Chicken with Black Bean Sauce

So, I found this craptastic Chicken with Black Bean Sauce recipe on the Epicurious site (great site, crappy recipe!). It is from Bon Appétit magazine's December 1990 issue. And that is where it should have stayed.

I can't tell you how disappointed I was that this recipe did not taste good. So bland. And it combined some of my favorite ingredients! In fact, the only thing it was good for was helping me practice my onion chopping skills.


Mmmmm...onions.

You can find the black bean sauce necessary for this recipe in the oriental section of your supermarket. Not that I am suggesting you actually make this recipe.

Yield: Serves 4

Ingredients

2 tablespoons teriyaki sauce

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch strips

Pepper

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

2 tablespoons purchased oriental black bean sauce

Steamed rice

Directions:
Combine teriyaki sauce and garlic in medium bowl. Add chicken and season generously with pepper. Refrigerate 30 minutes.

Heat oil in wok or heavy large skillet over high heat. Add bell pepper and onion and cook until onion is almost tender, stirring constantly, about 4 minutes. Add chicken with marinade and black bean sauce. Stir until chicken is cooked through, about 4 minutes. Serve over steamed rice.


It looks good, doesn't it? Don't be deceived!

Has anyone ever made a good Chicken with Black Bean Sauce? I'd love the recipe!

Overnight French Toast

I have made this Overnight French Toast a couple of times. The first time, I followed the recipe below exactly and it was amazing. The second time, I pretty much halved the recipe because it was for less people, and it was still amazing. So, the photos are for the halved-version of the recipe, but the ingredients and directions are for the full recipe.

Ingredients:

18 slices of regular bread (flavor of your choosing) OR 12 slices of Texas Toast-style (1" thick slice) bread (I used Kroger Texas Toast style bread)

1 cup of Sugar

1 Tablespoon of cinnamon

7 eggs

8 oz of cream cheese, softened

1 stick of butter, softened

2 cups of milk (I used skim)

Powdered sugar (optional)

Syrup (optional)



Directions:
Combine the sugar and cinnamon. Place six slices of bread on the bottom of an ungreased 9 x 13 baking dish. If doing three layers, sprinkle 1/3 cup of sugar/cinnamon mixture on bread, if doing two layers (with Texas Toast bread) sprinkle 1/2 cup of sugar/cinnamon mixture on bread layer. Repeat for next two (regular bread) or one (Texas Toast bread) layers.

Using a hand mixer, cream (blend or beat to the soft and smooth consistency of cream) softened cream cheese and softened butter together (please make sure they are both softened!). Beat in eggs and milk and pour over layered bread. Don't worry if you see chunks of cream cheese/butter in the dish. It will cook down smooth. Refrigerate overnight, covered.



The next morning...
Bake at 350° for 45 minutes and sprinkle with powdered sugar (optional), syrup or topping of your choice. Would work well with a jelly/jam/preserve topping.


We served it with eggs over easy and crispy bacon. And because the layers are already sectioned, this cuts and presents beautifully. You are going to LOVE this recipe!

* A special thank you to Kole for getting this recipe from her aunt!

Banana Spice Pie

Monday night we had girls' night at my friend Amy's house, so Sunday night I made Banana Spice Pie. While Key Lime Pie is my absolute favorite pie (at the moment), this Banana Spice Pie is a close second. Thank you to Kraft Foods for the recipe. They call it Banana Caramel Spice Pie, but I don't use the caramel, so it is just Banana Spice Pie.

It's super-duper easy, and with a few low-fat/fat-free modifications, it isn't THAT bad for you.

Prep Time: 10 min
Total Time: 4 hr 10 min
Makes: 8 servings

Ingredients:

1 large ripe banana, sliced (make sure the banana is fairly ripe, but not super mushy ripe)

1 6 oz. OREO Pie Crust

2 cups cold milk (I used skim milk, even though Cam says that is not real milk. The boy also likes pimento cheese, so what does he really know about food?)

2 pkg. (4-serving size each) JELL-O White Chocolate Flavor Instant Pudding & Pie Filling (Make sure the boxes are instant! White Chocolate JELL-O pudding mix is also available in fat-free, though I have a hard time just finding the regular version.)

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed (I used low-fat Kroger brand - it's cheaper and tastes the same. And try to use it thawed - it makes the pie much fluffier.)

1 cup caramel ice cream topping (optional - I don't use this, but I bet it tastes really good)



Directions:

Place banana slices on bottom of crust. Blend dry pudding mixes and cinnamon in a large bowl. Pour in cold milk and beat with a wire whisk 2 minutes (it feels like forever!) or until well blended. Gently stir in whipped topping. Spoon into crust. Refrigerate 4 hours or until set. Optionally, serve topped with caramel topping. Store leftover pie in refrigerator. Though I can almost promise you there will be no leftovers.


So delicious and creamy!

Chicken Parisienne

My friend, Amy, made chicken parisienne in a crock pot for me and some friends a couple of weeks ago, and it was so good I had to try and make it. This is an unbelievably easy and tasty slow cooker recipe.

Ingredients (Serves about 4)

1 1/2 lbs chicken breasts (mine was frozen)

1/2 tsp each of salt, pepper and paprika

1 can cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup (I used 98% fat free mushroom)

2 4oz cans of sliced mushrooms - do not drain (I used Giorgio Chunky Style Portabella)

1/2 cup dry white wine (I used Banrock Station 2006 Chardonnay)

1 cup sour cream (I used fat free)

Egg noodles or rice (I used No Yolks Dumplings)



Put all ingredients (yes, you really can use frozen chicken breast), except the sour cream, in the crock pot and turn on low. Cook 7.5 hours, add the sour cream, and then cook on low for another 1/2 hour. Keep warm until served. Begin cooking rice or egg noodles as directed on their package about 1/2 hour before serving food. Serve chicken parisienne over rice or egg noodles.


The chicken was so moist and tender. It just fell apart in the slow cooker. This had a wonderful flavor and it is a great comfort food good for cold evenings. I served this with a salad of mixed greens, broccolini and Asian Vinaigrette. Cam and I each had a glass of the Banrock Station 2006 Chardonnay. It was delicious and the perfect complement to the chicken parisienne.