Curried Coconut Chicken

source: Allrecipes.com

We like to make this to accompany Thai sticky rice. It makes such a satisfying meal!

Curried Coconut Chicken
(serves 6)

Curried Coconut Chicken
Ingredients
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1 teaspoon salt and pepper, or to taste
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons curry powder
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk
1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed, diced tomatoes
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
3 tablespoons sugar
Directions
1. Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper.
2. Heat oil and curry powder in a large skillet over medium-high heat for two minutes. Stir in onions and garlic, and cook 1 minute more. Add chicken, tossing lightly to coat with curry oil. Reduce heat to medium, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink in center and juices run clear.
3. Pour coconut milk, tomatoes, tomato sauce, and sugar into the pan, and stir to combine. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, approximately 30 to 40 minutes.

Oatmeal Shortcake

Quick!
Go grab the first pound of fresh strawberries you find (for a relatively good price) and make this easy and delicious taste of Spring!
It just may cure the winter blues, for the time being.
And I have those, something fierce.

Oatmeal Shortcake

2 cup quick oats
2 cup flour
6 TBS sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 stick + 1 TBS butter
1 1/3 cup milk

Combine dry ingredients. Add butter with pastry blender ( or use 2 knives or forks) to make mixture crumbly. Blend in milk gently. Spread in greased cake pan and lightly sprinkle a little more sugar over top.

Bake on 400 for 15-20 minutes or until lightly golden.

Serve with fresh berries and sweetened whipped cream.

Pesto Pork Tenderloin

1 pork tenderloin, trimmed of visible fat- I use 1 lb.
1/4 cup pesto sauce
canola oil
1 cup chicken broth
1 T butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat tenderloin with pesto sauce. Add canola oil to a large saute pan and heat over medium high heat until smoking. Add tenderloin to the pan and sear on all sides until nicely browned (2-3 minutes per side).

Transfer meat to baking dish and put in oven. Bake until a meat thermometer placed in thickest part of meat registers 150 degrees- I usually cook it for about 30-35 minutes, then cut and see if the meat is done. Tonight I cut the tenderloin in half before I put it in, just to make sure it wouldn't take more than 30 minutes.

While meat is cooking, make a little pan sauce by adding chicken broth to drippings in the pan used to brown the meat. Scrape the sides and bottom of pan to get all of the brown bits for the sauce. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until sauce reduces by half, stirring occasionally. Add butter and whisk until combined. Strain to remove large bits, if desired.

Cut pork into 1 1/2 inch thick medallions, serve with pan sauce.

I'd show a picture, but we always eat it too fast! This is my husband's new favorite. So good!

Sweethearts

My kids saw this in their magazine The friend. Immediately their little mouths were going nonstop about making them. So we did. It was easy. It was fun. But they taste like something kids would love. (too much sugar :)

2 6 oz packages cherry jello-or whatever color|flavor you are going for
2 cups boiling water
1 package 3.4 oz vanilla pudding
1 cup cold milk

Mix pudding and milk in bowl. Add boiling water to jello in another bowl and stir until dissolved. Add pudding to jello and whisk until well blended. Pour into a 9x13 pan lightly coated with cooking spray. Refrigerate until set and cut out in desired shapes.

Almond Pecan Granola

Mmm-mmm-mmm-mmm-mmm

3 cups uncooked old fashioned or quick cook oats
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cups chopped pecans
1 stick plus 2 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup honey
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Add oats, wheat germ, brown sugar, cinnamon, almonds and pecans together in a large bowl and mix well. Melt butter over medium heat, add in salt, honey, and vanilla extract. mix until all heated and add to oat mixture in large bowl. Stir until evenly coated. Pour onto lightly greased baking sheet and bake at 375 for about 10 minutes or until golden. Let cool and break into pieces. Store in air tight container.

Spinach, Artichoke and Chicken Penne

http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/spinach-artichoke-and-chicken-penne/

Ham, Walnut, and Cheese pasta

Ham,Walnuts and Cheese...oh my!
Recipe courtesy of Rachael Ray.

• 1 pound bow tie pasta
• Salt
• 1/2 cup walnuts, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 10 slices Canadian bacon or breakfast ham, cut into thin strips
• 2 large garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 3/4 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves (3 generous handfuls), chopped
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano, plus some to pass at the table

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Preparation

Bring a large pot of water up to a boil over high heat to cook the pasta. Once the water boils, salt it and cook the pasta to al dente. Right before draining the pasta, remove and reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water.

Place a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the chopped walnuts and toast them, stirring every now and then, until they are golden and smell toasty -- a couple of minutes. Remove nuts from the skillet and reserve.

Once the pasta is close to being done, return the same skillet you cooked the walnuts in to the stove top over medium-high heat with 3 turns of the pan of EVOO, about 3 tablespoons. Once the EVOO is hot, add ham and cook for 2-3 minutes or until it starts to lightly brown.

Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, cook it for another minute. Add the reserved pasta cooking liquid and cook until liquid has reduced by half. Add the pasta, toasted walnuts, lemon juice and parsley, toss it to coat the noodles and continue to cook until the pasta has soaked up almost all of the liquid. Turn heat off, add the butter and grated cheese, and toss until the butter has melted. Serve with extra Parmigiano at the table.

***Notes***

After the dish is all mixed and ready to eat, it turns sort of a purple color. Probably from the lemon juice and ham, but it still tastes good.

I cut the amount of red pepper flakes or there is too much heat for me.

And in place of walnuts or along with I like to throw in some toasted pine nuts.