Chicken Chow Mein (Crock-Pot)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2-2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1/2 small head of cabbage, chopped
• 1/2 lb baby carrots
• 1/2 large white onion, chopped
• 1 small can sliced mushrooms, drained
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 TBS rice vinegar
• 1 TBS sesame oil
• 3 chicken bouillon cubes
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 4 cups water
• crispy chow mein noodles (for garnish)
• rice

Directions:

1. Combine in the crock-pot:  chicken, chopped cabbage, baby carrots, chopped onion, drained mushrooms, rice vinegar, sesame oil, bouillon cubes, minced garlic, and water.  Stir well.
2. Cook on LOW for 6-7 hours, or on HIGH for 4-5 hours.
3. Add chopped celery approximately 1 hour before serving. Stir well.
4. Serve over rice, garnished with crispy chow mein noodles.

Seafood Casserole

Ingredients:

1 lb cooked shrimp, peeled & deveined
2 (6 oz) can crab meat, drained & flaked
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, room temperature
4 TBS butter, divided
1 large white onion, chopped
1 large green pepper, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
1 (10 3/4 oz) can cream of mushroom soup
1 (4 oz) can mushrooms, drained
1 tsp garlic powder
3/4 hot sauce
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 cups cooked rice
1 cup shredded cheese (cheddar or colby blend)
1 cup butter crackers, crushed

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Gather all needed ingredients and utensils.
2. Combine the cream cheese with 2 TBS of butter in a small sauce pan over low heat, stirring until smooth.
3. In a separate large skillet: saute onion, celery, and green pepper in 2 TBS butter until tender.
4. Add the smooth cream cheese mix to the sauteed vegetables in the large skillet, mixing well. Add shrimp, crab meat, cream of mushroom soup, drained mushrooms, garlic powder, hot sauce, cayenne, and cooked rice. Mix well.
5. Transfer combined ingredients to a prepared (use cooking spray) baking dish.
6. Mix crushed butter crackers with shredded cheese. Cover the mixture in the baking dish with the crushed cracker and cheese blend.
7. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes, or until center reaches 165 degrees F.
8. (Best served hot.)

Hints: I was first introduced to this dish at a work potluck dinner. The cook used seafood paella mix instead of only shrimp and crab meat. I prefer that combination, but my boys do not. (I'm sure it's a visual thing - but whatever.) Another way to up the nutritional value is to substitute wild rice for the regular white rice. Definitely, definitely one of my all time favorites!!

*Also linked up to Food on Friday over at Carole's Chatter - go check it out!!*

Savory Rice

Ingredients:

1 cup, uncooked long grain rice

4 TBS butter or margarine

1/2 large white onion, sliced

1 (4 oz) can sliced mushrooms, drained

*house seasoning* optional

3 TBS soy sauce

Directions:

1 - Prepare rice as directed by package instructions. (We use a rice cooker: 1 cup rice + 2 1/8 cups water.)

2 - In a deep skillet, melt butter or margarine and add sliced onions and sliced mushrooms.

3 - As onions begin to become transparent, add house seasoning if desired.

4 - Combine cooked rice to sauteed vegetables, then mix in soy sauce.

5 - Ready to serve - enjoy!!

Hint: Our version of house seasoning. is a shaker filled with equal parts ground black pepper, salt, garlic powder, and red pepper - used sparingly. Yes, a little goes a long way. We eat a lot of rice in our house and tonight I just needed to mix it up a bit, this recipe turned out beautifully! One of our children will not touch mushrooms, so I made sure to carefully portion him a serving without mushrooms. Poor guy doesn't know what he's missing!!

Mom's Spanish Rice

Ingredients:

1 cup white rice, prepared as directed

1/2 medium white onion, diced

1/2 medium green bell pepper, diced

1 can stewed tomatoes (Mexican seasoned)

3 TBS butter or margarine

1 small can of tomato paste

1 1/2-2 cups of chicken broth

1 1/2 tsp southwestern seasoning

3 dashes of hot sauce

2 tsp taco seasoning

* Melt butter in a deep skillet, then saute onion and green pepper in butter.

* Add stewed tomatoes with juice to onion and green peppers and stir until well combined.

* As vegetables begin to simmer, add tomato paste and chicken broth.

* Add cooked rice, and seasoning and continue to stir until well combined.

* Simmer on low for an additional 5-8 minutes. Add hot sauce (if desired) just prior to serving.

HINT: When I was still living at home my mom would make this rice for us when we had tacos for dinner. Another comfort food from my childhood! Occasionally she would brown ground beef and add it to the rice for serving as the main dish. If there are any leftovers...it is even better the second day! Enjoy!

This recipe is linked up to Church Supper #31 over at Everyday Mom's Meals...visit to check out more recipes from this week's Church Supper!

We're also posting this week on Sweet & Simple at Cups By Kim....go check it out!

Beef Satay Fried Rice

Ingredients:

2 tsp vegetable oil, divided
1 lb beef stew meat, diced into smaller pieces
3/4 cup baby carrots, diced
1 medium red bell pepper
4 green onions
1/2 tsp Thai red curry paste
2 cups uncooked rice
3/4 cup peanut sauce
1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts
**salt & pepper to taste**
chow mein noodles for garnish
egg rolls (as the side)

* cook rice as directed, set aside to cool

* heat 1 tsp vegetable oil in a deep pot or wok, cook stew meat pieces until just cooked then remove meat from pan to a separate warming dish reserving liquid

* add additional 1 tsp vegetable oil to reserved liquid in pot (wok) and return to heat

* add Thai curry paste to pot (wok) and stir until well combined

* to the pot (wok) next add the diced carrots, red pepper, green onions and stir fry until tender crisp

* combine rice into the vegetable stirring until the rice is well covered with the sauce

* finally add peanut sauce, peanuts, and cooked stew meat to rice and vegetable mixture

* stir until well combined and food is thoroughly heated, add salt and pepper if desired

* serve topped with chow mein noodles and prepared egg rolls

Hints & Tips: We used up the leftover vegetables from other meals this week and bought frozen mini egg rolls to save time in the kitchen. 5 of 5 family members enjoyed this meal completely!!

Buffalo Chicken Soup

Ingredients:

3 TBS vegetable oil

3 cups chopped celery

2 cups chopped onion

1 TBS minced garlic

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 quarts chicken broth

1 cup buffalo wing sauce

1 (16 oz) container sour cream

5 boneless skinless chicken thighs

1 cup uncooked rice, prepared as directed

For garnish: blue cheese crumbles, bacon crumbles, chopped celery & additional buffalo wing sauce

* Saute onion, celery, and garlic in vegetable oil over medium heat in deep skillet or pot on the stove top.

* Add AP flour, stirring constantly for approximately 2 minutes.

* Slowly add chicken broth, whisking into flour and vegetable mixture until smooth.

* Next add buffalo wing sauce and sour cream. Continue to whisk ingredients.

* Pour over chicken thighs in crock-pot.

* Cook on low 6-8 hours, or on high 4-5 hours.

* Add prepared rice, just before serving.

* Garnish with blue cheese crumbles, bacon crumbles, chopped celery & buffalo wing sauce.

**Would be excellent served in bread bowls**

Bulgogi

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 TBS garlic, minced
1 teaspoon white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon Accent seasoning (optional)
1 pound beef top sirloin, thinly sliced
1 carrot, julienned
1 green onion, chopped
1/2 yellow onion, chopped




- In a large resealable plastic bag, combine soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, sugar, salt, black pepper, and Accent.




- Place beef, carrots, and onions in the bag; seal, and shake to coat the vegetables and beef with the sauce.

- Refrigerate for at least 4-6 hours.




- Cook marinaded meat and vegetables over medium heat in a deep skillet or grill pan until meat is fully cooked.




- Serve with rice or noodles

Sweet & Tangy Chicken

Another crock-pot recipe we tweaked a bit - it was a hit here!

Put in crock-pot first:

2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp allspice (we used Pampered Chef Cinnamon Blend)
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 TBS soy sauce
1/4 cup cider vinegar
**Juice drained from 20 oz. skinny fruit pineapple slices - save the pineapple to add later**
2 TBS quick-cooking tapioca
1 TBS sugar

Cook on low 5-6 hours, stirring occasionally.



About one hour before you are ready to eat, add to crock-pot:

reserved pineapple
1 1/2 green peppers (diced, large chunks)
1/2 medium red onion (diced, large chunks)



We decided to go with rice on the side tonight. Noodles would be good too but the resident 16 year old was fussing about "pasta, pasta, pasta"...so we switched it up a bit. Yep, we're sneaky like that!