Sweet and Sour Chicken or Pork

Sorry, no picture for this one because I was entirely too lazy to get the camera out.  I promise you it was really good and Hillbilly didn’t even complain about having Chinese food. 
Confucius say:  Man with one chopstick go hungry.  Ha!

• 2 large chicken breasts or 4 boneless pork chops, cut into 1 inch pieces
• flour for dredging
• 1 large bell pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 medium onion, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 2  to  3  cups broccoli florets
• 1 cup pineapple chunks
• salt and pepper
• 1/2  tsp garlic powder
• enough oil to coat skillet for frying
• Jasmine rice, cooked as directed on package

Sweet and Sour Sauce:

• 1/2 cup reserved pineapple juice
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp granulated sugar or brown sugar
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp ketchup
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp grated ginger
• 2 rounded tablespoons corn starch mixed in enough cold water to make a slurry
• 4 drops red food coloring (optional)

Directions for Making Sweet and Sour Sauce:
Place pineapple juice and water in sauce pan. Heat over low flame. Slowly add sugar while stirring.   When sugar has dissolved, add remaining ingredients all except food coloring (that goes in last) and bring to a soft boil.  Add corn starch slurry and stir constantly. Bring to a boil and remove from heat when desired thickness is reached. 
Add food coloring a couple drops at first and then adjust until you have the desired red color.
Directions for Making Chicken or Pork and Vegetables:
Cut the chicken or pork into bite-sized pieces, removing fat or connective tissue.
In a frying pan, add oil to  and heat to medium high.
Place flour and seasonings in a shallow bowl and mix.
Dredge the meat pieces in the flour thoroughly. 
Drop pieces into the hot oil and fry until deep golden brown. Turn as necessary to cook evenly on all sides. When golden brown, remove to paper towel covered plate to drain.
Next cook vegetables in remaining oil for a few minutes until crisp tender, season with salt and pepper and then add  pineapple and the meat back to the vegetables. Warm through and remove from heat.
Serve over steamed rice and drizzle with sweet and sour sauce.

Spinach, Water Chestnut and Artichoke Casserole

If there is one thing I’m good at it is making perfectly healthy vegetables fattening.  This recipe is great for a Holiday meal or along side a steak.  Please don’t be hating on my fattastic recipe because it’s oh so good.

• 2 - 16 oz packages frozen spinach, thawed, drain all water out using a tea towel
• 1 stick butter plus some to dot top with
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 garlic cloves, diced fine
• 1 brick cream cheese
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 egg
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 can artichoke hearts, drain and rough chop
• 2 cans sliced water chestnuts, drain and rough chop
• 5 slices bacon, fried crisp and chopped
• 1/2  cup bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded

Directions:

Fry bacon in a large skillet or Dutch oven, remove bacon and all but about 1 tbsp of renderings.  Add to renderings the stick of butter, onions, celery and salt and pepper and sauté until onions are translucent then add garlic and cook another minute.  Next add in the cream cheese and soup and melt completely.  When cream cheese has melted remove from heat and add spinach, artichoke hearts and water chestnuts and mix all together.  Check for seasoning and adjust if needed.  Beat egg and stir into cooled mixture.  Don’t add the egg if it’s hot or it will scramble.

In a small bowl mix together bread crumbs and parmesan.  Chop bacon and set aside.  Transfer spinach mixture to a baking dish and top with bacon and then the bread crumb/parmesan mixture and dot with butter.

Bake at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes or until bubbly and the top has browned.

Sweet Things

Just look at this sweet thing. 

Jude had his 2 month birthday already.  How time flies.  I’ll be taking more pictures this weekend to share.

I’ll be giving thanks on Thursday for my healthy family, my sweet babies, my sweet husband and all the sweet people I have met through this blog.  Y’all have a blessed Thanksgiving and be sure to have seconds on dessert!  After all, it’s the sweet things in life that make it so special.

Parmesan Oven Fried Chicken Strips

This is more of a method than a recipe.  You could also use chicken legs and thighs and reduce the oven temperature to 375 and increase cooking time to 45 minutes to an hour.  Either way it makes yummy chicken.

Ingredients

• 3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs 
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 cup butter, melted

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Cut chicken breasts into 1 1/2-inch sized pieces. In a medium bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, cheese, salt, thyme and basil. Mix well. Put melted butter in a bowl or dish for dipping.
3. Dip chicken pieces into the melted butter first, then coat with the breadcrumb mixture. Place the coated chicken pieces on a cooling rack on top of a cookie sheet in a single layer, and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.

Homemade Ranch Dressing & Croutons

This salad dressing is way better than anything you buy at the grocery store and the croutons are irresistible.  Give it a try and see how yummy your salad can be. 

Ranch Dressing:

• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 2/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1 cup buttermilk or a little less if thicker dressing is wanted
• 3 tablespoons freshly chopped chives
• 2 tablespoons freshly chopped Italian parsley leaves or 2 teaspoons dried
• 1/2 teaspoon dried dill
• 1 teaspoon salt, divided if you use salt to make garlic paste
• 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon garlic paste, (use half of the salt and 2 cloves garlic smashed with the flat side of a knife, to make paste) or grate garlic with a fine grater

Croutons:

• 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for sprinkling
• 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 2 teaspoons garlic paste, (2 cloves garlic smashed with the flat side of a knife and a sprinkle of salt, to make paste) or grate garlic with a fine grater
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 cups cubed stale Italian bread, cut into 3/4-inch cubes

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients, except the bread, until well combined. Adjust the seasoning, if needed. Add in the bread and mix well with your hands, tossing to coat all sides of cubes. Pour out onto a baking sheet and spread evenly. Bake in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, turning after 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. Store in an airtight container.

Deconstructed Meatball Pizza

This pizza is great for game day.  All the flavors of a meatball pizza without the hassle.  I used a loaf of French bread for simplicity.  The carnivores loved it.  Adapted from a Rachel Ray recipe. 

Ingredients

• 1 loaf French bread, cut long ways into two pieces
• Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling, plus 2 tablespoons for the skillet
• kosher salt
• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• Black pepper
• 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoons dried oregano
• 3/4 pound fresh mozzarella, sliced

Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Place bread on a  pizza stone or  a rectangular baking sheet.  Drizzle the dough with extra-virgin olive oil then season it with a little salt. Place in oven for a few minutes until slightly toasted.
Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil to the pan, then the meat. Brown and crumble meat a couple of minutes, then add onions and garlic. Season the meat with salt and pepper then work in the tomato paste. Stir in the parmesan cheese, parsley and oregano.
Place the meat on the bread and drizzle a little olive oil over the meat and  top with mozzarella. Return the pizza to the oven and bake until cheese is golden, another 10 to 12 minutes.

French Onion Soup

We finally have slightly cooler temperatures here in North Texas so it’s officially time for soup.  Hurray for soup.

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3-4 large sweet onions, thinly sliced
• 1 (32 fluid ounce) box beef broth
• 1 (14 ounce) can chicken broth
• 1/2 cup red wine (optional)
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 1 tsp dried thyme leaves
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 2 tsp beef base or 1 beef bullion
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• thick slices French or Italian bread
• Swiss cheese slices, room temperature 

Directions

1. Melt butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Stir in salt, onions. Cook 35 minutes, stirring frequently, until onions are caramelized.
2. Mix chicken broth, beef broth, red wine, beef base, vinegar and Worcestershire sauce into pot. Add the parsley, thyme, and bay leaf. Simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to low,  and season with salt and pepper. Cover and keep over low heat to stay hot while you prepare the bread.
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and toast bread, turning once.
4. After removing bread, turn oven to broil.  Arrange 4 large oven safe bowls or crocks on a rimmed baking sheet. Fill each bowl 2/3 full with hot soup. Top each bowl with 1 slice toasted bread, 2 slices cheese
5. Broil 5 minutes, or until bubbly and golden brown. As it softens, the cheese will spill over the sides of the crock and form a crunchy cheese crust. Serve immediately.