CHICKEN NOODLE STEW

CHICKEN NOODLE STEW
Yum!  Yum!  Perfect comfort food.  We put on top of mashed potatoes.  Perfect!  Plan on 1 hour to make.  A great 1 bowl meal.  Would be a good one to take to others (taking in a meal).

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/chicken-noodle-stew/

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup chopped yellow or white onion (about 1 medium onion)
• 1 cup chopped carrots (about 2-3 peeled carrots)
• 1 cup chopped celery (about 2-3 stalks)
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 16 ounces frozen egg noodles (like Reames brand) - found at WinCo (12 oz bag would be okay)
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 3-4 cups cooked, chopped chicken (a rotisserie chicken works great)

1. In a 5- or 6-quart pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat until hot and rippling. Add the onions, carrots, celery and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are slightly tender, 5-6 minutes. Stir in the salt, pepper and chicken broth and bring to a boil.
2. Add the frozen noodles and simmer for 18 minutes (or according to package directions), until they are mostly tender (they’ll cook a few more minutes in the next step).
3. In a liquid measuring cup or blender, whisk or blend the milk and flour together until smooth (no lumps!). Whisk the mixture quickly into the soup and simmer for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Stir in the frozen peas and cooked chicken and heat through. Add additional salt and pepper to taste before serving. The soup will thicken as it sits (and if there are leftovers, they’ll definitely thicken up even more in the refrigerator).

CASHEW CHICKEN

Everyone loved, loved this!  There wasn't much left.  If have company over..double recipe.  Found the chicken in the freezer section - used the whole bag.  Think this would be a good recipe to replace chicken with beef and bell pepper with broccoli.  We liked without the green onions.  Took about 30-40 minutes from start to finish.  Good with steamed broccoli, peas and corn.

UPDATE: Would have this any day over Safeway chinese.  Yum!  Good with chicken breast as well.  I didn't have green onions so used celery (added with bell pepper).  Also did some slivered almonds because I only had salted cashews (did any some).  Used Soba noodles (3 pak).  Didn't chop up water chestnuts.  Would be a good meal to take to a family.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/cashew-chicken/

Prep: 5 Minutes	Level: Easy
Cook: 10 Minutes	Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce
• 1 Tablespoon Rice Vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon Packed Brown Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Oyster Sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon Toasted Sesame Oil
• 3 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
• 6 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs, Cut Into Small Cubes
• Kosher Salt To Taste
• 1 Tablespoon Chopped Garlic
• 1 Tablespoon Chopped Fresh Ginger
• 1 whole Green Bell Pepper, Chopped
• 1/4 cup Sherry Or Chicken Broth
• 2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
• 1/2 cup Drained Canned Water Chestnuts, Coarsley Chopped
• 1 cup Unsalted Cashews (be Sure To Use Unsalted)
• 2 whole Green Onions, Thinly Sliced
• Cooked Rice Or Noodles, For Serving (if Desired)

Preparation

In a bowl, mix together the soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, oyster sauce, and sesame oil. Set aside. 

Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over high heat and add the chicken in a single layer. Sprinkle with a small amount of salt, then leave it alone for at least a couple of minutes to give the chicken a chance to brown. When the chicken has turned golden, stir it around so that it can brown on all sides. Throw in the garlic and ginger and stir to combine. Stir in the bell pepper and let it cook for 2 to 3 minutes.

While the pan is still hot, pour in the sherry. Stir it around, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen all the flavorful bits. Turn the heat to medium-low and pour in the sauce mixture, then mix the cornstarch with 1/4 cup water to make a slurry and pour it in. Stir the sauce for 1 to 2 minutes to thicken, then add the water chestnuts and cashews and stir to coat everything with the sauce, adding a splash of water if the sauce is too thick.

Finally, sprinkle on the green onions. Serve with cooked rice or noodles.


CHINESE CASHEW CHICKEN 
https://www.melskitchencafe.com/chinese-cashew-chicken-30-minute-meal/

We all loved this especially Scott.  I doubled the recipe so we would have enough for lunches.  I also added celery, frozen broccoli and sugar snap peas.  I also used roasted garlic.  If the cashews are salted - rinse them first.  I roasted them by toss them in 1-2 tsp oil and roast at 200 for 5-10 minutes.  Had pineapple on the side.  Would be good with yakisoba noodles.  Abagail didn't like the cashews so next time I will not add and just have everyone put some on their dish if they want.

• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2- to 1-inch pieces
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 to 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 1/2 to 1 tablespoon grated or finely chopped fresh ginger (or ginger paste from a tube)
• 2 green bell peppers, seeded, cored and diced into bite-size pieces
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups roasted cashews (I prefer unsalted)

SAUCE:

• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 cup oyster sauce
• 3 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)

1. Place the diced chicken in a medium bowl and toss with the 1 teaspoon cornstarch and 1 teaspoon baking soda. Let the mixture rest for 15 minutes while you prep the other ingredients.
2. Whisk together the sauce ingredients in a bowl or liquid measuring cup. Set aside.
3. Rinse the chicken in a colander and pat dry (I leave the rinsed chicken in the colander, grab a bunch of paper towels and dab all over the surface, kind of turning the chicken as I pat dry).
4. In a large, 12-inch nonstick skillet heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. You want the skillet very hot.
5. Add the chicken in a single layer and stir constantly; the chicken should turn white as it cooks – but not get overly brown. Let it cook for 1-2 minutes (it’s ok if it isn’t fully cooked yet; it will cook more in the next few steps).
6. Scoot the chicken to the edges of the pan. Add another drizzle (a teaspoon or so) of olive oil to the center of the skillet.
7. Add the garlic and ginger to the center of the skillet and mash gently as it cooks, about 30 seconds.
8. Add the green peppers; stir to combine the chicken, garlic/ginger, and peppers.
9. Whisk the sauce to recombine, and add it to the skillet. Bring to a simmer and cook for 2-3 minutes until slightly thickened, the chicken is cooked through, and the peppers are crisp-tender.
10. Remove from the heat, add the cashews, and serve over hot, cooked rice (if desired).

BREAKFAST PIZZA

TROY'S BREAKFAST PIZZA
This came from the Cowboy Cookbook pg 181.  We all really liked it.  The Crescent rolls didn't work right so I quickly made pie crust.  Turned out good.  Pizza dough would work too.

UPDATE: Tried making in 9x13 stoneware.  Dough was too thick.  Stick with cookie sheet or maybe try really big pyrex so eggs don't go off edge.

This is for one cookie sheet:
2 cans of Crescent dinner rolls or pie crust or pizza crust
1 # pork sausage, cooked 
slice of ham, cooked 
2-3 pieces bacon, cooked
2 cups frozen hash browns, thawed
2 cups grated cheddar cheese (any cheese will do)
7 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375.  Put down crust on cookie sheet.  Put on meats.  Sprinkle on hash browns, then cheddar cheese.  Beat eggs with  milk and add salt & pepper.  Pour over top of pizza.  Top with Parmesan cheese.  Bake for 30 minutes.

BREAKFAST PIZZA
We all really, really liked this.  Was very filling.  A meal by itself of with a veggie or fruit.  We broke off our crust and put honey on it.

Made a biscuit crust (used recipe Cowboy cookbook pg. 202) Was thick could 1/2 recipe for a thinner crust.  Could also use prepackaged biscuit dough.

4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
8 tsp baking powder
2 T sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt (only did 1 tsp)
6 T butter, softened
6 T Crisco
1 1/2 cups milk (had 1/2 1/2 that needed to be used)

Preheat oven to 450.  Sift flour, baking powder, sugar and salt into a bowl.  Cut in butter and Crisco until mixture resembles coarse meal.  Stir in milk with a fork to form a soft dough.  Turn onto a floured board and knead for 30 seconds.  Rolled out onto round stoneware.  Bake for 10 minutes.

Topped crust with the following in this order:
*Italian seasoning, sprinkled
*cooked - Scrambled eggs (did 8 with chopped spinach - could easily do more eggs)
*Shredded parmesan cheese
*cooked italian sausage (could omit this - just had some on hand)
*fresh or canned diced tomatoes (I didn't realize I grabbed a stewed tomatoes.  So I drained on a paper towel and diced.  Worked well!
*precooked bacon (did 8 slices) tear and sprinkle
*sharp cheddar cheese (any cheese would do)

Broil until cheese melts. 

BREAKFAST PIZZA
This came from The Friend.  We really liked it.  I liked you made it in a 9x13.  Was easy!

6 slices bread
8 eggs
2 T water
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
3/4 cup chopped olives
24 slices pepperoni
3 cups shredded mozzarella or cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400.

Cover the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan with the bread slices.  If necessary, trim the bread to fit.

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs,  water and seasoning together.  Pour evenly over the bread.

Arrange the pepperoni on the casserole.  Then cover with the chopped olives and shredded cheese.

Bake the casserole for 20-25 minutes or until the eggs are fully cooked.

CHICKEN YAKISOBA

CHICKEN YAKISOBA

http://www.budgetbytes.com/2012/03/chicken-yakisoba/

I need to make these kind of meals more often.  My family really likes them and it is a great way to get in veggies.  Also added some leftover rice.  Next time I think it would be good with soba noodles (think they are called that).

• ½ head green cabbage $0.41
• 1 medium yellow onion $0.55
• 2 medium carrots $0.25
• 1 small crown broccoli $0.70
• 2 inches fresh ginger $0.52
• 1 large chicken breast $1.66
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil $0.08
• 2 (3 oz.) packages ramen noodles
• seasoning packets discarded $0.50
• 1 tsp sesame oil  $0.19
• ¼ cup soy sauce $0.24
• ¼ cup worcestershire sauce $0.20
• 2 Tbsp ketchup $0.05
• (up to) 1 Tbsp sriracha hot sauce $0.26 - didn't add
• 1 Tbsp sugar $0.02

Instructions

1. Before you begin, prepare the meat and vegetables for stir frying. Peel the ginger with either a vegetable peeler or the side of a spoon and then grate it with a cheese grater. Peel and grate the carrots with a large holed cheese grater. Remove the core from the cabbage and cut into thin strips. Slice the onion into thin strips. Cut the broccoli into bite-sized pieces. Slice the chicken into thin strips.
2. Begin boiling a medium pot full of water for the noodles. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the grated ginger, saute for about 30 seconds to one minute (its okay if it sticks to the pan but don’t let it burn). Add the chicken strips and cook until they are no longer pink (about five minutes).
3. Once the chicken is cooked through, add all of the vegetables. Stir and cook until wilted (about 5-10 minutes). Meanwhile, once the water boils, add the noodles and cook just until tender (2-3 minutes). Drain, return to the pot (with the heat turned off) and toss with the sesame oil to keep from sticking.
4. In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, worcestershire sauce, ketchup, sriracha, and sugar. Use only ½ tsp of sriracha if you don’t want it spicy, use up to 1 Tbsp if you like it hot. Stir until the ketchup and sugar are dissolved. Pour the sauce into the skillet with the chicken and vegetables with the heat still on medium high. Add the noodles, stir to coat everything in the sauce, and heat through (just a few minutes).