Red Curry (Thai-style) with Chicken

This is the red curry recipe I use. It really smells up your house, so be sure to ventilate well or at least not cook it unless you're willing to have your home occupants smell it for a few days.

2 Tbsp peanut oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 tsp red curry paste (or powder & water)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup coconut cream or milk
1 cup chicken stock
2 Tbsp fish sauce
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 zucchini, thinly sliced
1 red pepper, julienned
12 oz chicken breast, cut into small pieces
2 Tbsp lemon juice
4 basil leaves, finely sliced

In a large pan with lid, cook onion in oil for 5 minutes. Add red curry paste and garlic, and stir fry for a minute. Add coconut milk, chicken stock, fish sauce, brown sugar, and salt, and bring to a boil. Add zucchini and red pepper. Cover with lid and simmer on medium heat for 12 minutes. Add chicken and cook for 8 minutes. Add lemon juice and basil leaves and stir in.

Serve over rice.

Pork with Apple-Curry Sauce

My dad uses this sauce on occasion for pork.

Cubed pork (or use as a sauce to top slices of pork roast)
1 cup milk
2 tsp yellow curry powder
2 Tbsp butter or margarine
2 cups chopped apples (2 medium apples or 1 large apple)
1/3 cup finely-chopped onion
2 Tbsp flour

In a saucepan, cook and stir curry powder in butter for 1 minute. Stir in apples and onion. Cook, covered until apples and onion are tender. Stir in flour. Add milk all at once. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 1 to 2 minutes more. Add salt and pepper, if desired. Spoon sauce over slice of roast or add cubed pork until heated. If the sauce gets too thick, warm some apple sauce and add it to the sauce for thinning.

Serve over rice or noodles.

Apricot Ginger Chicken

This recipe is one that my sister Banana used to make. I think it's tasty!

3 chicken breasts, cubed
1 medium onion, sliced into large wedge pieces
2 garlic cloves, diced
2 14 oz cans apricots
1/2 to 1 tsp ginger powder or fresh ginger
Salt, to taste
Cooking oil

Drain and rinse apricots. Combine with ginger and salt in blender. Puree until sauce is smooth, adding water to desired consistency. Take deep frying pan with lid and coat the bottom with oil. Add onions & cook on medium until starting to brown. Add chicken and garlic. Stir fry until chicken is cooked on the outside. Pour apricot sauce over the chicken. Cover and simmer for about five minutes or until chicken is fully cooked. Serve over rice.

Sweet & Sour Pork or Chicken

This is my dad's recipe for the Sweet and Sour Pork or Chicken that he used to make.

Cubed Pork or Chicken (leftover from Sunday dinner was common)
Onion, chopped into large pieces
Carrots, cut into large pieces
Peppers (green or red), cut into large pieces
Canned Pineapple

Sauce:

1 cup pineapple juice (add water, to get to 1 cup if necessary)
1 Tbsp cornstarch
3 Tbsp brown sugar (you can use white if you don't have brown)
3 Tbsp vinegar
1 tsp chicken granules (or chicken bouillon)
1 tsp soy sauce
Optional: Add garlic powder or minced fresh garlic

If uncooked, fry chicken or pork for 2 minutes. Add vegetables and fry about 4 minutes to soften. In a pint jar, shake up sauce ingredients. Add sauce to pan and stir while thickening. Add the pineapple and cook until warm. Serve over rice.

Stroganoff

When my mom and dad were first dating, Dad when to Mom's apartment, and she whipped this up really quickly. He was impressed how quickly she could make this meal.

Hamburger

1/2 - 1 Onion, diced

1 big spoonful of sour cream

Cream of mushroom soup

Can of mushrooms

Brown hamburger with diced onion in a pan. Drain any excess grease. Add a big spoonful of sour cream, a can of cream of mushroom soup, and a small can of mushrooms. Mix and heat until fully warmed and bubbling. Add any additional seasonings to taste.

Serve over noodles or rice.

Haystack Dinner

This was always one of my favorite dinners!

8 chicken breasts or 1 whole chicken

Boil until done (save broth for gravy), and cut into small pieces.Place chicken in a baking dish & cover with 1 - 2 cans of cream of chicken soup, thinned a little with water. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes. Serve over rice.

Gravy:

Add enough water to chicken broth for 3 cups. Mix 1/2 cup cold water with 1/4 cup flour and 1/2 tsp curry. Cook in chicken broth until the gravy thickens.

Top with your favorite toppings, such as:

Chopped tomatoes
Chopped celery
Sliced green onion
Grated cheese
Pineapple bits
Mandarin oranges
Slivered almonds
Coconut
Chow mein noodles

Green Rice

I got this from a woman named Becky on my mission. It reminded me of home, even though I had never had it before. It's a great side, especially if you add more cheese to it!

2 cups rice
1 can cream of chicken (or whatever cream of soup you like)
Steamed broccoli (1 or 2 crowns of broccoli)
1/2 - 1 cup shredded cheese

Steam rice. Mix with cream of soup. Put in casserole dish. Cut up steamed broccoli into really small, pieces. Mix in with the rice and soup and a half a cup of cheese, if desired. Sprinkle half a cup of cheese on top and place in oven to melt cheese and warm casserole (about 5 minutes at 350 degrees).

Egg Foo Yung

This is a recipe my dad used to use. It is typically served with steamed rice.

1 1/2 cups finely chopped/shredded veggies (cabbage or zucchini usually)
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
3 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
Oil for frying

Optional: Add shrimp or other cooked meat.

Fry vegetables in about a tablespoon of oil. Remove from pan and cool. Make the sauce (see below) while cooling,

Mix fried vegetables with the eggs, salt and pepper. Fry in about 1/4 cup quantities in oil, about the shape of a pancake. Flip and cook until thoroughly cooked through. Serve on steamed rice and topped with sauce.

Sauce:

1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp beef boullion
1 tsp sugar
1 cup cold water
1 Tbsp soy sauce

Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Continue cooking and stirring for an additional minute to two minutes. Serve sauce on egg foo yung and steamed rice.

Cashew Chicken

This is Dad's classic recipe for cashew chicken. Obviously the recipe was given to me with measurements and quantities being estimated or "however much," so you will want to do what works best for your taste. I've tweaked the recipe according to my taste.

About 4 servings

1 large chicken breast, cut in small pieces
1/2 onion, diced into large pieces
Chopped vegetables, such as green pepper, celery, zucchini, or baby corn
1 tsp garlic (optional)
1 Tbsp peanut oil (or more)
1/2 cup cashews (a handful)

Sauce:

2 Tbsp cornstarch
2 tsp chicken boullion
2 tsp or more chopped or grated fresh ginger
2 tsp soy sauce or slightly less
2 c water

To mix sauce, add all ingredients in a pint mason jar and shake to mix.

Stir fry chicken in peanut oil for 2 minutes. Remove from pan. Stir fry vegetables in oil for 2 minutes. Add chicken back and a handful of cashews. Stir fry in oil for 2 more minutes. Add sauce and heat until cornstarch has made the desired consistency. Serve on rice.

Chicken Broccoli Casserole

This is the recipe for chicken broccoli casserole that we always ate as children, teens, adults, and basically all the time.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1 whole chicken
2 pkgs frozen broccoli crowns
1 c mayonnaise
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp curry
1/2 c real margarine, melted
1/2 c shredded cheese
1/2 c bread crumbs

Boil chicken and broccoli. In a 8 x 8 baking dish, layer shredded cooked chicken and broccoli. Combine mayonnaise, lemon juice, curry, and margarine to make the sauce and pour over broccoli and chicken. Top with cheese and bread crumbs. Cook at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Serve with rice cooked in the chicken and/or broccoli broth.