Thai Chicken Revisted

2 cups cooked white, Jasmine rice
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup fish sauce (or water)
1 1/2 tbsps. Asian hot sauce (Rooster Chili Sauce works well)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp. fresh ginger root, minced
3-4 chicken breasts halves, cut into short strips
1 cup broccoli flowerettes
1 tbsp. sesame oil
3 tbsps. brown sugar
1 small onion or shallot, diced
3/4 cup cold water
1/4 cup corn starch
3 tbsps. peanut butter (creamy or crunchy)
1 cup unsalted cashews, chopped (optional)

Combine the soy sauce, fish sauce or water (I prefer the water), Asian hot sauce, minced garlic and ginger root.  Add the chicken, combine well and set in refrigerator for a couple of hours or at least a 1/2 hour.

Heat the sesame oil over medium heat in a large wok or pan.  Add the onion, saute until translucent.

Add the brown sugar, stir until it's completely dissolved.

Cook the chicken in two parts, 

 Return the chicken including its juice to the pan, stir and simmer for five minutes

Add the broccoli flowerettes and simmer for another five minutes

Stir in the peanut butter until it dissolves.  Simmer for five minutes.

Mix the cold water and the cornstarch together.  I like to create a well in the middle of the meat and sauce to add the peanut butter and cornstarch.  I mix it in the well first and then once it's dissolved I combine it with the meat and sauce.  Don't add all the cornstarch just until it reaches the consistency you're happy with.  Hubby likes his thick like gravy.

Serve warm with on a bed of Jasmine rice.  Sprinkle with chopped cashew nuts (I didn't have any).

This was one of the first recipes I posted back in early 2010 when i started my blog.  It wasn't a very thorough post entry, it was very amateur, with only two pictures.  It's a family favorite recipe and since I made it today for dinner, I decided to post it again.  I got the recipe from a former co-worker (Lene) several years ago.  I love spicy, Asian food and although I'm not crazy over peanut butter, you can barely taste it as the hot sauce, garlic and ginger are just as tasteful.  Yum!

Have a great weekend and continue to savor every moment!

Twice Baked Potatoes by PW

adapted from PW's 2nd cookbook, ".....Food from My Frontier"

12 new potatoes, scrubbed clean
2 tbsps. olive oil
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese
1 tbsp. minced chives
1 garlic cloves, finely minced
Salt and black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375F degrees

Place potatoes on cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil

I don't buy pre-shredded cheese anymore.  I shred it myself which only takes a few seconds and the results are so much fresher and better

Combine the cream cheese, sour cream with the cheese, then add the chives and minced garlic.  Combine well and set aside.

 When the potatoes are done set aside to cool.

While the potatoes are cooling, I grilled some steak that I had marinating

When the potatoes are cool, split in half and scoop out the middle, leaving a margin.  

Combine the potatoes with the cream cheese mixture

Stuff the potato cheese mixture into the potato shells.  Bake in oven for another 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve with a grilled steak and a vegie

I'm still on vacation but at the tail end of it.  Staying home and piddling around the house is my idea of taking it easy and just enjoying being home.  My favorite thing to do is cook so I go all out.  Hubby called this a weekend meal and he's right, I wouldn't dare tackle something this extravagant on a regular workday.  Another thing we do is eat early, we have our big meal for lunch, that way I'm free to do what I want the rest of the day, especially if I'm working on a project. 

As many know, I am a big Pioneer Woman - Ree Drummond fan.  I love many of her recipes, I love her style and wit.  She's great! - Anyways, these potatoes were awesome even though I did need to put them in the microwave because they needed to cook a little longer.  The cheeses and the chives made these potatoes so scrumptious and what a great compliment with my steak. 

Enjoying my "stay"cation and savoring every moment

Chicken a la King

1 french loaf, sliced into 1" pieces
3 tbsps. butter
4 to 8 oz. fresh mushrooms
1/4 cup green pepper
1/4 cup green onions
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
2 cups evaporated milk or half and half
2 cups chicken broth
2 tbsps. cornstarch with 1/4 cup cold water (optional)
3 cups cooked diced chicken
1/4 cup pimiento

 I seasoned 5 chicken thighs with skin, bone in.  On a hot skilled with olive oil, I browned them about 7-10 minutes on each side.  Remove from skillet and set aside to cool off a little

When the chicken was cool enough, I removed the skin and removed the meat from the bone.  I then diced it the best I could (I didn't have any chicken breasts so I had to use these chicken thighs).  Set aside.

Preheat oven broiler.  Take the bread slices and place them on a cookie sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil and a little bit of kosher salt.  

 Broil for about 2 minutes but keep a close eye on them and don't walk away from them while they're broiling as they can burn very easily.  I only broiled these for 2 minutes and that was plenty.  Hubby likes the well toasted ones, I don't, so these came out perfect for all.  Set aside.

Melt butter in large sauce pan on medium heat.  Saute the green onions, green peppers and mushrooms until tender.

Add the flour and blend in with a flat whisk or fork

Slowly add the milk or half & half and the broth, continue to whisk until the sauce thickens.  I probably whisked for about 7-10 minutes, the sauce thickened a little bit but I had to end up using cornstarch to thicken it like gravy (the way I prefer it)

Add the chicken and pimientos, stir and heat thoroughly.

Serve warm over toasted bread or white rice.

Chicken a la King was my most favorite meal growing up.  I couldn't get enough of it and when it was all gone, I was very sad.  It was so delicious I could've eaten it every day and probably still can.  Although this recipe seemed to have everything I thought Chicken a la King was supposed to have, it was still missing something and didn't taste like the same kind I grew up enjoying.  It was still good but not great!!  My son was over and although he liked it too, he said it would probably taste even better the following day.  I had bought a french loaf of bread at the local farmer's market and thought it would be perfect with this meal and it was.  This made a pretty big pot so I had enough leftovers for another meal, yay! I won't have to slave over a hot stove after work this week.  Hubby and I went swimming this evening around 8p - I love swimming in the evening.  It was very warm and muggy but the water was cool.  We were invigorated and enjoyed the rest of the evening in our jammies watching True Grit.  Well, hope you've enjoyed your weekend and savored every moment.  Have a great week!

Bavarian Chops

4 boneless pork loin chops about 1/2" thick
2 tablespoons flour
1 tsp. butter
1/2 cup green onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
1/2 tsp. thyme
8 oz. beer, room temperature (I used beef broth)
Salt
Black pepper, freshly ground
Butter Noodles (optional)
Fresh parsley (optional)

Lightly flour chops.  Melt butter in nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until foaming.

 Brown chops 1-2 minutes per side.  Remove and set aside.

Here are the two garlic cloves the recipe asks for.  I had to take a picture of these as they're the ones hubby and I recently harvested from our garlic garden

Add green onion, garlic, mushrooms and thyme, saute for 2-3 minutes, until onion is soft.

Return chops to skillet, add beer, bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer 6-7 minutes or until liquid reaches a gravy state.  Season with salt and pepper

Serve over buttered noodles

I had to double the recipe because I wanted to use the whole package of chops that I had.

Have you ever wished for something and it literally showed up in front of your face within seconds??  I had no idea how I was going to cook these pork chops.  I also wanted to cook some egg noodles.  I saw a delicious picture of pork chops on the package itself and it dawned on me that there must be a recipe on the back.   I was right!  Not only did I have all the ingredients but it also asked for buttered noodles!!  Boy, sure wish it were like this every time I was stumped about what to make for dinner.

This is the first dinner I have cooked on my stove, in my kitchen, in my house since we lost power last Friday night.  I had planned to make my hubby his favorite meal, Schnitzel and Spaetzle (German pork with noodles) last Saturday for his birthday.  That all fell to the way side once we lost power.  To make a long story short our power was finally restored July 4th but not after we lost everything in our refrigerator.  An experience I hope and pray never to experience again in my life.

This meal was to makeup for the birthday meal I wasn't able to prepare for my hubby and it did not disappoint.  The chops came out very tender too, gravy and noodles are a great combo.  If you're not a lover of mushrooms I'm sure you can leave them out but I personally love them.   Hubby was very happy with his German meal even though it wasn't his favorite he was still very happy with it and that's all that matters.

Power Outage going on 3rd Day

We ask for your prayers as our state has been hit with a severe power outage in 3 digit heat.  We are going on our third day.  We'll try to take pictures of the devastation around our area.  I've never seen so many humungous trees uprooted this bad before.  Usually it's a large limb here and there but not this time around.  A lot of these trees have fallen on power lines which is the reason why so many are without power.  It's brutal, please pray for the many workers and volunteers working tirelessy in this heat to get our city put back together.  Thank you!