Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

For all of you who have been hounding me to post some recipes on my blog, here you go. Now, LEAVE ME ALONE!! Just kidding. I'm flattered by the hounding. I'm glad that many of you use this blog for recipes. I can't believe that it has been two years since I lasted posted! That is craziness. A lot has happened in the last two years! Life has been a little crazy. But I do enjoy keeping this blog and I am recommitting myself to post recipes!

I have to give warning, that I don't have great pictures. Over the last two years, I have snapped a lot of pictures of food to add to the blog, but most of them have been taken on my phone. So, you get what you get and you don't throw a fit! And please don't mind the 90's bowl in the above picture. That was the stoneware I got for my wedding. Shorty after this picture was taken, ya know- almost 2 years ago, I replaced all my stoneware with cute and very plain white ones! Yippee!

This is a recipe that I make very often. I love this soup. It is a perfect soup to make a big batch of and take some to a new mommy, or a sick friend. It is perfect because it is warm and comforting, yet doesn't have any strong or overbearing flavors. It really is the perfect soup. You should make it before it gets too warm outside!

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

1 large onion, diced
1 cup carrots, sliced
2 ribs celery, sliced
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
8 cups chicken broth
3 cups cooked wild rice
1-2 cups cooked chicken breast, cubed
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 can evaporated milk

In a large pot, saute onion, carrots and celery in the butter until tender. Stir in flour until blended. Gradually add broth. Stir in rice, chicken, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil over medium heat, and stir until slightly thickened. Add milk. Cook for 3-4 more minutes. Serve.

Asian Flank Steak

This is one of our new favorite dinners around here. The husband absolutely loves it. I like it because it is super easy, and doesn't require a lot of time to prep and make. The first time I made it, Steve said "you should make this for company".  I haven't done that yet, but I am sure that I will before too long.
I have made this with flank steak, london broil, and some sirloin steaks that I got on sale. I think that any inexpensive type of steak is fine, the trick is just to slice it like you would a flank steak.

Asian Flank Steak

1 Tbsp canola (or veg) oil
1 1/2 Tbsp fresh grated ginger
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1/2 cup soy sauce
3 Tbsp water (omit water if using low sodium soy sauce)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 flank steak
Thinly sliced green onions
Hot cooked white rice

Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the ginger and garlic, and cook, stirring, until very fragrant, or about 3 minutes. Add soy sauce, water and brown sugar. Simmer for about 5 minutes. Preheat oven on Broil while sauce is simmering, and cut small slits into both sides of the steak. Place steaks on a broiler pan (I put my wire rack on top of a foil covered cookie sheet) Brush or spoon a little bit of the sauce onto the top of the steaks, then place under the broiler for about 4 minutes. Flip the steaks and spoon or brush more sauce on the other side, and broil for about 4 more minutes, for medium rare. Leave it in longer if you want it more well done.
Transfer the steak to a cutting board and let it rest for about 5 minutes. Thinly slice the steak, against the grain, and diagonal. Place the slices of steak on a platter, and spoon a little more sauce over the top, then sprinkle with the sliced green onions. Serve with hot rice and the rest of the sauce for drizzling over the rice.

Cheesy Broccoli Rice

A few days ago, my stinking cute and practically-perfect-in-every-way friend Aly posted this recipe on her blog. I saw it that morning, and immediately knew my family would love it. And one of the things I noticed and loved about it, is that I always have all the ingredients on hand. So I made it that very night.
When I put in on the table my 8 year old said "I do not like that", and I said "um, first of all, you have never had it, and second of all, you love broccoli, rice, cheese and ranch, so why do you think you don't like it?" She attempted to tell me that she liked all those thing, but just not all together. Oh, really? Long story short, she had 3 servings of it and didn't eat anything else on her plate. My family loved this. I am so excited to have another super easy, can make at the last minute with out any planning, side dish that will go with about anything, side dish. Was that a run-on sentence? Or just really bad grammar?
As you can see here, Aly made these super cute by putting individual serving into a muffin tin. I decided to make it in a casserole dish, (you know, my super cute one that my hubby gave me for Christmas?) because I was doubling it (which, by the way, even after doubling it, we had no leftovers) and thought it would be easier. So feel free to do it either way. Thanks Aly for a recipe that could potentially change my life! (Kinda like this one did).

Cheesy Broccoli Rice

1 cup Minute White Rice, uncooked
1 cup chicken broth
1 1/2 cups frozen broccoli, thawed, drained (I added a little more than this)
2/3 cup shredded cheese (I used cheddar, but any will work)
1/4 cup ranch dressing
2 eggs, lightly beaten

Prepare rice as directed on package, but use the chicken broth instead of water. Place cooked rice in a large mixing bowl. Cool slightly. Stir in remaining ingredients until well combined. Spoon mixture into a greased casserole dish (or muffin tins). Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes, until lightly browned.

Coconut Chicken Curry

I have never classified my self as a "curry fan".... until I tried this. My friend Rachel brought it to a Church Activity, and I loved  it after the first bite. I was really excited to get the recipe and make it for my curry-lovin' husband.  Yep, he loved it too. I later found out from Rachel that her Brother-in-law came up with this recipe... pretty impressive.

Coconut Chicken Curry

2 chicken breasts, cubed
Fresh green beans (you don't need very many)
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1 can coconut milk (14 oz)
1 Tbsp. fish oil (fish sauce)
1 Tbsp. green curry (can add more if you like it spicier)
1 1/2 Tbsp sugar

Boil green beans with water and a dash of salt in a large saucepan, just for a couple of minutes, you still want them to be crunchy. Drain and return to the sauce pan with some butter and the red pepper. Stir fry the green beans and red pepper, then remove and set veggies aside. Add chicken to the pan and cook until done.  Remove and set aside.  Rinse the pan out with cold water to cool it down so that the coconut milk doesn't scorch. Put back on burner on low setting. Add can of coconut milk, fish sauce, green curry and sugar. Stir until dissolved. Add chicken and vegetables to milk mixture. Simmer until it thickens... although it doesn't really thicken too much.  Serve with rice.

Sweet and Sour Pork

A couple of months ago, my husband and I were able to go visit his brother and sister-in-law, Mike and Ann, in Kansas City.  We actually surprized Mike for his 40th birthday.  We had a great weekend and ate some great food while were were there.  My husband did his internship in Kansas City, so we lived there for a few months. Our all time favorite BBQ joint is there. We actually ate there twice in the 4 days we were there.  One of the yummy things we ate that weekend was this Sweet and Sour Pork that Ann made for us for dinner one night.  We loved it.  Thanks for sharing the recipe Ann.

**it was easier to list the ingredients in with the directions, so I put all the ingredients in bold so they would be easier to identify.

Sweet and Sour Pork

In a bowl combine:

2 eggs beaten
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup chicken broth

Beat until smooth. Cut 1 pound boneless pork into 1-inch cubes and stir into the batter. Fry in cooking oil until golden brown.
Meanwhile, in a skillet cook 2 cloves minced garlic in 2 Tablespoons of oil. (if you wanted to add some veggies like green pepper or carrots at this point, you could)

Stir in:
1 1/4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
2 tsp soy sauce

Bring to boil and boil rapidly for one minute.
Mix 1/4 cup cold water into 2 Tablespoons cornstarch.
Stir this into sauce mixture until thickened and bubbly.

Mix fried pork cubes into sauce until warm and coated. Serve over rice.

Italian Cream Cheese Chicken

Dinner doesn't get any easier than this. This is a super easy recipe that has tons of flavor. I first had this dish at a gathering of friends while we were living in Iowa City, Iowa. We loved it, and so I asked for the recipe.  Since then, I have run into different versions of the recipe many times in different cookbooks and blogs. When we first had it, it was served over smashed red potatoes, so that is the way I have always served it.  In all the other times that I have seen the recipe, it said to serve over rice or noodles. As you can tell in the picture, I decided to try it over rice. YUM. We really liked it with the rice. It wasn't as heavy of a meal as it is when it is served over the potatoes.  Don't get me wrong... it's good with the potatoes too.  Maybe next time I will try it with the pasta.

Italian Cream Cheese Chicken

4-6 boneless/skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup butter
2 8 oz. bricks of cream cheese
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2 envelopes dry Italian dressing mix
1 cup of milk

Melt butter in crock pot and then place chicken in crock pot.  Stir together the rest of the ingredients (doesn't need to be smooth) and pour over chicken.  Cook on low heat for about 6 hours. Remove lid and gently stir, breaking the chicken up as you stir. Serve over rice, pasta, or potatoes.

Beef Stir Fry

I love stir-fry.  It is one of my favorite things to make. I found the recipe for this stir-fry sauce in the Lion House Cookbook.  In there is it called "Beef and Seven Vegetables", but I like saying beef stir-fry better. And I don't use the same 7 vegetables that they say to use.  You can use whatever veggies you want in this, I will list below the ones that I usually like to use. All measurements listed below for the beef and veggies are approximate.  This is another one of those things that I never measure.

Beef Stir-Fry

1 1/2 lb lean beef, cut into strips
2 cups carrots
3 cups broccoli
3 cups cauliflower
1 or 2 small zucchini sliced
1 can either bamboo shoots or water chestnuts
1 cup snow peas
4 cups beef stock (or 4 cups water with 4 bullion cubes)
1/2 cup soy sauce
3 Tbsp corn starch mixed in 1/4 cup cold water

Cook strips of beef in a large skillet or wok (I usually cook it for about an hour or so to make it more tender, adding small amounts of water as it simmers, but that is totally optional). Add veggies to pan and stir-fry until veggies are crisp tender.  Remove beef/veggies from pan, and add beef stock, soy sauce and cornstarch/water.  Simmer until it starts to thicken, then add beef and veggies to it.  Serve over rice.

Chicken Satay

I really didn't think that my husband could like me any more than he already did.  But when I made this chicken, he somehow liked me even more.  His favorite restaurant in the whole world is this little whole in the wall Thai place in Salt Lake City called Thai Siam.  If you have ever been to lunch with him, I can guarantee that he has taken you there.  After I made this he gave me the best compliment ever.  He said "I don't need to go to Thai Siam anymore!"
I happened on this recipe on the Family Fun website.  I immediately knew Steve would love it, but wasn't sure about the rest of us.  I decided to give it a try.  It was a huge success. Every one of my kids and I loved it.  This will definitely become a regular dinner in our house.
* I served this with coconut jasmine rice.  I just replaced some of the water with a can of coconut milk when cooking the rice. I was so darn good!

Chicken Satay


CHICKEN AND MARINADE:
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup orange juice
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 to 2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp sesame oil (I actually didn't have this, so I just put in another tsp of veg. oil)
1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken, cut into 1-inch cubes

SATAY SAUCE
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup orange juice
1 Tbsp soy sauce, or to taste
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 Tbsp sugar
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
2 scallions, chopped (optional)

For the chicken and the marinade: whisk all the ingredients except for the chicken together in a medium bowl. Add the chicken cubes, turn to coat, cover, and marinate them in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.
Heat the oven to 500 degrees.  Thread chicken onto skewers, if desired, or just put the pieces on a foil-lined pan.  Bake 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
Meanwhile, for the satay sauce: whisk together the broth, orange juice, soy sauce, garlic, and sugar in a small saucepan until the sugar has dissolved.  Over low heat, whisk in the peanut butter until smooth.  Whisking constantly, heat the sauce until it has thickened, about 10 minutes. Add scallions.  Serve the sauce as a dip for the chicken.
This recipe serves 4.  I doubled it for the 6 of us, and we had some left over for Steve to take for lunch the next day

Poppy Seed Chicken

I got this recipe from my sister Laurie.  The first time we had it though was at our friend JoAnn Bulkley's house when we were first married.  I was really happy when Laurie put it in our "Walker Family Cookbook" because I never got the recipe from JoAnn.  My kiddos absolutely love this and love to eat the leftovers for every meal.... including breakfast.

Poppy Seed Chicken

2-3 cups cooked rice

4 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1 cup sour cream

* the recipe doesn't call for this, but I usually add 1/2 to 1 cup of milk.

1 row Ritz crackers, crushed

2 Tbsp poppy seeds

1/2 cup butter, melted

Spread rice in bottom of 9x13 pan or casserole dish (I usually spray the pan first).  Mix soup, sour cream and milk, then fold in chicken.  Spread this mixture on top of the rice.  Mix crackers, poppy seeds and butter.  Sprinkle/spread cracker mixture on top.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.

Easiest Teriyaki Sauce EVER

This really is the easiest ever. I got this "recipe" from my friend Tia. I have used it a few different ways. This picture is just of some stir-fried chicken and veggies, on rice with the sauce drizzled over the top. I have served it with just chicken and rice, with no veggies. I have used the sauce as a marinade, then grilled the chicken. And I have served it as a dipping sauce for chicken. So versatile, so easy!

Teriyaki Sauce

1 cup Soy Sauce
1 cup Sugar
1 cup Water

Combine ingredients in sauce pan and bring to a soft boil. Serve as desired.
(You can simmer it for a while, and it will thicken a little, although, if simmered too long, the flavors may become a little too intense)

**You can obviously make any quantity of this that you want. Any amount in Equal Parts will work.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

I got this recipe from my sister Laurie when I was a pretty newly-wed. We love this recipe. It is super easy. I love that the ingredients for the sauce are things that I always have on hand. It is really versatile too. You can do whole chicken breasts, or cut them up into bite sized pieces. I've done just about every size there is, however, our favorite is bite sized pieces. I often add a can of (drained) pineapple to this (Steve loves pineapple in it). I have also cooked this in a crockpot instead of baking it. I think I have also seen someone in my family do it in a dutch oven. If you like sweet and sour, you should try this recipe!

Sweet and Sour Chicken

8-10 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1-2 cups flour (seasoned with salt and any other spices you want)

Put flour and spices in large ziplock baggie. Add chicken and shake until chicken is well coated. Saute chicken in a little bit of oil in a skillet until browned. Place in a 9x13 or large casserole dish

Sauce:
2 cubes chicken bullion
1 cup hot water
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 T. soy sauce
1 cup vinegar
2/3 cup ketchup


Bring all ingredients to a boil in a sauce pan. Pour over chicken and bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour. Serve over hot, cooked rice.

Fried Rice

This really isn't a recipe, because I don't measure anything. I just throw in what I have. So I will just list what I usually put in it, and then tell you how I do it.

Fried Rice

Hot, cooked white rice (I ususally use about 6 cups cooked)
chopped/diced ham
shredded carrots
sliced green onion (I've used dehydrated minced onion in this too)
shredded cabbage
bean sprouts
frozen petite peas
soy sauce
3-4 Tbsp butter

Cook the rice. Meanwhile, melt butter in a large fry/saute pan. Add shredded carrots and cook for a few minutes, then add onion, cabbage, and sprouts. Saute until veggies are tender, then add peas and ham. Stir and cook for a few minutes, until peas are done. Add some soy sauce to this, mix it, then add the rice and fold it all together. Add more soy sauce according to your taste.

I usually end up with an almost equal amount of veggies/ham and rice. You can add or leave out whatever ingredients you want. I don't always add cabbage and sprouts, but usually one or the other. We like a lot of peas, so I usually add a whole package. I would recommend not leaving out the onion, it is a pretty essential flavor.

Broccoli Beef

I got this recipe from Sisters Cafe, sisterscafe.blogspot.com. It is the best Broccoli Beef recipe I have tried. Steve loves the slight peanut sauce taste to it. I am not huge peanut sauce fan, and the peanut taste is slight enough that I don't even notice it. I made it last night for dinner and actually took a picture!


Broccoli Beef


¼ c. low sodium soy sauce (I just use regular)
1 T. chunky peanut butter (I use creamy)
½ c. water
1 T. cornstarch
2 tsp vinegar
¼ tsp pepper
1/8 tsp powdered ginger
½ tsp garlic powder (I used minced garlic)
½ tsp onion powder
2 T. oil
½ lb (or more) diced or cubed beef, chicken, or pork (I've only tried the beef)
2 c. broccoli cut into small pieces
steamed rice
(I also add a can of bamboo shoots)

In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, peanut butter, water, cornstarch, vinegar, pepper, ginger, garlic powder, and onion powder. Mix well and set aside. In large skillet or wok, heat the oil. Add beef and cook, stirring constantly, for 2-3 minutes. (I cook the beef a lot longer, about 30-45 min, to get it more tender) Add the broccoli, and cook for another 3-4 minutes (or until meat and broccoli are almost done), stirring constantly. Add the sauce and mix thoroughly, then continue to stir until the sauce thickens. Serve over steamed rice.

Rice Pilaf

This is one of my most used recipes. It is known at our house as "Leah's Favorite Rice", although Anna thinks it should be called her favorite rice... but Leah staked claim first. I make this all the time, because it is the perfect, easy side dish that goes with everything.


Leah's Favorite Rice

1 cup orzo (rice shaped pasta)
1 cup rice
4-6 Tbsp butter
4 cups chicken broth (or 4 cups water with 5 tsp of chicken bullion granules)

Brown Orzo in butter over medium high heat. Add rice and broth. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for about 20 minutes or until liquid is gone and rice is tender.