Chicken Rice Bowl

We made this super yummy dish at a Relief Society evening where we had a "Chopped" competition. This rice bowl took first place! It is so good! There are several ingredients in the sauce that are tricky to find so I took a picture of everything so you could see what the bottles look like:

 I found the Mr. Yoshida's sauce in the BBQ sauce/ketchup section. The chili garlic sauce is by the same company that makes Sriracha sauce, if you are familiar with that. I found it in the Asian section of my grocery store. I bought minced garlic by accident. It is really suppose to be minced ginger. I found this in the produce section. Don't skip the ginger. After making it without last night, it makes a big difference. Canned coconut milk can also be found in the Asian section. OK, here we go:

Chicken Rice Bowl

2 cups chicken, grilled and cubed (I have made it with pork, and this was also good)
1 1/2 cups broccoli florets.
1 zucchini, cubes
3 celery stalks, washed and sliced
4 carrots, peeled, then chopped or grated
1 Tbs. vegetable or olive oil
Coconut Rice (recipe follows)
Spicy Hawaiian Teriyaki Sauce (recipe follows)

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add carrots, celery, zucchini, and broccoli (you can really add any vegetables you want). Saute only until veggies are crisp tender. Add in chicken. Serve over rice, with the teriyaki sauce on the side. About 3 Tbs. per bowl, it has quite a kick.

Coconut Rice and Red Beans

2 c. long grain white rice
2 1/2 c. water
1 14-oz. can coconut mild (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 Tbs. sugar
1 can red beans, drained and rinsed

Combine all ingredients in a rice cooker. Gently stir it all together so the beans are all mixed. Place the lid in and start the rice cooker. Fluff rice with a fork before serving. If you don't have a rice cooker, combine water, coconut milk, and sugar in a saucepan. Stir in rice and beans. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 18-20 minutes until most moisture is gone and rice is done.

Spicy Hawaiian Teriyaki Sauce

3/4 cup Mr. Yoshida's teriyaki sauce
1 tsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. chili garlic sauce
1 tsp. mince ginger
pinch of salt
pinch of brown sugar
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 Tbsp. cold water

Combine teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, garlic sauce, ginger, salt, and brown sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Combine cornstarch and cold water and then slowly add to sauce for thickening. Allow to simmer for a minute. Cool to room temperature and serve over your rice bowl. If you find that the sauce is too thick as it cools, add a little more teriyaki sauce or water. Enjoy!

 Here is my super kitchen helper. She did a great job making the rice and stir-frying the veggies.

An Easy Sunday Dinner

I bought pork ribs at Lee's the other day. The checker, named Ken, gave me a great idea on how to prepare those bad boys. So here is an easy Sunday dinner courtesy of Ken, the checker at Lee's in Smithfield. If you are in at Lee's go through his line and chat with him. He will tell you all about pulled pork and Ireland. Thanks for dinner, my checker friend!
One other thing: I got the french fries at Walmart. They are the Great Value brand seasoned fries. They are really good. Try them with this dinner.

Pulled Pork

• 3-4 lbs. country style pork ribs
• 1 can Dr. Pepper (or be like me and buy a liter, you can drink the extra with your dinner)
• 1 bottle of Dr. Pepper barbecue sauce (yes you read that right. I didn't even know it existed before I chatted with Ken. They have it at Lee's.)
• 1 dozen mini hoagie buns- They also have these at Lee's. I found them to be the perfect size for these sandwiches.
  

Throw the pork ribs in your crock pot. Pour the can of Dr. Pepper over the top. Cook on low for 6-7 hours. This is why this dinner is so easy. I don't use my crock pot nearly as much as I should, but I love it when I do. After 6-7 hours, drain meat and then shred it using two forks. Return to crock pot and cover with the entire bottle of barbecue sauce. I put a little extra Dr. Pepper in the bottle and shook it up to get all the sauce out. Another reason to buy a whole liter. Combine well and let the meat heat through.

Broccoli Cauliflower Soup and Breadsticks

First of all, I apologize to any of you who actually read this blog. I guess I have been busy lately. Claire has kind of turned into a um, high maintenance child. Syd's homework load has been unbelievable this year. I love her teacher, but we have an hour to 1 1/2 hours of homework on a good night. Plus Brynn has ballet, Syd has Tae Kwon Do, I have a new calling which keeps me hopping (Stake YW Sports Director) and Shawn is the 2nd counselor/Scoutmaster for the Young Men. So we are busy.
So I decided I will aim for one post a week. We will see how that works. I've stockpiled a few so we should be good for a while. Here is a double header for today.



Broccoli Cauliflower Soup

This is a recipe I got from my mother-in-law, Julie, when Shawn and I first got married. I don't use a recipe to make it so it has morphed into something a little different, but it is still easy and yummy! Shawn's family calls it Relief Society Soup. I think Julie got the recipe at RS or used to take it to RS lots or something. This recipe is very much a to-your-taste recipe. Just combine things until it reaches the right consistency and flavor for you.

• 1 head broccoli
• 1 head cauliflower
• 2 cups milk
• 1/2 cube- 1 cube butter
  
• instant potatoes- I like the potato pearls you get from the church cannery but potato flakes also work
• 2 cups grated cheddar cheese
• 1 Tbs. Lawry's seasoning

Wash and cut broccoli and cauliflower into bite-size pieces. Place in a large stock pot and just cover with water. Place on stove and bring to a boil. Boil until veggies are fork-tender. Without draining veggies, pour in milk and add butter and Lawry's seasoning. I use less butter, but if you want more of that flavor add the whole cube. When butter is melted, add instant potatoes. I usually add 3-4 cups of potatoes. Add one cup at a time and mix well between cups. Stop adding when soup reaches the consistency you like. Remember soup will continue to thicken a little bit. When potatoes have been absorbed well add cheese. Serve soup hot. This soup reheats well, or can be made earlier in the day and kept in a crock pot on low.



Breadsticks

These are some great breadsticks that my mom used to make. They are best if eaten the day they are made.

• 1 1/2 c. warm water
• 2 Tbs. sugar
• 1 Tbs. yeast
• 1 tsp. salt
• 4 c. flour
• 2 Tbs. melted butter
• Garlic salt
• Parmesan cheese
  

Combine warm water and sugar and let dissolve. Then add yeast and let it rise for 10 minutes. Pour yeast water in a large bowl or Kitchen Aid. Add salt and flour. Mix well. Let dough raise 10 minutes. Roll out dough on a floured surface until it's 1/2-3/4 inch thick. Use a pizza cutter to cut into bread sticks. Place on 2 greased cookie sheets. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with garlic salt and/or Parmesan cheese. Let breadsticks raise 20 minute or until double in size. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Serve hot with yummy Broccoli Cauliflower soup.

Halloween Mummies

I found this super fun photo/idea on Tastespotting and decided to try it for dinner. I have to admit I am very fond of these little guys. Aren't they cute?
This recipe was adapted from a recipe found on Cooking By the Seat of My Pants.

Halloween Mummies

4 jumbo hot dogs
1 can Pillsbury Grands biscuits
your favorite mustard

Cut hot dogs into thirds.
Take each biscuit from can and roll it out so that it is long and skinny. Using a pizza wheel, cut the biscuit into three long strips. Using two strips per hot dog piece, wrap dough around hot dog to resemble a mummy. Don't over think this people, just have fun, and leave a spot for the mummy to see through it's wraps.
Place wrapped hot dogs on a cookie sheet covered with parchment or a Silpat. If you don't have either of these, use a thin coat of pan spray. Bake in a 350 degree oven for approximately 15 minutes, or until biscuits are golden brown. Allow mummies to cool on sheet for several minutes.
Using a toothpick, make little eyes on each mummy out of your favorite mustard.
Serve immediately with mustard and any other dipping sauces (my kids like ketchup). You could also use little smokies instead of hot dogs and take them to your party this year as an appetizer.

Yummy! These were a hit with the kids, and you can talk to your dinner while you eat it.