Chicken & Bacon Fried Rice

This is a variation of my mom's fried rice recipe.  We often had fried rice the day after we had rice with dinner.  I don't usually get fried rice at Chinese restaurants because it never seems to be as good as my mom's.  I'm a bit partial to it.  The other day I cooked a bunch of rice but ended up making something different for dinner, and the next day at work I thought about making fried rice all day.  So I came home and did it.  I decided to add chicken to make it more of a main dish than a side dish.  Zak helped me and we made a delicious, big batch of fried rice that lasted us a few days.

3 eggs, beaten with a little bit of milk, salt & pepper
4 c. rice (leftover is fine)
4 slices bacon
1 lb.+ chicken (used about 20 oz.), cut into bite-sized pieces and cooked (Zak seasoned with salt & pepper, butter, rice vinegar & a bit of soy sauce)
4-5 baby carrots or 1-2 medium carrots, grated
1/2 (?) c. frozen peas
2 (?) green onions
soy sauce
water chestnuts (optional, not my favorite)

1.  Dice bacon, cook and drain most of the grease.  Leave a little room so the rice can fry in the grease.
2.  Add rice to wok/pot and cook in small amount of remaining bacon grease.
3.  Add carrots, peas, chicken and green onions until mixture is warmed.
4.  Add scrambled egg, cook for a few minutes until everything is mixed together.
5.  With the soy sauce, draw a small circle over rice and mix to taste.

delicious!

nom nom nom

Tater Tot Casserole

I didn't know tater tot casserole was a thing, but after this experiment, it might become a meal that we have every once in awhile, when we get that craving for a very yummy comfort food dish.  I used a bunch of different recipes and combined them to create this one.  I was only a little bit nervous about mostly winging it, but I took confidence in knowing what Zak and I both like and what would taste good and I'm proud to say that this was a big hit!  It was very easy to make and tasted great the next day, too!

1 lb. ground beef
1/4 c. onions, minced
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 lb. tater tots (around 50)
2/3 c. frozen peas
2/3 c. frozen corn
1 1/2 c. cheese

1.  Brown meat with onions.  Add spices.
2.  Add in soups and veggies, cook until warmed through.
3.  Defrost tots in a shallow bowl in the microwave for 1 - 2 minutes.
4.  Layer a 9"x13" casserole dish with half of the soup mixture, half of the tater tots, 1/2 c. cheese; repeat.  Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.
5.  Cook for about 25 minutes at 350 degrees.

before cooking

after baking

sure it may not look super pretty, but it hit the spot!

Lighter General Tso's Chicken

As you may have figured out, we love Chinese food.  And when I saw a recipe for not only General Tso's Chicken (a favorite of Zak's), but a healthier recipe from Martha Stewart, I knew I had to try it.  It was awesome!  The chicken was perfect, and although it was pretty spicy (but not as much the next day), it had such great flavor.  I loved how the chicken came out with the egg white and cornstarch batter, it was just great. Definitely a favorite and an addition to our meal menu.

1/4 c. cornstarch, divided (1 Tbl., 3 Tbl.)
1 lb. snow peas, trimmed (I used 1 lb. frozen sugar snap peas and trimmed them)
4 - 5 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. fresh ginger, minced
3 Tbl. brown sugar
2 Tbl. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes (1/4 if you aren't a fan of spicy)
2 large egg whites
1 lb. chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 - 2 Tbl. oil

1.  In large bowl, stir together 1 Tbl. cornstarch and 1/2 c. cold water until smooth.  Add snow (or sugar snap) peas, garlic, ginger, sugar, soy sauce and red pepper flakes.  Toss to combine and set aside.
2.  In a medium bowl, whisk together egg whites with remaining 3 Tbl. cornstarch, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper.  Add chicken and toss to coat.
3.  Heat oil over medium-high heat.  Shake off excess mixture from chicken and cook until golden, 6 - 8 minutes.  Transfer to a plate.
4.  Add snow pea mixture to skillet, cover and cook until tender and sauce has thickened, about 5 minutes.
5.  Return chicken to skillet and toss to coat.

I got about 5 servings from this

the chicken turned out so perfectly

so yummy!