Corn Rice Stirfry

When there aren't many groceries in the house, it makes cooking so much more...well...interesting.  Last week, when I needed to run to the grocery store, some of the meals here were a little more creative.  One of those was a corn and rice stirfry.

First I took some frozen corn, chopped red, green, and yellow peppers, as well as some chopped onions.

After heating up some oil in a skillet, I tossed in the mixture, and let the vegetables cook.  If the mixture becomes too oily, you can drain the dish.  When the vegetables were cooked through, I added half a can of diced tomatoes and a partial can of chicken broth.

I continued to cook and stir everything so it wouldn't stick.  I added different seasonings for flavor, like garlic power, southwest seasoning, crushed red peppers, cilantro and parsley.  Lastly, I added some cooked rice to the skillet.

I served spoonfuls of the meal on plates and sprinkled shredded cheese on top. 

My husband especially enjoyed the dish.  It would also be good wrapped in a flour tortilla.

Improvisation

When it comes to cooking, I'm all about improv.  I rarely follow a recipe exactly.  Sometimes there's something in it that I don't like or I don't have.  At other times, I just don't remember what was supposed to go in the dish.  I was reminded of this as I prepared to make one of my favorite meals the other night, chicken and rice.

Unfortunately, I was out of chicken, but with an abundance of pork in the freezer (well it is the "other" white meat) I got to work on supper.  To my surprise, I found out that I was almost out of the chicken flavored rice that I had planned on using.  I had one package but I needed two.  This was a conundrum.  I rustled through my cabinets to see what I could find, knowing that one package of rice was not enough.  I found that I had a box of Spanish rice, where the flavoring was separate from the rice.  I used that (while saving the flavor, which I will add to some delicious chicken tacos sometime).

I added some chicken bouillon cubes for some more flavor, and the meal turned out pretty well.  Especially considering that I was missing several key ingredients.

To fix the same meal, cook the meat (I did it in my dutch oven).  My pork was already cooked and just had to thaw out.  I put it in the dutch oven with water until it was hot.  I then added the rise and corn, letting both cook until they were soft.  I added salt, pepper, and lots of parsley.  Keep stirring as the dish cooks so the rice doesn't stick.  In about twenty to thirty minutes you'll have a delicious rice meal.  Enjoy!

This is From a Can?

Tonight we opened up another one of our label free cans. To my surprise it wasn't just chicken noodle soup, but chicken noodle soup with rice! You know of my love of rice by now. Well, when I saw rice in that can, I just had to have more rice. In the process of this, I created a new meal, one that my husband and I loved! It's incredibly easy as well, so give it a try!

Take two cans of Chicken Noodle soup, the kind with rice. Make a package of chicken flavored instant rice. When the rice is cooked, mix with the soup, stirring occasionally. Let the mixture simmer and boil, while continuing to stir. The longer you let it boil, the thicker it will become. I also added a little bit of frozen broccoli for color.
While putting this mixture together, and letting it cook, take some boneless, skinless, chicken breast and cook it. I used two pieces for two people. I even took the super easy route and cooked them completely in the microwave! When the chicken is cooked, pour the rice mixture onto the chicken breast and sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese on top. I added parsley for looks. When everything is together, put the chicken and rice into the oven at 425 degrees. Cook until the cheese is melted and even a little crusty.

Wa-La!

Arroz, Riz, Pис, Orez, Rice

I cannot think of a more universal food than rice. Growing up, I used to think of rice as a Chinese dish, and I hated Chinese food. There was no way that stuff was going into my mouth. Sometimes my mom would make rice, the plain white kind, and I would gag at the sight of it. The thought of those slimy little things in my mouth was too much to handle. I even prayed when I was little, "God, don't make me a missionary to China. I'll starve!"

Then, I went to Romania. Guess what was put on my plate, yep it was rice. I couldn't not eat it. That would have been rude, not to mention I would have been hungry later. El Salvador was next in my international travels, and rice once again found it's way onto my plate and into my stomach. I'm not exactly sure what happened next, but before I knew it, I was rice crazy. Just ask my husband, who declared that I could not make rice in the first four months of our marriage. I talked him out of that, though.

I love rice, especially with chicken. It's just so darn delectable. My favorite is the chicken and rice casserole, like the one I made last Saturday. Here's a quick, easy, and delicious recipe!

I buy the cheap, quick and easy packets of rice. I think the best flavors to use in the casserole are the cheddar broccoli, or the chicken flavored ones. I usually make two packets for the casserole. I also use three or four pieces of boneless, skinless, chicken breast. I cut it into chunks. If I am in a special hurry I even cook the the chicken in the microwave after cubing.

When the rice and chicken are cooked, I mix them together in the sauce pan, and then add a can of cream of mushroom soup. (If I've used the chicken flavored rice, I sometimes add peas or broccoli to the mix.) Heat the mixture until it is all warm, stirring occasionally. If I am ready to eat right then, I just sprinkle a little mozzarella cheese on top and serve it out of the sauce pan. If I'm saving it for later, I'll put it into a casserole dish, so it's easier to warm up in the oven.

Here's the picture of the chicken and rice casserole that I shared with you the other day. Enjoy!