My husband went on his mission to Sao Paulo, Brazil and learned Brasilian. My little brother is currently serving in Rio di Janeiro. Both tell stories of living off of "Beans and Rice" much like our college students live off of Ramen and Take-out Pizza. I'll have to ask for an actual story later.
And so, this dish is my tribute to missionaries everywhere, but especially those who are going to the countries of beans and rice. It's a simple dish that still tastes good the next day and doesn't cost a lot in ingredients.
Beans and Rice with Chicken
1 ziploc bag
Frying pan & Spatula
Casserole dish
Can opener
Stirring spoon
pot with a lid (to cook rice in)
***
1-2 chicken breasts, cut into chunks
2 Tbsp. flour
2 tsp. seasoned salt
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. pepper
***
2 Tbsp. butter
***
1 1/2 cup rice
2 cups water
***
1 can diced green chiles
1 can drained and rinsed beans (black, kidney, etc)
salsa (optional)
1. In a small pot with a lid, cook the rice. Put the water and rice into the pot, cover it and turn on the burner to high. When it boils, turn down the heat to low, and set the timer for 20 minutes. DO NOT UNCOVER THE RICE UNTIL THE TIMER GOES OFF. After the timer goes off, turn off the burner and fluff (separate the grains by stirring) the rice. Scrape the rice off the bottom of the pot so it doesn't stick.
2. Open the can of beans and rinse the gooey sludge off the beans. I do it by opening the can most of the way and then pouring water into the can, pouring out the slime, pouring water into the can, pouring out the slime, etc. You don't have to get the beans completely clean, just get the goo off them. Open the can of green chiles too.
3. Lightly spray your casserole dish and dump in the beans, rice, and green chiles. Stir the beans and chiles into the rice and smooth it down into an even layer.
4. Turn on the oven to 350 degrees.
5. In a ziploc bag, mix 2 Tbsp. flour, 2 tsp. seasoned salt, 1/2 tsp. garlic powder, and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Add in the raw chicken chunks, zip the bag tightly closed, and shake the bag until the flour coats (covers) all the chicken. It's easier if there are only 2-4 pieces of chicken in the bag at a time. !WASH YOUR HANDS AFTER TOUCHING RAW CHICKEN to prevent icky diseases like salmonella!
5. In the frying pan, melt 2 Tbsp. of butter on high. When the chicken is coated, put it in the frying pan and give it a nice crust. Watch carefully! The chicken and flour burn easy! Don't worry about getting the chicken all done, it will finish in the oven. You're just giving it a nice layer of flavor on the outside. When the flour starts to turn all brown and crispy, turn off the burner.
6. Put the chicken on top of the rice and put it in the oven for 15-20 minutes or the chicken is done. Chicken is done when there isn't any pink in the middle of a chunk.
7. Eat it with salsa or as it is. It's mildly spicy. It also tastes great as a leftover - just package up what's left into little containers while the food is still hot and put them in the fridge. Reheat in the microwave, or in the oven.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Chicken Pot Pie
My mother in law requested this recipe. Her husband loves to eat Chicken Pot Pie, but her recipe includes lots of milk and cream, which aren't helping his cholesterol levels. I adapted this recipe one day when I was playing around with different chicken casseroles and I had a turnip left over from a lesson at school.
Chicken Pot Pie
1 large soup pot
knife and cutting board
stirring spoon (long wooden handled ones work great)
2 cup liquid measuring cup
1 9x13 pan or equivalent volume in casserole dishes or pie tins
1 hour
***
2 Tbsp. butter
1/2 - 1 onion, chopped or minced
1-3 chicken breasts, chopped into bite-size pieces.
3-4 carrots
5-6 cups chopped potatoes, turnips, or other similar root veggies
1 bag of frozen veggies (beans, corn, peas, broccoli, cauliflower - your choice)
1-2 cups of chicken broth or stock
**Soup thickener - chicken gravy, a roux of butter and flour, cornstarch, or instant mashed potatoes**
2 Bay leaves
1 tsp. hot sauce
2 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. rosemary
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. curry powder or turmeric (adds yellow color)
Biscuit Dough (to make the crust)
1. In a large soup pot on medium-high, melt 2 Tablespoons butter and saute the onion in it. When the butter has completely melted, add the chicken and cook it until it is about 3/4 done (just a little pink in the middle).
**If you are thickening with a roux (fancy French word for cooked flour and butter used to thicken a sauce or soup)- increase the butter to 4 Tablespoons and add 2 Tablespoons of flour to the pot with the chicken. Cook the flour (you will want to stir it around or turn down the heat) until it becomes golden brown. Then add a little of the chicken broth to keep the roux from burning.**
2. When the chicken is 3/4 done, add the broth and all the spices. Smell and taste it to see if it tastes good, adjust the spices if necessary.
Now add the potatoes and carrots and add water until they are just barely covered. Put the lid on the pot and let it simmer for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. While it is cooking is a good time to get your biscuit dough crust ready.
Biscuit Dough Crust
1 mixing bowl
Fork or Pastry cutter
Clean surface to roll it out on
20-30 minutes
***
1 cup white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
Sift (mix) these ingredients together.
4 Tbsp butter - Cut (squish) the butter into the dry ingredients with a fork or pastry cutter.
3/4 milk or orange juice - Add the liquid and stir well. Then on a well-floured board, knead and roll out the dough to a size that will fit your pans. (It will probably be sticky).
3. Grease your pans/pie tins. I like to do this in little casserole dishes because then I can microwave them later.
When the potatoes are soft, check the consistency of your soup/filling. This is the time to add the other thickeners.
**If you are using gravy mix, ladle out 1 cup of the hot liquid. Thoroughly mix the gravy into the hot liquid and then pour it back into the soup.**
**If you are using cornstarch, mix 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch into 1 Tablespoon of cold water, making a slurry. Then ladle out a cup or two of the hot liquid from the soup. Whisk the cornstarch slurry into the hot liquid and boil for 2 minutes before returning to the soup.**
**If you are thickening with instant mashed potatoes, add the flakes into the soup and stir well. Add the flakes only a little at a time until the filling is the right consistency.**
4. Now turn off the stove, and turn the oven on to 400 degrees. Pour your soupy innards into the pans until they are 3/4 full. Then sprinkle the frozen veggies (still frozen) on top. If you would like, mix the frozen veggies into the rest of the filling before adding the crust. Fill the dish almost to the top and lay the crust over the top, crimping (pinching) down the edges. Then with a sharp knife, cut some steam holes in the crust. Bake at 400 degrees for 12-16 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and delicious.
This recipe makes a full 9x13 pan of pie, adjust the amount of chicken, potatoes, and carrots to better suit your needs, the rest of the ingredients stay the same. Please comment and let me know the all the variations you try!
Chicken Pot Pie
1 large soup pot
knife and cutting board
stirring spoon (long wooden handled ones work great)
2 cup liquid measuring cup
1 9x13 pan or equivalent volume in casserole dishes or pie tins
1 hour
***
2 Tbsp. butter
1/2 - 1 onion, chopped or minced
1-3 chicken breasts, chopped into bite-size pieces.
3-4 carrots
5-6 cups chopped potatoes, turnips, or other similar root veggies
1 bag of frozen veggies (beans, corn, peas, broccoli, cauliflower - your choice)
1-2 cups of chicken broth or stock
**Soup thickener - chicken gravy, a roux of butter and flour, cornstarch, or instant mashed potatoes**
2 Bay leaves
1 tsp. hot sauce
2 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. rosemary
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. curry powder or turmeric (adds yellow color)
Biscuit Dough (to make the crust)
1. In a large soup pot on medium-high, melt 2 Tablespoons butter and saute the onion in it. When the butter has completely melted, add the chicken and cook it until it is about 3/4 done (just a little pink in the middle).
**If you are thickening with a roux (fancy French word for cooked flour and butter used to thicken a sauce or soup)- increase the butter to 4 Tablespoons and add 2 Tablespoons of flour to the pot with the chicken. Cook the flour (you will want to stir it around or turn down the heat) until it becomes golden brown. Then add a little of the chicken broth to keep the roux from burning.**
2. When the chicken is 3/4 done, add the broth and all the spices. Smell and taste it to see if it tastes good, adjust the spices if necessary.
Now add the potatoes and carrots and add water until they are just barely covered. Put the lid on the pot and let it simmer for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. While it is cooking is a good time to get your biscuit dough crust ready.
Biscuit Dough Crust
1 mixing bowl
Fork or Pastry cutter
Clean surface to roll it out on
20-30 minutes
***
1 cup white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
Sift (mix) these ingredients together.
4 Tbsp butter - Cut (squish) the butter into the dry ingredients with a fork or pastry cutter.
3/4 milk or orange juice - Add the liquid and stir well. Then on a well-floured board, knead and roll out the dough to a size that will fit your pans. (It will probably be sticky).
3. Grease your pans/pie tins. I like to do this in little casserole dishes because then I can microwave them later.
When the potatoes are soft, check the consistency of your soup/filling. This is the time to add the other thickeners.
**If you are using gravy mix, ladle out 1 cup of the hot liquid. Thoroughly mix the gravy into the hot liquid and then pour it back into the soup.**
**If you are using cornstarch, mix 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch into 1 Tablespoon of cold water, making a slurry. Then ladle out a cup or two of the hot liquid from the soup. Whisk the cornstarch slurry into the hot liquid and boil for 2 minutes before returning to the soup.**
**If you are thickening with instant mashed potatoes, add the flakes into the soup and stir well. Add the flakes only a little at a time until the filling is the right consistency.**
4. Now turn off the stove, and turn the oven on to 400 degrees. Pour your soupy innards into the pans until they are 3/4 full. Then sprinkle the frozen veggies (still frozen) on top. If you would like, mix the frozen veggies into the rest of the filling before adding the crust. Fill the dish almost to the top and lay the crust over the top, crimping (pinching) down the edges. Then with a sharp knife, cut some steam holes in the crust. Bake at 400 degrees for 12-16 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and delicious.
This recipe makes a full 9x13 pan of pie, adjust the amount of chicken, potatoes, and carrots to better suit your needs, the rest of the ingredients stay the same. Please comment and let me know the all the variations you try!
Friday, June 17, 2011
Mushroom Risotto with Fish
Earlier this week I was cooking dinner. I looked through the fridge (mostly empty), the freezer, and the cupboards. I then went through my stack of cookbooks looking for inspiration.
This is inspired by two recipes I found in my Ultimate Recipe Collection (Trident Press) cookbook. The first is called luncheon fish rolls, the second was creamy mushroom risotto.
MUSHROOM RISOTTO WITH FISH
2 saucepans
1 9x13 pan
small bowl
30-40 minutes
...
2 cups boiling water
1 packet mushroom gravy (designed to make 1 cup of gravy)
...
2 Tbsp butter
1/2 onion, chopped fine
3 gloves of garlic
1 cup rice
1 can (6.5oz of mushrooms)
...
4 Thawed Tilapia fish fillets
5 Tbsp mayonnaise
2 tsp lemon juice
1. Read instructions on how to cook the fish (located on the package). Thaw 4 fillets.
2. Set oven to 375ยบ (same temperature as on the fish package).
3. In one saucepan, Boil 2 cups of water and mix in the gravy mix. Turn the heat down to low.
4. Melt the butter in the other saucepan, add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion is soft. Add the rice and cook, stirring, for one minute. Add the mushrooms.
5. Turn the heat down to medium-low. Ladle in the gravy half a cup at a time, stirring it into the rice until the liquid is absorbed.
6. When all the gravy is in the rice, spray the 9x13 casserole dish and spread the rice into a thin layer on the bottom. Lay the fish fillets on top.
7. In a small bowl, mix the mayonnaise and the lemon juice together and spread over just the fish fillets.
8. Put the pan in the oven and bake for 16 minutes, or until fish flakes easily. Let the fish set for 2 minutes before serving.
The light flavor of the tilapia set off the earthy flavor of the mushrooms perfectly. Very tasty meal.
This is inspired by two recipes I found in my Ultimate Recipe Collection (Trident Press) cookbook. The first is called luncheon fish rolls, the second was creamy mushroom risotto.
MUSHROOM RISOTTO WITH FISH
2 saucepans
1 9x13 pan
small bowl
30-40 minutes
...
2 cups boiling water
1 packet mushroom gravy (designed to make 1 cup of gravy)
...
2 Tbsp butter
1/2 onion, chopped fine
3 gloves of garlic
1 cup rice
1 can (6.5oz of mushrooms)
...
4 Thawed Tilapia fish fillets
5 Tbsp mayonnaise
2 tsp lemon juice
1. Read instructions on how to cook the fish (located on the package). Thaw 4 fillets.
2. Set oven to 375ยบ (same temperature as on the fish package).
3. In one saucepan, Boil 2 cups of water and mix in the gravy mix. Turn the heat down to low.
4. Melt the butter in the other saucepan, add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion is soft. Add the rice and cook, stirring, for one minute. Add the mushrooms.
5. Turn the heat down to medium-low. Ladle in the gravy half a cup at a time, stirring it into the rice until the liquid is absorbed.
6. When all the gravy is in the rice, spray the 9x13 casserole dish and spread the rice into a thin layer on the bottom. Lay the fish fillets on top.
7. In a small bowl, mix the mayonnaise and the lemon juice together and spread over just the fish fillets.
8. Put the pan in the oven and bake for 16 minutes, or until fish flakes easily. Let the fish set for 2 minutes before serving.
The light flavor of the tilapia set off the earthy flavor of the mushrooms perfectly. Very tasty meal.
At Home in the Kitchen
Most of my early memories take place in the kitchen. My mother loved to cook and taught me through example how to make delicious, beautiful meals for various sizes of groups- all on a budget, using what was already in the house.
I didn't realize what a wonderful, useful skill this is until after I was married. My friends and family knew that I liked being in the kitchen, and that was reflected in the choice of wedding presents.
I'll be posting a few of the things I've created out of what was on my shelves.
I didn't realize what a wonderful, useful skill this is until after I was married. My friends and family knew that I liked being in the kitchen, and that was reflected in the choice of wedding presents.
I'll be posting a few of the things I've created out of what was on my shelves.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Autobiography
When I was little, I didn't really know my mother. We spent lots of time together, but it wasn't until she starting writing that I really learned who she is. Writing is also one way I found out about myself.
Our story begins in 8th grade English class. Our class has just finished the Diary of Anne Frank (both the play and the movie), and our teacher decides to have our huge assignment of the term be an autobiography- specializing in how we feel about life. The assignment description was lengthy and arduous- a specific assignment for each of the 16-20 pages we were required to do. At this time, my hormones had kicked in fully and the last thing I wanted to do was actually pay any attention to squirmy feelings. Additionally, there was quite a bit of uproar at home between my mother's health problem, my younger brothers' autism, and the rest of my younger siblings. I was feeling overwhelmed, and not much else. I sat at the computer and said to myself, "Okay, he wants to know how I feel about life." I began writing how I felt about my life. It quickly turned into a story that was a cross between Pippi Longstocking and Cinderella. There was a girl who lived in the kitchen working away for the stepsisters and family upstairs. Other than the neverending demands, they really weren't much of a problem. The girl lived with 2 horses, named Strawberry and Brownie, a couple of cats, and a molting, revolting shrieking parrot. Her problem: she was craving chocolate. Well, the king and queen were throwing a ball for the prince and everyone was invited. The girl wanted to go because the castle was offering a free chocolate bar and a cat had just eaten the last of her hidden stash. I turned in the story. My teacher took one look at the top page, without even reading it, and said "This isn't the assignment, and you're too late to do it again." I was very angry.
Fast forward to 11th grade English. Again, our teacher was having us write an autobiography; but this time, she provided a way for all of us to accomplish it. The assignment description was short and open-ended. "Write about an event in your personal life that changed the way you viewed the world. Keep it less than 3 pages. (The description then had the list of good writing traits that she was actually grading us on)." She also read a few examples from past years, helped us map out a series of events in our lives to get our minds thinking, and frequently checked in with us to see how we were progressing. I did the map and the rest of the prework, but I couldn't think of an event in my life that I wanted to write about until 2 days before the rough draft was due. It actually happened as an accident. A few days before our teacher had given us the assignment, I had had a very vivid dream- so vivid that when I got home from school that day I spent an hour and a half writing it up. Well, I was on the computer cleaning up my files when I spotted this dream. I read through it and realized that here was the event I had been looking for. I knew from past experience though, that I needed to prove how this story fit the assignment, so I wrote a introduction at the top explaining the fear I had always lived with and a paragraph at the end explaining how this dream helped me conquer my fears. We read in groups for rough draft day, and were supposed to pick the one story that stood out as a good example. The class came down to two stories- mine, and another girl's. She had done exactly what the teacher had envisioned, writing about how a hiking trip had changed the way she felt about her dad. However, everyone in the class agreed that my story was just as moving, only so out-of-the-box that it was unexpected. The teacher asked for a copy of my story after she graded it, explaining that she wanted it as an example to show how open-ended the assignment was. I gladly agreed.
Anyways, the moral of these stories is how I learned to know my mother. It wasn't the real life things she did; but the stories she told that taught me more about how my mother viewed life. Fiction is a gateway to the soul- bypassing all the baggage of reality. And that is why her life history is contained not in the pages of a journal, but in her actions and the stories that bring her to life.
Our story begins in 8th grade English class. Our class has just finished the Diary of Anne Frank (both the play and the movie), and our teacher decides to have our huge assignment of the term be an autobiography- specializing in how we feel about life. The assignment description was lengthy and arduous- a specific assignment for each of the 16-20 pages we were required to do. At this time, my hormones had kicked in fully and the last thing I wanted to do was actually pay any attention to squirmy feelings. Additionally, there was quite a bit of uproar at home between my mother's health problem, my younger brothers' autism, and the rest of my younger siblings. I was feeling overwhelmed, and not much else. I sat at the computer and said to myself, "Okay, he wants to know how I feel about life." I began writing how I felt about my life. It quickly turned into a story that was a cross between Pippi Longstocking and Cinderella. There was a girl who lived in the kitchen working away for the stepsisters and family upstairs. Other than the neverending demands, they really weren't much of a problem. The girl lived with 2 horses, named Strawberry and Brownie, a couple of cats, and a molting, revolting shrieking parrot. Her problem: she was craving chocolate. Well, the king and queen were throwing a ball for the prince and everyone was invited. The girl wanted to go because the castle was offering a free chocolate bar and a cat had just eaten the last of her hidden stash. I turned in the story. My teacher took one look at the top page, without even reading it, and said "This isn't the assignment, and you're too late to do it again." I was very angry.
Fast forward to 11th grade English. Again, our teacher was having us write an autobiography; but this time, she provided a way for all of us to accomplish it. The assignment description was short and open-ended. "Write about an event in your personal life that changed the way you viewed the world. Keep it less than 3 pages. (The description then had the list of good writing traits that she was actually grading us on)." She also read a few examples from past years, helped us map out a series of events in our lives to get our minds thinking, and frequently checked in with us to see how we were progressing. I did the map and the rest of the prework, but I couldn't think of an event in my life that I wanted to write about until 2 days before the rough draft was due. It actually happened as an accident. A few days before our teacher had given us the assignment, I had had a very vivid dream- so vivid that when I got home from school that day I spent an hour and a half writing it up. Well, I was on the computer cleaning up my files when I spotted this dream. I read through it and realized that here was the event I had been looking for. I knew from past experience though, that I needed to prove how this story fit the assignment, so I wrote a introduction at the top explaining the fear I had always lived with and a paragraph at the end explaining how this dream helped me conquer my fears. We read in groups for rough draft day, and were supposed to pick the one story that stood out as a good example. The class came down to two stories- mine, and another girl's. She had done exactly what the teacher had envisioned, writing about how a hiking trip had changed the way she felt about her dad. However, everyone in the class agreed that my story was just as moving, only so out-of-the-box that it was unexpected. The teacher asked for a copy of my story after she graded it, explaining that she wanted it as an example to show how open-ended the assignment was. I gladly agreed.
Anyways, the moral of these stories is how I learned to know my mother. It wasn't the real life things she did; but the stories she told that taught me more about how my mother viewed life. Fiction is a gateway to the soul- bypassing all the baggage of reality. And that is why her life history is contained not in the pages of a journal, but in her actions and the stories that bring her to life.
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