Spicy (or not) Crispy Onion Chicken

Pure comfort food - to eat AND to make! My go-to meal when I'm too wiped to make anything else, and not in the mood for take-out. Best part is, the only fresh ingredient I need is chicken - everything else is in the pantry/refrigerator. Sometimes I'll coat a few tenderloins in the sauce before adding the red pepper, and cook those up for my daughters. Last night I just made it as-is, and Naya inhaled it! Usually make with white rice on the side.


Ingredients
3 T butter, melted
2 1/2 T Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. red pepper
4 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 c. french fried onions, crushed
1 lb chicken tenderloins



Directions
In a medium sized bowl, combine the melted butter, Worcestershire, garlic powder, black and red peppers and Dijon mustard.
Place the french fried onions in a shallow dish or a plate. Dredge the chicken breast in the butter mixture, covering well. Then dip the chicken breast into the onions, making sure it’s well-covered. Place the chicken breast on a greased baking sheet. Top with remaining sauce and onions. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and onions are crisp and browned.

Baked Spaghetti with Cream Cheese and French Fried Onions - yes!!

Baked Spaghetti with Cream Cheese and French Fried Onions (from http://www.letsdishrecipes.com/)

8 ounces uncooked spaghetti
1 pound ground beef
1 (24 oz.) jar spaghetti sauce
1 tablespoon butter (although I used olive oil)
1/3 cup chopped onion (I used a whole small onion)
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup water
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
French Fried Onions (small can)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook spaghetti according to package directions; drain and set aside. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add ground beef, onions and garlic and cook until beef is no longer pink. Add cream cheese and water to skillet and cook, stirring, until cream cheese is melted.. Stir in spaghetti sauce and heat through. Season sauce with salt and pepper.

Place a thin layer of the sauce in the bottom of a greased, 9x13 baking dish. Add spaghetti, arranging in an even layer. Pour the sauce evenly over the spaghetti. Top with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven and top with French Fried Onions. Bake 5 minutes more.


**Next time around, I might leave out a couple of ounces of cream cheese - it was a bit heavy! Might also add a bit more seasoning to the sauce, including a bit of red pepper to give it a tiny kick.

Chicken Kima

My daughters are feeling the Indo-Pak food this week :) To have them eating anything is a miracle, but both of them eating consistently all week? It. is. the. dream. Once, the dream was becoming a US Ambassador or curing some terminal disease, but now it's getting these two precocious, vocal darlings to eat regular meals. This did it for them:

Chicken Kima (courtesy of my mother):

1 onion, minced
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb. ground chicken
2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper*
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp lemon juice (half a squeezed lemon)

Fry the minced onion in the oil over medium heat for about 4 mins. Add garlic, stir for another 2 mins. Add all the spices, and about 2 Tbsp water, and then fry the whole pan for about 3 more mins. Add the chicken, and stir frequently until cooked through. Squeeze in lemon right near the end of the cooking. Served with white basmati rice and sliced tomatoes.

*to spice it up, add another 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Eaten! Chicken Tikka Masala

Chicken Tikka Masala (modified from a recipe on www.allrecipes.com):

Ingredients:

4 boneless chicken breasts cut into bite-size pieces
3/4 cup yogurt
1 cup heavy cream
1 (6 ounce) can of tomato paste
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 onion chopped
1/2 green bell pepper chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon garlic powder


Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, combine the ingredients and mix well until blended. Then pour into a baking pan and bake at 350 for about 55-60 minutes. Stir before serving.

**The original recipe I had been using called for 1/2 jalapeno pepper, which I left out now for the sake of the kiddos. It also asked for a 12 oz can of tomato paste - hubby prefers it this way, but I think it's too tomato-y. I made this with 1 cup of yogurt, per the original recipe, but it was a bit tangy so I've scaled it back to 3/4 in the posted recipe.

She'd rather eat an ice cube - Ovaltine Banana Smoothie

Not a success - Naya took two sips, opened her mouth wide in horror, then asked for an ice cube. Even I'll admit to a strange aftertaste:

Banana Ovaltine Smoothie
Ingredients:
1 ripe banana (frozen or not)
1/3-1/2 cup skim milk or soy milk
1 tablespoon ovaltine
2 teaspoons non-fat vanilla or plain yogurt
1 scoop of non-flavored or vanilla whey protein powder (optional)
Preparation:
Place all the ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth. Makes 1 smoothie.

I shall persevere - one of my friends swears by ovaltine-based breakfast smoothies for her kids, and I think there may be something there!

Creamy Orzo and blah blah bland but at least no one got cut :(

Today's attempt to wean the girls off of Annie's Organic Peace Pasta - Creamy Orzo with Chicken, Mushrooms, and Red Peppers, from a site I won't name since I'm finally understanding that its recipes are hopelessly bland! I left out the red peppers, but since they were bell peppers, I don't think that would have improved the dish significantly enough for it to be more edible. The girls won't eat it, so I'm left with a large wok full of leftovers, and not enough chili garlic sauce in the world to get through it.

On a side note, I bought Duralex bowls and plates recently - supposedly 2.5 times stronger than regular glass - and I put in a bowlful of the pasta and set it on the counter. I was in the other room changing Naya's diaper, Lani in the kitchen playing at the table, when I heard a tinging sound. Assuming Lani had thrown toys on the ground, I ambled over to the kitchen only to find her looking stunned at the table, and the bowl shattered on the counter and all over the floor. THANK GOD she wasn't closer, or Naya wasn't in the room! Law. Suit. Lani also noted that "it's good Naya wasn't here" which was a purely sweet and thoughtful thing. She's still trying to milk it for all it's worth though, describing how she assumed a crash position when it happened (doubtful), and how it was like a windshield (how does she know what to say to freak me out more??)

Day One: Get your toddler to eat breakfast

Normally, Naya will only reliably eat one thing for breakfast - cold pizza. Because apparently she's already a college student. The rest of the meals aren't so tough, fortunately. In my quest for breakfast alternatives . . . smoothies! Today was a Strawberry Pineapple Smoothie - since Daddy has hooked the girls on ice cream-based smoothies (a/k/a milkshakes), I've had some misses in the past with trying to get her to eat these, today was mildly successful! I think for some reason the frozen fruit made it taste much less yogurt-y than usual.

Strawberry Pineapple Smoothie (estimates - made 2 servings):
1/3 c. yogurt
1/2 c. milk
6 frozen strawberries
1/2 c. frozen pineapple
1/2 frozen banana

Next time around - may add honey for some extra sweetness, although Naya didn't seem to mind, and might try to add in some wheat germ or ground flax seed for extra nutrition. Lani still wouldn't touch it knowing it was ice cream-free, but I'm still labeling this - SUCCESS!