Almond Chicken

This wasn't my ideal recipe for Almond Chicken. I have so many to try out and this one just didn't make the cut. Some changes I made were to use pea pods and water chestnuts rather than mushrooms and bamboo shoots. I also used way too many carrots and peanut oil rather than vegetable oil. I would have preferred additional almonds, and there was hardly enough sauce (I had to make more at the last minute. Finally, I didn't appreciate the taste of the wine in this dish.

Almond Chicken

1 1/2 c. water
4 T dry sherry
2 1/2 T cornstarch
4 t. soy sauce
1 t. instant chicken bouillon granules
4 whole chicken breasts
1 egg white
1/2 t. salt
1 large carrot
6 green onions
3 stalks celery
8 fresh mushrooms, sliced
3 c. vegetable oil
1/2 c. blanched whole almonds (about 3 oz.)
1 t. grated fresh ginger root
1/2 c. drained, sliced bamboo shoots

1. Combine water, 2 Tablespoons of the sherry, 1 1/2 Tablespoons of the cornstarch, the soy sauce, and bouillon in small saucepan. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture boils and thickens about 5 minutes. Keep warm.
2. Remove skin and bones from chicken. Cut chicken into 1-inch pieces. Combine remaining 2 Tablespoons sherrt, 1 Tablespoon cornstarch, egg white, and salt. Mix in chicken pieces.
3. Peel carrot and dice. Cut onions into 1-inch pieces. Cut celery diagonally into 1/2-inch slices.
4. Heat oil in wok over high heat until it reaches 375ºF. Add chicken pieces, one at a time, to hot oil (cook 1/3 of the pieces at a time). Cook until light brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain on absorbant paper. Repeat with remaining chicken.
5. Remove all but 2 Tablespoons oil from wok. Stir-fry almonds in the oil until golden, about 2 minutes. Drain.
6. Add carrot and ginger to wok. Stir-fry 1 minute. Add all remaining vegetables. Stir-fry until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Mix in chicken, almonds, and sauce. Stir-fry until hot. Makes 4-6 servings.

Heavenly Peas with Mashed Potatoes

I couldn't believe how GREEN this dish was, it made me think of the Grinch!! I am trying to be really frugal these days and I had all the ingredients for this recipe. I like the consistency and taste of these potatoes, but this recipe is not for those who loathe peas!! I think I would keep out just the peas next time so that all the onions get puréed. I made the mistake of preparing this dish before my main meal was ready, and it should be prepared right before you serve or it will be too cold. I also could have mashed the potatoes a bit more, it would have been better if there were no chunks.

Heavenly Peas with Mashed Potatoes

1 10-oz. pkg frozen peas
1/4 c. chopped onion
1 T utter
1/4 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
2 T chicken broth
1/2 c. dairy sour cream
4-5 c. prepared hot mashed potatoes

1. Cook peas and onion in butter for 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in the salt and pepper. Remove 1/2 cup of the pea-onion mixture and set aside.
2. Place remaining pea-onion mixture in a blender container or food-processor bowl along with the broth. Cover and blend or process until smooth. If necessary, add an additional tablespoon of broth to make the mixture whirl in the machine.
3. Stir together puréed peas and the reserved 1/2 cup whole pea-onion mixture. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl stir sour cream into hot mashed potatoes. Add the pea mixture to potatoes. Fold gently to combine. Makes 8 side-dish servings.

Fluffy Meat Loaf

It is raining cats and dogs so I thought I'd whip up some comfort food. This was the meatloaf of leftovers!! I had some ground veal and ground pork left over from my last meatloaf, I had some saltine crackers for the cracker crumbs, I had an onion that was almost "overdue", and some half-and-half to use up. I enjoyed this recipe, it wasn't as greasy as my grandmother's meatloaf recipe. I used three of my vintage half-loaf-pan sized refrigerator dishes, and the meat went almost to the top. I will have the leftovers from this meatloaf warmed up or in sandwiches for the rest of the week!!

Fluffy Meat Loaf

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 lb. ground lean pork
2 c. cracker crumbs
1 egg, beaten
1 1/2 c. milk
4 T minced onion
2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1/4 t. dry mustard
1/8 t. sage

1. Moosh all the ingredients together in a large bowl and press into one large loaf pan or 6 individual loaf pans.
2. Bake at 350ºF for 1 1/2 hours (large pan) or 45 minutes (small pans).

Fettuccine Alfredo

I had several similar recipes for pasta Alfredo, this time I decided to use tortellini rather than fettuccine. This is a really simple recipe and it tasted good. I toasted some chopped almonds and placed those on top, normally I use pine nuts but they are so expensive right now!! This is a keeper recipe, and I don't think I have any more Alfredo recipes to test.

Fettuccine Alfredo

12-oz. fettuccine noodles
1 c. half-and-half
4 T butter
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper

1. In a saucepot, prepare fettuccine as label directs. Drain pasta and return to saucepot.
2. Over medium-low heat, heat fettuccine, half-and-half, butter, cheese, salt, and pepper. Stir to make sure pasta is evenly covered with sauce. Makes 4 main-dish servings.