Potato Casserole

Here is another easy to make casserole dish. This was an inversion from last week that turned out pretty well.

Ingredients:

5 small red potatoes, cut into cubes

2 carrots, sliced

3 chicken thighs, cut into cubes

1/2 onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

mixes seasoning, salt, paprika, chili powder, black pepper

Cut up the potatoes into cubes, add seasoning and mix. Sprinkle salt and seasoning onto chicken and add to potatoes. Add carrots, onions and garlic. Then add water to almost cover the potatoes (see picture below).

Cover and bake at 400F for 1 hour. Remove the cover and cook uncovered for another 30 minutes.

I like to use cast iron casserole pots, they distribute heat evenly, and are just really convenient for this type of dishes. They are expensive, but they last forever. My cat iron casserole dish will probably outlive me.

Chicken Kebabs

Ingredients:

• 2-3 chicken breasts cut in 1in cubes
• 1 lemon
• 1/8 onion
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp salt
• black pepper
• herbs: basil, thyme and rosemary
• 2 tbps oil

Blend all the marinate ingredients in the food processor.

Transfer to a dish or a bowl where you will be marinating the chicken.

Cut the chicken into 1in cubes and add them to the marinade. Allow it to marinade for several hours.

Then thread it on the skewers with some veggies and grill until the chicken is cooked.

Chicken with Sun Dried Tomatoes

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes in oil
1 cup chicken broth
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
oil

Side dish- potatoes:
handful of baby red potatoes
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste


If the chicken breasts are too thick, cut them into 2 thin pieces each. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper on both sides.


Fry them in oil over medium/high heat.


In the meantime, cut the baby potatoes into halves or quarters and fry in oil in a separate pan. Add salt and pepper to taste. Don't forget to stir them while you prepare the chicken.


When the chicken in done, remove it from the pan and set on a clean plate. In the remaining oil add sun dried tomatoes, oregano, chicken broth and vinegar. Reduce the heat to low and stir for about 5 minutes. The liquid will reduce to about half of what you started with.


Place the chicken back into the pan to allow it to absorb the sauce. Turn it over several times.


By this time, potatoes should also be done and ready to serve.


Serve hot with sauce and sun dried tomatoes over chicken.


Featured products:

Copper pots are nice, but very expensive. If you ever have a chance to get one in sale, take it.

Teriyaki Chicken with Bell Peppers and Tomatoes

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts
1 orange bell pepper, sliced
1/2 red onion, sliced
handful cherry tomatoes, cut in halves
2 cups white rice
salt to taste
oil

Marinade:
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup red wine
1 tsp minced ginger
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
4 tbsp olive oil


Prepare the marinade by mixing all the ingredients together in a bowl. Cut the chicken breast.


Place the chicken into the marinade 2-6 hours before you are ready to cook it.


When you are ready to cook, start your rice in the rice cooker while you prepare the chicken and veggies.

Heat the oil on a wok. Add chicken. Fry on a high heat until chicken is completely cooked.


Slice pepper and onion.


Add pepper and onion to the wok and stir. Lower the heat to medium. Cook for a couple of minutes.


Add cherry tomatoes. Salt to taste. Stir. Tomatoes will fall apart and give it a nice flavor.


The veggies should be soft, but not completely overcooked.


Serve over white rice.


Featured products:

Baked Baby Zucchinis and Chicken

If you have a farmers market in your town, you should definitely support it by going there. I know things are a lot more expensive than at the supermarket, but small local farms are also much more expensive to run than those mass produced farms that ship veggies across the country when they are still not ripe. If nothing else, it is a pleasant experience seeing all the vendors and their booths.

Last weekend I visited our local farmers market in Sunnyvale, and bought some organic baby squashes and zucchinis.

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts

1 lb of baby squashes and zucchinis

1 pepper

1 carrot

4 small potatoes

fresh rosemary

salt, pepper, paprika, vegeta or other seasoning salt

olive oil

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Wash all the veggies, cut up potatoes, carrot and pepper. Leave baby squashes and zucchinis whole. Place all the veggies into a large bowl. Sprinkle the spices to taste and mix.

Cut each chicken breast into two thin slices.

Season them on both sides.

Place the chicken on the bottom of the baking dish. Then add oil to cover the bottom.

Place seasoned veggies over the chicken. Distribute rosemary branches in between the vegetables.

Bake at 400F for 1 hour. Then turn the chicken, and bake for another 30 minutes.

Featured products:

Grilled Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

chicken breasts
mixed salad greens
seasoning
Worcestershire sauce
oil

Dressing:
balsamic vinegar
olive oil
thyme
salt
pepper
a drop of mustard

Preferably, a couple of hours before grilling, apply seasoning generously on both sides of the chicken breasts. I use chunky seasoning, add some salt and pepper, and paprika and garlic powder if the seasoning doesn't contain it already. Press with your fingers to make sure the spices get absorbed. Then sprinkle some Worcestershire sauce and oil over it. Cover and leave in the refrigerator until you are ready to grill it.


Grill the chicken, and while it is grilling, wash and cut salad greens .


Make salad dressing. I make mine by mixing some olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I also add thyme, salt, pepper and just a little bit of mustard.


When the chicken is done grilling, cut it up while its still hot.

When you are ready to eat, poor the dressing over the salad greens. Then place hot grilled chicken pieces over it.

Featured products:

I use OXO salad spinner to dry my salad after washing. You don't want your salad to be too wet, it will dilute the dressing and the flavors. Also, a nice wooden bowl is good for serving salads and both formal and casual dinners.

Baked Chicken on Potatoes

This is the first dish I learned to make when I was a kid. It would be really hard to mess up this dish, as it is extra easy. So, you should try it even if you are not an experienced cook. The prep time is quick, then you just need to bake it for about 1.5 - 2 hours. This will make a very tasty dish for you and your guests.

Ingredients:

2 chicken quarters
4 potatoes
salt, garlic powder, paprika and black pepper
oil

Preheat the oven to 450F. Season the chicken quarters generously with above mentioned spices. Cut potatoes in larger slices. Season them with the same spices and sprinkle oil on them. Mix well, so that the potatoes are covered in oil and spices. Place chicken on the bottom of the baking dish and arrange the potatoes around them. Use more oil if needed (the amount of oil will depend on your baking dish). You do not need too much oil here, as chicken quarters will release some oil from the skin.

Bake for 45 minutes skin side up. Then turn the chicken over and bake for another 45 minutes. At this point, you may serve it or turn it over (skin side again) for another 15-30 minutes if you like it well done. If you like crunchy skin, turn on the broiler for 5 minutes, but not longer. If you decide to broil it, make sure you don't forget to check it from time to time as it will cook really fast and may burn it.



Featured products:

Every household should have at least one quality, heavy duty baking dish. Heavy dishes last forever, hold the heat really well and cook evenly without drying out your meal.

Fried Rice with Chicken and Shiitake Mushrooms

I make fried rice often, and it's really a full meal when you add chicken, mushrooms and veggies. This is quick and easy to make, and it makes great lunch leftovers that you can take to work the next day.

Ingredients:

3 cups of white rice
1 chicken breast, cut into about 1/2 in cubes
4-5 shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1/2 red onion, chopped
2 clove garlic, minced
1 carrot, sliced
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
1 bell pepper, sliced
1 tsp minced ginger
4 Tbsp oil
4 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
salt to taste
pinch of sugar

First, set the rice to cook in your rice cooker, while you cut up the veggies. Heat the oil in the large wok, then add the chicken breast. When it browns, which should take only a few minutes, you can add the veggies. Fry all together for about 5 minutes. At this point, add salt and a dash of sugar.

It should look something like this when it's done frying (picture below). Don't over cook, or the veggies will disintegrate and form a sauce.

When the veggies have desired consistency, add cooked white rice and stir. Make sure you stir well, so that the veggies don't burn in the bottom of the wok. Also, during the stirring, the rice will continue to cook and get the flavors from the oil and veggies.

Sprinkle rice vinegar and stir well. Then add soy sauce and stir again for a couple of minutes. You may turn off the burner now. Your fried rice is ready.

Featured product:

Chicken in Shiitake Mushroom Sauce

I invented this recipe as I was trying to think of something to cook for a Christmas party. I went to the supermarket and impulsively bought several things that looked good, without a real plan whether they can be cooked together or not. Don't worry, I didn't combine everything I bought that day. Here is what I used.


Ingredients:

5 chicken quarters
1/2 lbs shiitake mushrooms
2 carrots
1 red onion
4 Tbsp soy sauce
1/2 cup cooking wine
oil
seasoning mix

This would make enough food for about 8 people. If you don't plan to cook for a party, you can use thighs with skin and bones instead of the quarters. Accordingly reduce the quantities of the other ingredients.


Cover the chicken quarters with your favorite seasoning mix. If you don't use seasoning mix, you can combine salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, chili powder, and a bit of sugar. Sprinkle with a little bit of oil. You don't need much oil here, because as the chicken cooks, it will release the fat from the skin. Bake at 350F for an hour or little longer turning once or twice to make sure it browns on both sides.



While the chicken is baking, slice the onion, mushrooms and carrots. Saute them in oil for a few minutes. Then add soy sauce and wine. Continue cooking over medium heat for another couple of minutes.



Arrange the baked chicken in a baking dish and cover it with the sauce. Cook in the oven, covered, at 350F for another 15-20 minutes.



Serve over white rice.


Featured products:

Get a good heavy baking dish, that will last you a lifetime.