Fantastic Four

A huge thanks to everyone who responded to my shout out requesting your favorite recipes. I am so excited about cooking all of them! And because they are someone's recipes, I know that the food will be super delicious.

So this weekend's recipes were all provided by one of the readers of this blog. Woohoo!
I am completely blown away with the incredible meal Matet and I had. You should have seen our faces light up as we tasted these dishes, and then fought over every little piece of leftovers. It was a riot! Wow! All I can say is, you guys should really try all of these dishes. In all previous blog entries, I usually had 1-2 really great recipes, while others did not stand out that much. Well, this week all 4 are fantastic. I guess I shouldn't have expected anything less, since these recipes are picked by my readers!

OK, here are this week's dishes... Oh, and if you haven't sent in yours yet, it's never too late - just email me or post it as a message for me on Facebook.


Dish # 1 - Oriental Fried Rice

Serves 4 Time to Prepare 10 min Cooking Time 10 min

2 tbsp oil
1 tbsp chopped garlic
1 small onion, chopped
500 g ground chicken
2 pieces Chinese chorizo, minced
1 cup frozen mixed vegetables
1 tbsp chili-garlic sauce
3 tbsp soy sauce
4 tbsp hoisin sauce
6 cups cooked rice
salt pepper, sugar to taste
1 tsp sesame oil

Heat oil in wok. Saute garlic and onions. Add ground chicken and chorizo; stir fry until chicken is cooked. Add vegetables. Season with chili-garlic sauce, soy sauce, and hoisin sauce. Add the cooked rice and mix well. Season to taste. Drizzle with sesame oil.

My experience: I had to adjust a bit the amounts, as this says 6 cups of rice. That's a lot if you aren't expecting company.
Our verdict: Best fried rice ever!


Dish # 2 - Broccoli Cheese Soup

Serves 6 Time to Prepare 10 min Cooking Time 20 min

1 (10 ounce) package frozen broccoli
2 1/2 cups milk
2 1/2 cups cubed processed cheese
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup heavy cream
1 cube chicken bouillon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Place broccoli in a medium saucepan with just enough water to cover. Cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Set aside and do not drain water.
In a large saucepan, heat milk. Blend in the flour and cheese until smooth. Stir in the cream and bouillon cube. Add the broccoli and it's water to the mixture and season with salt and pepper. Heat soup to warm and serve immediately.

My experience: Probably one of the fastest and easiest soups to make.
Our verdict: Mmmmmm!


Dish # 3 - Chicken Satay with Cucumber Salad

Serves 4 Time to Prepare 15 min Cooking Time 20 min

1 tbsp chopped garlic
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup bottled satay sauce
2 tsp chili-garlic sauce
1 tbsp sugar
salt and pepper to taste
1 kilo skinless chicken breast fillet cut into cubes
oil for frying

For the cucumber salad:
2 cucumbers, diced
1/4 cup sesame oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
3 tablespoon minced red onion

Prepare the marinade by combining garlic, soy sauce, peanut butter, satay sauce and chili garlic sauce. Season with sugar, salt and pepper. Mix well.
Add chicken set aside to marinate for about 15 min. Combine all the ingredients for the salad. Pan-fry the chicken until done. Serve with the salad.

My experience: Matet and I love Thai food. Our restaurant dates in the first years of our marriage were always at a Thai restaurant. So I was both excited and a bit apprehensive about making a chicken satay dish. It would have to be a perfect recipe, since we consider ourselves as experts of sorts :) Well, to my great relief it was the best satay we have ever eaten.
Our verdict: No words to express how we feel about this dish! Thank you thank you thank you to the one who invented this recipe!


Dish # 4 - No Bake Double Good Dessert

Serves 18 Time to Prepare 10 min

10 chocolate sandwich cookies, crushed
1/2 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons peanut butter
1/2 (12 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

Press crushed cookies into the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan, reserving a few for decoration. In a medium bowl, beat together the cream cheese and confectioners' sugar. Stir in the peanut butter until well blended, then fold in the whipped topping. Spread over the crushed cookie base, sprinkle the remaining cookie chunks on top, and freeze for 1 to 2 hours. Thaw 10 to 15 minutes before cutting and serving.

My experience: I have never done any baking in my life, so I liked the thought of making my very first cake without any baking involved. That's a good way to transition into more complex aspects of cooking :)
Our verdict: Peanut butter rules! Awesome! Our kids loved eating this cake.