Tuesday, January 13, 2009

No Frozen Dinner Tonight!

I don't usually cook on the weekends. Last Sunday was different though. We were out of the weekend stand-bys (DiGiorno pizzas and Bertolli skillet meals; both of which I always add garlic and spices to prior to heating) so I decided to throw together some chicken kabobs.

These are great when you want a good, fast dinner. You can soak the skewers to lessen the chances of them burning but I always forget to do that. The skewers get dark but it's no big deal. We haven't had any fires. After all, they're only in there for 6 minutes! We've made this a few times and my husband and kids all enjoy it. I like to serve these kabobs with rice and sauteed veggies. Here's the recipe:

3/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 lb. thin sliced, skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch pieces
Variety of veggies (I like a red pepper, green pepper, andyellow squash)


1. Combine first five ingredients in a medium size bowl. Stir in chicken and onion; allow to marinate for 30 minutes.

2. Thread chicken and veggies onto skewers.

3. Broil 5 in. from the heat, turning after 3 minutes. Continue broiling for another 3 minutes or until chicken is done.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Risotto - In the Microwave!

I tried this for the first time last night and it came out perfect! It's delicious as is but could also be jazzed up further with mushrooms or maybe sun-dried tomatoes. Everyone loved it and there were no leftovers! Definitely making this one again:

3 TBSP butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 vegetable broth
1 c. Arborio rice, uncooked
3/4 c. white wine
1/4 c. fresh grated parmesan cheese

1. Combine butter, garlic, and onion in medium size casserole dish. Microwave on high for 3 minutes.

2. Heat broth separately until hot but not boiling; about 2 - 2 1/2 minutes.
* I just use a glass measuring cup for this step.

3. Add rice and broth to the butter, garlic, and onion. Cover and cook on high for 6 minutes.

4. Stir in white wine. Cover again and cook for an additional 10 minutes.

5. Stir in parmesan cheese and serve.

Yummy!

Friday, January 2, 2009

Happy New Year!

January 1 is probably the one day out of every year that I eat black-eyed peas. I've eaten them on New Year's Day of just about every year that I can remember. I used to just buy the canned variety, add a little salt and pepper, and call it done. This year, I decided to cook them myself in the Crock Pot. We like spicy food and these beans definitely had a kick. This is my new New Year's Day recipe:

6c. chicken broth
1lb. bag of black-eyed peas
1/4 onion, diced
2 cloves minced garlic
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 jalapeno pepper (1/2 if it's a big one)
1c. diced ham (leftover from holiday dinner)
4 slices bacon, cooked and broken into pieces
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 3/4 tsp. cumin
salt, to taste
1 1/4 tsp. black pepper

Throw everything in the Crock Pot. Cover and cook on low all day (8-10 hrs.). If you're ready to eat but the beans are not, just put it in the microwave, covered, and nuke it until liquid evaporates and beans are the consistency you like. Easy!

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