Category Archives: main dishes

Fall Favorites – Soups, Salads and Main Dishes

Posted in extras, main dishes, salads, side dishes, things we like to eat by

Hey! Happy Fall! In Southern California, Fall doesn’t really exist. This time of year the weather is crazy hot, so while everyone else is talking about the beautiful leaves changing and the cooler weather, we are just broiling! So, honestly, Fall isn’t really my favorite season, but I do love Fall food. So I’ve compiled a list of a few of our Fall favorites to share with you. Enjoy!

Kale Salad with Man Candy

kale salad with roasted bruschetta 2 - My Daughter and I

Candied Pecans + The Best Salad Ever

candied pecan and salad collage

Fiesta Chowder

Fiesta Chowder 2 - My Daughter and I

Tuscan Bean Soup

tuscan bean soup 1 edited

 

Parmesan Pasta with Butternut Squash & Bacon

butternut squash with bacon pasta 2 edited with text

 

Chicken Pot Pie

chicken pot pie 17 edited

Crock Pot Macaroni & Cheese

mac & cheese 2

Southern Chicken Casserole

southern chicken casserole 2

Bruschetta Chicken

BC 8

 

(Looking through these old photos made me realize the huge improvement in the quality of my photos- just look at the difference between this Bruschetta Chicken photo and the infinitely better picture of the Kale Salad at the very beginning of the post. It’s amazing the difference that a little experience makes 🙂  -Jordan)

 

Cindy

Chicken Fried Rice

Posted in main dishes, side dishes, things we like to eat by

My Daughter and I- Chicken Fried Rice

Hey, Happy Monday! How was your weekend? Our’s was HOT! When it’s hot like this, I really don’t want to cook, but I still have to feed my family. This delicious and easy chicken fried rice recipe is great for days like that. I found it on Gimme Some Oven, one of my favorite blogs.  The recipes are always great and the pictures are amazing.

I whipped up the fried rice and served it with a green salad and some frozen egg rolls that I heated up in the toaster oven (always trying to keep the house cool!). Also, I cooked the rice in the rice steamer and cooked the chicken ahead of time in the same pan as the fried rice, so it was a very simple clean-up.

My Daughter and I- Chicken Fried Rice 2

Chicken Fried Rice

3 T sesame oil
2 eggs
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
1 cup frozen peas, allow to defrost for a bit while prepping other ingredients
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper
4 cups cooked rice
3-4 Tablespoons soy sauce, or more to taste
2-3 cups shredded cooked chicken
2 Tablespoons sriracha, or more/less to taste
Toasted sesame seeds for garnish

Pour sesame oil into large skillet or wok and turn stove to medium heat. Add carrots, peppers and garlic, and season with a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Saute for about 5 -7 minutes until the veggies are soft. Add the green onions and peas and stir to combine and heat. Increase the heat a bit and add the rice, soy sauce and stir until combined. Continue stirring for an additional 3 -5 minutes to fry the rice. Then add in the chicken and stir to combine. Once all the ingredients are combined and heated through, push the rice back on the pan, opening up a small section on the pan in order to scramble the egg. When you have a small section open, just crack the eggs and mix well, once it’s mostly scrambled, you can start mixing it in with the rest of the rice and mix until combined and cooked. Add the sriracha if you like a bit of heat and stir to combine. Remove from heat. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds if you like and serve warm.

Cindy

Tomato Tart

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My Daughter and I Tomato Tart 1

I’d like to say that we have all these beautiful, delicious tomatoes growing and I needed a way to use some of them up. Unfortunately, that would be a lie. Our garden has been a bit of a bust this year- it’s been quite disappointing. However, I saw this recipe on The Pioneer Woman website not too long ago and I knew I had to try it. It was wonderful, even with store bought tomatoes!

My Daughter and I Tomato Tart 2

Until a couple years ago, tomatoes were one of Jordan’s most hated foods, but recently she’s been liking them more- especially when they’re in something delicious like this! I am so happy that she is now on board with eating tomatoes! She and I polished off the entire tart in one sitting- it was amazing! We loved it so much, we made it twice in one week.

My Daughter and I Tomato Tart 3

Tomato Tart

Ingredients:

1 whole Large Onions, Halved And Sliced Thin
2 Tablespoons Butter
Salt And Pepper, to taste
1 whole Storebought Pie Crusts (or Homemade Crust)
1/2 cup Grated Fontina Cheese (or Monterey Jack)
1/4 cup Grated Parmesan
1/2 cup Grated Gruyere (or Swiss)
3 cups Cherry Tomatoes (yellow Or Red), Washed And Dried (more If Needed)
1 whole Egg, optional
A splash of Milk, optional
8 whole Basil Leaves, Chiffonade (more If Needed)
Preparation Instructions

Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the butter, onions, salt, and pepper and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and deep golden brown. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 450.

Roll out pie crust and place in a tart pan, or use a pie pan or even a pizza pan. Sprinkle on the cheese in a single layer, then sprinkle on the cooked onion, then sprinkle the tomatoes over the cheese.

Mix together the egg and milk and brush it all over the crust around the edge of the tart, optional. It makes the crust look pretty, but it seems a bit wasteful. Bake the tart for 15 to 18 minutes, watching carefully to make sure the crust doesn’t burn. (The tomatoes should be starting to burst apart, with some dark/roasted areas on the skin, and the crust should be deep golden brown.) If the crust is getting brown too fast, reduce the heat to 425.

Remove the tart from the oven and allow it to sit for 5 minutes. Sprinkle the basil all over the top. Cut into wedges and serve.

Cindy

Orange Juice + Taco Seasoning Marinade

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My Daughter and I- Orange Juice and Taco Seasoning Marinade 1

Hi! Anyone still out there? Sorry that we haven’t posted anything in such a long time. We have had a lot going on around here. Jordan and I went on our big backpacking trip – which was amazing! We hope to post a few pictures from that trip soon. Jordan had several weeks of working at church, attending camp and then working at a different camp! Whew – she has been busy! We both hope to get back to more regular posts in the future!

This marinade is one that I make quite often for chicken but the other day our neighbor gave us some halibut that he caught in Alaska. It was amazing! I made this light and flavorful marinade and then did a quick cook on the grill and man oh man, it was delicious.

My Daughter and I- Orange Juice and Taco Seasoning Marinade 2

Orange Juice + Taco Seasoning Marinade

Juice from 2 oranges
Zest from 1 to 2 oranges
2 T taco seasoning, more or less to taste
Mix together and pour over fish or chicken. I didn’t leave the fish in the marinade for very long, maybe 10 to 15 minutes. When I marinate chicken, I leave it in the marinade for several hours.

Grill until done.

Cindy

Sweet Potato and Zucchini Frittata

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My Daughter and I- Sweet Potato and Zucchini Frittata

We are finally getting a few veggies from our garden- for some reason our garden this year has been really disappointing, but I was able to harvest a few zucchini the other day. I also had some leftover roasted sweet potatoes that had a bit of sausage in it. I sliced up the zucchini and reworked our original frittata recipe – here are the delicious results.

My Daughter and I- Sweet Potato and Zucchini Frittata 2

Frittata
2 T olive oil

1 1/2 zucchini, sliced

Approximately 2 cups of some sort of potatoes; if frozen, thaw a bit. If raw, cook in microwave a bit before.

10 to 12 eggs, beaten

1 1/2 cups cheese, grated. Use whatever kind you like. I had some Colby Jack and some Cotija cheese, which is a crumbly white cheese, made from cow’s milk. It originates from Mexico and has a delicious salty flavor.

Salt & pepper to taste

 

Preheat oven to 375*
In oven proof skillet pour in about 2 T olive oil, sauté sliced zucchini until softened a bit. Add potatoes and heat through. Now it’s time for the eggs and cheese. Crack your eggs into a bowl, using a fork, beat until frothy. Add in the cheese of your choice and mix again. Set aside for a minute. Using a spatula spread veggies out evenly on bottom of pan and now pour in the eggs and cheese. Do not stir. Turn heat up to about medium high and let cook for about a minute, you want the bottom to get a little brown. Now pop the entire pan into the preheated oven and cook for 10-15 minutes. The eggs will puff up a bit. Cook until no longer jiggly, but watch that they don’t get too brown on top. Remove from oven and let sit for a minute or two and then slice into wedges. We served ours with salad and fruit.

CindyÂ