Martha Mondays - Chicken Fried Rice

Wassssssup?!?

As always, I hope you all shared a great weekend with your friends and families doing the things you love! I sure was fortunate enough to... spending Saturday evening celebrating my boss and future-aunt-in-law's birthday at my future-mom-in-law's house with delicious Taco Casa and the final episode of The Wire.

And some good cookin' and cornhole at my Mama and Daddy's house on Sunday. I was so glad Pj was able to come, as well as my brother. We laughed, we played, we goofed, we capped, we argued, we loved. I sincerely love being around my family, and having PJ be a part of it. He fits in so well... My brother and dad both like him. I love that he's a part of the family. And of course we indulged on some delish ribs, mac and cheese, greens, green beans, corn, beer chicken, bbq chicken, and rolls. Gotta love that good Southern cookin :)

Anyhoo, I'm here sharing a basic yet delicious Chinese recipe with you, for Martha Mondays! A special thanks to Brette for hosting :O)  PJ and I both had kinda ruled this recipe out, thinking it would be nothing special at all. But boy were we wrong.

Like last time I tried to look for scallions, we couldn't find them at our local grocer. Still no luck this time around either. But we did find green onions, which are pretty much the same thing. 

We decided to cook the frozen snow peas first (since they weren't fresh) and cooked them in the microwave according to the directions on the package.

Let me tell you, we both were super surprised at how much we each liked it!!! Like, for reals. If you like Chinese food, and if you like chicken fried rice, I don't see how you couldn't like this! 

Chicken Fried Rice

adapted from Martha Stewart

• 1 cup long-grain white rice
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (12 oz total)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs
• 2 green onions, rinsed and thinly sliced on the diagonal
• 1 tsp grated and peeled fresh ginger
• 1/2 cup diced red pepper (I had a large pepper and used 3/4 of it)
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1 cup frozen snow peas, cooked according to package directions

Cook rice according to package instructions. Set aside. Pound breasts with a mallet until 1/4 inch thick. Cut into strips, each 3 inches long and 1/2 inch wide). Season with salt and pepper.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Cook chicken until just cooked through. Transfer to a plate.

Reduce heat to low and add remaining tablespoon oil. Add the eggs; Just as whites begin to set, stir to scramble. Add scallions and ginger; cook 1 minute. Add reserved rice and bell pepper; cook 2 minutes. In a separate bowl, stir together the soy sauce, sugar, and stock; add it to the skillet. Add the cooked snow peas and reserved, cooked chicken; cook until heated through.

Printable Recipe

Linked up to:
Mouthwatering Mondays
Hunk of Meat Mondays 
Delicious Dishes
Homemaker Monday
Melt in Your Mouth Monday
MAFF Monday
Mangia Monday
Sharing Monday
Made By You Monday
Recipe Sharing Monday
Makin' You Crave Monday
On the Menu Monday

This Chicken Fried Rice packed so much flavor, and just because I love the saltiness of soy sauce, I added a couple of squirts of soy sauce to my rice and chicken at the end. It really was surprisingly flavorful and delicious! I was very glad that I chose this recipe, in fact. 

I'm not sure if homemade Chinese food tastes better than the original.... that would probably be a sin!! But man is it so delicious and less expensive and not very difficult to make. So please make this traditional Chicken Fried Rice recipe soon, and very soon.

Peace, and bacon grease!

My 3 Fave Dishes

My blogger friend, Lizzy, over at That Skinny Chick Can Bake!!!! was kind enough to tag me in this fun game. I love playing these things, so of course I accepted :)

The rules are:

1. If nominated, pick your 3 favorite dishes from your blog

2. Link to those recipes on your blog

3. Nominate 5 bloggers to play along

Easy enough, right? I think so!

My 3 favorite dishes from my blog would have to be..... {drum roll please....}

The very recent Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese. It really is one of the best mac and cheeses I've ever had. I love the spiciness from the buffalo sauce, as well as the blue cheese and panko crunchy topping. If you like things spicy, add more hot sauce. And if you're more of a wuss, cut back. I won't love you any less.

I also instantly fell in love with this creamy soup. It has so many delicious ingredients and therefore an array of flavors. It is a perfect autumn recipe. You know you wanna make this Chicken Corn Chowder. 

Cassie strikes again! Her modernized and spruced-up shepherd's pie is one of my go-to meals whenever I don't know what to make. It's packed full of flavor. Everything about this BBQ Beef Shepherd's Pie is amazing. I'm sure it will become one of your favorites too :)

So there you have it. My faves {so far} from my blog. 


Another rule was that I had to nominate 5 bloggers to play along. And the nominations go to.... {another drum roll please...}

Sarah at Fantastical Sharing of Recipes

Mary at Barefeet in the Kitchen

Gerry at Foodness Gracious

Laxsupermom at Sugar & Spice in the Land of Balls & Sticks

Kyleen at Sixteenbeans

Hope you'll play along :) Looking forward to seeing all of your top recipes. Thanks for tagging me, Lizzy!!

Peace, and bacon grease!

Amanda's Hot Fiesta Dip

Are you guys as happy about the football season as I am?! I mean, yes, I have the Bengals to root for. But at least football is happening! That lockout had me worried I wouldn't get to see any football at all. So thank God they settled that mess.

Of course you need some snacks to munch on while watching the game! And this Hot Fiesta Dip is a perfect snack or appetizer. Perfect for a party, or even for two like we did. And it's so easy to throw together.... everything happens in the microwave. Finger foods are great because you don't need a fancy plate and fork and knife, and you can just dip some tortilla chips or crackers into this easy appetizer, all while on the couch and watching your fave team.

Hey, even if your team is losing, like mine often is... you'll be *WINNING with this dip.

Hot Fiesta Dip

from Amanda's Cookin'

• 1 (10 oz) package frozen whole kernel corn
• 1 and 1/2 cup salsa
• 3/4 cup shredded Mexican cheese
• 1/2 can (about 7 oz) refried beans
• 2 tbsp chopped green onions

Microwave frozen corn according to package directions. Drain. 

On a plate, combine salsa and refried beans, stirring until well combined. Stir in the corn. Cover with plastic wrap and vent, then microwave on high for 2 minutes.

Remove the plastic wrap and immediately sprinkle with shredded cheese; let stand for 5 minutes or until cheese melts. Top with green onions and serve with tortilla chips and/or crackers.

Printable Recipe

I'm linking up to Tailgating Time! over at Seaside Simplicity.

Dig in!  But no double dipping!  :)

*Speaking of winning, anyone gonna watch the Roast of Charlie Sheen this coming Monday? I hate that guy, but I think I may watch :) 

Peace, and bacon grease!

Seven Links Game

I saw this fun game over at Jenn's blog, and some others, and usually it is an invite kinda challenge, but Jenn left it open to anyone to participate, so I jumped on it! I've been wanting to play this game! I love games... I'm a kid at heart.

1. The most beautiful post - While I don't find any of my posts particularly beautiful, or as beautiful as I would like I guess, it would definitely have to be one of my more recent posts, when my photography improved. I'd probably have to say this Chocolate Chip Blondies post because I like my photos. I took the photos in natural light, which makes a big difference of course, and though they're not as in focus as I'd like and not taken with a dslr, I'd say I like these pics the best. A close second would be these colorful Cereal Treat Easter Eggs, they are adorable, and oh-so-tasty too!

2. The most popular post -  Blogger "Stats" says it's this delicious Loaded Baked Potato Dip, which I had no idea was so popular. Thanks for letting me know, and making it easy for me, Blogger :)

3. The most controversial post  - I'm not exactly sure what I'm supposed to write here? I don't really talk about controversial topics on my blog.... um... um... I'm stalling... Look, over there! {points far off in the distance}

Hopefully you've lost your focus and forgotten about that question...

4. The most helpful post - Hmm... I'll say this post for Baked Creamy Chicken Flautas because I taught you guys a little Mexican terminology lesson, with the help of my good friend Wikipedia.

5. Post that's surprisingly successful - Garlic and Lemon Roasted Asparagus, because it's a super simple recipe that I'm surprised has been so successful with pageviews. But sometimes the basics are the best recipes :)  I'm not really sure if that's what the question was asking, but that's how I interpreted it.

6. Post that did not get attention it deserved - Creamy Lime Cilantro Ranch Dressing... since it didn't get any comments at all  :(  I loved loved loved this recipe the first time I made it. The second time, I'll admit, it tasted a little too mayo-y. Not really sure why. So please make this recipe but keep my comment in mind and maybe cut back on the mayo.

 
7. Post you are most proud of - My First Award because I was so proud to win an award. I used to wonder if I'd ever earn a blog award, so when I did I cherished that like it was my baby. I've got the badge proudly displayed on my sidebar :)



Hope you've had fun getting to know me! You didn't really have a choice, now did you? 

:)

Peace, and bacon grease!

Menu Planning - Week of 9/12/11

Happy Monday, everyone! I hope everyone had a great weekend. I was sick with  a cold so I was resting up a bit and just lounging around the house, cleaning at times, and watching football. Go Bengals!!! Who Dey!!! :)

I'm excited for this week's menu plan. Food always excites me, actually. Trying new recipes excites me, as well as remaking meals that I know we already love! While I was perusing over at Cassie's blog, I saw her recipe for biscuits over creamed chicken on her menu plan, and knew we'd be making it. Got some refrigerated biscuits to use up. And we are also having homemade cornmeal biscuits as a side this week, to use up some leftover cornmeal in the pantry. To go with the cornmeal biscuits, we'll be having alfredo lasagna roll-ups to use up some lasagna noodles we have leftover. I love finding recipes that use up ingredients I already have on hand. I'm usually not great at selecting recipes based on what we need to use up, and we end up wasting things sometimes... I hate that! So I love when I can find some delicious-sounding recipes that also don't require me to spend more money that I don't need to, and also save me a trip to the grocery store to pick up more ingredients.

I'm also adding Martha Stewart's Chicken Fried Rice to the menu plan, as it was my pick for Martha Mondays, and I've got some rice to use up.

Oh, and we're just having that chili because I can't pass up beer, bacon, and chocolate all in one dish. Just sayin.

Monday 9/12/11:  PJ works late, pick something up

Tuesday 9/13/11:  Chicken Fried Rice

Wednesday 9/14/11:  Biscuits over Creamed Chicken

Thursday 9/15/11:  date night out

Friday 9/16/11:  Alfredo Lasagna Roll-Ups, with cornmeal biscuits

Saturday 9/17/11:  Beer Bacon Chocolate Chili

Sunday 9/18/11:  grill out with family?

I didn't get to go over my family's last week for Labor Day to grill out and play cornhole, so if the weather is right (and I think it's supposed to be!) we may go over this weekend.




Peace, and bacon grease!

Vote for My Mac & Cheese Recipe.... please, and thank you :)

I've got a favor to ask.

I don't ask for those often, do I?

So could ya help me out? I knew you would!

Alls it takes is a tiny bit of work. And I'll even walk you through it.

I'll need you to go on over to my Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese post, read it fully, of course. Then scroll to the bottom where you'll see a blog hop. My recipe is #16 - Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese.

Then click on the "Like" button to vote for my recipe.

We're trying to see who has the best mac and cheese recipe in this Crazy Cooking Challenge we are doing. So everyone must vote for their fave recipe. Sorry, I don't think I made that very clear in my original post. So I thought I'd plug it again and get yalls' votes!

Vote for me or we're not friends anymore.

I'm just kidding! Nothing could break up our friendship!!!!  : )

Peace, and bacon grease!

The Crazy Cooking Challenge - and Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese

I'm very happy to be participating in a fun monthly linky party hosted by Tina from Mom's Crazy Cooking, called Crazy Cooking Challenge, where each month there is a different food item featured and we each make a recipe using that featured food item and blog about it on the same day. But it's gotta come from a fellow blogger, which is totally fine by me because I have tons of mac and cheese recipes bookmarked from blogs that I stalk visit. Kinda like the Secret Recipe Club that I'm in, except that it's not a secret, and it's a personal challenge instead of being tied to someone else's blog. Either way, I'm game!

The first month, we are all making macaroni and cheese recipes. I couldn't pass that up, as I'm definitely a mac and cheese kinda gurl. Like, I'll try pretty much any kind of mac and cheese. And I'll expect it to be good, because it's mac and cheese for crying out loud! :) I chose a wonderful mac and cheese recipe from Christy's blog, The Girl Who Ate Everything. Have you guys checked out her blog? If you have, I'm sure you've fallen in love with all of her creations like I have. I love her food, I love her photography, I just love her site! So it was no surprise when I found this delectable mac and cheese dish on her site.

Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese

slightly adapted from The Girl Who Ate Everything

• 3.5 tbsp unsalted butter, divided
• 1/2 lb (8 oz) elbow macaroni
• 1/2 of a small Vidalia onion, finely chopped
• 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
• 2 cups shredded cooked chicken
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3/8 cup hot sauce, divided
• 1 tbsp flour
• 1 tsp ground mustard
• 1 and 1/4 cup half and half
• 1/2 lb sharp cheddar, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 4 oz pepper jack cheese, shredded
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 inch dish with cooking spray.


In a large pot, cook pasta according to directions on package. Drain. Return pasta to the large pot.


Melt 1.5 tbsp butter in a skillet on medium heat. Add the onion and celery and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the cooked chicken and garlic and cook for 2 minuets. Add 1/4 cup hot sauce and simmer until thickened for about a minute.


Melt 1 tbsp butter in a medium pot on medium heat. Add flour and mustard, stir. Add half and half, and remaining 1/8 cup hot sauce and stir for 2 minutes. Add cheddar and pepper jack cheese, then sour cream and whisk.


In the large pasta pot, add the the chicken mixture and cheese sauce in with the pasta and toss to combine well. Pour into the 9x13 greased baking dish.


Melt remaining 1 tbsp butter in a bowl and microwave until melted. Add panko bread crumbs, blue cheese, and parsley and stir. Pour over the mac and cheese and bake for 30-40 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes.

Printable Recipe

The only change we made was to half the original recipe, as well as up the chicken amount by a bit. We halved it, and we still got a casserole dish-worth out of it! So it was plenty for the both of us. We loved this macaroni and cheese so much. I love the addition of the blue cheese and panko topping - I always enjoy blue cheese to my buffalo anything, and the panko added a nice texture. I was surprised how much I loved the crunch from the celery, because usually I'm not too keen on celery. But it worked great in this dish. I've tried a different buffalo macaroni and cheese recipe also which I still need to blog about, and this one is my favorite so far. Definitely a keeper!

Won't you come join me at the Crazy Cooking Challenge? October is Chocolate Chip Cookie recipes!  

I'm linking up to a new linky that I was just told about - Simply Delish Saturday. Thanks for inviting me over, KB and Whitesnake! I'm also adding this to Miranda's Mac and Cheese Quest.

Oh, and don't forget to visit these other awesome blogs and click "Like" to vote for the Ultimate Macaroni and Cheese Recipe! I'd appreciate a vote.... I'm #16 on the blog hop below :)

Peace, and bacon grease!