chicken and rice with corn and sun-dried tomatoes

this was one of those meals that i'm sooo glad made a ton of leftovers. because i've been eating on this rice mix for the past two days now! when husband asked if i was making anything good for dinner, and i brought out the enameled dutch oven, he got excited-- and said that anything that comes from that pot is wonderful.

and it's true.

here's to another pinterest recipe!

martha stewart's chicken and rice with corn and sun-dried tomatoes:

• 1 whole chicken (3 to 4 pounds), cut into 10 pieces i used a mix of thighs, breasts, and legs. some with skin, some without


• Coarse salt and ground pepper


• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil


• 1 small yellow onion, diced medium


• 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped


• 1 small green bell pepper, diced medium my yellow and orange had to go first, so i used one and a half peppers, any color you want


• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest i didn't have, so i didn't use.


• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano


• added fresh rosemary, the chopped leaves from one sprig


• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper


• 1 1/2 cups long-grain white rice


• 3 cups frozen corn (from a 16-ounce bag)


• 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, cut into strips


• 2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth or water use the chicken broth. it's worth it.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with rack in lower third. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid, heat oil over high. Cook chicken, skin side down, until golden and crisp, 6 minutes. Flip chicken and cook until browned, 6 minutes. Transfer to a large plate.


2. Reduce heat to medium and add onion, garlic, and bell pepper to pot. Cook, stirring and scraping up browned bits with a wooden spoon, until onion is translucent, 4 minutes. Stir in lemon zest, oregano, cayenne, and rice and cook 1 minute.


3. Add corn, tomatoes, and broth and season with salt and pepper. Arrange chicken, skin side up, on top of rice mixture. Bring to a boil, cover pot, and place in oven. Bake until chicken is cooked through and liquid is absorbed, 25 to 30 minutes. Let sit 5 minutes before serving.

it makes a ton, so it's great for if you have guests over. or, if you're like me and make it just for you and one other person, then you get to eat it for lunch and dinner the next day! perfect-o!

the PW asian-inspired flank steak

here's to trying new meals and sticking to the menu plan! This is actually from LAST week, but it's worth the post. I followed the pioneer woman's flank steak recipe with asian-inspired marinade. here it is, but remember that i am not the best at measuring.

• 1/2 cup Soy Sauce
• 1/2 cup Cooking Sherry
• 3 Tablespoons Honey
• 2 Tablespoons Sesame Oil
• 2 Tablespoons (heaping) Minced Ginger
• 3 cloves (to 5 Cloves) Minced Garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
• 1 whole Flank Steak

put everything but the steak in a shallow dish and mix well. add the flank steak, turning a few times to cover completely. i marinated it for about 3 hours, flipping it over at 1.5 hours.



i wish i'd flattened it a little in the middle. i think my steak was very thick because i had to cook it longer than she suggested (3.5-4 minutes per side? more like 5-6 minutes per side). also since i don't have a grill or grill plate, i did it in a skillet. next time i'd use the electric griddle at least. i chose not to make her "controversial optional sauce" with it (boiling the strained, leftover marinade with some water until it thickens some) only because i forgot to and dumped it down the drain. not because i'm concerned about any contamination at all.



served with steamed green beans and white rice! yes, i'd have loved to have asparagus and brown rice. but we use what we have when we're budgeting.

menu plan, week of january 9

well, scroll down and look at last week. yeah. notice that there's no posts between here and there? it's because, well, life happens. and i forget about an event on tuesday. and one on thursday. and one on saturday. so the good news is that i froze most of the meats and have food for another week! so, there's a bunch of repeats this week. but i'm pretty sure i have the events planned for, and we'll have quick meals on those days. here goes:

monday: chicken and rice with corn and sun-dried tomatoes
tuesday: chris out. leftovers
wednesday: elder led. quick dinner. pita pizzas
thursday: two bean chili with butternut squash
friday: leftovers
saturday: home group. dinner at the bells.
sunday: black beans and kielbasa served over rice

menu plan. week of 1/2 to 1/8

happy new year, everyone.

here's the menu plan for this week. i hope to post some of these and how i edited the original recipe throughout the week. and of course, since it's january, everything will be a little healthier-- however i can make it. most of these recipes can be found over at my pinterest page, but i'll be making changes to them as i can to make them healthier.

monday: baked chicken topped with olives and roasted red peppers. served with salad
tuesday: crock pot roast beef
wednesday: grab something to go because of elder-led
thursday: black beans and sausage served over rice
friday: asian-inspired flank steak with veggies
saturday: chicken and rice with corn and sun-dried tomatoes
sunday: leftovers

see you soon!