Chicken Fried Rice

 

2 c. cooked rice (cold)

2 c. shredded chicken (I used one of those pre-cooked rotisserie chickens)

2 large carrots, coarsely chopped

1 yellow onion, coarsely chopped

4 green onions, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

2 eggs, beaten 

Black pepper

Vegetable oil, for frying

Butter, for cooking the eggs

Tamari sauce (or soy sauce)

Cook onion and carrot in about a tablespoon of vegetable oil over medium low heat till they tender up. Add garlic and green onions for the last minute or so of cooking. 

While this cooks, put a little butter in a small pan and cook the scrambled eggs. Do not overcook them. Set them aside for now.

In a large frying pan, heat 2 T vegetable oil over med-hi heat. Do not let the oil smoke - once it shimmers, toss in the cold rice. Stir fry for a few minutes, till it starts to crisp up and pop a little. 

Throw in chicken and vegetable mixture. Stir. Turn down heat to just below medium. Cook till all ingredients are warmed and nicely mingled.

Add soy sauce (or tamari) to taste.

Remove from heat, add eggs. Stir and serve. 

Tapenade

 

1 c Kalamata olives, pitted

1 T capers, rinsed

2 anchovies, rinsed

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1/4 extra virgin olive oil

1 c Kalamata olives, chopped

1 T fresh parsley

juice of 1/2 lemon

black pepper

Put 1 cup whole olives, capers, anchovies, garlic and olive oil in food processor. Pulse about 10 times till coarse chopped.

Transfer mixture to a bowl.

Add the cup of chopped olives, parsley, lemon, and pepper to taste.

I served this with crostini (french bread that I sliced, then brushed with olive oil and toasted in the oven at 450), goat cheese, and a little pile of roasted chicken.

Alica's Super Easy Super Tasty Pound Cake

1 c. unsalted butter (2 sticks)
3 c. sugar
3 c. all-purpose flour
½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
6 large eggs
1 c. heavy cream
2 tsp. vanilla

DO NOT PREHEAT OVEN!

Generously grease and flour bundt, tube, or loaf pan.

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together until fluffy.

Add eggs, one at a time, being sure each is incorporated before adding the next.

Add about 1/3 of the flour mixture. Mix well.
Add about ½ the cream. Mix well.
Add about 1/3 of the flour mixture. Mix well.
Add the rest of the cream. Mix well.
Add the last of the flour. Mix well.

Add vanilla. Mix well.

Spread batter into pan.

Place in cold oven. Set temperature to 325. Bake 1 hour and 15 minutes.

 DO NOT OPEN DOOR DURING BAKING.

When done, remove from oven. Cool in pan for 15 minutes.

Stuffed Shells

 

(Picture is before the shells were baked)

1 box of large shell pasta

1 pound italian sausage (sweet, mild, spicy - whatever you like)

2 boxes frozen cut spinach (completely thawed)

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic

1/2 c tomato sauce

1 can spaghetti sauce (any flavor you like)

16 oz ricotta cheese

1 large egg

3 c shredded mozzarella cheese

3/4 shredded parmesan cheese (NOT the green container of faux cheese)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Spread the tomato sauce (or some of the spaghetti sauce) in the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan. This should just coat the bottom (so the shells won't stick). Fresh spinach leaves can be placed on top of the sauce, too, if you like - it looks pretty.
Prepare the shells until al dente (almost done, but not real floppy). Drain and set aside.
Wrap thawed spinach in scrupulously clean kitchen towel and wring out all liquid. Set aside.
Put olive oil in pan, add onion. Sweat onion for about 5 minutes. Add sausage. Break up sausage into small bits while browning. When sausage is just about done, add the garlic. You don't want to cook the garlic for a long time. When sausage is done, drain and set aside.
Mix ricotta and egg in a large bowl. Add sausage, spinach, and 2 cups of the mozzarella (save the other cup for the top).

Fill shells with the cheese, spinach and sausage mixture and place on tomato sauce (and fresh spinach if you used it) in the pan. Don't crowd the shells!
After all shells are full, pour spaghetti sauce over the top but don't drown them. You don't have to use the whole can of sauce.
Sprinkle with the rest of the mozzarella. Top with the fresh parmesan.
Bake for about 45 minutes till bubbly.
This recipe makes 2 9 x 13 pans of shells!

Weight Watchers Chili

1 lb 97% Lean Ground Turkey
1 onion
1 envelope ranch dressing mix
1 envelope taco seasoning mix
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 can Rotel tomatoes
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can Mexican style tomatoes (or another of either of the other 3)
1 can pinto beans
1 can kidney beans (OR 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed)
1 can chili beans
1 large can diced green chilis
1 can Mexicorn

Dice onion and saute in 1 T vegetable oil till soft. Add ground turkey and cook till not pink. Add all other ingredients and stir. Cook till heated through. I serve this with baked Tostitos (regular Fritos for those who are not dieting).

If you'd like to make the chili more spicy, make your Rotel tomatoes the hot kind. The taco seasoning also comes in various heat levels, as do the chili beans. Make your own combination.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
1/2 cup all purpose flour
4 cups milk
4 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated (or any type of grated cheese or combination of cheeses you like)
1 lb. (16 oz.) elbow macaroni

Preheat oven to 350.
Prepare macaroni as directed on package. Drain and set aside.
In a large pan, melt butter over medium high heat. When butter is completely melted and starting to sizzle a little, add the flour.
Whisk the flour into the butter. Let it bubble for about a minute - whisking constantly.
Turn the heat up to medium high. Start adding milk about one cup at a time, whisking constantly. Leave no lumps.
After all the milk has been added, continue whisking and cooking for about a minute.
Turn off the heat, but leave the pan on the burner. Add the cheese. Stir till all cheese is melted. Mix this sauce with the cooked macaroni, then dump into a 9 x 13 pan.
Bake at 350 for 30 - 35 minutes or until gold and bubbly.

Jalapeno Cornbread

2 Envelopes of Martha White Sweet Cornbread mix
2 eggs
1 c milk
3 T jalapenos from a jar, seeded and chopped (3 T makes a pretty darned hot cornbread. You can reduce the amount or even leave these out altogether. Taking the seeds and membranes off the jalapenos will make them milder, but not really mild.)
1 can green chilies, undrained (the smaller can)
2 T. chopped pimentos, drained (this is a whole jar if you've bought the small jar)
1 yellow onion, very finely chopped
1 can cream style corn
2-1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
5 slices bacon

Preheat oven to 400.
Fry bacon in cast iron skillet till crisp and crumbly. Remove bacon from pan but don't pour out the bacon grease. Set the bacon pan aside for now.
In a large bowl, mix cornbread mix, eggs, and milk till combined. Stir in the jalapenos, chilies, pimentos, onion, and corn.
Stir in 2 cups of the cheese, reserving 1/2 cup for later.
Crumble 3 pieces of the bacon and stir that in there, too. Now the cornbread part is all done.

If the bacon grease has cooled down, put it in the preheated oven until it's good and hot (5 minutes or so).
Remove the pan of grease from the oven and immediately pour in the cornbread mixture. It should sizzle....
Put back in the oven and bake for 55 minutes to 1 hour till golden brown on top - and I mean a pretty dark golden brown. You may need to put a sheet of tin foil on the rack under the cornbread to catch any overflow. (When you think it's done, shake the skillet around a bit to make sure the center isn't jiggly. If it is, cook till it's not jiggly anymore. After 5 minutes or so of cooling, cut into it - pie-slice-syle. If the consistency is mushy, turn oven down to 300 and bake for another 15 or 20 minutes to dry it out just a little bit.)
Remove from oven. Sprinkle with another 1/2 cup or so of shredded cheese and the remaining 2 pieces of bacon, crumbled. Put back in oven just until cheese is melted.