Chicken Rice Balls

So while I was looking around for a recipe for Onigiri, I came across this recipe for Chicken Rice Balls on a random website. I decided to try them out and was happily suprised at how great they taste! It was like a tiny thanksgiving dinner all rolled up into a little ball and drizzled with sauce!

1/2c finely chopped celery
1/3c sliced green onions, divided
2T butter
2T flour
1/2c chicken broth
2c cooked rice (white is better in this case; brown seems to make it drier)
1/2c shredded cheddar cheese
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2tsp salt
1/2tsp chili powder
1/4tsp poultry seasoning
1/2c breadcrumbs
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/4c milk

In a medium saucepan, saute celery and half of the onions in butter until tender. Stir in flour. Add broth; cook and stir for 2 mintues (mixture will be thick). Stir in rice, chicken, cheese, egg, salt, chili powder and poutlry seasoning until well mixed. Shape 1/4 cupfuls into balls. Roll each in breadcrumbs and place in a greased 13x9 dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine soup, milk and remaining onions.

Cook and stir over medium heat until smooth and heated through; serve over balls.



Big Soft Pretzels

I kept thinking I had already posted this recipe on here, but I guess I haven't. This is my all time favorite snack/appetizer to serve people. :) Probably because I looooove soft pretzels so I assume everyone else does too, haha.

1 1/2c warm water
1pkg yeast
2T brown sugar
1 1/8tsp salt
1c bread flour
3c regular flour
2c warm water
2T baking soda
coarse kosher salt to taste
2-4T melted butter
1egg, slightly beaten

Sprinkle yeast on lukewarm water in mixing bowl; stir to dissolve. Add sugar, salt, and stir to dissovle; add flour and knead dough until smooth and elastic. Let rise 1/2 hour. While dough is rising, prepare a baking soda water bath with 2c warm water and 2T baking soda. Stir often. After dough has risen, pinch off bits of dough and roll into a long rope; shape into a pretzel. Dip pretzel into soda solution and place on *greased* baking sheet. Allow pretzels to rise again. Brush with egg and sprinkle with salt. Bake in a 450 degree oven for 8-10min or until golden brown. Brush with softened butter, and serve!

Sorry the pictures suck!

My camera screen is broken so we'll all just have to deal with it until I get a new one.

:\ *sigh*

New Spin on the Classic BLT

A normal BLT is just fine, but what about the people who can't stand tomatoes? Well here's the answer--apple slices!

What you'll need:

Toasted bread slices

Cooked bacon

Apple slices

Lettuce

Cheddar cheese slices

Turkey lunch meat

Mayo spread:

Mayo

Dijon mustard

pinch of thyme

Construction:

---toasted bread slice---

~smear of mayo spread~

| | |

~bacon slices~

~apple slices~

| | |

~smear of mayo spread~

---toasted bread slice---

| | |

~lettuce~

--turkey slices--

-cheddar cheese-

| | |

~smear of mayo spread~

---toasted bread slice---

Soooo gooooood.



Copycat-ish* Mexican Pizza

So I found this copycat recipe online. Unfortunately, this doesn't taste like the Taco Bell Mexican Pizza, but it still tastes really good and I'll definitely be making it again! However, next time I'm using 1/2lb instead of a whole pound of meat. I'm pretty sure using more meat was making it too dry. Hopefully this alteration will fix the problem... :)

1/2lb ground beef
1/2tsp salt
1/8tsp pepper
1/4tsp minced onion
1/4tsp smoked paprika
1 1/2tsp chili powder
2T water
8 flour tortillas
1c shortening
16oz can refried beans
2/3c mild salsa
1c cheddar, shredded
1c shredded monterey jack
1/4c diced tomato
1/4c chopped green onions

Brown ground beef over medium heat; drain. Add salt, onion, paprika, pepper, chili powder, and water. Then let mixture simmer over medium heat 8-10 min. Stir frequently. Heat shortening in heavy skillet over medium-high heat.
*TIP: If the oil is smoking it's too hot.*
Fry each tortilla for ~45 seconds per side, or until golden brown and let drain on paper towels. Heat up the refried beans in a small saucepan. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. To assemble the pizza, spread about 1/3c refried beans on face of one tortilla. Next spread 1/4 of the meat. Then another tortilla. Coat the tortilla with 2T of salsa, then split up the tomatoes and stack them on top. Next divide the cheese and onions, stacking in that order. Place pizzas in the oven for ~10min or until cheese on top is melted.

This recipe makes 4 big pizzas.

Lummy. :)

Vegetable-Beef Potpie

This is one of my favorite recipes so far! Plus, this recipe is a whole lot simpler than my homemade chicken pot pie one... :)

1lb ground beef or ground turkey
1 1/2c chopped carrots
1c chopped onion
1T chili powder
1/2tsp salt
1/8tsp pepper
14.5oz can diced tomatoes
13.8oz pkg refrigerated pizza dough
1 egg, lightly beaten
1T water

Preheat oven to 400degrees. In a skillet cook ground beef, carrots, and onion about 8 minutes or until beef is browned and carrots are tender. Drain fat. Stir in chili powder, salt, and pepper. Add tomatoes; bring to boiling. Simmer, uncovered, 5min or until liquid is nearly evaporated. Meanwhile, unroll pizza dough. Cut into 1in strips. In a small bowl combine egg and water. Spoon meat mixture into individual 16oz casseroles. Top with strips of pizza dough; trim to fit. Brush dough with egg mixture. Bake for 15-20min or until golden brown. Makes 4 servings.

DELICIOSO!

Chorizo-Pepper Hand Pies

These hand pies were good, but I'm not that big on Chorizo sausage. Next time I'm just going to use ground beef instead, and mozzarella instead of feta. You can try it that way if you want to.

1T olive oil
1/4c finely chopped red onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 yellow sweet pepper, seeded and finely chopped
5oz uncooked chorizo sausage (or 1/2lb of ground beef)
1/2c chopped tomato, fresh or canned
1tsp oregano
1/2tsp ground cumin
3/4c grated queso fresco (or crumbled feta, or shredded mozzarella)
17.3oz pkg frozen puff pastry sheets (2 sheets), thawed
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
1T milk
1c chopped yellow and/or orange sweet pepper
1/3c choppped pitted ripe olives (I hate olives so I didn't use them)
1/4c chopped fresh Italian parsley

For filling, in a large skillet heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and sweet pepper. Cook 7 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add chorizo. Cook 5min or until no longer pink, breaking up sausage and stirring occasionally. Drain fat. Return to heat; add tomato, oregano and cumin. Simmer, uncovered, 5-8 min or until liquid is evaporated. Season wiht salt and black pepper. Let cool. Add the cheese and stir to combine. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a floured surface with a floured rolling pin, roll puff pastry to 1/8in thickness. With a 3 1/2in round cookie cutter, cut 24 circles. Place 1 T filling in center of each circle. Combine beaten egg yolk with milk. Brush edges of half the circle with egg wash. Fold circle over to enclose filling; pinch edges together to seal. Brush tops with egg wash. Place on an ungreased baking sheet; bake 12 minutes or until golden brown.For the topping: in a small bowl combine 1c sweet pepper, olives, and parsley. Serve pies warm with topping and taco sauce for dipping.

Chicken & Cabbage Stir-Fry With Noodles

8oz Asian egg noodles (I actually used wide egg noodles)
1T sesame oil
2T peanut or another neutral-flavored oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1T minced fresh ginger
1 head Napa cabbage, shredded (5c)
2 carrots, peeled and cut into matchsticks or shredded
1T oyster sauce
2T soy sauce
2tsp honey
1-1 1/2c shredded cooked chicken

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the noodles until just tender; drain and toss with sesame oil. Heat peanut oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes. Add the cabbage and carrots and toss, cooking until the vegetables soften, about 3 minutes. While the veggies cook, mix the oyster sauce, soy sauce, and honey in a small bowl. When the vegetables are soft, add the chicken and noodles and cook for 1-2 minutes or until just warmed through. Add sauce and toss well to coat.

As you can see I got this recipe out of a magazine!

It was delicious! :)