Happy Chinese New Year!

It's the year of the goat and we are celebrating it in style. I based this recipe on one I found from ChefDaddy on allrecipes.com. Search General Tsao's Chicken III for the original if you would like, but here is my variation of it.

General Tsao's Chicken

Ingredents:

1 1/2 lbs chicken breast cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1/4 cup peas

1/4 cup carrots, chopped

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup water + 1/4 cup

2 tbs olive oil

1 tbs vinegar (distilled, rice, or apple cider)

2 tsp Valentina hot sauce

1/2 tsp garlic powder 

1/4 to 1/2 cup white sugar, to taste

half of one medium onion chopped

1 tablespoon corn starch

Place 1/4 cup water, peas and carrots in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 3-5 minutes or until just done, drain off excess liquid. Place 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook till translucent, Add chicken and cook until done. Meanwhile in a small bowl place the soy sauce, rest of the water, garlic powder, vinegar and sugar, stir to combine. Once the chicken is done remove it from the pan, set aside.
The next part goes very quick and so it is important that you have all the ingredient on hand.

Now, in the same saute pan place the rest of the oil and the hot sauce. Once that get aromatic but not brown add the liquid mixture and the corn starch, stir. Once combined add the chicken and vegetables. Bring to a boil and let thicken to your liking. 

My modifications are based on what I had on hand, so I can make it anytime we wanted. I hope you enjoy this recipe for your new year. Cheers!

Valentines Day 2015!

Hey there everyone. I hope you have an excellent Valentines Day yesterday. We had a pretty good one here. I had spend a lot of time this last week preparing for a brunch that I had invited my brother and sister to. I decorated the house and made goody boxes for everyone. We popped English crackers while we ate and followed up with a chocolate fondue courtesy of my in-laws (thank you much!) Later that night we had fettuccine in a home made alfredo sauce. That's what Valentines day is for us some of good food, a good time, and lots of chocolate. Celebrating all the love that exists in your life, where ever it may come from.

So for this post you are getting a double dose of my new year resolution. First is a new favorite of mine: Chocolate Waffles. Second, I will share with you an old favorite: Alfredo Sauce. Lets start cooking!

Chocolate Waffles

Ingredients:

1 Box of chocolate cake mix

1 1/3 cup water

1/3 cup oil or melted butter (butter make it crispier)

3 eggs

Note: the ingredients are just as they would be for making a cake mix so add water and oil as directed on the packaging.

Heat up your waffle iron and coat with oil or use cooking spray to grease. In a large bowl combine all the ingredients, mixing just as you would a regular cake mix. (Note: See note above). Place roughly 2/3 cup of the batter in the preheated waffle iron at a time, and set cook. Waffles are done when you can no longer see steam coming from the waffles iron. 

Enjoy with whipped cream, strawberries, chocolate syrup, chocolate chips, ice cream, or what ever you would enjoy. 

Homemade Alfredo Sauce

This recipe come courtesy of Rebecca Swift from allrecipes.com 

Ingredients:

1/4 Cup butter

1 cup heavy cream

1 clove of garlic, crushed

1 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

1/4 sup chopped fresh parsley

Start by melting the butter in a medium sized saucepan over low heat. Add cream and simmer for 5 minutes. Whisk in the garlic and cheese. Keep whisking till cheese is melted in. Stir in parsley and serve. If you have powdered garlic use about a teaspoon. For dried parsley use 1 tablespoon. 

I didn't use to like alfredo sauce, but after making this recipe I am hooked. It pares well with the Chicken Parmesan I posted a few weeks back, and of course some fettuccine. 

We had a great time and I hope you did too. Enjoy!

Tags: Valentines day, Chocolate breakfast, chocolate waffles, Alfredo, Chicken Parmesan

Quesadilla Supreme

One night for dinner we had planned on making taco pizza but ended up making this instead. It's a spicy creation that comes together in a snap. Lets get started.

You will need;
1 package of flour tortilla
2 cups shredded cheese
1 can refried bean (about 2 cups)
half a pound of ground beef
taco seasoning
1 cup salsa or red enchilada sauce (previous enchilada sauce recipe here)
shredded lettuce and green onions (optional)

1. Start by preparing your ground beef. Brown and add seasoning as packaging instructs. Heat up beans with 2 tablespoons of milk or water to thin it out a little.
2. After beans are heated through and beef is done assemble the ingredients together. Lay one tortilla on a large non stick baking sheet and sprinkle some cheese over it.
3. Cover with another tortilla then a layer of beans, beef, and another tortilla. Note: It may be easier to spread if  beans and beef are mixed together.

4. Cover that with more cheese then you did on the first layer.
5. Set the boiler to high and place a rack in the center of the over. Place quesadilla in heated oven for 3-5 minutes. Do not walk away but check it often to see if cheese is thoroughly melted.

6. Once done spread salsa or drizzle enchilada sauce over the top and garnish with green onions and shredded lettuce if desired.

Enjoy!

Tags: enchilada, quesadilla, Mexican food, Tex-Mex, Taco Pizza, easy weeknight meal.

Chicken Parmesan

Well folks! I promised one recipe a week and here is the first of many. I was inspired by a few recipes I saw online, but I made this one completely by myself and it is defiantly one I will be repeating in the future.

Chicken Parmesan

You will need:
1 lb chicken breast, cut into large pieces
1 egg
1/2 cup grated parmesan
1 tsp dried oregano leafs
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
oil for frying (about 1 cup)

Start by making sure your chicken is dry by patting it down with a paper towel. Wisk your egg in one flat bottomed bowl, set aside. In a wide flat bottomed bowl that has a snug fitting lid combine cheese, oregano, garlic powder, and onion powder. Heat the oil in a medium sized pan over medium heat. (I like to heat up the pan first then put the oil in. I think it heats up quicker, but the may just be me). Now to coat the chicken.

First place a piece of chicken in the egg, making sure to cover both sides, then let any excess drip off before moving to it to the the cheese mixture. Close the lid on the bowl firmly and shake to coat. (A bag can be used instead of a bowl for this step). Open the container and shake off the excess. Return to the egg  and to the cheese mixture for a second coating in the same manner as before. Place finished piece on a plate until all are coated. Once oil is hot, but not smoking, arrange your pieces in the pan so they all fit but don't touch. Once in the oil do not disturb! Allow it to cook on each side for about 7 minutes a side or until done.

I went ahead and made some pasta, marinara sauce and a side salad while the chicken was cooking and doesn''t that just look wonderful. And it was so yummy!

Enjoy!