Vietnamese Fried Rice

When I find a recipe online, I like to give that person credit for it. This time, however, I cannot remember where I found it. I'm sorry about that, and if I remember it later, I'll post it. I did make a few changes to the original recipe.

2 cups brown basmati rice
4 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 lb lean ground beef
2 tsp minced garlic
1 large onion, chopped
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp sugar
1 Tbsp La Choy Lite Soy Sauce (or more to taste)
1 cup frozen vegetables (I like the green bean, corn, peas, etc. mixture)
2 eggs, beaten

Cook rice and set aside. In a hot skillet saute the ground beef in olive oil. Add some soy sauce, if desired. When meat is done, remove from skillet and add garlic, onion, pepper, sugar, and soy sauce. Stir fry until onion is cooked through. Stir in the beaten eggs and stir fry until eggs are cooked. They will not look like scrambled eggs that you would eat for breakfast. Add the ground beef back into the skillet along with the cooked rice. Add more soy sauce, if desired.

**I also throw on some chow mein noodles when I serve it**

Tuna Casserole

I found this recipe in my mom's quilter's cookbook. I've never found a tuna casserole that I really *love*...I hope this one is it!

4 tbsp margarine
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
6 1/2 oz can tuna, undrained
1 cup milk
1/2 cup mayonnaise
10 3/4 oz can cream of mushroom soup
8 oz egg noodles (I'm going to use elbow macaroni)
1/2 cup bread crumbs

IN large skillet saute onion and celery with 2 tbsp margarine. Add flaked tuna with liquid, milk, mayonnaise and cream of mushroom soup and heat through.

COOK noodles according to package directions. Drain.

MIX noodles with everything else and pour into a well greased 2-quart baking dish.

MELT remaining 2 tbsp margarine. Toss bread crumbs in margarine and arrange over other ingredients.

BAKE at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Oven-Fried Fish

I found this recipe in a Quilter's cookbook that my mom has. It sounds nice and easy on these hot summer days!

1 lb skinless, boneless lean fish (I like to use Tilapia)
4 tsp cooking oil
1 Tbsp lemon juice
4 Tbsp plain or seasoned bread crumbs (I purchased plain and I'll add my own seasonings)
salt, pepper, paprika and parsley to taste (I'll probably throw in some dill)

1. Choose thin fillets and cut into four pieces (I buy my Tilapia prepackaged, so I'll take out enough fish for my family)

2. Mix oil and lemon juice in shallow plate. Mix crumbs and dry seasonings on separate plate.

3. Turn fillets lightly in oil mixture, then press into crumb mixture until lightly coated. Arrange fillets on greased baking sheet. (I like to cover my baking sheet with aluminum foil and then spray that.)

4. Bake on center rack at 450 to 500 degrees for 6 to 10 minutes, until fish is cooked through and coating is crisp.

Oriental Salad

4 chicken breasts (cooked) -- I only put chicken in if I want this to be the entire meal. If I only want it as a side dish, I omit the chicken.

1 package of cole slaw mix
1 package of broccoli slaw mix
Green Onions (to taste)
3 packages chicken-flavored Ramen noodles
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup oil (vegetable or corn)
3 Tablespoons soy sauce (I use low sodium)
1 Tablespoon pepper
2 Tablespoons white vinegar

Toast dry noodles, crunched up, along with almonds and seeds for 5 minutes in a pan. (to keep crisp)

Mix sugar, oil, dry flavor packets, soy sauce, pepper and vinegar in a bowl.

Mix cooked chicken, slaw, noodle mix and onion in a large bowl. Pour oil mixture over top. Stir and refrigerate overnight for best flavor.

***** Note: After making this, I've decided that I will only add in about half of the Ramen noodle/nut mixture and I will save the rest to put on when we eat. That way we will have a crunch. This is such a delicious meal!*****

Taco Soup

1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
2 16 oz can diced tomatoes
2 cups frozen corn
2 16 oz cans kidney beans, undrained
1 can tomato sauce
1 can water
2 Tbsp ranch dressing mix
2 Tbsp taco seasoning mix (or to taste)
shredded cheese
sour cream
tortilla chips

Brown beef and onion in large skilled. Drain. In Crock Pot, combine tomatoes, corn, kidney beans, tomato sauce, water, ranch mix and taco mix. Add beef mixture. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours. Serve with cheese, sour cream and tortilla chips.

Spaghetti Pie

1 box spaghetti, cooked and drained (I use whole wheat)
2 tsp olive oil
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan
1 egg
1/2 lb ground beef or turkey
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 jar spaghetti sauce or homemade sauce
8 oz cottage cheese
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

Stir olive oil into drained spaghetti. Stir in Parmesan and egg. Form spaghetti into a "crust" in a greased baking dish (I use a 9 x 11). Spread cottage cheese onto crust. In skillet cook beef and onion until meat is brown. Drain. Stir in sauce. Heat through. Put meat and sauce mixture in center of crust. Baked uncovered at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle mozzarella on top. Bake until melted. (about 5 minutes)

Ranch Turkey Bacon Wrap

1 cup Ranch Dressing
8 oz lite cream cheese, softened
1 or 2 Avacados -- scoop out avacado and smash into a paste -- add a bit of salt to taste)
4 (12-inch) flour tortillas, warmed
8 slices of turkey lunchmeat
8 slices of Monteray Jack cheese slices (I use block and slice it)
4 slices of turkey bacon, cooked crisp
Shredded lettuce or several pieces of fresh spinach
pickles or thinly sliced cucumber
(add any other toppings you wish)

Blend together dressing and cream cheese. Spread Cream Cheese mixture on each tortilla, then spread avacado. Next layer two slices of turkey and cheese, one slice bacon, spinach and pickles or cucumber onto each tortilla. Roll tortilla firmly from the bottom until completely wrapped. Place seam side down and cut in half diagonally. Makes 4 servings.

Rotisserie Chicken Salad

(sorry...the picture's a little blurry, but you get the idea!)

I don't have the exact measurements for this recipe, because I didn't measure anything. I'll tell you what I put in it though, and I'll approximate some of the ingredients. Most of the ingredients are really "to taste" though.

Rotisserie Chicken Salad

One large rotisserie chicken (I get mine at Sam's club)
1 medium onion, diced
1 to 2 stalks celery, diced small
Reduced Fat Mayonnaise, approximately 1 cup (or to taste)
1 Tbsp lime juice
1 tsp curry powder
salt and pepper to taste
slivered almonds -- 1/2 cup
1 cup grapes, sliced in half


Pull the chicken off the bones, and cut into bite size pieces. Place chicken in large mixing bowl. Add onion and celery. Mix well. Add mayonnaise, lime juice, curry powder, salt and pepper. Mix well. Gently stir in almonds and grapes.

Serve on a salad or on a bun. Enjoy!

Chicken Joke

Chicken Joke is not a "joke," but it is a recipe. Sort of...

Sunday morning before we left for church, I put some rice and water in my rice cooker and set the timer so that it would be ready when we got home. I laid out some chicken breasts to thaw with plans to grill them.

After church we stopped by Sams Club to pick up a couple of items, and while there I saw Chinese food in the freezer section. We were just saying how we would like some Chinese, so I started planning in my head what I could do with the rice and chicken at home to make it "Chinese."

After we ate our pseudo-Chinese meal at lunch, Neal and Beth said I needed to put it on my blog. I told them I really couldn't because I didn't know how much I put in of the ingredients. Well, they don't want me to forget about this meal, so I'm going to do the best I can.

Chicken Joke

3 boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces

2 tbsp olive oil

salt, just a dash

Ginger powder, to taste (probably a couple of tbsp)

chopped garlic, to taste (probably 1 to 2 tsp)

red pepper, just a dash

curry, to taste (I know that isn't Chinese, but we added it anyway)

1 granny smith apple, cut into bite-size pieces

Chicken broth (about 3/4 cup)

cold water and cornstarch to thicken

Heat oil in skillet and add chicken and salt. Cook until chicken starts to lose its' pink color and then add ginger, garlic, red pepper and curry. Coat chicken well, and then add chicken broth. When the chicken is just about done, add the apple. Let it cook for a few more minutes and then if it looks dry add some more chicken broth. If it's kinda juicy that's good, go ahead and add the water/cornstarch mixture to thicken (this is so that the spices coat the chicken). Serve over rice.

Chicken Joke Rice

All I did was make my rice in the rice cooker. I use brown basmati rice. I took it out of the cooker and put it in my wok (with melted butter). I seasoned it with lite soy sauce and added sesame seeds. I cooked it for a short time and then added steamed veggies (I get a big bag of frozen broccoli, cauliflower, carrots from Sams).

That's it. This is really for my benefit, but if you can follow along with my poor attempt at writing down this "recipe" then by all means, give it a try! It really was good....and that's no Chicken Joke!

(The name Chicken Joke came from my children. One day something happened and Ben looked at Beth and said "and that's no chicken joke!" Since then it has become a joke in our family, and Beth thought I should name this dish Chicken Joke in honor of Ben's silliness). If you're interested in reading about the origin of Chicken Joke on Beth's blog click here!

Leftover Soup -- Thanksgiving Edition

Or at least that's what Ben is calling it!

So how many of you are making something with leftover turkey today? We've been eating leftovers all weekend. I did cook on Friday though, because it was my daughter's 14th birthday. I made chicken enchiladas, refried beans, onion shortcake and Southwest Cheesecake. I'll have to post some of those recipes later.

Beth thought I should write down how I made this soup today, since *I* made it up. Of course we haven't eaten it yet, so who knows if it tastes good or not! lol It does smell divine though!

I do not have the exact measurements on any of this, but this is what I threw into the pot:

Leftover Turkey Broth (Neal made the turkey and used all kinds of spices and herbs. I drained the broth and put it in the pot. I probably had about 2 quarts of broth)
5 small potatoes, diced
Onion, about 1 cup diced
Celery, about 2/3 cup diced (all I had left)
Carrots, about 1 1/2 cups diced

Let the above ingredients come to a boil and then turn down to medium heat. Cook about 45 minutes and then add:

frozen corn, about 1 cup
frozen lima beans, about 1 cup
green beans (about 1 cup -- I used what was left in fridge)
Northern Beans, 1 can (do not drain)
Turkey, about 2 or 3 cups diced

I think that's it. It is simmering on the stove right now and is making us all hungry!

What did you do with your leftover turkey?

(**Note** The soup was a success! I didn't have any because I had a stomach bug, but the family liked it a lot!)

Sausage Potato Casserole (again)

I posted this recipe earlier, but I made it on Tuesday and took pictures...actually, my daughter, Beth, took the pictures. So "thank you, Beth!"

Here is the recipe from my cookbook. This is a recipe that my Mom used to make when I was growing up. I now use either turkey kielbasa or lite beef kielbasa.

Saute the onions and peppers. I also sauteed some mushrooms this time and threw them in.

I used Yukon Gold potatoes. I like these potatoes because they have such a thin skin. I was able to scrub them quickly, and then they're really easy to slice, as well. Boil them and then drain them. I usually save some of the potato water and add to the potatoes so that they don't get dry, but I forgot this time.

Spray your baking dish and put your potatoes on the bottom of the dish. Then layer your onions and peppers.

Next put your layer of cheese on top of the potato mixture.

Cut up your sausage and lay on top. I added some chicken broth since I forgot to save the potato water. It didn't really change the flavor, but it added some extra moistness. Then cover with foil and bake about 20 minutes at 375 degrees.

And there you have it! This was enjoyed by my entire family. I made some homemade rolls and green beans to go with it. I hope you enjoy this family dish sometime soon!

Kielbasa Potato Casserole

If I like a recipe, it doesn't matter what time of year it is, I'll make it. We often have Chili in the middle of summer. It's easy to fix and put in the crockpot, and then when we get back from the pool it's all ready to eat! We can sit in our air conditioned house and pretend it's cold outside!

But there are many recipes that one tends to think of as "Fall Recipes." That's what this food carnival is about...Fall Recipes. I have several recipes, but I'm going to talk about one from my childhood. I grew up in Ohio, and I've met other people from Ohio and Pennsylvania who make dishes similar to this one. Just add a vegetable on the side, and you've got a complete meal!

Kielbasa Potato Casserole

Polska Kielbasa Sausage (I use turkey kielbasa)

about 4 medium potatoes, cooked and sliced

1 tbsp butter

1 green pepper, sliced in thin strips

1 medium onion, chopped

1 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded

Using a small skillet, saute onions and green pepper in butter until tender. In casserole dish layer potatoes, pepper & onions, cheese and sausage (I cut my sausage link into 2 to 3 inch pieces). Cover with lid and bake at 375 degrees for approximately 20 minutes.

Serve with a vegetable and bread. Enjoy

For more Fall Recipes head over to The Nourishing Gourmet.