Shortcut Shrimp Risotto

This dish was super easy to make. Came in handy since I got home late, and Steph didn't get a chance to start it. I was happy to cook again! It's been a few days. Just mix the first four ingredients, boil, reduce heat and simmer for a while. Stir in remaining ingredients and heat until warm. I'm not sure if you noticed, but none of the ingredients below add any kind of salt. We added our own after the fact and I used hot sauce. Yum.

Connor says: I really enjoyed the frozen peas prior to dinner, but once cooked, not so much. Love the rice though! The shrimp is weird and new and I'm not in to it.


Makes 4 servings

2 14-oz cans reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 1/3 cups arborio rice or short grain rice
1/2 cup chopped onion (1 medium)
1 tbsp snipped fresh basil or 3/4 tsp dried basil, crushed
1 10-12 oz package frozen peeled, cooked shrimp, thawed
1 1/2 cups frozen peas
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1) In a large saucepan combine broth, rice, onion, and dried basil, if using. Bring mixture to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 18 minutes.

2) Stir in shrimp and peas. Cover and cook for 3 minutes more (do not lift lid). Stir in fresh basil, if using. Sprinkle each serving with cheese.

Busy-Day Beef-Vegetable Soup

Second of two for tonight.

Makes 4 servings

1 lb boneless beef chuck roast, trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces

3 medium carrots, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices

2 small potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1/2 cup chopped onion (1 medium)

1/2 tsp dried thyme, crushed

1 bay leaf

2 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes, undrained

1/2 cup frozen peas

1) In a slow cooker, combine beef, carrots, potatoes, and onion. Sprinkle with thyme and 1/2 tsp salt. Add bay leaf. Pour undrained tomatoes and 1 cup water over mixture in cooker. 

2) Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 8-10 hrs or on high-heat setting for 4-5 hours. Discard bay leaf. Stir in frozen peas. 

Three-Bean Tamale Pie

Gonna post two tonight; here's the first of two...

Makes 8 servings

1 cup chopped green sweet pepper (1 large)
1/2 cup chopped onion (1 medium)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 15-16 oz can kidney beans, rinsed, drained and slightly mashed
1 15-16 oz can pinto beans, rinsed, drained and slightly mashed
1 15-16 oz can black beans, rinsed, drained and slightly mashed
1 11.5 oz can (1 1/3 cups) vegetable juice
1 4-oz can diced green chile peppers, undrained
1 1/4 tsp chili powder
3/4 tsp ground cumin
1 8.5 oz package corn muffin mix
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (2 oz)
1/4 cup snipped fresh cilantro or parsley
Salsa and/or sour cream (optional)

1) Preheat oven to 400. Grease a 3-quart rectangular baking dish; set aside.

2) In a large skillet cook sweet pepper, onion, and garlic in hot oil until tender. Stir in kidney, pinto, and black beans; vegetable juice; undrained chile peppers; chili powder; and cumin. Heat bean mixture through and spoon into prepared dish.

3) Prepare corn muffin mix according to package directions; add cheese and cilantro to batter, stirring just until combined. Evenly spoon corn muffin mixture on top of bean mixture. Bake, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes or until golden. If desired, serve with salsa and/or sour cream.

Upside-down Pizza Casserole

Work has been super busy, so I didn't get home in time to cook. Superhero Steph managed to whip up this delightful dish all while dealing with two cranky kids. It was great!

We used hamburger meat, but Steph wants to try it again with sausage instead. Neither of us likes mushrooms, so we left that out. Steph added green pepper and jalapeno and it ended up great! The biscuits on top were a nice touch.

From what I hear, Connor loved it except for the green pepper part.

Makes 5 servings

1.5 lbs lean ground beef or bulk Italian sausage
1 15-oz can Italian-style tomato sauce
1 4-oz can sliced mushrooms, drained
1/4 cup sliced pitted ripe olives (optional)
1 to 1.5 cups shredded mozzarella cheese or four-cheese pizza blend (4-6 oz)
1 10-oz package refrigerated biscuits (10 biscuits)

1. Preheat oven to 400. In a large skillet cook beef until brown. Drain fat; discard. Stir in tomato sauce, mushrooms, and olives (if using). Heat through. Transfer meat mixture to a 2-quart rectangular baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese.

2. Flatten each biscuit with your hands. Arrange biscuits on top of cheese. Bake, uncovered, for 15-17 minutes or until biscuits are golden.

Shrimp and Chicken Jambalaya

We enjoyed this meal after a nice day trip to Natchitoches, a town south of here known for its historical significance. It is also the home of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame (Shaq and ???), the site of Northwestern State University, and most importantly, the place where they filmed Steel Magnolias. For those who've never heard of it, don't try to pronounce it. It is inexplicably pronounced Nack-a-dish. It is unclear why this pronunciation was chosen. It brings back fond memories of Idaho, which is home to a town called St. Maries which is either misspelled or is named after more than one St. Mary.

Anywho, this is a nice jambalaya that is relatively easy to make. We used creole boiled rice from nolacuisine.com rather than the brown rice. I think that made a huge difference. It was a very good meal. It reminds me of my dad's Shreveport gumbo, but without okra and tomato juice.

Connor says: Yum!!!! I am going to eat most of my plate, then demand to sit with Dad, and then do laps around the house because I AM EXCITED!!!!!! I do not want to go to bed, but I am exhausted. I will sprint from room to room until you convince me it's actually bedtime.



Makes 4 servings


2 tsp olive oil

	1 medium uncooked onion(s), sweet, chopped (about 1 cup)
	1 medium green pepper(s), chopped (about 1 cup)
	8 oz uncooked boneless skinless chicken breast(s), cut into bite-size pieces
	29 oz canned stewed tomatoes, undrained
	12 oz uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
	1 tsp Italian seasoning, dried
	1 tsp hot pepper sauce
	4 cup(s) cooked brown rice

Instructions

• Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and pepper; cook, stirring, until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes.
  
• Stir in chicken; cook, stirring, until chicken is no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
  
• Stir in remaining ingredients, except rice; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, stirring occasionally, until shrimp are cooked through, about 5 minutes.
  
• Stir in rice; continue cooking until liquid is almost absorbed and rice is thoroughly heated, about 2 minutes. Yields about 2 cups per serving.

Super-Easy Slow Cooker Three-Bean Chili

Tonight, we had red beans and rice. And since I've already posted about that, I will simply remind you that it indeed is fantastic and you must try it!

I'll take this opportunity to write about another recipe we had this weekend. On Friday, we had Super-Easy Slow Cooker Three-Bean Chili. Having "Super Easy" and "Slow Cooker" in the the title is redundant. We chose this recipe because it makes a lot and we were having Steph's parents in town. It certainly made a lot. Seemed like I bought 50 cans of beans for this. Luckily, it was really good, and we now have a bunch of leftovers. Very easy chili recipe. It's vegetarian, if you're in to that kind of thing.

Connor says: Beans!?!? Beans?!?!


Makes 10 servings

	1 large uncooked onion(s), minced
	1 clove(s) (medium) garlic clove(s), minced
	30 oz canned black beans, rinsed and drained
	30 oz canned kidney beans, rinsed and drained
	30 oz canned pinto beans, rinsed and drained
	30 oz canned diced tomatoes, with chilies
	15 oz canned tomato sauce
	1 1/4 oz spiced seasoning mix, chili variety
	14 oz frozen corn kernels
	1 Tbsp fresh lime juice, or to taste
	1/2 cup(s) cilantro, fresh, minced

Instructions

• Combine onion, garlic, beans, tomatoes, tomato sauce and seasoning mix in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on high heat for 2 to 3 hours (or low heat for 4 to 6 hours). Add frozen corn during last hour of cooking. Stir in lime juice and cilantro just before serving. Yields about 1 1/3 cups per serving.

Baked Chicken Chiles Rellenos

To the six snowflakes I saw falling today...thank you. I have to recognize the nice cool days when they happen because if I took time to point out the hot ones, I'd get demoralized. However, it is nice to be somewhere that "cold" days are really not that cold. We just received news this evening that I may be spending a couple of weeks in February traveling for work to Montana, Wyoming and North Dakota. Go check out the ten-day forecast for Minot, ND and six snowflakes don't seem so bad.

Tonight we made some delicious baked chicken rellenos. These are similar to the Chicken Kiev we made a while back. If you want to check out the recipe below, go for it, but just know we did almost everything differently. We used 3 giant chicken breast halves rather than 6. We also used diced green chiles rather than whole. And we used shredded cheese instead of sticks. They were really good. The salsa on top was a nice touch. I think I liked the Chicken Kiev a little more, but this was pretty good.

Connor says: I am not up for trying something new tonight. I don't want this breaded chicken. Instead, I'll take my breaded chicken nuggets from the freezer.

Makes 6 servings

6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 tbsp cornmeal
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 egg lightly beaten
1 tbsp water
1 4-oz can whole green chiles or whole jalapeño peppers, rinsed, stemmed, seeded, and halved lengthwise (6 pieces total)
2 oz Monterey Jack cheese, cut into six 2 x 1/2 inch sticks
2 tbsp snipped fresh cilantro or parsley
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp butter or margarine, melted
1 8 oz jar green or red salsa

1) Place each chicken breast half between two pieces of plastic wrap. Using the flat side of a meat mallet, pound chicken lightly into rectangles, 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Discard plastic wrap.

2) Preheat oven to 375. Line a shallow baking pan with foil; set aside. In a shallow bowl combine flour, cornmeal, salt, and cayenne pepper. In a second shallow bowl combine egg and water.

3) Place a chile pepper half on each chicken piece near an edge. Place a stick of cheese on each chile pepper. Sprinkle with cilantro and black pepper. Fold in side edges; roll up from edge with cheese and  chile pepper. Secure with wooden toothpicks.

4) Dip chicken rolls into egg mixture to coat; coat all sides with cornmeal mixture. Place rolls, seam sides down, in prepared baking pan. Brush with melted butter.

5) Bake, uncovered, for 30-35 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Remove toothpicks. Meanwhile, heat salsa; serve over chicken.