Easy Paprika Chicken

This recipe makes enough for a crowd, or lots of leftovers.  The paprika lends a smoky, not quite spicy taste  - if you'd like a little more kick, add a little crushed red pepper to the spice blend.  Any kind of  paprika will work.  I used a blend of Hungarian and sweet.

The kids were skeptical while I was cooking, but I got a high compliment at dinner: "This is better than I thought it would be!"

• 3 lbs chicken breasts, trimmed and cut into 1-2" pieces


• 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt


• 2 1/2 teaspoons black pepper


• 2 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano


• 2 1/2 teaspoons dried basil


• 5 tablespoons paprika


• 2 tablespoons olive oil


• 1 large white or yellow onion, sliced


• 4 garlic cloves, sliced as thinly as possible


• 3 bay leaves


• 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes


• 3/4 cup heavy cream or sour cream


• 1 T lemon juice


• 1 bag frozen peas

Mix together spices in a large bowl.  Add chicken and toss to coat.

In a large skillet or dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high.  Add half the chicken and cook 4-5 minutes, turning once, until lightly browned on all sides.  Remove chicken and set aside.

Add some more olive oil to the pan if needed, reduce heat to medium, and saute onions, scraping up browned  bits from the pan, until softened, 6-8 minutes.  Add garlic and saute 30 seconds.

Reduce heat to low and add in the bay leaves and tomatoes and stir to combine. Return the chicken to the pan and cover. Simmer for 10-15 minutes until chicken is cooked through, then remove lid, add peas, and cook 5-10 minutes more until sauce is thickened slightly.

Stir lemon juice into heavy cream.  (Omit lemon juice if using sour cream).  Stir a few tablespoons tomato sauce into cream to temper, then add cream to the pan and stir to combine.  Heat through, then serve over rice or pasta, garnishing with grated Parmesan.

Sloppy Joes

These are a far cry from the stuff in a can.  I use ground turkey breast, so they're low in fat, and with all the veggies in the sauce, they're a perfect one-dish meal.   I make them a little on the sweet side to appeal to the kids - you can cut back to 1-2 T on the sugar if you'd like, and substitute cayenne pepper for the paprika to make them spicy.

I like to use potato rolls.  They're nice and soft and I pull out the inside to make a pocket for the meat - fewer carbs and less mess!  Sometimes I get the smaller dinner rolls instead for the kids.  Two regular sandwiches is too much, but two dinner roll size are perfect.

 

Sloppy Joes

• 1 T oil


• 1 medium bell pepper, diced


• 1/2 medium onion, diced


• 1 1/4 lb ground turkey breast


• 2 cloves garlic, minced


• 2 medium tomatoes, diced (or 1 can diced tomatoes)


• 1 T Worchestershire


• 1 T red wine vinegar


• 3 T brown sugar


• pinch ground cloves


• pinch ground allspice


• 1/2 tsp thyme


• 1/2 tsp paprika


• salt and pepper


• 1 c ketchup


• hamburger buns

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add the peppers and onions and saute 3-4 minutes until beginning to soften.  Add the turkey and break up with a spoon.  Saute until turkey is fully cooked.  Add garlic and cook 30 seconds.  Add tomatoes (with juice), Worchestershire, vinegar, sugar, and spices.  Stir 1-2 minutes until combined.  Add ketchup, reduce heat, and simmer 15-20 minutes. If the sloppy joes look too dry, add a little water or chicken stock.  Adjust salt and pepper if needed, and serve.

Let in snow, let it snow, let it snow

Is it gourmet playdough if you add glitter? 

SOS! We ran out of milk!  We have a few slices of bread, so hopefully we'll make it through - I've used up the flour to make playdough.

This is the best playdough - smooth, and not a bit sticky.  It keeps for a long time too if you keep it well sealed.  I made some a few months ago, and had a madeline moment while cooking it - the smell reminded me of being a kid and playing with playdough. 

Last time I made a bunch of funky colors. but they blend really well, so I went with primary colors this time. 

Playdough

• 2 c flour


• 2 c warm water


• 1 c salt


• 2 T vegetable oil


• 1 T cream of tartar

In a large saucepan, combine all the ingredients.  Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and comes together.  If its too soft, keep cooking. 

Remove from heat and cool until you can handle it.  Knead until it is silky smooth.  Divide dough into however many colors you want.  Roll each piece into a ball, make an indentation in the center, and add a few drops of food coloring.  Knead until the color is uniform.  Add glitter if you want!

Keep covered tightly and it will last a long time.

Italian Stir Fry

I've decided to start eating more seafood, so I stuck the handy Seafood Watch Pocket Guide in my coupon holder so I could choose environmentally friendly seafood.  Turns out its hard to find affordable, environmentally friendly seafood.  I don't know if they're Italian, but bay scallops were on sale last week, and they're on the "best" list, so they made it into the recipe.

This is a 100% original recipe.  I'm sure there are others like it out there - I just haven't seen them.  It was a big hit with the kids.  Bella and Shawn even liked the scallops!   It made just enough for one adult and three kids, but could easily be doubled.

You could substitute shrimp or chicken, and just about any vegetable - just make sure to add veggies that cook longest first.  

Italian Stir Fry

• 2 c green beans, trimmed and cut in half


• 1 c quartered mushrooms


• 9 oz pasta - I used Buitoni whole wheat linguine (I had a coupon)


• 8 oz frozen bay scallops


• 1 tsp dried thyme


• 1 c chicken stock - I buy organic Better Than Bouillion chicken base.  Its a lot more affordable than chicken broth in a carton, and I'm just not into making my own chicken stock.


• 2 T sundried tomato paste - look for it in a tube in the aisle with pasta and sauce.


• 1/4 tsp salt


• 1/2 tsp pepper


• 2 T heavy cream


• 1/4 c fresh basil

If using dried pasta, start a pot of water, and cook according to package.

Meanwhile, in a wok or large saute pan, heat 1 T olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add the green beans, and cook, stirring frequently, until beans have brown spots.  Add about 2 T chicken stock, cover, and cook 1 minute.  Remove cover and cook until stock has evaporated.  Add a little more oil, then mushrooms, and saute until they release their liquid and brown. 

If using fresh pasta, start a pot of water and cook according to package.

Rinse scallops under running water, then pat dry.  Add scallops and thyme to pan, and stir just until scallops are opaque and any liquid has evaporated.  The scallops will continue cooking in the sauce, so don't worry about cooking them all the way through.

Add the remaining chicken stock, salt, pepper, and sundried tomato paste.  Heat to boiling, and cook 1-2 minutes until slightly thickened.  Turn off heat.  Chop basil.  Don't do it ahead of time or it will turn black.  Add basil and cream and stir to blend.  Toss with pasta. 

Serve with freshly grated Parmesan or Romano - from the deli, not the green can!  Romano is less expensive than Parmesan, and very similar.