Chicken Stir Fry

Courtesy of Allrecipes.com
This recipe is very yummy and passed onto me from my Sister-in-Law Amy.

I don't do this recipe exactly like the website since it was too much for my family, so here is my version and you can put in the vegetables that you prefer. You could do this with a frozen bag of veggies... but fresh is SO much better!

Chicken and marinade
2 medium-large boneless skinless chicken breast halves
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Other Ingredients
3 tablespoons cooking oil, divided
1 1/2-2 cups broccoli florets
1/2 c snow peas
10 asparagus with 2-3 inches of bottoms cut off
1/4 c onion sliced (I do mine big enough to find them and take them out for the kids)
1/4-1/2 cup thinly sliced carrots
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
1 tablespoon Soy Sauce
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch

Directions

1.Cut chicken into 1/2-in. strips; place in a resealable plastic bag or bowl with lid. Add cornstarch and toss to coat. Combine soy sauce, ginger and garlic powder; add to bag (or bowl) and mix/shake well. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

2.In a large skillet or wok, heat 2 tablespoons of oil; stir-fry chicken on a medium heat until no longer pink, about 3-5 minutes. Remove and keep warm. Don't be alarmed if the bottom is coated with the cornstarch and marinade... it will come off later and coat the veggies.

Add remaining oil; on medium heat, stir- fry broccoli, asparagus, carrots and onion for 4-5 minutes or until crisp-tender then add the pea pods because they cook faster than the other veggies. Mix water and bouillon and add to the veggies (this softens the buildup on the bottom of the pan and it thickens and coats the food). Reduce heat to medium low or low heat. Return chicken to pan. Mix the soy sauce, ginger, and garlic again with the cornstarch and pour over the chicken and veggies. Cook and stir until thickened and well coated. You can put the lid on to help your veggies to cook through a little bit more, you don't want them to be too limp, but not too crunchy either.

Serve over rice. *I like it with Brown Rice which you will need to start before you begin cooking the chicken since it takes 45 minutes to cook brown rice*

Note: I have tried it with bell peppers before and it was good, but I like this combo of veggies the best of all the ways I have tried it! The asparagus really is quite good for those of you that are hesitant... my kids LOVE LOVE LOVE it! Surprisingly enough! ;)

Chicken & Stuffing

This is a re-post of a very old post. I finally remembered to take a picture. It isn't a fancy dish, but it is fast and easy to make. And never disappoints for flavor. It is always one I know my kids will eat. :)

from Amy

3-4 chicken breasts or 8+ tenderloins
Cheese , grated
1-2 cans of cream of chicken soup (depending on how saucy you want it)
1 box stuffing (I use stovetop)
salt and pepper

Bake chicken breasts (or the tenderloins) in casserole dish for about 45 minutes at 350. Remove from pan and cut up in strips or cubes, whichever you prefer. You can do them as whole (if you did tenderloins) or cut them up. I find it is easier to have them cut up a bit for my younger kids. Pour out any juices from dish, and place chicken back in casserole dish. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Cover with a layer of cheese,Then cover with soup (undiluted). I usually use two cans or one large family size can depending on how much chicken I used. I like it more saucy. But others might not.Mix dressing as directed on the box (but don't cook it)......and put on top of soup in dish.Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes. Serve with desired vegetables.

Chocolate Muffins

These are way too easy. You'll almost feel guilty. But don't, they're so yummy and they have great texture. (Note: the picture is with my changes. I added cream cheese and chocolate chips. Leave it to me to make something kind of healthy not even close to healthy.)

1 pkg Rich Chocolate Cake or Devil's Food Cake Mix
1 small can pumpkin

Mix together with mixer.I used a Rich Chocolate cake mix for this batch. I think I prefer the Devil's Food.Put in muffin pan. Bake at 350 for 17 minutes. If you don't like pumpkin, don't worry. These don't taste at all like pumpkin... at all. I was surprised there was even pumpkin in them when I had them the first time. I think it might even be fun to put a small dollop of cream cheese in the middle before baking. But I'm a little obsessed with cream cheese.

Note: A white cake mix can also be used. But the chocolate ones are DELICIOUS!

Variation: I mixed together 1/2 pkg cream cheese, half of a beaten egg, and 1/4 cup sugar with a mixer. Drop by tbsp into each muffin. I tried to put mine in the middle and then sprinkle them with mini chocolate chips on top. But I think making a well in the middle of each muffin and then putting the filling in would work better. I'll have to try that next time. These take a few minutes longer to cook. And they're more like dessert than breakfast. Super rich and yummy. We liked ours with fresh raspberries. :)

Spaghetti Sauce

from Barbara & Amy
My sister-in-law's mother made this sauce and it was so good. Pretty simple, too. Close enough to homemade for me! Sorry there isn't a picture. I didn't have my camera with me. You'll just have to trust me that it is good!

1 6 oz tomato paste
1 16 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 jar Ragu spaghetti sauce with mushrooms
Fresh mushrooms, cut up to desired size
1 pkg Johnsonville brand mild italian sausage (this brand is the best for this sauce)
Garlic gloves, minced
Onion, minced
Olive Oil
Parsley
1 Tbsp Butter
Sprinkle of sugar, if needed

Brown sausage, onion, and garlic with a little olive oil and parsley. Add fresh mushrooms when the sausage is almost done.

Add Ragu sauce, tomato paste, and crushed tomatoes. Let simmer until desired consistency. Add butter and sugar (if needed) at the end. Serve over hot spaghetti noodles with breadsticks or garlic bread.

Beer-Battered Onion Rings

from my brother, Denton and (allrecipes.com with our changes)

3 cups flour, divided
2 eggs, separated
1 cup Fat Tire Beer, plus more for thinning (its better, I promise)
4 Tbsp butter, melted
salt to taste (a pinch or so... we usually end up doing about 1/4 tsp, but you can start with less and add more later after you test one)
3 large Vidalia or Walla Walla onions (Vidalia are our favorite)

Put 1 cup flour into small bowl for dipping onions before the batter. In a medium bowl, beat egg yolks (saving the whites for later in a small bowl). Add in beer, butter, and salt. In a large bowl, add 2 cups flour. Slowly stir the egg mixture into the flour and mix well.  Batter is different every time I make it due to humidity and time of year etc. So sometimes it is a little thicker and sometimes it is thinner. Add more beer from the bottle until the batter resembles pancake batter. Sometimes we end up using the entire bottle. Sometimes less. But get it to a pancake batter consistency. Allow to stand for 30 minutes to an hour. Heat up deep fryer to 375.

After batter has rested, in a small bowl, beat the egg whites with hand mixer until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter.

Coat each onion ring with a dusting of flour (to help the batter stick) and then dip into batter.Using a fork, allow some of the batter to drip off a bit. Carefully dip the onion ring into the hot oil. You don't want to just plop it in there or the batter will fly off and your onion ring won't be as pretty. (But it still tastes the same.) I usually fry one or two and then taste them to see if the batter needs more salt. You don't want them salty. Just barely there for flavor. We dip the onion rings in various things so you don't want an overpowering salty flavor. So we start with 1/4 tsp and that is usually enough. Sometimes it needs a dash more, but not too often. Once you're happy with the taste, continue flouring and battering and frying until you get the amount of onion rings needed.Deep fry until rings are golden brown. Usually 3 minutes or so. I use my larger fryer (not shown) and can get about 4-5 rings at a time. And I flip them over half way.

Note: If you don't need to use all the batter, it can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. Admittedly, this makes a large batch. LARGE! But don't despair, that means more for later. Just put the onions and batter in the fridge and make some more later or the next day. It's still great. Follow same directions as above... flouring first, then batter, tap... and fry to golden. :) ENJOY! YUM!!!!

Manicotti

from Amy

2 cups cottage cheese
1 box frozen spinach (cooked & drained)
mozzarella cheese (or whatever kind you prefer)
2 egg whites
¼ cup chopped parsley
dash pepper
8 oz uncooked manicotti shells (15 pieces)
1 large jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce (or marinara)

Preheat oven to 375

I cook the manicotti shells half way, until they are almost done.While the noodles are cooking, I mix together in a bowl, cottage cheese, a handful of grated cheese, parsley, pepper, egg whites, and spinachPut a layer of sauce on the bottom of a casserole dish. Fill the manicotti shells with the filling mixture. Then place them side by side in the dish. Cover shells with remaining sauce. Sprinkle cheese on top. Put foil over dish, and bake for 50 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes.

***Lo-Fat Tip: Use low-fat/low-cal cottage cheese or ricotta cheese.