Spicy Chicken

So I was planning on making a version of General Tso's chicken last week.  I had the best of intentions and then I started cooking.  And well, one thing led to another and I ended up with Spicy Chicken.  Still pretty good, but not quite what I was planning.

It started with my deciding that I didn't feel like making Hoisin Sauce, that I would just use the Tonkatsu Sauce that I had in the refrigerator.  Which, while quicker, it meant that instead of using a sweeter sauce, I was using a spicy sauce. Next I decided instead of making or buying chili paste, that I would just break up a dried chili - or three.  What can I say, I love to cook on the fly and make it up as I go along.  At least this time I remember what I did.

Spicy Chicken
3 chicken legs, cubed
Seasoned flour for dredging
Oil of choice for cooking the chicken
1/4 chicken stock
1 1/2 Tablespoons tomato paste
1 Tablespoon tamari, coconut aminos or soy sauce
1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon Tonkatsu sauce
1 - 3 dried chilies broken or chopped into small pieces
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 Tablespoon rapadura

Dredge the chicken in seasoned flour and cook in the oil until cooked through.

Meanwhile, combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl and pour over the chicken cooking until thickened and heated through.

This post is part of Traditional Tuesdays at Cooking Traditional Foods

Menu Plan Monday - March 5th

I can't believe that it is March already.  Not that I'm complaining, I much prefer spring to winter.  Last week we never did have the southwest chicken, so that's on the agenda for this week.  We're also planning on a quick pasta sauce on Tuesday.

We changed our meat shopping from Friday evening to Saturday morning and are finding some great markdowns on it.

My lunch for this week was supposed to be  General Tso's chicken, but, well adventures happened. I ended up with Chili Chicken - or Spicy Chicken - or whatever you want to call it.  I'll post about it tomorrow so make sure to come back.

My menu plan starts on Saturday.  For the most part, sides are figured out during the week.  I always have plenty of starchy side dishes and frozen veggies to choose from.


Saturday - lentil soup

Sunday -fried chicken and baked beans

Monday - beef and rice tacos

Tuesday - pasta with a quick sauce

Wednesday - southwest chicken

Thursday - steak

Friday - pork chops



 

Cooking, Computer Games and Other Weekend Plans

This has been a crazy week.  Mainly because we stayed up until 1 in the morning on Monday night to watch the delayed Daytona 500.  It threw our whole week off, but was well worth it.

I'm excited about my cooking plans for the weekend.  I'm planning on making a version of General Tso's chicken.  Not sure how authentic it will be - or even if it is an authentic dish, I'm just shooting for yummy and close :)  Depending on how it turns out,

Tomorrow I'm getting together with two of the young people from our home church and we're going to play Nancy Drew games on the computer.  I'm very much looking forward to it.

I'm hoping to do some work on the kitchen cabinets this weekend.  I really need to do some organizing and possibly some purging.

On the craft front, I'll continue with the quilt kit and work on my white granny square blocks.  I will hopefully also have time to scrapbook.

What are your weekend plans?  Whatever they are, I hope that your weekend is relaxing and blessed.

This post is part of the Company Girl Coffee Blog Hop

 

 over at Home Sanctuary

Why I Don't Boycott Any Gas Station

It's become popular in recent years to call for boycotts of various gas stations.  Whether it is CITGO because of Hugo Chavez or BP because of the Gulf oil spill, you hear for calls to boycott.  Whenever I hear of one I just shake my head and continue buying my gas wherever. 

Here's why.  There is not a surplus of oil on the market.  That means, if America doesn't buy it's oil from Venezuela or wherever, it is still getting bought.  But we may end up paying a higher price for the oil that we do buy.  So either we buy it, or the Chinese buy it, or India buys it, or South Africa buys it, etc.  You get the idea.  They aren't going to loose money because we want to boycott them.  It's simple supply and demand.

Most, if not all, gas stations are actually franchises.  Which means that they are not owned by CITGO or BP, but rather are owned by people in your community.  When you decide to boycott their business, they are the ones that you are hurting, along with the people in your community that they employ.  Why would you want to take out your dislike for the gas company by hurting your neighbors?  It just doesn't make sense to me.

Just my 2 cents.

Chicken and Dessert - Recipe Review Times Two

I've posted recipes from Cooking Traditional Foods before, but I've never done an "official" review of any of them.  So I decided to finally do one - or two.

I've always been  intrigued by recipes for baked goods that don't use flour but rather use beans.  While I'm not gluten free, this does allow me to make brownies and not have to worry about soaking the flour (something that I go back and forth on).  But I also didn't want to be the only one that tried out the brownies, I wanted the opinions of others too.  And I wanted their opinion to be uncolored by the fact that it was made with beans - so I didn't tell them.  At least not until after they tried them.

Not only did no one guess that they are made any way other than the "normal" way, they raved about them.  My only caution is to make sure that the beans are completely pulverized.

Here's the recipe:

Chocolate Mint Bean Brownies

1½ cups cooked cannellini or black beans or 1 can, drained and rinsed
4 eggs
2 Tbs coconut oil or butter, melted
½ cup or more rapadura
3 Tbs cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp mint extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8x8 pan and set aside.

Combine the drained and rinsed beans with the remaining ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Pour into the greased pan and bake for 35 minutes or until set.

Cool completely before covering.

I'm also a complete sucker for mall Chinese food.  So imagine my delight in having a recipe for "Bourbon" chicken that is healthy and made with real ingredients :)  I'm having it for lunch this week and let me just tell you it does taste like it's fake food counterpart.

This recipe is actually located on the KerryAnn's blog.  Just click on the picture below to find it.


I hope you pop over and visit her blog for other great recipes.

This post is part of  Traditional Tuesdays at Cooking Traditional Foods, Real Food Wednesdays at Kelly the Kitchen Kop, Healthy 2day Wednesdays at day2day joys, and Homemaking Link-up at Raising Homemakers.

Menu Plan Monday - February 27

My menu plan starts on Saturday.  For the most part, sides are figured out during the week.  I always have plenty of starchy side dishes and frozen veggies to choose from.

This past weekend we celebrated my sister's birthday and Sunday was supposed to be the Daytona 500.  For the 500, we always order in pizza so that we don't have to cook in the middle of it. 

We didn't have the country ham from last week, so that's on the menu for tonight, though this time with potato salad.

Saturday - Mom's house

Sunday - pizza

Monday - country ham and potato salad

Tuesday - pasta

Wednesday - southwest chicken

Thursday - steak

Friday - beef patties and gravy

Lunch this week is "Bourbon" Chicken.  Look for a review and recipe link tomorrow.

 

Quilting, Scrapbooking and Other Weekend Plans

I finally, finally finished the baby blanket that I've been working on.   So now it is on to new craft projects.  I have a beginners quilt kit that I bought and I want to start working on it.  I'm learning to hand piece.  I also want to figure out how to crochet granny squares (wish me luck).  I have a baby blanket to make, though I won't start it until the mom finds out the gender.

Saturday we're going to my Mom's to celebrate my sister's birthday.  Which of course means cuddle time with my nephew.

Sunday is the Daytona 500.  I'll spend my afternoon watching the race and scrap booking.

On the cooking front not much is going on.  I'm going to make Bourbon Chicken this weekend and maybe some bean brownies.

What are your plans for the weekend.  Whatever they are, I hope that it is a blessed one.

This post is part of the Company Girl Coffee Blog Hop

 

 over at Home Sanctuary