curried chicken and rice soup

Hall of Fame and no doubt about it.  This soup is soooooo good!  I wish I'd have tripled it, it's so good.  No need to say anything more about it..except that I loved the idea of pureeing the rice so that the soup is smooth and rich.

curried chicken and rice soup (adapted from Food Network) 
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
big handful of baby carrots, sliced diagnonally into 1-inch pieces
2 bay leaves
6 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, very thinly sliced
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1/3 cup jasmine rice (I used whole grain)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1 lemon, cut into wedges 

Combine the chicken, carrots and bay leaf in a medium saucepan.  Add 3 cups broth and bring to a boil; immediately reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until the chicken is just firm, about 20 minutes.  Note: I threw everything into a crock pot and cooked on HIGH until the chicken was done!
Meanwhile, heat the butter in another saucepan over medium-low heat.  Add the onion, sugar and 1 teaspoon salt; cook until the onion is soft, 5 minutes.  Add the curry powder and cook for 1 minute.  Add the rice and the remaining 3 cups broth.  Increase the heat to medium, cover and simmer until the rice falls apart, 15 to 20 minutes.
Remove the chicken from its broth and shred the meat into pieces.  Return the shredded chicken to the same broth.
Puree the rice mixture in the blender until smooth then return to the pan (I poured it into the crock pot).  Toss in chopped herbs then serve the soup with lemon wedges.

honey bun cake

The other day my son called me Sweetie Buns.  I wasn't sure where he came up with that one but then again that kid is full of surprises.  As my two youngest were helping me make this cake I told them we didn't have sour cream to make the cake so we'd use Greek yogurt instead.  My son said to my daughter, "She said freak yogurt."  To which my daughter responded, "No she didn't.  She said creek yogurt."  Whatever you choose to call your yogurt is up to you.  All I have to say is that this cake is awesome; rave reviews from my kids.

honey bun cake (Plain Chicken)
1 package plain yellow cake mix
1 cup Greek yogurt
3/4 cup oil
4 eggs

1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

2 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350.  Lightly spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, mix together cake mix, yogurt, oil and eggs on low speed of an electric mixer for 1 minute.  Increase speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more.  Pour into prepared pan.
Drizzle honey on top of batter then sprinkle on the brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice.  With a knife, swirl topping to blend.  Bake 38-40 minutes.  Whisk together powdered sugar, milk and vanilla.  Pour over warm cake.  Allow cake to cool for at least 20 minutes before cutting.

pork sirloin roast with spicy peanut sauce

This pork recipe was one of the best I've had in a long time.  The pork was amazingly tender and I loved the sauce.  My husband said "this is a good recipe" (and he is not a fan of pork in general) and my oldest got seconds before she ate anything else on her plate.  To tell you the truth, I hadn't expected her to like it at all.  So there you have it- what do I know?  I'll be making this again!

pork sirloin roast with spicy peanut sauce (adapted from Kalyn's Kitchen) 
2-3 pound pork sirloin roast, fat trimmed
1-2 teaspoons Pappy's garlic and herb seasoning
2 teaspoons olive oil

sauce
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup tomato sauce
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar (I used 2 Splenda packets)
1 teaspoon chile garlic sauce
3 tablespoons chicken stock


In a bowl, combine the ginger, garlic, peanut butter and tomato sauce and stir until well combined.  Add the soy sauce, sweetener, chile garlic sauce and chicken stock.  Stir until mixed.
Trim any visible fat from the pork sirloin roast then rub the roast on all sides with Pappy's garlic and herb seasoning (or you can use salt, garlic powder and pepper).  Heat the oil in a heavy pan over high heat and brown the roast well on all sides, about 2 minutes per side.
Put the pork roast into a slow cooker then pour the sauce over the top.  Cook on low for 2-3 hours (I cooked mine for more like 6 hours) or until the roast is tender and reaches at least 145F.
Remove the meat from the slow cooker and let it rest for a few minutes.  If the sauce looks separated, whisk it for a minute to combine.  Slice meat into slices about 1/2-inch thick serve with the sauce drizzled over the top.

What I have to say- if kids weren't involved, I'd definitely double the chile garlic sauce.  The spicier the better!

greens with gorgonzola and proscuitto

Let me introduce you to a salad that really packs a punch- my new favorite salad.  My kids would say it is full of stinky cheese.  I love stinky cheese.  The stinkier the better.  My friend Angeli made this salad for gourmet club today and let me take home the extra cheese and dressing.  We're friends for life.

greens with gorgonzola and proscuitto (my friend Angeli)
5 cups chopped Romaine lettuce
5 cups chopped iceberg lettuce
3 ounces Gorgonzola cheese
4 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
about 1/2 cup vegetable oil (heat to medium-high then cook prosciutto until crispy.  Drain on paper towels)

dressing
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon white sugar
1/2 cup water
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher or coarse-grained salt
freshly ground pepper to taste
1 cup olive oil
1 generous pinch dried oregano

To prepare the dressing, combine all of the ingredients except for the oil and oregano in the jar of a blender.  Blend until smooth then with the blender running, add the oil in a steady stream.  Turn off the blender, add the oregano and pulse 2-3 times or until combined.  Set aside while preparing the salad.

spicy slow cooker soup with ground chicken, green chiles, red peppers and barley

Yum!  This soup tasted so good for lunch today but it was meant to be served for dinner tonight; I just couldn't wait for a bowl...or two.  My favorite things all thrown together!

spicy slow cooker soup with ground turkey, green chiles, red peppers and barley (idea from Kalyn's Kitchen) 
1 pound lean ground chicken
1/2 pound lean ground beef
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
1 cup barley 
1 large red bell pepper, seeds removed and finely chopped
1 (32 ounce) can green enchilada sauce (Old El Paso brand)
1 can (3.5 ounces) diced green chiles with juice
4 cups chicken stock
cheese, light sour cream and/or tortilla chips for serving

Brown chicken and beef until well-browned, breaking apart as it cooks.  Pour into slow cooker.  In the pan you used to brown the meat, brown the onion in a tablespoon of water, eliminating the need for oil.  Cook until well softened, about 5 minues.  Add the chipotle chile powder, ground cumin and oregano.  Add this mixture to the slow cooker.
Dice the red bell pepper and add to the soup with enchilada sauce, diced green chiles and chicken broth.  Add the barley (use quick cooking barley if possible) and cook on HIGH for 3 hours or until the soup is fragrant and the bell peppers are softened.

shrimp stir fry with garlic ginger sauce

This was so yummy.  I had some shrimp and scallops in the freezer so went looking for the right recipe.  This was it.  Next time I will throw in some bok choy or spinach.

shrimp stir fry with garlic ginger sauce (adapted from cooks.com)
1 1/2 pounds fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined (I used shrimp and scallops)
olive oil
2 yellow squash, sliced
1 cup chopped peppers
2 stalks celery, sliced on diagonal
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 can chicken broth
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
rice 

Coat a large skillet with olive oil and place over medium high heat until hot.  Add seafood and stir fry 2 minutes.  Remove from heat and set aside.
Combine vegetables and stir fry 6 minutes.  
Combine cornstarch, brown sugar, soy sauce, chicken broth, garlic and ginger.  Add to vegetables and saute until thick.  Add seafood and cook until heated through.  Serve over rice.  Serves 6.

Note to self:  Instead of using 1 tablespoon brown sugar I used 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar and 1 packet of Splenda.

split pea soup with ham

I had no intention of making split pea soup today; it was a spur-of-the-moment idea and I was glad everything I needed was in the pantry or fridge.  I really enjoyed this soup- the flavors are simple and it was perfect for a very cold day. I made some Marie Calendar's cornbread to go with it, the best cornbread ever.

split pea soup with ham (allrecipes.com)
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 onion, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound ham, diced (I used Black Forest)
1 bay leaf
1 pound dried split peas 
2 1/2 cups water
ground black pepper to taste

Place the butter in a large soup pot over medium-low heat.  Stir in onion, celery and sliced garlic.  Cook slowly until the onions are translucent but not brown, 5 to 8 minutes.
Mix in ham, bay leaf and split peas.  Pour in chicken stock and water.  Stir to combine and simmer slowly until the peas are tender and the soup is thick, about 1 hour and 15 minutes.  Stir occasionally.  Season with black pepper to serve.