Five-Spice Coconut Chicken

Sometimes I forget how easy and good marinades are. Just mix up a few ingredients, plop the meat in, let it sit, and then grill it up--delicious. This recipe was great because it also combined the ingredients used in the marinade for a yummy dressing for the side dish. I used green beans instead of snap peas (steamed them up for about five minutes) and it turned out delicious. I think my 11-month old ate more of them than I did. I had some coconut milk left over after making the marinade so I threw that in with the rice in my rice cooker to make it extra flavorful. I baked the chicken at 375 for 20 minutes instead of grilling it, it turned out great.

recipe courtesy of Rachael Ray Magazine

Five-Spice Coconut Chicken

1/3 c. plus 1 Tbsp. unsweetened coconut milk

2 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. honey

1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. lime juice

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

2 1/2 tsp. Chinese five-spice powder

1 tsp. salt

8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs

1/2 lb. sugar snap peas

Cooked white rice, for serving

1. In a small bowl, whisk together 1 Tbsp. coconut milk, 1 tsp. honey and 1 tsp. lime juice. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, combine the remaining 1/3 c. coconut milk, 2 Tbsp. honey and 1 Tbsp. lime juice with the soy sauce, garlic, five-spice powder and salt. Add the chicken thighs, coating well. Marinate at least 15 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Add the sugar snap peas and cook for 1 minute; drain. Transfer to a medium bowl and toss with the reserved coconut-honey dressing.

4. Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium. Grill the chicken thighs for about 4 minutes on each side, until cooked through. Serve with the sugar snap peas and rice.

Recipe Review - Cajun Chicken Pasta

photo courtesy of the Pioneer Woman

  One of my favorite things to do is try new recipes. In fact, I probably do it too much, I need to build up my repertoire of go-to recipes more. A couple of months ago, the Food Network released about 4 or 5 episodes of "The Pioneer Woman", which I was excited about as I've visited her blog frequently. On one episode she made a pasta that I was surprised looked so tasty to me, as I'm not a huge fan of peppers, onions, or food that is too spicy. But I was determined to try it, and finally, last night, I did. Besides the fact that I used way too many dishes and felt a little frazzled getting everything ready for the short cooking times (next time I would totally prep throughout the day), my efforts paid off. It really was delicious: it wasn't too spicy (I think the heavy whipping cream was a nice addition to tame the spice), the peppers and onions completely added to the dish (in fact, I went back to the pot to retrieve more of them), and the cajun flavoring was wonderful (which, by the way, I made my own with ingredients I had on hand). I was so glad that my instincts of what looked good won over my instincts of what sounded good. I couldn't wait to eat the leftovers for my lunch today...I think I may have enjoyed it even more this time!

Here are a couple of pointers if you decide to try the recipe out:

-If you don't think your kids will eat it, just set aside some plain pasta and top it with butter and parmesan, that way you don't have to make a completely separate meal for the kiddos.

-As I mentioned before, prep when you have time throughout the day. Cut up the chicken and season it, chop up all the veggies and store in the fridge, and get all the ingredients ready by the stove so you can put it together quickly.

-I halved this recipe since I knew only James and I would be eating it. I did make a whole pound of pasta, but just saved half in a plastic bag with a little bit of olive oil (so it doesn't stick to itself) to be used throughout the week. I believe you can even freeze pasta like this.

Find the recipe for Cajun Chicken Pasta here. And the cajun seasoning mix here.

Hawaiian Haystacks

Melissa's Notes: I got a request to post this recipe. I like to make this when I have to cook for a bigger crowd (4 adults plus kids) because it makes way too much for just our family. It's also nice for picky eaters because they can pick and choose what they want to put on top.

recipe courtesy of Favorites

Hawaiian Haystacks

1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
3 c. milk
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 c. sliced mushrooms
6 chicken breasts, cooked and cut into pieces

Melt butter in large saucepan. Add flour and salt and stir. Add milk and cook until thickened, stirring constantly. Add cream of mushroom soup, mushrooms, and chicken. Simmer on low heat for 15 minutes. Serves 8.

Serve over sticky, white rice with the following toppings:

grated Cheddar cheese
chopped celery
chowmein noodles
pineapple tidbits
chopped tomatoes
coconut
toasted sliced almonds
chopped green onions
soy sauce

Another Apricot Chicken

Melissa's Notes: Chances are you have tried Apricot Chicken where you mix apricot preserves, onion soup mix, and russian dressing and pour it over chicken. I really like this recipe as well, and I serve it with an instant rice mix and vegetable. I love that I almost always have all the ingredients on hand and it cooks up in about 30 minutes.

recipe courtesy of Keeping Up Cookbook

Another Apricot Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or thighs)
1/2 c. apricot jam
1 1/2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. whole-grain mustard (I just use spicy brown mustard)
1 Tbsp. butter
1/4 c. sliced almonds

Pat chicken breasts dry, season with salt and pepper, then place in a greased 9x13 baking dish. Bake for 10 minutes in a 400 degree oven.

Meanwhile, stir together remaining ingredients (except almonds) in a saucepan. Heat until well combined, stirring often. Pour sauce over chicken and continue to bake for 10-15 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Sprinkle chicken with almonds and briefly broil until almonds toast and sauce begins to caramelize. Be sure to pour the sauce over the rice!

Lemon Chicken Fricassee w/ Biscuit Topping

Melissa's Notes: I love one pot dinners, mostly because I don't love making side dishes. This is a great meal and it includes all your components: protein, vegetables, and a starch, all in one dish! What's not to love about that? The only thing I would have changed about this dish is I would have had less of a biscuity topping, so maybe cut the biscuit recipe down, or don't use all of the dough.

recipe courtesy of Rachael Ray magazine

Lemon Chicken Fricassee with Biscuit Topping

8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs (about 1 3/4 lbs.), quartered
salt and pepper
1/2 c. plus 2 Tbsp. vegetable shortening, chilled
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 c. plus 2 Tbsp. flour
1 14.5-oz. can chicken broth
1 c. frozen peas and carrots
grated peel and juice of 1 lemon
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 c. plus 2 Tbsp. buttermilk

1. Preheat the oven to 425. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. In a large, ovenproof skillet, heat 2 Tbsp. shortening over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, stirring, until browned, about 5 minutes. (I had to do this in two batches) Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in 2 Tbsp. flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in the peas and carrots, lemon peel and lemon juice. (Don't thicken up the sauce too much, it will thicken more in the oven)
2. In a bowl, combine the remaining 2 c. flour, the baking powder and 1/2 tsp. salt. Using your fingertips, rub the remaining 1/2 c. shortening into the dry ingredients. Stir in 1 c. buttermilk to form a dough. Transfer to a floured surface and roll out 1/2 in. thick. Using a 3-in. cookie cutter, form 8 biscuits (maybe 6 if you don't want it too bready)
3. Top the chicken mixture with the biscuits and brush the dough with the remaining 2 Tbsp. buttermilk. Bake until browned and cooked through, about 25 minutes.

Root Beer Can Chicken

Melissa's Notes: We had this tonight and it was sooooo good! James wanted to try a barbecue recipe that was more of a slow-cooked meat, so we tried this one out. The whole family loved it and we can't wait to try it again. We served it with coleslaw and mashed red potatoes, it would be good with roasted red potatoes, but I left it too late, so I didn't have time to roast them in the oven.

Recipe courtesy of Cooking Light

Root Beer Can Chicken

Tangy Garlic and Sour Cream Marinated Chicken

Melissa's Notes: This is a great marinade to make chicken a little more interesting when you're getting sick of the same old. I just used chicken tenders, and halved the recipe. I also left out the celery salt, because I didn't have any, and it was still very tasty!

recipe courtesy of The Mormon Family Cookbook

Ingredients

1 c. sour cream
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3/4 tsp. lemon pepper
3/4 tsp. celery salt
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. paprika
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 fryer, cut up, or 6 chicken breasts

Combine all ingredients but chicken. Pour over chicken pieces, covering all surfaces. Cover tightly, and refrigerate overnight or for several hours. Remove chicken from marinade, and broil on grill or bake in oven set at 350 until tender. (I just pan-fried the chicken).