chicken salad

Simple chicken salad - perfect for sandwiches, picnics, etc.

1 cup mayonnaise (or more if you like it creamier)
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
2 T lemon juice
salt & pepper to taste
1/8 teaspoon celery salt

2-3 chicken breasts, diced/shredded (boiled 20 min or use leftovers)
2 celery stalks, sliced small
1/4 cup chopped onion

optional:
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup cashews or almonds, chopped
1 tsp dill seed or tarragon
1-2 T fresh parsley, chopped
green onion, chopped fine
1 tsp Dijon mustard

Whisk together first 6 ingredients until combined. Then add chicken, celery, onion and other ingredients in a large bowl. Pour the mayonnaise mixture over the chicken mixture and stir until evenly combined. Refrigerate until chilled. Serve as sandwiches with lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, etc.

veggie stir fry

olive/vegetable oil to taste (1/3 cup?)
1/2 onion, sliced or diced
4-6 cloves garlic, sliced
1 carrot (peeled, cut into thin strips)
1 head broccoli, cut into small flowerets
1 squash, sliced into bite-sized chunks
1/2 cup hot water
1/4 head cabbage
soy sauce - a few splashes to taste (3-6 T maybe?)
(other veggies ideas: zucchini, cauliflower, green beans, green peas, snow peas, water chestnuts, cashews, tomatoes, green/red bell pepper, baby corn, etc. The ideas are endless!)

Heat oil in large wok until hot. Add onions & garlic - stir until cooked well*. Add carrots and stir continuously, for about 5-10 minutes (until almost cooked thru). Add broccoli & squash, stirring well. Splash with soy sauce & mix again. Add water and stir some more. This is called a STIR fry, so it includes lots of stirring! Cover with lid and steam 1-2 minutes. Add cabbage towards the end, with 1 minute to spare. We like our veggies cooked but still firm (not soggy). You can steam (& stir) longer if you like. Serve over rice!

*If you must add meat to this concoction - you can insert here. Chicken, shrimp, and even beef will compliment this dish nicely. I think grilled salmon would be a-mazing with this dish! Maybe a teriyaki salmon fillet. Yum!!

play dough

1 cup flour
1 cup water
1/2 cup salt
1 T oil
2 tsp cream of tartar
food coloring
scented peppermint oil or koolaid drink packet (makes it smell great!)

Mix the above items in a pan, then heat on the stove over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture becomes thick and forms a gooey ball. Cool on waxed paper. Knead desired food coloring into the dough when cool enough to handle. Store in a seal-able bag. Dough will remain elastic for a few weeks if stored well. This is a great 4-year old afternoon activity. Add cookie cutters, slicing-ma-jiggers for pure fun.
glory to Sonlight Pre-K Curriculum, and the amazing ideas within!

spicy* chicken & squash sautee

1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 T salt (or more to taste)
2 chicken breasts, cubed
6-10 garlic cloves, diced
1/2 onion, chopped or sliced
2 tomatoes, diced small
2 large squash, sliced thin
1/2 cup+ boiling water
*Optional: 1 green pepper, chopped (remove seeds, unless you like the extra spicy kick)

Heat oil in a large wok until very hot. Add salt before adding diced chicken. Sautee chicken until cooked thru, then add garlic & onions. Cook on med-high heat 5 min. Add diced tomatoes and simmer until cooked down into a tomato sauce. Add water (and some salt) if you want more sauce. Taste the broth to get the right saltiness, before you finally add squash & green peppers to simmer for 5-10 minutes, or until tender. We sometimes let the chicken simmer longer to make it tender. This is easy to prepare quickly - and can be altered for spiciness, and stretched for visitors! We serve it over white rice.
glory to Zoram - who whipped this up with the random stuff in my fridge.

EZ pizza dough

Makes enough for two med sized pizzas. Double it if you want extra dough!

3 cups flour
2 tsp salt
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup water
2 teaspoons instant yeast
seasonings: black pepper, sage, basil, etc (to taste)

Stir dry ingredients, including yeast. Add water and olive oil and combine well. Knead everything into a ball. Lightly oil the dough and cover with plastic wrap. Let it rise 1-2 hours. It should double in size. Later dump onto a floured counter, and divide into balls for your pizzas. Roll out to your desired thickness and place on a baking sheet that is sprinkled with cornmeal. Add toppings and bake for about 10-15 minutes until crisp & blistered.

pancakes

2 cups flour
2 T sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 eggs, beaten
1.5 c milk
1/4 cup oil/melted shortening

Optional: cinnamon, dash of lemon juice, chocolate chips, banana chunks, blueberries, raisins!

Combine the dry ingredients and mix well. Beat eggs, and add milk & oil in separate bowl. Combine and mix well. If more milk is needed - add some more until you get the right consistency. We usually add 1/4-1/2 cup more! Do no beat, but just stir until combined well. Cook on a hot griddle, flipping when bubbly. Makes about 15 3-inch pancakes. If you can perfect this recipe, you might earn the title of "Pancake King" like Justin holds in our home. :)

You can easily morph this recipe into waffles by separating the egg yolks/whites - keeping the yolks with the milk mixture. Beat the egg whites and fold in at the end. :)
glory to Wyc International Cookbook, and a few tips from Poppa Joe!

cinnamon graham squares - whole wheat!

Sweetened with honey & brown sugar and packed with whole wheat flour, these squares are a healthy & filling snack. They are also quite inexpensive to make, and great for kids. You can also add chocolate or banana's to them if you want to change it up.

6 c whole wheat flour (you can substitute also)
1 1/2 c oatmeal
1 c brown sugar
2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
3 T cinnamon
3/4 c honey
1 1/2 c oil
1 cup cold water
This recipe is large, so you can half it if you want.
Sift together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the mixture. Combine honey, oil, and water in a separate bowl. Mix well, then add to dry ingredients and stir until mixture forms a thick, crumbly dough. Grease two 9x9 baking pans and let your kids "mash" the mixture into each pan. You can't really go wrong as you press the dough flat. Using a butter knife, pre-cut your squares. Bake for 13-15 min at 400 degrees F - until lightly browned. Cool (if you can even wait!), re-slice, and store in an air-tight container. You can also freeze for later.

Yuanxiao Dumplings

No Lantern Festival (元宵节 Yuánxiāo Jié) is complete without some sweet, stuffed dumplings made with "sticky" rice flour (汤圆 tāng yuán). Here is an easy recipe using very few ingredients. You can find all these items in any Asian market, OR you can just buy Yuanxiao there. If you enjoy cooking though - give this a try!

There are so many versions of this treat - and can be filled with countless fillings. Sweet fillings = black sesame paste, tangerine peel, walnuts, black jasmine, white jasmine, peanuts+sugar, & fruity fillings. Savory fillings = meat, vegetables, fish, & red beans.,

Prep time = 15 min, Cook time = 30+ min.
4.5 cups (500 g) sticky rice flour
Water, as needed (4 cups on average?)

7 oz (200 g) butter
7 oz (200 g) black sesame powder*
8 oz (250 g) sugar
1 tsp wine

Put 4 (?) cups water into the sticky rice flour and mix by hand to make the sticky-rice-dough. Shape the dough of the sticky rice into half balls, with a depression for the filling.

Make the filling by heating butter with sesame powder, sugar, and wine. When cooled - make small dime-sized balls and drop into the sticky-rice depressions!! Close the half-ball to form a full round ball. Smooth it out by rolling between your hands. Place in boiling water and cook until they begin to float on the surface. Cook (med heat) for about 30-40 minutes in boiling water. You can serve as a soup (in the water you boiled) or alone. I have also seen them rolled in powdered sugar afterwards.

*If you can't find the black sesame powder, just grind black sesame seeds in a food processor. If you buy fresh black sesame seeds - you can put them on a cookie sheet in the oven on 375 F. Stir a few times while cooking - about 20 min. Then grind until smooth in a blender or food processor.

I have yet to find a Chinese person with a cookbook! Recipes are not really written down, but passed along from mother to daughter, from sister to brother and from friend to friend. They teach each other recipes by cooking the meal together.

honey oatmeal bread

7.5 oz water, 80 degrees
3 T honey
2 c bread flour
1 c oats, quick or old fashioned
1.5 T dry milk
1.25 tsp salt
1.5 T butter, cut into four pieces
2 tsp active dry yeast

Get out yer handy dandy bread machine. Add water & honey. Add dry ingredients. Tap to settle ingredients, make a small well in the middle for your yeast, with no water poking thru. Place one piece of butter in each corner, and put the yeast in the middle. Set machine for basic. Watch while kneading - if it is crumbly, add water 1 T at a time. If it is sticking to the sides after 5 minutes of kneading, add flour 1 Tbs at a time. Enjoy!!

wheat bread

A slightly sweet, healthy half-whole-wheat bread

1 cup warm water (110-115 degrees F)
1 T milk
2 T oil
2 T honey
2 T brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp dry yeast

*Combine first 6 ingredients in a large mixing bowl; stir. Add flours and yeast, and knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about 10-15 minutes. Place dough in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover with a clean towel and let rise until doubled, about 40 minutes. Punch dough down; knead for a few minutes until smooth and then form into a loaf. Place in greased loaf pan and cover. Let rise in a warm place until almost doubled in size, about 30 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. If loaf starts browning too soon, lightly lay a piece of foil on top of the loaf to prevent too much darkening. Remove bread from oven and allow to rest in pan for a few minutes. Remove to a wire rack and cover with a cloth. Slice and enjoy while still warm! Leftover bread can be stored in an airtight bag or frozen until needed.

*OR - add all ingredients (in this order) into a breadmaker.

chicken Cordon Bleu

6 chicken breasts pounded
1 cube butter (softened)
1/2 tsp. each: garlic powder, oregano, parsley & sage
Monterey jack cheese
Thinly sliced ham (optional) We use beef bacon!
Bread crumbs & Parmesan cheese

Pound chicken with a meat cleaver. Cut cheese into finger size sticks. Mix softened butter with herbs, and spread onto chicken breasts. Top with ham (beef bacon?) and cheese. Roll breasts, tuck in sides (use toothpicks if desired). Refrigerate 4 hours or over night. When ready to bake, roll chicken breasts in melted butter and then in bread crumbs & parmesan cheese. Bake at 400F for 15 min.

Sauce: Mix together over med heat.
1 cup jack cheese
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 green onions
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp. sage
1/2 cup wine

Spoon white sauce around chicken rolls and bake 15 more min, or until done.
glory to Geri B - a whiz in the kitchen!

spicy gingerbread

1/2 cup margarine
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup molasses (microwaved honey with a bit of brown sugar)
1 egg yolk
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and sugar until smooth. Stir in molasses and egg yolk. Combine the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg; blend into the molasses mixture until smooth. Cover, and chill for at least one hour. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Place cookies/shapes 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until firm. Remove from cookie sheets to cool on wire racks. Frost or decorate when cool.