recipes Archives - Page 9 of 62 - Feathers in Our Nest

Fried Rice {Quick & Easy!}

December 31, 2014 by Aliesha

This post was originally published on Money Saving Mom back in August!

My family had a tradition of eating Chinese food on New Year’s Eve, and we have continued that in our family (most years) as well! Now I always associate New Year’s Eve with fried rice, General Tsao’s Chicken, and fried wontons! Totally craving some right now…

Restaurant-style fried rice is easy to make at home! This is a frugal recipe to serve for lunch (or alongside some homemade Asian food) and it is great for incorporating sale produce or using up veggies in your fridge that are about to go bad. This recipe is very flexible – just use what you have on hand and adapt it to your family’s taste preferences! We like to make it using leftover rice from another meal, but you can definitely cook rice specifically for this recipe.

Fried Rice {Quick & Easy!}

This recipe is quick and delicious, and a wonderful way to use up leftover veggies and rice!

Author: Aliesha @ Feathers in Our Nest

Recipe type: Main Dish

Cuisine: Asian

Ingredients

2 Tbsp. coconut oil
1 onion, diced
1-2 cups vegetables, cut in small pieces (such as carrots, broccoli, peas, mushrooms, etc.)
4 cups cooked rice (white or brown)
4 Tbsp. soy sauce (more or less to taste)
2 eggs
(optional) 1 cup leftover cooked chicken

Instructions

Heat coconut oil in a wok over medium-high heat.
Add diced onion and the veggies that take longer to cook (like carrots). Saute for a few minutes, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon.
Add in the other veggies and saute.
Add rice and stir thoroughly and quickly.
Pour some soy sauce in and stir. Add more soy sauce until desired flavor is achieved.
Using the wooden spoon, make a "hole" in the center of the fried rice, exposing the bottom of the wok. Crack in 2 eggs (depending on the amount of fried rice you're making) and stir quickly to scramble. Mix in scrambled eggs with the rest of the fried rice.
If desired, mix in leftover cooked chicken as well.
Taste, and add more soy sauce if desired!
Enjoy!

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Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Toffee

December 4, 2014 by Aliesha

Every time I make this candy recipe, I get requests for the recipe! It’s so addictive (so, either plan on giving it away or hiding it from yourself in the back of the fridge so you don’t eat it all). The bottom layer is crisp toffee, and the top is dark chocolate with a sprinkle of sea salt. It’s a match made in heaven.

After this is made, I store it in the fridge, so if you’re giving it to people for Christmas, make a note about that.

Best part: this recipe doesn’t require a candy thermometer… just “eye it”!

Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Toffee

This recipe for Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Toffee is originally from Bread and Wine. It is addictive and delicious, and also gluten-free and egg-free!

Author: Aliesha @ Feathers in Our Nest

Recipe type: Dessert

Ingredients

2 sticks butter
2 cups white sugar
1 cup dark chocolate chips
sea salt, for sprinkling

Instructions

Prepare a rimmed cookie sheet by covering it with a piece of parchment paper or a Silpat mat.
In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, melt together butter and sugar. Stir constantly. It will start to bubble, then the color will begin to change. Keep stirring. What you are looking for is a dark amber color (the color of toffee). Stir constantly so the bottom doesn't burn. It will thicken and darken in color by around 8-9 minutes, but let the color be your judge, not the time.
When the toffee is done, pour it onto the prepared pan and spread evenly. I have a big sheet, so I don't spread all the way to the edges. Do not lick the spoon at this point NO MATTER WHAT. Put the sheet in the fridge to cool.
In a double boiler (or a glass bowl securely set over top of a saucepan of water), melt 1 cup dark chocolate chips, stirring as they melt.
When toffee is cool to the touch, pour melted chocolate over the top and spread it to the edges of the toffee. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt, OR wait several minutes until chocolate is almost hardened, then sprinkle with regular sea salt.
Return cookie sheet to fridge to finish hardening. When completely hardened, break into pieces. Store in fridge.

Enjoy!

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Homemade Sausage

October 7, 2014 by Aliesha

Have you looked at the label of a roll of fresh breakfast sausage recently? One brand I checked had “sugar,” “corn syrup,” and “monosodium glutamate” on the ingredient list! We completely avoid MSG at our house, so making our own seasoned sausage is our best option!

This recipe is quick and easy to make, and you can easily make twice what you need and freeze the rest! We toss this into all kinds of dishes, and it really amps up the flavor. Sausage is a great way to add a ton of flavor without using a ton of meat!

Here are some ways we like to enjoy this sausage:
-as a pizza topping
-in an overnight egg bake or mixed into scrambled eggs
-in Zuppa Toscana
-in other soups
-as a topping for baked potatoes (so good!)
-in sausage gravy served over biscuits (special treat!)
-formed into patties (pre-cooking) and served with breakfast (see tip below)

This sausage is mild (good flavor, but not spicy) when made as written. If you want it to be spicier, just add more cayenne pepper!

Homemade Sausage (Printable recipe here.)
adapted from a recipe in Better than a Box

1 lb. ground pork
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. sage
1 tsp. ground fennel
1/2 tsp. whole fennel
1/2 tsp. black pepper
dash cayenne pepper

Combine all ingredients in a skillet and stir together well while browning the pork. Drain, then use as desired!

Tip: To make breakfast sausage patties, combine meat and seasonings in a bowl. Add 1/3 cup buttermilk and mix well. Form into small patties, then cook in a pan, turning once. (You can freeze these, too!)