Fried Rice

It's delicious, fast, and very easy, and a whole meal by itself (or a great side-dish). In other words, this is one of the most versatile recipes out there. I love this fried rice as a lunch, and so do my kids! I make at least a double batch every time I cook it, and we still gobble up the whole pan full. For vegetarian, substitute shrimp for the ham--or just leave it out entirely. This is meant to be a use-up for leftovers, so you can use cooked chicken or any vegetable medley you have on hand.
Ham Fried Rice

1 cup calrose rice, uncooked*
2 cups water*
2 tsp chicken bouillon (optional)*
*OR: 2 cups cooked rice
2 TBSP olive oil
1 cup cubed ham
1 cup frozen peas, frozen peas & carrots, OR frozen vegetable medley
2 eggs
2 TBSP soy sauce
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder

1) Cook rice in a pot or rice cooker with water and chicken bouillon until done, according to package directions. *If using leftover cooked plain rice, omit this step, since--hey! it's already cooked.
2) Heat a large frying pan or wok over medium high heat with olive oil. Add ham and let cook for about 1 minute.
3) Add cooked rice and toss to combine, then let it sit and toast for about 3-5 minutes, turning only occasionally. You want some little brown bits to form, but don't burn it.
4) Add frozen vegetables and toss to combine. Let cook for another couple of minutes until vegetables are hot.
5) Beat eggs with soy sauce, pepper, and garlic in a small bowl.
6) Pour eggs over the cooking rice mixture and stir well for 2 minutes, or until eggs are fully cooked and incorporated (like scrambled eggs).
7) Enjoy! Makes about 4 servings, or if you've got my kids in the household, only 2. :)

Note: if you are making this for someone who needs gluten-free, make sure you check your ham, soy sauce, and bouillon for wheat in the ingredients. All of these things can easily be found GF, but you just need to double check. Also remember that you can always change out the ham for some other type of protein, like edamame or chicken or shrimp to fit your needs.

Chicken Cordon-Blue Casserole

This isn't quite as gourmet as my normal posts on here, but it was really tasty, really easy, and really fast. And, it can be easily frozen in its raw state and saved for some other day.

Chicken Cordon-Blue Casserole

1 1/2 pounds chicken tenders or chicken breasts, cut into 1" cubes
1/2 pound ham (ham steaks, ham slices, deli cut...however you've got it)
1/4 pound sliced swiss cheese
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3/4 cup sour cream
1 tsp garlic
1 tsp italian seasoning or dry basil leaves
1 roll ritz crackers
4 tbsp butter

1) Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray.
2) place chicken cubes in the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3) layer in the ham and the swiss cheese.
4) mix together the mayonnaise, the sour cream, garlic, and Italian Seasoning. Pour over the Swiss cheese.
5) Crunch up the ritz crackers and sprinkle on top. Dot with small slices of butter.
6) bake casserole at 350 degrees for 40 minutes, until bubbly and crunchy on top and chicken is cooked through.

Can be served with rice or baked potatoes, or plain.

*Note: if you want to freeze this casserole, line a 13x9 pan with heavy duty (hole-free) aluminum foil. Spray the inside of the foil and make the casserole according to directions, but instead of baking, put in the freezer. Once it is frozen solid, pop it out of the pan and wrap again with foil or plastic wrap. At baking time, put the casserole in its foil back in the pan you froze it in. Bake an extra 10-20 minutes if it was frozen when it went in the oven. Most casseroles can be frozen using this method--a great idea if you want to get ahead on your cooking or make a dinner for a friend.

Suped-up Mac n' cheese

Rachael Ray always says if you need your kids to eat veggies, wrap them up in cheese. This is a take on Macaroni and Cheese that is pumped up with vegetables. I took this to a funeral today, and it was a hit. Don't be worried about the size of this recipe--it isn't as hard to make as it looks, and I tried to write the instructions to simplify things.

Suped-up Mac n' Cheese

1 lb elbow macaroni noodles
1 onion
1 box frozen spinach, thawed and drained well
1 quart milk
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/2 cup flour
1 lb shredded colby-jack (0r cheddar) cheese
8 oz (1 box) cream cheese
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup diced deli ham
1 tsp crushed garlic (1 or 2 cloves)
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp smoked paprika (regular paprika works too)
1/2 tsp dried dill
1/2 tsp dried oregano
2-4 tomatoes, depending on the size and how much you like tomatoes


Instructions:
1) Boil a large pot of water. When it gets boiling, add about 1 tbsp salt and pour in the pasta. Cook for about 8 minutes, or until al dente. Different pastas will vary in cooking time, so be sure to check. Meanwhile:

2) Heat the milk for 4 minutes in the microwave.

3) Chop the onion. In a 2 quart skillet or saucepan, heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat and add the onion. Sautee until the onion gets soft, about 3 minutes. Pour the cooked onion into a really big bowl (this bowl will eventually hold the entire dish, so make sure it is big enough).

4) Put the same saucepan back on the stove and lower the heat to medium-low. Add the butter, let it melt. Then sprinkle in the flour and whisk to combine. Keep whisking for about 1 minute. This is called a roux, and will thicken the sauce.

5) Add the hot milk to the roux and whisk constantly until the milk gets nice and thick. A few bubbles might show up. Now this is called a white sauce, or bechamel. (by the way, have you checked on your noodles?) Add the cream cheese and the grated cheese, stir it really well, until things melt. Turn off the heat.

6) In that big bowl, put in the drained spinach, the completed cheese sauce, and all the ingredients EXCEPT the tomatoes. Stir everything together. Drain the noodles (if you haven't already,) and add those. Fold the entire mixture gently, but thoroughly, until everything is mixed and looking yummy. Pour into a big casserole dish, about 15x11". This makes a lot.

7) Slice the tomatoes into pretty rounds. Place them on the top of the casserole. Bake the dish at 350 degrees for 1/2 hour, until it is bubbly and warmed through. If you want, you can even sprinkle crushed crackers, breadcrumbs, or Parmesan cheese on the top.

Cook's note: If you don't work with frozen spinach very often, you should try. This recipe is a good place to start. Because the spinach is in a big pot of cheesy pasta goodness, there isn't much to dislike. You can buy frozen spinach right with the other frozen vegetables, and usually comes in small 8 oz boxes. When you use it, thaw it in the microwave for 2 or 3 minutes. Take it out of the box and put it in a fine mesh strainer or even just a towel. Squeeze it until the green water stops coming out. You'll be surprised how much water is in there--that's why you've got to drain it. Otherwise things gets soupy. I like to serve mine as a side dish with a little melted butter, salt, pepper, and nutmeg, sometimes a splash of vinegar or lemon juice too.

Crock Pot Cooking Class

I recently taught a class on cooking in a Crock Pot. Most of us own a crock pot, but may not use it very often, or we get stuck in a rut with the same four recipes that we use over and over again. Here's a few recipes to pump up your arsenal, and maybe get you back in the swing of crock pot cooking.

Crockpot Beef Stroganoff
1 1/2 to 2 lbs round steak (can also use beef rump roast, or even chuck roast if desired)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 onion, sliced
1/2 tsp garlic
2 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 1/2 cups beef Bouillon
1 Tbsp catsup
1/2 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced, or a 4 oz can, drained
1/3 cup flour
1 cup sour cream

Cut meat into 1/4 inch strips. Coat with salt and pepper. Drop into bottom of crock pot with onion. Mix garlic, Worcestershire sauce, bouillon, and catsup. Pour over meat. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until tender. Turn to high. Add mushrooms. Dissolve flour in small amount of water. Add to meat mixture, stirring until blended. Cook on high for 15 minutes or until slightly thickened. Stir in sour cream, turn off heat. Serve with noodles or rice.

Crockpot Brownie Pudding

• 1 pkg chocolate cake mix
• 1 pkg instant chocolate pudding mix (4 serving size)
• 1 pint sour cream
• 3/4 C. oil
• 4 eggs
• 1 C. water
• 1 C. chocolate chips
• 1 C. pecans -- toasted and chopped (optional)

Directions:

1. Spray crockpot. Mix all ingredients and pour into crockpot.
2. Cook on low setting for 5 hours.
3. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Crockpot Senate Bean Soup

2 cans navy beans (or 1/2 pound dry, reconstituted with boiling water and left overnight)
1 onion, chopped fine
1 cup chopped ham
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 medium potatoes, chopped into 1 inch cubes
water

Layer in the Crockpot in the order given, pour in water just enough to cover the potatoes. Put on lid and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 4-5 hours.