Standing Ovation! Kung Pao Chicken

Imust say that I have times when I am craving Chinese food. I get on these kicks that I have to have Chinese food NOW! The problem is, it is very hard to find decent Chinese around here, not the people, the food. The people are fine, it is the food that is the problem. Too greasy, too bland, to dry, to MSG-ish. You see my dilemma don't you? Or how about this one: too inconsistent. I will finally find a place that is very tasty then go back and have the worst meal of my life. I guess they do not follow the recipes to a tee.


My Dad is an engineer and had the pleasure of working with many nationalities, so I must say we ate well. The dinner parties were grand to say the least. And there was my Mom in all those ethnic kitchens making mental notes as she watched the ladies cook and answer her many questions. She collected some really nice recipes along the way. I have taken a liking to Kung Pao Chicken but she does not have a recipe for that one. I was on my own. Low and behold the other day I was looking through all the food galleries and came across Bobby's Kung Pao Chicken from blogchef.net and I have to say it is a really nice recipe. It was quick, tasty, juicy, and everything a Kung Pao should be. The beauty of stir-fry is that you can adjust the recipe to your own tastes. I only tweaked his recipe a little as I did add some more red pepper flakes, I like it to clear my sinuses, and increased the peanuts to 1/2 cup because I want a peanut or two in every bite. Love that crunch. He also stated that one could add some vegetables so I added some big wedges of vidalia onion. This dish served over a bed of rice wins a Standing Ovation! Thanks Bobby for filling my Kung Pao Chicken void.

Be on the lookout, your blog could be next!


PS- If you know of any good Chinese restaurants in the DC Metro area let me know so I can support my Chinese Food addiction. Oh our Dim Sum place closed too, so if you know of one give me a shout.

Three Day Chicken

We don't know the right name for this chicken, I just know that it is good and worth the three days it takes to marinate. My cousin, Maryanne is a tremendous cook. She lives in Revere, MA on the same street as her parents and my other auntie and uncle. I have known Emmanuel Street and its people all my life. Saint Anthony's bells toll daily and the most welcome ring is at five o'clock, when the aromas of cooking waft through the streets calling all the kids home for dinner. Maryanne just got me hooked on a little Italian paper called The Boston Post-Gazette. She has me reading John Christoforo's column called Nanna and Babbononno and Vita's Recipes from the Homeland. Some of these articles remind me of the stories my family told me about my own Italian grandparents. So if you are of the Italian heritage give these a read.

The cookouts that my Auntie Josie put on were ridiculous with food. She put it all out there. Salads, all kinds of meats, appetizers, vegetables, desserts including Italian pastries, and the good bread. Maryanne and her parents, Uncle Jimmy and Auntie Mary would come down with a pan of Maryanne's famous chicken wings. These juicy wings are scrumptious and a big hit at all the cookouts.

I called her the other day to get the recipe because I remembered these wings and wanted some now! Then she told me she marinated them three days, I would have to wait. My hubby isn't a big fan of wings as it is little meat and a lot of mess to eat, so I used boneless thighs which worked out just dandy. I have to warn you that these are good but my family likes this type of dish on the sweeter side and this is a more savory chicken. Next time I make this I will have to add a little brown sugar for their tastes. I will make mine separate! This is a very tender and flavorful chicken.

Three Day Chicken
3-4 pounds wings, drumettes, or thighs, whatever your mood
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 T. fresh ginger, crushed
3 T. whisky, I used Jack Daniels
few pinches fresh black pepper

In a large bowl mix the marinade and add chicken. Cover and let marinate for three days, stirring once per day. When ready to cook. Preheat oven to 425°. Line a pan with sides with foil and place chicken, discarding the marinade. Bake for 18 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 170°. I am finding that a thermometer is crucial in cooking meats as it helps me avoid over cooking. Serves 6-12 depending on the cut of chicken you used.



Note- I am hooked on fried plantains ever since I have been getting the best Cuban chicken at a little place in Arlington called Caribbean Grill. They have the best of everything there. Cuban rice and beans, spinach, plantains, and fried yucca. The sauces are killer. It is cash only, so hit the ATM before visiting.

Friday Night Food: Chicken Satay

You won’t need to frequent your favorite Thai restaurant for satay anymore. This recipe is fantastic. Serve with white rice and veggies for a main meal or alone as an appetizer. Thanks to my brother Rob for this one. Another perfect Friday Night Food. You have 24 hours to get what you need to make this succulent meal. Grab your canvas bag and run!

Chicken Satay
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced in long thin strips
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 T. Asian chili sauce or more to taste (I use Sriracha)
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro leaves
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 green onions, white & green parts, sliced thin
1 recipe Satay Sauce

Combine the soy sauce, oil, chili sauce, brown sugar, cilantro, garlic, and green onions in a large bowl. Add long strips of the chicken and toss well. Marinate in the refrigerator for one hour. Thread each strip on to a 6 inch wooden skewer. Heat a greased cooktop grill to med-high heat and cook chicken for about 2-3 minutes on each side. You may grill these the same way on an outdoor grill. Serve with Satay Sauce. Serves 6.

Satay Sauce
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup water, hot
1 T. soy sauce
2 T. lime juice, about 1 lime
2 T. Asian chili sauce or Sriracha
1 T. brown sugar
1/2-1 t. curry powder
1 clove garlic , minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1 teaspoon)
1 T. chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 green onions, white and green parts, sliced thin

Whisk the peanut butter and hot water together in a medium bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients. Transfer to a small serving bowl, and put aside to use for dipping the finished chicken. Or you may purchase a Thai peanut dipping sauce from the Asian section of you favorite grocer. I sometimes use “Lee Brand” from an Asian grocer.

Honey Lime Chicken

Last weekend we enjoyed "Cheeseburgers in Paradise" as the theme for our Gourmet Club at Eddie and Sabrina's. Surprisingly, the whole week before the club I heard Jimmy Buffet songs everywhere, which made me more excited for Gourmet Club. Once Saturday came, we all adorned our floral print designs, sipped piňa coladas, and chowed down on the best Paradise food this side of Paradise. We started off with Honey Lime Chicken and moved on to the fattest, juiciest burgers with sides of coleslaw, oven fries and incredible coconut shrimp. Of course the whole thing ended with a few slices of Key Lime Pie to line our bellies. We listened to Buffet, watched the Kentucky Derby, and ate until we about busted.

I want to share the chicken recipe with you. It is sweet and spicy all at once and so juicy and tender that you will have everyone ask for seconds. At the party we had them as wings but I made them as thighs because I didn't have wings in the house. I served the Honey Lime Chicken with jasmine rice, fresh pineapple, and homemade lemonade.

Honey Lime Chicken
1/4 cup honey
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
juice of one lime, about 2 T.
zest of one lime, about 1 T.
18 whole chicken wings, tips removed or 10 boneless, skinless thighs

1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp. season salt, optional
oil for frying

Mix the first six ingredients together. Place the flour and salt in a zip top bag and add chicken. Shake well until chicken is coated. In a large iron skillet heat about one inch of vegetable oil to 325°. Add chicken about 5 pieces and fry for 4 minutes on each side. Remove to a paper towel lined plate. Fry the rest of chicken. In a large bowl toss chicken with honey lime sauce. Serve immediately. Serves 5-6.

Note- I doubled the sauce so that there would be extra for the rice. I also heated the sauce with 3 T. water and 1 T. cornstarch for a thicker glaze. Cook sauce until clear, shiny and slightly thickened. If you get it too thick just thin it with a little water. If you do not want to fry, then skip the flour dusting and bake in 450° oven for about 15 minutes then toss in glaze.

Chicken Taco Stuffed Shells

Here is my pre Cinco de Mayo celebration Tex-Mex dinner with an Italian twist. The celebrants all declared this dinner muy delicioso. Served along side a big garden salad and fruit, this meal brought them all back for seconds, thirds, and fourths. Add the ingredients to your shopping list for your Cinco de Mayo Celebration (with an Italian twist!)

Chicken Taco Stuffed Shells
3 T. olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 1/2 pounds ground chicken breast
1 packet taco seasoning
3/4 cup water
1- 8 ounce brick cream cheese
1- 12 ounce box jumbo shells
1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
1- 13 ounce bottle Old El Paso Taco Toppers Sauce
3 green onions, sliced

In a large skillet, on med-high, heat oil and add onions, cook until translucent, add ground chicken and cook until no longer pink. Add taco seasoning, water and cream cheese and lower heat to medium and simmer 20 minutes stirring occasionally until cheese is melted and mixture has thickened. Meanwhile, while the meat is simmering, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and separate shells out on a tray so they do not stick to each other.
Preheat oven to 375°. Grease a large lasagna pan and spread 1/2 bottle taco sauce on bottom. Using a regular spoon stuff each shell with meat mixture and place in prepared pan. Top with cheese and drizzle with the rest of the sauce. Sprinkle with green onion, cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes or until heated through and bubbly. Serve with sour cream. Makes about 42 shells. Serves 6-8.

Note- I ground my own chicken by placing 3 raw, cubed, chicken breast halves in the food processor and pulsed until ground. I did not have a large lasagna pan so I used a 9x13 inch and 8x8 inch pan. This recipe freezes well.

South Pacific Chicken Pizza

Ilove a good pizza, the usual tomato and cheese, maybe with some veggies or pepperoni. But sometimes its nice to try something new, such as a taco pizza, fruit pizza, or in this case a South Pacific Chicken Pizza. I have adapted this pizza from many other recipes and it is a really nice and different pizza. So many flavors going on which is typical of Pacific Rim foods. The pizza seems to cover the five bases well; salty, sweet, bitter, sour, and spicy.

South Pacific Chicken Pizza
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
3 T. water
2 T. peanut butter
1 tsp. ground ginger
1-2 tsp. Sriracha hot chili sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 pound chicken breast cut into bite-sized pieces
1 cup Colby-jack shredded cheese
one 12 inch prepared pizza crust, I used my homemade dough
4 small bowls for the toppings- chopped peanuts, chopped green onion, chopped cilantro or basil, and lime wedges

Preheat oven to 450°. Combine first 8 ingredients, put aside. In a greased non-stick pan over medium high heat, sauté chicken for 2 minutes. Remove chicken from pan and add sauce to the pan and bring to a boil and cook for about 6 minutes or until thickened, add chicken and cook 2 more minutes. The sauce should be like a thick syrup. Sprinkle cheese over crust or dough. Using a slotted spoon, scoop out chicken from sauce and place evenly over pizza. Drizzle as much of the sauce as you want over the entire pizza. I used all my sauce for a real saucy pizza, that is how hubby likes it. Bake for about 12 minutes or until crust is golden and topping is bubbly. Slice pizza into 8 slices and serve with toppings to be sprinkled over top according to each dinner's preference.
Serves 4.

Butterflied Chicken

Grilled Ina Garten's Butterflied Chicken last night. Excellent. Except my chicken was not butterflied as I had requested at the Wegman's meat counter, it was "butchered" by the butcher who didn't know how to debone and butterfly a chicken. Argh. But he did apologise and I forgave him tonight after tasting this excellent dish. I added 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard and 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar to Ina's marinade, just because I was craving something mustardy and balsamic-y. Also did not have one hour to marinate and grilled immediately after adding the seasonings and it was still so flavorful. Served the chicken along side some fresh strawberries and Cucumber Salad, using up the leftover Donair sauce. My family ate the entire 2 pounds of strawberries, the entire cucumber salad, and all but a thigh of a whole chicken. This was quite an accomplishment for my gang. Wow this meal was a winner. Or we just worked up a big appetite planting flowers and herbs in honor of Earth Day and our Creator.

Chicken Noodle Soup

My brother and fellow foodie called me the other day while I was eating a bowl of this soup. He asked if I was going to post about it and I told him no that chicken noodle soup is just too homey and no one would be interested. He told me I should post it because it is the homey stuff folks need to learn. The art of homey is being lost to trendy gourmet, not that there is anything wrong with that but we must keep the basics alive. So here it is, I love chicken noodle soup and I even like to eat a bowl of it for breakfast, especially on chilly mornings. This soup is your classic chicken noodle soup, nothing unusual or gourmet-ish with this one. I make it in huge batches for us to eat all week, share with sick folks, or freeze. You'll need a big pot for this recipe.

Chicken Noodle Soup
3 T. olive oil
1/2-3/4 small bag baby carrots, sliced
one large Vidalia onion, chopped
6-8 stalks celery sliced, leaves too
1 tsp. fresh thyme
4- 32 ounce boxes good chicken broth, I use Trader Joe's Free Range
1 heaping T. tomato paste
6 chicken breast halves
1 pound noodles
1 cup orzo
kosher salt
fresh cracked black pepper

In a large stock pot heat oil and add carrots, onions, celery and thyme. Cook until veggies are tender, stirring occasionally. Add chicken broth, chicken, and tomato paste to the pot, bring to a boil then lower heat and simmer covered until chicken is cooked through, about 20-30 minutes. Meanwhile cook noodles according to package directions in salted water, in the last 6 minutes add the orzo, once cooked drain reserving 3-4 cups pasta water. Remove cooked chicken and shred using two forks. Return chicken to pot. Add the cooked pasta, salt and pepper to taste and heat through. If you think there is not enough broth add enough reserved pasta water and re-season if necessary. Serve piping hot with grated Parmesan cheese, crackers or buttered artisan bread.

Note- Remember that the noodles will continue to absorb the broth so be sure to add enough pasta water to compensate. Also do not be afraid to add plenty of salt, most folks under season their soups. If you like more veggies then add more. This is a good basic guide to good soup. The tomato paste is my mother's secret weapon. Tomato adds depth and color to even clear broth soups, try it and notice the difference it makes.

Grilled Rosemary Chicken and Peaches

I found Rosemary Grilled Chicken Thighs on Attifood and thought I would give it a try. I liked the kid's idea of placing a chunk of crystallized ginger into the water while cooking the rice. The marmalade sauce sounded great too, as we are a sauce kind of family, but I felt I could add to this meal. Something to take chicken and white rice over the top. Yadda yadda, orange marmalade sauce, it’s good but hmm... I need something unique but not too far-fetched, something that is quick, has color, and some pizzazz. Peaches! What if I brush peach halves with the marmalade sauce and grill them up too? Perfect. I think that Attifood guy and I would make a great culinary pair, he needs me.

Rosemary Grilled Chicken Thighs
1 1/2 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 T. minced fresh rosemary
2 t. brown sugar
2 t. kosher salt
1 t. freshly ground black pepper
1 t. crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
2 T. olive oil
8 peach halves– I used Trader Joe’s jarred peach halves in white grape juice.

Toss chicken with all the spices and oil. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Heat grill to med-high and grill chicken 5 minutes per side. In the last minute of grilling the chicken, brush the peach halves with the marmalade sauce and grill for 20 seconds per side. Serve grilled chicken and peaches on a big and pretty platter with a side of jasmine rice boiled with a few pieces of crystallized ginger. Pickled Cucumber Salad went great with this meal.

Marmalade Sauce
1 t. minced fresh rosemary
1 cup orange marmalade
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 t. brown sugar (optional)

Warm all ingredients in saucepan , mixing well, or in the microwave for 1 minute.

Pickled Cucumber Salad
1 pound cucumber peeled, cut into 1/4 coins
1/2 Vidalia onion sliced-I used red onion
One handful baby carrots, cut into matchsticks
1/4 of a red pepper, cut in small strips
1/3 cup white sugar
2 t. salt
1/2 t. celery salt
1/3 cup white vinegar

In a deep bowl mix all ingredients by hand until the sugar is dissolved. Cover and let marinate in the refrigerator for 3 hours. I make mine in the morning for that night’s dinner. These veggies can be stored in the refrigerator for 3 months, stir occasionally.

Chicken Bundles

I met Joyce 22 years ago at college. We were roomies in our senior year with two other gals. The four of us worked out a cooking schedule and took turns cooking from Monday through Thursday nights. For college kids that was quite a challenge to have dinner together 4 nights a week and a home cooked meal to boot. Tuesday nights were pretty predictable as Nancy's favorite meal to pepare was hotdogs, peas and instant mashed potatoes. We didn't care! Joyce gave us some great meals and one of my favorites was her Chicken Bundles. Very elegant! So here is the step by step. Make as many as you need. They freeze wonderfully (raw) to be cooked later. Just defrost in refrigerator over night.
All you need:
Chicken breasts-one will make two bundles
Mozzarella String Cheese Sticks- one will make 2 bundles
One piece of bacon per bundle- I use uncured
Salt, pepper, and seasoning

Slice a chicken breast in half by placing your palm on top of the breast and placing your head at eye level with the chicken. With a sharp knife, cut the breast in two filets. Cover the chicken with plastic wrap and pound until thinned.



Season the top side of each filet with salt, pepper, and ground sage or your favorite seasoning. Place a half of cheese stick at the long end and roll up. With the seam side up, place bundle on top of a piece of bacon.



Close bacon around the open ends of the bundle. Secure bacon with a tooth pick and place tooth pick side down on a foil lined pan with sides.





Bake in 500 degree oven for 15 minutes.
Note: The bacon will spatter so you may want to use a high sided baking dish. Do as I say, not as I do.....




Here is a "Sneak Peak" at the sides I served with the Chicken Bundles....





Happy Birthday Joyce!

Cheese Fondue

This past Christmas, I gave gift packages containing my family's favorite things. A favorite game, cookie, and Mexican Cocoa Mix along with a list of our favorite movies, books, and recipes. Lately, I have been enamored with every one's favorite things. I believe I appreciate favorite things so much because they are sweet little condensed versions of the good things in life. These items have been greatly researched, forever tried and true, and repeatedly pleasurable. So why not indulge others to bequeath some of their favorite things? I may try some and like them enough to embellish my own favorite list even further. Some may even challenge me to over step my comfort zones into new and exciting genres that would have never crossed my imagination.

My new favorite thing is Cheese Fondue. At least it is my favorite in the "What to Serve at Friday Night Gatherings" category, as I must categorize all my favorite things because to have one favorite thing would hurt the feelings of all my other favorite things. I know Cheese Fondue was trendy years ago, and I am a little behind in falling in love with it, but I was busy loving other things back then. The other night I had some girlies over as our men braved the elements to attend the D.C. Auto Show. I whipped up some Swiss Cheese Fondue which I had purchased from Trader Joe's. Yes, it was premade and just needed a gentle nuking. We dipped gnocchi, roasted rosemary potatoes, chicken and roasted garlic sausages, carrots and celery, apples, and three artisan breads. It was cheesy love. This was a wonderfully balanced meal with the lush green salad we served along side and so simple for a "Friday Night Gathering". This will be repeated in my house again and again (until a new favorite comes along, so I am fickle) and if men attend I will add a queso fondue, beer brats, and corn chips just to guy it up. Think about your favorite things, write them down even, and share with others the best in life.