Apologies

Hey guys. I know I haven't been posting much for a while, but I got lazy. I haven't cooked in a while and was preoccupied; but now I'm back, cooking and posting the results again! 

A little while ago, I posted saying that I needed to find some of my pictures again as done went missing (I think). Well I found another part where I kept back ups, but when I tried to fix it on here, it didn't work properly for me. Knowing this made me lazy to post as well. I apologise for that... HOWEVER

If you would like to see the pictures though, I have posted a link to see them on another site. You can see the picture, then click on it to make it big. Then click on the picture again and it will bring you straight here to recipe. 

I'm back. Enjoy :)

http://pin.it/V2RDLPA

Moo goo gai pan

Honestly, the only reason I wanted to cook this was because of the name. I'm glad I did though, because wow it's delicious.

- 1 tablespoon oil

- 1/4 kg diced chicken

- 2 cloves garlic 

- 1 1/2 cups mushrooms, sliced

- 1 1/2 cups snow peas, sliced

- 1/4 cup water chestnuts 

- 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water

Marinade:

- 1 tablespoon soy sauce

- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar

- 1 teaspoon cornstarch

Sauce:

- 1/2 cup chicken stock

- 1 tablespoon soy sauce

- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar

- 1/2 teaspoon sugar

- 1 teaspoon sesame oil

1. Put all marinade ingredients into a bowl and marinate chicken for 10 minutes.

2. In a pan, heat the oil and cook chicken. Transfer to a bowl.

3. In the same pan, cook the garlic, mushrooms and snow peas for 5 minutes. Add the chestnuts and cook for another 2 minutes. 

4. Add the sauce ingredients, cornstarch and water mixture, chicken, and stir until the sauce thickens. 

Chicken and mushroom casserole

I was a little disappointed with this dish. I was expecting it to be nice and creamy and flavoursome. Instead, it was funny and tasted like it was missing something. On the upside, the chicken wasn't dry.

- 4 chicken breasts, sliced 

- salt and pepper

- flour to coat

- 6 tablespoons oil, divided

- 500g mushrooms, sliced thick

- 1 medium onion, diced

- 3 cloves garlic 

Sauce:

- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

- 3 tablespoons flour

- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth

- 1 tablespoon lemon juice

- 1 cup half and half (or 1/2 cup each of milk and cream)

1. Season both sides of the chicken and dodge in flour. Heat 3 tablespoons oils and brown the chicken. Transfer to a 13x9 baking dish. 

2. Wipe down the pan with paper towel and add the rest of the oil. Salute the mushrooms and onion until soft. Add the garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Spread over the chicken. 

3. To make the sauce, melt the butter and whisk in the flour and cook until golden. (1-2 minutes).

4. Add the broth, lemon juice, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and whisk until smooth. Add the half and half. Season to taste. 

5. Pour into the baking dish, cover with foil, and cook for 45 minutes at 180 degrees celcius. 

Chicken Parmesan pasta

I never thought about cooking chicken in salad dressing. I must say it's quite delicious!

- 1 tablespoon Italian dressing (not the creamy kind)

- 1 chicken breast, diced small

- 225g uncooked pasta

- 340g of your favourite pasta sauce

- 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese

- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

- salt and pepper to taste 

1. Cook the chicken in the dressing until it is brown.

2. Add the pasta and sauce (here I added some water to cover the pasta because I thought you need some liquid). 

Bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer. Cover for 15 minutes until pasta is tender. 

3. Cover with the Parmesan and then the mozzarella. Cook for another 2-3 minutes until the cheese has melted. 

Mongolian beef

Talk about an explosion of flavour in your mouth! The recipe asks for 1 cup of light Soy sauce. Make sure you use light, as the light is less salty.

- vegetable oil

- 1 teaspoon ginger

- 2 tablespoons garlic

- 1 cup light soy sauce 

- 1 cup water

- 4/3 cup brown sugar

- 1 kg steak, sliced

- 1/2 cup cornflour

- 6 shallots, green part only

1. Heat the vegetable oil and add the garlic and ginger. Cook for 2 minutes. Add the Soy sauce and water. 

2. Stir in the sugar and bring to the boil for 3 minutes. Remove and set aside.

3. Coat the meat in the cornflour, shake off the excess, and let sit for 10 minutes. 

4. Sauté the meat for 2 minutes.

5. Add the ginger and garlic sauce from step 1 and add the shallots. 

Sweet and sour meatballs

This recipe didn't ask for any salt, and as you use a packet of French onion soup (which is normally quite salty), I didn't. However, test your meatballs. You might need some salt. I did. 

- 1 kg mince

- 1 packet French onion soup

- 425g can pineapple pieces, drained, juice reserved

- 1 small capsicum, chopped

- 1 carrot, chopped

- 1/2 cup peas

- 1 Apple, peeled and sliced thin

- 1 teaspoon mustard powder

- 1 tablespoon cornflour 

- 1 tablespoon vinegar

1. Mix the mince and soup mixture together. Roll into small balls and fry until brown. Remove to a casserole dish. 

2. To the same pan, add the pineapple, capsicum, carrot, peas, and apple. Pour over the pineapple juice (which is made up to 1 1/2 cups with water). Cook for a few minutes until tender.

3. Mix the mustard and cornflour into a thin paste with the vinegar. Stir through mixture. 

4. Add to the meatballs and heat through at 180 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes. 

Busy day casserole

If you're short of time but still want a delicious meal, then this is the one for you. I started by putting my pasta on to cook while I prepared the rest of the recipe, and the whole meal took me no more than 20 minutes.

- 250g mince

- 125g bacon

- 1/2 onion

- 250g pasta

- 210g can creamed corn

- 1/4 cup grated tasty cheese

- salt and pepper

- 210g can tomato soup

- 1/2 tablespoon curry powder

1. Prepare the pasta according to the packet. 

2. Brown the mince, onion, and bacon together 

3. Mix the rest of the ingredients together in a jug.

4. Add the cooked pasta to the mince mixture and add the sauce mixture from the jug.