Mommy From Mars

Category: Recipes I love

  • Honey-Lime Chicken Enchiladas

    http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2011/05/honey-lime-chicken-enchiladas-recipe.html

     

  • Sweet and Sour Stir Fry

    Sweet and Sour Stir Fry

     

    Another dinner favorite. I usually follow this recipe pretty close, however, I recently found in the freezer section at Winco a frozen bag of “stir fry” it has onions and peppers already cut and ready to be sauteed. This makes this dish even faster to make!

    Also, you’ll notice there are little cut up bits of hot dogs in there….yes, I said hot dogs! There is a sweet reason for that. Early in our marriage as I was trying to put meal plans together and discover what Kevin’s likes and dislikes were, he mentioned how his mom would make a sweet and sour stir fry, I thought it sounded good as well, so this is how I discovered this recipe, he would mention how his mother would cut up little hot dogs in it growing up and it was his favorite. I just laughed, but that sounded gross to me, so I didn’t take him seriously. As I have made this numerous of times, everytime he would take a bite he would mention how perfect this meal was but how it would be even yummier with little hot dogs because that is how his mother made it. I always forgot to buy hot dogs at the grocery store because I just don’t eat them. Well after the third or so time making this and hearing his comments I felt like I owed it to him, so I specifically made an effort to buy the hot dogs to cut up.

    I remember in Young Women’s I had a leader who gave us some marriage advice. She said when you get married, it would be very thoughtful to sit down with your mother-in-law and ask her what your husband’s favorite meals were, to learn how to cook them, and make them for him. I always remembered that. Kevin’s mother passed away in 2008, I have not had the pleasure of meeting her, which makes me sad. Kevin keeps her alive through describing her and talking about her a lot. One way I have gotten to know Sherry is through her cookbook. She organized one that Kevin has and it is in our kitchen. Kevin tells me a lot of the things she would make for them as they grew up and it was very touching to watch his eyes light up as I finally made this meal the “right” way and we were able to have a great discussion about his mother and Kevin would share memories.

    Ohh and yes this was served on a paper plate! Fancy! I am all about having a quick, hearty, simple meal!

    Sweet and Sour Chicken Stir-Fry
    Recipe by ourbestbites.com

    Ingredients

    1 tablespoon cornstarch
    1/4 cup cold water
    1 8 ounce can pineapple chunks, drained and juices reserved
    3 tablespoons ketchup
    1 tablespoon soy sauce
    2 tablespoons brown sugar
    1 teaspoon rice vinegar

    3-4 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided
    1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs diced into 1 inch pieces
    (you could also use pork tenderloin, or sliced boneless pork chops)
    1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
    1/4 teaspoon black pepper
    2 garlic cloves, minced
    1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
    3 cups broccoli florets
    1 medium bell pepper, stemmed , seeded, and cut into 1/2 inch squares*
    hot cooked white or brown rice

    *In this post, I used half of the bell pepper, and added 1/2 of a diced onion as well

    Instructions
    Start cooking your rice so it will be ready.

    Combine cornstarch and water in a medium sized bowl and stir to dissolve.  Add the reserved pineapple juice*, ketchup, soy sauce, brown sugar, and vinegar to the bowl and stir to combine.

    *If you’re using a stainless steel pan, save pineapple juice for de-glazing it

    heat 2-3 teaspoons of the oil in a wok or large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the chicken, salt, pepper, garlic, and ginger.  Stir-fry until the chicken is cooked and no longer pink, 3-4 minutes.  Remove chicken from pan and cover to keep warm.

    Add the remaining 1-2 teaspoons oil to the pan and add the broccoli and bell pepper.  Stir-fry over medium-high heat until the vegetables are crisp-tender and the broccoli is bright green, 3-5 minutes.

    Return the chicken to the pan and add the pineapple chunks and sauce mixture.  Bring to a simmer and cook until everything is heated through and the sauce has thickened, 1-2 minutes.  Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.  Serve over the hot cooked rice.  If desired, top with sesame seeds and chopped fresh cilantro or parsley.

    Serves 4 (or more like 6 if you’ve got some kiddos in the mix)

     

     

  • Chicken Parmesan

    Chicken Parmesan

    I love Chicken Parmesan. It is one of my most favorite meals at Olive Garden. I didn’t realize how easy it was to make until I tried it. I originally tried a crock pot recipe because it seemed so easy. It was really delicious! Well over time I decided I didn’t like how soggy the breadcrumbs and how soft the chicken was so I decided to do it my own way. I know there is no fancy way to make this and anyone can do it.  If you want to know how I do it, I will show you! Whenever I make it, Kevin seems so impressed that I don’t want to confess how easy and a no-brainer meal this is, so we will just keep him in the dark so I can have my WOW factor for this meal!

    I always buy frozen chicken breasts because it is easier for me to keep longer and pull out as needed. Although it is one of my most un-favorite things to do, to thaw chicken (It smells and I end up washing my hands a million times out of fear of germs!) Because it is just Kevin and I, I only pull out 3-4 chicken breasts. They vary in size, so I’ll pull out 2 bigger ones and 1-2 smaller ones for leftovers or if we are extra hungry for that night.

    I thaw in microwave on defrost mode and set out 2 extra containers for Italian bread crumbs and one egg mixed with a little bit of water (maybe a tablespoon)

    then pour your Italian breadcrumbs into a container (mine were just seasoned breadcrumbs so I added Italian seasoning). I dipped chicken into egg then bread crumbs and put onto platter. (I forgot to add some fresh parmesan into the bread crumbs as well, I usually do that to add more parmesan taste! I buy the fresh grated kind, it is the best!)

    I heat some coconut oil in a skillet on medium/high heat. I chose coconut oil not because it is “healthy” or a “fad” but I genuinely like the taste when I cook chicken with it. You can use any kind of oil.

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    Then fry those chickens til golden brown. about 5 minutes on each side. Mine are more brown than I’d like but they still turned out nice!

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    I’ve discovered that letting them cook fully then turn once helps the bread crumbs stay on and it helps become crispy. In the past I have turned them many times thinking it needed it, but that was a no-no. I’m sure these are common sense cooking knowledge but apparently I like to learn the hard way!

    I then used Prego (but if you want a good homemade spaghetti sauce and have time to make it even more fancy, I use my mom’s

    http://nourishedsouls.blogspot.com/2012/08/favorite-homemade-spaghetti-sauce.html

    but for the sake of time and to make this a quick and easy recipe, Prego tastes great too!)

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    Then you spoon some sauce on each of them while still in the pan and sprinkle mozzarella and parmesan cheese on them. I then cover and put on low for a few minutes while the cheese melts. Take off the heat and warm the rest of sauce while you boil spaghetti noodles and WALAHH! Quick and easy filling dinner! I served it with a side of veggies.

     

     

  • One Pan Chicken Alfredo

    One Pan Chicken Alfredo

    I wanted to share an easy, yummy recipe that we had last night. Of course I was so tired by the end and having Corbin whine (we are in the process of dropping his 3rd nap, so he is a bit cranky in the evenings!) that I forgot to take a nice picture of our complete meal hot and ready. So you get a picture of it the next day! I served it with our favorite bagged kale salad.

    Link to this recipe is

    http://www.number-2-pencil.com/2013/06/06/one-pan-chicken-alfredo/

     One Pan Chicken Alfredo

    Author: Melissa @ No. 2 Pencil

    Recipe type: Dinner

    Prep time:  5 mins

    Cook time:  25 mins

    Total time:  30 mins

    Serves: 4

    Ingredients

    • 3 tablespoon of olive oil
    • 1¼ pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts
    • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
    • 1 14 oz can of low sodium chicken broth
    • 1 cup of heavy cream
    • ½ a pound of penne pasta, or any bite-sized shape pasta, uncooked*
    • 2 cups of freshly shredded real parmesan cheese
    • Salt and pepper
    • Flat leaf parsley for garnish

    Instructions

    1. Start by cutting chicken breasts into 1 inch pieces. Season with ½ a teaspoon of kosher salt and a few turns of pepper.
    2. Brown chicken in olive oil over medium high heat.
    3. It does not need to be cooked through at this point, it will continue cooking as it simmers.
    4. Once chicken is browned, add minced garlic and saute for about one minute.
    5. Add chicken broth, cream, and uncooked pasta to pan and stir.
    6. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to a simmer.
    7. Simmer for 15-20 minutes or until pasta is tender.
    8. Remove from heat and stir in shredded parmesan cheese.
    9. Season with salt and pepper as needed.

    Notes

    Note: Keep pan covered while pasta and chicken simmer.

    *I always use bow tie pasta. (note from Christy)

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  • Banana Bread

    Banana Bread

    A young woman made banana bread for me for my birthday and I ate the whole loaf in 3 days! Kevin never got a taste. I like how easy this recipe is, I always get intimidated with Banana Bread recipes and they never turn out. After 3 times making this I found what works for me is spraying the bread pans REALLY good and baking it at 42 minutes. They pop right out and perfect on the sides and middle! Enjoy.

    (next time I make it I will add a picture, I am working on my photography skills.)

    Banana Bread

    1 cup oil

    3 tsp. cinnamon

    1/2 tsp baking powder

    1/2 tsp salt

    2 cups bananas (about 4)

    2 eggs

    2 cups sugar

    3 tsp vanilla

    1 tsp. baking soda

    3 cups flour

    Mix ingredients well. pour into a 9 x 13 pan or into 2 loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes (mine took close to 42 minutes).

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