Chicken Stir Fry

For YEARS, I have been searching for a good stir fry recipe that I liked.  I found this recipe from one of our local grocery stores and I like this one the best for just a good basic chicken stir fry.  (Obviously you can do the vegetables however you want; it's the sauce that I really like in this recipe.)

Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 15 min
Serves 4

1 1/2 c. rice
1 1/2 c. chicken broth
3 T. soy sauce
2 T. cornstarch
2 t. packed light brown sugar
1 t. garlic powder
3/4 t. ground ginger
2 T. vegetable oil
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
4 c. frozen broccoli stir-fry vegetable mix

1. Cook rice according to package directions; set aside.  Meanwhile, in a medium bowl combine broth, soy sauce, cornstarch, brown sugar, garlic powder and ginger; set aside.
2. Heat oil in a wok or 12-inch skillet.  Add chicken; cook 2-3 minutes or until browned.  Add vegetables; cook and stir 5-7 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender and chicken is no longer pink.  Push chicken and vegetables from center to sides of wok.
3. Stir broth mixture and pour into center of wok; cook, stirring, until sauce is thickened and bubbly.  Stir chicken and vegetables into sauce to combine.  Serve over rice.

Tortellini Soup

For all you Italian lovers, this is a must. So easy and delicious! It's substantial without being a heavy, strictly-cold-weather food.


1 medium onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
2-3 cans chicken broth
1 package tortellini
a few handfuls of baby spinach or chopped spinach
Corn (optional. I used fresh corn and it was amazing!)
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Italian seasoning

1. Saute the onion in olive oil until translucent and fragrant (just a couple minutes) over medium heat
2. Add garlic and saute another minute
3. Pour in tomatoes and broth and let simmer for a few minutes
4. Bring to boil and add tortellini (and corn), cook until tender (look on pasta package for timing)
5. Stir in spinach, salt, pepper and italian seasoning, let cook for a minute, and remove from heat

Enjoy!

Crab Cakes

1 lb crab meat
2 T chopped fresh chives
2 T chopped dill
2 T lemon zest
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 c panko crumbs
1 c mayo

Mix ingredients.  Roll in ball (a little smaller than a golf ball).  Flatten.  Coat in panko crumbs.  Melt 2 T butter in a frying pan and brown each side.

Chilled Strawberry Soup

Made this tonight and it was a big hit.  Probably because it's like a smoothie you eat with a spoon.  the only change I made was to triple the recipe, and instead of 3 cups orange juice, I did 2 c orange juice and 1 c half and half.  Just to make it healthy. ;)  (A compromise between this one and the heavy-cream based one we had on the cruise)

Ingredients

• 2 cups hulled and sliced fresh or (thawed) frozen strawberries
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1 cup vanilla yogurt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Whipped topping, as needed
• Fresh mint sprigs, optional

Directions

In a blender, combine all the ingredients but the whipped topping and mint and process until smooth. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with a dollop of whipped topping. Garnish with mint, if desired.

Garlic Herb Cream Cheese

Sorry I don't have a better picture than a sandwich.  Imagine it's a creamy delicious spread.  This recipe is modified from an allrecipes.com entry.

Perfect for cucumber sandwiches, on crackers for appetizers, bagels, etc.
I measured everything into a little sandwich bag, except for the butter, cream cheese, and minced garlic.

Ingredients

• 1/2 stick butter, softened
• 1 1/2 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon dried dill weed
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

1. Mix together the butter, cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, garlic, oregano, parsley, thyme, dill, basil, and pepper in a bowl until evenly combined. Chill in refrigerator overnight or 8 hours. This can be frozen for long-term storage.