Crazy Girl's Kitchen

Get ready:

• 3 Tsp canola oil
• Meat of a 3-lb rotisserie chicken, chopped
• 1 onion, diced
• 6 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
• 1 Tsp ground cumin
• 1 Tsp chili powder
• 2 14-oz cans of diced tomato
• 16 corn tortillas
• 3 Tsp canola oil
• 1 Tsp flour
• 3 Tsp chili powder
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 14-oz can of tomato sauce
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar
• 1 cup shredded Pepper Jack
• salt & pepper

Now let’s play:

Heat up oil in a large saute pan. Add onion, garlic, jalapeno, cumin and chili powder. Saute till onion is translucent. Add chicken and diced tomato. Cook through. Then set aside. In a sauce pan, heat up the other 3 Tsp of oil and whisk in flour till well combined. Add the next five ingredients and cook through. Microwave tortillas for 30 seconds while setting oven temperature to 350F.  Ladle some sauce into a large roasting pan to cover the bottom. Roll up a tortilla with about 4-6 Tsp of chicken mix and place it in the roasting pan. Repeat with the rest. Pour the rest of sauce over rolled-up tortillas and sprinkle cheese on the top. Transfer into the oven and cook till cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling. Cool for 15 minutes then serve (about 8 servings).

After-play thoughts:

I don’t recommend making too many ahead of time as tortillas can get mushy after sitting in the sauce too long even when refrigerated.

Get ready:

• 1.5lb ground beef
• 2 Tsp canola oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 Tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground cayenne
• 1 Tsp dried cilantro
• 1 14oz can tomato sauce
• 1 16oz can black beans, drained
• 40 tortilla chips
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 jalapeno pepper, thinly sliced
• salt and pepper

Now let’s play:

Heat up canola oil in a large saute pan. Season ground beef with salt and pepper. Brown and break apart the beef with a spatula till no longer red. Add onion and saute for another 3 minutes. Add chili powder, ground cumin, and ground cayenne. Saute for another 2 minutes. Add beans and tomato sauce. Cook for 3 minutes. Fold in dried cilantro leaves. Spread tortilla chips at the bottom of a large roasting pan. Spoon on half of cooked mixture on top of the chips evenly. Top off with cheese and scatter jalapeno slices over the cheese. Place the whole thing under a broiler (set on high) for about 3-5 minutes or until cheese melted. To serve, using a lasagna server to scoop out a small portion onto a plate. Then scoop out another small portion and lay it on top of the previous scooped out portion, so each serving has two layers. You can make another batch of nachos with the other half of cooked mix, or store it for later use (about 2-4 dinner servings).

After-play thoughts:

It’s a quite lean dish if you opt for 90% or above lean ground beef.

Get Ready:

• 1 lb Rotini Pasta, cooked
• 1.5 lb broccoli florets, cooked
• 2 Tsp granulated garlic
• 1 Tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp dried basil leaves
• 3/4 cup sliced black olives
• 5 Tsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper

Now let’s play:

Toss everything together.

After-play thougths:

I think Rotini is the best shape of pasta for this recipe, but you can substitute it with any other shape desired. Also, there are couple of ways to cook broccoli – saute, bake, blanch, steam, etc. The best and simplest way I find is to use a very large pot for cooking pasta, pour broccoli into the pot 3 minutes before the pasta is done, and then drain the whole thing.

Get ready:

• 2 Tsp olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 2 cooked chicken breasted, diced
• 2 medium zucchini, diced
• 2 cups black olives
• 2 14oz cans tomato sauce
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 lb spaghetti, cooked and drained (reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water)
• salt and pepper to taste
• grated Parmesan cheese if desired

Now let’s play:

Heat up olive oil in a large saute pan at medium high heat, and saute minced garlic with red pepper flakes for two minutes. Add zucchini, saute for 2 minutes. Add chicken stock, cover, and cook for 5 minutes. Add chicken, olive, tomato sauce, white wine, dried thyme, and dried basil. Stir together well, and cook for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Toss with drained pasta (if sauce seems dry, add reserved pasta water). Serve immediately (4-6 servings).

After-play thoughts:

If you use chicken breasts baked at home, chicken stock can be substitute with the juice from baking. Also, you can shred the chicken cubes to make it almost like some sort of chicken ragu sauce.

Get ready:

• 4 1-inch thick center-cut pork chops
• 2 Tsp olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 3 celery stalks, diced
• 2 yellow bell pepper, diced
• 2 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 cup red wine
• 2 cups beef broth
• salt & pepper

Now let’s play:

Season both sides of pork chops with salt and pepper. Heat up the oil in a large saute pan (12 inch recommended) at high heat. Sear the pork chops on both sides till golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side. Set the pork chops aside. Then heat down to medium. Saute diced onion with a pinch of salt for 2 minutes. Add minced garlic and saute for another 2 minutes. Add carrots and celery, and saute for 5 minutes. Add pepper, thyme, chili powder, and saute for 2 minutes. Add red wine. Scrap off the brown bites at the bottom of the pan, if any. Add back the pork chops. Add beef stock, and bring to boil. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Serve immediately over rice (4 servings).

After-play thoughts:
If you don’t have a skillet large enough, you can sear the pork chops in batch and rest them in a roast pan; saute the vegetables in red wine and pour over the pork chops; add beef broth till the pork chops mostly immersed; cover tightly and bake in 350F oven for 25 minutes.

Get ready:

• 6 pound coarsely ground beef chuck, seasoned with salt and pepper
• 5 Tsp olive oil
• 3 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 10 clove garlic, minced
• 2 large jalapeno pepper, halved, seeded chopped
• 4 Tsp chili powder
• 2 Tsp ground coriander
• 1 Tsp ground cumin
• 1 Tsp sweet paprika
• 1 Tsp dried oregano
• 1 Tsp dried thyme leaves
• 1 Tsp dried sage leaves
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 12 oz bottle dark beer
• 4 cups homemade chicken stock
• 3 (16 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 (15.5 ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 (15.5 ounce) cans dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15.5 ounce) cans light red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15.5 ounce) cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• salt and pepper to taste
• shredded cheddar for garnish

Now let’s play:

Heat up 2 Tsp olive oil in a 7-qt or larger dutch oven and brown half of the grounded beef for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside. Repeat with the rest of the meat. Add the remaining 1 Tsp olive oil and a pinch of salt. Saute onion for 5 minutes. Add garlic and jalapeno pepper. Saute for another 3 minutes. Stir in chili powder, ground coriander, ground cumin, sweet paprika, dried oregano, dried thyme leaves,  dried sage leaves, ground cinnamon, and sugar. Cook for 5 minutes. Add beer and chicken stock. Add back browned grounded beef. Stir to combine. Bring to boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Add tomatoes and beans. Simmer for another 15 minutes. Garnish with cheddar cheese and serve (about 8-10 servings).

After-play thoughts:

This receipt is perfect for friends gathering, cold day dinner, and brown-bagged lunch since it re-heats excellently.

Get ready:

• 2 Tsp butter
• 2 Tsp olive oil, plus extra for finishing
• 1 lb orzo
• 2 cloves diced garlic
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 1 (28oz) can diced tomato
• 2 diced English cucumber
• 1 cup sliced black olive
• 1 Tsp dried oregano
• 1 Tsp dried basil
• salt & pepper to taste

Now let’s play:

Turn the heat to medium high. Melt the butter with olive oil in a 5 qt sauce pan. Toast the orzo with garlic until slightly golden brown (stir frequently). Pour the chicken stock into the pan and bring to boil. Stir frequently until the orzo absorbs all the liquid. Drop the heat to medium low.  Stir in the diced tomato, diced cucumber, sliced black olive, dried oregano, and dried basil. Cook for about two minutes. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Drizzle some olive oil on the mix. Serve immediately (6-8 servings).

After-play thoughts:

Cucumber is not an traditional ingredient in pasta dishes, but it is incredibly delicious. Give a try; otherwise, substitute it with zucchini.