Okay here is the updated version of Kung Pao chicken. Bare with me a little bit for the pictures since I need to upload them from my camera. But once I do that matzo ball soup and some awesome Vietnamese burgers will be coming too so the wait will be worth it. :)
Anyways, this is even easier than I remember it. So here are the numbers.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons of soy sauce
1-1 1/2 tablespoons of sesame oil (depends on how oily/sesame-y you like it)
2 tablespoons of water
1 tablespoons of hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon of sugar
2 teaspoons of corn starch (this last time I used about 1/2 a teaspoon because we had barely any left but it still turned out great so don't worry too much about this it is mostly for the look and consistency.)
1-2 hot chilis like thai or jalapenos, chopped and seeded
2 chicken breasts
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1-2 stocks of celery chopped
handful of chopped carrots
broccoli or any other veggies you want to add
1/4 cup of dry roasted peanuts
So first mix all the ingredients up to the chicken together in a small bowl. Then I tasted it and added more of what I wanted, like if I wanted it saltier I added soy sauce, sweeter more sugar (mostly because I don't like the hoisin sauce our store had), diluted more water, etc. You want your sauce to be some what opaque so that way it will thicken when you cook it and be like the classic kung pao chicken sauce. If it still looks super clear then add a little more corn starch. I don't remember my exact proportions hence the estimates here, because I did exactly what I described. Also if you want it to be saucier then add more of the liquids and the corn starch. I like saucy things so that is what I did.
Then chop your chicken in to bite size cubes. Add the chicken to the bowl that your sauce was in, or vice versa whichever container is bigger, and let it sit for about 15 minutes. During this time chop your veggies. Again probably about bite size proportions, since after all you are eating this. Also the smaller the pieces the faster they cook so be warned.
Put a skillet on the stove over medium heat to warm up. Add the chicken and cook until you can no longer see the pink/it is not translucent. Then add your veggies and cook until they are cooked as you like (starting to get tender). Take off the stove and serve over rice. The whole cooking on the stove process should take about 15 minutes. Veggies cook slower when not immersed in water.
Monday, October 26, 2009
The Famed Pizza Potatoes
This recipe is thanks to my mom. I have no idea where she found it but ever since I was a little kid it was a treat. This also makes a GREAT recipe for camping, since it is kind of like a fancy version of hash. It is also a riff on a twice baked potato. And well I already know the girls from school love them just as much. So here it goes:
Makes 6 servings
Ingredients:
3 russet (the big brown ones) potatoes
1 lb uncooked Italian sausage
3-4 tablespoons of tomato paste
1/2 cup of milk
red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, and oregano to taste
1 cup of grated mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
First use the microwave to bake your potatoes as it saves time. Wash your potatoes and then pierce them with a fork about 5-10 times all over. Place them in a bowl and press the baked potato button on the microwave and then the amount of potatoes. Or just cook the potatoes in the microwave for about 8 minutes to start. The potatoes are considered "baked" when they are soft to the touch. Don't actually touch them since they will be hot, but push down on the skin with a fork. If it doesn't budge microwave the potatoes longer. If the potato is kind of squishy then they are done. Put them to the side and let them cool a little bit.
In the mean time, preheat the oven to about 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Put a large skillet on the stove over medium high heat. Then squeeze your sausage out of the casing and into the pan. Use the spoon to break up the sausage into smaller pieces. As the sausage cooks slice your potatoes in half length-wise. Then begin to scoop out the potato trying not to break the skin. You will end up with potato on a plate/in a bowl, and then halves of potato skins with about 1/4 inch of potato left on them. Arrange the potato skins in a 13X9 inch baking pan
Once the sausage is cooked add the scooped out potato to the pan. Then add the tomato paste, milk and 2/3 cup of mozzarella. Stir until everything is slightly red and then season to your taste with the seasonings I listed. Then scoop the potato mixture back into the potatoes skins, sprinkle the remaining cheese on top including the Parmesan cheese. Place the potato in the oven and bake for 5 minutes so the cheese melts.
Once the cheese is starting to brown take the potatoes out and serve.
Oh and Lien you can make these too if they sound good. All you need to do is follow the recipe up to the baking part. You don't have to bake them because everything is cooked already by the time you put them in the oven. So you can just sprinkle more cheese on top and eat it like fancy mashed potatoes, or you could put it back in the potato skins and then sprinkle some cheese on top and zap it in the microwave for like 30 seconds to a minute to melt the cheese. Then it will be just the same. :D
Makes 6 servings
Ingredients:
3 russet (the big brown ones) potatoes
1 lb uncooked Italian sausage
3-4 tablespoons of tomato paste
1/2 cup of milk
red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, and oregano to taste
1 cup of grated mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
First use the microwave to bake your potatoes as it saves time. Wash your potatoes and then pierce them with a fork about 5-10 times all over. Place them in a bowl and press the baked potato button on the microwave and then the amount of potatoes. Or just cook the potatoes in the microwave for about 8 minutes to start. The potatoes are considered "baked" when they are soft to the touch. Don't actually touch them since they will be hot, but push down on the skin with a fork. If it doesn't budge microwave the potatoes longer. If the potato is kind of squishy then they are done. Put them to the side and let them cool a little bit.
In the mean time, preheat the oven to about 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Put a large skillet on the stove over medium high heat. Then squeeze your sausage out of the casing and into the pan. Use the spoon to break up the sausage into smaller pieces. As the sausage cooks slice your potatoes in half length-wise. Then begin to scoop out the potato trying not to break the skin. You will end up with potato on a plate/in a bowl, and then halves of potato skins with about 1/4 inch of potato left on them. Arrange the potato skins in a 13X9 inch baking pan
Once the sausage is cooked add the scooped out potato to the pan. Then add the tomato paste, milk and 2/3 cup of mozzarella. Stir until everything is slightly red and then season to your taste with the seasonings I listed. Then scoop the potato mixture back into the potatoes skins, sprinkle the remaining cheese on top including the Parmesan cheese. Place the potato in the oven and bake for 5 minutes so the cheese melts.
Once the cheese is starting to brown take the potatoes out and serve.
Oh and Lien you can make these too if they sound good. All you need to do is follow the recipe up to the baking part. You don't have to bake them because everything is cooked already by the time you put them in the oven. So you can just sprinkle more cheese on top and eat it like fancy mashed potatoes, or you could put it back in the potato skins and then sprinkle some cheese on top and zap it in the microwave for like 30 seconds to a minute to melt the cheese. Then it will be just the same. :D
Panko Chicken with Broccoli and Rice
So on my way to Irvine for my Fulbright interview I decided I needed some magazines for the plane ride in case I got bored. Of course by magazines for entertainment I mean food magazines, what else would entertain me. This next recipe is adapted from and courtesy of Bon Appetite, the October 2009 issue I believe. It is a breaded chicken recipe and is really quick, easy and delicious. I have even made it twice now.
Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts
1/4 cup of chopped Italian Parsley (It is also called flat leafed parsley, and it is not the parsley that is scrunched up and looks like the garnish you get on plates at restaurants.)
2 teaspoons plus 2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard (I just used deli mustard.)
1 egg
1 cup of panko (Japanese bread crumbs) If I can find them in Missouri you can find them in CA.
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons of maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter
1 head of broccoli
1 cup of rice
2 cups water
Serves 4
This is random after so many recipes with chicken but I realized Tammy and I have not said this yet. If you are cooking with frozen chicken it is ideal to take the chicken out of the freezer around lunch and place in the sink to thaw. If you cannot do that the take it out the night before and place it in the refrigerator. Worst comes to worst you can place it in a bowl of warm water about an hour and a half before you want to cook. This just isn't ideal because it is not the healthiest way to thaw chicken because it breads bacteria more easily as well as thaws the chicken unevenly but I still do it all the time.
First take your chicken breasts and cut them in half horizontally, so the shorter way. Then place all of them in a big ziplock bag or taking turns put one in a smaller ziplock. Take a pot and smash them till they are about a 1/2 inch thick. Technically you should use a meat tenderizer (which is a wooden mallet) or a rolling pin but my father and I have both discovered the quick nature of a big heavy pot for this task. Its great at home because my dad puts the chicken on the floor to do it and then you hear this giant crash. Anyways, here is what the chicken should look like afterwords.
Then combine your "coating" for the chicken. That is take your chopped parsley, your egg, and the 2 teaspoons of mustard and combine it in a big bowl. Mix it so the egg is broken, like you are making scrambled eggs with this stuff. Then add the chicken and completely coat the pieces.
Then chop your broccoli into bite size pieces. There is a picture below. Place it in a pot and fill it with water so that way the broccoli is at least floating in the water, probably put at least 1 1/2 to 2 inches of water below the broccoli so that way when the water boils it does not boil off leaving the broccoli on the bottom of the pan. You don't want a ton of water in the pot though otherwise it takes forever to boil. Put on the stove over medium high heat.
Now is also a good time to start your rice since that takes on average about 15 minutes to cook. If boiling on the stove then you need 1 cup of rice and two cups of water. A nice thing to remember is that the never fail ratio for rice is 1:2 with the rice on the left and the water on the right. Place that in a pot and put on medium high-high heat. High heat means turn it down once it starts to boil.
Then place the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. While the oil heat bread your chicken. Take in out of the bowl one at a time and place in the Japanese bread crumbs, the panko. Turn over so that way as much of the panko as possible sticks to it. It is easy to do this on a large plate. You probably cant do this to all of the chicken at once unless you move the chicken some where else. So once you have fit as much chicken as possible and covered it with panko on that plate put that chicken in your skillet. The oil should be hot now. Cook the chicken about 4 minutes on each side or until cooked through. You want the panko to be nice and golden on each side. Once the chicken pieces are cooked through remove from the heat and place them on another plate. Repeat with the rest of the chicken.
Then check your broccoli and rice. Turn the rice down if it is starting to foam to the top. Stir it as well to make sure the rice is not sticking to the bottom of the pan. The broccoli should cook about 5 minutes from the time the water starts to boil. This way it will still be crunchy. A fork should go easily in it but the broccoli should not be falling apart or mushy, granted you can cook it longer if you like it like that. Once it is cooked to your liking, strain it with a strainer or by using the pots lid to keep the broccoli in the pot while pouring out the water. This is what my broccoli looked like.
Also while your chicken is still cooking combine the chicken broth, syrup, salt, and the rest of the mustard in a small bowl or a measuring cup and wisk it till the mustard is no longer in clumps. Once the chicken is all cooked. Add the syrup mixture to the pan.
Once the mixture has reduced to about 3/4 of a cup, so basically cook it for about 4 -5 minutes so some of the liquid cooks off and it gets thicker, add 2 tablespoons of butter. When the butter is melted pour the sauce into a small bowl and the chicken is ready. Check the rice as it should be done. Keep an eye on it from once the first batch of chicken is done. Some people like wet rice and some people like completely dry rice. I like to cook mine until it is still slightly wet and then take it off the heat, stir it, and place the lid back on. This way the rice still cooks a little since it is in a hot pot, but the steam helps to get the stuck rice off the bottom of the pan. Once everything is done place on plates and eat.
Here we go:
Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts
1/4 cup of chopped Italian Parsley (It is also called flat leafed parsley, and it is not the parsley that is scrunched up and looks like the garnish you get on plates at restaurants.)
2 teaspoons plus 2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard (I just used deli mustard.)
1 egg
1 cup of panko (Japanese bread crumbs) If I can find them in Missouri you can find them in CA.
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons of maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter
1 head of broccoli
1 cup of rice
2 cups water
Serves 4
This is random after so many recipes with chicken but I realized Tammy and I have not said this yet. If you are cooking with frozen chicken it is ideal to take the chicken out of the freezer around lunch and place in the sink to thaw. If you cannot do that the take it out the night before and place it in the refrigerator. Worst comes to worst you can place it in a bowl of warm water about an hour and a half before you want to cook. This just isn't ideal because it is not the healthiest way to thaw chicken because it breads bacteria more easily as well as thaws the chicken unevenly but I still do it all the time.
First take your chicken breasts and cut them in half horizontally, so the shorter way. Then place all of them in a big ziplock bag or taking turns put one in a smaller ziplock. Take a pot and smash them till they are about a 1/2 inch thick. Technically you should use a meat tenderizer (which is a wooden mallet) or a rolling pin but my father and I have both discovered the quick nature of a big heavy pot for this task. Its great at home because my dad puts the chicken on the floor to do it and then you hear this giant crash. Anyways, here is what the chicken should look like afterwords.
Then combine your "coating" for the chicken. That is take your chopped parsley, your egg, and the 2 teaspoons of mustard and combine it in a big bowl. Mix it so the egg is broken, like you are making scrambled eggs with this stuff. Then add the chicken and completely coat the pieces.
Then chop your broccoli into bite size pieces. There is a picture below. Place it in a pot and fill it with water so that way the broccoli is at least floating in the water, probably put at least 1 1/2 to 2 inches of water below the broccoli so that way when the water boils it does not boil off leaving the broccoli on the bottom of the pan. You don't want a ton of water in the pot though otherwise it takes forever to boil. Put on the stove over medium high heat.
Now is also a good time to start your rice since that takes on average about 15 minutes to cook. If boiling on the stove then you need 1 cup of rice and two cups of water. A nice thing to remember is that the never fail ratio for rice is 1:2 with the rice on the left and the water on the right. Place that in a pot and put on medium high-high heat. High heat means turn it down once it starts to boil.
Then place the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. While the oil heat bread your chicken. Take in out of the bowl one at a time and place in the Japanese bread crumbs, the panko. Turn over so that way as much of the panko as possible sticks to it. It is easy to do this on a large plate. You probably cant do this to all of the chicken at once unless you move the chicken some where else. So once you have fit as much chicken as possible and covered it with panko on that plate put that chicken in your skillet. The oil should be hot now. Cook the chicken about 4 minutes on each side or until cooked through. You want the panko to be nice and golden on each side. Once the chicken pieces are cooked through remove from the heat and place them on another plate. Repeat with the rest of the chicken.
Then check your broccoli and rice. Turn the rice down if it is starting to foam to the top. Stir it as well to make sure the rice is not sticking to the bottom of the pan. The broccoli should cook about 5 minutes from the time the water starts to boil. This way it will still be crunchy. A fork should go easily in it but the broccoli should not be falling apart or mushy, granted you can cook it longer if you like it like that. Once it is cooked to your liking, strain it with a strainer or by using the pots lid to keep the broccoli in the pot while pouring out the water. This is what my broccoli looked like.
Also while your chicken is still cooking combine the chicken broth, syrup, salt, and the rest of the mustard in a small bowl or a measuring cup and wisk it till the mustard is no longer in clumps. Once the chicken is all cooked. Add the syrup mixture to the pan.
Once the mixture has reduced to about 3/4 of a cup, so basically cook it for about 4 -5 minutes so some of the liquid cooks off and it gets thicker, add 2 tablespoons of butter. When the butter is melted pour the sauce into a small bowl and the chicken is ready. Check the rice as it should be done. Keep an eye on it from once the first batch of chicken is done. Some people like wet rice and some people like completely dry rice. I like to cook mine until it is still slightly wet and then take it off the heat, stir it, and place the lid back on. This way the rice still cooks a little since it is in a hot pot, but the steam helps to get the stuck rice off the bottom of the pan. Once everything is done place on plates and eat.
Here we go:
Friday, October 16, 2009
Asian Fruit Basket Cake
Last week was my uncle's birthday. We didn't celebrate in big way, just his family plus my mom and I. I've been wanting to try making an Asian Fruit Basket Cake. I don't even know if anyone know what I'm talking about...anyone? Say so and it will make me feel better. When we order birthday cakes in my family, oftentimes it's this one...fluffy, with layers of whipped cream and fresh fruit. Here we go...
Chiffon Cake
adapted from kingarthurflour.com
fills one 9" cake pan
3 eggs, separated
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3/8 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cups sugar
1 cup cake flour
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 1/2 cups chopped fruit
1 pint heavy cream
1/4 - 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1. Preheat the oven to 325. Beat oil, milk, egg yolks, and vanilla until the mixture is pale yellow.
It almost looks like art!
3. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar on high speed. When it gets foamy, start adding 1/4 C sugar a little at a time (it separated into three additions). Keep going and it will transform into stiff peaks--when you flip the whisk upside down, the egg whites will stand up and doesn't wilt onto itself. It took me around 5 minutes.
Weird how it looks like whipped cream...but I wouldn't eat it.
5. Pour into an ungreased pan and bake at 325 for about 20 minutes. Then, bake at 350 for 10 minutes. When the cake is done, it will be golden brown and springy when you press on the center of the cake.
6. Cool the pan upside down for thirty minutes. I was really skeptical of this step, because I thought the cake would slide down for sure. But, it didn't, so thirty minutes later, I took the cake out and let it cool on the rack until it was room temperature.
7. Chop up your fruit. Use whatever you want...I used dragonfruit, bananas, canned peaches, and oranges. Also, get your whipped cream made. Beat the heavy cream on high until it almost looks like whipped cream, then add enough powdered sugar (or regular sugar) until it's sweetened to your liking.
8. Slice your cake into however many layers you want it to be. I was really horrible at this...they were not level at all. And I kept hacking at it too...first I sliced it in half, parallel to the board. It was so horribly unlevel, I kept trimming more and more off. Oh and as an afterthought, I should have trimmed as much browned stuff as possible. No waste though...the trimmings became breakfast.
9. Spread the first layer with some whipped cream. Sprinkle your fresh fruit on top of the whipped cream. Then add your next layer of cake. Keep going until you have all of your layers.
Told you it wasn't level
Chiffon Cake
adapted from kingarthurflour.com
fills one 9" cake pan
3 eggs, separated
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3/8 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cups sugar
1 cup cake flour
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 1/2 cups chopped fruit
1 pint heavy cream
1/4 - 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1. Preheat the oven to 325. Beat oil, milk, egg yolks, and vanilla until the mixture is pale yellow.
It almost looks like art!
2. Sift in the flour, baking powder, salt, and 1/2 cup sugar. Beat until well blended.
3. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar on high speed. When it gets foamy, start adding 1/4 C sugar a little at a time (it separated into three additions). Keep going and it will transform into stiff peaks--when you flip the whisk upside down, the egg whites will stand up and doesn't wilt onto itself. It took me around 5 minutes.
Weird how it looks like whipped cream...but I wouldn't eat it.
4. Fold the egg whites into the batter. First, take 1/4 of the egg whites and mix it into the batter with a spatula like you normally would. Then, dump the rest of the egg whites into the batter. Gently scoop the spatula underneath all of that batter and you sort of slip the batter on top of the egg whites. The point is not to deflate all of the air you just incorporated in the egg whites. It took me around 8 or so turns to mix the whites into the batter. It's okay if there are small bits of white left.
5. Pour into an ungreased pan and bake at 325 for about 20 minutes. Then, bake at 350 for 10 minutes. When the cake is done, it will be golden brown and springy when you press on the center of the cake.
6. Cool the pan upside down for thirty minutes. I was really skeptical of this step, because I thought the cake would slide down for sure. But, it didn't, so thirty minutes later, I took the cake out and let it cool on the rack until it was room temperature.
7. Chop up your fruit. Use whatever you want...I used dragonfruit, bananas, canned peaches, and oranges. Also, get your whipped cream made. Beat the heavy cream on high until it almost looks like whipped cream, then add enough powdered sugar (or regular sugar) until it's sweetened to your liking.
8. Slice your cake into however many layers you want it to be. I was really horrible at this...they were not level at all. And I kept hacking at it too...first I sliced it in half, parallel to the board. It was so horribly unlevel, I kept trimming more and more off. Oh and as an afterthought, I should have trimmed as much browned stuff as possible. No waste though...the trimmings became breakfast.
9. Spread the first layer with some whipped cream. Sprinkle your fresh fruit on top of the whipped cream. Then add your next layer of cake. Keep going until you have all of your layers.
Told you it wasn't level
10. Frost the outside of the cake. Put a big glob on the cake, and then smooth it out. You have to put enough on it the first time, because if there isn't enough, and you try to add more, you'll get a mess and the crumbs will show through. As illustrated in my cake.
Doesn't look too bad huh?
Monday, October 12, 2009
Philly Cheesesteak
I keep craving Philly cheesesteak sandwiches...so I decided to make it at home. I had a lot of veggies at home already, so I just used a little bit to make one sandwich. I was reading recipes that call for ribeye and other good cuts of beef, but I still had a lot of beef round (it was on sale!) in the freezer. Even though that cut of beef is supposedly only good for stewing and braising, I thought it was fine in my sandwich.
Philly cheesesteak (for one sandwich):
1 roll of bread...I had a demi baguette, so that's what I used
1 slice cheese
1 clove garlic
1 mushroom
1/5 bell pepper
1/8 onion
6 ounces of beef. I really don't know how much beef I used. I had thawed out the beef that I had preportioned, sliced it all, and grabbed a handful and threw into the pan.
1. Slice your bell pepper, onion, and mushrooms. Slice your cheese in half. Slice the beef as thinly as you can (if it's semi-frozen, slicing it a lot easier to do).
2. Slice the clove of garlic very thinly. Butter both sides of your bread, lay the slices of garlic on, and toast.
3. Cook your veggies over medium-high heat. Stir every so often and add some salt, cooking until the mushrooms start to brown and the onions are more translucent. It took less than five minutes for me.
4. Push the veggies to one side of your pan and add the beef. Add salt and pepper to taste. When the beef is almost done cooking, as in the center is still pink, lay the cheese on top of your meat.
5. When the cheese is melted, assemble your sandwich. I actually burned my veggies, but I hope you don't do that. I burned them because I was cooking with high heat...and that's why I'm telling you now to cook it at a lower temperature. I think I'm used to cooking on high because that's what my mom does. So there, it took maybe 20 minutes for me to whip this up and it was yummy.
Philly cheesesteak (for one sandwich):
1 roll of bread...I had a demi baguette, so that's what I used
1 slice cheese
1 clove garlic
1 mushroom
1/5 bell pepper
1/8 onion
6 ounces of beef. I really don't know how much beef I used. I had thawed out the beef that I had preportioned, sliced it all, and grabbed a handful and threw into the pan.
1. Slice your bell pepper, onion, and mushrooms. Slice your cheese in half. Slice the beef as thinly as you can (if it's semi-frozen, slicing it a lot easier to do).
2. Slice the clove of garlic very thinly. Butter both sides of your bread, lay the slices of garlic on, and toast.
3. Cook your veggies over medium-high heat. Stir every so often and add some salt, cooking until the mushrooms start to brown and the onions are more translucent. It took less than five minutes for me.
4. Push the veggies to one side of your pan and add the beef. Add salt and pepper to taste. When the beef is almost done cooking, as in the center is still pink, lay the cheese on top of your meat.
5. When the cheese is melted, assemble your sandwich. I actually burned my veggies, but I hope you don't do that. I burned them because I was cooking with high heat...and that's why I'm telling you now to cook it at a lower temperature. I think I'm used to cooking on high because that's what my mom does. So there, it took maybe 20 minutes for me to whip this up and it was yummy.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Normal Pizza, Fast and Quick
Start of a month long update. First up, we have some really quick pizza. Now I know everyone loves fresh pizza but who has the time to make pizza dough and sauce from scratch?? If you do that is great. I love making pizza from scratch when I have the time, but most often when you get back after a long day you want something quick and satisfying. So here is a pizza with premade crust and premade sauce that you can make within about 30 minutes. Oh and you can embellish it in any way you wish, as you don't have to add exactly what I put on my pizza.
Ingredients:
1 premade pizza crust (again I like Bobali)
1 packet/jar of premade sauce maybe the equivalent of about 1/2-3/4 a cup. (This time I tried Trader Joe's pizza sauce and it was the best I've had. If you know my best friend Ashlee and I, it is good enough to eat straight out of the jar.)
A few handfuls of mozzarella cheese
1 chicken breast
salt and pepper
2 sausages (can be cooked or uncooked)
1 onion
a bunch of jalapenos
I also like to add sun dried tomatoes when I have them.
Now I didn't take that many pictures so bare with me. I will try to explain to the best of my abilities.
First, take your chicken breast and cut it into bite size pieces. So to do this you want to make sure you have a sharp knife first of all because it makes cutting a slippery piece of meat much easier. Then I usually like to cut horizontally on the chicken, so my knife is parallel to the short side of the chicken. I like to start with the skinner end of the chicken and then do about a half inch slice. For when I am just cooking regular food I usually do about 1/2 inch by 1 inch pieces (the height would be however thick the chicken is for that piece), but for chicken I usually try to do about 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch since it is easier to eat that way. You don't want to have this giant piece of chicken you cant get in your mouth when you are eating your pizza now do you. After you slice your chicken place it in a skillet (preferably non-stick, if not make sure you stir/move the chicken around more often otherwise it will get stuck). Then salt and pepper your chicken, so about 4-5 grinds of the pepper shaker per side (so the top then move the chicken around and call the next side the bottom), and then about 1/4 teaspoon of salt (do the top bottom thing I described with the pepper with the salt as well).
While the chicken is cooking cut up your onion in to strips. Explanations in previous posts. Once your chicken is done cooking, it will be opaque and no longer giggly. And yes that sounds like the most horrible explanation ever but basically it will look like you want to eat it and not be pink or clearish any more.
If you choose to make sausage as well cook it in the skillet with the chicken. I usually get uncooked turkey Italian sausage so it will be no longer opaque and giggly like the chicken when it is done.
Then take the chicken out of a skillet and put it in a bowl. Try to leave as much of the chicken juices in the pan as possible. Then toss in the onions and cook them until they are starting to get soft.
Finally start assembling your pizza. Slather on your sauce for starters. Now ever since I was a little girl my bestest friend from first grade (Ashlee) and I have always loved sauce, so we put a whole bunch of it on meaning there should be a thin layer over the whole pizza to the point where you cant see the crust through the sauce. However in a realistic world not everyone likes that amount of sauce, so as a safe bet I would say to start with no more than 1/4 cup of sauce and see how you feel. It is really an eyeball sort of thing because you may or may not be a sauce person and when you see the sauce on the pizza you will just know "I want that much sauce!"
Then sprinkle some cheese. Do maybe 1/4 cup of that too. For this part you still want to be able to see the sauce under the cheese, not like giant gaps but maybe little lady bug sized holes between the cheese. The purpose for this is that you will put the rest of your cheese on top because then it holds everything on your pizza. Cheese = glue for a pizza.
Then add your chicken, sausage if using, and onions. Spread them out evenly of course unless you have some one who is picky then don't put them on the part that person will eat. Lastly add your jalapenos and then the rest of your cheese.
Pop the pizza in the oven for typically about 8 or 9 minutes to start. If the crust is starting to get nice and brown and hard lift up the pizza slightly with a knife or something because you don't want it to be super saggy in the middle. If the pizza lifts mostly with the knife rather than trying to sag back down, then your pizza is done. If not leave it in for another minute or two.
Take out your pizza, let it cool for a couple minutes, slice, and then serve!
Photos coming soon, but more importantly I got to get a Kung Pao Chicken recipe typed for my starving brother. :)
Ingredients:
1 premade pizza crust (again I like Bobali)
1 packet/jar of premade sauce maybe the equivalent of about 1/2-3/4 a cup. (This time I tried Trader Joe's pizza sauce and it was the best I've had. If you know my best friend Ashlee and I, it is good enough to eat straight out of the jar.)
A few handfuls of mozzarella cheese
1 chicken breast
salt and pepper
2 sausages (can be cooked or uncooked)
1 onion
a bunch of jalapenos
I also like to add sun dried tomatoes when I have them.
Now I didn't take that many pictures so bare with me. I will try to explain to the best of my abilities.
First, take your chicken breast and cut it into bite size pieces. So to do this you want to make sure you have a sharp knife first of all because it makes cutting a slippery piece of meat much easier. Then I usually like to cut horizontally on the chicken, so my knife is parallel to the short side of the chicken. I like to start with the skinner end of the chicken and then do about a half inch slice. For when I am just cooking regular food I usually do about 1/2 inch by 1 inch pieces (the height would be however thick the chicken is for that piece), but for chicken I usually try to do about 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch since it is easier to eat that way. You don't want to have this giant piece of chicken you cant get in your mouth when you are eating your pizza now do you. After you slice your chicken place it in a skillet (preferably non-stick, if not make sure you stir/move the chicken around more often otherwise it will get stuck). Then salt and pepper your chicken, so about 4-5 grinds of the pepper shaker per side (so the top then move the chicken around and call the next side the bottom), and then about 1/4 teaspoon of salt (do the top bottom thing I described with the pepper with the salt as well).
While the chicken is cooking cut up your onion in to strips. Explanations in previous posts. Once your chicken is done cooking, it will be opaque and no longer giggly. And yes that sounds like the most horrible explanation ever but basically it will look like you want to eat it and not be pink or clearish any more.
If you choose to make sausage as well cook it in the skillet with the chicken. I usually get uncooked turkey Italian sausage so it will be no longer opaque and giggly like the chicken when it is done.
Then take the chicken out of a skillet and put it in a bowl. Try to leave as much of the chicken juices in the pan as possible. Then toss in the onions and cook them until they are starting to get soft.
Finally start assembling your pizza. Slather on your sauce for starters. Now ever since I was a little girl my bestest friend from first grade (Ashlee) and I have always loved sauce, so we put a whole bunch of it on meaning there should be a thin layer over the whole pizza to the point where you cant see the crust through the sauce. However in a realistic world not everyone likes that amount of sauce, so as a safe bet I would say to start with no more than 1/4 cup of sauce and see how you feel. It is really an eyeball sort of thing because you may or may not be a sauce person and when you see the sauce on the pizza you will just know "I want that much sauce!"
Then sprinkle some cheese. Do maybe 1/4 cup of that too. For this part you still want to be able to see the sauce under the cheese, not like giant gaps but maybe little lady bug sized holes between the cheese. The purpose for this is that you will put the rest of your cheese on top because then it holds everything on your pizza. Cheese = glue for a pizza.
Then add your chicken, sausage if using, and onions. Spread them out evenly of course unless you have some one who is picky then don't put them on the part that person will eat. Lastly add your jalapenos and then the rest of your cheese.
Pop the pizza in the oven for typically about 8 or 9 minutes to start. If the crust is starting to get nice and brown and hard lift up the pizza slightly with a knife or something because you don't want it to be super saggy in the middle. If the pizza lifts mostly with the knife rather than trying to sag back down, then your pizza is done. If not leave it in for another minute or two.
Take out your pizza, let it cool for a couple minutes, slice, and then serve!
Photos coming soon, but more importantly I got to get a Kung Pao Chicken recipe typed for my starving brother. :)
Tammy And Rachel's Favorite Quiche
Hello again. So a few weeks ago I made a quiche that Tammy found on one of her favorite blogs that she likes to visit. We tried it during Spring and liked the original idea so much that we made two quiches the first time. This time I only made one, but it is pretty easy if you want to devote a little extra time to your dinner. Sorry Lien but this one requires an oven. :(
Roasted Red Pepper and Goat Cheese Quiche:
1 frozen pie crust (unless you want to make your own)
2 large red bell peppers (I used green and yellow since I already had them)
1 large red or yellow onion (sliced)
2 tablespoons of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon of oregano/fresh thyme/italian seasoning (I've used all three the times I have made this)
4-6 slices of procuitto
6 oz. goat cheese
1 cup cream
2 eggs
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Start by preheating the oven to 400 degrees. Then put the peppers in a pan with edges and place them in the oven. After about 10 minutes they should be starting to brown on the top, turn them over and brown the new side another 10 minutes. Depending on your oven though it could take less than ten minutes or more so check it every so often. Continue rotating your peppers until you have all the sides blackened. Then take them out of the oven to cool while you start the onions on the stove. The peppers should look like this:
Then turn the oven to 375 degrees to preheat to bake the quiche. Then place you sliced onion in a skillet with the olive oil. Refer to previous recipes for how to slice an onion. Cook for a few minutes and then add salt and pepper to taste (which means like 1/4 a teaspoon of each MAX!) and the thyme or other seasoning you have chosen. Then cook until the onions are beginning to caramelize, so when they are very translucent. They should look like this while they are cooking:
While the onions are cooking on the stove though, you can peel and slice your bell peppers though. To do this the skin should peel right off and it will look like this in comparison to the pepper with its skin on. That picture is followed by a picture of a skinned bell pepper while I am slicing it.
To dice the bell pepper cut it in to sections length wise. Then make strips on the length of the bell pepper. As you can see I usually dice my bell pepper but that is really just a personal preference.
Once you are done with the bell pepper and have turned the heat off of your onions start with the cream and egg mixture. This is really just a cup of cream and two eggs put together in a bowl. Stir it up, breaking the egg yolks, and then add some salt and pepper, again to taste so only a little bit like I said before. Here are a before and after picture.
Then mix you onions, peppers, in another bowl and tear your prosciutto into little pieces and add. Also add your grated Parmesan cheese. It should look like this:
The add it to the pie crust in its pan. Then crumble your goat cheese on top. I love goat cheese so I always add extra but you don't have to. After you add the goat cheese pour your cream and egg mixture on top. If it starts to look like it is going to over flow that's okay, and stop pouring the cream mixture in. It really depends on the pan you have your pie crust in, some have higher sides than others. Here is that sequence in photos:
Place your quiche in the oven and then bake it for about 25 minutes to start. You want your quiche to be starting to get nice and browned over the whole top. So in total it should be about 25-35 minutes. Then let it cool for about 5 minutes, cut it up, serve, and enjoy.
Here is what it looks like when it is done:
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