Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken with Fried Rice

        I have a DELICIOUS recipe for you all! I am so excited to share this one. I found this on Mels Kitchen Cafe about a year ago. My family and I LOVE this dish! It has such a great flavor. You could probably trick your family into thinking you picked up some yummy Chinese food at a gourmet restaurant... It is that good, I promise! One of the great things about it is that its baked :)  Your not deep frying it like the normal chinese dishes, so your getting tons of great flavor without all the fat and grease. I found the Fried Rice recipe on a website (dont remember which one) but added my own little twist to it. I made this last night for dinner and I think we all ate it up within 5 - 10 minutes! It's soooo good. I hope you give it a try soon :)

Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken

The chicken coating:

3-4 boneless chicken breasts

salt + pepper

1 cup cornstarch

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup canola oil

The sweet and sour sauce:

3/4 cup sugar

4 tbs ketchup

1/2 cup distilled white vinegar

1 tbs soy sauce

1 tsp garlic salt

       Start by preheating your oven to 325 degrees. Rinse your chicken breasts in water and then cut into cubes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Dip chicken into the cornstarch to coat then dip into the eggs.  Heat your 1/4 cup oil in a large skillet and cook your chicken until browned but not cooked through. Place the chicken in a 9x13 greased baking dish. Mix all of your sweet and sour sauce ingredients in a bowl with a whisk and then pour evenly over the chicken. Bake for one hour and during the baking process you will need to turn the chicken every 15 minutes.  

                                 Below is the greatness you will get when it's all cooked:

YUM!

Fried Rice                                                                                             

3 cups cooked white rice (day old or leftover rice works best!)

3 tbs sesame oil

1 cup frozen peas and carrots (thawed)

1 small onion, chopped

2 tsp minced garlic

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1/4 cup soy sauce

      On medium high heat, heat the oil in a large skillet or wok.  Add the peas/carrots mix, onion and garlic. Stir fry until tender. Lower the heat to medium low and push the mixture off to one side, then pour your eggs on the other side of skillet and stir fry until scrambled. Now add the rice and soy sauce and blend all together well. Stir fry until thoroughly heated!   **You could really play around with this rice too! Try adding some diced ham, or green onion :) Yum!  

     

SCRUMDIDLIUMPTIOUS!

Crock Pot Chicken Enchilada Soup

 

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 medium onions, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 quart chicken stock

1 tablespoon chicken soup base

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons chili powder

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, to taste

1 (8 oz). can tomato sauce

1 (19 oz.) can enchilada sauce (or two 10 oz. cans)

6 small corn tortillas*, minced

16 oz. Velveeta, cubed

1 cup co-jack cheese, shredded

1 22 oz. bag Tyson roasted and diced chicken, thawed

1 can whole kernel corn**, drained (optional)

Garnishes: pico de gallo, sour cream, shredded cheese, crunchy tortilla strips

In a skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat, and saute' the onions until they are tender. Add the minced garlic and cook another minute or two, then scrape the onions and garlic into your crock pot. Add all the other ingredients, except the chicken and corn. Cook over high heat for two hours or low for four. Whisk until smooth (you may wish to use a stick blender). Add the chicken pieces and corn and heat through, maybe another 30 minutes to one hour. Check seasonings, and garnish as you like before serving.

*Most of the recipes that I found online called for one or two cups of masa harina to thicken the soup. The store I was shopping in didn't carry that, so I got the brilliant idea to just chop up some corn tortillas and let them dissolve in the soup. it worked perfectly, and gave the soup great flavor...just like chicken enchiladas!

zuppa toscana

Yield: about 8-10 servings

INGREDIENTS

1 lb. Italian sausage (or half regular, half turkey sausage)
1 large onion, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup white wine to deglaze the pan
½ tsp. red pepper flakes
2 russett potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch chunks
2 cups fresh kale, chopped
3 cups chicken broth
2.5 cups water
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS

• Place a large stockpot or Dutch oven on the stove over medium heat.  Crumble the sausage into the pan and cook until well browned.  Remove the cooked sausage from the pot with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl; set aside.  Add the chopped onion to the pan and sauté until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
• Add the garlic and red pepper flakes to the pan and cook for a minute more, just until fragrant.  Add the wine to the pot and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen any browned bits.  Add the potatoes, kale, chicken broth and water to the pot.   Return the sausage to the pot.  Increase the heat to medium-high, bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer on medium-low.  Cover and let simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork-tender and cooked through.
• Stir in the heavy cream and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve immediately.

Slow Cooker Cheesy Chicken

Ingredients

·                   4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

·                   1 large onion, chopped (I use Vidalia)

·                   1 -8 ounce box Zatarain's Yellow Rice Mix, cooked according to directions

·                   1 cup cheddar cheese

·                   1 - 10.5 ounce can cream of chicken soup (regular or fat free)

·                   1 -15 ounce can whole kernel corn, drained

Instructions

1.            Place chicken in bottom of slow cooker. Scatter chopped onion over top. Spoon cream soup over top of that. Cover and cook on low 7-8 hours or on high 3-4 hours. A few minutes before serving, add in cooked rice, corn, and cheese. Stir to combine. Serve hot.

Pizza Casserole

Sick of making the same dishes every week?  Sick of ordering pizza when you can't think of anything else to have?  We all have weeks like that right?  I am constantly searching for new dinner ideas, and always trying to think of new things to throw together. 
As I've mentioned before, I have a soft spot for casseroles.  Don't know why, but I really love a one dish meal, especially during the week.  I came across a recipe a while ago for a little bit of a different version of a pizza casserole and realized right away that it was a great idea, and so easy to tweak to your personal preferences in terms of "toppings".  It was a hit in our house, and every time I've made it sense then I have changed it, depending on what kind of "pizza" I was in the mood for.  The possibilities are endless with this dish, so I'll give you a basic recipe to start you off with. 
Change it up and get creative.  There are no rules with this dish!

Pizza Casserole
1/2 a box of bow tie pasta, cooked until al dente and drained
1, 26 oz jar spaghetti sauce (use homemade sauce if you have it)
1/2 of a large onion, chopped
2 tsp chopped garlic
1 tsp oregano
1/2 lb sweet Italian sausage
1/2 lb cooked ham, cut into cubes
1 container of sliced mushrooms, whatever kind you prefer (I use baby Portabella)
2, 8 oz bags shredded mozzarella
sliced pepperoni - amount to use is up to you
grated Parmesan cheese - amount to use is up to you
Crumble up the sausage in a medium sized pan, and add the onion,garlic and oregano.  Cook until the juices run clear.
Spray an 8 x 11 pan with cooking spray, and preheat the oven to 375.  Coat the bottom of the pan with a thin layer of sauce.  On top of the sauce add 1/3 of the pasta, 1/3 of the sauce, 1/3 of the shredded mozzarella, sprinkle a little of the Parmesan cheese on top of the mozzarella, add the sausage mixture, and then add 1/2 of the package of mushrooms.  For the next layer, add 1/2 of the remaining pasta, 1/2 of the remaining sauce, 1/2 of the remaining mozzarella, sprinkle on the Parmesan cheese, add the ham and the rest of the mushrooms.  For the final layer add the rest of the pasta, all of the remaining sauce, the rest of the mozzarella cheese, sprinkle on some Parmesan cheese and cover the top completely with a layer of pepperoni.
Place in oven and bake for 45 minutes.  Remove from oven and let it set for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Taco Pasta

1 pound ground beef 8 ounce small dry pasta shapes 1 small onion, chopped (or 1 Tbsp minced onion flakes) 1 clove garlic, minced 1 cup salsa 1 packet taco seasoning 3 ounce cream cheese 1/2 cup sour cream Salt and pepper Shredded Cheese for topping Bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook pasta according to the package directions. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water. Set aside. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the ground meat and onion over medium-high heat until no longer pink. Once the meat is cooked through, drain off the excess fat and mix in the garlic. Cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Mix in the salsa and taco seasoning and let simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Stir in the cooked pasta, cream cheese, sour cream and reserved pasta water, and continue stirring until the cream cheese is melted and the sauce is well blended. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Top with shredded cheese and more sour cream and salsa if desired.

Chicken Noodle Casserole

Chicken-Macaroni Casserole

By ratherbeswimmin' on January 23, 2009

Photo by Chef shapeweaver ©

11 Reviews

• 
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Total Time: 1 hrs
• Servings: 8

About This Recipe

"Southern Living: a simple homey casserole my kids like."

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup chopped onions
• 3 tablespoons butter or 3 tablespoons margarine, melted
• 2 (10 3/4 ounce) cans cream of chicken soup
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
• 1 cup milk
• 3 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken
• 2 1/2 cups cooked macaroni
• salt
• pepper
• 1/4 cup Ritz cracker crumbs

Directions

1. In a large skillet over med-high heat, saute onions in butter until onions are tender.
2. Add in soup and 1 ½ cups cheese; gradually stir in milk.
3. Cook over medium heat until cheese melts; stir in chicken and macaroni; taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
4. Transfer mixture to a greased 2 ½ quart casserole; sprinkle with cracker crumbs.
5. Bake in a preheated 350° oven for 30 minutes or until heated through.
6. Top with remaining ½ cup cheese and bake 5 minutes.

Jacy's Meatballs

Meatballs:

1 lb hamburger
bread crumbs
onions
one egg

Mix all together


Sauce:
Per Pan 9x13
Ingridients:

• 1 c brown sugar
• 2 tsp mustard
• 3 tsp worechestier sauce
• 1/2 cup vinager
• 1/2 cup bbq sauce

Directions:

• Cover balls with tin foil but not tight. Then after 20 minutes baste with sauce
• Cook for 10-15 Minutes more with no foil
• serve with rice

Bacon Ranch Slowcooker Chicken

Adapted from My Once a Month Cooking
Bacon Ranch Slowcooker Chicken
4 Servings

2 butterball turkey bacon strips, cooked and shredded
1 tsp minced garlic
1 package ranch dressing mix
1 10.75 oz can condensed cream of chicken soup (98% fat free)
1 cup fat-free sour cream
16 oz. chicken breasts
8 oz. pasta (I used rigatoni)

Combine the first five ingredients. Place chicken in slowcooker and pour sauce over the top. Cook on high for 3.5 hours. Serve over hot noodles.

Nutritional Information: 456 calories, 61 carbs, 5 fat grams and 36 protein grams.

Review: This tasted like it was SO bad for me! I loved how creamy it came out - it almost tasted cheesy even though I didn't have cheese. I'm going to make this again immediately - wonderful comfort food! Edited to add 9/20/11: I've gathered some feedback via Pinterest and wanted to share: one reviewer mentioned that unless you really like ranch, the ranch flavor could be a bit overwhelming - she suggested not using the entire packet. Another mentioned that for them it was too salty, so using less of the packet may make a difference. We love it as is, but I saw these and thought they may help! And please, if you try it and have recommendations for making it better/changes for next time, feel free to post in the comments below. Thanks!

Got the recipe from Here

I love Spaghetti!

I love Spaghetti and love trying different kinds. I started putting cream cheese in my spaghetti sauce and loved it. Today on Live with Regis and Kelly, Kelly's co hose was Mark Feurestein and this is his Grandma's Spaghetti. It looks delicious!!! (I tweaked it a little bit, I did parmesan cheese and added hamburger) Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. hamburger

1 lb. dry pasta

1/3 stick of butter

6 oz. can of tomato paste

15 oz. can of tomato sauce

1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

8 oz. package of cream cheese

DIRECTIONS:

Spaghetti is boiled until the pasta is a little softer than al dente

Pour pasta out of boiling water with colander into a pot in which you have put about 1/3 stick of butter
With very low flame mix the pasta and butter until butter is mixed in

Put in a 6 oz. can of tomato paste and mix it

Put in a 15 oz. can of tomato sauce and mix it

Add in Parmesan cheese
Take a package of Philadelphia cream cheese - break it into small pieces and mix into pot (which at all times has been on a small flame)

Let this cook for 2-3 minutes, all the while you are intermittently mixing the pasta in the pot so that the tomato
paste, tomato sauce, butter, Parmesan and cream cheese are all beautifully part of each strand of the spaghetti

Crock-Pot Lasagna Recipe

Recipe created by Jessica Seinfeld

Ingredients

Crock-Pot Lasagna Recipe

• 1 can (14.4 ounces) crushed tomatoes
• 3 cloves garlic , finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 2 containers (15 ounces each) fresh ricotta
• 2 cups (8 ounces) grated mozzarella
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 12 lasagna noodles (about three-quarters of a 1-pound box)
• 5 ounces (about 6 cups) baby spinach

Directions

In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, garlic, oregano, salt, red pepper and black pepper. In a separate bowl, mix the ricotta, 1 cup of the mozzarella and Parmesan.

In the bottom of a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker, spread a thin layer of the sauce. Top with 3 of the noodles (breaking to fit as necessary). Spread about 1 cup of the sauce over the noodles and layer with 2 cups of the spinach and 1 1/2 cups of the cheese mixture. Repeat twice more with the noodles, sauce, spinach and cheese mixture. Top with the remaining 3 noodles, sauce and 1 cup mozzarella.

Cook on low, covered, until the noodles are tender—especially in the center of the lasagna—about 3 to 3 1/2 hours.

Parmesan Ranch Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 1 package dried ranch dressing mix 1 cup Parmesan, grated 2 cups corn flakes, crushed 3 tablespoon butter, melted Directions: 1. Combine corn flakes, parmesan and ranch dressing. 2. Dip each breast in butter then roll in corn flake mixture. 3. Place in bottom of shallow baking dish and bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes.

Chicken Party Rolls

6 oz cream cheese softened
4 TBS soft Margarine
1/2 tsp pepper
2 cups cooked chicken
14 oz can chopped mushroom (optional)
2 cylinders crescent rolls (8 per can)

Directions:
1. Combine cream cheese, butter and pepper until smooth.

2. Stir in chopped chicken and mushrooms.

3. Separate rolls into16 rolls.

4. Divide chicken equally on each roll.

5. Roll up and tuck corner under.

6. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 375 for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Fiesta Skillet Spaghetti

• 1/2 tsp olive oil
• 1 lb ground chicken breast, skinless
• 1/2 c onions, chopped
• 1/2 c bell peppers, chopped
• 15 ozs tomato sauce
• 4 c water
• 1 env taco seasoning mix
• 8 ozs thin spaghetti, uncooked
• 1/2 c fat-free cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions:

1.Heat oil in a 12" skillet over medium heat. Add chicken, onions, and bell peppers. Cook until chicken is no longer pink and veggies are tender. Stir in water, tomato sauce and taco seasoning mix. Bring to a boil. Add the uncooked spaghetti. Reduced heat covered and simmer until spaghetti is tender, about 25 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese.

Teriyaki Chicken

What you will need:

½ cup soy sauce

½ cup sugar

½ Tsp Ginger

½ tsp Garlic salt

Mix all ingredients and marinate chicken in for 1 to 3 hours, then bake 1 hour in 375 degrees

Taco Salad

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup

1/2 cup water

1 pkg. (1.12 ounces) taco seasoning mix

2 tbsp. chopped green chiles

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1 can (about 15 ounces) kidney beans, rinsed and drained

2 cups tortilla chips

4 cups shredded lettuce

1/2 cup sour cream

1 medium tomato, chopped (about 1 cup)

4 green onions, sliced (about 1/2 cup)

Directions:
Cook the beef in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until it's well browned, stirring often to separate meat. Pour off any fat.

Stir 1/2 can soup, water, taco seasoning, chiles, cumin and beans in the skillet and cook until the mixture is hot and bubbling.

Heat the remaining soup in a 1-quart saucepan over medium heat until it's hot and bubbling.

Arrange the chips on a large serving platter. Top with the lettuce, beef mixture, remaining soup, sour cream, tomato and onions.

Pizza Stuffed Pockets

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup (50 mL) chopped pepperoni
• 1/4 cup (50 mL) shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 tbsp. (30 mL) spaghetti sauce
• 1 6-inch (15-cm) pocket-type pita bread

Cooking Instructions

1. In a small bowl, stir together pepperoni, mozzarella cheese and spaghetti sauce. (You can, if you want, include chopped mushrooms, onions, peppers, olives or whatever ingredients you choose instead of all or part of the pepperoni in the recipe. Just try to keep the total amount of ingredients about the same.)
2. With a sharp knife, cut a slit around one side of the pita pocket wide enough to spoon in the filling. Spread apart the sides of the pocket and stuff with the cheese mixture. Press closed and wrap in a layer of foil.
3. Bake at 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) for about 15 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the filling is hot. Unwrap and eat while still gooey and warm or pack in a lunch bag to eat at room temperature.

Chicken Rice Casserole- From Amy

what you will need:
-Cooked chopped chicken about 2 cups
-Cooked rice, about 6 cups
-1 can cream of chicken soup
-1 package frozen chopped brocoli
-Shredded cheese
-1 cup sour cream
-1 cup mayonaise
If dry add water

Mix all ingredients together, mix cheese in, and layer on top. If you bake this casserole, bake it at 350 degrees for 30 minutes!

Taco Casserole

What you will need:
-Tortilla chips
-pkg hamburger
-1 can of enchilada sauce, or tomato soup
-1 can of cream of chicken
-1 cup water
-cheese

Brown hamburger, drain grease. In a separate pan, layer tortilla chips in the bottom. Mix enchilada sauce, cream of chicken, and water into the hamburger and layer over the chips. Layer however much cheese you want on top. Bake in oven at 350 for 20 minutes.

Meat Balls and Rice

what you will need:

-1 lb hamburger
-2 cans cream of mushroom soup
-2 eggs
-1/2 package of stuffing mix, doesn't matter what flavor
-Garlic seasoning
-Season all Seasoning
-1 Tsp Worcestershire sauch
-cooked rice

Mix meat, eggs, stuffing mix, garlic and season all seasing, and worcestershire sauce all together. when mixed, make into balls, as many as you want, big or small. Then cook the meatballs till they are brown and cooked all the way through. when the meatballs are cooked, mix in cream of mushroom soup, and milk. when heated through serve over rice.