My Corner of the World

I went to the Bridal Show and one of the caterer’s had a booth set up and were letting passers-by taste the curried chicken and risotto they had made. It was delightful!  I found a recipe that I liked and of course had to modify it because I didn’t have the exact ingredients it called for and figured I could make it better 🙂

Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
• 2 teaspoons curry powder (I use mild curry powder)
• 2 teaspoons chili pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon salt (I use No Salt)
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large chopped onion
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1 inch strips
• 1 (8 ounce) carton plain fat-free yogurt
• 14 oz of canned tomatoes (half a large can) including half of the liquid
• 1 can of sliced carrots (drained and rinsed)

Preparation:

Combine first 8 ingredients.   Saute onion & garlic for 5 minutes in olive oil in a large frying pan or dutch oven, stirring frequently (medium to low heat).  Stir in spice mixture; cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add chicken; cook 10 minutes, stirring frequently (medium heat).

Combine yogurt, hot sauce, and tomatoes.  Add yogurt mixture and carrots

Bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally.  Serve over rice and enjoy!

I was a little inspired by that Philadelphia cream cheese commercial where Albert is cooking for the angel. I bet cooking with Albert would be pretty heavenly 😉  This makes a lot, you can refrigerate the leftovers.

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 bag of Europe’s Best Zen Garden vegetables
• 1/2 package of Sun Bird Chicken Thai Seasoning Mix (found in your local grocery store)
• 1 package of Knorr Alfredo mixture
• 1 1/2 c. milk for the Alfredo mixture
• 1 brick of light cream cheese (cubed, room temperature)
• 1/2 large pack of pasta (a chunkier pasta like rigatoni works well)
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder (a little more if you like garlic)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Parmesan cheese (optional)
• Grape tomatoes (optional)
• Chicken or Sausage (optional)

Preparation:

Make the Knorr Alfredo sauce as directed (I don’t use butter or margarine; my bad!) and set it aside.

In a large skillet, saute the contents of the Zen Garden vegetalbles with the olive oil and add the 1/2 package of Thai Chicken seasoning with the garlic.

Prepare your pasta as directed (al dente) (do not rinse when done).

When the vegetables have been well sauteed, add the cream cheese cubes and melt until the mixture is smooth and creamy.  Add the pasta.  Add the tomatoes and chicken or sausage at this point too.  Pour the Alfredo mixture on top and blend well. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Let simmer for about 5 minutes over a low heat. Serve with Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top (if desired).

I was eying the contents of my pantry and fridge again and came up with this. I would have added canned peas, grape tomatoes, and peppers to it but didn’t have any. I’ll try to be as descriptive/accurate with the measurements but you know me… Not too keen on measurements. Here it is:

Ingredients:

• 1 brick of cream cheese cut up into 10 even pieces (I use light cream cheese)
• 1 large package of rigatoni (can be substituted with another chunky kind of pasta)
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 can cream of broccoli soup
• 1 large can whole kernel corn (I drain and rinse it)
• About 1 tbsp. garlic powder
• About 3 tsp. parsley
• About 1/2 c. milk
• 3 cubed, cooked boneless skinless chicken breast (I had baked my chicken with the dry jerk rub sprinkled on top of it so it gives it a little kick)

Preparation:
Make the pasta as directed (do not overcook and do not rinse after it is cooked)

Add all ingredients to a large pot over a medium heat. Mix well and stir frequently to ensure nothing burns or sticks to the pot.  Once the cheese has melted, serve. Add salt and pepper if desired.