Coconut Lime Chicken with Chiles

My good friend Odelsa was having a pregnancy craving and asked me to post any curry recipes I had. This is one of my favorites. Enjoy Odelsa!

From Quick Fix Meals with Robin Miller

2 tsp. peanut oil (or any oil)
3 cloves garlic
1 1/4 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tsp. curry powder
1 14 oz. can light or regular coconut milk
1 4 oz. can diced green chiles, drained if necessary
1 T. fresh lime juice
1 tsp. finely grated lime zest
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 C. chopped scallions (white and green parts)
2 T. chopped fresh cilantro

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add the chicken and cook until golden brown on all sides, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the curry and cook, stirring for 1 minute, until it is fragrant. Add the coconut milk, chiles, and lime juice and zest, bring to a simmer, and simmer until the chicken is just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat, stir in the scallions and cilantro, and serve.

Shredded Chicken and Strawberry Citrus Salad

Adapted from Sweet Basil

Romaine
Red Leaf Lettuce (I just bought a bag of mixed greens)
Spinach
Strawberries, sliced
Foccacia Croutons
Citrus Dressing
Shredded Chicken

Roast a whole chicken and let cool (I just used a couple of chicken breasts). Shred the meat and set aside.Wash your greens and fruit and dry.Throw everything together and top with citrus dressing (recipe follows). I added candied almonds because Port loves almonds. I also added a little shredded mozarella.

Dressing:
1/2 tsp. grated orange peel
1/3 C. fresh orange juice
2 T. red wine vinegar
1/2 C. vegetable oil
2 T. sugar

Candy Cookie Cups

From Taste of Home

I saw this recipe in one of the recipe books I have. I couldn't resist. These little bites have everything Port loves. Chocolate and peanut butter combined with his favorite chocolate chip macadamia nut cookies.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup finely chopped macadamia nuts
1 package (16 ounces) individually portioned refrigerated white chip macadamia nut cookie dough (I just made my regular chocolate chip cookies and added the macadamia nuts it made about 3 times the amount called for in the recipe)
24 miniature peanut butter cups



Directions: Sprinkle macadamia nuts into 24 greased miniature muffin cups, 1 teaspoon in each. Cut each portion of cookie dough in half; place each half in a muffin cup. Bake at 325° for 11-13 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately place a peanut butter cup in each cookie; press down gently. Cool completely before removing from pans to wire racks. Yield: 2 dozen.

Cheesy Broccoli and Rice Casserole

I found this recipe on Kitchen Cafe and it screamed comfort food to me. I wanted it as a main course so I added shredded chicken. It is now one of our family favorites. My three guys didn't even seem to notice the broccoli. It was delicious.

2 slices hearty white sandwich bread, torn into pieces
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
4 tablespoons butter, melted; plus two tablespoons chilled
1 garlic clove, minced
2 pounds broccoli (about 3-4 medium heads of broccoli), florets cut into 1-inch pieces, stems chopped
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cooked and shredded
1 onion, finely chopped
1 1/4 cups long grain white rice
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/4 cups half-and-half
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper


Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9X13-inch baking dish. Pulse bread, 1/4 cup parmesan cheese and melted butter in a food processor until coarsely ground. Add garlic. Set aside.Microwave broccoli florets (save stems for later), covered, in a large bowl until bright green and tender, 2 to 3 minutes (no need to add water). Be careful not to overcook or they will become soggy and discolored. Melt remaining butter in a large pot over medium heat. Cook onion and broccoli stems until softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring constantly, until rice is translucent, about 1 minute. Stir in broth, half-and-half, and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring often, until rice is tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Off the heat, stir in cheddar cheese, cayenne, remaining parmesan, chicken and broccoli florets.Pour the mixture into prepared baking dish and top with bread crumb mixture. Bake until the sauce is bubbling around the edges and the top is golden brown, about 15 minutes. Cool 5 minutes. Serve.

Mom's Homemade Pizza Dough

1 C. Warm water
1 tsp. yeast
1 T. sugar
2-3 C. flour

Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Add 2-3 C. flour. Knead till smooth. Let rest for 15-20 minutes. Roll out on greased pizza pan. Let dough rest another 5-10 minutes. Add toppings and bake at 475 for 12-15 minutes.

Chicken Chow Mein/ Hawaiian Haystacks

This is my go to meal when I don't know what to make. It is generally pretty quick and a favorite at our house.

2 or 3 Boneless skinless chicken breast, cooked and shredded
4 T. butter
4 T. flour
2 cans of chicken broth
1 T. Montreal Steak seasoning
Dash of red pepper flakes
Dash of garlic powder
Dash of lemon pepper seasoning
Dash of salt and pepper
Shredded cheese
Mandarin oranges
Tomatoes
Green peppers
Chow mein noodles

Melt butter in saucepan and add flour. Cook together for about 1-2 minutes or until it smells slightly nutty. Add one can of broth and stir until it thickens. Once thick add remaining broth until desired consistency. We like a runnier gravy so we add both cans. Bring gravy to a boil and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add seasonings. Add chicken. Serve over rice with other ingredients on top. Enjoy!

Chicken Poppyseed Salad

From Kitchen Cafe

Chicken Poppy Seed Salad

Spinach leaves ( I just bought bag salad mixes because they were on sale, they tasted great!)
Romaine leaves
Grilled chicken, sliced (grill with lots of lemon pepper seasoning)
Red onion, sliced thinly
Crispy bacon, crumbled
Shredded mozzarella cheese
Toasted almonds (or you can sugar the almonds. Put sliced almonds in a pan with lots of granulated sugar (about equal amounts). Cook on medium heat until sugar melts, coating the almonds as they brown.)

The best part... The Dressing:
1 1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp salt
2 tsp dry mustard
2/3 cup red wine vinegar
3 Tb Maui or Vidalia onion, chopped
2 cups canola oil
3 Tb poppy seeds

Mix the first 5 ingredients in a blender, then slowly add the oil, blending until thick. Stir in poppy seeds. Toss all ingredients together with generous amount of dressing before serving.

Cafe Rio Pork

Night before:
3 ½-4 lb. pork roast
2Tbs brown sugar
1 to 1 ½ tsp. red pepper (cayenne pepper)
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
Mix together and rob on to pork roast. Put in crock-pot on low overnight.

Next morning:
Add to crock-pot
1 can coke
1 cup chicken broth
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion. Chopped


About 1 hour before you serve: (I ususally cook until about 4 p.m.)
Shred roast and add 1 cup brown sugar, put back in crock-pot.

Cafe Rio Dressing

1 pkg. Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix
8 oz. can salsa verde
2 med. Cloves garlic
¾ cup mayo
¾ cup sour cream
¼ tsp. Tabasco sauce
¼- ½ cup cilantro

Mix in blender. Add lime juice to taste. Make ahead of time and chill for several hours. Can be thinned with buttermilk if needed.