Sunset Chicken and Rice

Cookbook Recipe #11

My dad and my brother came out to visit me a couple of weeks ago and my dad brought me this cookbook. Before he came out he sent me a couple of pictures of different cookbooks and asked me if I had them. Amazingly I did not! I watched the first few seasons of Desperate Housewives, so I knew enough about the characters to understand how they came up with the recipes that represented each character. This recipe represented Eva Longoria's character Gabrielle.

I really like a good chicken and rice recipe. I picked this recipe out of the book because I thought it was a good rendition of regular chicken and rice. I liked the look that turmeric gave to the rice. It make it bright yellow, which gave a lot of character to the dish. I think this was a good update to traditional chicken and rice that is an easy addition to your recipe list.

Sunset Chicken and Rice
Adapted from The Desperate Housewives Cookbook by Christopher Styler

3 pounds chicken thighs and drums
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 cup dry white wine
31/2 cups chicken broth
1 8oz can Spanish style tomato sauce
1 bay leaf
1 cup frozen peas and carrots
1 2oz jar pimentos
2 cups medium grain white rice

Blot chicken pieces dry with paper towels. Season liberally with salt and pepper on both sides.

Heat olive oil in a dutch oven over medium heat. Add chicken pieces and cook until brown on all sides, about 15 minutes. Remove chicken from dutch oven and set aside.

Add garlic and turmeric to pan and cook 1 minutes. Add wine and bring to boil. Scrape up any brown bits that are on the bottom of the dutch oven. Add broth, tomato sauce and bay leaf. Return chicken to dutch oven. Add peas and carrots, pimentos and rice. Bring to boil and then adjust heat so liquid is simmering. Cover pot and cook until rice and tender and chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes.

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Beef and Mushroom Stir Fry

I got this recipe from my friend Nicole. She made this over the weekend and said how much her and her husband loved it. I was looking for recipes that would be easy to make this week and wouldn't make way too much for one person. When she told me about this one I put the ingredients on my grocery list for this week.

I get a little apprehensive about recipes that call for thinly sliced beef. I have a habit of over cooking steak that is that thin and it ends up tasting like shoe leather. So I usually just avoid making stir fried beef altogether. But I am determined to make a good beef stir fry. When I made this the steak came out perfect and juicy, yea for me! The original recipe called for swiss chard. I decided to switch that out for baby bok choy instead and I thought it came out really well. The only thing I would change if I make this recipe again would be to cut out the lemon juice. I think there is enough acid with the balsamic vinegar that it does not need lemon juice as well. I think I will definitely try more recipes for beef stir fry.

Beef and Mushroom Stir-Fry
Adapted from Food Network Magazine

1 pound boneless, sirloin steak, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
3 teaspoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons packed light brown sugar
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup water
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 package sliced mushrooms
2 baby bok choy, sliced
Salt
Pepper
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Brown rice

Cook rice according to package directions.

In a small bowl mix 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 1 tablespoon vinegar and 2 teaspoons soy sauce. Once mixed add sliced beef and stir to coat.

In another small bowl whisk together brown sugar, 2 teaspoons cornstarch, 2 teaspoons vinegar, 1 teaspoon soy sauce and 1/3 cup water. Set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet. Add the beef and cook 2-3 minutes until done. Transfer to a bowl and wipe out the skillet.

Heat remaining olive oil in skillet. Add the garlic, mushrooms and bok choy. Cook for 5-6 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add the brown sugar mixture and beef, stir until thickened. Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice.

Serve over rice.

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This recipe is linked on: Show Me What You Got Tuesdays, Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, Tasteful Tuesdays, Totally Tasty Tuesdays, Trick or Treat Tuesdays, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Mom's Test Kitchen Monday's