Cashew Chicken & Fried Rice

Last night, we had the missionaries over for dinner. Click here to read about who they are & what they do! 

Elder Gainor (sitting next to Ada) was transferred to a different area today, we are sad to be losing him! 

Whoever gets him next is lucky. He's a sweet, humble guy.

 I made cashew chicken & fried rice, using recipes from Mrs. Davis at Lakeview Jr. High. I miss working at Lakeview, the staff is wonderful! I would be going to make copies for the resource kiddos, and Mary would be in there making copies of the recipes for her Home Ec. kiddos. I'd always ask what they were making and she'd give me a copy. At the end of the year, she had a cookbook put together with my name on the front! So sweet. It was a fun year swapping recipes with her. On to the recipes!

Apologies for another half-eaten meal...I had to get a quick picture before it was all gone! These say 8-10 servings, but with three hungry guys we had one serving left. Matt ate it for lunch today :)

Cashew Chicken

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 lb. peapods
1/2 lb. mushrooms (I omit these, not a fan of the texture)
4 green onions
1/2 lb. bean sprouts
1 c. celery
1/2 lb. water chestnuts
1 c. chicken broth
1/4 c. soy sauce
2 T. corn starch
1/2 t. sugar
1/2 t. salt
1 c. cashews

1. Wash chicken thoroughly. Cut chicken into bite-size pieces.
2. Wash and slice veggies into bite-size pieces.
3. In a small mixing bowl, combine corn starch, soy sauce, sugar & salt.
4. In a large skillet, add a small amount of cooking oil and heat until hot.
5. Add chicken to skillet and cook over medium heat until completely cooked through.
6. Add peapods, celery, mushrooms, water chestnuts, and broth.
7. Cover mixture and cook for two minutes.
8. Add bean sprouts, onions, and cashews.
9. Simmer for one minute and add soy sauce mixture, stirring constantly until thickened.
10. Serve immediately over hot rice.

Fried Rice

1 1/2 c. long grain white rice
1 lb. bacon
2 eggs
1 bunch green onions
1 T. soy sauce

1. Cook white rice according to package directions and set aside. (I throw mine in the rice cooker and make the chicken, then start this recipe, and the rice is done just in time to add it at the end)
2. Cut bacon into quarters before cooking.
3. In a large skillet, fry bacon until crisp. Remove from skillet and pat off grease. Set aside.
4. Drain grease, but do not clean pan.
5. Scramble the eggs in the remaining bacon grease and season with salt and pepper.
6. Chop green onions and cook with eggs until tender.
7. Return rice and bacon to skillet with eggs and onions.
8. Add soy sauce a small amount at a time until the right taste is reached. (This is fun because you get to keep eating the fried rice!)

Serve & enjoy! Your neighbors will be jealous, this meal smells soooo good :)