Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole

Now that my pregnancy nausea has sort of ceased (I'm convinced it will never totally go away), the best thing has been very distinct cravings. Like I never just want a salad, or a sandwich,  I want an oriental salad with sesame dressing and wonton strips or a turkey sandwich with pickle and honey mustard.  This casserole was a product of that. I wanted a creamy chicken casserole with wild rice and teeny tiny chopped vegetables. Done.

Recipe

• 1 box Uncle Ben's Long Grain and Wild Rice (small box - 6 oz I think)
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 2 cups cooked chicken, cubed or shredded (I got a rotisserie chicken)
• 2 cups chopped/small frozen vegetables (I used peas, carrots, and chopped broccoli)
• 1/2 cup half and half
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1/2 stalk celery, diced
• salt (at least 1/2 tsp, more to taste)
• pepper

Cook the rice according to instructions.  In a separate pan, cook the onion and celery in 1 tablespoon butter for about 5-10 minutes until tender. In a bowl, combine the cooked rice, chicken, soup, half & half, onion mixture, and S&P.  Pour into a casserole dish, cover, and bake at 300 for 30 minutes (or until warm). You could serve this with a salad, but preferred a warm, buttery, crusty piece of bread.

Chocolate Chip Cookie in a Mug (and in a minute)

I love things in a mug. I eat my cereal every morning in a mug, I drink my coffee in a mug, I eat my dessert every night in a mug, and I guess that's it. But that's more than most people. Then I came across this recipe, and I couldn't believe my eyes.  Dessert in a mug AND in less than a minute??! Wow! I added 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda because I wanted it a bit fluffier, but other than that it was perfect. A little too perfect, in fact.

Beef Stroganoff

This isn't really a season-appropriate recipe (especially in Dallas where it's already 80+ degrees), but the truth is there is never a bad time for beef stroganoff. A wonderful comfort food, and a favorite of my husband's, this was a perfect Sunday dinner for a lazy day. It's so easy!

I did use a better cut of meat (tenderloin) - though I think the whole idea behind beef stroganoff from the beginning was the frugality of it. But whatever, tenderloin is better. And I added lots of mushrooms - portabella and cremini. I meant to use half sour cream/half yogurt for the sauce to lighten it up a bit, but that didn't happen. Still, this didn't taste heavy or rich at all - this has less sour cream than most recipes and no butter. It could practically be published in Cooking Light.

Recipe

• 1 lb tenderloin
• S&P, nutmeg
• olive oil
• 2 shallots or 1/2 onion, diced 
• 1 lb mushrooms - cremini/diced portabella
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 2/3 cup reduced fat sour cream
• 2/3 cup beef broth
• 2 tablespoons corn starch
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• Dash Worcestershire

Heat some olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat, about 2 tablespoons. Slice the tenderloin into very thin strips, about 1/4 inch thick and 2 inches long (hint: put the meat in the freezer for about 20 minutes prior to slicing to make it much easier). Sprinkle the meat with salt, pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg. Brown the meat and cook all the way through. Transfer to a plate.

Add the diced shallot or onion to the skillet. Cook for about 5 minutes, then add the mushrooms. De-glaze the pan with white wine. Cook for about 5 more minutes, then reduce the heat to low.  In a separate bowl, mix the sour cream, broth, corn starch, nutmeg, Dijon, and Worcestershire.  Slowly add the sour cream mixture to the onions/mushrooms, over low heat. Stir around, add the meat back in, and allow the sauce to thicken (but don't boil, as the sour cream could curdle). If sauce it too thick, add a pinch of water or chicken broth to thin it out a bit.  Serve over noodles or rice, and sprinkle with fresh parsley.

Ground Beef Tacos

Do you need a recipe for tacos? Probably not. Brown a little ground beef with the pre-packaged taco seasoning and you're good to go. True.

But, it's just as easy to use fresh ingredients that give you a way better flavor and a lot less sodium.  Perfect easy weeknight meal that your whole family will love.

Just kidding, that was cheesy. But I'm sure if you have a family they will love it.

Recipe

• 1 lb ground beef (recommend 93% lean)
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
• 1 8 oz can tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• Dash worcestershire

How many recipes do I have on this blog that include a dash of worcestershire? A lot. It does magical things to food, particularly ground beef.

Brown the meat, then add the onion and jalapeno and cook for about 5 minutes or so. Mix in the tomato sauce, then remaining ingredients. Turn the heat to low, cover and cook for several minutes to let the flavors marinate. I don't really know if that step is necessary, but it felt good. I like the idea of 'flavors marinating.'

Serve on hard or soft tortillas (I couldn't decide!), with chopped tomato, shredded lettuce, and sour cream. And salsa!

Egg Drop Soup

So I realized that my favorite weeknight meal is not included in my blog anywhere. It's perfect, in my mind - basic, fast, simple, plain yet flavorful enough, and you probably have all the ingredients in your fridge at any given time. There are many versions of egg drop soup - and this is mine.

This recipe serves 1, because it is perfect for a night alone while you are watching Friends re-runs and your husband is in New York for work.

Recipe

• 1 1/4 cup Chicken Broth
• 2 tablespoons Corn Starch
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 egg whites, lightly beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (optional)
• 2 teaspoons+++ soy sauce (not optional)
• Pepper
• Any other add-ins: spinach, sliced mushroom, green onions

Bring the chicken broth to a low boil. Whisk the corn starch with 1/2 cup water, then slowly stir into the boiling chicken broth. Reduce the heat a bit and allow to thicken (this shouldn't take long).  Pepper the egg whites, then mix them into the broth in a slow, steady stream - stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to low and allow the eggs to cook, adding in any vegetables if you so choose. Sprinkle with thyme and pepper. Mix in the soy sauce or drizzle on top of the soup (my preferred method, I like it concentrated). You can tone down the soy sauce, or use half the bottle like I do. It tastes delicious, and is worth the puffy face you will have in the morning (I hope I am not the only one that reacts to excessive amounts of sodium this way??). You should know I eat this soup at least twice a week, paired with a grilled peanut butter sandwich.

Roasted Salmon with Red Pepper Jelly

Deeeelicious weeknight meal. Or weekend meal, I suppose - if you like eating healthy and easy during that time.  Boy do I love red pepper jelly. I love it on cream cheese with crackers, I love it on toast, I love it on brie and bacon wrapped dates, and now I love it on salmon. And I am pretty sure I would love it on pork tenderloin and chicken too. 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place a salmon fillet on a piece of aluminum foil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Generously glob on a bunch of red pepper jelly - my favorite is Stonewall Kitchen.

Seal the aluminum foil around the fish, and roast for about 15 minutes, until the fish is flaky. Yep, that's it.

Mustard Roasted Salmon

Ohhh boy, this was one good dinner last night. My go-to weeknight meals usually include salmon - it's easy to cook, it's versatile, and it feels fancier than chicken. This whole meal took me about 30 minutes from start to finish (and included yukon gold mashed potatoes and broccoli), and yet the end result felt a little gourmet. I would even serve this at a dinner party, if I knew everyone liked salmon. But the ugly truth is that not everyone likes salmon. Shame on them.

Recipe:

• Two 8 oz salmon fillets
• 1/4 cup light sour cream
• 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
• Lemon
• Mustard seed
• Fresh dill (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the salmon (skin-side down if you did not remove it) on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Drizzle the fish with juice from half of the lemon, then sprinkle with salt and pepper.

In a bowl, mix together the sour cream, dijon mustard, and about 1 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice. Spoon it over the fish.  Sprinkle about 1-2 tablespoons of mustard seed over the top.

Place the salmon in the oven, and bake for 10 minutes. Turn on the broiler, and broil for an 5 additional minutes.  Serve with fresh dill.

Yes, that looks like a heck of a lot of fish. Don't worry though - it suddenly feels quite tiny once you start eating it.

Caprese Toast with Balsamic Glaze

I loooove caprese sandwiches. I could eat them morning, noon, and night.  This is a very easy and fun twist on the traditional caprese sandwich - perfect for a ladies' luncheon or a Saturday night dinner for yourself when your husband is in Denver for the Bears game. 

Recipe

1 loaf ciabatta bread

3 tablespoons butter

3 large red tomatoes

3 yellow tomatoes

fresh basil, chopped

1/4 cup olive oil (approximate - use just enough to coat tomatoes)

1 cup balsamic

Mozzarella cheese

Start by making the balsamic glaze. Pour about 1 cup balsamic into a saute pan, and heat on medium-low. Throw in about 1 tablespoon sugar - you do not need this, but it helps the vinegar to reduce more quickly. Stirring occasionally, keep the vinegar at a low simmer until it reduces to about 1/4 cup and forms a nice sugary glaze. It should take about 20-30 minutes. Make sure to keep the heat on low, balsamic burns relatively easily.

Slice up the tomatoes, mix with olive oil and fresh basil, and set aside.

Meanwhile,  slice up the ciabatta bread into nice thick pieces. Heat butter in a skillet, and fry the bread until golden brown on each side.

Transfer the bread to a plate, and top with mozzarella.

Yes, that is string cheese. It's all I had.

....and drizzle with balsamic glaze. If the glaze has gotten too sticky or hard, you can thin it out a bit by heating it in the microwave for 10 seconds.

Finally, top with the tomato mixture.

 So delicious, and so pretty with the multi-colored tomatoes. Enjoy!

Honey Mustard Glazed Chicken

This is a wonderful and simple chicken recipe, perfect for summer grilling.  I really prefer to cook more complicated items for my Sunday night cooking sprees, but John (my fiance), is a grilled chicken lover and I am a people pleaser. Not really, but we are getting married in a month and so I like to take every opportunity I get to let him know I am going to be a really good roommate.

The key to delicious grilled chicken is to not over cook it - and yet nearly everybody does. Chicken should be cooked to 180 degrees - no more. It also continues to cook for about 10 minutes after you remove it from the grill, so you definitely need to monitor the temperature and take it off before you reach 180.

I grilled this chicken mainly over indirect heat - it really helped to keep the meat juicy and delicious.

Recipe:

2 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts, split (so 4 pieces total)
3/4 cup honey
6 tablespoons dijon mustard
3 tablespoons soy sauce
Pepper to taste

Mix all the marinade ingredients together in a bowl, set 1/3 c. of the mixture aside.  Pour the rest into a ziploc bag; add the chicken and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Prepare the grill for indirect heat.  When grill is heated to about 350, place chicken over direct heat. Grill about 5-6 minutes over direct heat, flipping over once to get both sides.  Move chicken to indirect heat.  After about 10 minutes, turn chicken over and brush on the remaining glaze. Grill for another 10 minutes, or until your meat thermometer reads 165 degrees.  Take the chicken off, and let sit 10 minutes before serving.  Enjoy!