Chicken-Mushroom Quesadillas

You may have noticed that this blog has had some changes lately.....completely new design that fits my personality a lot better and just this past weekend I started adding recipe cards to all my posts.  I still have some recipe cards to make for the older posts, which I hope to finish soon.  Leave a comment and let me know what you think.  Are the recipe cards easy to use & read?  Constructive criticism is much appreciated!

Several years ago my husband came across this Chicken-Mushroom Quesadilla recipe in, I think it was, Men's Health magazine.  We love making it since it's so quick and easy, especially if you go the route I did this time.  I used pre-cooked frozen grilled chicken and frozen spinach.  I much prefer the frozen spinach that comes in a bag rather than the one in a box.  I dread thawing out that block of green, then to have to squeeze out all the water.  The bag kind is chopped up and there isn't all that extra water.  Fresh is best, but not always on hand :)

The chicken-mushroomy-spinach quesadilla filling is all ready to go.  I could eat it just like that!

Put some cheese (I used Kraft Mexican 4 Cheese blend) on the tortilla, spread on some filling, then top with more cheese.  Top with another tortilla.  

Flipping the tortilla without all the innards falling out can be tricky. So, what I do is use the cheese as my 'glue' to hold the thing together before flipping.  I press down on the whole quesadilla, focusing on the edges to 'glue' the two pieces of tortilla together as the cheese melts.  Then, with a large spatula underneath and my hand on top, I gently & quickly flip it over.  Yay, disaster adverted!  

If it doesn't work, no biggie, just eat it with a fork ;) It'll still taste the same!

All done, chicken-mushroom quesadilla perfection!

 To print, left click >file >print. To save file to your computer, right click on image, then "save image as".

Recipe Link: Easy Chicken-Mushroom Quesadillas

Quick & Tasty: Penne with Broccoli

Busy days, I love them!  I'm the type that always has to be doing something otherwise I go stir crazy, sort of like my 16 month old son.   So, when it came time to think about dinner, Penne with Broccoli was my ticket.  This is my go-to recipe for quick, easy & flavorful.  It's a solid recipe, but I add some grilled chicken to make it complete.

Thanks Lisa for sharing this recipe with me :)

 

Penne with Broccoli (from Hertha Verdurmen, San Francisco, California, Sunset, MARCH 2004)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2  pounds  broccoli florets
• 1/4  cup  olive oil
• 3  cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1/2  teaspoon  hot chili flakes
• About 1/2 teaspoon salt
• About 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 12  ounces  dried penne pasta
• 1/3  cup  grated pecorino romano cheese

Preparation

1. Rinse broccoli and trim and discard stem ends. Coarsely chop tops and stems. In a 5- to 6-quart pan over medium heat, stir olive oil and garlic often until garlic sizzles, then stir in broccoli, chili flakes, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and 1/2 cup water. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until broccoli is very soft and mashes easily with a fork, 20 to 25 minutes. Add 1/4 cup water to pan if broccoli threatens to scorch.
2. Meanwhile, in a 5- to 6-quart pan over high heat, bring 4 quarts water to a boil; add penne and cook until tender to bite, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain and return to pan.
3. Stir broccoli mixture into pasta along with cheese. Add more salt and pepper to taste.

UPDATE: Want a recipe card? Here you go!

To print, left click >file >print. To save file to your computer, right click on image, then "save image as".

Soy Sauce Chicken

Asian food seems to be the theme here lately on the good ole blog. Maybe that's because many of my favorite recipes are the comfort foods from my mom's kitchen.  Soy sauce chicken was a house favorite growing up.  This dish even met our 15 month old critic's approval!  Aaron actually ate a few pieces of meat and hard boiled egg, both of which are a rare occurrence.

Soy Sauce Chicken is another recipe my mom learned from her Chinese cooking teacher, Mrs. Ting.  It consists of a whole cut up fryer chicken that is simmered in a sweet seasoned soy sauce mixture and served with hard boiled eggs and green onions.  If you've never cooked with the licorice-like flavored Chinese star anise, you'll love the way it lightly accentuates this dish. Here's what it looks like...

Soy Sauce Chicken

1 fryer chicken, cut into pieces

2/3 cup soy sauce

4 slices of ginger

5 pieces of anise seed

2 T. white cooking wine

1/2-2/3 cup sugar (I use 1/2)

2 cups water

Save for serving:

2-3 green onions

3 or 4 hard boiled eggs

Combine soy sauce, ginger, star anise, wine, sugar and water in an electric skillet or large cooking pan.  Heat and stir until all the sugar is dissolved.  Place the chicken in the pan with the sauce, cover. Cook 10 minutes.  

Remove cover, reduce heat to a low simmer.   Occasionally turn and baste the chicken.   Cook 20 minutes per pound of chicken.  Place the hard boiled eggs in the pan with the chicken to absorb some of the sauce.

Mrs. Ting had a trick for cutting the hard boiled eggs into a zig-zag pattern.  Tie a string or thread onto the middle of a toothpick. Insert the toothpick into the center of the egg until the string is in the middle of the egg.  Pull the string to cut the egg into a zig-zag pattern.

Place the chicken on a serving dish and garnish with 1"-2" slivered strips of green onion and hard boiled egg halves.  Drizzle a little of the thickened (by boiling down) sauce all over.   Serve with remaining sauce in a small pitcher.  

Cold Noodles Sze-Chuan Style

Okay folks, you've been asking for it, and here it is!  Cold Sze-Chuan Style Noodles.  It is, and always will be, one of my all time favorite recipes.  Growing up, I often requested my mom to make this.  She learned how to make it from her Chinese cooking teacher Mrs. Ting while living in Okinawa.  My mom took cooking lessons for 3 years from Ti'en Liu (aka Deanna Luke - her Chinese name anglicized), and then for about a year from her younger friend Mrs. Ting.  Both trained under top chefs in Hong Kong.


A couple months ago, it was my turn to host Bunco and I decided I couldn't go wrong with this winner.   Just about everyone wanted the recipe, so by popular demand here it is...

Cold Noodles Sze-Chuan Style

1 cup cooked shredded chicken (cook the chicken in boiling water with 3 slices of fresh ginger and a splash of cooking Sherry to give it some flavor),  I use 2 chicken breasts.

2 cups bean sprouts, blanched

1 large carrot, cut into julienne strips

1 zucchini, cut into julienne strips (or sub. English cucumber)

1 1/4 lb fresh Chinese noodles (such as Nasoya)

2 Tbs vegetable oil (I use 1 T.)

1 Tbs sesame oil

Sauce:

3 Tbs sesame seed paste (mom usually used peanut butter)

6 Tbs soy sauce

1 Tbs vinegar (rice or white) Mrs. Ting says 2 Tbs

1 T. red hot pepper oil (I substitute 1/4-1/2 t. crushed red pepper, since I don't have this on hand)

1 tsp sugar

2 Tbs scallions, chopped (or green onions)

1/2 Tbs ginger, minced

1/2 Tbs garlic, minced

1/2 tsp brown peppercorn (Szechuan) powder (DO NOT sub other peppers, this one is unique!)**

1 Tbs sesame oil

1 Tbs roasted peanuts, chopped

**I have a big container of brown peppercorns, so if you live near me I would be glad to provide you with this critical ingredient. I was only able to find it online.

Mom never cut any corners with this recipe and made the noodles from scratch.  I don't see how she had the time!  I sure don't so cheat and buy them at the grocery store.  My local grocery store Bel Air/Raley's has fresh Nasoya Chinese noodles in the produce section. 

Noodles: 2 cups flour, 2 eggs, +/- 2 Tbs water. Knead, adding more water necessary to make a stiff dough (particles should just barely cling together). Roll out into a thin sheet. Roll up and cut into noodles. Or just buy noodles.

Instructions:

1. Put the noodles into boiling water and cook until the water boils again.  Then add 1/2 cup of cold water and boil again until the noodles are tender.  Take the noodles out immediately. Put on a platter that has 2 Tbs of vegetable oil on it. Add another 1 Tbs of sesame seed oil to the noodles.  Then use chopsticks (if your up for the challenge!) or tongs to stir the noodles and at the same time use a fan to cool the noodles.   I know this sounds tricky, but the easiest way I found was to put an electric fan on the counter while you lift the noodles with tongs until they are cooled.  This process is to prevent the noodles from sticking together. (the fanning makes them shiny too!)

2. Boil the bean sprouts in boiling water for about 10 seconds. I use the hot water I just used for cooking the noodles.  Remove the sprouts and plunge into cold water. When they are cool, squeeze dry. Put on a serving platter and place the cold noodles over them. Then put the shredded chicken on the noodles.

3. Mix the sesame seed paste (peanut butter) with 1 Tbs of soy sauce in a small bowl. Mix thoroughly.  Then add another tablespoon of soy sauce. Mix well.  Repeat this procedure until all the soy sauce has been used up.   Then add the vinegar, red hot pepper oil, scallion, ginger, garlic, brown peppercorn powder, and sesame oil to prepare the seasoning sauce and pour over the top of the prepared noodles.  Top with carrots and zucchini.   Sprinkle peanuts over.   Mix well just before serving.

OR

3. Put the sesame seed paste (peanut butter), soy sauce, vinegar, red hot pepper oil, ginger, garlic, brown peppercorn powder, and sesame oil in a blender.  When smooth, stir in scallions ans proceed as above.

I know the recipe seems complicated, but after you've made it once you'll find ways to get everything organized so it will be easier the second time around.  I would just say give yourself plenty of time to make it.  Since it is served chilled it's fine to make it in the morning and serve it for dinner.  If you have any questions, just let me know! I hope you enjoy it as much as our family does. :)


Additional notes, as reminded by my mother....
1) Soy Sauce: "Mrs. Liu and Mrs. Ting were insistant that I use La Choy (or another Chinese soy sauce) rather than Kikkoman or other Japanese soy sauce.   The Chinese soy sauce has less sharp taste and a little more dimension, I think, although they are pretty interchangable." Okay so I used Kikkoman because that's what I had!  I wasn't about to go buy another soy sauce. Sorry mom :(
2) Noodles: "if you can't find the noodles mentioned, fresh linguine from the deli section works fine.  Dried linguine works fine, too, but lengthens the cooking time."
3) Szechwan brown peppercorns are actually the berries of  a certain variety of the prickly mountain ash shrub, and are not from the pepper family at all.  http://www.practicallyedible.com/edible.nsf/pages/szechuanpeppercorns
4) Hot Pepper Oil: "In Okinawa, hot pepper oil wasn't available, so Mrs. Liu would simmer a fresh hot pepper or two (like a Thai pepper, for instance)  in a few tablespoons of vegetable oil until the pepper began to darken.  Throw away the pepper and use the oil."