Sweet and sour chicken

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Hello there! I haven't been around here much (well, at all) lately. I have not been cooking as much as I used to, and mostly old favorites when I do. That being said, I have tried several new great recipes, but didn't think to take a picture or keep a record of them, and now I'm kind of kicking myself!

One of my favorite things I made during the Christmas season was my Gram's homemade marshmallow recipe. I showed my students how to make them, too. One day, they made the marshmallows, then the next, they made homemade hot cocoa to go with their homemade marshmallows and we sat down with our cocoa and played a few games! It was a reward for finishing a huge restaurant business pitch project and they really enjoyed it. A lot of crazy flavors came out of that experiment!

We, like many other people, are trying to change a few things up with the new year. One of them is getting back to eating wholesome homecooked meals in the evenings. For a while, we were just in survival mode, which didn't include cooking. I finally feel like we're in enough of a routine that cooking will be easier to fit in the evenings now and that feels really good! As soon as I make that proclamation, everything will change. Babies are weird! Sweet, but weird!

This sweet and sour chicken fit the bill of something new to try (a different method than I've tried before) and something Norris would eat. Plus, it was really good! I thought the process was a little obnoxious with the stirring every fifteen minutes for an hour, but you really do have to do that to get the sauce baked on evenly.  I would agree with Stephanie that it's not a weeknight meal in my house...too long for that! Not difficult, just too long from start to finish. I'm thinking you could accomplish this with nearly the same results if you simmered the chicken in the sauce. Plus, it would be done faster. I'll definitely be making this again. Served with a little brown rice and some sauteed green beans and peppers, this hit the spot on a really cold winter night!

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Source: Stephanie Cooks

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup cornstarch
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup canola oil (or enough to cover bottom of pan)
¾ cup sugar
4 tablespoons ketchup
½ cup vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic salt

Preheat oven to 325 F. Heat oil in saute pan.
 Cut boneless chicken breasts into chunks. Season with salt and pepper. Dip chicken in cornstarch and then in egg. Shake off any excess, then fry in oil until lightly browned but not cooked through. Place in a single layer in a baking dish. Mix sugar, ketchup, vinegar, soy sauce, and garlic salt together and pour over chicken.
Bake for one hour at 325 degrees, uncovered, stirring chicken every fifteen minutes.

Stir-Fried Shrimp with Spicy Orange Sauce

If you have allergies or a cold, I suggest you make this soon. What a way to introduce a recipe....
The reason I suggest it is because it's a really good meal and has a great spice factor that will clear you right up. This is a Cooking Light recipe that you can change up however you like. Add in your favorite veggies, serve it over brown rice, rice noodles, however you like. I thought it was great with steamed broccoli...a little sauce on the broccoli was so good!

Stir-Fried Shrimp with Spicy Orange Sauce

adapted from Cooking Light

1 lb peeled and deveined shrimp
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 1/2 tsp Sriracha sauce
2 tbsp canola oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp minced peeled fresh ginger
baby corn
water chestnuts
snap peas
1 carrot, julienned

Pat shrimp dry and toss with cornstarch.
Whisk together orange juice, soy sauce, honey, vinegar, and Sriracha.
Heat oil over medium high heat. Add ginger and garlic and stir fry for fifteen seconds. Add shrimp and stir fry another three minutes. Add veggies and juice mixture and cook another two minutes or until sauce thickens, shrimp is done, and veggies are crisp-tender.
Serve over rice, noodles, or more veggies.

Spicy Garlic Sauce

This sauce is so good and so easy! The whole dinner I put together with it took right around 20 minutes from start to finish, which is obviously awesome.
The first time I made this sauce, we dipped blanced green beans in it and I loved it as a dipping sauce for green beans. The next time, we dipped shrimp in it and I think it is a nice spin on cocktail sauce that you could provide as an option or as an appetizer for an Asian inspried meal. This time, I served it over shrimp, broccoli, and whole wheat couscous and it was great as a meal! It is a little spicy, so tone it down if you don't care too much for spice. You can always add spice later but it's pretty difficult to tone down the spice after the fact!

Spicy Garlic Sauce

3 tbsp soy sauce (low sodium preferred)
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tsp sugar
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp fresh grated ginger (I forgot this one time and it was still great)
1 tbsp oil (sesame, vegetable, olive)
2 tsp chili sauce (Rooster sauce!)
2 tsp cornstarch, dissolved in 4 tsp cold water (I dissolved it in about 3 Tbsp instead)

Combine everything but the cornstarch slurry in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer for two minutes. Stir in the slurry, then return to simmer until it's thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

from Stephanie Cooks and Can You Stay for Dinner

Asian Chicken Pizza

For a while, I was making a homemade pizza every week, but I haven't done that in about a month, so figured it was time while I had the time! There is now some pizza dough in the freezer for next week, too!

I didn't tell Norris about this one before I made it because one time I mentioned barbecue chicken pizza and he didn't like the sounds of it. This one sounded too good to pass up so I just made it and of course he really liked it!

Prevention RD described the pizza well--tangy and unique but AWESOME! We both really enjoyed this.

I only made one large pizza instead of the two twelve inchers the recipe calls for, so I would suggest making 2/3 of the sauce recipe rather than all of it. Also, let the sauce cool a bit before pouring it onto your crust, especially if it is super thin like mine was. I don't know why, but when I poured the sauce on, it cut a hole in my crust and I had to do some patchwork. Loved the pizza still, so I imagine if I follow all the things I just wrote, I will love it even more next time!

Asian Chicken Pizzza

from Prevention RD and Stephanie Cooks

1 pizza crust

12 oz chicken breast, chopped into small pieces (I used about 8 oz)

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce

2 1/2 Tbsp honey

3/4 cup apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar (I used white wine vinegar and it turned out great)

1 tsp olive oil

2 cups mozzarella cheese

sesame seeds for topping

1/4 cup sliced green onions or chives, for topping

Preheat oven to 450 F.

Combine red pepper flakes, soy sauce, honey, and vinegar in a small bowl--stir well to combine.

Cook chicken in small skillet, then remove from skillet. Pour sauce mixture in skillet and cook over medium heat for about twenty minutes, or until thick and syrupy. Put chicken back in skillet and cook over low heat for about five minutes. Remove chicken from sauce.

Form your pizza dough into the crust while the sauce cools a bit. Rub olive oil over crust. Sprinkle with extra red pepper flakes if desired.

Spread sauce onto crust, then top with chicken, cheese, and sesame seeds. Bake in preheated oven for about 13 minutes. Sprinkle with chives and more red pepper flakes.

Asian Glazed Drumsticks

I have never had the Asian Zing wings at Buffalo Wild Wings, but I would imagine that if they're any good, they taste like these. I absolutely loved the sauce and the chicken was fall off the bone tender. While this recipe takes some time to cook, it is very simple and doesn't require many dishes, which is always a bonus! I never share recipes here that we don't like, but I definitely have some favorites, and this is one of them. This will be a regular! Two more great things about this recipe: it's a lot better for you than traditional wings or saucy chicken and it's also very inexpensive to make! I put some of the sauce on my steamed broccoli and loved it there, too. We plan to make the sauce by itself in the future also to serve over smoked chicken wings. Yum!

Asian Glazed Drumsticks

from Skinny Taste
Serves 4

8 medium chicken drumsticks, skin removed
cooking spray (I use an olive oil mister)
1 cup water
1 tbsp Sriracha
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce
4 tsp agave nectar (used sugar)
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp ginger, grated (used 1 1/2 tsp)
2 tbsp chives or scallions, chopped
1 tsp sesame seeds

Spray large saute pan with oil and heat. Brown chicken on both sides, about two minutes each.
In a separate bowl, combine water, balsamic, Sriracha, sugar, garlic, and ginger. After chicken has browned, pour this mixture into pan with the chicken. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for about 20 minutes. Remove the cover and bring the liquid back to a boil. Reduce sauce until it has formed a thick glaze (but watch out so it doesn't burn!). My chicken was falling off the bone, so I removed the chicken and reduced the sauce by itself after about ten minutes. My sauce took about 25 minutes to reduce to a medium thick glaze.
Drizzle glaze on top of drumsticks and garnish with sesame seeds and scallions.

Nutrition Info: (2 drumsticks plus sauce)

Calories: 180; Fat: 3.5; Protein: 23.5; Carbs: 9

Orange Pork

I always find great recipes in my AllRecipes cookbook, and this was definitely one of them. The only thing I would change for next time is to add in a bunch of veggies--julienned carrots for sure! I would also garnish with toasted sesame seeds and sliced green onions. I changed the recipe according to some suggestions I read--rather than whole chops, I cut them into cubes. I served over whole wheat noodles with steamed broccoli and we both really enjoyed it!

Orange Pork

adapted from All Recipes

Yield: 4 servings

1 tbsp olive oil
1 lb boneless pork chops, cut into cubes
1 cup julienned carrots
3/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp white sugar
2 tsp water
1 tsp cornstarch
2 tbsp flour
Garnish: toasted sesame seeds and sliced green onions

Place flour in ziploc bag and toss pork in it until evenly (very lightly) coated.
Heat oil in large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Stir fry pork and carrots until evenly browned on both sides, but pork is not done all the way through. Remove pork and carrots from skillet.
Add orange juice, soy sauce, and sugar to skillet and cook for 2 minutes, scraping brown bits from bottom of pan.
In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and water to make a slurry. Stir slurry into sauce. Return pork and carrots to skillet and simmer until pork is cooked all the way through, carrots are crisp-tender, and sauce is thickened.

Cashew Chicken

My menu plan for the week is scattered with fish and deer meat, so I decided I better do a more "normal" chicken one night, too. The Sisters' Cafe girls post lots of great recipes, and I love the idea that all of the sisters contribute recipes to the same site! Melanie submitted this Cashew Chicken, and we both love this dish, so I decided to give it a try.

This wound up being the closest to Chinese kitchen cashew chicken (say that phrase five times fast..whew!) that I have ever had at home! The only change I would make for next time is to add a little more lemon juice and sugar (probably 2 tsp of sugar and 1 tbsp of lemon juice for total amounts). This is a lot better for you than most of those Chinese dinners, too! Add in some veggies and you've got a complete meal!

Cashew Chicken

makes 4 servings

4 chicken breast halves, cut into pieces

1 tsp sugar (would change to 2 tsp)

4 Tbsp cornstarch, divided

1/2 tsp salt (optional--if you're using full sodium soy sauce, you may want to cut this back, depending on your preferences)

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 tsp vinegar

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

3 Tbsp oil (I used 2 Tbsp)

2 cups hot chicken broth

2 tsp lemon juice (would change to 1 tbsp)

1/2 cup cashews (used about 1/3 cup)

cooked rice (used brown)

Combine sugar, 2 Tbsp cornstarch, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and W sauce. Dredge chicken pieces in this mixture. Drain and save the dredge.

Heat oil in wok or medium saucepan over medium high heat. Stir fry chicken in pan for about 10 minutes, or until light brown and tender.

Meanwhile, add in the remaining 2 Tbsp to your dredge mixture and whisk well to combine.

Remove chicken from oil and drain excess oil from pan.

While pan is off heat, pour in leftover dredge/cornstarch mixture and stir again. Put back on medium low heat and add in hot chicken broth. Whisk quickly to combine, then turn heat up to bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook until thickened.

Add lemon juice and stir. Add chicken pieces and reheat, but do not boil. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.

Add in cashews (I just sprinkled over top at the end because I don't like them to already be in the leftovers!). Serve over hot rice.

Crispy Honey 5-Spice Chicken

I have to get it out there: I had dark chocolate with strawberries for lunch, a couple of bites of ice cream for a snack, and I'm going to help at a cupcake class tonight. I need to see this picture with vegetables in it to remind myself to get back to those! I'm sure my guaranteed stomachache from the sugar and caffeine will help me get back to regular habits tomorrow, too!!

Anyway, this was really good and as I was eating it, I was thinking this would be great for people with kids as a healthy chicken nugget when all your kids want to do is go through the McD's drive thru. But hey, I don't have kids, so I don't know how hard it is to actually take care of other humans plus make them meals!
Give your cooked chicken a thin drizzle of honey right before eating!

Crispy Honey 5-Spice Chicken

adapted from Stephanie Cooks (check out her post for a ginger variation and different coating)

2 cups lowfat buttermilk
1/4 cup honey, plus extra for drizzling
2 tsp Chinese 5-spice powder
2 tsp garlic powder
1 pound boneless chicken tenders, cut into "nuggets"
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 slice whole wheat bread, processed to crumbs
1/2 cup bran flakes, processed to crumbs (you can use whatever combo of coating you want, but I wanted to add in some fiber with the bran)
1 tsp seasoned salt
1/4 cup whole wheat flour

Combine buttermilk, honey, 1 tsp of 5-spice powder, 1 tsp garlic powder, and chicken in a Ziploc or container and marinate at least 2 hours, or overnight. (I marinated about 24 and got some really tender chicken!)
Preheat oven to 450 F.
Combine panko, 1 tsp 5-spice powder, 1 tsp garlic powder, seasoned salt, breadcrumbs, cereal crumbs, and flour in a Ziploc. Remove chicken from marinade and toss to coat. Lay out on baking sheet and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Bake for 5 minutes, flip, and coat once more with nonstick cooking spray.
Serve with a drizzle of honey!

Edit: I had this for leftovers THREE times and it was great each time! For a crispier "crust" leftover, heat it in the oven. I thought it was fine heated in the microwave at work, though!

Egg Drop Soup

If you like the popular appetizer soup at Chinese restaurants, you will love this one. I think we all agreed that it is better than the average restaurant's soup. (That might have something to do with the fact that we ate it within minutes of dropped the eggs in, while they probably typically sit for a while before we eat them at restaurants.) This will fill your stomach a little before moving on to the heavier foods--give it a try!

Chi Tan T’ang (Egg Drop Soup)

Serves 6

8 chicken bouillon cubes
6 cups hot water
2 Tbsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp soy sauce
3 Tbsp white vinegar
1 egg plus 3 egg whites, beaten
1 green onion, minced

In a large saucepan, dissolve bouillon in hot water. Mix cornstarch with a small amount of water and stir into bouillon. Add soy sauce and vinegar. Bring to a boil and simmer, stirring occasionally. Gradually pour the beaten eggs into the saucepan while stirring soup.
Sprinkle with green onions. Serve immediately.

from All Recipes

Oriental Fried Rice

This is another one of those recipes that can be adjusted according to your preferences very easily. It's best when you make it with rice that's at least one day old! Pour your leftover rice out of the takeout box and add some fresh ingredients to it to stretch that meal one more day. No picture--hungry kids, bell about to ring. It was good stuff! You could stand to cut back on the soy sauce a touch if you want to cut the salt a little.

Oriental Fried Rice

1 ½ c rice
3 c water
1 t salt
1 T margarine

2 T oil
2 eggs
1/3 c chopped green onion
1/3 c chopped green peppers
1/3 c chopped celery
¼ c soy sauce

1 cube chicken bouillon

Combine soy sauce and bouillon in a separate bowl and let sit until dissolved.

Bring water to a boil. Add salt and margarine. Add rice and stir together. Reduce the heat to low and cover with lid. Follow package instructions for time to simmer. After cooked, remove from heat and let sit covered for 3 minutes. Remove lid and fluff with fork.

When the rice is about five minutes from being done, begin this sequence:
Heat oil in a large frying pan on medium heat.
Add eggs and quickly scramble until cooked and in small particles.
Add green onion, green peppers, and celery and stir fry for 2 minutes.
Add soy sauce/bouillon mixture to skillet.
Once everything is combined, add the hot cooked rice to the skillet. Enjoy!

Un-Sesame Chicken

Un-sesame chicken means I forgot to buy sesame seeds at the store to make my sesame chicken. Hmm..I think that means this week is way too busy! I am booked every night this week except Friday, which sometimes makes me forget things!

I am so excited about our awesome new kitchen countertops and backsplash. The boys are working on the backsplash..I can't wait to share pictures! Our fence is almost complete also--just in time for the enormous amount of rain we got yesterday.

This is toward the back of our yard, and obviously taken in the dark. It was like this about 1/3 of the way through the back of our yard. Thankfully not much of it tried to come inside, like it did many other places in our area. One whole neighborhood got flooded east of us, and people were being rescued by boat at 3 AM this morning. It makes me really thankful for our makeshift pond in the backyard a little rain in through the windows...

So back to the meal. I got it from here and am listing the recipe below as I made it. If you would like to see the original version, click the link, and she has a better picture! Use whatever veggies you want. I beefed it up (wait, can shrimp beef something up?) with a little shrimp thrown in there and some approved veggies. Served over brown rice.

Sesame Chicken and Shrimp

Ingredients:

1/2 c all purpose flour

1/4 c sesame seeds, divided (uhhh..if you don't have them, it does in fact still taste good!)

1/2 t black pepper

1/2 t Chinese five spice powder (fennel and some other stuff--makes me sneeze but adds good flavor!)

1/2 t Cayenne pepper

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks

1/2 pound shrimp (blot dry after rinsing)

6 T teriyaki sauce

2 T low sodium soy sauce

4 T honey

2 T oil (for frying)

your choice of veggies

Combine flour, half of the sesame seeds, black pepper, five spice, and cayenne in zip bag. Add chicken and toss to coat.

Heat 1 T oil in wok over medium high heat. Remove chicken from bag, shaking off excess flour mixture, and cook in pan for about five minutes on each side, or until browned and done. Add shrimp to the remaining flour mixture in the bag and toss to coat.

Add 1 more T oil to wok (could get by with a little less on both fry turns) and add shrimp and veggies to wok. Cook, stirring frequently, until veggies are crisp tender and shrimp is pink. (if you used already cooked shrimp, basically just heat it up!).

Add chicken back to wok.

Reduce heat to low and add honey, teriyaki, and soy sauce to wok. Simmer and stir, allowing sauce to thicken. Sprinkle in the rest of the sesame seeds and serve over brown rice.

Cheater Sweet and Sour Chicken

Really, the best reason for this post is to brag on the fact that I had the coolest guest speakers today!! :) My grandparents drove two hours to come to my classroom to teach my ProStart students the art of the cream puff (and give away the secret that they're really not that hard!!) Gram makes them look even easier after fifty-some years of practice. She won't give away the exact number of years--Granddad threw in that it is definitely over fifty though. She has done all sorts of experimenting to come up with her perfect recipe for them, and shared that with my students today. They got to stuff their faces with beautiful little cream puffs, and they will be making themselves tomorrow! Thanks so much for coming!!


So, dinner after I might have consumed a couple of those lovely little puffs... (I did go to the gym though!)...

This is truly my kind of weeknight meal--use up leftover stuff, get it done quickly. Not really a recipe, just my "note to self" to remember to do it again!

20 minute meal:

chicken

frozen precut pepper and onion blend

brown rice

prepared sweet and sour sauce (leftover from food sale Friday)

crunchy thingies (La Choy things) leftover from salad!

Chop chicken into bite sized pieces and coat with a SMALL amount of cornstarch and stir fry seasonings (ginger, sesame seed, crushed red pepper).

Cook rice. Heat up pepper/onion blend. Heat up sweet and sour sauce.

Heat up 1 1/2 t oil in a wok. Once hot, stir fry chicken in it.

Plate rice, then chicken, vegetables, sauce, and crunchies. Done!

Back tomorrow with the cream puff recipe!

Chow Mein Chicken Salad

We celebrated one of my coworkers' birthday today with a birthday lunch! I got this from Priscilla and made just a few changes and additions. It was really great--all four of us loved it!

Chow Mein Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

8 cups shredded lettuce

3/4 cup chow mein noodles

2/3 cup cubed cooked chicken breast

2 green onions, chopped

4 teaspoons sliced almonds, toasted

4 teaspoons sesame seeds, toasted

1 small can of mandarin oranges, drained and rinsed

1/2 cucumber, peeled and chopped

VINAIGRETTE:

1/4 cup vegetable oil

4-1/2 teaspoons white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/4 t soy sauce

Directions:

Combine all the salad ingredients and chill. Combine the dressing ingredients, shake well, and chill. After chilling (at least 30 minutes), shake dressing well again, and combine. Easy enough!:)

Spicy Tangerine Beef

I finally get to share this recipe! The only changes I would suggest to the original are that you up the spice a little (a few dashes of cayenne in the cooking sauce, or a crushed up dried red chile) and cut the honey back to 1 Tbsp rather than 2. Add any vegetables you like. I'd recommend bell peppers and carrots. Served atop rice sticks or jasmine rice and garnished with some toasted sesame seed and tangerine zest, it's a pretty dish also! (despite what my picture may show:)

Guy Fieri's Spicy Tangerine Beef

Ingredients
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 pound flank steak or tri-tip, cut in thin strips on the bias
2 tablespoons dry sherry
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon chili sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup freshly squeezed tangerine juice
3 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
3 scallions, chopped
1/4 tangerine, zested
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
Directions
In a resealable plastic bag combine the soy sauce and cornstarch and mix well. Add beef, cover, and let marinate for 20 minutes in the refrigerator.
Whisk together the sherry, hoisin, honey, chili sauce, soy sauce, and tangerine juice until completely combined.
In large pan or wok, heat oil on high. Add the ginger and beef and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Then add sauce mixture and cook for another 2 minutes on medium heat until sauce thickens. Serve on warm platter, garnish with scallions, tangerine zest and sesame seeds.

And..I couldn't resist. I stuck this on him today and he didn't immediately knock it off. He must have been as cold as we were!! Brrrr!! Snow day tomorrow, anyone?!? Freezing rain day, anyway, which is way worse than snow!

Asian Appetizers: Trial 1

We are trying to come up with an asian appetizer to go with our spicy tangerine beef (recipe to come tomorrow, hopefully!), so today we made this Edamame Salad, kind of. The colors are so pretty! We are still looking for the "perfect" recipe, but until then, this is something fun and a little different. I would imagine it to be good with some crockpot mongolian beef, since it is like slaw.
Just look at the pretty colors!

Our recipe, slightly adapted from here.

Edamame Salad


Ingredients:
***Edamame***
1 1/2 pounds frozen edamame
4 quarts water
2 tablespoons table salt

***Dressing***
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 teaspoons light soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 tablespoon finely minced shallot

½-3/4 c julienned carrots
½-3/4 c julienned jicama

Directions:
For the edamame: Add salt to water in a large stock pot. Bring to boil, and add edamame. Cook for five minutes and drain. Rinse immediately with cold water. Drain well and set aside.

For the dressing: In a large, non-reactive bowl, whisk vinegar, oil, soy sauce , honey, lemon juice, salt and white pepper.

Add drained edamame to bowl. Add carrots and shallot. Toss well to combine. Chill at least two hours to allow flavors to combine.

Bring to room temperature 30 minutes before serving.

Ginger Flank Steak

If you want something with a little kick, try this!
I got the general idea from Rachel Ray's Express Lane Meals, and we changed it for our class. We are practicing competition recipes, and the kids really liked this. Take the spice down a notch with less red pepper.

Ginger Flank Steak

1 T ground ginger
1 T sesame seeds
Zest and juice of 2 limes
5 T vegetable oil
2 t salt
1 t paprika
½ t black pepper
¼ t onion powder
¼ t garlic powder
¼ t cayenne pepper
1 dash coriander
1 dash turmeric
(or you can use steak seasoning in place of everything from salt-turmeric)
2 lb. flank steak

Preheat a skillet to medium high (or outdoor grill).
Combine the ginger, sesame seeds,lime juice, and other seasonings, and 3 T of the oil. In a large ziptight baggie, combine this and the meat and shake to coat. Let sit for 10 minutes.
Cook over medium high on each side for 6-7 minutes.

Let the meat rest for 5 minutes, then thinly slice it on an angle against the grain.
We served this with seared cabbage (Rach's suggestion) and it was really great!

What a week! So glad I planned ahead...

This has been a heck of week! I have my audit appointment this afternoon, which means they will go through every single paper, training agreement, work employment record, etc. to make sure my students really have jobs where they say they do and that employers are evaluating them. (I teach job skills classes in addition to the cooking classes) I am a little nervous for my appointment, but glad we get this "pre-audit" appointment so we have a chance to get extra things together if we're missing something.

On the planning front, I fortunately had this week pretty well planned ahead so we have actually been eating good dinners each night and I've been getting exercise in while getting other things done. On Tuesday I made some chicken tacos--they were so good--I got chipotle taco seasoning this time and that made a huge difference; we liked the flavor a whole lot more.
Last night I made beef stroganoff, another recipe that I hadn't made before because I've never been a big "meat and potatoes" eater, but in an effort to fill Norris up with good warm food, I tried this one out, and it was actually good. It was pretty easy to make too, and was a good meal that I could get prepped, then go to the gym, then come home and finish it off within about 25 minutes of getting home from the gym. I served it over some garlicky Yukon gold mashed potatoes (best potatoes for mashing!) and a salad. Tonight is my night to help at the cooking school, so I won't get home until around 9:30 or so, yuck. It's poultry night with chef Damien, so hopefully I'll learn something good and different!

Tomorrow night we are going to a coworker's for a bbq, then to the high school football game. I'm pretty excited because my school is playing the school I used to work at! Saturday we are headed to the KSU/OU game (hmm...might not be pretty!) and then to Joey's birthday party/costume party in Topeka! I'm not sure that we'll be dressing up though. Sunday, we are having brunch (that my mom and I are making) with my sister, her bf, his parents, and my parents. Big day! We are making those awesome homemade cinnamon rolls, fruit kebabs with fruit dip, and a farmer's casserole (eggs and meat type dish). It's going to be a full fun weekend!

I also already voted this week by mail. It was crazy to finally see the presidential candidates' names on a ballot--it seemed like this was never going to get here. Glad to have voted!

I am stressing a little bit just thinking about next week. We are going for a lot more rounds of cinnamon rolls as my CC class is taking preorders for cinnamon rolls for teachers to buy before our Wed. morning PLC meeting (starts at 7:10!) This means I will have to get here around 6:15 to get the rolls in the oven and iced before they pick them up! Then we will sell them to students in the hallway before school. THEN on Thursday, we are serving (so far) 46 people, mostly teachers a great lunch of paninis on homemade focaccia, barbecue kettle chips, and S'more snack cake. We will be prepping that next week. It will be a wild week and Friday is Halloween, so we'll be ready for a little bit of a relaxing day!

Anyway, enjoy your weekend! I am going to post the S'more snack cake recipe because it's pretty darn good! We had a practice meal that the kids served each other to make sure the recipes they picked were good. I already posted the focaccia, and you can buy the kettle chips at the store, obviously:) I am also posting the sweet and sour pork with vegetables recipe that we are finishing cooking and eating today in PC class. It is another yummy one! I will post the farmer's casserole recipe on Monday after we make it Sunday.

S’more Snack Cake

Prep Time: 25 minutes (ready in 2 hrs. 15 minutes)
Yield: 16 servings

1 c all-purpose flour
1 ½ c graham cracker crumbs (24 squares)
1 t baking powder
½ t baking soda
½ t salt
1 c firmly packed brown sugar
½ c shortening
3 eggs
1 c milk
1 c mini semisweet chocolate chips
1 (7-oz) jar (1 ½ c) marshmallow crème

1. Heat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour 13x9 inch pan. In medium bowl, combine flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder, baking soda and salt; mix well.
2. In large bowl, combine brown sugar, shortening, and eggs; beat until well blended. Add dry ingredients and milk; beat at low speed until well blended. Beat 1 minute at medium speed. Stir in 2/3 c of the chocolate chips. Spoon and spread batter evenly into greased and floured pan.
3. Bake at 350 F for 25-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, in small saucepan, melt remaining 1/3 c chocolate chips over low heat. Spoon teaspoonfuls of marshmallow crème onto top of warm cake; carefully spread with knife dipped in hot water. Drizzle with melted chocolate; swirl chocolate through marshmallow crème to marble. Cool 1 hour or until completely cooled

Sweet and Sour Pork with Mixed Vegetables

1 small onion, quartered and layers separated
1 green pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
½ red pepper, cut into thin strips
½ c sliced bamboo shoots
½ c sliced water chestnuts
1 c pineapple chunks

Combine marinade ingredients; pour over pork and marinate meat 30 minutes or longer. (May be marinated overnight in the refrigerator if desired.)
Combine all sauce ingredients by first dissolving cornstarch in water. Then add remaining ingredients. Stir. Cook over medium heat until sauce comes to a boil and is thickened. (Or, microwave until sauce thickens, stirring occasionally). Set aside.
Put rice on to cook according to package directions.
Combine egg and cornstarch. Add pork cubes, drained, to the batter and stir to coat the pieces. (Note: Batter should be very thick; if not, sprinkle in a little more cornstarch).
Heat three inches of oil in deep fat fryer, deep skillet, or wok until 375 degrees F. Deep fry meat, a few pieces at a time, until golden and cooked on the interior. (You may need to cut into a sample piece to check to see if it is done). Transfer meat to paper towels to drain. Repeat process with remaining pork until it is all cooked. Drain all oil from wok except 2 T.
Stir fry vegetable mixture by first stir frying carrot for 1-2 minutes. Then add onion, green, and red peppers. Stir fry for 1-2 minutes until tender crisp. Add bamboo shoots and water chestnuts; stir fry a minute or two until very hot.
Add pineapple and sauce to the work. Toss to combine and to coat ingredients. Return cooked pork to the wok, stirring to coat with sauce. Serve with rice if desired.
Makes 4-6 servings.

Cook’s Tips: Start this recipe the day before if you like to simplify things. Marinate the pork and refrigerate it; it will hold nicely 24 hours. To speed things up a bit, use the microwave to cook the sauce. It may be refrigerated for 24 hours also. Often times I cook the vegetables in the microwave so they are ready to use the minute the meat is cooked.
All you need to do before serving is dip the drained pork pieces into the batter and fry them. Drain oil from work; stir in prepared sauce and microwave-cooked vegetables. Stir until all ingredients are heated and coated with sauce.


Recipe from: Contemporary Cooking, written by Bonnie A.

Mini shrimp bites and Ramen noodle salad

Shelby is in town for a few days for the K-ACTE conference, so we have had a chance to hang out the last two nights!
The first night, we went to Cheddar's, which I normally like because it's casual and pretty quick, and we've always had good food. This trip made me not want to go back for a long long time! My food was not very good, and Shelby had a dead fly in her water. Gag!! They did give us both of our meals free, but the dead fly=no return trips for a while.

Last night, she came over and we made a really great meal. I was so glad she was here to help because I would have probably run out of steam about halfway through!
I had wonton wrappers, and I wanted to make something shrimpy or crabby:)
Norris' favorite salad is Asian Ramen Noodle Salad (I know, fancy!), so we made that, too.

Recipes:
Mini Shrimp Bites (from http://www.allrecipes.com/, a great website!)



Prep Time: 45 Minutes Cook Time: 15 Minutes
Ready In: 1 Hour Yields: 16 servings

INGREDIENTS:
1 pound medium shrimp - cooked, peeled and deveined
6 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1 1/2 cups finely chopped cabbage
3 green onions, finely chopped
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced
48 wonton wrappers
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons water
DIRECTIONS:
1.Chop shrimp; set aside. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add mozzarella cheese; mix well. Stir in the cabbage, onions, carrot, soy sauce, garlic and shrimp. For each shrimp roll, place 1 tablespoon of shrimp mixture across the bottom third of a wonton wrapper to within 1/4 in. of bottom and side edges. Combine flour and water until smooth; brush a 1/4-in. wide strip on side edges and fold side edges over 1/4 in. Brush side edges and top edge with water mixture. Fold bottom third of wonton wrapper over filling, then bring top over and pinch edges to seal completely.
2.Lightly spray rolls with nonstick cooking spray. Place on a baking sheet coated with nonstick cooking spray. Bake at 400 degrees F for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown, turning once. Serve warm.

I don't really remember to take pictures of food, but they were great! We dipped them in a little soy sauce. I think next time I will make some sort of asian sweet chile sauce rather than plain soy sauce; that would have made them perfect.


Ramen Noodle Salad:
1 package ramen noodles (any flavor; uncooked)
small package slivered almonds
3 T sesame seeds
1 T margarine
1 head Napa Cabbage

1/2 c vegetable oil
1/4 c sugar
1/4 c Splenda
1/2 c white vinegar
2 T soy sauce

Break up the uncooked ramen noodles (save the flavor package or toss it; you don't need it for this recipe!) into small pieces. In a medium sized skillet, melt 1 T margarine. Toss in the ramen, slivered almonds, and sesame seeds. Stir occasionally and toast them in the skillet. They should be crunchy and golden brown.

Clean and chop Napa Cabbage while toasting those ingredients. I like to chop it into really small shreds.

Mix together oil, sugar, Splenda, vinegar, and soy sauce. Shake it, shake it real good!! Put this in the fridge until ready to serve.

Right before you're ready to serve, toss the dressing into the cabbage and top the salad with the crunchy topping. YUM!!


Both recipes were a hit with both of us girls and with Norris! We made 30 of the wontons (rather than 48, since I used some last week) and between the three of us, we ate all but two. Hope you enjoy!