Secret Recipe Club: Creamy Brown Rice, Mushroom, Chicken, and Spinach Bake

It's time for Secret Recipe Club! This month I had Jessie, from Jessie Weaver: The Vanderbilt Wife. She is a stay at home mum to 3 kids in Chattanooga and she also works as a freelance writer. She says that she is an awful housewife but her blog is full of useful information and delicious recipes.

I decided to make her Creamy Brown Rice, Mushroom, Chicken, and Spinach Bake. I made a few tweaks adding in asparagus as it's in season and using mozzarella instead of parmesan. The dish was delicious and I have never cooked rice this way before, so it was new and fun experience for me and it came out perfectly. Yum!

Creamy Brown Rice, Mushroom, Chicken, and Spinach Bake (from Jessie Weaver)

(Serves 4-6)

830ml chicken stock, divided 

280g uncooked brown rice 

450g chicken, cooked and shredded or cubed 

1 tbsp butter 

1 onion, diced 

450g chestnut mushrooms, sliced 

4-5 stems fresh thyme, leaves stripped 

salt and pepper 

100g spinach leaves 

2 tbsp cornflour

250ml cream or creme fraiche

1 ball mozzarella, sliced 

Preheat the oven to 180C. 

Spread the uncooked rice in the bottom of a 23 x 33 cm pan. 

Bring 580ml of stock to a boil in the microwave or on the stovetop; pour over the rice. Cover the dish tightly with a double layer of foil. Bake for 30 mins. 

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large frying pan. Add the onion and cook for five mins, until soft. Add the mushrooms and cook a few more mins, until golden brown. Then add the salt, pepper, and thyme leaves and stir to combine. Add the spinach leaves to the mushroom mix and cook until they are wilted. Pour in the remaining 250ml of stock and add the chicken to the frying pan and simmer for a few mins. 

In a small bowl, mix together the cornflour and 1 tbsp of cream. Add the remaining cream to the frying pan, stirring well, then add in the cornflour slurry. Bring to a low boil and let it cook for a few mins until the sauce is thickened. 

Pour the mushroom mixture evenly over the rice and lay over the mozzarella. Recover with the foil and cook for another 30 mins, until the rice has absorbed the liquid. Remove the foil for the last 10 mins of cooking time to allow the cheese to go golden. Serve.

 

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Secret Recipe Club: Prawn Mac and Cheese

This month for Secret Recipe Club I had Emily from Life On Food, there isn't a lot of information about her on her blog but I could guess she has a sweet tooth! I went for one of her savoury recipes though; Prawn Mac and Cheese. I love mac and cheese but had never though of adding prawns to the mix.

I changed the recipe a little, adding in kale as it needed using before I went on holiday. I also used up all the little bits of cheese in my fridge, but I have put the cheeses from the original recipe below. This was absolutely delicious and the prawns are a fantastic addition.

Prawn Mac and Cheese (from Life On Food)
(Serves 4)

250g dried pasta shapes
bunch kale, sliced
250ml milk
2 tbsp butter, divided
4 tbsp plain flour
170g Gruyere cheese, grated
110g cheddar, grated
salt and pepper
200g cooked prawns, halved
45g Italian breadcrumbs

Preheat the oven to 180C.

Bring some water to the boil in a large saucepan. Add the pasta and cook according to the packet instructions, adding the kale for the last 2-3 mins of cooking time. Drain well.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small saucepan and add the flour. Cook, stirring, over low heat for 2 mins. Gradually add the milk a little at a time, stirring in between each addition until thickened and smooth.

Remove from heat and add the Gruyere, cheddar, salt and pepper. Add the cooked pasta, and prawns and stir well to coat everything. Pour the mixture into an ovenproof dish.

Sprinkle the breadcrumbs on the top of the mac and cheese and bake for 30-35 mins until golden on top and the pasta is bubbling.

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Secret Recipe Club: Chocolate Chess Pie

So I have started a new thing, Secret Recipe Club, well I haven't started it, but I have started participating in it! Basically, each month, I get assigned another members blog to make a recipe from and write a blog post all about it and someone will do the same to me, it's all secret though, so I don't find out who made what from my blog until today. It is a fab way to find out about new blogs and see what everyone is doing out there! 

This month I got Nicole from I am a Honey Bee, I loved her blog and the fact that she, like me, hates being called Nicky! She also has a great variety of recipe on her blog and lots of cakes and puddings. I had to make a pie, I hummed and hawed over which one to make and finally plumped for a Chocolate Chess Pie, something I have heard of lots of times but never tried before, so I had no idea how it was going to turn out! I took it to a dinner party at my sisters last weekend and it went down a treat. Everyone loved it and I totally recommend the addition of the coffee as I think it cut through the sweetness beautifully.

I made one change, I made a graham cracker crust rather than a pastry crust. I have so many graham crackers sat on the side in my kitchen that I really had to use them in something! Obviously if you're in the UK and want to make this, make the pastry crust as you can't get graham crackers ANYWHERE here!

Chocolate Chess Pie (adapted from I Am A Honey Bee)
(Serves 8)

For the crust
1 sleeve graham crackers
113g butter, melted
1 tbsp sugar

For the filling
250g granulated sugar
30g cocoa powder
1/4 tsp espresso powder or 1/2 tsp instant coffee powder
4 tbsp butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs, lightly beaten

Preheat your oven to 180C.

To make the crust, put the graham crackers in a plastic bag and smash them with a rolling pin until they are fine crumbs. Add the sugar and melted butter and mix until well combined. Push into a 23 cm pie pan to form a thin crust on the bottom and sides. Bake for 8 mins, remove from oven, and chill until firm and crunchy, about an hour.

In a large bowl, whisk together the cocoa, sugar, and espresso powder. Pour the butter into the cocoa mixture and beat until all combined. Then add the vanilla extract and eggs.  Mix for 2-3 mins. Pour the mixture into the pie crust and bake for 35-40 mins until the pie is set on top but still soft in the middle. Allow to cool for at least an hour before slicing. The pie will continue to set as it cools.

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