Chicken and Mixed Veggies in Brown sauce

I baked split chicken breasts the other night and used the leftover chicken in this dish. I didn't measure it, I just used what I had. I also used whatever veggies I had. I just eye ball the amounts to a ratio I like. You can use any meat you like and any combo of veggies for this dish.

You all know I love split chicken breasts because they are always on sale for 99 cents/lb. I baked  all the chicken at once and made a couple meals out of it. #1 baked chicken with gravy. #2 chicken salad #3 BBQ chicken (just for 2 lunches) and this dish. I pulled the chicken off the bone for the chicken salad, BBQ chicken and this chicken and veggies in brown sauce.

1 bottle of low sodium soy sauce (kikoman is the brand I like most by far)
3 TBSP corn starch
1-2 cups of water
3 TBSP brown sugar
3 cloves of garlic. minced or pressed, whatever you like
1 TBSP minced onion
1/2 tsp fresh ginger. crushed, minced, whatever you like
 Use as much or as little ginger as you like.
I cut 2 chunks of ginger and cook in sauce but remove before eating.
 I am not the biggest fan of ginger but without it, it doesn't taste right

Make this sauce your own. Use more or less of any of the ingredients.
This is just how we like it. The above recipe makes about 4-6 servings.
There are times when I doubled it to make more.

Cook all ingredients in pot on med heat then simmer until thickened. (corn starch needs to be cooked out)
Pour over meat and veggies and bake just to meld all ingredients together. 10-20 minutes @ 350

 I used frozen veggies in this dish. I use frozen veggies OFTEN. They go on sale all the time at our 3 local grocery stores for $1 and I try to keep stocked up. The broccoli I actually purchase mostly in bulk because we eat a lot of it. It is my Sons favorite. I always do the broccoli florets. I put all the veggies in a baking dish or any dish that is appropriate size and I defrost them in the microwave. This way they will never be over cooked and all the nutrients won't cook out. Also, I made this whole meal for about $10! That's about $1.70 cents per serving!

Save Your Veggie Scraps For Soup Stock

While I am on the topic of soup, I should give you this little tip that I LOVE!

When I was younger I have the privilege of living with my Aunt and Uncle for a while and spending summers at their house. My Aunt was a bit of a health freak to say the least and very big on nutrition and making everything from scratch. I learned a lot of tips and recipes from her that I still use today 20 years later. My Creamy Corn Chowder is actually her recipe. They had a garden and ate a ton of fresh veggies. She would save all veggie scraps for cutting, ends, peels, seeds, etc or a veggie that was going to go bad before it could be used. She would throw all these veggies in a ziploc or clean (of course) garbage bag and pop them into the freezer. Each time she had more, she would add to the bag. I use a garbage bag. When she had enough veggies frozen and saved up, she would dump them into a stock pot, fill it with water and let it simmer away for the most AMAZING veggie stock. You can also use these with bones of whatever meat/poultry and make whatever kind of stock you want.

I also freeze carcases, bones and scraps from meats/ poultry so they will keep until I am ready to use them. I also do this in a garbage bag. I do it in it's own bag though so I have my choice for a veggie only stock if I want. I don't eat much meat and prefer veggie stock anyway. I crush all of it down as much as I can before putting it in the bag, to save space in my freezer. It will keep for a long time. I don't want to or can't always make stock as soon as I have the bones etc ready for it so this is a really great tip.

Once the stock was finished and cooled, she would fill a bunch of containers or even ziploc bags and freeze those. I like to use a bunch of assorted size containers AND bags. Some of them very small, only fitting a cup or 2 cups or even just a half cup of stock. I do this because you can take out a little or a lot as needed. This stock is not just good for soup bases. You can cook your rice in it, instead of plain water for extra flavor. You can also add small amounts to sauces. Use small amounts to deglaze pans for a pan sauce. Use it in gravy instead of water for flavor. Boil pasta in it for a tasty side dish or to amp up whatever pasta dish you are making. There are really an endless amount of possibilities for this gem.It's so easy and saves on cost and it's a lot more healthy for you than any stock you can buy. Saves time too when you always have it frozen and on hand.

I love this idea so much that my Mom bought me a 16 quart stock pot for my 16th Birthday. I still have that pot and I use it all the time.

CREAMY CORN CHOWDER

A friend requested the recipe for my creamy corn chowder, so here it is.
A lot of people cringe when I mention this soup. I have to admit that I did too when I first heard of it. I am also not really a big soup eater. That being said, the minute I tasted it, I was in love. It has been one of my favorites and I crave it often. I love pairing it with grilled cheese on whole wheat. I break up the sandwich and throw it right in my bowl. My husband is more of a dipper. I also like to sprinkle some Parmesan cheese on it as well. Try that out.

INGREDIENTS:

3 small potatoes
diced into 1/2 inch cubes

2 cups boiling water

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 medium onion

2 TBSP. butter

1 3/4 cups fresh, frozen or canned corn
about 1 pkg if frozen
if you use canned, drain well

2 TBSP sliced canned, jarred or fresh pimento *optional*

2 cups of milk

1/2 cup half and half

1 TBSP. brown sugar

1/2 tsp. Paprika

salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook potatoes in boiling water and salt until tender. About 20 min. Drain.

2. Saute onion in butter until tender.

3. Stir onions into potato, corn, pimento, milk, half and half, brown sugar and paprika. Salt and pepper to taste.

4. Simmer 20 to 30 min longer until soup is thickened.

So that is the original recipe but of course, I like to stray off the beaten path and make it my own. This is really the kind of soup that you can make to your liking. I have no idea how many servings this recipe makes but I do know that it is not enough for me. I make at least double and I freeze a bunch of it. I also don't use the same ratio's of ingredients. I like my soup thick, chunky and hearty,  with lots or corn, potatoes and onion and not so much broth. Now I sure don't measure water to boil potatoes lol Sometimes if I have a vegetable stock made or frozen, I use that instead of water to boil potatoes for extra flavor. I also like this soup to be sweet and spicy which it kind of is on it's own but I amp it up a bit. I use a bit more sugar, paprika and pepper, lots of pepper. I do this little by little, tasting each time until I like the way it tastes.

On a side note. Cream does not agree so I would rather not use the half and half at all. The majority of the time that I make this soup, I use a rue. Equal amounts of butter and flour that you cook off in the pot first then add the milk and simmer for a few min before adding any of the other ingredients. I also use fat free skim milk. This also cuts calories :)

No Bake Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake!

I have been making this pie for years and years. Everyone loves it! It is a fan favorite lol It used to be me who always made it every year. Now I have several friends who make it on their own. Today my favorite Sister in law called me to go over the recipe, like she does every year since she started making it on her own ;) She reminded me that maybe I should post it to my blog, so I can share it with the rest of you. 

It is a pretty easy pie to make. I use the easy pumpkin (the one with the spices already in it) I just like the taste better and it's less ingredients and steps. You can make this pie for under $10. If you plan ahead and follow sales and use coupons, well you know, it'll be a lot cheaper. Sorry I am so late with this seeing as Thanksgiving is in 2 days. It's really a good pie for the whole season. Most people think this pie is a weird combo and I did too, until I tasted it. Sooo GOOD!!

 http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/double-layer-pumpkin-pie-54636.aspx