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Saturday, January 16, 2010

Melissa's Chicken & Shrimp Stir Fry

Oh my goodness, oh my goodness, I am so stinking proud of myself!! I cooked dinner tonight. WITHOUT a recipe! Now. I know this doesn't seem like a big deal, but it IS a big deal for me. You see, i always HAVE TO HAVE the recipe. I freak out if mom says "oh you just thrown in a little of this & a little of that" - I'm like, "No, mom, i need measurements. You know, just give me an IDEA of how much!" And everytime I cook something (even with the recipe) if it's something i've never cooked before, i'm like "ohhhhh this isn't looking right, what if it's not good?!" & my husband is always, "Baby. I am NOT worried. You haven't made anything bad YET." (He is serious but trust me - not all dishes have turned out perfect!) And usually, it does turn out better than i thought - i judge it when it's not even done yet!

I've only been cooking since we got engaged & i get better & better & more confident, but honestly, i thought i'd be much older when i finally could just do dinner with no recipe.

Mind you, I've gotten the hang of ones that i've done over & over, i just meant when i'm cooking it for the first (or second) time.

So yeah. Today i wanted to cook dinner for Brad for our "At-Home Date" & I had no idea what to cook. I knew it had to involve chicken because i had some in the fridge that would go bad if i didn't go ahead & use it. But i didn't know what else. I kept looking online for something involving chicken & rice so i wouldn't have to get out in the horribly rainy mess to go to the store. I couldn't decide what to cook. Finally, i asked Brad what he was in the mood for. Many times this is a mistake because he will either say something that i have NO CLUE how to cook or something that i really really don't WANT to cook! HA! Well, today he said, "Do you know how to make stir fry?" & i was like, "no..." & i was thinking, "& i don't want to cook that either". I really didn't think i would. But then i started looking at all these stir fry recipes & i was like, "hmmmm that does sound good".

SO i took a nap. And then i woke up. And then - i went to the store (couldn't get out of that one!)

BUT i'm so glad i did! I mean - i didn't follow any of the recipes i found because they were all different, so i kinda made up my own version. Bear with this recipe because i'm afraid i am guessing on ALL of the amounts. This would be the very first time that i did not use a single measuring cup! CRAZY!

I consider it a milestone.

This was most likely the best dinner i have made yet. I know stir fry is easy, okay??? HAHA. But still. I'm proud of me! Granted, i did call mom after i'd started cooking the meat because i did have a mini-freakout of "ohhhhhh i have no idea what i'm doing!!!!" but all mom did was confirm that i had the right idea. =) (Thanks, mom!)

SO here we go. I hope you will try it.


MELISSA'S Chicken & Shrimp Stir Fry

A splash of EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
1 bag frozen peeled & deveined small shrimp
1 pound chicken breast tenderloins
1 cup frozen broccoli florets
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/2 purple onion, chopped (in big pieces)
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 small can water chestnuts, drained
1 small can baby corns, drained
white wine
soy sauce
sesame seed oil
6 cups cooked rice (i use Zataran's)

1. Cook shrimp & chopped chicken in olive oil in a large skillet (or wok if you have one - i didn't have one) on medium high heat. When it is finished, set aside.

2. Cook rice according to package directions.

3. While the rice is cooking, put the broccoli, onion, red bell pepper, baby corn, carrots, & water chestnuts in the large skillet that you used for the chicken & shrimp. Pour in more EVOO if needed. Cook until veggies until crisp-tender, about 15 minutes.

4. Put chicken/shrimp combination back in with the veggies (i actually transferred mine to a dutch oven because my pour skillet wasn't big enough to hold it all - i think i shall invest in a wok!) Pour in about 1/4 cup of white wine & toss. Then pour in soy sauce as needed. I just splashed it in & tossed with the chicken, shrimp & veggies. If i had to guess a measurement, i would say maybe 3/4 cup. (I think i'm finally understanding why mom has a hard time giving me an exact measurement!! It's just until it tastes right!) Then add sesame seed oil...about 2 tablespoons. Toss all to combine.

5. Serve over rice.

It is so good, i promise! AND good for you!



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