Family Chow Hall

Fried Rice

For the last 6+ weeks (immediately following the roasting of our Thanksgiving turkey) - I have been without a functioning oven. I believe I am going through something similar to the stages of grief. First, disbelief, outrage, then resignation/acceptance… well, I’m not sure I can list all the emotions I have been through. I know for a short period it felt like a refreshing challenge. Then I went through a procrastination stage, thinking “I’ll bake Christmas cookies in January.” At the moment, I am back to anger, which is being directed at the repairman/manufacturer or whoever is responsible for me not having the required part.

All that to say, I have been stepping out of my box a bit and made fried rice last week. Usually my attempts at making Asian foods are pretty much failures. Usually, the best I can do is open a box of prepared egg rolls! Surprisingly, last week’s pork fried rice turned out well and most of us liked it. (My 6-year-old basically doesn’t like anything.) So this week, I tried again - shrimp fried rice for the shrimp eaters and chicken fried rice for the shrimp-detesters (me).

Again, this turned out unexpectedly well. And let me tell you - I don’t even own a wok. I’d like to own a wok. I just don’t have the space for one or the grace and finesse required to stir fry things in one, so it has always seemed a little pointless to wish for a wok.

So, here is what I used: Two skillets for stir-frying the vegetables (our family has seven members, so my largest skillet is still not big enough) AND a griddle for the rice/chicken/shrimp/eggs.

For the vegetable mix, I used:

sliced carrots
chopped green pepper
chopped mushrooms
chopped onion
a generous portion of coleslaw mix from Sam’s Club
sesame seeds

This was the easy part - heat the skillet to high, add some olive oil, and stir-fry everything. Once I see a little brown on the veggies, I turn it down, but keep stirring.

For the rice part:

Leftover rice - Apparently, fried rice should never be made with fresh rice. It should be 1-2 days old
tiny chopped chicken
tiny chopped shrimp
sesame seed oil
5 eggs

I divided the rice into two bowls and added chicken to one and shrimp to the other (gotta keep the shrimp away from the chicken). I heated my griddle to 375, sprayed it good with cooking spray and added a dab of butter for good measure. Next, I tossed the chicken/rice mixture onto the griddle and let it cook for about 5 minutes - trying to get the rice to start turning brown. I cracked 3 eggs into a bowl, whisked, and poured this on top of the rice, and began ’stirring’ it all up. Oh! And added a very small drizzle of sesame oil (it’s pretty flavorful stuff, I use it sparingly). Once the eggs were cooked, I placed this all in a bowl and repeated with the shrimp mixture.

Now the veggie part and the rice part is all ready to serve!

You’ll notice that I didn’t really flavor any of it with any sauces… At our house, everybody likes something different, so I serve the sauces at the table. Teriyaki, Sweet & Sour, Hoisin, and Sweet Chili are family favorites. (Mae Ploy Sweet Chilli is my personal best)

Add comment January 12th, 2011

Hearty Noodle Soup

Step aside, Campbell’s Chunky Soup. Now there’s something even heartier!

This recipe for Chicken Noodle Soup received a thumb’s up from every single member of our family. Thanks, Mom. If you’re going to try this one, please buy Reame’s noodles from the freezer section, they are the best.

Simple to make, without too many ingredients, this soup makes a tasty weeknight meal.

Hearty Noodle Soup
serves 8-10 / prep. time: 15 minutes / cook time: 20-30 minutes

1 c. each chopped celery, onion, and carrot
2 c. chopped turkey or chicken (dark meat is better for this soup)
3 cans of chicken broth
8 oz. bag of noodles of your preference
plenty of water
salt and pepper

Boil the vegetables in water. When tender, you can turn them off, add the chicken and broth and set aside. Boil the noodles according to the package directions. For Reame’s, that takes 20-30 minutes. For normal noodles, it’s 8-10. When the noodles are finished, simply drain them and then put it all together. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Ta-Da! You’re done!

This soup stands alone, so if there is a dessert you’ve been wanting to try, this would be a good time.

Add comment October 18th, 2008

Chicken Breast Diane

Chicken breast is great — you can do a wide variety of things with it, meat-lovers still get something substantial on their plate, dieters get a lower fat meat.

But I don’t think any of us can deny that yes, you can get a little tired of chicken breast and yes, you can run out of new ways to cook them.

Today’s recipe is one I actually haven’t used for a while, don’t remember where I got it, but still love. You don’t need to plan ahead, you don’t need an hour or more in the kitchen. Chicken Diane is one of those simple and quick, yet delicious dinners that you can whip up in no time flat.

Chicken Breast Diane
serves 6

4 chicken breast halves
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
2 T. olive oil
2 T. butter
3 T. chives or green onions
2 T. lemon juice
3 T. fresh parsley or 1 t. dried
2 t. prepared mustard
1/4 c. chicken broth

Pound the breasts until they are nice and thin. I do this by placing the chicken breast between two layers of plastic wrap and pounding with a mallet or other heavy kitchen utensil. When done, salt and pepper both sides of each chicken breast.

Gather all of your ingredients - it’s more efficient and easier if everything is handy - you won’t have to scramble, hunting for the mustard that mysteriously migrated to the back of the fridge. Then, heat HALF of the oil and butter in a large skillet over medium/high heat. Once hot, place the chicken breasts in at this heat.

4 minutes on each side should cook the chicken through. Remove the chicken from the skillet and turn the heat down. Next, add the remaining ingredients except the broth — the chives, lemon juice, parsley, and mustard. Whisk until smooth, then add the other 1 T. oil and 1 T. butter and the chicken broth. Stir and pour over chicken.

This dish goes really, really well with some fresh green beans or other fresh green vegetables. Add some brown rice or pasta for a complete dinner.

Enjoy!

May 20th, 2008