Malaysian Chicken Curry ~ Instant Pot

We very rarely eat out at restaurants, but when we do, it is most often Asian restaurants of one variety or another,  One of our favorite places to have a meal is in the food court of the Atlanta Chinatown Mall.  While we enjoy food from many of the different restaurants, and have our favorite dish from each, when Mama wants comfort food, it's usually the chicken curry from Hong Kong BBQ.   (It's not listed on their online-menu, but it's always available on their whiteboard menu.)  They have a Malaysian chef who creates the most flavorful and creamy curry and we just had to attempt to make it at home.  We also wanted to be able to replicate the curry in a healthy and fast way, and using the Instant Pot, we have.  Though this recipe contains quite a bit of chili pepper, it is not overly hot, closer to low-medium heat, and we leave in the seeds from the fresh Thai chilis.  If you're worried about heat, leave out the fresh Chili but we'd advise using at least half, if not all, of the red chili powder.  We serve this over Toasted Cauli-rice, but whatever you choose to serve it over, it's delicious!!  



Malaysian Chicken Curry ~ Instant Pot

• 3.5 lbs. boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 14 oz. can coconut milk
• 2 medium sweet onions, cut into 8ths
• 1 tsp. red chili powder
• 2 tsp. ground cardamom
• 2 tsp. Chinese five spice powder
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• 2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 4 tsp. ground coriander
• 2 fresh Thai red chilis (optional) diced, seeds left in or out
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Add the coconut milk and all the dry spices to the Instant Pot liner.  Stir to combine.  Add the chicken, onion & Thai red chilis and stir to coat everything well.  Close the lid and move vent to closed.  Set high pressure for 10 minutes.  After the 10 min. cook time, quick release the pressure. Stir in the fresh cilantro.  Serve over Toasted Cauli-Rice.

Enjoy!!

Jalapeño Popper Soup Re-visited

We have been sick with the crud this month so soup and scrambled eggs have made up the bulk of our diet.  We made some super-easy Cheaters Chicken Soup and then turned around, once we got a bit of our energy back, and turned some of the stock into this delicious, creamy, spicy, hearty, filling soup as it’s a great way to use up the leftover chicken.  We enjoy the soup quite hot and spicy but you can mellow it out some by either removing the seeds from the jalapenos or using less of them.  Also, we use white meat in the soup but if you have a preference for dark meat, go for it!

Jalapeño Popper Soup

• 2 chicken breast halves, roasted, skin & bones removed, shredded
• 1 lb bacon, cut crosswise in 1/8-in strips
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 4-6 whole jalapenos, stems removed, sliced in thin 1/2 rounds
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 cups cheaters chicken soup, or chicken stock of your choice
• 6 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 8 oz. block of cream cheese, cut in chunks
• salt & pepper to taste

In a soup pot, slowly cook the bacon pieces until crispy.  Remove the bacon from the pot and set aside, leaving the fat behind.  To the fat add the onion and sauté until golden.  Add the jalapenos and garlic and sauté until the jalapenos and garlic are fragrant and softened.  Remove half of the onion/jalapeno mix and set aside with the reserved bacon.  Add the chicken broth to the pot and bring to a simmer.  Stir in the cheddar cheese and while stirring, allow it to melt.  Add the cream cheese and using a hand blender, blend until fully mixed and creamy.  Return the soup to a simmer and add in the shredded chicken and reserved bacon and onion/jalapenos.  Allow to simmer for a few minutes and season to taste with salt & pepper.

Enjoy!

Chile Relleno Casserole

We adore Chile Rellenos but they are an absolute pain in the bottom to stuff and fry,  so we enjoy them as a once in a while treat when we happen to go to a Mexican restaurant…which trust me, isn’t all that often. 

This though is an easy casserole and it has all the wonderful flavor of the real thing, without all the work and also without any of the gluten that is used for the typical fry coating.  There are many recipes for similar casseroles on the internet, but this version, of no recipe in particular, is our favorite.  It’s not overly spicy hot, just tingly so.  The balance of flavors is spot on and the casserole reheats perfectly, who could ask for more?  Make and enjoy!

Chile Relleno Casserole

• 4 large fresh poblanos
• 1 TBS. olive oil 
• 1/4 medium onion, diced
• 1 lb.  ground beef (or ground turkey or chicken)
• 1 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
• 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 tsp. Himalayan salt
• 1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper

Preheat oven to 375F.  Char the skin of the peppers, either on an outdoor grill, over the burner of a gas stove or under the broiler.  Once the skin is charred on all sides, put the peppers in a bag to allow them to sweat.  While the peppers are sweating, heat the olive oil in a skillet and sauté the onions until golden.  Add the beef to the onions and brown until fully cooked. Once the peppers have cooled enough to be handled, remove the stem and seeds and the skin.  Grease an 8x10-inch pan with olive oil and arrange three of the peppers to cover the bottom of the pan.  Cover the peppers with the beef & onion mix.  Spread the cheese on top of the beef.  Lice the remaining poblano into strips and arrange over the cheese.  In a bowl, whisk together the heavy whipping cream, eggs, cumin, salt & pepper.  Pour the cream mixture over the cheese.  Bake for 35-40 minutes uncovered, until golden and bubbly.  Serve hot, room temperature or cold, all ways are delicious.  Top with sour cream if desired.  To reheat, place desired portion on a plate and heat in microwave.

Enjoy!!

Mango Salsa

This summer the mangoes have been huge, sweet, juicy and delicious!  We’ve enjoyed them in so many ways, cut–up fresh plain or mixed into a fruit salad, in Mango Melon Banana & Chia Smoothies, as a refreshing Mango Gazpacho, as part of our main meal in Mango Thai Chicken and Eammon’s favorite, in a Mango Lassi.  So, when we received this month’s assignment for Secret Recipe Club (check out the new SRC blog) and started scrolling through recipes on Heather’s blog, The Tasty Gardener, we stopped dead in our tracks at her Mango Salsa and knew what we’d be making.  Trust me, there were plenty of other wonderful looking recipes like her Sesame Green Beans, Guacamole, and Green Bean Salad, but Mango Salsa just had to be made.

We stayed pretty true to Heather’s recipe, only making two small changes.  One because of a mistake as I thought we had red onions in the house but only had Vidalia and the other was, we chose to use cilantro in place of her parsley.  We really enjoy the flavor of cilantro but I’ll bet that this salsa would be just as delicious with the parsley.  The sweet of the mango, the heat of the pepper, the sweet-sharpness of the onion and the tang of the lime juice all blended in perfect harmony to make one delicious salsa.  Oh and don’t leave out the salt and pepper as they really make the flavors pop!  We enjoyed the salsa with some chips, over some fish and just as a little side on our plate so it’s one very versatile dish.  If you don’t know how to cube up a fresh mango, Heather provides a nice visual tutorial on her blog so check it and the recipe out.  Also gardening tips and instruction as that’s her field of expertise so spend some time reading Heather’s blog, it’s an enjoyable way find some new recipes and learn some new things about plants and the garden. 

Mango Salsa (adapted from here)

• 2 mangoes, cubed
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 2 TBS. minced Vidalia onion
• 1 Thai red chili, seeded and minced
• 3 TBS. chopped cilantro
• 2 limes, juiced
• Himalayan Salt & fresh ground pepper, to taste

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and chill before serving.

Enjoy!!

My previous Secret Recipe Club Recipe Posts: 

Pomegranate Molasses Salad Dressing 
Beef Keema  
Roasted Grape Tomato, Garlic & Poblano Ragu
Mexican Feast: Cream of Ancho Chile Soup, Roasted Poblano Burger with Chile de Arbol Guacamole & Pork Crusted Baked Poblano Fries 
Zesty Zucchini Skillet 
Garlic Seafood in Coconut Milk 
Lamb & Eggplant with Chiles
Fijian Ceviche
Carrot & Sweet Potato Pancakes   
Chicken Burgers with Spinach & Mushrooms 
Paradise Mango Curried Shrimp 
Laura Goodenough’s Apple Coffee Cake 
Loaded Potato Soup
Lemon Almond Biscotti 
Creamy Mints 
Thai Peanut Noodles with Chicken 
Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings 
Fried Green Tomatoes 
Chicken Satay Noodle Salad 
Double Chocolate Mousse Cake 
Candied Popcorn
Fruit, Nut & Poppy Seed Chicken Salad 
Broiled Sushi 
Health(ier) Peanut Brittle 
Crunchy Fudgy Heart Bites 
Texas Chicken with Lime Butter 
Pork Belly Soup with Collard Greens 
Thin Mint Irish Coffee 
Levain Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies 
Welsh Cakes 
Nutella Crêpes 
Cilantro Lime Chicken 
Holy Guacamole 
and
Home Style Chicken Curry

 

An InLinkz Link-up

Dan Dan Noodles ~ healthier~ low carbs but with Full Flavor!

I am not a huge pasta lover but I absolutely adore really spicy Dan Dan Noodles.  Recently I had a craving for them and instead of running out to my favorite Szechuan restaurant I decided to make them at home and to try and do a healthier version.  My concession to making them healthier was to replace the Chinese egg noodles with some no calorie/no carb Shirataki noodles and instead of pork (which I generally order) I decided to use some ground turkey breast. 

Holy cow this recipe rocked and had all the wonderful flavors found in the restaurant version and even better, I didn’t feel all full and bloated after eating it.  I just found a new winner with this recipe and I’ll be making it time and time again.  Oh and when Eammon tried it, he thought that I had brought in take-out ;-) 

Dan Dan Noodles 

• 1 lb. Shirataki noodles or 6 ounces dried Chinese egg noodles
• 1 TBS. peanut oil, or oil of your choice
• 6 ounces ground turkey, pork or beef
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped finely
• 1 tsp. fresh ginger, chopped finely
• 2 dried red chili peppers, seeds and pods chopped finely
• 1 TBS. Shaoxing wine, Chinese cooking wine or Chinese rice wine
• 1 TBS. Chinese black vinegar 
• 2 ounces of Szechuan preserved vegetable/zha cai, soaked and chopped
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 2 TBS. soy sauce 
• 2 tsp. Chinese sesame paste or tahini 
• 1/2 - 1 tsp. ground Szechuan peppercorns 
• 2 TBS. chili oil
• 1/4 cup finely ground dry roasted peanuts 
• 1/2 cup Cheaters Chicken Soup, chicken stock or water
• 1 tsp. sesame oil 
• 1 tsp. Whey Low granular or sugar
• sea salt to taste
• 2 green onions, chopped ~ for garnish

If using the Shirataki noodles, drain and rinse very well.  If using the Chinese egg noodles, bring a large pot of water to boil and cook the noodles according to package instructions. Drain the noodles, rinse under cold water, and drain again. Transfer the noodles to a serving dish.

Heat a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the oil and swirl to coat the base and sides of the wok. Add the garlic, ginger and red chili peppers. Stir fry until lightly brown and fragrant.  Add in the meat, breaking it apart with a spatula. Stir-fry until the meat no longer pink and slightly browned. Add in the Chinese wine, black vinegar and Szechuan preserved vegetable and cook until fragrant, about a minute. Add in the green onions, soy sauce, sesame paste, Szechuan peppercorns, chili oil, ground peanuts, chicken stock, sesame oil and sugar.

Stir well and bring to a boil. Cook until the sauce thickens. Check the seasonings and add salt if needed.  Spoon the cooked meat mixture over the noodles. Sprinkle the chopped green onions on top before serving.  

Enjoy!

Thai Massaman Curry for the Year of the Snake 新年快樂

I don’t know what it is this year, holidays are sneaking up on me before I realize but between being busy with Maisie and my not seeming to be able to get my act together, they are passing by without much fanfare here in the Cook Lisa Cook house.  This year for Chinese New Year, the Year of the Snake, we did…well nothing special.  Instead of going to one of the big celebrations Maisie chose to spend the day doing what she loves best, playing and doing gymnastics with one of her besties.  Since we were home, and it was a holiday, a delicious dinner was a must.  As it worked out I was contacted by Foodie Blogroll and Thai Kitchen and asked to make a dish using some of  the Thai Kitchen’s products.  If you follow this blog at all, you know that we’re huge curry lovers so that’s the direction I chose to go and thanks to the package from Thai Kitchen and my stocked pantry I had everything I needed in the house.

Though there seem to be a lot of ingredients in my Massaman Curry, it’s simple to prepare and came out creamy delicious with a nice bit of heat, a perfect Chinese New Year or any day comfort food meal.   

新年快樂 , Gōng Xǐ Fā Cái!

From Thai Kitchen:

“Thai Kitchen and Simply Asia offer a complete line of Asian ingredients and convenience items, including sauces, curry pastes, rice noodles, fish sauce, coconut milk, noodle bowls, and more. Most items are free of gluten, artificial colors/flavors and MSG – more reason to celebrate a New Year, and new you! Our ingredients and recipes offer simple solutions to spice up any celebration - and what better time to “thai” new dishes than Chinese New Year? The traditional 15-day celebration kicks off February 10, 2013, and is a perfect reason to gather a group of friends and try tasty Asian cuisine.”  Check out Thai Kitchen and explore their amazing Asian cuisine ingredients!  Follow Thai Kitchen on Twitter at @Thai_Kitchen

Thai Massaman Curry

• 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into thin bite-sized pieces 
• 2 medium potatoes, cut into chunks
• 2 medium carrots, roll cut into chunks
• 2 TBS. coconut oil, or oil of your choice
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 4 TBS fresh grated ginger
• 6 cloves garlic, minced 
• 2 Thai red chilis, sliced, use more or less depending on your heat tolerance  
• 1/2 cup Cheaters Chicken Soup or low sodium chicken stock  
• 1  TBS. lemongrass powder 
• 1 tsp. turmeric 
• 1/4 cup ground, unsalted dry-roasted cashews
• 1 tsp. ground coriander 
• 1 tsp. ground cumin 
• 1/2 tsp. ground white pepper  
• 1/8 tsp. cardamom  
• 1 tsp. tamarind paste  
• 3/4 tsp. shrimp paste (available by the jar at Asian stores)
• 2 TBS. Thai Kitchen fish sauce 
• 1 TBS. coconut palm sugar, Whey Low Gold or brown sugar 
• 3 bay leaves 
• 2 14 ounce cans Thai Kitchen coconut milk
• 3-4 mini baby bell peppers, mix of red, yellow & orange, thinly sliced
• 2 medium plum tomatoes, sliced lengthwise into 8 wedges each
• 1/3 cup whole unsalted dry roasted cashews
• fresh cilantro

Heat a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the coconut oil and then the onion, ginger, garlic and chili. Stir-fry 1-2 minutes to release the fragrance.

Add the chicken stock, lemongrass, turmeric, ground cashews, coriander, cumin, white pepper, cardamom, tamarind paste, shrimp paste, fish sauce, palm sugar and bay leaves. Stir with each addition and bring to a light boil.

Add the coconut milk, potatoes & carrots. Stir and bring back up to a boil. Reduce heat until you get a good simmer.  Simmer uncovered 30 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes & carrots are tender. Add the chicken, red pepper and tomato during last 10-15 minutes of cooking.

Taste test the curry, adding more fish sauce for increased flavor/saltiness, more chili if you want it spicier. If too sour, add a little more sugar. If too salty or sweet add more tamarind. If too spicy, add more coconut milk.

Stir in the whole cashews.  Serve over rice and add fresh cilantro if desired..

Enjoy!

At Thai Kitchen and Simply Asia, we’ve made your favorite Asian flavors available to enjoy anytime and anywhere. From noodles to sauces and seasonings, coconut milk to fish sauce, our premium products deliver restaurant-quality Asian cuisine in minutes. Our ingredients and recipes offer simple solutions to spice up any celebration - and what better time to “Thai” new dishes than Chinese New Year? The traditional 15-day celebration kicks off February 10, 2013, and is a perfect reason to gather a group of friends and try tasty Asian cuisine. From mild to spicy, appetizers to dessert, Thai Kitchen and Simply Asia have something for every taste bud, sure to please even the most discerning palates.

The aromatic essences. The exotic flavors. The abundant texture. There’s no culinary experience that compares to Asian cuisine – whether you’re preparing a meal for the whole family or looking for a quick snack, we’re here to bring the adventure to your kitchen.

Disclosures:

* This sponsorship is brought to you by Foodie Blogroll who we have partnered with for this promotion.  This is a compensated post but all the views and opinions expressed are my own and based upon my experiences with Thai Kitchen products.

Grilled Thai Chicken

Saturday our friends Lisa, Doug & Briana came over for dinner and some play time and I had fun making a meal out of all new-to-me recipes.  I mentioned over on my Moments with Maisie blog that I would post all the recipes as everything was delicious.  One of the dishes that I served was a Thai Cucumber Salad which I adored and posted previously and today I’m posting another recipe, Grilled Thai Chicken.  The interesting thing about these recipes is that both were inspired by recipes I found on Roz’s blog la bella vita.  Roz posted a delicious looking recipe for Grilled Thai Chicken and within that post she had a picture of her Thai Cucumber Salad  and she mentioned that the recipes would pair beautifully but that her husband’s stomach couldn’t take cucumbers.  I decided to test it out and I can wholeheartedly say that the chicken and cucumbers go together perfectly, a gorgeous match. 

Even though the chicken marinates in a wonderful sauce which contains very spicy Thai red chilies, once the chicken is cooked there is almost no heat at all, just wonderful flavor.  I think that the pairing of the Grilled Thai Chicken and the Thai Cucumber Salad is so wonderful because there is a similar flavor combination to both but the chicken is mild and served temperature hot while the cucumber salad is served cold but is spicy hot.  Whatever the reason, these two items on your plate makes for delicious dining.

 Grilled Thai Chicken (adapted from here)

• 1 - 14 oz. can lite coconut milk 
• 1/2 cup nam pla (Thai fish sauce)
• zest & juice of 4 fresh limes
• 6 large cloves garlic
• 2 small red onions, peeled and diced
• 2 Thai red chilies (leave the seeds in for heat or remove them for less heat)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Whey Low Gold (or palm sugar or brown sugar)
• 1/2 large bunch fresh cilantro
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 8 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 6 scallions, trimmed and minced, for garnish or Thai basil
• 1 fresh lime, cut in wedges for garnish

Combine the coconut milk, nam pla, lime zest & juice, garlic, onions, Thai red chilies, Whey Low Gold, cilantro and black pepper in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. 

Pour the coconut mixture into a large Ziplock bag and  add the chicken.  Allow it to marinate for at least 4 hours in the refrigerator, or two days as I did. 

Prepare a gas or charcoal grill.  When the temperature is medium-hot, remove the chicken from the bag and discard the marinade. Place the chicken on the grill; cover and cook for about 8 minutes on one side. Turn the chicken over and cook another 8 - 10 minutes, or until cooked through but still juicy and moist.  Transfer the chicken to a platter and if you have your act together better than I did, garnish with the scallions or Thai basil and serve with a beautiful wedge of lime on the side.

Enjoy!

Thai Cucumber Salad

It’s that time of year again when our garden is busting with cucumbers so I’m once again on the lookout for delicious ways to enjoy our bounty.  Last summer my absolute favorite way to enjoy the cucumbers was my Spicy Asian Cucumber Salad and though I know that I’ll be making that salad many times this summer I decided to try a new salad this year with our first harvest.  I was reading Roz’s blog la bella vita and she had a recipe for a Thai Cucumber Salad which really caught my attention so with my first cucumber harvest of the season I present my version of Roz’s salad which was wonderfully delicious and going into the cucumber salad rotation for future harvests.  

Thai Cucumber Salad (adapted from here)

• 5 cucumbers, seeded (you can also peel them if you like)
• 2 medium red onions
• 4 Thai red chilies, minced (I left the seeds in for the heat but they can be removed)
• 1 large bunch cilantro, chopped

Dressing:

• 3 TBS. peanut oil 
• 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar 
• 2 TBS. soy sauce 
• 3 TBS. Thai garlic chili pepper sauce (this is not HOT sauce at all)
• the zest and juice of 4 fresh limes
• 1/4 cup Whey Low Gold (or palm sugar or brown sugar)
• 3 TBS Thai Fish Sauce 
• 1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper

Using a mandolin or food processor, thinly slice the cucumber and the onions and add to a large bowl.  Slice the Thai red chilies into rings, leaving in the seeds for extra heat and add to the cucumber & onions.  Chop a bunch of cilantro and also add to the bowl. 

In a separate bowl mix together the dressing ingredients and then pour over the cucumber mixture and stir to coat.  Put the entire mixture in a Ziploc bag and allow to marinate overnight.  This easily keeps in the refrigerator for a good week…if it lasts that long.

Enjoy!

Totally Outrageous Jalapeno Popper Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

For this month’s Crazy Cooking Challenge the participating bloggers were challenged by our hostess Tina, of Moms Crazy Cooking to find the ultimate grilled cheese sandwich and I’m telling you, I found it.  This is no ordinary grilled cheese sandwich, this is an over the top totally outrageous Jalapeno Popper Grilled Cheese Sandwich.  Let me explain the challenge a bit and then I’ll get to the sandwich.  The way that the Crazy Cooking Challenge works is that each month there is a dish that our hostess Tina challenges the participating bloggers to make.  We all go out searching non-celebrity blogs looking for what we think is the ultimate recipe for that dish and once we find it, we make it and then all on the same day we do our post featuring the recipe and the blog where it was found.  As I said, this month the challenge was to find the ultimate grilled cheese sandwich and I was excited because though I’m not a real sandwich lover, I have always adored grilled cheese sandwiches.  Honestly, school cafeteria grilled cheese and tomato soup was my absolute favorite when I was growing up.  Can’t say that you’d get me to eat it today but oh, the sweet delicious memories.

When I started searching blogs for grilled cheese inspiration my first thought was to do a more grown up version of my childhood favorite, maybe mini grilled cheese sandwich croutons floating on creamy roasted tomato soup but then decided that I needed to leave my childhood behind so I ventured out into a whole new world of grilled cheese sandwiches.  I found so many fabu grilled cheese sandwiches the choices were overwhelming.  I drooled over a gorgeous pepper jack cheese, bacon, avocado & apple grilled sandwich as well as a caprese sandwich with pesto, tomato & fresh mozzarella, but I make an open faced version of that so I thought I’d move on.  I was tempted to make a pizza grilled cheese on rosemary focaccia as well as a very unique and delicious sounding goat cheese, strawberry & watercress sandwich.  Then I happened upon Kevin’s Jalapeno Popper Grilled Cheese Sandwich and I knew I had found my sandwich because I am a jalapeno popper lover and I knew that by using his sandwich as inspiration I could create popper grilled cheese nirvana…and I did. 

 I started with a mini jalapeno cheddar loaf which I had sliced thin.  I then spread the bread liberally with soft, room-temperature salted butter.

I laid half the slices of bread, buttered side down, in a cool cast iron skillet.

I added a generous layer of shredded Fiesta Blend Cheese.

Topped the cheese with crispy bacon bits.

Back after our final summer harvest of 8 million jalapenos, I stuffed some of them with cream cheese and froze them to be used later.  I pulled a few of them from the freezer and baked them from frozen at 500F for 20 minutes, until they were cooked through and delicious.  Thankfully I made more than I needed as I couldn’t resist eating a few and man were they delicious and really got me even more excited about the sandwiches I was making.  So after I popped a few of the hot poppers in my mouth I added the cooled down ones to the sandwiches.

 After the poppers another layer of cheese was essential.

I then topped all the deliciousness off with the remaining slices of buttered bread.  I then started cooking the sandwiches over a medium low flame.

As the sandwiches were stuffed so full I decided to press them a bit and one of my pot lids worked perfectly.

Using a medium low flame so that all the cheese would perfectly melt, I cooked the first side until golden delicious and then carefully flipped to cook the other side.

This sandwich is not for the faint of heart and don’t even ask how you can turn down the heat on it because it ain’t gonna happen.  This is hot, cheesy, creamy, bacony, buttery, crispy over-the-top deliciousness.  And see all those crispy little bits of cheese in the pan and attached to the sandwiches?  Yep I ate every last piece.

Totally Outrageous Jalapeno Popper Grilled Cheese Sandwich

• thinly sliced jalapeno cheddar bread
• salted butter, room temperature
• Fiesta Blend Cheese 
• bacon bits 
• cream cheese filled jalapenos, roasted and cooled

Generously butter one side of each slice of bread and place half of the slices buttered side down in a cool cast iron skillet or heavy bottomed pan.  Add a generous amount of shredded cheese to each slice of bread.  Top the cheese with desired amount of bacon bits.  Add the roasted jalapenos and more cheese.  Add the remaining buttered slices of bread, buttered side up.  Turn on the heat to medium low and using a press or a pot lid, press the sandwiches a little.  Cook sandwiches until the bottom is golden brown and then carefully flip the sandwich and cook until the cheese is completely melted and the remaining side of bread is golden.  Allow to sit for a minute or two before slicing.

Enjoy!

My previous Crazy Cooking Challenge entries:

Blueberry Muffins Challenge:  Skinny Blueberry Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
Spaghetti with Red Sauce Challenge:  Tomato Sauce with Onion & Butter 
Chocolate Cake Challenge:  Double Chocolate Meyer Lemon Mousse Cake 
Chicken Noodle Soup Challenge: Thai Chicken Noodle Soup 
Fudge Challenge: Biscoff Fudge 
Mashed Potato Challenge: Aloo Tikki 
Chocolate Chip Cookie Challenge: Chocolate Chip Gingersnaps 
Mac & Cheese Challenge: Velvety Mac & Cheese

Slow Cooker Chicken Curry

The other day I was really craving Chicken Curry and rather than spending 45 minutes in the car round-trip, going to my favorite Thai place to pick some up, I decided to make it myself.  Last week I made a batch of Tom Yam Ghoong (Spicy Thai Shrimp Soup) so I figured that I had all the necessary ingredients in the house.  I knew the flavor that I was going for so I put on my chefs hat and used all my creative juices and made this recipe up as I went along.  Something unusual for me though, I decided to use a slow cooker which I generally don’t like using but it worked perfectly, the chicken was tender and the sauce, well it was absolutely divine with a perfect balance of spicy, hot, creamy, sweet and sour.  I’m glad that I kept track of the measurements as I went along because I will be making this curry again…and in the crockpot because it was sooooo easy!  

Slow Cooker Chicken Curry

• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced in thumb sized strips
• 2 TBS peanut oil (or oil of your choice) 
• 2 large onions, minced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 fresh Thai red chili peppers, left whole
• 2 TBS grated fresh ginger root
• 6 TBS Jamaican curry powder
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp paprika 
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper (more or less to your taste)
• 4 bay leaves 
• 12 Kaffir lime leaves 
• 2 TBS Thai fish sauce
• 3 oz. tomato paste
• 3 TBS palm sugar 
• 2 – 14 oz. cans lite coconut milk
• 1 large lime, juiced
• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt (I used fat-free)

In a large skillet heat the oil until hot and then add the minced onion.  Sauté until the onion is caramelized.  Add the chicken, caramelized onion, minced garlic, Thai chili peppers, grated ginger, curry powder, cinnamon, paprika, turmeric, cayenne pepper, bay leaves, Kaffir lime leaves, fish sauce, tomato paste, palm sugar and coconut milk to a slow cooker and stir to mix well.  Cook on low for five hours.   Once the curry has finished cooking, stir in the lime juice and the yogurt. 

Enjoy!

Texas Chicken with Lime Butter

Here we are, the first Monday of the month and it’s Secret Recipe Club time again…WOOHOO!!  I adore reveal day, not only posting the wonderful new recipe that I made but also checking out what all the other participants chose to make.  Each month the members of The Secret Recipe Club are assigned a blog from which they can make any recipe of their choosing.  It sounds easy enough but there are some amazing food bloggers in the group like my assignment this month, Si of A Bountiful Kitchen.  Si has a gorgeous blog and so many fabulous recipes that choosing just one was near impossible and though I’m only posting one recipe today, you will be seeing more of her recipes on my blog very soon. 

Si is from Bountiful, Utah and every time that I go out to Utah to visit friends in SLC the first place I ask to dine is at Cafe Rio because I absolutely adore their Sweet Pork Barbacoa Salad and though here in Georgia, Chipotle has a pretty similar version, it’s just not the absolutely delicious same.  So right off the top when I saw that Si had a recipe for Cafe Rio Style Sweet Pork Salad I knew that was what I wanted to make.  The only problem was, I was completely slammed for time between Maisie’s schedule, her Level 3 Gymnastics State Meet, Maisie and I being sick, my parents coming to visit, Thanksgiving, cooking for the Level 2 & 4 State Meet which Maisie’s gym hosted and some travel thrown in, well looking at my first choice recipe was just more than I was able to handle as it included not only making the Sweet Pork but Black Beans, Cilantro Rice, Pico de Gallo, Guacamole and Creamy Tomatillo Salad Dressing and if I was going to do it, I was going to do it right and do it all.  Yes I probably could have pulled it off but when I make it, I want to be able to really enjoy it so I’m saving those recipes for another day. 

What I did decide to make was Si’s Texas Grilled Chicken with Lime Butter because one can never have too many good chicken recipes, it was something that would be an easy weeknight dinner and I knew from the flavors that we would adore it and I was right as we loved, loved, loved this recipe and it was so quick and easy to prepare and get on the table.  I had originally planned to grill the chicken outside but the night I made it we were having tornado watches and warnings and it was raining like nobody’s business so I high temp baked the chicken and it came out perfectly, nice, juicy and delicious.  My only other little change to Si’s recipe was I cut the butter and upped the lime juice in the lime butter sauce.  I’m even betting that I could make the spice coating for the chicken, pop the chicken into it and then freeze it so that when I wanted to prepare it it would be an easy thaw, quickly make the butter lime sauce and dinner would be on the table.  Either way, this recipe will be prepared time and time again in our home as it was absolutely delish!!

Texas Chicken with Lime Butter (Adapted from here)

• 4-5 boneless and skinless chicken breast halves

Spice coating for chicken:

• 1 TBS ground cinnamon 
• 1 TBS dark chili powder 
• 1 TBS brown sugar
• 1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder 
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar 

Lime Butter:

• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• Juice of half a lime, not out of the bottle
• 1 Serrano chili, minced
• 2 tablespoons minced Vidalia onion 

In a large Ziploc bag combine all of the spice coating ingredients and smoosh to blend well.  Add the chicken to the spice mixture, squish it around to make sure all the pieces are covered with the spice coating and allow the chicken to marinate for a few hours or overnight.  Preheat oven to 450F.  Line a baking pan with foil and spray with cooking spray.  Lay the chicken breast pieces with what would have been the skin-side up, on the pan and bake for 15-20 minutes until cooked through.  Allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing. 

While the chicken is resting, in a small bowl combine the melted butter, lime juice, minced Serrano & onion. Drizzle the lime butter over the chicken pieces and garnish with fresh lime slices.

Enjoy!

My previous Secret Recipe Club Recipe Posts:
Pork Belly Soup with Collard Greens 
Thin Mint Irish Coffee 
Levain Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies 
Welsh Cakes 
Nutella Crêpes 
Cilantro Lime Chicken 
Holy Guacamole 
and
Home Style Chicken Curry