Tex-Mex Fried Rice

It's summer and I am thankful for that. I love having my kids home with me! It's wild and crazy and loud (did I mention that it's loud?) and dirty and messy but it's fun. We play outside (a lot). And I've even had time to make a few new yummy recipes.

So I have another Pioneer Woman recipe to share…I added a few things to it to make it work for our family and everyone LOVED it! It was pretty delicious and easy…and good left over. I'll definitely make this again.

Tex-Mex Fried Rice
Adapted from Pioneer Woman

1 lb ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels
15 oz can black beans, drained & rinsed
4 oz. can chopped green chiles
10 oz. can Rotel tomatoes
3-4 cups cooked white rice (leftover rice works well)
1 T cumin
1 T chili powder
1 T garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 T worcestershire sauce
4 green onions, sliced thin
Juice of 1 lime
1 bunch cilantro, chopped fine

Brown the ground beef with the onion and bell pepper in a large deep skillet, crumbling as it cooks. Drain any excess grease. Stir in the corn, black beans, green chiles and Rotel. Cook for a minute. Stir in the rice and remaining ingredients and heat through. Ready to serve! Delicious by itself or topped with cheese, salsa, avocado (or guacamole!) & sour cream.

Barbecue Chicken Nachos

I just noticed that I last posted in September. That was four months ago. It's now 2016. I'm not even going to ask you where my life is going because I know you don't have an answer either.

So. What's happened in the last 4 months. Matthew and I stayed awake ALL THE WAY TO MIDNIGHT on New Year's Eve!!! This is news, people. We haven't rang in a new year since we had children.

Exciting item #2. We acquired a new family member. It is a baby kitten! Ugh. Kittens one of God's cutest creations. We named him Tubby. He's clearly a smart cat since he chose our house to come howl in front of. And I'm a total sucker for animals. And my dad is a vet! Told you Tubs is smart.

It was a dark and stormy evening (for real), my dad dropped Matthew off from their afternoon of hunting and we heard a kitten crying in the bushes. My dad and I hunted around in the bushes, using our flashlights because it was dark as night and raining and calling "here, kitty" about a thousand times. We caught him and the rest is history. Tubby is adorable and sweet and positively adores our children. Well, he adores the two older girls. The two littles are a bit rough with him. He's sweet and tolerant anyway.

It goes with the territory. I just remind Tubby that he picked us. He loves our dogs, he loves our other cat, Harry, and I'm sure he will love the bunny we're getting this spring when Mary Beth turns 8. (We're on our way to a petting zoo. Just how I planned it. Don't say I didn't warn you.)

Christmas break was wonderful...I love all of my kids home with me. I considered not sending them back to school this semester. Learning is overrated, no? (Matthew does not share these thoughts. Hence the reason children need mothers AND fathers. That is not a political statement. It's just a factual statement.)

Christmas break...where was I...oh, yes, these nachos. Um, yum is all I can say about these. My sister-in-law makes these and my brother loves them and she told me all about them and I said yes I'll be making those soon and so I made them in December. Matthew and I LOVED them!!!

Quantities are approximate because it simply doesn't matter. (Plus, I don't have time to measure anymore. I just empty out the refrigerator and dump stuff in. Things turn out okay. Usually, anyway.) A pile of chips, a pile of cheese, chicken, bake. Top with green onions, sour cream, BBQ sauce & pickled jalapeno slices. Devour.

So easy. Please make these. And by all means, use Neely's BBQ sauce recipe (I tweaked it a bit and blogged it here). Bottled BBQ sauce is just too...gloppy. Neely's is perfect. You'll lick your plate, despite your New Year's resolutions!

Barbecue Chicken Nachos

Tortilla Chips
Shredded Cheese (I used a combo of Pepper Jack & Cheddar)
Cooked chicken, chopped (I used grilled but sauteed or even rotisserie would work!)
Black beans (I just used canned, drained & rinsed)
BBQ Sauce

Toppings:
Sliced green onions
Sour Cream
Pickled jalapeno peppers

On a large baking sheet, spread a layer of tortilla chips and top with cheese & chicken. Spread another layer of chips on top with cheese & chicken. Bake in a 375 degree oven until cheese is melty & bubbly. Remove from oven and generously top with BBQ sauce. (If you put the BBQ sauce on the chips before you put it in the oven, the chips get soggy. Just FYI.) Sprinkle green onions on top. Top each serving with sour cream and jalapenos.

My mouth is watering. Can't wait to make these again.

Chili Mac & Cheese

Since it's been a long time since I posted, I thought I'd introduce you to the newest member of our family.

Pip.

Can you tell that my biggest girl is pretty excited. Pip is a chick (can you tell?). Yes, as in a chicken. 

No, we haven't moved to the country since we last talked. Why do you ask?

So anyway.

Chili Mac & Cheese. Comfort food, I think it's safe to say.

My mom used to make this for us. It's just really good. These things just go together. So you really should make it.

It's easy. It's good. It's cheesy. That's enough for now.

Chili Mac & Cheese

8 oz macaroni (about 2 cups uncooked), cooked according to package directions
1 lb ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese (about 2 cups shredded)

Brown the beef with the onion and bell pepper in a large skillet, crumbling the beef and cooking until no longer pink. Drain any grease. 

Add the garlic, tomatoes, cumin, oregano, basil, salt & pepper and simmer for about 5 minutes.

Combine with the pasta and pour into a greased 9x13 baking dish. Top with the cheese and bake in 350 degree oven until bubbly and hot (about 20 minutes or so).

Spinach Italian Chicken Pasta

Well it's only been 2 months since my last post!  It's been about that long since I made something good for dinner.

You think I'm joking.  I have, however, done other things.  I'm not sure exactly what, but surely I've done something in the last two months.

Anyway.  This pasta.  For dinner.  Like, tonight.

It was awesome.  My husband said it should be on the menu at an Italian restaurant.  My kids scarfed it down. (This is actually news because my kids do not love food mixed together.  As in, they want food to stay with its own kind.  As in, they love spinach, tomatoes, chicken, pasta and cheese, but don't let it touch.  Sometimes I go with this.  Sometimes I tell them to get over it and eat dinner and say thank you mama for dinner.)

I got the idea from a recipe on Pinterest, naturally.  But I deviated from the original a bit.  I thought it might be a bit dry if I baked it, so I just served it as a "skillet."  As Sunny Anderson would say, it's a "one pan plan, man."

There's only one picture of this meal.  If I described what was going on under my feet while I made this skillet and snapped this one lone picture, you'd be impressed that I cooked anything.

At least, I was impressed that I cooked anything last night.  It's WILD here!

Spinach Italian Chicken Pasta
Adapted from Key Ingredient

8 oz. penne pasta, cooked and drained (this is about 2 cups uncooked)
1 onion, chopped
1 T butter
2 cloves garlic
10 oz. package frozen chopped spinach
8 oz. chive & onion cream cheese
15 oz. Italian-style diced tomatoes
2-3 cups cooked chicken (I used a rotisserie chicken)
1 cup milk
8 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 2 cups shredded)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Cook the penne in salted boiling water (always heavily salt your pasta water!).  Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large skillet.  Saute the onion over medium-high heat for several minutes until tender.  Add the garlic and spinach.  Stir until the spinach is thawed.  Add the cream cheese and stir until creamy and melty. Add the tomatoes, chicken and milk.  Turn the heat to low.  Season with salt and pepper.  Stir in half of the cheese and the cooked pasta.

Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and cover.  When the cheese is melted, it's ready!

*If using raw chicken, just saute it with the onion and proceed.

Sloppy Joes

I saw Pioneer Woman at the Kentucky Proud Food Show on Saturday in Rupp Arena!  It was awesome.

She's so...normal.  And that's why she's been so successful.  She's a normal mom that makes really good food for her really large family.  And she lives on the largest cattle ranch in Oklahoma.

It was so fun to see her in person!  She didn't make these sloppy joes on Saturday but she did make her Pots de Creme (which I will be trying in the near future!).

But these sloppy joes were on my mind since I just saw her on Saturday. And this is basically her recipe, so I thought I'd share it with you.

Just brown some ground beef (sometimes I use half ground turkey, half ground chuck) with onions and green pepper (I used bell peppers from my dad's garden), add a whole bunch of spices and ketsup and let it simmer.

And by all means, serve it on slider buns with yellow mustard and pickles.  And if you're my kid, you get cantaloupe and green beans to go with it.

Deliciously yummy.  Here ya go.

Sloppy Joes (PW Style)
Adapted from Pioneer Woman

2 lbs ground chuck (can also use 1/2 ground turkey and half ground chuck)
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups ketsup
2 T tomato paste
1 cup water
2 T Worcestershire sauce
2 T brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
A few dashes of hot sauce (I go easy so my kids will eat it!)
1 T dijon mustard
1 T chili powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Add the chuck, onion and bell pepper to a large pan and cook, stirring it to break up the beef.  Drain the fat.  Add the garlic and remaining ingredients and simmer for about 20 minutes.  Serve on buns.  This freezes really well and the leftovers are even better the second time around.

Pampered Chef GIVEAWAY & Cheeseburger Casserole

Hey Y'all!  I am excited about this post because I have a GIVEAWAY!!!

It's a first.  And I'm doing this just in time for Christmas...but this is one of those gifts that you'll want to keep for yourself.

Because we all know that everyone shops for themselves while they're supposed to be Christmas shopping for others.

So! I teamed up with Erin Helbig, my Pampered Chef consultant friend, and the prize is this:

Pampered Chef's Mix 'n Chop.

When Erin asked me what Pampered Chef item I'd like to give away, I did not hesitate.  The Mix 'n Chop is my absolute favorite Pampered Chef tool...one of my favorite tools in the whole kitchen, as a matter of fact.

It's awesome.  I mainly use it when browning ground beef or turkey sausage...because nothing gets those tiny crumbles like this tool.  (Because we all know that big chunks of ground beef are gross.  The finer the better, in my world.)  But I also use it for banana bread (it squishes the bananas perfectly).  It works like a chopper or a whisk.  Or a stirrer.  It's multi-purpose and everyone needs at least one.

I'll show you how I made this cheeseburger bake which, by the way, is delicious.  And it's fun to make!  And husbands and kids love it.

And I love using my Mix 'n Chop.  And so will you.  If you're the lucky winner.

Brown some beef with onions and then add the normal things you'd find in a cheeseburger!  Tomatoes, ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire sauce...the usual.

Toss with pasta (it's a starch...sort of like the bread on a cheeseburger, I guess) and top with a mound of cheese.

I always serve this with green beans.  I don't know why.  I like the way they look together, I guess.

So here's how to enter: Leave a comment and tell me your favorite thing to eat in December.  It could be beef tenderloin, cookies, cranberry sauce, Snickers or Cheerios.  Or tomato soup.  Or smoked turkey.  Or mac 'n cheese.  I don't know what your favorite December food is, so that's up to you.

By the way, this Mix 'n Chop also makes great smashed potatoes, it chops cooked chicken perfectly for tacos or pasta salad...it pretty much chops anything you need to break up, crush or smash.

Winner will be chosen Thursday at noon.  Your very own Mix 'n Chop will be shipped on Thursday afternoon and (hopefully) will arrive by Christmas!  I'm only shipping to the lower 48, though (consider yourself warned).

Thanks a bunch, Erin, for the fabulous product to give away!  If you need Pampered Chef stuff, definitely contact Erin.  She's awesome.  She has a Facebook page, you can call her (859.537.8809) or email her at eeturtle06 (at) gmail (dot) com.

Pampered Chef sponsored this post but all opinions are mine.  Nothin' new there.

Cheeseburger Casserole
Adapted from Bakerette

1 lb ground beef
1 onion, chopped
3 T ketchup
2 T Dijon mustard
2 T Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp seasoned salt
1 tsp garlic powder
15 oz. can diced tomatoes
8 oz. (about 2 1/2 cups uncooked) rotini pasta, cooked in salted water and drained
2 cups (8 oz.) shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Brown the hamburger and onion in a large skillet, breaking up the meat with the Mix 'n Chop.  Drain any excess grease and return to the burner over medium heat.  Add the ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire, salt, garlic powder and diced tomatoes (not drained).  Cook for a couple of minutes.  Remove from the heat and stir in the pasta.

Pour into a greased 7x11 baking dish (or a 2 1/2 quart baking dish) and top with cheese.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes, until cheese melts.

Angel Hair with Tomatoes and Artichokes

Last year, I made this dish all the time.  And then I forgot about it!  Until the other day...I made it again.  And I remembered why I made it all the time last year!

It's a pasta that I love...not so much my husband.  He doesn't do artichokes.

But I adore artichokes!  And pasta, and cream and tomatoes.  That's my kind of meal.  There's no meat, which doesn't bother me.  But sauteed chicken would be great in this if you want to make it a main dish for your family.

Just start out with some butter and olive oil.  I'd say that's a good start to any dish.

Saute some garlic and onions.

Add the tomatoes and artichokes, saute for a second, then dump in the cooked angel hair.  Do not even think about using fat spaghetti.  For this dish...or any dish.

Fat spaghetti is not allowed in my house.

Then add the cream!  Or half-and-half.  I used half-and-half, because it's what I had.  So use whatever you  have.  It will be delicious.

Serve it up with lots of Parmesan.  Yummy yummy!

A perfect fall dish, and you probably have most of these ingredients in your pantry.

Another Pioneer Woman favorite.  Thanks, PW.

Angel Hair with Tomatoes and Artichokes
Adapted from Pioneer Woman

8 oz. (1/2 lb) angel hair pasta, cooked in salted boiling water according to package directions
1 T olive oil
2 T butter
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
15 oz. can tomatoes, not drained
15 oz. can artichoke hearts, drained
1/2 cup chicken stock
3/4 cup half-and-half
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Saute the onion and garlic in the butter and olive oil over medium heat until soft, about 8-10 minutes.  Add the tomatoes and artichoke hearts and simmer for a couple of minutes.  Add the chicken stock and stir in the cooked pasta.  Add the remaining ingredients, saving about 1/2 cup Parmesan for the top.  Check for seasonings and add more salt/pepper if you need it.  Just don't oversalt it, because the Parmesan is plenty salty!

Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan on top of each serving.

Sour Cream Noodle Bake

I'm on a Pioneer Woman kick these days.  I just love her!  I can't wait to show you these muffins I made the other day...

But for now, it's Sour Cream Noodle Bake.  I was hooked at the title.  We love sour cream 'round here.  And noodles?  Yes, pasta please.  And bake.  Do I even need to go there.

So yeah, we all liked this.  It's not overly Italian - it really is just a noodle bake.  The noodles are so creamy, the sauce is nice and meaty without being too much, and the cheese...well, cheese speaks for itself.  It stands alone.

If you hate cottage cheese, then please get over yourself for once and just use it in these noodles.  You won't know it's there...it'll just be very creamy and yummy!

Trust me.

Oh!  And one of the things that I liked about this is that it doesn't make a huge dish like some casseroles.  It's kind of nice to not have an enormous amount of leftovers sometimes, you know?

But if you want a huge dish, just make double.

Sour Cream Noodle Bake
Adapted from Pioneer Woman

1 lb. ground beef (I use 80/20)
1 onion, chopped
3/4 tsp salt
1 T sugar
15 oz. can tomato sauce
12 oz. dry egg noodles
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/4 cup small-curd cottage cheese
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/2 tsp pepper
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Brown the onion and the meat in a skillet, breaking up with a wooden spoon.  Drain the grease.  Add the salt, sugar and tomato sauce to the meat in the skillet and simmer on low for about 20 minutes while you make the noodles.

Cook the noodles in boiling salted water according to package directions.  You don't want them to be mushy, though, so don't overcook!  Drain the noodles and return them to the pot.  Add the sour cream, cottage cheese, green onions and pepper.  Stir to combine.

Spray a 2-quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.  Spread half of the noodles in the dish.  Cover with half of the sauce.  Sprinkle half of the cheese on top.  Do another layer - noodles, sauce, cheese - and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 35-40 minutes, until hot and bubbly.

Stuffing Chicken

This is a great go-to recipe.  If you have chicken breasts on hand (I always do!), then you can whip this up with a few other ingredients.  Easy and GOOD!

All you have to do is lay the chicken in a casserole dish and cover it with cheese,

cover it with a sauce (made of cream of chicken soup mixed with sour cream and milk)

sprinkle dry boxed stuffing mix on top,

and pour melted butter on top!

I mean, whoever came up with this should win an award.

It's delicious.  A great fall meal.

I like to serve it with rice.  Oh, and I put a little bit of sauce on my rice.

That's just how we roll in Pithy's Kitchen.

Stuffing Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 slices Swiss cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
1 cup stuffing mix, dry (I used Stovetop cornbread stuffing)
1/2 stick (4 T) butter, melted

Lay the chicken breasts in a single layer in a 9x13 dish.  Layer the cheese on top.  Mix together the soup, sour cream and milk and pour on top.  Sprinkle on the dry stuffing mix.  Pour the melted butter on top.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 35-45 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and sauce is bubbly.  Serve with rice and something green.

Bang Bang Chicken

Wow.  This dinner is packed with flavor.  Yum, yum, yum!

My dinner presentation is usually lacking, but this bowl looked awesome.

And it tasted as great as it looked.

I'm not sure how to even describe these flavors.  Asian-fusion?  Maybe.  It's a knock-off of Cheesecake Factory's Bang-Bang Chicken & Shrimp.  I think it's actually a pretty good copycat, but regardless, it's amazing.

Julienne the carrots and zucchini - this is the only part of the recipe that takes a bit of time.  It's worth it though.  The veggies will cook quickly and more evenly this way.  You could definitely substitute some pre-packaged shredded carrots for the julienned carrots to save some time.

As with everything in my life, it's all about the sauce.  The sauce, people.  Mmmm.... It's fabulous.  It's worth making this dish just for the sauce.

For the coconut milk, I used lite from Trader Joe's.  It's the cheapest price I've found anywhere and I don't think the flavor is compromised by lite...probably because there's still plenty of fat even in the lite coconut milk.

To serve, ladle the chicken/sauce/veggie mixture into a wide-bottom bowl and then scoop the rice on top.

Garnish it and dig in.

Bang Bang Chicken
Adapted from Lauren's Latest

2 T olive oil
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 medium zucchini, julienned
1 1/2 cups julienned carrots
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T grated fresh ginger
3 T flour
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 can coconut milk (I used lite)
2 T creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 T curry powder
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 cup cream
3/4 cup frozen petite peas
shredded coconut, peanuts, green onions, red pepper flakes and black sesame seeds, for garnish
hot cooked rice, for serving

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the chicken chunks and saute on one side for about 2 minutes, until they easily release from the pan when you turn them.

Add the zucchini, carrots, onion, garlic and ginger.  Saute for about 5 minutes, until the veggies begin to soften.  Sprinkle in the flour and stir well.

Add the chicken stock, salt, pepper, coconut milk, peanut butter, sugar, curry and turmeric.  Stir to combine and bring to a simmer over medium heat.  Cook for about 5 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the veggies are soft.

Remove from the heat, stir in the cream and peas, and serve over hot cooked rice.  Garnish with coconut, peanuts, green onions, red pepper flakes and black sesame seeds.