Casserole Stew, to clean out the fridge

You know those times when you get to the end of the week and you've already made everything on your menu, but you have bits and pieces of all of those dinners left over in your fridge?  This soup was the result of just one of those times.  I needed to use it all so nothing went bad, but I just wasn't in the mood for a casserole.  So in the spirit of the classic "odds & ends casserole" I made a sort of casserole stew, where I just threw it all in a pot of broth, heated, and served.  It worked like a charm.  Dick was happy, the fridge was almost bare, and I could start planning the next week's menu with a delicious meal in my belly. 

Casserole Stew

A Get in the Kitch Original



Ingredients

4 c. broth (I used a mix of vegetable and chicken)

3 c. mixed veggies (I used carrots, yellow squash, mushrooms, & onions)

1 can kidney beans, drained & rinsed

1 1/2 c. shredded chicken, cooked

salt & pepper

Directions

1. Combine the broth & veggies in a large pot, and warm over medium-high heat.  Cook until veggies are just tender.

2. Add kidney beans & chicken. Cook until warmed through. Salt and pepper to taste.

3. Serve with dinner rolls, so you can sop up the broth at the bottom of your bowl.



Stuffed Zucchini

Are your fridge drawers overflowing with squash like mine are?  We don't even have our own garden, and they're coming out of our ears!  We are pretty lucky people to have such wonderful friends/neighbors/family to share the fruits of their labors with us, huh!  I know.  Hopefully next year we will be able to pay it forward.  For now though, you have someone else's green thumb to thank for this tasty dinner.  I've seen zucchini stuffed with a variety of things - meat, rice, veggies, greens, etc. - so I figured I'd just use what I had.  That's the greatest thing about recipes like these (aside from the fact that they're easy & pretty quick!) - you can substitute almost anything you've got in your fridge for something I used that you might be out of (or can't stand the taste of).  So, get busy making those little zucchini boats and set sail with stuffed zucchini for dinner tonight!

Stuffed Zucchini

Ingredients

2 medium zucchini, cut in half lengthwise & centers hollowed

1 1/2 c. cooked brown rice

1/3 c. sun dried tomatoes, roughly chopped

1/2 c. artichoke hearts, roughly chopped

1/3 c. button mushrooms, chopped

3/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese

garlic & onion powder to taste

salt & pepper to taste

Directions

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or tin foil and place zucchini halves rounded side down on the tray.

2. Mix together all other ingredients & spoon the mixture into the hollows of each zucchini halve.  Be generous with the filling!

3. Bake 20-25 minutes at 375 degrees, or until cheese in filling is just starting to brown & zucchini is tender.

~WINNERS & Kabobs~

Congrats

to all those who left a comment telling me what kind of Wild Bill's Gourmet Seasoning they'd like to try on my 100th post...you are ALL winners!...Lisa from Gourmified, Devyn, & The Rigby's... There were only 3 of you (counting the hubby & wife as 1), which made it too hard for me to choose just one, so you are all getting what you asked for.  You can thank Dick for that - I tried to get him to assist me, and he said, "just make them all winners!" And there you go.  Thanks for reading & cooking along w/ me!

Please email your address to me at rachy_p@msn.com and I'll pop your prize right in the mail!

Then you can get right to making some of these delicious chicken & veggie kabobs!

Chicken & Veggie Kabobs

Ingredients

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, fat trimmed & cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes

2 small-med zucchini, cut into 3/4 inch pieces

1 med-large yellow squash, cut into 3/4 inch pieces

4 bell peppers, whatever colors you'd like, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces

12 white mushrooms, wiped clean

Wild Bill's 5-Star Gourmet Seasoning

olive oil or cooking spray (canola or olive oil)

Directions

1. Slide the chicken & veggies onto metal skewers in whatever pattern/order you'd like them to be (if you're using wooden skewers make sure to soak them at least 30 minutes before loading them up & putting them on the grill so they don't burn).

2. Brush or spray your kabobs with olive/canola oil.

3. Liberally sprinkle the 5-Star seasoning all over the kabobs.

4. Put them on the grill, about 5-7 minutes each side, or until chicken is cooked through & veggies are tender.

Saweet! & Sour Stir-Fry

Tell me, do you ever have those nights when you look in the fridge and all you see is a random assortment of veggies that don't really seem to go together?  Or am I alone on that one?  Well, let me just tell you that if that occasion shall ever arise, there is only one thing to make:  STIR-FRY, baby!  Stir-fry is great because it doesn't matter what veggies you have, they're sure to have a party in your pan, and then in your mouth, if you just add the right sauce & serve them over some rice.  You can add meat if you want, but you don't have to.  Its a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants kind of dish, which is what makes it so appealing.  Lucky for me, Food Network Magazine had a spread on stir-fry that was out of this world!  We've made a couple of the sauces, but this Sweet & Sour sauce is really the one that took my breath away.  Dick shot me a text the next day to let me know that they were the best leftovers he'd ever had in his life.  And for him to make any kind of effort or fuss to let me know (immediately) how he felt about leftovers is really saying something.  Have fun with this SAWEET stir-fry, my friends.  And be sure to make enough for leftovers!

Sweet & Sour Stir-Fry

From Food Network Magazine

Ingredients

4 Tbsp. peanut oil

3/4 lb of your choice of protein (chicken, pork, shrimp, steak, tofu)

3 c. assorted veggies (I used a little more & was fine!)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1-2 Tbsp ginger, minced

2 scallions

pinch of salt & sugar

peanuts, scallions, sesame seeds, jalapenos, cilantro for garnishing

Sweet & Sour Sauce - recipe follows

Sweet & Sour Sauce

Ingredients

3/4 c. chicken broth

2 tsp. cornstarch

1/4 c. ketchup

2 tsp. soy sauce

3 Tbsp rice vinegar

1/4 c. sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. sesame oil

Directions

Mix all ingredients together well.

Stir-Fry Directions

1. heat peanut oil in skillet over medium heat.  Add the protein; slowly stir until almost opaque, 30 sec - 1 min. (for tofu, brown both sides - do not stir).  Transfer to a plate; discard the oil & wipe out the pan.

2. Heat the pan over high heat, 1-2 min.  Add 2 Tbsp oil, then 2 cloves minced garlic, 1-2 Tbsp minced ginger, 2 minced scallions & a pinch of salt & sugar; stir-fry about 30 sec.  Add the veggies, starting w/ the ones that take the longest to cook; stir-fry until crisp-tender.

3. Add the protein and sauce and stir until the sauce is thick & the veggies & protein are cooked through, about 3 min.  Thin w/ chicken broth, if needed.  Garnish w/ sliced scallions, peanuts, sesame seeds, sliced jalapenos, and/or cilantro.

Serve over brown rice or noodles of your choice.