More Recipes

I thought since I already posted a recipe, I'd add a couple more favorites to the collection. Many of my new favorite recipes come from Stick of Butter (loved the Cajun Chicken Pasta and the Gamelli with Yellow Squash!), but I have a few other favorites (don't worry, I'm not changing this into a cooking blog).

The first is a pie I made for a pie contest at Church. It won the "Emma Award" (a bottle of Mrs. Butterworth's spray painted gold).

Chocolate Dipped Strawberry Pie
1 9 inch pie crust, baked
1/3 cup chocolate chips
2 lbs fresh strawberries
1 cup white sugar
3 Tbsp cornstarch
1/2 cup water

Bake pie crust according to pie crust directions (I place a sheet of wax paper in the crust and weigh it down with about a cup of uncooked pinto beans or rice so the crust doesn't bubble up). Let cool. Melt chocolate chips in microwave (about 30 seconds at a time, stir, return to microwave and repeat process if not melted yet). Paint bottom and sides of baked pie crust with chocolate chips (I put a plastic bag on my hand and smeared the chocolate around). Set aside 1 full cup of berries. Arrange remaining strawberries in baked pie crust. Mash the reserved cup of berries and combine with sugar in medium saucepan. Place over medium heat and bring to boil, stirring frequently.
In small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and water. Gradually stir cornstarch mixture into boiling strawberry mixture. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Let cool for about 15 min. Pour mixture over berries in pie shell. Chill for several hours before serving. Top with whipped cream.

The next is a recipe from Lisa, who got it from Becky, who got it from Taste of Home magazine? Soo yummy. It calls for some ingredients I never use, but once you have them you can make the sauce over and over again. I'm making it in a few days, so I'll post a picture then.

Chicken Pepper Stir Fry
1 each: small green, red, and yellow pepper, sliced(I usually just do 1 medium red and green instead)
1 medium onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 Tbsp olive oil (divided)
2 chicken breasts, cut into strips
3/4 tsp Cajun seasoning
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp honey mustard
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

In large skillet, fry peppers, onion, and garlic in 2Tbsp of the oil. Remove from pan and keep warm. Stir fry chicken and Cajun seasoning in remaining oil until juices run clear. In small bowl, combine brown sugar, cornstarch, water, lemon juice, mustard, soy sauce, and Worcestershire sauce. Pour over chicken, return peppers and onions to pan, cook 1 min. Serve over rice. Makes 3-4 servings. (This picture I used tomatoes for color instead of red peppers-I was all out).