Asian Chicken Meatballs

This recipe really surprised me. I thought it sounded good, but decided to cook it one night just because I already had the stuff in the house and it was quick. Holy crap though, it is super freaking delicious. The recipe (thanks Martha!) calls for turkey, but I had chicken, so that's what I used. All that is in it is breadcrumbs, cilantro, scallions, garlic, fish sauce and sriracha. You mash it all together, easiest with your hands of course, and roll the balls. It makes 12 regular sized meatballs for 1 lb of meat. Then you brown them on all sides in a pan, for about 10 minutes, then toss them in the oven for 10 more minutes to bake through. Including cooking time, it only took maybe 30 minutes. Great for during the week. Serve the meatballs over rice with steamed, shredded carrots- cook the rice in the microwave, and when it's done, before you fluff, toss in the shredded carrots on top and cover with plastic. The heat from the rice will steam the carrots and then you just mix it all together. Do this while you are making the meatballs, and it will be done all at the same time. This one gets an A+ for sure. I ate all of the meatballs by the time lunch the next day was over, and was ready to make it again! This one is totally a new staple for me.

Homemade hot pockets

I got this recipe for hot pockets (the magazine called them handpies, but I don't like the sound of that for some reason) out of my favorite Martha magazine. Since I was going to the trouble, I made a double batch, one vegetarian and the other not.

First, you have to make the dough and let it sit for at least an hour in the fridge. It has cheese built right in! While that is sitting, you make the filling. My vegetarian version had sauteed mushrooms and spinach, and the carnivorous ones were chicken and spinach. I made one big batch of the spinach, and did both the chicken and mushrooms separately. You put broth in with the spinach and it turns into a gravyish substance.
Next, you have to cut the dough into discs, I just used a bowl that seemed to be about the right size, put your filling on the bottom disc, and attach the top with egg around the edges for glue. All that is left is to bake! These took me about 40 minutes, although the recipe said they would be done in 30. They held together pretty well, but the dough was a little bit crumbly. The pies were a hit in the house though.

Thank you, Martha

My mother raised me to hate Martha Stewart's guts, but I just can't do it! I love her. I think she can do no wrong. Recently I subscribed to the Everyday Food magazine, since I buy it at the store so much. This recipe came from there, and even though it is simple, it was incredibly good. It is a buffalo chicken wrap. With julienned carrots and celery, and ranch sauce. Should I have thought of this myself? Totally, but I didn't. And Martha did. that is why she is a bazillionaire and I am not. I had it on a plain old tortilla. I grilled the chicken first, and then tossed the cut up pieces in the hot sauce. It was really easy and did I say delicious?

Mmmmm Indian food

We had Indian food for dinner the other night. And yummy. I never had it until a few years ago, but I really love it. It took awhile for me to try cooking it because it seems a bit intimidating. And I have had some hard meals, where I was cooking ALL DAY. But then I started taking some shortcuts, and now it is just a normal thing for us. I made some curry chicken, which was literally just cubed chicken I cooked in a bottle of sauce, and some spicy garbanzo beans on the side. Those were flavored with a packet of spices, and had some chopped peppers thrown in. Put it all over a bed of rice, and you have a fantastic dinner.

I'll call this one "the kitchen sink"

So the other day, or maybe the other week.... I don't remember since I am getting behind on these updates! Anyway, one night, I made dinner. Sometimes I like to make up a concoction that uses the bits and pieces I have left over from piles of vegetables. They don't always work out, but this one did, woohoo!

In the dutch oven, I sauteed some onions, shallots, and garlic in some olive oil. I added carrots, celery and some green beans. Next I added some chicken cut into large pieces (I mean a breast or thigh meat cut into about thirds, not bite sized). I also put in some chopped, thick cut bacon. Once this was cooked for a few minutes, I added mushrooms and broth (both chicken and veggie since I had a little bit of each). This wasn't enough liquid, so I had to add some water too. The only spices I used were salt, pepper, and a bunch of thyme. After that, I plopped the lid on, and boiled away. About 30-45 minutes later, most of the liquid was gone and a tasty dinner was made.

Chicken Risotto

I love me a cooking show. It hurts my heart that I no longer have the food network. Now I have to make do with all of the cooking shows that are on PBS. My favorite one is Lidia's Italy. K and I watch it all the time, and have tried tons of her recipes, and copy her techniques. We also use some of her Italian words in our every day life. Yes, we are that dorky. Anyway, last week she had an episode about risotto. I love risotto and her recipes seemed so easy so I decided to make a chicken one that night. It was really easy.

First I had to make some pistata (I am totally guessing on that spelling) which is just her word for carrots, celery and onions that you buzz up in the food processor. Then, in the dutch oven, I sauteed that in oil for a few minutes, and added cubed chicken. I cooked it for a few more minutes, and added about a whole container of chicken broth, and a bunch of rice. I didn't have arborio on hand, so I just used short grain brown rice. The only seasoning was a few bay leaves and salt/pepper. I cooked it for awhile till the rice was done, and that was it! The only difference was on the show, she said that would take 10 minutes, but it was more like 45. If it starts getting too dry, you can add more broth. The picture isn't that great, but the food sure was!

Edited to add:
Ohmigosh! I forgot the whole end to this recipe! So after the rice is cooked and everything, you add a couple of pats of butter, and then pretty much a handful of grated parmesan cheese. Once that is all melted in, THEN you are done!