THINGS I LOVE TO COOK: My Top 5 Favorite Recipes

I would not consider myself a chef by any means, but I love good food!  I figure if I'm going to take the time to cook it might as well be something tasty.  My college years is really where I found my very amateur culinary skills.  Yes, I learned a few things from my mom, but that didn't really come until later in life.  I mostly learned cooking and cooking lingo by making meals for me and my roommates in college.  For years I mostly followed recipes.  As I became more comfortable I started creating things by using techniques and flavor combinations I adopted from recipes I had used before. I would have to say Rachael Ray and Food Network are big contributors to my "Recipe Box." These are my signature dishes and meals that I have made for many year now. 
In no particular order here are my Top 5 Favorite Recipes...


This is probably one of the first meals I cooked for my roommates Jen and Cor.  I still make this at least once every 2 months.  It has a lot of ingredients, but literally only takes me a total of 40 minutes to cook start to sitting at the table eating it.  This will also last two nights or dinner and then a lunch. Thank you Rachael Ray for this unique easy dinner. 
 
Chipotle Cashew Chicken 

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 large onion, 1/4 onion finely chopped, 3/4 thinly sliced
• 2 cups quick cooking brown rice
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 pounds chicken meat: tenders, boneless, skinless breasts or boneless, skinless thighs, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons grill seasoning blend (recommended: Montreal Steak Seasoning blend by McCormick)
• 2 to 3 tablespoons tamari dark soy sauce, eyeball it
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
• 10 to 12 water chestnuts, whole
• 1 cup frozen green peas
• 3 tablespoons chipotle in adobo (2 peppers and their sauce), available in cans on the international foods aisle or substitute 1 1/2 tablespoons ground chipotle powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin, a palm full
• 2 to 3 tablespoons honey, 2 healthy drizzles
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup real maple syrup, eyeball it
• 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro or parsley leaves, your preference
• 1 cup raw cashews

Directions

In a medium pot over medium heat combine 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan, and 1 tablespoon butter. When butter melts into oil, add in the chopped onion, cook 2 minutes, then add rice and cook 3 minutes more. Add stock and cover the pot. Raise heat to bring stock to a rapid boil. Once the stock boils, reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until rice is tender, 17-18 minutes.

While rice cooks, make the chicken. Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add vegetable oil, 2 turns of the pan, then the chicken. Season the chicken with grill seasoning. Brown the chicken on both sides, season with soy sauce then move off to one side of the pan. Add the remaining onions, garlic and peppers. Cook 2 to 3 minutes then add water chest nuts. Glaze the mixture with honey and maple syrup and turn off the heat. Add in the chopped cilantro or parsley and the cashew nuts. and green peas and mix vegetables and meat together. Add the chipotles and cumin. Toss to coat.

Top rice with cashew chicken and serve.

This is really probably the first thing I made from Rachael Ray.  Her cook book featured this recipe in a photo and I just had to try it.  This is one of those dishes I take bits and pieces from sometimes to create new things.  I don't always have all of the ingredients so I change it up a bit to create a whole new meal. I've made a few changes to the recipe here to reflect how I usually make it.  Click the name of the recipe for the link to the original recipe.

Pecan Crusted Chicken Tender Salad with Tangy Maple Dressing

Ingredients

• Vegetable oil, for frying
• 1 1/3 to 2 pounds chicken tenders
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 eggs, beaten with a splash of milk or water
• 1 cup plain bread crumbs
• 1 cup pecans, processed in food processor to finely chop
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated or ground
• 1 orange, zested

Dressing:

• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup honey barbecue sauce
• 1 navel orange, juiced
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 bag of romaine lettuce
• 6 radishes, thinly sliced (if desired)
• 1/2 sliced red onion
• 6 scallions, trimmed and chopped on an angle

Directions

Heat 1 1/2 to 2 inches of oil over medium high heat. Season chicken tenders with salt and pepper. Set out 3 shallow dishes. Place flour in 1 dish, eggs beaten with water or milk in a second. In the third dish, combine bread crumbs with ground pecans, nutmeg and orange zest. Coat tenders in batches in flour, then egg, then bread crumb mixture. Fry tenders in small batches 6 to 7 minutes. Drain tenders on paper towels.

Combine maple syrup, barbecue sauce and orange juice in a bowl. Whisk in oil and season with salt and pepper.

Combine romaine, radishes, onion and scallions in a large salad bowl or on a serving platter. Toss with 3/4 of the dressing. Season with salt and pepper, to your taste. Top salad with pecan crusted chicken tenders and drizzle remaining dressing over top.

This is a favorite of me and Brandon's, but doesn't get made as often.  I have made this dish for lady dinner parties.  Not all husbands may like this or feel like it is a dinner.  This would be great to be used as a party appetizer.

Thai Chicken Pizza

 

Ingredients

• 1 pizza dough, any brand
• 1/2 cup duck sauce or plum sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 package (2 cups) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 rounded tablespoonful peanut butter
• 2 teaspoons hot sauce
• 2 teaspoons grill seasoning (recommended: Montreal Steak Seasoning) eyeball it
• 4 chicken breast cutlets, 1/2 pound
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar or cider vinegar
• 1/4 seedless cucumber, peeled and cut into matchsticks
• 4 scallions, chopped
• 1 cup bean spouts, a couple of handfuls
• Palm full cilantro leaves, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped peanuts, 2 ounces

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Form pizza crust on pizza pan or cookie sheet. Top with duck or plum sauce - spread it around like you would pizza sauce. Sprinkle the pizza with some crushed red pepper flakes then top with cheese and peppers. Bake until golden and bubbly, 15 to 17 minutes.

Preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Combine vegetable oil, soy sauce and peanut butter with hot sauce and grill seasoning. Use the microwave to loosen up peanut butter if it is too cold to blend into sauce, 10 seconds ought to do it. Add chicken and coat evenly with mixture. Let stand 10 minutes then grill chicken cutlets 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until firm. Slice chicken into very thin strips.

While chicken cooks, mix honey and vinegar and add the cucumber. Turn to coat evenly.

Top the hot, cooked pizza with chicken, scallions, sprouts and cilantro. Drain cucumbers and scatter over the pizza. Garnish pizza with peanuts, cut into 8 wedges and serve. 

If you invite me over for dinner or to a party and ask me to bring an appetizer there is a 98% chance this is what I'll bring.  It is always a crowd pleaser and I love it, so why change.  My best friends know they will always find this on my bar if they are coming over for any type of gathering or party. 

Cheesy Spinach and Artichoke Dip  

Ingredients

• 1 can (14 oz.) artichoke hearts, drained, finely chopped
• 1 pkg.  (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, well drained
• 3/4 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 3/4 cup Light Mayo 
• 1/2 cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
• 1/2 tsp.  garlic powder

Directions

Heat oven to 350°F.

Mix ingredients; spoon into 9-inch quiche dish or pie plate.
Bake 20 min. or until heated through. 
Serve with your favorite tortilla chips 

 

This can also be made in advance and then covered and stored in the refrigerator and put in the oven right before serving.  

This is my very own recipe.  Yes it is very simple, but this is one of my favorite breakfast my mom made me growing up.  Whenever I visit my friend Cor we always make this for breakfast together and reminisce about our fun times being roommates with our best friend Jen.

Southern French Toast  

Ingredients

this is for 2 people, adjust amount according to amount you are serving

• Wheat bread, 1/2 a loaf (any kind you have)
• 3 large eggs
• splash milk
• 1 tbsp. cinnamon 
• 1 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 tbsp. brown sugar
• cooking spray 
• favorite syrup
• powder sugar

Directions

Whisk eggs, milk, cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar together in a bowl using a fork.  Heat a skillet on the stove on medium heat and spray just a little cooking spray.  Dip a slice of bread into the egg mixture so that is covers the whole piece of bread. Place the bread in the skillet. Flip after about a minute, watch for a medium brown color.  Depending on the size of your skillet you may be able to fit two pieces at a time.  Put two pieces of toast on  your plat and drizzle with syrup and then sprinkle with powder sugar.  Drink a tall glass of milk while you are eating it or your favorite morning coffee!

 

If you are a traditional cook some of these might seem a little different, but I promise they are good.  I hope you might give one of them a try. I've made all of these for people before and then they requested the recipe.  

Oh, look I just made a blog post that wasn't about Maddy!  Hmmm, maybe I will do this every once in a while.