Mongolian Beef

Yum yum! This one was yummy but it took a little bit of work. I had a large flank steak so I had to cook the meat in multiple batches and it made a splattery mess. The sauce is a keeper but next time I would use it with a regular stir fry that uses less oil. On the plus side my wok was marvelous and everything slide right off it, go Wicket! We served it up with some brown rice and steamed broccoli. Healthy and delicious.

Mongolian Beef

(Pinterest find! adapted from justataste.com)

Ingredients:
Vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup water
2/3 cup dark brown sugar
1 (1-pound) flank steak
1/4 cup cornstarch
Directions:
1. Heat 2 teaspoons vegetable oil in a small saucepot over medium-low heat. Add the ginger and garlic and sauté until golden, about 2 minutes. Add the soy sauce and water, stirring to combine.
2. Stir in the brown sugar and increase the heat to medium. Bring the sauce to a boil for 3 minutes. Remove the sauce from the heat and set aside.
3. Slice the flank steak against the grain into 1/4-inch pieces, then toss it with the cornstarch. Place the coated pieces of steak in a sieve and shake off any excess cornstarch. Allow the steak to sit 10 for minutes.
3. Place a large sauté pan or wok over medium-high heat and add 1/2 cup vegetable oil. Once the oil is hot, add the beef to the pan and sauté for 2 minutes until it is seared on all sides but barely cooked in the center. Remove the steak from the pan with a slotted spoon and transfer it onto a paper towel-lined plate. Pour any excess oil out of the wok.
4. Place the sauté pan back over medium heat. Add the prepared sauce to the hot pan, then add the reserved steak and cook at a boil, stirring constantly, 2 minutes. Serve!

I had the coolest lunch at the table today in school!

Shanghai Cucumbers

Obviously it's not cucumber season so the cucumber I picked up for a salad was a bit on the dry side. This recipe was the perfect solution. I loved these Shanghai Cucumbers. Mr. Lawyer thought they were okay but I think he's really weird about Asian inspired flavors, especially sesame. The longer they sat in the fridge, the better they got. It was the perfect after school snack!

Shanghai Cucumbers

(a P.F. Chang's Copycat Recipe)

Ingredients:
1 cucumber, sliced in desired shaped
3 tablespoons soy sauce, low sodium!
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil, depends on taste
1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds
Directions:
1. Mix together soy, vinegar, and sesame oil.
2. Pour over cucumbers, toss to coat.
3. Sprinkle sesame seeds over dish, refrigerate before serving.

Crock Pot Meatloaf?!

Mr. Lawyer made this meatloaf in Law School and really liked it so I decided to give it a go when he requested meatloaf. The flavor was nothing special, regular meatloaf taste, but it was so moist! Definitely an interesting spin to cook it in the crock pot. Plus it made the apartment smell so good!

On the other hand the picture is horrible! Apologies. In order to get through the gross meatloaf picture (can you ever make meatloaf look pretty?!) I'll start with some yummy chinese food on Fiesta! I was finally able to eat real food yesterday (I had been sticking to cereal since Saturday) so we decided to celebrate by ordering out. Yum yum.

 Gross looking but yummy tasting!

Old-Fashioned Meatloaf

(from Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker)

Ingredients:
1.5 pounds ground chuck or meatloaf mix
2/3 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon minced onion or shallot
3 tablespoons grated carrot
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1/2 cup ketchup or tomato chili sauce for topping
Directions:
1. Place ground meat, oats, and egg in a large mixing bowl. Add ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, onion, carrot, salt, and pepper. Mix together gently but thoroughly. Shape the meat into a mounded oval or loaf.
2. Make a foil cradle to help remove the cooked meatloaf. Take a 14 inch strip of foil, fold it in half lengthwise, and fold again to form a 3 inch strip. Repeat with a second piece. Place both strips in the crock pot in the shape of an X.
3. Place the meat mound in the crock pot and slather on the 1/2 cup ketchup. Cover and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours.
4. To remove grasp the foil handles and lift the meatloaf up and out onto a platter.

Kung POW!

Quick and easy with a decent flavor, this recipe worked for us. The heat built up slowly but I might add a bit more chili oil for a quicker zip. I also used brown rice, which Mr. Lawyer isn't a fan of, but he really didn't notice.

I know I said I'd save the Fiesta until after our wedding but yeah....that's not happening. I had a lunch date with Amanda and she decided that she wanted Fiesta in her new apartment when she moves so we planned out her color scheme and I got all super excited again. I figured that the salad/cereal bowl would work well for this rice dish and it did! Once Mr. Lawyer saw mine he wanted to eat it in a Fiesta dish, win! I told him that we needed to try everything out before we commit to it on our registry, I don't think I'll have a problem convincing him...the two bowls have been perfect for a variety of dishes!

Easy Kung Pao Chicken

(from Food Network Magazine)

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons chinese rice wine
3 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 1/4 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into small chunks
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons asian chili oil
3 tablespoons peanut oil
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 1 1/2-inch piece ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
2 bunches scallions (whites cut into 1/2-inch pieces, greens sliced)
4 cups precut stir-fry vegetables
1/2 cup cocktail peanuts
Cooked rice, for serving (optional)
Directions:
1. Mix 1 tablespoon soy sauce and 2 teaspoons each rice wine, cornstarch and water in a medium bowl. Add the chicken and toss; cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
2. Whisk the remaining 2 teaspoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon rice wine and 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch, the sugar, chili oil and 2 tablespoons water in a small bowl.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons peanut oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and stir-fry 30 seconds. Transfer to a plate.
4. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon peanut oil in the skillet. Add the garlic, ginger, scallion whites and precut vegetables; stir-fry until the vegetables are crisp-tender, 5 minutes. Add the chicken and peanuts and stir-fry until the chicken is cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir the soy sauce-chili oil mixture, add to the skillet and cook until the sauce thickens, 30 seconds. Serve over rice and top with the scallion greens.

Chinese Walnut Chicken

I've been on quick and easy chicken and rice dinner mode as I re-adjust to school and find my cooking mojo! This is an old recipe that my mom use to make, I remember the Dork and I just dying for this. It's a nice basic recipe, no crazy flavors or anything weird. I did ad a dash of sesame oil to it because I'm all fancy and worldly now.

Chinese Walnut Chicken

(from the Mother Unit)

Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts, cubed
1/2 teaspoon pepper, salt
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon cornstarch
5 tablespoons canola oil, divided
1 tablespoon soy sauce
Directions:
1. Mix cornstarch, salt, pepper, sugar, soy, and 2 tablespoons oil. Add chicken and stir.
2. Saute walnuts in 1 tablespoon oil. Remove from pan.
3. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil and add chicken. Stir fry for 2 minutes. Add walnuts.
4. Stir in chicken broth and stir fry until chicken is cooked. Serve over rice.

Spicy Chinese Chicken

When we sat down for dinner and Mr. Lawyer took a bite he said something along the lines of "wow, it really has been a long time since you cooked a meal." Yikes! Good thing this spicy chinese chicken was a decent hit. I say decent because I had higher expectations for certain parts but it was completely delicious and edible. The chicken was very moist. After reading the comments I was worried that the vinegar would be overpowering so I decreased it a smidge and replaced that part with water. It worked out fine. We served it up with some steamed broccoli and rice.

Issue #1 - I wanted it to be crunchier! If I make it again I will probably follow the coating recipe for my General Tso's Chicken. Doing the egg last was creepy and it did puff up and cook when you threw it in the oil. 

Issue #2 - I wanted it to be spicier! When I tasted the sauce before I cooked it I thought it was spicy enough but after baking it the spice went away! It was more of a tangy and sweet sauce instead of spicy.

Issue #3 - Not enough sauce! Sad story. I suppose it was healthier that way.

Spicy Chinese Chicken

(Pinterest find! From Mandy's Recipe Box)

Ingredients:

3-4 boneless chicken breasts
salt & pepper
1 cup cornstarch
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup canola oil
Spicy Sauce:
1/4 cup sugar
4 tbsp ketchup
1/2 cup vinegar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp garlic salt
Sriracha Hot Sauce to taste (I used 1 teaspoon)
Red Pepper flakes
Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. 

2. Cut chicken into cubes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Dip chicken into the cornstarch to coat then dip into the eggs. Heat 1/4 cup oil in a large skillet and cook your chicken until browned but not cooked through. 

3. Place the chicken in a 9x13 greased baking dish. Mix all of your Spicy Sauce ingredients in a bowl with a whisk and then pour evenly over the chicken.
4. Bake for one hour and during the baking process you will need to turn the chicken every 15 minutes. Sprinkle with Red Pepper flakes before serving.

A Chicken Hit!

This one was a hit! I love that it is a straight forward fix it and forget it meal. The sauce was amazing and I loved the taste of it before I cooked it. I bet it would be delicious on a stir fry too. The only thing I had to alter was the chicken, I used regular chicken thighs and halved the recipe. Delicious!

Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken

(Pinterest find! From Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen)

Ingredients:
12 boneless skinless chicken thighs (about 3 pounds)
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
6 tablespoons cider vinegar
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger (I threw in some fresh ginger too)
3/4 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
4 1/2 teaspoons cold water
Hot cooked long grain rice
Directions:
1. Place chicken in a 4 qt. slow cooker.  In a large bowl, combine the sugar, soy sauce, cider vinegar, ginger, garlic and pepper. Pour over chicken. 

2.  Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours or until chicken is tender. Remove chicken to a serving platter; keep warm. 

3. Skim fat from cooking liquid. Place liquid in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Combine cornstarch and water until smooth. Gradually stir into liquid and stir until sauce is thickend. 

4. Serve with chicken and rice.

Shrimp Toast!

Mrs. T and I planned an appetizer night for the boys and it was (mostly) a success. I was drawn to this recipe on pinterest because the picture looked amazing. The original recipe was fried in oil which I wasn't a fan of (although I'm sure it tasted 10x better) so I found another recipe that broiled the shrimp toasts and cooked them that way. This recipe has potential. I liked it but I felt that it was lacking a little something....some zip or pop of flavor. I will keep experimenting with shrimp toasts! (that is if the price of shrimp goes down...)

Spicy Shrimp Toast

(Pinterest find! Adapted from forkspoonbacon.com)

Ingredients:
½ inch piece ginger, peeled
2 garlic cloves
1/2 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 cup water chestnuts
1 egg white
1 green onion, thinly sliced
1 1/2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 loaf sourdough bread, cut into 1 inch squares
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
Directions:
1. Put garlic and ginger in a food processor and pulse.
2. Scrape down sides of bowl and add remaining shrimp paste ingredient, pulse until you get a paste.
3. Cut up bread and place on cookie sheet. Broil for a couple minutes to toast.

4. Spread 1 tablespoon of shrimp mixture on each toast, sprinkle with sesame seeds and broil for 5 minutes or until toasted.

Buffalo Chicken Rolls

My contribution to last nights dinner party gathering was some scrumptious Buffalo Chicken Rolls. They were incredibly easy, the egg rolls wrappers are much easier to work with than the spring rolls wrappers (and much to Mr. Lawyer's delight they don't remind him of condoms.) They all disappeared so it was a hit. This picture sucks, you can't see any of the chicken or cheese oozing out! But this was my taste taster that was made with the little bit of chicken that was leftover at the end.

Buffalo Chicken Rolls

(Pinterest! Adapted from Can You Stay For Dinner Blog)

Ingredients:
12 egg roll wrappers
1 cup cooked and shredded chicken
1/2- 2/3 cup Frank’s Red Hot Sauce
1 cup crumbled blue cheese
Small bowl of water
Nonstick cooking spray
Blue cheese dressing, for serving
Directions:

1. Mix shredded chicken with hot sauce.

2. Layout the egg roll wrapper diagonally (so it looks like a diamond) and place the desired amount of chicken and blue cheese just below the middle (instructions are normally on the egg roll package). Fold up the bottom corner. Then fold in the two sides. Lightly moisten the top corner and start to roll it up.

3. Spray a wire rack and place on a cookie sheet. Add the rolls and lightly spray them as well.

4. Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Serve with blue cheese dressing.

The set up.

A Hit And A Miss

I love asian food, I love BLTs, I loved these spring rolls (especially once I added some Cabot Cheddar....which is always on my BLTs.). Mr. Lawyer on the other hand started out with a "Aren't spring rolls suppose to be fried" which was quickly followed by him comparing the rice paper to a condom. Needless to say, he took all the insides out and I was left to eat the lion's share. I was worried about using rice paper for the first time but it was super easy! (see the pictures below) The Sriracha Mayo was to die for and would be a welcome addition to any sandwich.

BLT Spring Rolls

(from Inspired Taste)

Ingredients:
4 8-inch rice paper (spring roll) wrappers
2 cups packed shredded or baby lettuce leaves
1 large tomato, cut into 1/4-inch slices
4 strips cooked thick-cut bacon
Cabot Cheddar Cheese!
1/4 cup mayonnaise
juice of 1/2 a lime
1-2 teaspoons Sriracha chili sauce
salt to taste
Directions:
1. Combine mayonnaise, lime juice and 1 teaspoon of chili sauce. Taste for spiciness then add more chili sauce if needed. Season with salt.
2. Dip a rice paper into a plate of warm water for 5-10 seconds; shake off excess water and place on a clean kitchen towel or cutting board. Stack shredded or baby lettuce leaves on the lower third of the rice paper. Add tomatoes then a strip of bacon. Spread about 2 teaspoons of lime mayonnaise then top with some more lettuce.
3. Fold the bottom of the rice paper up over the lettuce, tomato and bacon. Fold in the sides, then roll up. Repeat with remaining ingredients. If one of the wrappers rips, carefully overlap the two edges then continue to assemble the roll.

Soak.

 Fill it up.

 Fold.

Double It!

After last night's dud I'm glad tonight's dinner had one major problem.....We didn't have enough!  I'll be keeping this lovely little pinterest find and doubling it next time. The lettuce wraps were a nice healthy twist and it was perfect when topped off with a little sriracha!

Cashew Chicken Lettuce Wraps

(from tastykitchen.com)

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 chicken breasts, diced
8 leaves of greenleaf or iceburg lettuce
3 tablespoons peanut oil
1 cup onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/4 cup cashews, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Mix soy, vinegar, brown sugar, red pepper, ginger and sesame oil. Set aside.
2. Heat peanut oil in pan over medium to medium high heat. Add diced chicken and brown (about 4-5 minutes). Remove chicken from oil. Add onions, garlic and 1 teaspoon soy sauce to pan; brown. When onions and garlic are brown and tender, add stir fry sauce, browned chicken, and cashews. Saute mixture for a few minutes and remove from heat.
3. Spoon chicken mixture into individual lettuce leaves. Add your favorite hot sauce, more cashews or basil.

Inside Out, Upside Down

And not yummy! I was very excited for this recipe. I found it on pinterest, it looked delicious and it would have worked perfectly for Meatless Monday. Sadly, it did not come out as I hoped. It was really lacking a burst of flavor. Mr. Lawyer doctored it up with some more sweet chili sauce which did help but at that point I didn't care. It did need more sauce so maybe double that part of the recipe? I am not ashamed to admit that I made a PB&J after dinner which still left me unsatisfied! I blame the bread that's been in our fridge for 2 weeks and old peanut butter. *Sighs* Not my kitchen night.

There was also a lot of prep work involved which might have been due to the fact that I lack the upper arm strength to use the mandoline efficiently. Mr. Lawyer normally takes over the mandoline....probably because he's afraid I'll slice off a finger.

Also, canned organic baby corn is gross. I picked all mine out.

Inside Out Chinese Spring Roll Salad

(found on pinterest, from better recipes.com)

Ingredients:
2 oz Bean Thread, mung bean noodles (subbed rice noodles)
3 cups Shredded Napa Cabbage
1 cup Torn Watercress (omitted)
1 Carrot, cut into matchstick thin strips
1/2 cup Seedless Cucumber, cut into matchstick thin strips
1/2 cup Red Bell Pepper, cut into matchstick thin strips
1 Green Onion, minced
1 cup Chopped Baby Corn
2 Tbsp Snipped Cilantro
2 Tbsp Snipped Mint
1 Tbsp Sesame Oil
2 Tbsp Sweet Chili Sauce
2 Tbsp Lime Juice
1 tsp Soy Sauce
1 tsp Minced Ginger Root
1 Large Clove Garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp Lime Zest
Garnish- Black Sesame Seeds
Directions:
1. Soak the bean threads in warm water to cover for 10 minutes or till pliable. Drain, then cook in boiling water till the noodles expand and appear glasslike, 1-2 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water and drain again. Cut into 4-inch lengths. Place in a large bowl along with the rest of the salad ingredients. In a small bowl whisk together the ingredients for the dressing till well combined; toss with the salad to evenly coat. Garnish with sesame seeds.

Spicy Stir Fry

Only one Valentine's flower left so I moved it to a new vase, recycling at it's finest!

Tonight Wicket and I got busy and whipped up some stir fry. I'm guessing it was good because there aren't any leftovers. I used the Szechuan sauce I had in the freezer from my sauce making party. I was worried it was going to be too spicy because when I tasted it it was all POW! But once it was mixed with the meat and veggies the spice dissipated. It would slowly build instead of being all in your face. 

Spicy Beef and Broccoli

Ingredients:

1 1/ 2 teaspoons sesame oil
1/ 2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1/ 2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/ 2 cup chicken broth
1 1/ 2 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/ 2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon hoisin sauce (didn't have, so I added a spot of honey)
1/8 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1/ 8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/ 4 teaspoon pepper
1/ 8 teaspoon 5 spice powder
2 teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in 1 Tablespoon water

Beef, cut in strips

Broccoli

Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a small saucepan. Add the ginger and garlic and saute 1 minute until softened but not browned.
2. In a bowl combine the remaining except for the cornstarch mixture. Add them to the saucepan and bring to a simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.
3. Whisk in the cornstarch mixture and let boil 1-2 minutes.

4. Meanwhile heat your wok and add beef, 4-5 minutes until cooked.

5. Remove beef, set aside. Stir fry broccoli. 

6. Return beef to wok with broccoli and add sauce. Stir till coated. Serve!

Veggie Lo Mein

I am out of rice but just happened to find some real lo mein noodles on my last shopping trip. There was also a convenient sale on baby bok choy and mushrooms, one of my favorite stir fry combinations. I figured this was a sign to try to make my first lo mein dish! It was mostly successful. The sauce wasn't as rich or flavorful as I wanted it but I think that's because I didn't follow a recipe and was just kind of throwing things together without measuring (the horror!). I wanted it to be spicy and remind me of the lo mein we always had at the Mongolian Bar in college but alas, that did not happen. While I was mixing it tasted wonderful but once I added it to the dish the taste dissipated. But in true lo mein fashion it was better the next day. I can attest to this as I am sitting here eating the leftovers for breakfast as I type!

Mushroom and Baby Bok Choy Lo Mein

(created in my kitchen!)

No real recipe because I winged it! But the sauce included: soy, a few dashes of sesame oil, dry sherry (subbed for rice wine vinegar), fresh garlic, onion, ginger and pepper. Right before you add it to the dish you add some cornstarch to thicken it up and make it glossy.

And because I mentioned college and can't resist this little gem from the internet....

Truth. Every time she comes on Ashley and I tell our significant others "Hey. She went to Binghamton." Mr. Lawyer hates it. Every. Single. Time.

Holy Sauce.

The most perfect day ever. I just spent 4+ hours rocking out to excellent music while making a mess in my kitchen and creating delicious things. Oh, and eating Peanut M&M's out of my apron pocket. Because that's what life is about.

A bazillion different things: olive bread proofing in the microwave, soup stock simmering, sauce going in The General, and a messy prep counter.

In researching Asian cuisine and wok use it seems that the most time consuming part of stir frying is making the sauce. When the actual act of stir frying is so simple and quick no one wants to come home, take out a bazillion ingredients, and whip up some sauce before starting up the wok. Today my mission was to bake bread and make soup. These activities require a lot of down time between proofings and stock boilings. Problem solved. Let's sauce it up and make a collection of stir fry sauces that can chill out in the freezer.

I wasn't joking about the M&Ms.

Take a peek at the sauce recipes!

DIVIDED!

Oh wow. So I messed up hardcore. In between trying to finish Christmas cards and fighting a killer migraine of doooom I ran to the kitchen to throw dinner into the crockpot. Evidently I grossly misread the recipe which brings me to my new cooking pet peeve: if you don't use all of the ingredient at once, write DIVIDED on the ingredient list. Impatient people like me cannot be trusted to carefully read through the whole recipe especially when my head is going to explode. I mixed the full amount of brown sugar and soy sauce into the marinade. Oops. After the chicken cooked away in the crockpot for a bit I had to have Mr. Lawyer finish the last step while I mumbled instructions from the couch, it went like this:
"Recipe counter...tomato paste, water....broiler....sticky."
"sugar, paste, water"
"no I already put in all the sugar"
"did you read the directions?"
"....."
On the happy side of things, it still came out delicious! The sauce/coating just wasn't as sticky/thick as it should have been. I poured some of the extra liquid onto my rice and it added some nice flavor to the rice (P.S. If you only order a quart of rice you don't get a fortune cookie! I'm so upset). The chicken was fall off the bone perfect (I love crockpot chicken! So easy to eat!) and the flavor was sweet with a vague asian flavor. It was probably sweeter than the proper recipe but oh well, that's life. At least it still came out yummy! Here is the original recipe....with my added notions.

Slow Cooked Sticky Chicken

(adapted from Cook's Illustrated Slow Cooker Revolution)

Ingredients:
3/4 cup brown sugar, DIVIDED
1/4 cup soy sauce, DIVIDED
2 tablespoons of minced ginger
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne or red pepper
3 lbs chicken, breast, thighs, legs, etc. (we used thighs)
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup tomato paste

Directions:
1. Combine 1/4 cup sugar, 2 tablespoon soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and cayenne pepper. Add chicken and toss to coat.
2. Place in a slow cooker and cook on low for about 4 hours or until done.
3. When done place chicken in a broiler proof dish. Combine remaining 1/2 cup sugar, water, and tomato paste, and remaining soy sauce. Brush on chicken and cook under the broiler for about 5 minutes or until chicken is slightly crisp.

P.S. Did you know that you can keep fresh ginger root in the freezer? I love fresh ginger but can never use it up before it goes bad. The last time I bought some I peeled the whole root, wrapped it up and threw it in the freezer. For this recipe I pulled it out, grated it up and voila! Fresh ginger without the waste!

The General

I received a new pan yesterday so why not christen it right away? Meet the General:

Surprisingly despite all the stuff I have in my kitchen (ice cream maker, christmas shaped ice cubes, pancake pen, cupcake corer) I lack a great many things. Like a pan that can go in the oven/under the broiler (enter the General!), or ramekins for yummy desserts, or a decent sharp knife (seriously, I'm surprised I still have all my fingers). The General is oven/broiler proof (woo!) and it was the perfect shape/height to try out some light frying which will never occur in my kitchen again. For starters, it was scary (like making caramel scary), secondly how can you tell if it's done? (hellooooo food poisoning), um it's not really healthier if you're frying it yourself right? (haha, nope), and holy heck the mess (it's fine, my stove top needed a good scrubbing anyway, and now I know there won't be a grease fire). Oh yeah, it was also time consuming because you had to do it little batches. However the end result was delicious. But I won't make it again for the previously mentioned reasons but I will be keeping it for the sauce recipe which was to die for. It wasn't as spicy as a restaurants  but that is easily corrected. In fact I made a second half batch to put on the leftover rice. Speaking of the rice, I cheated and got it from the chinese place downstairs. I also used small pieces of chicken breast because it's what was in the freezer and I figured it would be easier to cook without dying of food poisoning but because of my paranoia some of the smaller pieces were a little overcooked and dry. Side-note: I have not been feeling creative with any of my photographs/they all suck and that makes me sad. I'm in the same boat with baking. Right so General Tso's Chicken, hence how the pot got it's name. 

General Tso's Chicken

(Tasty Kitchen Website)

Ingredients:
For the Chicken:
1-½ teaspoon Toasted Sesame Oil
1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
1 whole Large Egg White
¼ cups Plus 2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
1 pound Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs
Canola, Peanut, Or Vegetable Oil For Frying
For the sauce:
1 Tablespoon Peanut, Canola Or Vegetable Oil
2 cloves Garlic, Peeled And Minced
2 Tablespoons Finely Chopped Fresh Ginger Root
1 cup Chicken Broth Or Stock
¼ cups Soy Sauce
1 Tablespoon Cornstarch
1 teaspoon Chinese Chile-garlic Sauce
3 Tablespoons Raw (turbinado Or Demerara) Sugar
For serving:
4 whole Scallions, Thinly Sliced
Steamed Rice
Steamed Broccoli
Directions:
1. In a mixing bowl, stir together the sesame oil, soy sauce, egg white, and 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of cornstarch until a thick slurry forms.
2. Add the chicken pieces and stir until all are evenly coated. Set chicken aside, covered lightly with plastic wrap, at room temperature for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add the tablespoon of oil to a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over high heat. Stir the garlic and ginger into the oil and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining sauce ingredients until smooth. Pour into the garlic and ginger, stirring, until the sauce becomes thick and shiny. Once the sauce thickens, lower heat and keep the saucepan over a low burner partially covered to stay warm.
5. Heat 1/2-inches of oil in a heavy-bottomed, high-sided frying pan or skillet over high heat.
6. When the oil is shimmering, add one piece of chicken at a time, taking care not to crowd the pan. Cook chicken for 4 minutes on each side, or until deep golden brown and crisp on both sides.
7. Transfer the fried chicken to a paper towel lined plate and repeat the process until you’ve cooked all the chicken.
8. Then slide all of the fried chicken into the prepared sauce and toss to coat. (If desired, add some steamed broccoli to coat with the sauce also.) Increase the heat to medium, stir and cook just until hot all the way through.
9. Sprinkle with sliced scallions and serve immediately over white rice.