Thai Chicken Pizza

I think Bill would be the happiest man alive if I made my Thai Chicken and Rice every day of the week. So I figured I'd try to find a few more Thai chicken meals to add to the mix.

We tried California Pizza Kitchen's Thai Chicken Pizza a couple years ago and really liked it, so I searched for a copycat recipe. This is the closest I could find...

Ingredients:

• 12-inch pre-baked pizza crust **I used an 8-inch**
• Sprinkle of garlic powder (this was my addition)
  
• 7-ounce jar Thai peanut sauce **I used "A Taste of Thai" peanut satay sauce - only about 4-5 ounces since I used a smaller crust**
  
• 1/4 cup peanut butter **I used reduced-fat Jif**
• 8 ounces cooked skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into strips **I used rotisserie chicken, shredded**
  
• 1 cup shredded Italian cheese blend
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped **I chopped up about 3 stalks, just the greens**
  
• 1/2 cup shredded carrots
• 1/2 cup fresh bean sprouts **I omitted these b/c I didn't have any**
  
• 1 tablespoon chopped roasted peanuts **I omitted these**
• A few splashes of "A Taste of Thai" Garlic Chili Pepper sauce (this was my addition)
• Dried cilantro, to taste (this was my addition)
  

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Place crust on baking sheet. Sprinkle with garlic powder.
   
3. In a small bowl, stir together the peanut sauce and peanut butter. Spread over the pizza crust. Sprinkle with Garlic Chili Pepper sauce.
4. Arrange strips (or shreds) of chicken on top.
5. Sprinkle on the green onions and cheese. I added some more Garlic Chili Pepper sauce here, too. [original recipe calls for carrots/peanuts/sprouts to be added after cooking, but I added my carrots before putting in the oven. I also sprinkled the top with cilantro].
6. Bake for 8 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until cheese is melted and bubbly. Slice into wedges and serve.

Cheddar Scalloped Potatoes

So my first comment has to be that I do not know how to follow a recipe!! ;-)

I found this recipe on RecipeZaar.com. It calls for 1 cup of cheddar and then 1/2 cup grated Parm on top. Somehow, I read this as 2 cups of cheddar! So that's what I used and thought it felt a little thick when stirring, but I went with it.

Because of how much thicker the sauce turned out with the extra cheese, I poured a little more light cream on top and stirred it in with the sauce.........then after it had baked for about 40 minutes, I felt the sauce was still too thick - though quite tasty! - so I added another 1 cup of skim milk and mixed it up, then put it back in for the last 20 minutes.

The recipe below has the total amount of milk/cream added at the beginning, to correct my "mistake".

Also, I skipped the Parmesan topper because I wasn't necessarily going for ultra-cheesy potatoes.


So here is my inadvertently modified version of Scalloped Potatoes:

Ingredients:

• 4 cups thinly sliced potatoes (I used my Cuisinart food processor, which sliced the potatoes thin-ish, but I heard using a mandolin is better. Have to get me one of those!)
• 3 tablespoons margarine
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 3 cups milk (I used 1-3/4 cups skim milk and 1-1/4 cups light cream)
• 1 teaspoon Nature's Seasons seasoning salt
• 1 dash cayenne pepper
• 2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese (I used 1/2 cup sharp cheddar and 1-1/2 cups "taco blend" because it's what I had!)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a small sauce pan, melt butter and blend in flour.
3. Let sit for a minute.
4. Add cold milk/cream, stirring with a whisk.
   
5. Add seasoning salt and cayenne.
6. Cook sauce on medium until smooth and boiling, stirring occasionally with a whisk.
7. Reduce heat and stir in cheese.
8. Place a half of the sliced potatoes in a lightly greased casserole dish **I sprinkled with black pepper and some dried minced onion**.
9. Pour half of cheese sauce over potatoes.
10. Repeat with second layer of potatoes and cheese sauce.
11. Top with some paprika for color, if desired (I skipped this because of the seasonings in the taco blend cheese).
12. Bake uncovered for about 1 hour (or until potatoes are soft and sauce is bubbly and brown.

Bill thought this dish was paired very well with my Baked Garlic Parmesan Chicken (shown below)

Ten-Clove Garlic Chicken & Rice

When I pulled out the slow cooker last weekend, I wasn't really sure what was going to go into it. But you really can't go wrong with chicken and rice! Here is what I threw together (I cooked on high for about 4 hours, but you can cook on low for about 7 hours, as well).

I served this with a side of my Roasted Cajun Potatoes.

Ingredients:

• 3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (>1 lb), frozen or thawed
  
• 10 cloves garlic - I chopped 5 and left 5 whole, which I mashed after they had cooked (no real reason for this - I was just experimenting).
  
• 3 cups chicken broth (or water + bouillon)
  
• 1/2 cup white wine (I used a table wine - a favor from someone's wedding!)
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp Italian seasonings
• 1 tsp Nature's Seasons (or any season salt)
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• Other seasonings as desired
  
• 2 pouches Uncle Ben's rice, uncooked (I used a mix of long grain and roasted chicken). **any rice can be substituted - instant or the microwavable pouch.
  

Directions:

1. Put chicken breasts into your slow cooker. If frozen, put them in whole. If thawed, cut each piece into 3 chunks. Add white wine, chicken broth, and seasonings.
2. Because I put my chicken in frozen, I removed the chicken from the slow cooker after about 1-1/2 hours and cut each breast into 3 chunks - I also used the back of a spoon to mash all of the garlic cloves in the slow cooker - then returned the chicken to the liquid.
3. Cook on high for a total of 3-1/2 to 4 hours, until chicken is tender and pulls apart.
   
   
4. Add uncooked rice.
5. Continue to cook at least 10 minutes, or until rice is done and most of liquid is soaked up.

Roasted Cajun Potatoes

This recipe makes a great substitute for French fries or mashed potatoes.



This is a very spicy potato! Feel free to cut down on the paprika, cayenne pepper, onion, and garlic. We liked them this way though :)

(adapted from allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:

• 4 large russet potatoes
• 3 tbsp olive oil (I used Gazebo Lite Greek Dressing)
  
• 1 tbsp minced onion
  
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 3/4 tsp salt (I used Nature's Seasons)
  
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tsp dried parsley

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Cut each potato lengthwise into eight wedges (cut each one in half, if desired). In a large bowl, combine the oil, onion, garlic, salt, paprika, cayenne and pepper; add potatoes and toss to coat well.
3. Pour out onto foil-lined baking sheet.
4. Bake, uncovered, for about 30 minutes or until tender and golden brown, turning every 10 minutes ***I added a few drizzles of olive oil half way through**. Sprinkle with parsley when done.

Chicken Noodle Soup!

Can't think of a better meal for the icy cold week we've had so far! Plus, I seem to cook like I'm feeding an army, so we'll have plenty of leftovers for Valentine's Day, since we're not doing our fancy dinner out until Friday :)



Feel free to scale this down!!

Ingredients:

• 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 cups boiled/shredded chicken (I am all about the grocery store rotiss chicken for this!)
• 1 cup chopped carrots (I cut baby carrots into thirds)
  
• 2 stalks chopped celery (I use my food chopper to mince it real tiny - I love the flavor but I'm not big on chunks of celery in my soup).
• 3 chicken bouillon cubes (love the seemingly unnecessary addition of flavor!)
• Seasonings to taste (I use garlic powder, minced dried onion, black pepper, and dried parsley flakes)
• 12 ounces egg noodles (we're on a thin noodle kick now, but the wide egg noodles are great too).

Directions:

1. Shred chicken into large stock pot and season. I let this brown for about 5 minutes on a medium heat, constantly stirring.
2. Add the chicken broth and bouillon, and stir up any chicken that browned to the bottom of the pot.
3. Add carrots and celery.
4. Boil on medium-high for about 25 minutes, until carrots are tender.
5. Noodles: you can do this one of two ways. (1) Add uncooked noodles directly to soup and allow to boil about 5 minutes, until noodles are done; or (2) Boil noodles in a separate pot of water, drain, and add to the soup once finished (I do this).

Chicken-Stuffed Manicotti

This recipe is a variation of one my mom shared with me - she makes the BEST chicken-stuffed shells. I didn't have shells on hand, so I tried the same recipe with manicotti. Tastes the same, but I think I prefer stuffing shells over manicotti noodles.


Ingredients:

• 12-ounce box of jumbo shells or manicotti
• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 12-oz box StoveTop low-sodium chicken-flavored stuffing
• 2 10.75-oz cans Campbell's Healthy Choice cream of chicken soup (or 1 chicken and 1 mushroom or celery)
  
• 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  
• 3-4 tbsp fat-free mayo (try 3 tbsp, if mixture is too dry, add a 4th)
• Seasonings of choice (I use seasoning salt, black pepper, garlic powder and oregano)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
   
2. In a medium pot, boil chicken breasts (I cut them into smaller pieces to help them cook through faster).
3. Prepare stuffing according to box directions (I omit the margarine and use chicken broth instead of water).
4. In a large mixing bowl, combine broth and cream soups (I use a whisk). Season to taste. Layer a 9x13" casserole dish with about a ladle-full of the soup mixture.
5. Prepare shells/manicotti according to directions on box. Drain and lay out on foil or parchment, so that they are cool to the touch.
   
6. Once chicken is done boiling, cut into small pieces (if not done already) and throw into a food processor or chopper. You want very tiny pieces - smaller than just shredding by hand (see picture).
7. Combine chopped chicken with prepared stuffing in a large bowl. Add mayo until you get a moist consistency (if you plan to have leftovers, add a little extra mayo - the mixture tends to dry easily after being in the fridge).
8. With this mixture, stuff the shells/manicotti. Line in one layer along the casserole dish.
9. Cover with soup mixture (I like to add a few sprinkles of fresh Parmesan to the top).
10. Cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes, or until soup mixture is bubbling and sides are brown.

**Hint for boiling chicken**

A friend of my mom's recently gave me this hint: Place a wooden spoon across the top of the pot while boiling your chicken. The chicken/fat will NOT boil over with the wooden spoon in place!! The fat will rise and wrap around the spoon but it won't spill over onto your stove. It gives you time to lower the heat if things are boiling too rapidly.

This is great for when I'm multitasking and can't watch the pot constantly.

Nittany Chicken Bites (the sophisticated chicken nugget)

Named as such because this recipe was concocted for the Penn State vs. Notre Dame game last fall.
This is a spicier version of your typical chicken finger recipe, and bite-sized to boot.

During football season, I make a ton of these and serve them in a large chip/dip set, with the honey mustard in the little bowl in the middle (homemade honey mustard dip recipe here). But sometimes the husband requests these for dinner - so I tack on sides of French-cut green beans and garlic mashed potatoes.



Ingredients

• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
  
• 4 tbsp olive oil
  
• 2 cups Italian breadcrumbs
• 2 tbsp "Soul food seasoning" (or a mix of black pepper, paprika, salt, and garlic powder)
• 1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Directions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Line large cookie sheet with foil.
• Cut chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces.
• Mix olive oil (I used Gazebo Lite Greek dressing) and minced garlic in a small bowl.
  
• Mix breadcrumbs, seasingings, and parm cheese in medium-sized bowl.
• Dip chicken bites into oil/garlic mixture.
  
• Coat dipped chicken in bread/cheese mixture.
• Place breaded chicken on a cookie sheet.
• Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until cooked through.

Honey-Wheat Bread

I am seriously in love with my bread machine. I've only used it about 8 times so far (it was a wedding gift), and each time I use it I swear the bread is better than the last batch.
Homemade bread is so easy to make! I love the idea of making fresh bread every Sunday when we have a family.

I've tried a few of the recipes in the manual (including French bread and Italian Herb & Cheese), but here is my favorite recipe so far:



Honey-Wheat Bread
(inspired by "Simple Whole Wheat Bread" from allrecipes.com, but I changed the recipe a lot)

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 cups warm water
• 3 tbsp honey (adjust this to taste - more honey for sweeter bread)
• 1-1/2 tbsp melted butter
• 1-1/4 cups bread flour
• 3 cups whole wheat flour
• 1-1/2 tsp salt
• 1 package dry active yeast
• 1 tbsp melted butter (for top of bread)

Directions:
(follow the directions for your own bread machine - these directions are according to the Salton Breadman Bread Machine manual. For oven instructions, see further down)

1. Add liquid ingredients to bread pan (water, honey, melted butter).
2. Add dry ingredients (wheat flour, bread flour, salt) and create a small hole in the center for the yeast. Make sure the hole isn't so deep that you reach the liquid ingredients.
3. Select bread settings (for my machine, I choose the Whole Wheat setting, 2-lb loaf, rapid rise. Consult your manual for alternate settings).
4. Lift lid of bread machine when 10-15 minutes remain. Baste loaf with melted butter. Close lid and allow to finish.

Oven Directions
(directly from allrecipes.com recipe mentioned above - I have not tried this method for myself):

1. In a large bowl, mix warm water, yeast, and 1/2 of the honey. Add bread flour, and stir to combine. Let set for 30 minutes, or until big and bubbly.
2. Mix in melted butter, rest of the honey, and salt. Stir in whole wheat flour. Flour a flat surface and knead with whole wheat flour until not real sticky - just pulling away from the counter, but still sticky to touch. This may take additional whole wheat flour. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to coat the surface of the dough. Cover with a dishtowel. Let rise in a warm place until doubled.
3. Punch down (divide into 2 loaves, depending on your bread pan size). Place in greased bread loaf pan(s), and allow to rise until dough has topped the pans by one inch.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 to 30 minutes; do not overbake. Lightly brush the tops of loaves with melted butter or margarine when done to prevent crust from getting hard.

Cheeseburger!

This Friday was cheeseburgers-and-fries night! Only I tried to make it all as low-fat as possible.

I had planned on making turkey burgers, but I read in the latest Glamour that ground sirloin is actually lower in fat and calories. Wahoo - beefy burgers! I served them on toasted whole-wheat buns, but don't worry, I combated all of that with some thick slices of cheddar :)

Even though I had a bag of Ore-Ida seasoned fries, I decided to make my own fries. I found a recipe for Cajun roasted potatoes and I'm not sure I'll ever make frozen fries again!


Wow, looking at this picture makes me realize how HUGE the servings are at restaurants! This is a quarter-pounder burger and it barely takes up any room.......a burger from Ruby Tuesday or Friday's would be half the size of this plate! :)

Ground Sirloin Burgers
(adapted from "Actually Delicious Turkey Burgers" on allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground sirloin (I used 83% fat-free)
  
• 2 tablespoons seasoned bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon finely diced onion
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper (I actually did 1/2 tsp seasoning salt instead of the salt + pepper).

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, mix ground sirloin, seasoned bread crumbs, onion, egg white, parsley, garlic, salt, and pepper. Form into 4 patties.
2. Cook the patties in a medium skillet over medium heat, turning once, to an internal temperature of 180 degrees F. Put cheese on top a few minutes before removing from heat.

**I used my electric griddle and cooked them about 10-12 minutes on each side. I'm not exactly sure how long they cooked on the 2nd side after I put the cheese on top, but I cut into the center of a couple to check doneness. I'm paranoid about uncooked meat**

I toasted Pepperidge Farm whole-wheat hamburger buns and put out some sliced tomatoes, lettuce leaves, pickles, ketchup, and mustard.

I served a side of Roasted Cajun Potatoes instead of fries. Yummy!

Baked Garlic Parmesan Chicken

Last night I made what I think I'll have to call my new favorite meal. It was so incredibly simple yet it tasted surprisingly gourmet!

Bill and I have a meal that we've dubbed "Old Faithful" -- chicken (shaken in seasoned breadcrumbs), StoveTop stuffing, and French-cut green beans (seasoned with dried onions). This is the go-to meal for those evenings when I'm staring blankly into the pantry for what seems like hours, trying to come up with ANYTHING to make for dinner.
Well, this meal might have just taken over the Old Faithful slot. Now you know I mean business.

I found this chicken recipe on allrecipes.com: "Baked Garlic Parmesan Chicken". It got such great reviews on that site that I decided to try it as written rather than my typical semi-following of a recipe. I only changed a couple, insignificant things (noted in the recipe).

I served this on a bed of linguine that was simply tossed in prepared Classico basil pesto and with a side of my baked garlic-parmesan asparagus (recipe here).

Without further delay...

Baked Garlic Parmesan Chicken
(adapted from allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil (I had to add a little more oil but I'm not sure how much - keep the bottle handy)
  
• 3 cloves garlic, minced (original recipes calls for only 1 clove)
  
• 1 cup dry bread crumbs
• 2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 5 skinless, boneless THIN-CUT chicken breasts (original recipe calls for 6 regular breasts - I like using the thin ones for breaded baked chicken better though)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with foil (I sprayed a little Pam on mine).
2. In a bowl, blend the olive oil and garlic. In a separate bowl, mix the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, basil, and pepper. Dip each chicken breast in the oil mixture, then in the bread crumb mixture. Arrange the coated chicken breasts on the prepared baking sheet, and top with some shredded Parmesan or mozzarella.
3. Bake 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.

(Don't mind the little bit I cut from the one piece, haha. I have this paranoia where I can't serve chicken unless I've cut into a piece to ensure that it's really done.)

While chicken is baking, boil a small pot of water and cook about 6 ounces of linguine or angel hair pasta. Drain. Toss with about 2-3 tablespoons of pesto.


Serve with a veggie side. I'll definitely be putting this one in the regular rotation!!