You'll be pleased to know that I am almost fully recovered from the slug incident. I even cooked with cabbage - a different, shrink-wrapped head - the very next day.
Cheesy Chicken, Broccoli, and Rice
I am certain that somewhere out there a thousand recipes just like this exist. However, this is what I did.
Mix about a cup and a half of rice with a can each of cheddar cheese soup and chicken and mushroom soup. Add in enough chicken broth to slightly thin out the soups. Chop a quarter of an onion and mix into the casserole. Next add broccoli florets, fresh or frozen - I used fresh, as desired. Sprinkle in salt, pepper, and any other spices you can think of that would go well in this. Mix everything together well, and top with strips of chicken, sprinkling bread crumbs when everything is in place. Place in a preheated oven until chicken is cooked through. I think I baked mine at 400 for 30-45 minutes, but we all know how my oven is. About 10 minutes before it's done add shredded cheddar cheese over the top and return to the oven to finish cooking.
Original? Probably not. Tasty? You bet.
Pork Lo Mein with Mushrooms and Cabbage
This is a recipe I found in How to Cook Without a Book. Basically, in the book, it gives techniques more than actual recipes. For instance, it listed the basic ingredients in Lo Mein, ideas for different kinds (pork, mushroom, and cabbage), and a recipe for flavoring sauce, but the point is for the reader to be able to memorize the staples and then do what they want with it. Since this was my first time making Lo Mein, I stuck with what the book said. However, I did use wheat pasta. Between this and the Szechwan Chicken from February's Cookbook Challenge, I am really starting to think that wheat pasta goes really well in Asian dishes.
The basis for the Lo Mein was simple. Onions were stir-fried in EVOO, then the pork, then sliced mushrooms, then cabbage, then minced ginger and garlic were stirred in. Everything was removed to a plate, and the cooked noodles were added to the skillet with a little more EVOO. In went the flavoring sauce (more or less: half chicken broth, half soy sauce, a few teaspoons of rice wine vinegar - though I used regular, a tablespoon or so of sesame oil, red pepper flakes to your liking, and a teaspoon of sugar), and the noodles were stir-fried for a minute or so. Everything else was added back into the pan and cooked until everything was mixed and heated through.
This was good, but I think it could have used more flavor. I wasn't too impressed with the sauce, and I think next time I'll play around and see what I can add for an extra kick.
