Chinese Sesame Chicken

Jason and I cannot find a Chinese restaurant we like in Denver, so I decided to make my own Chinese food!  The sauce is just the way I like it, sweet and a little spicy.  We both thought it tasted as good as our favorite restaurant in KC and decided this is the way we will go when we want Chinese.  Fyi, it is not healthy but so worth it!!

It is a lot of ingredients but pretty easy. I made the batter the night before.

Batter:

• 8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch cubes
• 2 1/4 cups self-rising flour
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 cups water

Sweet Sesame Sauce:

• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/8 cup vinegar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 TB dark soy sauce
• 2 TB sesame oil
• 1 tsp chili paste, I used Siracha- use more if desired
• 1 clove garlic (minced)

 Combine flour, 2 tablespoons oil, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, salt, white pepper, and egg. Add 1 1/2 cups water gradually to make a thick batter. Stir to blend thoroughly. Add chicken pieces, and stir until chicken is well coated. 

Mix together all of the sauce ingredients.  Pour them into a small pot and bring to a boil, stirring continuously. Turn the heat down to low and keep warm while you are deep-frying the chicken.

Heat oil in skillet or wok to 360 degrees F (180 degrees C). Fry chicken pieces in hot oil 10 minutes, or until golden. Remove chicken, and drain on paper towels.  

Just before you are finished deep-frying, bring the sauce back up to a boil.
Place the chicken on a large platter and pour the sauce over.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve the Sesame Chicken with rice.


I hope you like it!

Robin

Thai Chicken Pizza

I love the Thai Won On at Barley's Brewhaus...unfortunately they do not have a restaurant in CO so I had to try to copy the pizza in my own kitchen. I have used a packaged dough but have never been satisfied. My mom makes the best homemade pizzas using California Pizza Kitchen's crust, so I figured it would be worth a try. This will be my pizza crust from now on!

Ingredients:
California Pizza Kitchen Crust:

• 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon warm water (at about 110F)
• 1 1/2 cups bread flour(high gluten flours also work)
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil

Directions:
1. Dissolve the yeast in the water and let it proof for 5 to 10 minutes. The yeast should have a little island of fizz/bubbles before you start. (if you're using instant yeast dissolve it in the water and skip the proof).
2. In a separate bowl mix all of the dry ingredients and create a little well in the middle. Dump your yeast mixture and the olive oil into the well and stir with either your fingers or a wooden spoon.
3. Once a lumpy kind of dough forms lightly oil your hands and start to knead the ball. Knead it for at least 5 minutes, until the dough is smooth but slightly tacky.
4. Lightly coat the ball in olive oil and place in an airtight container, allow to rise at room temperature for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
5. You can use the dough at this point, but for a finer texture and a nice, mellow sort of tang do the following: Deflate the dough, bunch it back up into a ball, put it back into the container, and store it in your refrigerator overnight.
6. About 2 hours before you're going to make your pizza remove the dough from the refrigerator, deflate again, and split into 2 equal portions. Roll both portions into balls, sealing any cracks as tightly as possible. Place the new dough balls on opposite sides of a shallow dish and cover with plastic wrap. Let them sit at room temperature for the aforementioned 2 hours (they'll be much easier to shape).

*I followed the directions except I let the dough rise for an hour in a sealed bowl on my counter top, split in 1/2, knead, and rolled out and started my pizzas.

Thai Won On Ingredients:

• 2 skinless chicken breasts
• 1 clove garlic
  
• BBQ Sauce (recommend Sweet Baby Ray's)
• 1 8oz bag Italian Blend Cheese-if you like it cheesy, you may need another bag
  
• Red onion-diced
• Broccoli-cut in small pieces
  
• Crushed unsalted peanuts
• Peanut Sauce
• Peanut Butter (a couple spoonfuls warmed up)
  
• Red Pepper Flakes
  

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 400 F.

Cut chicken breasts in small pieces and cook in olive oil and minced garlic. Add bbq sauce to chicken and set aside.

Split dough in 1/2 and roll out on corn meal dusted or flour dusted counter. It depends how thick you like your crust, I roll it out pretty thin. Spread a good amount of BBQ sauce on pizza dough, add chicken and some diced onion. Cover with cheese. Add additional toppings: broccoli, crushed peanuts, and onion. Use a fork to drizzle warm peanut butter, drizzle peanut sauce, and depending on how spicy you like, add red pepper flakes.

I hope you like it as much as we do!!

Chicken Souvlaki Gyro Style

Jason wanted gyros for dinner one night and I have never made them but got excited for something new! I found this recipe on Allrecipes.com, these were excellent, full of flavor, and the leftovers are delish!

Ingredients

• Souvlaki Marinade:
• 3/4 cup balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

• Tzatziki Sauce (cucumber sauce):
• 1/2 cup seeded, shredded cucumber
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
• 1/2 teaspoon Greek seasoning
• kosher salt to taste
• freshly ground black pepper to taste

• 4 large pita bread rounds
• 1 heart of romaine lettuce, cut into 1/4 inch slices
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tomato, halved and sliced
• 1/2 cup kalamata olives
• 1 cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions

1. In a small bowl, mix the balsamic vinaigrette, juice from 1/2 lemon, oregano, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Place chicken in a large resealable plastic bag. Pour marinade over the chicken, seal, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
2. Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat.
3. Toss the shredded cucumber with 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and allow to sit at least 5 minutes. In a medium bowl, mix the yogurt, sour cream, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, rice vinegar, and olive oil. Season with garlic, fresh dill, and Greek seasoning. Squeeze the cucumber to remove any excess water; stir into sauce. Season to taste with kosher salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to use.
4. Remove chicken from marinade and place on prepared grill. Discard remaining marinade. Cook chicken until juices run clear, about 8 minutes on each side. Remove chicken from heat, and allow to sit about 10 minutes before slicing into thin strips.
5. Place pita rounds on the grill, and cook for about 2 minutes, until warm, turning frequently to avoid burning. Stuff pita pockets with chicken, toppings, and sauce.

Enjoy!

German Cheddar and Beer Fondue

This is Rachael Ray's recipe I found on the Food Network's website. It's great served with fresh french bread. Next time I make this I will add more beer to make it thinner.

Ingredients

• 1 sack, 10 ounces, 2 1/2 cups, shredded sharp cheddar, available on dairy aisle
• 1/4 to 1/3 pound, 4 to 6 ounces, Gruyere, shredded
• 1 rounded tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 cup German lager beer
• 2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
• A few drops hot sauce
• A few drops worcestershire sauce
  

Directions

Combine cheeses in a bowl with flour. Add beer to a small pot and bring up to a bubble over medium heat. Reduce the heat to simmer and add cheese in handfuls. Stir constantly, melting the cheese in batches. Stir in a figure-eight pattern with wooden spoon. When the cheese has been incorporated fully, stir in the mustard, hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Transfer fondue to warm fondue pot.

Yummy Lemon Bars

I have never liked lemon anything but I like these!

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 
  
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 lemons, juiced
• lemon zest

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. In a medium bowl, blend together softened butter, 2 cups flour and 1/2 cup sugar. Press into the bottom of an ungreased 9x13 inch pan.
3. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until firm and golden. In another bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar and 1/4 cup flour. Whisk in the eggs and lemon juice. Pour over the baked crust.
4. Bake for an additional 20 minutes in the preheated oven. The bars will firm up as they cool.

Mississippi Caviar

My mother-in law gave me this recipe, it's great in the summer because it is light and fresh.

1 can black beans, corn, and black eyed peas-drained
1 green bell pepper
1/2 medium onion
1 jalepeno
1 bunch of cliantro
tomatoes (optional)

Dressing:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup vinegar
1 zesty italian spice pack (salad dressing)
or use Zesty Italian salad dressing

Rinse the beans/ peas add everything together. Mix oil/vinegar and spice pack pour over top. Best served cold with tortilla chips.

Sweet Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts

This is a great summer appetizer to share with friends. I recently took it to a BBQ and everyone loved and asked for the recipe.

Here is what you need:
toothpicks
1 can whole water chestnuts-drained
bacon-cut each strip in 1/2
1 can pineapple chunks
teriyaki sauce- I highly recommend East-West Sweet Ginger Teriyaki sauce, it has a purple foil top and can be found at Hy-Vee or King Soopers in the Asian isle- my whole family uses it, great on steaks and chicken!
brown sugar-optional

Directions:
In bowl add teriyaki sauce, a little pineapple juice, and water chestnuts, the longer it sits the more flavor. Once the bacon strips are cut in half, place a water chestnut and piece of pineapple and roll up and place on cookie sheet. Continue until water chestnuts are gone. I like to sprinkle brown sugar on top of each wrap for extra flavor. Bake under broil for 10-15 minutes or until crispy, keep and eye on them! If your cookie sheet does not have sides, you may want to put foil on the rack below because of the bacon grease. Use the toothpicks to take off cookie sheet and place on paper towel to drain extra grease and cool.

Enjoy!
Robin