Chicken Shawarma: A Middle Eastern Meal

Photo courtesy of yemioloyede.blogspot.com

So, I pride myself (just a little ;) on the fact that my family lived in Saudi Arabia for 4 years. It's cool, right? One night we had some new friends over for dinner, and I swear to you at one point she said, "When my family used to live in Saudi Arabia..."!!! Jeremy and I did a double take. Seriously? What are the chances??? Yep, my (awesome and now old--in military terms) friend Beth lived there with her family when she was young. Kindly, she returned the favor a couple months and had us over for chicken shawarma, a super yummy street food that's common in the Middle East--kind of like a burrito but waaaaay better.  The meal was incredible! I was immediately transported back to my younger days...

Needless to say, I got the recipe from Beth and we've made it so many times now I've got the recipe memorized. We made it for my in-laws who were here this month and my father-in-law went crazy over it. I promised him I'd put it up on the blog, so here it is with Beth's permission and for Tom's (and your) eating pleasure...

(I've included all the fixins for a complete meal, so read through everything to see all the ingredients you'll need, and then I'll tell you how to put it all together at the bottom. Buckle your seat belts, folks...)

Grilled Chicken Shawarma
1 TB ground coriander
1 TB ground cardamom (if grinding your own pods, use 1/2 tsp--it's strong stuff!)
1 TB ground cumin
1 TB chili powder
1 TB grill seasoning (i.e. Montreal brand)
Juice of 1 lemon
1 large garlic clove, minced

Mix all of the above in a small bowl until paste-like. Spread on boneless chicken breasts and let sit for at least one hour. Put on hot BBQ grill and cook until no longer pink and you get some good grill marks--a little charring is yummy, but don't dry them out! Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting lengthwise in strips.

Cucumber Salad
English cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped
Roma tomato, seeded and chopped
Red onion, sliced very thin (optional)
Feta cheese
Olive oil and vinegar
Salt and pepper
(or you can cheat and just use Ken's Olive Oil & Vinegar dressing, like I did)

I didn't include amounts in this recipe because it depends on how much you want to make. But it should be equal parts cucumber and tomato, with a little red onion thrown in if you like it, and tossed with a little dressing and feta cheese. Comment if you need more guidance than that ;)

Tzatziki Sauce
2 cups plain Greek yogurt
1/2 English cucumber, peeled, seeded and grated (squeeze the water out)
1 TB mayonnaise
1-2 TB lemon juice, depending on how much zing you like
1-2 tsp dill, depending on how much you like dill
Salt & pepper to taste

Mix everything together and let chill in fridge for at least an hour.


Putting it all together...
Take a pita or flatbread (click HERE for a yummy homemade flatbread recipe), and stuff it (or roll it up) with some chicken, cucumber salad and tzatziki sauce--proportions to your liking. You can also put some lettuce in it if you want some greens, and I always have some hummus on the side (click HERE for my favorite hummus recipe yet--and I've tried a LOT). FYI, they also put French fries in our shawarma on the streets in Saudi. Just sayin'...

Enjoy!

Curried Vegetable and Chickpea Stew

A sweet friend here in Korea (thanks, AmyLyn!) passed this yummy recipe along to help us get through the long, cold winter... And it's been long and cold! We've had it twice now, and both times it's been a winner. I strayed from the original recipe on a few points, and I hope it's not too confusing. You get to choose your own adventure on this one: stovetop or crockpot, so try to follow along as I take you on a bit of a wild ride :)

As a side note, I suggest pairing this stew with either a crusty bread or... garlic na'an! It definitely has an Indian flair, so the garlic na'an was perfect IMO.

Photo courtesy of thekitchn.com

Curried Vegetable and Chickpea Stew
Adapted from Cooking Light Magazine

1 tsp olive oil
1 large onion, diced
**optional: 1 lb. ground pork sausage**
2 all-purpose potatoes, diced (I used 4 Yukon)
1 T salt
1 T curry powder
1 T brown sugar
1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated (abt 1 T)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
2 C chicken or vegetable broth
2 (16-oz) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 head cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets
1 (28-oz) can diced tomatoes with their juices
1/4 tsp black pepper
10 oz. baby spinach
1 C coconut milk

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat (or heavy pot if you're going to make this entirely on the stovetop). Saute the onion with one teaspoon of salt until translucent, about 5 minutes. (I actually omitted the oil and salt; instead, I cooked a pound of ground pork sausage and then cooked the onion with it). Add the potatoes and another teaspoon of salt, and saute until just translucent around the edges.

Stir in the curry, brown sugar, ginger, garlic and cayenne, and cook until fragrant--about 30 seconds. (This will smell heavenly :) Pour in 1/4 cup of broth and scrape the bottom of the pan to deglaze.

From this point you can follow directions for either the stovetop or crockpot:

Stovetop: Add the rest of the broth, chickpeas, bell peppers, cauliflower, tomatoes and juice, black pepper, and the final teaspoon of salt. Stir to combine. The liquid should come about halfway up the side of the pot. Set on medium-low temp and simmer for 30 minutes, or until cauliflower and potatoes are significantly softer. Stir in the spinach and coconut milk. Cover with lid and cook for one minute to allow spinach to wilt. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.

Crockpot: Pour the onion/potato combination into the bowl of your crockpot. Add the rest of the broth, chickpeas, bell peppers, cauliflower, tomatoes and juice, black pepper, and the final teaspoon of salt. Stir to combine. The liquid should come about halfway up the sides of the crockpot--add more broth if necessary. Cover and cook for 4 hours on high. Stir in the spinach and coconut milk. Cover with lid and cook for one minute to allow spinach to wilt. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.

**Serve on its own (as a stew with bread as mentioned above), or over couscous, Israeli couscous, or orzo pasta. Enjoy!

Chicken Tikka Masala

Everything here in Seoul is extremely expensive. We are lucky to have military privileges at the Commissary on post here (within walking distance from our house, no less!), and I am really grateful for that. But sometimes you just want to eat something that someone ELSE made, don't you??? There's a wonderful Indian restaurant that Jeremy introduced me to soon after we moved here, but unless you get their special lunch deal, it's hard to justify spending $35 on a small bowl of Chicken Tikka Masala--and that doesn't include rice. So I set out to figure out how to make my own :) The best one I've had yet comes from Ree over at the Pioneer Woman, bless her sweet heart. I could hug that gal... Anyway, here's the link to it. I can't say it (or photo-document it) any better than she can!

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/06/chicken-tikka-masala-by-pastor-ryan/

I wasn't a huge fan of the turmeric rice she (or Pastor Ryan) made. My suggestion would be to just make some steamed basmati rice, throw in the peas at the end, and serve it with some cauliflower on the side. I saute the florets in a little bit of oil, add some cumin seeds if you have them (and make sure the oil is hot enough so they pop and infuse the oil with their fragrance--amazing!). Then sprinkle a little turmeric on top to give the cauliflower that authentic (and yet SOOO fake-looking) Indian color, and put the top on for a few minutes to let them soften. If you need to add water, go ahead :) Enjoy!

Coconut Shrimp Curry

Okay sis... i think this has all your favorite ingredients... cilantro, shrimp, ginger, coconut milk. I think I found a winner. Let me know if you guys like it!! Adapted from melskitchencafe.com

1 1/2 lbs large or extra large shrimp, peeled and deveined

Shrimp marinade:
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 T fresh lemon juice

Combine in a plastic bag and then add shrimp. Refrigerate for 15-20 minutes.

For sauce:
1 T canola oil
1 med red or yellow onion
3/4 C small bits of cauliflower
3/4 C diced red pepper
1 tsp pepper
1 T minced fresh giner
1 T kosher salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can coconut milk
1 C fresh cilantro

In a medium sized pot, heat oil over medium heat until hot. Add onion and cook for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the pepper, ginger, salt, garlic, coriander, turmeric, and curry powder. Continue cooking over medium heat , stirring often, until the mixture is very fragrant and teh onion is soft adn translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add diced toms, cauliflower, and red pepper, stir til combined scraping browned bits from teh bottom, for about a minute. Increase the heat to med-high and simmer for 5-10 minutes, stirring often. Add the coconut milk, stirring to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil and add shrimp plus the marinade. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook intil the shrimp are curled, lightly pink and cooked through, about 2-4 minutes. Stir in cilantro. Serve over hot rice... this is sure to become a family favorite!!

Crock pot BBQ Ribs

So, ever since Jeremy went to Houston for 4 months last year, he has been obsessed with barbeque. Not your typical "hamburger on the grill" type BBQ, oh no... He means the kind where you get up at an unearthly hour of the morning, go outside in the freezing cold, stick a huge blob of meat on a rack that's being warmed with applewood or hickory chips ONLY (he's a little snobby about this), and get it smokin'. Yes, we have had many jokes in the house lately about "smoking something"--I wish all of them were funny. Anyway, then one has to stay at home all day in order to babysit said piece of meat... Betcha can guess who stayed home, huh?

Honestly though, it's been kind of fun to see Jeremy take on this challenge. A good-quality smoker typically costs upwards of $600-700, hence there was no chance that we were going to buy one. So instead, he decided to make one on his own! His best friend in the whole wide world, Alton Brown, taught him how. I will not give you the link to this video, because then your husband will get addicted too... You're welcome for doing you a favor. It's taken a few trips to the local garden nursery for different size pots, new BBQ racks coming in the mail (surprise!), melted hot plates, a couple discoveries that the fridge/freezer weren't on because the smoker had shorted out the kitchen appliance circuit, and usually the meat ends up in the crock pot for a few hours, but I am happy to announce that it has all been worth it! The meat that comes off this baby is unbelievable, as a few of our Maryland friends can attest. We've only invited people over who we know will still be friends with us no matter how the food tastes, because we're still in the testing phase. But I don't think anyone's been disappointed yet :)

Now for those of you who know us well, you know that Jeremy and I each have our roles in the kitchen. I am the cook/chef/whatever you want to call it--I make the meals. I prefer salty to sweet, so I've never been much of a baker. Frankly, that was probably a good thing. And then I married Jeremy! I've never had a dessert he's made that I haven't loved. That one kind of tipped the scales a bit, but he's worth it :) However, since he started doing this smoking thing (see what I mean about the jokes?), I am feeling showed up!!! He's taking over my territory!!! So what do I do??? I stage a comeback.

And this is where the recipe comes in, my friends... But haven't you enjoyed my little story? Can you tell I'm in rare form today? It's called being stuck in the house with a sick child for over a week. I needed a creative outlet :) Anyway, I found a recipe for crock pot ribs a while back, which sounded like an easy cop-out effort to make Jeremy happy. "What's for dinner, honey?" Oh, I just made some.. RIBS!" What husband would not love to hear that when they walked through the door one night? Don't have to tell him that you made them in the crock pot! That always seems to put a damper on things... Anyway, I tried them, they were a cinch, and they were really good. I've been tweaking the recipe for a while now, and I finally think I've got it down perfect. Start looking for a good deal on a rack of ribs, ladies... I found some at the commissary up here for $5!!! That was right around Superbowl weekend. Oh whoops, guess I should have posted this earlier for y'all. That would have been timely. Sorry!

Anyway, I made my ribs alongside Jeremy's smoked pulled pork last weekend for a little get-together we had... Needless to say, I think the ribs were a hit. Jeremy was jealous :o) Mission accomplished!!! Just kidding--a win for me is a win for him, too :) Right? RIGHT??? Truly, though--we had a blast. I love that we both love to cook; it's something we didn't realize we both enjoyed before we got married. It's been a fun adventure together!

Crock pot BBQ Ribs
Adapted from bbq.about.com
1 full rack of pork ribs, cut in half
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp paprika (Penzey's Smoked Hungarian is awesome!)
1 tsp chili powder (or less if you don't want a little kick)
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp white pepper
3/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp sugar

(I have a large crock pot, so I can actually double this recipe, cut the racks in half, and fit them on their sides in my crock pot. The more the merrier, IMO). Combine dry ingredients  until well incorporated; apply rub over entire area of ribs. Place ribs in crock pot meat-side up, and cook for 6-8 hours. I can usually get away with a little less time, but make sure you leave enough time just in case you need to cook it longer...

You can put BBQ sauce on these babies if you want to, but we found we didn't need it. YUM!

Swedish Meatballs

This is a great standby... Quick and easy to make, and it's also easy to love--I don't get complaints from anyone when this one's on the table!

Swedish Meatballs
4 cans cream of mushroom soup
2-3 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
Milk to thin sauce, if desired
Meatballs (storebought or homemade, see recipe below)

Combine all ingredients (except meatballs), stir to desired consistency, and heat either over stove or in crock pot. Add cooked meatballs and heat through; serve over rice, noodles, or with baby potatoes (our family's personal favorite). And if you can find Lingonberry Sauce (we get ours at IKEA of all places), it adds a really nice authentic touch :o)

Homemade Meatballs (makes about 30)
2 lbs. ground meat (I usually do half beef, half turkey)
1 egg
1/2 C dry bread crumbs
1/4 C chopped onion
1/4 Tbsp. salt
1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
dash of pepper

Preheat oven to 400. Combine all ingredients thoroughly and form into 1-inch balls. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet for 10-15 minutes until cooked through; don't overcook as they will become tough.

Enjoy!

Cheese Fondue

The first course--this is personally my favorite part. I am more a salty than sweet kind of person... Take that however you want to :o)





Cheese Fondue
2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
2 cups shredded Gruyere cheese (or more Swiss if too difficult to find)
2 Tbsp flour
1 clove garlic, cut in half
1 1/2 cups dry white wine (or chicken broth)
1 Tbsp lemon juice

Coat cheeses with flour by tossing together in a large bowl. Rub garlic on the bottom and sides of the fondue pot; discard garlic. Pour wine (or broth) into fondue pot and heat just until bubbles rise to the surface. Stir in lemon juice. Gradually add floured cheese, about 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly over low heat, until cheeses are melted. You may add more cheese or wine, as needed, to reach the desired consistency.

Dippers (any or all of these):
Broccoli, blanched
Cauliflower, blanched
Asparagus, blanched
Cherry Tomatoes
Mushrooms, blanched
Granny Smith apples, sliced
French bread, cubed
Pumpernickel bread, cubed
Rye bread, cubed

Fondue Bourguignonne

The second course... Definitely worth the time it takes to cook it! There are a couple approaches we've taken in the past, and we like both. Decide what kind of taste you're going for and get cooking! (This is a borrowed picture, but I will switch it out tomorrow night after I take pictures of our dinner :)


Fondue Bourguignonne: Simply fill the fondue pot halfway with vegetable oil and heat till shimmery. Add meat and cook according to directions below.


Bouillabaisse Broth: While usually reserved for seafood stew, this broth is a delicious, savory alternative to oil. Click HERE for specific directions.


Dippers:
Raw steak, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
Raw chicken breast, cubed
Raw shrimp, 31-40 count size
Fingerling potatoes, partially cooked

Cook the steak to desired doneness; cook the chicken till inside is no longer pink (2 minutes?); cook the shrimp till pink (1 minute?); cook the potatoes till soft. The more pieces you have cooking at the same time, the longer they will take to cook... just FYI :o)

We always have sauces waiting for our cooked meats--usually I'll have little bowls of BBQ sauce, cocktail sauce, sour cream/dill or ranch dip, and green goddess dressing. Add your own!

***Remember to be careful when dealing with raw meats, especially poultry. Don't use the same utensils to handle raw meat and to eat it. Make sure your food is cooked thoroughly before slicing it on your "eating" plate.

Parmesan Chicken

... not to be confused with Chicken Parmesan :o) This is one of our family favorites--I remember Bennett wolfing it down in his high chair! It is really fast and easy, and it tastes SO good. I modified the recipe from a Kraft cookbook we got for our wedding--who knew it would become such a staple in our home?

My baby brother loves Parmesan Chicken and always has me make it whenever he comes into town. He was searching my blog for it the other night so he could make it for his fiancee, but it wasn't there. Needless to say, he called me the next morning to let me know :o) So this one is dedicated to Freddy and Annabelle, who will get married at the end of this month--we love you guys!!!

Parmesan Chicken

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1 envelope dry Italian salad dressing mix (I use Good Seasons)

3 Tbs melted butter (or 1 beaten egg)

6 boneless skinless chicken breasts

In a shallow pan (I use a pie plate), pour the butter or egg (or water, if you're trying to cut down :o) In another shallow pan, combine the Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs and dry Italian salad dressing mix. One by one, dip the chicken breasts in the butter, then coat both sides in the bread crumb mix. Place them in a lightly greased 9x13 pan (I just line it with foil for easy clean-up), and then pour any remaining bread crumbs on top. Bake at 400 for 20-30 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

I usually do a rice pilaf on the side, with veggies and a salad. You can also do an angel hair pasta with butter and lemon or something like that... It's a very versatile dish.

Enjoy!

Cafe Rio Salad

Doesn't this just make you drool???

I've been playing around with different recipes, trying to re-create my favorite meal in the whole world, the Cafe Rio salad. Fantastic with either chicken or beef, this salad is a delicate combination of amazing ingredients (all of which must be included to get the real effect). Because there isn't a Cafe Rio within 2,000 miles of my house, I have to make do with what I have! I know I posted a while ago with some Cafe Rio knock-off recipes, but I've continued to play around and think I've found some that are better... Let me know what you think!

Here's the all-important order:

1. Toasted tortilla with a little melted cheese

2. Cilantro Lime Rice (the original recipe I posted is still the best I've found)

3. Black or pinto beans (I prefer black, click on "Black" for link to recipe)

4. Romaine lettuce, loosely torn

5. Shredded chicken, pork or beef (click on whichever one you want to make)

6. Pico de gallo, guacamole, tortilla strips, fresh cilantro sprigs, and a lime slice

7. Creamy Tomatillo Dressing (where the magic happens!)

Cafe Rio Shredded Chicken

This is the easiest of the three meats to make, IMO...

Cafe Rio Shredded Chicken

5 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast

1 small bottle zesty Italian dressing

1 Tbsp chili powder

1 Tbsp cumin

3 cloves garlic, minced

Mix all ingredients together in large crockpot. Cook on high for 5-7 hours. Remove chicken and shred. Reserve a small amount of juice and pour over shredded chicken; keep warm till served.

Cafe Rio Shredded Pork

We made this over the holidays, and it was absolutely AMAZING!

Cafe Rio Shredded Pork

2 pounds pork (I used pork shoulder butt)

3 cans Coke (NOT diet)

1/4 C brown sugar

dash garlic salt

1/4 C water

1 can sliced or diced green chilies

3/4 can enchilada sauce

1 C brown sugar

Put the pork in a heavy-duty Ziploc bag to marinate. Add about 1 1/2 cans of Coke and 1/4 C brown sugar. Marinate for at least a few hours, but preferably overnight. Drain marinade and put pork, 1/2 can of Coke, water and garlic salt in crock pot on HIGH for about 3-4 hours, or on LOW for about 8 hours--just don't let it get dry. Remove pork from crock pot and drain any liquid left in the pot. Shred pork.

In a food processor or blender, blend 1/2 can Coke, chilies, enchilada sauce and 1 C sugar (I used way less--just my preference). If it looks too thick, add more Coke little by little. Put shredded pork and sauce in crockpot and cook on LOW for 2 hours. Enjoy!!!

Cafe Rio Shredded Beef

I have to preface this with the fact that I didn't make this recipe... but it came from a highly reputable source :o) If anyone wants to try it out and let us know how it turned out, feel free to comment!!!

Cafe Rio Shredded Beef

1 large chuck roast

1 can Coke (NOT diet)

1 1/2 Tbsp ancho chili powder (in the gourmet spice section)

2 tsp. cumin

2 tsp. garlic powder

Red chili pepper flakes

Salt & pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and cook in crockpot on HIGH for 4-6 hours (don't let meat dry out), until meat is tender and easily falls apart. Remove from crockpot, shred and put back in crockpot. Adjust seasonings as needed. Turn heat to LOW and cook for about 1 more hour in juices.

Cafe Rio Creamy Tomatillo Dressing, Take 2

I posted a recipe for this dressing a while ago, but I think this new one is better. It tastes more like the real thing, in my opinion. It's important, people! Just trust me on this one...

Cafe Rio Creamy Tomatillo Dressing, Take 2

1 pkg. dry ranch dressing mix

1 C buttermilk

1 C mayonnaise

1-2 tomatillos

1/2 clove garlic, minced

1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

1/2 tsp. lime juice

1/2 small jalapeno, seeds removed

Blend together in food processor till smooth--NO chunks! Let dressing sit for a few hours for best taste...

Italian Wedding Soup

I made this for a little lunch I hosted yesterday... It's really easy and REALLY good :o) You can never go wrong with the Barefoot Contessa, IMO.

Click here for the link to the recipe at Food Network... Enjoy!

French Onion Soup

This one is on our family list of all-time favorites... It's Tyler Florence's recipe, so I take no credit whatsoever. Here's the link to get it directly from him :o) But just look at that picture--don't you want to make it right now? I do!!!

Chicken Chili

(from FoodNetwork's Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten--click HERE for the recipe)

My friend Janelle made this for us once when I had surgery, and Jeremy has requested it from her a few more times since then. Serves her right for being nice to us! Love you, Janelle...

I finally made it myself a couple weeks ago on a Sunday, and I tweaked some of the ingredients just for fun. I had extra veggies, so instead of ALL the peppers, I did half peppers and half zucchini. Bennett and Ethan gave me a fight at first, but once they tried it I didn't hear another word :o) And I liked adding cilantro instead of basil... And I used chicken thighs instead of breasts, and shredded the chicken after it was cooked. Make it your own, right???

PS: The picture doesn't nearly do this recipe justice. FoodNetwork needs to work on their photo skills...

Black Bean Enchiladas

This dish is kind of like lasagna, except Mexican! Lots of layering... And it can be vegetarian if you wish--just omit the chicken.

Black Bean Enchiladas

2 C. chopped chicken

2 T. chopped cilantro

2 cans black beans, drained

1 can green chilies, undrained

1 can enchilada sauce, red or green

8 corn tortillas

1 1/2 C. shredded cheese

16 oz. sour cream

Heat oven to 375; spray 11x7 pan. In medium bowl, mix chicken, cilantro, beans and chilies. Spread 2 T. enchilada sauce in bottom of 11x7. Place 4 tortillas, overlapping. Spoon 1/2 chicken mixture and spread over tortillas. Sprinkle 1/2 cup cheese over mixture, then spread 1/2 the can of enchilada sauce, and 1 cup sour cream. REPEAT. Cover with foil and bake for 30-35 minutes. Sprinkle top with rest of cheese; bake uncovered for 5 more minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Chicken Pot Pie

Up till now, I've been too scared to make anything like this! I am not good at crusts, and I can just see the whole thing falling apart in my head. BUT... once again, Annie has come to the rescue. I've made it on 4 different occasions now, and it hasn't failed me yet. Ask me if I care about using a store-bought crust!?!?!?

Chicken Pot Pie

1/3 C butter

1/3 C flour

1/3 C chopped onion

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

2/3 C milk

3/4 C chicken broth

1 C frozen peas

1 C frozen corn

2 C cooked chicken, chopped

2 C carrots, diced

2 packed pie crusts

**optional: cooked, diced potatoes; broccoli, etc.

Preheat oven to 425. Make a roux (thick, white paste) with butter, flour, onion, salt and pepper. When it sticks together, take off heat and stir in milk and chicken broth, using whisk to keep it from clumping. Heat to a boil, stirring constantly (really watch this, or it WILL burn). Add peas, corn, carrots and chicken; pour mixture into pie shell. Top with other crust, pinching sides together--or use fork and press down to seal. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until top crust is nice and brown. 

Spicy Thai Noodles

This one is great either on its own or as a side dish. It would go well with my Teriyaki Chicken or Jennie Call's Sweet & Sour Chicken. Yuh-hum!

Spicy Thai Noodles

1 lb. spaghetti or fettuccine noodles, uncooked

1 bunch baby spinach (or regular spinach cut in half)

1 bunch green onion, chopped in 1-inch pieces

1 lb. cooked chicken or tofu (optional for main dish)

*chopped cilantro, optional

Cook noodles according to package directions. Combine sauce ingredients (see below). Pour sauce over cooked noodles; add spinach, onion and chicken. Mix well, top with cilantro (if desired) and serve immediately. 

Sauce:  

1/2 C sugar

3/4 C soy sauce

1 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper

2 Tbsp sesame seeds, toasted

1/8 tsp. allspice

1/4 C rice vinegar

1/2 C olive oil

3 Tbsp peanut oil

1/2 C crushed peanuts