Spicy Beef Lettuce Wraps

3 T oyster sauce - I only had fish sauce
2T dry sherry
1/4 c water
1 lb ground beef
1 red pepper - seeded & diced
5 scallions - sliced thin
1 T chili garlic sauce - I used sriracha
1 T fresh grated ginger
1 head bibb lettuce - I also used flour tortillas, as they are easier to eat.....
1/4 c chopped peanuts - forgot them........

whisk oyster sauce, sherry and water in bowl.

cook beef over med-high heat until just cooked.  drain - reserve 2 T fat.

heat fat in empty skillet.  Add pepper and scallions and cook until soft.  Clear center of skillet and add ginger and chili sauce - cook until fragrant.  Return beef to skillet with oyster sauce mix and cook until thick - about a minute.  Spook mix into lettuce and sprinkle with peanuts.

Nancy's Take:  I made these for friends - all of whom loved them - even the kids.

Green Chicken Curry

2 small bunches cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped, 1 1/2 cups
1 bunch fresh mint, leaves, coarsely chopped, 1 1/2 cups
1 red onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic
1 1/2-inch piece ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup water, plus 1 1/2 cups
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 shallots, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, about 1 3/4 pounds, halved
1/2 teaspoon malt vinegar
1/4 cup plain whole milk yogurt, whisked until smooth
Cooked basmati rice or warm naan bread, for serving

Add the cilantro, mint, red onion, garlic, ginger, and salt, and pepper, to taste, to a food processor or blender. Puree on high until smooth. With the processor running, add about 1/4 cup water, and blend until the mixture is the consistency of a thick paste, a.k.a. "masala". Set aside.

In a large pot or deep skillet heat the olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the shallot and cook, stirring often, until golden brown.

Add the spices and cook for 30 seconds. Pour the masala mixture into skillet and cook, stirring often until it deepens in color and aroma. You'll know it's ready when it looks shiny, little droplets of oil will appear on the surface, and the masala will hold together as a cohesive mass.

Add the chicken, coating every piece in the masala and stirring often. Continue to cook for 5 minutes, so that the masala really adheres to the chicken. Add about 1 1/2 cups water, just enough to cover the chicken, and the vinegar. Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the chicken is tender and sauce has thickened slightly, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Remove the pan from heat and stir in the yogurt. Taste and adjust seasonings, if needed. Transfer the mixture to a serving dish and serve over rice or with warm naan bread.
 
 Dave's Take:  Dave liked it a lot and enjoyed the leftovers too!

Nancy's Take:  Yummy - even the kids liked it!  Even the baby liked it!!  Will make again.

Orange-Apricot Pork Chops

6 pork chops                                                   
1 cup apricot preserves                                        
3 tablespoons brown sugar                                      
1 teaspoon salt                                                
1/2 teaspoon black pepper                                      
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon                                          
1/4 teaspoon ginger                                            
1/4 teaspoon cloves                                            
11 ounces mandarin orange segments - plus juice!               

Put pork chops into your crockpot. In a small bowl, combine jam, brown sugar, and spices. Spoon over pork chops. Add the entire can of mandarin oranges evenly over the top.

Cover and cook on low for about 8 hours, or on high for about 4.

Serve with rice to soak up the yummy juice.


Nancy's Take:  Okay - major problem here.  I made this dinner for my "dinner club".  It was so bad I had to throw it all away - yep - what a waste.  Who knew I could turn perfectly fine pork chops into hockey pucks.  TERRIBLE!!  But, I think it was me - not this lovely recipe.......

Leg of Lamb

Dave loves leg of lamb!  We don't have it often, but he loves it!  I wanted to make it, but had no idea how and did not have too much patience to try something fancy.  So, I went with the good old crock pot - having no idea what to expect.  I think this is a pricey cut of meat to use in a crock pot, so I hope it is good!

1 Leg of Lamb (fresh or frozen)

1/2 cup Water

Veggies of your choice - onions, potatoes, carrots, whatever............

Run hot water over the frozen lamb package, just so it thaws enough that you can cut open the package and peel it away from the meat

Plop it into your crockpot along with veggies of your choice.

Add a half cup of water

Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours.

you don't need to add any additional water as long as you keep the lid closed and don't futz with it.

*If you are using fresh leg of lamb with a dry rub, cover the meat with the 1/2 cup of water and cook on high for 4-6 hours.*

Dave's Take:  Again, he is out of town.  But, he LOVED it.  Ate it like he had not eaten in a LOOOOONG time.  Total and complete hit!

Nancy's Take:  I don't like leg of lamb too much, but this was yummy.  Super easy to cook and tasted really yummy.  I'd make it again - I am sure that would make Dave happy.

Corned Beef & Cabbage

Well, Saint Patrick's Day has come and gone.  And, that means corned beef & cabbage!  Yummy!!!  I wanted to try something different and this recipe looked very different.  So, I gave it a go!

Corned Beef:
3 lbs corned beef (in package)
10 whole cloves
1/4 cup hot sweet honey mustard
2 Tbsp brown sugar


1 Preheat oven to 350°F. Drain the corned beef from the package and discard the spice packet. Lay corned beef, fat side up, on a large piece of heavy duty, wide, aluminum foil (you may have to get creative with the way you wrap the beef if your foil isn't wide enough). Insert the cloves into the top of the slab of corned beef, evenly spaced. Spread the top with the hot sweet honey mustard. Sprinkle brown sugar over the top. 


2 Wrap the corned beef with foil in a way that allows for a little space on top between the corned beef and the foil, and creates a container to catch the juices. Place foil-wrapped corned beef in a shallow roasting pan and bake for 2 hours. 


3 Open the foil wrapping, spread a little more honey mustard over the top of the corned beef, and broil it for 2-3 minutes, until the top is bubbly and lightly browned. Let rest for 5 to 10 minutes, then place on cutting board and cut at a diagonal, across the grain of the meat, into 1/2-inch thick slices.
Serve immediately.

Cabbage:
Olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 cloves garlic, minced
1 large head of cabbage, sliced into 3/8-inch to 1/2-inch wide slices
Salt

1 Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil (enough to well coat the pan) on medium high to high heat in a large, wide pot (8-quart if available) or large, high-sided sauté pan. Add chopped onions, cook for a couple of minutes, then add garlic.
2 Add a third of the sliced cabbage to the pan. Sprinkle with a little salt and stir to coat with oil and mix with onions. Spread out the cabbage evenly over the bottom of the pan and do not stir until it starts to brown. If the heat is high enough, this should happen quickly. The trick is to have the burner hot enough to easily brown the cabbage, but not so hot that it easily burns. When the bottom of the cabbage is nicely browned, use a metal spatula to lift it up and flip it, scraping the browned bits as you go.

3 Once the cabbage in the pan has browned on a couple of flips, add another third of the cabbage to the pan. Mix well, then spread out the cabbage and repeat. You may need to add a bit more olive oil to the pan to help with the browning, and to keep the cabbage from sticking too much to the pan. Once this batch has cooked down a bit and browned, add the remaining third of the cabbage and repeat.
Serve with the corned beef. Serve with boiled new potatoes. Can be made ahead and reheated.C

Nancy's Take:  Total bummer.  Apparently you have to cook it forever - and 2 hours is not nearly long enough.  How was I supposed to know?  But, I did like the cabbage... a lot!

Dave's Take:  Dave is out of town, so I'll let you know his thoughts.  He'll eat a shoe.  So, he did not think the beef was as bad as me.  But, he did not want more - and he said to toss the leftovers.  But, he really liked the cabbage.

Enchiladas w/ Creamy Green Chile Sauce

3 tablespoons butter                                          

1 medium onion - chopped                                      

1 large garlic cloves - minced                                

1 teaspoon cumin                                              

2 tablespoons flour                                           

2-3 cups hot water w/ 1 extra large Knorr chicken bouillion cube

6 smalls cans green chilies - I used 3 cans mild and 1 can hot                            

12 corn tortillas  - oops I used wheat flour tortillas!

2 cups shredded mexican cheese                                  

4 cups shredded chicken                                       

In a pan, melt butter and saute onions till transparent.  Stir in garlic, salt, and cumin.  Then stir in flour.  Slowly stir in chicken broth.  Add chiles and stir well until bubbling.  Reduce heat to simmer, cook uncovered for 15 mins.  Add 1 c of cheese.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine chicken and 1/2 the green chile sauce.  Heat tortillas in microwave to soften.  Fill each tortilla with chicken mixture and little bit of remaining cheese.  Roll up and place seam side down in 13x9 pan.  Pour remaining sauce over enchiladas.  Bake 20 mins uncovered.

Serve with sour cream, tomatoes, and lettuce.

Notes:

- If you make as casserole - lay tortillas on the bottom of pan, then layer chicken, green chile sauce, and cheese.  Repeat layer and finish with torillas on top and a little sauce to cover. IF you decide to make the Green Chile Enchiladas in a casserole form, then do not mix half the sauce with the chicken.  Just layer the tortillas, shredded chicken, sauce, and cheese.

- Sauce can be prepared and refrigerated for 24 hours

Nancy's Take:  Yummy!!  This was a great way to use up a rotisserie chicken - they are my best friend!  It was pretty darn spicy - might not need the can of HOT I used - all mild would probably be fine.  I also accidentally used flour tortillas and they were fine.  I really liked it - did not try to give it to the girls - too spicy.  The enjoyed the chicken - I saved them some.  They always love rotisserie chicken!!

Dave's Take:  This dish was rather interesting.  First of all, I can't help but compare it to one of my favorite dishes which is buffalo chicken enchiladas.  This was no buffalo chicken enchiladas and the first night we ate this I think it was actually a bit too spicy.  But strangely enough, when we put away the extra and warmed up the left overs the next day it was so much better.  I don't know what happens to casserole type foods and how a day in the fridge helps release their hidden goodness but this was certainly the case this time.  I think next time I'll ask Nancy to make this ahead of time and let it sit in the fridge for a couple of days before serving.

Arroz con Pollo

If you don't speak Spanish, you might not know today I made Rice with Chicken - or I would say Chicken with Rice.  The recipe is from a friend that is from Cuba - so she knows how to make this kind of thing!  I've tried hers and don't really know if mine was the same, but I seem to be getting ahead of myself.................

Nancy's Take:  I liked it.  I wanted more.  I used self restraint.  I think it would also be good if you added artichokes and maybe even some other veggies.  I might also use a  but more spice.  I do better when the recipe tells me how much to use - none of this pepper, oregano business - how much??  Next time, I'd add more - and probably use a rotisserie chicken - that would save time.  I used thighs tonight.

Dave's Take:  This was a dish I first got to try around Christmas.  When I had this for dinner I remembered that I didn't really like it then either.  I've been sort of a stick in the mud about these new recipes lately, but just being honest.  I think one thing that could make it better is to use white meat chicken instead of the thighs.

I (Nancy) want to label this a good - or maybe an okay.  Dave wants it labeled a yuck.  He's a yuck.

West African Chicken and Peanut Stew with Chiles, Ginger, and Green Onions

Just the name of this dish made me want to try it.  It is actually a South Beach Diet recipe.  But, it looked yummy to me.  I don't know what to expect, but it sounds yummy!  Probably to be served with rice - not that SB Diet people eat rice........

1-2 T olive or canola oil (the recipe called for 2 T, but I think you could use less)
1/4 cup finely diced red onion (could also use regular onion)
1 T finely minced fresh ginger root
2 tsp. finely minced jalapeno

salt to taste (I used about 1/2 tsp. Kosher salt)
1 tsp. chile powder
1 cup chicken stock (chicken broth from a can is fine)
1/2 cup chunky peanut butter (use natural peanut butter without added sugar for South Beach Diet)
2 T tomato paste
1 T cider vinegar
3 cups diced, cooked chicken (I used Costco Rotisserie)
fresh ground black pepper to taste
3-4 green onions (scallions) thinly sliced

Finely chop the red onion, ginger, and jalapeno, and roughly chop the chicken. Heat oil in a heavy pan, add finely diced onion, ginger, and jalapenos, season with salt, and saute about 2 minutes. Add the chile powder, stir into other ingredients, and saute about 1 minute more.

Add chicken stock, peanut butter, tomato paste, and apple cider vinegar, stir, and bring to a slight boil. As soon as it starts to boil, lower heat to a very gentle simmer, add roughly chopped chicken, gently stir to combine, and let simmer 10-15 minutes. (Resist the urge to stir it very much, or the chicken will shred apart, which you don't want here.)

While mixture simmers, wash, dry, and slice green onions. After 10-15 minutes, gently stir again if the oil from the peanut butter has separated. Serve hot, with a generous handful of green onion slices on each serving.

Nancy's Take:  I normally don't cook with peanut butter - I swear!  This was a good dish.  Not a favorite, but good.  I'd make it again - but not too often.  It went well with rice and peas.  And, the kids liked it.... which is always a plus!!

Dave's Take:  This was pretty good.  I don’t think I would ask for it, but if Nancy planned it for dinner and told me we were having peanut chicken stew I’d not complain.  The consistency was good for a stew.  Not too thin or too thick… just right.  I think Nancy didn’t add a jalapeño pepper because I forgot to get that from the store.  I wonder how that would have changed the dish.  Next time (and I think there should be a next time) we need to make sure to add the jalapeño.

Jambalaya

It is almost Fat Tuesday - which means Jambalaya!!  This is a great recipe to make on Sunday and have throughout the week for lunches.  So yummy and not too tricky to make.

3 cups chicken broth                                           
3-4 pound whole chicken - I used a chicken from Costco         
2 medium onions chopped                                        
3 cloves minced garlic                                         
2 tablespoons coarse salt                                      
28 ounces canned whole pealed tomatoes                         
1 tablespoon allspice                                          
1 tablespoon thyme                                             
1 teaspoon basil                                               
1 teaspoon oregano                                             
1 teaspoon hot sauce                                           
1/4 cup vegetable oil                                          
1 1/2 cups celery                                              
1 green bell pepper chopped                                    
2 pounds kielbasa or andouille sausage, sliced - turkey sausage works fine

2 cups long grain rice                                          

1 pound medium shrimp peeled, deveined and tails removed - I omit the shrimp often...
1 red bell pepper chopped                                      

In a large dutch oven, combine chicken broth, tomatoes, allspice, thyme, basil, oregano, and hot sauce over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, breaking up the tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon.

Meanwhile, heat 3 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add celery, chopped onions, bell peppers, and minced garlic. Cook until softened, 5 to 7 minutes; add to Dutch-oven.

In the same skillet, heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil over high heat; add sausage, and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes. Transfer to Dutch-oven. Add shredded chicken, rice, and salt; simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Add shrimp, and simmer, covered, until rice is tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand for a few minutes, and serve.

BBQ Pulled Pork

4 lbs pork roast (shoulder or butt)
2 large sliced onions
1 cup ginger ale
1 bottle favorite BBQ sauce - I bought based on the label I liked best - used a bottle of spicy and sweet because I had to make a larger roast to serve more people...
Barbecue sauce, for serving

Place one onion in crock pot. Put in the roast & cover with the other onion. Add ginger ale. Cover/cook on LOW for about 12 hours. I had to start mine on high due to time constraints... Then cooked on low... Just don't check on it too often - you lose a lot of heat every time you open the crock pot.

Remove the meat, strain and save the onions, discard all liquid. With two forks, shred the meat, discarding remaining fat, bones or skin. Most of the fat will melt away.

Return the shredded meat and the onions to the crock pot, stir in the barbecue sauce. Continue to cook for a few hours on LOW.

Serve w/ buns or rolls and bbq sauce. Leftovers freeze well.

TIP: freeze ready-made sandwiches - a scoop of meat on a bun, well-wrapped. To reheat, remove wrapping, wrap in a paper towel, and zap 1-2 minute in microwave.

Note: Shoulder or butt are recommended because the meat shreds very well. I used a Boneless Boston Butt – and it was great! The bone is no big deal – but buy more than you think you’ll need, as the bone is weighty.

Note 2: If you have a newer or bigger crock pot, you may need to revise times downward, esp. after the bbq sauce is added.

Note 3: Turn the roast over after it's cooked a while, to ensure more even cooking.

Nancy's Take: Yummy! I really liked it and have nothing bad to say about it! I think it would be yummy on a flour tortilla with crispy onions and maybe pickles! But, a real winner – my entire family enjoyed it. It also reheated very nice. I might make a batch and have Dave take it to work for lunches periodically.

Dave's Take: This was a winner. The pork was extremely tender, the onions added a tangy sweetness and the sauce was a hit. It was a combination of both a sweet and hot BBQ sauce. And that made me wonder, how much of this execution was actually determined by the selection of the sauce? I bet you could have very tender pork and everything could be great but if you choose the wrong sauce I bet you could spoil the whole thing. But, not today!! Nancy told me that her selection of sauce in the supermarket was based entirely on the label and its marketing presentation on the shelf. There was an old black gentleman and Nancy said “that guy looks like he knows how to make BBQ”. And low and behold, he did. I would recommend this recipe along with a mixture of mild and spicy Stub’s Texas BBQ sauce.

Asian Peanut Butter Pork - Crock Pot

I've been itching to use my crock pot lately.  Probably because I am finding myself unorganized when it comes to dinner time.  And, using the crock pot forces me to think about dinner prior to 3pm.  I also had nearly all of these ingredients on hand - and I've wanted to make this for some time.  The peanut butter seems odd to me - so I figured I should give it a try.....

1 pound pork tenderloin                                        
1 onion - sliced in rings                                      
1/4 cup soy sauce                                              
1/4 cup brown sugar                                            
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar                               
3 tablespoons water                                            
2 cloves garlic - chopped                                      
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter                                   
2 tablespoons chopped peanuts                                  
1 lime - cut in wedges                                         

Use a 4-6 quart crockpot.

Put onion slices into the bottom of your crockpot.

Put the pork on top. Add brown sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, water, garlic, and peanut butter.

No need to stir--the peanut butter needs to melt before you can do so.

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for 4-6. The pork will be more tender the longer you cook it.

1 hour before serving, flip the meat over in the crockpot to allow the other side to soak up the peanut butter.  Garnish with chopped peanuts, and serve with lime wedges. The lime juice mixed with the peanut butter is delicious.

Nancy's Take:  This was good.  Pretty darn good!  Seeing as I was nursing during dinner (sorry, too much info) I was quite happy I did not need to use a knife.  I liked the sauce - didn't need a ton of it, though.  Having too much peanut butter sauce would be just too much.  Served it with rice and corn which seemed to go well.  The biggest surprise was how much the girls LOVED it.  Erin ate seconds and Ev ate hers in record time as well - no seconds.  I did not feel the lime was necessary - it did not add much.  The one super nice thing about this recipe is I had all the ingredients in hand - except the unnecessary lime!

Dave's Take: This was a pleasant surprise.  The pork was very tender and the peanut sauce was very tasty.  I wanted seconds and enjoyed my seconds ... even though I'm supposed to be watching my portions.  Well I watched that second portion go right down.  I'd say this was short of an "All-Star" dish, but still really good.  I'd be happy to but this into a regular dinner rotation.  I'd say about once a month.

Buffalo Chicken Casserole

Tonight I wanted something spicy. Something you enjoy but don't want to eat an entire pan of - we're watching portions!

½ cup uncooked regular long-grain white rice
1 cup water
1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
2 medium stalks celery, thinly sliced (1 cup)
1 can (14.5 oz) stewed tomatoes, undrained
½ cup buffalo wing sauce
¼ cup blue cheese dressing

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Cook rice according to package instructions; about 20 minutes. Warm oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and celery to the oil and cook for about 7 minutes, stirring frequently, and remove from heat when the chicken has no more pink. Cut up tomatoes in the can, and stir into the chicken mixture along with the wing sauce.

2. Spoon cooked rice into an 8-inch square baking dish. Spread chicken mixture over the rice without stirring.

3. Bake for 25 minutes or until hot in center. Add dressing to the top before serving.

Nancy's Take: Well, I didn't want seconds.  I didn't really want to finish what I started!  I'd never make it again and didn't find many redeeming qualities about this dish.  The chicken got too dried out - I think being "cooked" twice.  And, it all tasted the same - one note - and not a tasty note.  Boo hoo.

Dave's Take: Sometimes food is just a vehicle to enjoy a sauce (think french fries and ketchup, or pancakes and syrup).  This seemed sort of like that.  The Buffalo sauce really saturated the rice and was very overpowering.  I don't have anything against Buffalo sauce, but this dish was was WAY to much of one single strong flavor.  I did not ask for a second helping of this either.