Chad's Risotto

This is a very simple recipe but it is time consuming.
You may want to do some arm exercises before beginning.

Zoe is a picky eater but when her dad makes risotto, she usually has two servings.

Chad's Risotto:

3 cloves of chopped garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ chopped onion
1 ½ cups of Arborio rice-Use Arborio rice...it's for risotto and it's nice and fat!
1 ½ quarts of either chicken stock or chicken broth
a pinch of crushed saffron or 1 teaspoon of paprika if you don't have saffron
1/3 cup of Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
salt and pepper to taste

Heat up the chicken stock or chicken broth in a separate saucepan. 

We use homemade chicken stock. 

Chicken stock can sometimes be hard to find in grocery stores, otherwise chicken broth works just as well. You just may not need to add salt at the end.

Bring the stock to just a simmer.

Have a 6 oz. ladle handy to scoop it into the rice.

In a separate large saucepan, add the olive oil, onion, and garlic and stir.

Once the onions start to turn clear add the rice and stir to coat.

Let the rice warm up and then add two ladles of stock.

Here comes the fun part. Hope you did your warm up exercises.

Stir constantly and keep it going.

I recommend a wooden spoon to stir.

Add stock when the liquid has almost evaporated and continue stirring.

About 20 min. into the stirring add the crushed saffron or paprika.

Saffron is expensive and hard to find, so paprika works just as well.

After about 45 minutes of stirring and adding the stock, the risotto should be done.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Remove the pan from the heat and add the Parmesan cheese and butter.

Stir thoroughly.

Serve immediately and enjoy.

It takes awhile to make but Oh My Word, it is worth it.
It's warm and hearty and cheesy and out of this world great!

Easy Tips For Easy Meals

Some quick tips today!
From an easy pork tenderloin to fantastic baked potatoes to make-it-yourself taco seasoning!


Sweet and Spicy Pork Tenderloin:
Everyday Food 2012   

Mix together 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 3/4 teaspoon ground allspice, and 3 tablespoons light brown sugar.  Season a 1 pound pork tenderloin with salt and pepper.  Rub pork with spice mixture.  Roast in a 475 degree oven for 15-20 minutes.  The brown sugar will caramelize the meat and the cayenne gives it a nice kick.  Easy and delicious. 

Easy and Awesome Baked Potatoes: 

I love the baked potatoes from certain restaurants that have a nice crusty layer of salt on them.

I do have a bit of a salt addiction.  To achieve this at home coat a potato with melted butter.  Then layer on the salt.  Lots of kosher salt.  Bake in a 400 degree oven for about an hour.  Don't forget to poke the potato with a fork before setting it in the oven.  No need to wrap in foil.  Pull it out and give it a squish from the outside in.  Layer on the butter, sour cream, cheese, bacon, salsa.  Whatever your potato heart desires. 

Easy Taco Seasoning:

Don't spend money on sodium packed pre-packaged taco seasoning.  It's easy to make your own at home.  Mix together 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper, 1/2 teaspoon paprika, and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon.  After the meat has been browned, we use ground turkey for tacos, stir in this seasoning mix with 1/4 cup of water on a simmer until all of the water has evaporated.  Tacos For Everyone!

Cashew Chicken-Crock Pot Style!

When I was a kid my grandmother would take me to eat at The China Palace.
An authentic Chinese restaurant in the heart of factory-ville in our town.
Real tea served in real tiny Asian teacups.
I ALWAYS ordered the Cashew Chicken.
I found this on Pinterest and made it on Wednesday.
So easy and so delish.
I'm not really a crock pot kind of person, but have started trying out new things (chicken only) and this is one we really liked.
I adapted it slightly.
Even the kids liked it! That's saying something!

Slow Cooker Cashew Chicken:
sixsistersstuff.com

2 lbs boneless chicken thighs or breast tenders (I used the thighs and it was awesome!)
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp canola or olive oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 Tbsp ketchup
1 Tbsp brown sugar
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (won't add too much heat, but will add flavor!)
1/2 cup cashews, roughly choped
5 oz broccoli florets (fresh or frozen...I used fresh becasue most frozen packages are full of stems and I like the tops). Roughly chop these as well.
White Rice

Combine flour and pepper in large Ziploc bag. Add chicken and shake to coat. Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Brown chicken about 2 minutes per side. Place into crock pot.

Combine soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ketchup, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes in small bowl, whisk to combine.
Pour this mixture over the chicken.
See, I told you it's easy!

Cook on LOW for 3-4 hours.
When there's 45 mintues left on the clock, add the broccoli.
Stir well.
When there's 30 minutes left on the clock, add the cashews.
At this point the chicken will be falling apart.
Just tear it up while in the crockpot with some tongs and a fork and give everything another stir.

Cook up a batch of white rice (I use the fancy 5 minute rice!).
If you want more sauce to pour over the final product, by all means double the sauce recipe.

Not quite as good as The China Palace, but since that place no longer exists I find that this will do.
Enjoy!
Xiangshou!

Pad Thai...my way

I love Thai food.

Especially Pad Thai.

I love peanut sauce and peanut sauce and peanut sauce.

There is nowhere in our town to get amazing Thai food.

So, I like to make my own version of Pad Thai at home with a little help from a pre-made sauce. 

What you will need to make some at-home Pad Thai is: 

A box of rice noodles

A jar of Thai Peanut sauce.

Canola oil

3 Eggs 

Some green onions (scallions)

Peanuts

Your choice of protein...I usually go with firm tofu, shrimp, or chicken.

For the recipe below, I had no proteins though.

Darn.

Limes

This recipe can be increased...this serves two people.

You can also add bean sprouts if you have them.   

   

Here are the noodles I use:

And the peanut sauce.

I could eat this straight from the bottle.

Really. 

Start by soaking the noodles in hot water according to the package directions. 

This should take 25 minutes. 

I used half of the box of noodles for two servings. 

Take a few green onions and chop them up, green and white parts.

Next, grab a handful of peanuts and give those a rough chop.

Beat 3 eggs in a bowl.

Next, heat 3 tablespoons of canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. 

If you are using a protein, this is where you would add that.

When the oil is hot, scramble those eggs.

When the noodles are done soaking, drain them and toss them into the skillet with the eggs.

Make sure the noodles are soft enough, but don't over-soak them.

If they are under-soaked, they will be crunchy.  If they are over-soaked they will fall apart.

It's a fine noodle balance we are playing with here.

Stir the eggs and noodles a bit in the pan together.

Do this for about 3 minutes.

Now here comes the good part.

Add the chopped onions, peanuts and as much Thai Peanut Sauce as you can handle into the pan with the noodles and eggs.

Add another tablespoon of canola oil while you are at it.

Give it a good stir and let that cook up for another two minutes. 

While you are waiting for the flavors to meld together, go ahead and cut up a lime into quarters.

Each plate should get two limes for squirting. 

Transfer the glorious mixture of peanuts, onions, sauce, eggs, noodles, and limes 

to your serving vessels.

Squirt the juice of the limes on top.

This is a must!

Also if you want, and I always want, add some more peanuts and sauce to your finished product.  

This is Pad Thai my way.

Make it my way or add something to make it your way.

It will knock your socks off!