Chicken fried rice

I was born in Hong Kong! I love Chinese food! I don't think these 2 facts are a coincidence. Here is my chicken fired rice recipe, I swear it is as good as any Chinese food place.

2 cups cooked white rice
1 cooked chicken breast cut in small pieces
2 eggs scrambled
1 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup soy sauce

Last night I had nothing precooked so I boiled the rice while I cooked a chicken breast in a small frying pan. When the chicken was cooked I put it and the rice in a medium skillet on med-high heat and added the peas and soy sauce. Make sure to keep stirring the mixture so nothing burns. I fried 2 eggs in the pan I cooked the chicken in and scrambled them up real well then mixed them with everything else. Total cook time for the pan with everything in there was 5 minutes. I love making this with leftovers it is so easy and so yummy. I served it with potstickers from Costco that I cooked up real quick.

Baking powder biscuits

These are so good and have no trans fats!

2 cups flour
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup milk or water
1/2 cup shredded cheese
1 tbsp chives ( optional)

Mix it all together then use a tbsp to place on a sprayed baking sheet. Bake at 400 for 11-12 minutes

Cranberry coconut oatmeal cookies

3/4 cup margarine ( I used 1/4 cup marg and 1/2 cup apple sauce)
1 1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup rolled oats
1 1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup coconut
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Bake at 350 for 10 min

Creamy Shrimp Alfredo-low calorie but high on taste

This is one of my families favorite recipes.  I adapted it from a kraft recipe we got a long time ago.

500g noodles I used speghetti noodles today but you can use any kind
1 lb uncooked shrimp
3 cloves minced garlic or 2 tsp garlic powder
3/4 cup cream cheese (I use low cal but this recipe is low calorie either way)
250 ml chicken broth
1/4 cup parmasean cheese
1 tbsp parsley

I bring a pot of water to a boil on high.  Then I add the noodles and whatever veggie I decide to use today it was peas sometimes I add brocolli or califlower.

In a pan on medium heat I add the chicken broth and shrimp then when the shrimp is cooked I add the cream cheese, parmasean cheese and parsley.  Once everything is cooked I drain the noodles and veggies then pour the sauce in.  Super easy, super yummy and super low cal.

The best Chocolate Chip Cookies

 I hate cookie dough!  There I've admitted it.  I know that is a really strange thing as I have never met anyone that hasn't enjoyed cookie dough.  I took a tiny taste of this dough today at the encouragement of my little pumpkin (age 2) and it was good!  Like really good, for a second there I forgot there was raw egg in it.

Anyways these cookies are so delicious especially when right out of the oven.  So here we go.  Preheat your oven to 375.

Recipe:
Pour the first 5 ingredients in your kitchen aid and mix.
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup melted margarine
1 tsp real vanilla
1 egg

Add the next 4 ingredients while mixer is on.
2 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk chocolate chips

Once it is all mixed up roll into balls and put on a baking sheet.
Bake at 375 for 10 minutes then enjoy.

Chocolate Drop Cookies

 This is your classic no bake cookie recipe with a few tweaks.  I based this one of a recipe from the Mr's childhood.  First melt 1/2 cup butter or margarine.  Do this in a medium size pot on med-high heat.  Make sure to stir it and don't let it burn.

 Add 2 cups sugar, 2/3 cup milk and 2 tbsps cocoa and keep stirring until it boils.

 When it boils pull it off the heat for about 5 minutes and then pour in 1 cup coconut and 4 cups rolled oats.  Then lay out some wax paper and put the mix on the wax paper with a tbsp.  The Mr likes to eat these before they cool in a bowl with milk.  The kiddies and I enjoy them the next day in cookie form.  You can freeze these really well.

Mmmmm cookies.

Crunchy Honey Garlic Chicken

 This recipe turned out so delicious!  I found it on pinterest at www.nlrockrecipes.com.  I adapted it for my family and I will definitely be making it again. First I put the following ingredients in a pie plate:
1 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 tbsp ground ginger
1 tbsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground thyme
1 tsp ground sage
1 tbsp paprika
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Then I mixed them all together with a fork.

 In a second pie plate I mixed:

1 egg and 5 tbsp water

 I sliced 2 chicken breasts each in half through the middle so I had 2, half inch thick pieces then I put the breasts one at a time into the flour mixture and covered them completely.  Then I dipped the breast in the egg mixture then again in the flour mixture.  Cook the chicken breasts on medium heat in about an 1/4 inch of canola oil.  Cook each side for 4 minutes.

 Meanwhile make a sauce in a pot on med-low heat of 1/8 cup soy sauce, 1/2 cup honey and 1 tbsp garlic powder.  Also get a pot of water boiling for your noodles.

 This is my chicken frying.

 And here it is done.

 Once your water is boiling throw in some rice noodles.  I get these at the ethnic food isle of the grocery store.  I mixed my sauce with the noodles after they were strained and served the chicken on top.  Next time I think I will boil some snow peas up with the noodles or even brocolli it would be really yummy.

 My entire family loved this dinner!

3 Cheese chicken pasta bake

 This is one of the Mr's favorite meals.  It takes a little prep work to get it done.  First cook up some cubed chicken.  If you plan it right you could cook up extra at a different meal and save a bit of time with this one.  I used 2 chicken breasts that I cubed and fried.  I also seasoned the chicken breasts with about a tsp of onion powder and garlic powder.

 When I was just about done cooking the chicken breasts I added 1 tsp each of basil and oregano.  If you want you can add about 1/2 tsp salt. In this family I rarely cook with salt and then people can just add what they like.

 Meanwhile while cooking your chicken bring a pot of water to a boil then add 500g of the noodles of your choice ( they can be white or whole wheat).  I only buy whole wheat.  Boil for 8 minutes.

 At minute 5 of your boil add some cut up fresh spinach leaves.  You can also use frozen spinach if that's what you have.  I used 2 cups fresh if I use frozen I use 1 cup.

 Preheat your oven to 375

 Spray a 9x13 pan

 Drain your noodles and spinach and put it back in the pot.  Then add 1/4 cup of cream cheese. I use low fat but use whatever you'd like.

 Then pour in 1 16 oz can of tomato sauce.  If I have made pasta sauce recently I save enough to do this meal too but in this case I just poured in a can of regular old tomato sauce.

 Then add your chicken and stir it all together.

 Pour it all into your 9x13 pan.

 Add 2 tbsp parmasean cheese on top.

 Then 1/2 cup the cheese of your choice.  I used cheddar today but mozzarella is also really good and so is swiss.

Bake at 375 for 20 minutes then serve.

Recipe:
500g penne noodles or any other noodle
2 cups fresh chopped spinach leaves or 1 cup frozen
1 lb chicken cubed (I used 2 chicken breasts)
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
16 oz tomato sauce
1/4 cup cream cheese
1 cup grated cheese (cheddar, mozzarella, or swiss)
2 tbsp parmasean cheese

Cook chicken with spices until cooked through.  Boil your noodles.  Add the spinach to the noodles to boil.  Drain noodle, spinach mix.  Pour your cream cheese, tomato sauce and spiced chicken into the pot and stir up.  Grease a 9x13 pan and pour that all in then add your cheeses on top.  Bake at 375 for 20 minutes.

Serves 6

Baked Bacon

 Ok if you haven't heard of this it will change your life.  I LOVE bacon and this is seriously the most awesome trick ever!  Baked Bacon.  Do NOT Preheat your oven! Cover a cookie sheet with tin foil and let it stick up on the edges.

 With a fork layout your bacon on the foil.  Then stick it in a cool oven at 400 for 20 minutes.

 This is what it will look like when you take it out.  Take the bacon off the pan and put on paper towel and dab off as much grease as possible.  Then let the grease cool on your pan.  In a few hours you can ball up the tin foil and just throw it out!!! NO MESS.

Delicious.

I will never fry bacon again.

Easy French Toast

 French toast is super easy to do but I thought I'd run through it for those that have never tried it before.  I cracked some eggs in a cake pan then added 1/2 cup milk.  Wisk it up really well.

 Then put some bread in the pan and flip it so the egg/milk mixture gets on both sides.  If you like cinnamon you can add some to the mixture.

 Cook on a frying pan preheated to medium heat and greased.  Leave on one side for 1 minute then flip it.

Serve with syrup or anything else you enjoy on french toast.

Whole Wheat Bread

 I love homemade bread!  So does the Mr. which is why he bought me a bosch for Christmas!  I love my bosch. I did this batch x5 and it was too large to rise in my bosch so I would do it x4  for a bosch and x2 for a kitchen aid.  First pour 1 1/8 cups warm water in your bowl then add 1 tbsp yeast I use the one below.  Then add 1/4 cup sugar. Make sure the yeast dissolves completely before adding the rest of the ingredients.  This will take about 10 minutes.

 Melt 1/3 cup margarine.

 Pour into bowl

 Add 1/2 tsp salt and 3 1/2 cups Whole Wheat Flour

 Mix on 1 on the bosch or kitchen aid.

 Let rise for 30 minutes.  This is what my bread looked like :)  Crazy hunh?  Like I said I will only do a x4 next time.

 Grease pans and fill 1/2 way with dough and let rise until it doubles.

 I made 3 loaves of bread and 2 dozen hamburger buns.  For the hamburger buns shape them the size you want and let them rise.

 Bake at 350 for 20 minutes for the bread and for the buns.

Yum homemade bread!