Mexican Chicken and Rice.

>> Monday, January 25, 2010

Chris loves chicken and he loves rice. I'm always trying to find ways to make chicken and rice new and exciting.

The other day I was looking in the cupboard to see what I could come up with and after a couple tweaks here and there I created a new Chris favorite.

2 chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces
1 cup uncooked rice
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can finely diced black olives
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp cumin
1 cup water
1 clove of garlic- chopped
2 tbsp salsa
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Garnish- sour cream and green onions.

I started with browning chicken pieces in a large skillet. Adding the tomatoes, olives, garlic, cumin, chili powder salsa, water and rice. Bring to a simmer, add a cover for 20 minutes on med-low heat, stirring occasionally. Once the rice was tender, I stirred in the cheddar cheese. I let it sit covered for 5 mins then served with a small dollop of sour cream and chopped green onions on top.

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Beef Stew with Cheddar Dumplings

>> Thursday, January 7, 2010

I love stew. Since I'm Canadian and not American, I never got into the whole chicken and dumplings deal. Where I come from, stew is made with red meat. Deer, Beef, Buffalo, Moose, Elk and Caribou if you're lucky.

My stew is simple, basic and delicious. Stew isn't suppose to be fancy. It sticks to your ribs. This is my stew.

To start, I use a cast iron dutch oven with a lid. Having a pot with lid is very important if you are making dumplings. My cast iron goes into the oven so it is my preferred vessel. You can use a crock pot/slow cooker if you wish.

STEW:
1 large onion
1/4 cup veg oil
1 1/2 to 2 lbs red meat of your choice cut into cubes, dredged in flour
1 large cardboard container of beef stock, *College Inn Bold Stockis great!

Veggies that you may add:
potatoes cut into large pieces
carrots
cubed turnip
green beans
corn
peas
mushrooms

In your large pot on med heat, add oil and onions (and mushrooms if you wish). Cook until they onions are lightly tender then remove and set aside leaving the oil in the pot. Turn your heat med-high and add your meat. You want to brown the outside but not really cook the inside of your pieces. Add onions back to the pot along with one container of beef stock.

Simmer this on your stove top, in crockpot or inside oven at 300 Degrees for 4-6 hours. Stirring every now and then. Add your veggies when you are an hour from serving.

CHEDDAR DUMPLINGS:
2 cups flour
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 salt
1/4 cup shortening
1 cup milk
1/2 grated cheddar cheese plus 1/4 cup (optional)

Combine dry ingredients and cut in shortening with a fork or your fingers until crumbly. Add your 1/2 cup of grated cheddar and milk and stir into a soft dough. Drop spoonfuls onto of your cooked stew, cover with lid(DO NOT REMOVE) and cook for 15 minutes.

The next step is something I prefer but is not necessary. After 15 mins is up and your dumplings are fully cooked. Remove lid, sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of cheddar on top and place pot under broiler until the cheese is melted and lightly browned. Please make sure your pot is oven safe before trying this step.

Enjoy!

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Tissmiss

>> Tuesday, January 5, 2010

A photo blog of our Christmas Activities

Christmas Eve:














Christmas Morning:





















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