The Ultimate Sweet & Sour Chicken, aka "Crack Chicken"

Okay. I apologize in advance for sharing this recipe with you...welcome to your new favorite family meal! I could literally sit down and house the entire dish. No rice needed, just me, my couch and a shovel.  I realize I shouldn't admit these things out loud but once you've made this chicken, you'll understand. 

I discovered this recipe when Shannon brought it to work for her lunch. I was sure she found some Chinese restaurant in our area that I had to know about. This being one of the food categories that I have missed most since moving out of NJ I just had to know where it came from. Where else but  Pinterest?! 

I have tried this recipe a few different ways over the last year and the bottom line is, semi-frying your chicken is the way to go.  We tried just lightly browning the chicken without a coating, eh. Not ideal. It works if you want to avoid the whole frying process. I'm actually considering buying a small deep fryer to speed along the process. I know, I know who am I Paula Deen?  I've made this recipe enough to recognize that it might be time. There is a reason we call it crack chicken.

[Offering someone food and secretly 

hoping they'll say no]

It's that kind of chicken. 

I have found that it's much easier to ignore the amount of cornstarch you need to use (see below) and just stick the chicken in a bowl and add cornstarch until the chicken is fully coated. I don't know about you, but I can't stand wasting eggs and flour/dry ingredients when I do this kind of a recipe.

For the next process, I prefer to use my fingers to move the chicken from the egg mixture to the oil as I feel it moves the process along quite nicely. If you're afraid of searing, hot oil, please don't.  Once you have finished the laborious task of lightly frying your chicken, it's time to pour the liquid gold sauce over your chicken then bake.  I realize having to return to the chicken every 15 minutes to turn might seem like the worst part...its not. Go do some laundry or start clean-up from the first part of this recipe. 

{Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken}

Ingredients:
4 boneless chicken breasts
salt + pepper
1 cup cornstarch
2-3 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup canola oil

Sweet & Sour Sauce:
1 ½ cup sugar
½ cup ketchup
1 cup distilled white vinegar
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp garlic salt

Equipment:
Large stainless steel frying pan or fryer
Tongs to flip chicken in oil
1 large bowl for coating chicken

1 bowl for your eggs + fork

Extras:

Broccoli, lightly steamed and added at the end

Rice - we like to mix white and whole grain rice to balance out what the SH likes and what I think is a good choice to make...although it's a little like ordering a Big Mac and a Diet Coke. Anyway!

Directions:
Read the entire recipe before starting - I will never stop saying that! Start by preheating your oven to 325^oF.  Mix all of your sweet and sour sauce ingredients in a bowl with a whisk & set aside.  

Rinse your chicken breasts in water, dry completely and cut into cubes and season with salt and pepper.

Heat your ¼ - ½  cup oil in a large skillet.

Toss all the chicken in a large bowl with the cornstarch, coat thoroughly.

Dip the chicken in the eggs and place enough chicken evenly spread out in your skillet. Cook the chicken until lightly browned on each side but not cooked through.  Place the chicken on a paper towel to soak up extra oil and then in a 9x13 prepared baking dish. Repeat process until all the chicken has been coated and fried.

Once the chicken has lined the pan, pour the sweet & sour sauce evenly over the chicken. Bake for [1] hour and during the baking process you will need to turn the chicken every 15 minutes. [Be careful when opening your oven, the vinegar is evaporating and can burn your eyes, open the oven door, give it a few seconds then pull out the dish and stir]
Turn your chicken by simply using a slotted or large spoon and turning the chicken over in batches and redistributing the sauce. No need to be super technical about this process, it’s just to coat the chicken in the sauce. After the hour is over, remove, let cool slightly. Enjoy over rice, with broccoli or with toothpicks as an appetizer.

Original recipe:  http://life-as-a-lofthouse.blogspot.com/2010/09/baked-sweet-and-sour-chicken-with-fried.html?m=1

When I'm crabby I get curry...

...Or so says my dear Jackie but I like it, it works! When I'm crabby I'm going to make Jenni's Coconut-Curry Chicken (disclaimer: I have no idea if this is her recipe, she is just the lovely human that shared her the delicious dish with me and my co-workers).  It's a soup but not, it's a stew but not, it's warm, it's mouth-watering, it's just plain good. Perfect for our current NH, change of season, one day it's cold, one day it's colder, weather. :)

{Jenni’s Coconut Curry Chicken} 

Ingredients: 
3-4 boneless chicken breasts
4 cans coconut milk [shake before opening] - I prefer Goya
½ - ¾ jar of Pataks mild curry paste 

Garnish: Lime wedges & chopped Cilantro
Plain Greek yogurt if desired to cut the heat

Serve with: Plain or pearled Couscous and/or Naan Garlic Flatbread - yum!

Directions: Rinse your chicken breasts in water & pat dry. *You can also use frozen chicken for this recipe. Pour the coconut & curry in the crock pot and stir to combine. Drop in the chicken breasts, cover and cook on:

[HIGH for 5 hours [remove chicken at hour 4, shred with two forks and return to pot for the last hour]

[LOW for 8 hours [remove chicken at hour 7, shred with two forks and return to pot for the last hour]

Serve over couscous, with chopped cilantro and a generous squeeze of lime. Season with salt and/or pepper to taste.


I apologize in advance for getting you hooked on coconut curry chicken. Really. It's that good. Enjoy!

Artist Highlight II - Lucky Lil Leo Designs

LuckyLilLeoDesigns

Time for another Artist Highlight! I have had the pleasure of purchasing items from this crafter and have been thrilled with each of them.  She has a shop on Etsy [follow the link above to her store] so please have a look.  

There is so much Sarah can do! Each week there's a new outfit she's created for one of her adorable children and I do love seeing her new trinkets and treasures from various online shops for her next creation! 

Matryoshka Dolls - "Russian Nesting Dolls"

Look how adorable! Sarah had the above creations on her Facebook page and I had to have them! I had plans to give them to my sister Jennifer [previous Artist Highlight and Russian speaking, crochet Master, super Mom] for her birthday.  

Okay next! Sarah ordered the most adorable Christmas, Russian nesting dolls fabric ever!! This is the ridiculously adorable pheasant shirt that she made:

Once again this was a gift I purchased for my sister, well her three adorable children anyway!  The pheasant shirt pictured above is just like the one's on Sarah's Etsy store.  They are perfect for any age and can be worn a variety of different ways. The girls were thrilled and will hopefully still be able to wear them next season. *crosses fingers*

What's better? Sarah purchased the fabric from another Etsy shop!

CutiePieCraft Supply

Happy crafting folks! 

Sweet Potato & Black Bean Wontons

Hello new favorite Lent/Veggie Monster recipe!  Thank you Nikki!! One of my lovely co-workers made these and since she is such a lovely gal, she let me try some!  The original recipe was for empanada's and Nikki was looking for a way to make them a little smaller and easier to share with more people.  Enter wonton wrappers.  Also enter, Cilantro-Lime Guacamole. Delish!!

Here's the original recipe: Sweet Potato & Black Bean Empanadas - My Recipes.com

Nikki's Cilantro-Lime Guacamole [with a Snow's twist ;)]

Ingredients:

1 ripe avocado, sliced and gently mashed

2 heaping Tbsp. of lite sour cream

Half of your diced jalapeño - see below - [we always add jalapeno to our guacamole so this make's it Snow ;)]

2-3 Tbsp. of fresh cilantro, chopped

1/2 lime, juiced

s/p

Directions:

1.  Combine all ingredients and mix until just combined. Press saran wrap into the mixture and refrigerate until ready to serve. This step allows the flavors to develop, not necessary, but so worth it! *Double or triple the guacamole recipe if you plan to take this dish to an event/potluck.

Here is the Wonton recipe with my notes and substitutions:

Ingredients:

2  medium-lg. sweet potatoes  [you will use 1 1/2 sweet potatoes for the mixture]

1 Tbsp. cumin seeds

1/2 - whole jalapeño, seeds removed, finely diced - portion into two equal piles

1 - 12oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/3 cup green onions, chopped

2 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped

1 tsp.  chile powder

1/2 tsp. kosher OR sea salt

1 pkg. of nasoya wonton wrappers [Thanks to Harlee, I found these with the vegetarian & soy items in the produce section of my local Hannafords]

1 egg white, lightly beaten, pastry brush

Small bowl of olive oil & pastry-grill brush

Directions:

1. Poke some holes in your sweet potatoes and place them in an oven at 400deg. for 45-60 minutes.  I usually place the potatoes in as I preheating the oven, there's no harm in this and probably saves time?! Let's go with sure it does.

2.  Using a small sauté pan, toast the cumin seeds over medium-high heat.  Make sure you stir the seeds to prevent them from burning.  This should take 1-2 minutes. Remove the pan from heat and using a spice grinder, process until ground - I didn't go nuts with this, you won't feel like you're eating hard pieces of seed if you don't completely process.

3.  Slice your jalapeño, remove the seeds and finely dice [I use my KitchenAid chopper for this] and set 1/2 of the jalapeño [reserve half of the jalapeño for the guacamole] in a medium size mixing bowl. Add the cumin, black beans, green onions, cilantro, chile powder & salt.

Set aside

4.  Separate an egg white from the yolk of one large egg. Mix with a pastry brush or fork. You will need a pastry/oil-grill brush to use on the wonton wrappers.  This is so simple! 

• Wash your hands!
• Crack an egg on a flat, hard surface
• Break off half of the egg shell [over a clean, small bowl] and immediately invert the other half of the egg shell to hold the egg like a bowl. Some of the whites may break away during this process.
• Pour the other half of the egg shell with the remaining egg into your opposite hand and let the whites fall through your fingers. The egg yolk will sit nicely on top of your fingers. Discard yolk or place in a tupperware container and save for future baking [not too long].

5.  Your sweet potatoes should be ready! Carefully remove from the oven, slice in half and scoop out the cooked goodness. Lower your oven to 350deg.  I only used a 1/3 of the sweet potatoes but use your discretion. I wanted to use the entire package of wonton wrappers so I could freeze some for later consumption so I increased the amount of my main ingredients. :) Okay!

Add the sweet potatoes to your black bean mixture. Use a potato masher and mash until all ingredients are evenly incorporated.

5.  Now it's time to assemble! Gather some cookie sheets, line with parchment paper and place next to your sweet potato mixture.  

• Brush two sides of your wonton with the egg white wash. 
• Place 1 Tbsp [NOT heaping] of the mixture in the middle of the wrapper and fold the wonton into a triangle
• Press and seal the edges tightly. The egg white acts like glue and will then allow you to evenly distribute the filling into the air pockets of your triangle.  Trust me, this makes a difference! It allows you to actually use 1 Tbsp. of filling in your wonton and evenly disperse the filling for even cooking.  Press the filling [lightly] from the middle to the lower edges of the wrapper.
• Place on the cookie sheet and brush with good olive oil before baking at 350 deg. for 13 minutes

6. While the wonton's are cooking, continue to assemble. Assess how many you plan to devour right away and adjust the amount of Guacamole you will need.  We placed about half of the entire volume in an airtight container to pop out, thaw and bake at another time. Make sure you separate the soon to be frozen wontons with parchment paper.

7. Remove from oven at 13 minutes and immediately remove from pan and onto cooling racks. I simply drag the parchment paper off the cookie sheet onto the counter or wire rack to cool.

8. Serve with a small bowl of dip for each person and 5-8 wontons. Enjoy!

I realize this recipe is long winded, but if you've read my blog before this shouldn't be a surprise. I like to explain why I do something or take an extra step in the recipe. I have found that when I am following a recipe for the first time and I say, "Do you think it's supposed to look like that?" to myself, I want an answer! I want to know why I use egg whites and not just water.  If you're a confident chef and you know what will work in your kitchen, go for it, make changes to suit your style of cooking.  

As always, read the entire recipe before starting, measure out all of your ingredients [or as much as possible] first, gather your equipment and then get to some fun and cook!

Baking class #2

Class is absolutely fantastic.  I have never felt more at home in the large, industrial kitchen and my french knot chef's jacket.  I could literally wear the jacket all day.

We started with Lean doughs and Artisan breads and heavens was this a mistake!  I'm not sure I'm thankful that I now know how to make the delicious bread. The lovely, delicious, warm bread that was always sitting, faithfully waiting on Mattar's dinner table. It seemed like a bread delicacy that was only to be enjoyed when you go out to eat - because how would you make it at home?! I've gotten carried away. But really, don't you just love bread? Bread, butter, [cheese]. *yummy noises*
The best part about these breads is the simplicity of ingredients! You're basically just looking at water, flour and salt - variations of course but basically good ingredients = awesome bread.
We are using the CIA's Baking and Pastry: Mastering the Art and Craft and it's a beast of a book but so informative and the recipes are just to die for. Never mind that the croissant recipe is about 3 pages long...but oh the butter!

There's my boule! We also made a whole wheat loaf, knot buns and started to prep the bagel dough for next week.  However it may seem, this is not a simple prep, bake, enjoy class.  There is a ton of enjoyment but the work is brutal. Especially in regards to the danish dough, I'm still in shock that I can type and use my arms for their normal, intended functions.

Next week: Bagels, Baguettes, Three-braid challah,  and soft pretzels. Oh me, oh my!

Shrimp Laksa

So...you've heard of Pinterest, yes? :) I'm a little obsessed. Most of my sentences recently have started with, "So, I saw this thing on Pinterest..." and my sweet husband just assumes that each new creation comes from one main source, "Is that from Pinterest?"  

You can follow me here: Alice on Pinterest

You'll never guess my main interests after visiting...

Well anyway! I found a great recipe for Laksa [popular spicy noodle soup from the Peranakan culture] or so says Wikipedia.  We have a certain affinity for asian and thai cuisine and I have been working on trying to figure out how to make some of our favorites.  I always figured it was just easier to eat-out when I had my monthly crab rangoon craving but recently I've decided to stay home and figure it out. We're also in the middle of Lent and I was in need for some new Veggie Monster recipes. Done!

So I saw this thing on Pinterest for Veggie Laksa and I was sold! Coconut milk? Thai curry? Done and done!

Here's the original recipe: Veggie Laksa 5-ingredients-5-minutes-5-meals- 

You can adapt this recipe a few different ways really.  Use different noodles or add shrimp,  I'm making this again tonight and I plan to use thin rice noodles instead of stir-fry noodles. There's a difference!!

Here's my take:

2 cups mixed chopped vegetables [red, yellow and orange bell peppers work the best]

6-7 pieces of shrimp per person, frozen or fresh, shell & tail-on

1 box thin rice noodles [you can also use stir-fry noodles, try a few different kinds!]

4oz (1 small jar) Thai curry paste 

2 cans Geisha coconut milk

4 cups boiling water 

Scallions

Sriracha

Premium Fish Sauce [optional, but not really]

1. Julienne your bell peppers and either keep them in long strips or slice again into smaller pieces.  Set aside on your cutting board.

2. Soak your shrimp [if frozen] in tepid water. Do not use warm water from the faucet, you'll begin to cook the shrimp and they'll get rubbery. Let sit until thaw, you may need to drain if water gets too cold from shrimp. 

If not frozen, boil a small pot of water with sea salt and cook the shrimp until pink & no longer translucent. Cool, remove shells/tails & set aside. 

3. Boil 4 cups of water [if using a pot on the stove] & heat oil over medium-high heat.  Sauté  Thai curry paste, stirring constantly, for 30-45 seconds.   Immediately pour in the coconut milk and 4 cups of boiling water.  I used my tea kettle that boils water in about 5 minutes and kept me on track with the recipe.

4. Add vegetables, heat to boiling and reduce heat to simmer. Cook until the mixture has developed a smooth texture and even, light red color. For vegetables that are al dente [no longer crunchy] the simmering process can take about 8-10 minutes. 

5. While the liquid is simmering, start another pot or tea kettle of boiling water and place the noodles in a large pyrex bowl. Basically, follow the package directions. Usually, you'll want to soak the noodles from anywhere to 8-10 minutes, drain, rinse and divide among bowls.

6. Once your soup has simmered and you have the remaining ingredients ready. Divide the shrimp among your bowls, place the desired amount of noodles on top and ladle your soup in the bowls. Your soup will be hot and since shrimp is so delicate you will have no problem re-heating the little shrimpies during this process.

7.  Squeeze some Sriracha over your soup, a few dashes of fish sauce and scallions [use kitchen shears for your scallions, easiest!]

8. You might need a fork/chop sticks and a spoon. Enjoy!

Baked Manicotti

We are big fans of Cook's Illustrated/America's Test Kitchen in this house and when we're on the hunt for a REALLY good recipe, how to make something for the first time [complicated or simple] or that perfect blend of ingredients to make the best __________...we go there first.

So we were hankering for some good Italian food - like the kind of Italian we used to get back home in NJ that doesn't really exist here in New England [except maybe in the North End] - and I've never made manicotti before!  This is what we found and oh my was it good!

Here's the thing with these recipes, they have been tried and tested, if you've never made manicotti before, follow it!  Stick with whole milk ricotta cheese and fresh basil! Please?!

We really enjoyed this super meaty, flavorful dish! We have oven safe bowls and for leftovers I made sure to heat up the servings slowly in our toaster oven.  Garnish with a little more, freshly grated parmesan cheese and you are all set! Enjoy!

Welcome Back!

I couldn't believe how long it has actually been since I last posted! Yikes...if there is anyone left reading   I promise I have some good posts coming.

I have some posts waiting in the wings! An artist highlight featuring Lucky Lil' Leo Designs and a few restaurant reviews.  Recently, instead of carefully constructing and photographing dinner [or cupcakes] I have been just trying to get dinner on the table before 8pm.  I'm still getting use to our new kitchen...which means I'm constantly moving around my kitchen tools and appliances, I think the husband is going to glue everything down if I don't stick to an organizational plan soon!

This past year we bought a house, I started working full-time [regularly] and just recently I registered for a Culinary class! Next week I start a class entitled Baking & Pastry products and I'm a full mix of emotions. You can be sure I'll be posting about the failures, tips & tricks I'm sure to learn and baking mountains climbed.  I have no idea what I'm getting into...

So faithful readers, I'm back and hopefully I'll have a good update for you next week. Here's hoping I don't set anything on fire... eek!