1/8 to 1/4 cup white vinegar
4 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons dry mustard
Chopped onion and green pepper, optional
salt and pepper, to taste

Brown meat and drain. Add all other ingredients and pour into crockpot. Cook on low for 4 hours, or until warm throughout. Serve on hamburger buns.

March Menu

I'm trying to figure out the best way to publish the monthly menu. I have it in a Microsoft Word calendar, so I can print out a month at a time. Here, it is in a jpg file or, below, as a text list. I'm still not sure which format is most useful. Suggestions?

March 2010 Menu

1

Egg burrito

Leftovers

Crockpot tacos

2

Waffles

Sandwiches

Ham

3

PB toast

Frozen meal

Super nachos

4

Cereal

Ham pockets

Leftovers

5

Oatmeal

Frozen meal

Grilled tilapia and cheesy broccoli

6

Scrambled eggs

Sandwiches, chips

Pizza roll

7

Waffles

Pizza roll

Salad, baked pork steak

8

Waffles

Leftovers

Fajitas

9

Oatmeal

Grilled cheese

Vegetable soup

10

Toast and fruit

Leftovers

Crockpot meatballs

11

Cereal

Leftovers

Broccoli cheese soup

12

Donut day

Leftovers

Fish sticks and mac-n-cheese

13

Pancakes

Sandwiches

Pork roast, potatoes

14

Biscuits and gravy

BBQ pork

Chili and rolls

15

PB Toast

Leftovers

Frito pie

16

Cereal

Apple-spinach salad

Tomato soup and grilled cheese

17

Egg sandwich

Leftovers

Frozen pizza

18

Oatmeal

Cheesy tacos

Meat balls and rice

19

Donut Day

Frozen meal

Tuna cakes

20

Omelets

Leftovers

Glazed ham, salad

21

Waffles

Hot dogs and beans

Cheesy potatoes and ham casserole

22

Egg burrito

Leftovers

Leftovers

23

Poptarts

Sandwiches

Spanish rice

24

Poptart

Leftovers

Pork stir fry

25

Poptarts

Leftovers

Potato soup

26

Donut Day

Leftover

Creole shrimp and rice

27

Pancakes

Leftovers

Beef roast

28

Scrambled eggs

BBQ beef, chips

Lasagne

29

Toaster strudel

Leftovers

Leftovers

30

Toast and jam

Sandwiches

Orange-chicken rice bowl

31

Cereal

Leftovers

Fried rice, egg rolls

Creamy Tomato-Basil Soup

I love this soup! It's so yummy and easy, and the kids don't fight us eating it. The recipe calls for canned tomatoes, but we have substituted fresh tomatoes in the summer or frozen tomatoes in the winter. Did you know that if you core and freeze whole tomatoes, the skin falls right off when you are ready to use them?

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• EVOO
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 1/2 Tablespoon flour
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 14 oz can diced tomatoes
• 14 oz canned crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 1 1/2 Tablespoon chopped fresh basil

1. In a large stock pot, saute onion over medium heat in oil until soft and translucent.
2. Add salt, pepper, dried basil, and flour. Cook for a few minutes.
3. Whisk in chicken broth to flour mixture until mixed thoroughly.
4. Add tomatoes and stir. Cook over medium heat for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Stir in baking soda and sugar. (The baking soda (base) will react with the tomatoes (acid) and foam up like a elementary school science experiment. The kids LOVE watching this part, and it's a great opportunity for an impromptu science lesson.)
6. Reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes.
7. Add half-and-half and fresh basil.
8. Stir and simmer for at least 5 minutes. Turn heat to low until ready to serve.

My family likes to add Goldfish crackers for the kids, or shredded cheese for the adults.

Sausage-Broccoli Puff

I got this recipe from a cookbook handed down to me by my grandmother-in-law. My grandmothers have both passed away, but Grandma Pete's memory lives on in my kitchen, thanks to her Broccoli-Cheese Soup. Not having my grandmas makes me that more appreciative of my grandmothers-in-law and their recipes!

Back to the recipe. It's super-easy, looks fancy, and makes a light, fluffy crust that the kids (and Jay) fight over.

Sausage-Broccoli Puff

• 1/4 cup butter, cubed
• 3/4 cup milk
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms, or 1 small can of mushroom stems and pieces (optiona)
• 1 small onion, sliced into rings
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 pound bulk pork sausage
• 3 cups frozen chopped broccoli
• 1/3 cup uncooked instant rice, or 1 cup cooked white rice
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

1. Place butter in a glass 9-in. pie plate; place in a 400° oven for 2-3 minutes or until butter is melted. Remove from the oven.
2. In a bowl, whisk milk, flour, eggs and salt until smooth; pour into hot pie plate.
3. Bake at 400° for 25 minutes or until puffed and golden.
4. Meanwhile, in a skillet, saute mushrooms and onion in butter until tender; remove and set aside.
5. In the same skillet, cook sausage over medium heat until no longer pink; drain.
6. Stir in broccoli and rice. Cook until tender. (If using cooked rice, cook the broccoli tender before adding the rice.)
7. Stir in mushroom mixture and cheese. Cover and keep warm.
8. When pancake is removed from oven, immediately spoon filling into center and serve.