Turkey Vegetable Soup

My Mom is always telling me to use the turkey carcass to make soup. So, when I was done with my Thanksgiving turkey I decided to give it a try!! I found a recipe for Turkey Vegetable Soup and tweaked it a little bit. The result was a great soup. I might add more barley (and water for it) and not use beans next time around. The thing I did differently was to strain all the solids out of the broth and then add more veggies when I added the turkey. So, the result was the broth had good flavor, but not the chunks of onion, etc. I would definitely do this technique again. I didn't have enough celery, so next time I would use more. I experimented with which potato would be the best, but I added them too early and they all got mushy. I think one good-sized Russet would work (peeled).

Turkey Vegetable Soup

1 turkey carcass (approximately 2 1/2 lb.), cut in half [I forgot to cut it in half]
2 1/2 quarts water
2 ribs celery (with leaves) cut into 1-inch pieces
3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 parsnips, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces [I didn't use parsnips]
1 ripe tomato, seeded and coarsely chopped [I used some sun-dried tomatoes & paste]
2 medium-sized onions, quartered
3 whole cloves of garlic, bruised [I used chopped]
6 whole black peppercorns
1 t. coarse salt
4 whole sprigs of fresh dill [I used some dried dill weed]
2 T chopped dill
1/4 c. uncooked pearl barley

1. Place the turkey carcass, water, celery, carrots, parsnips, tomato, onions, garlic, peppercorns, salt, and dill sprigs in a large, heavy soup pot. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for 30 minutes.
2. Remove the carcass, celery leaves, garlic cloves, and dill sprigs from the soup. Add the barley and simmer for 40 minutes more, stirring occasionally, adding the 2 Tablespoons of chopped dill during the last 10 minutes. Serves 6.

Fajitas

Fajitas

4 chicken breast halves
3 bell peppers
2 medium onions
2 tomatoes
cilantro
juice of 4-5 limes
1/4 c. red wine vinegar
1 T soy sauce
1 T light molasses
1 T chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 t. ground cumin
1/2 t. pepper
1 T oil
orange juice
white wine
flour tortillas
toppings (grated cheddar cheese, shredded iceberg lettuce, diced tomatoes, guacamole, sour cream, salsa, sliced green onions, etc.)

1. Slice the bell peppers, onions, chicken, and beef into long strips. Chop tomatoes into cubes and chop the cilantro.
2. Mix together the next eight ingredients for the marinade. Marinate the meat for at least 1 hour or overnight.
3. In a large frying pan, heat the oil. Add bell peppers and onions. Stir fry for several minutes. Add the meat and marinade to the pan and continue stir frying. As soon as the chicken is done, add the tomatoes, orange juice, and wine. Cook another minute until warmed and serve.
4. Turn off the heat and cover the fajitas. Set up your toppings and heat up the tortillas with a damp paper towel in the microwave, using a tortilla warmer container works well.

Note: I tried this recipe with beef (London broil) and red wine, but it wasn't as good as the chicken version. The amount of orange juice and wine will vary, but be careful not to use too much.

Chicken With Basil & Pine Nut Pesto

I had trouble getting the water to boil for the fettuccine, I would definitely start the water before the other steps in this recipe!! The pesto was OK, but the cheese was to "large". I should have used grated instead of the shredded I had on hand. Also the dish was too cold, even if I had warmed the bowl first it would have been too cold. Perhaps a short trip through the microwave before serving would work? Overall, this is just a simple pasta-pesto-chicken dish that really doesn't need a recipe!! I won't be keeping this recipe, but plan to reheat tomorrow for breakfast with some cream in the sauce. I always prefere creamy pesto, and I will toast some pine nuts for the top. Oh, I always toast my pine nuts before putting them into a pesto because it brings out the flavor.

Chicken With Basil & Pine Nut Pesto

1 2/3 c. shredded fresh basil
4 oz. olive oil
3 T pine nuts
3 garlic cloves, crushed
salt
1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 T freshly grated Romano cheese
2 T vegetable oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
12 oz. dried fettuccine
freshly ground pepper
sprig of fresh basil, for garnish

1. To make the pesto, put the basil, olive oil, pine nuts, garlic, and a generous pinch of salt in a food processor or blender. Puree the ingredients until smooth. Scrape the mixture into a bowl and stir in the cheeses.
2. Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet over a medium heat. Cook the chicken breasts, turning once, for 8-10 minutes, or until the juices are no longer pink. Cut into small cubes.
3. Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain and transfer to a warm serving dish. Add the chicken and pesto, then season with pepper. Toss well to mix. Garnish with a sprig of basil and serve warm.

Sweet and Sour Dipping Sauce

I have been trying to create a sweet and sour dipping sauce that is like those little red packets you get at Chinese restaurants. This is the closest I have come. Substituting rice wine vinegar seemed to make it a bit sweeter than other recipes I have tried. I also took someone's advice to make it thicker by adding more cornstarch and water to the pan, I think I added 1 teaspoon of cornstarch and two teaspoons of water, which I mixed with a little whisk before I stirred it into the sauce. I will keep this recipe until I get a better one.

Sweet and Sour Dipping Sauce

1 t. cornstarch
1/3 c. distilled white vinegar
2 t. vegetable oil (I probably used peanut oil)
2/3 c. unsweetened pineapple juice
2 T ketchup
3 T brown sugar
salt to taste

1. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat whisk together vinegar and cornstarch.
2. Add remaining ingredients, whisking constantly until the mixture is heated through.
3. Chill before use.

Chicken & Onion Cream Sauce

This recipe used ingredients I had on-hand and I substituted the pasta tubes for fettuccine. This recipe was OK, worked well as a leftover, too. I should have chopped the green onions finer, since I don't prefer to eat onions in big pieces. It is a basic cream sauce with some chicken and pasta. I will keep it, until I find a better one.

Chicken & Onion Cream Sauce

1 T olive oil
2 T butter
1 garlic clove, chopped very finely
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt and pepper
1 onion, finely chopped
1 chicken bouillon cube, crumbled
1/2 c. water
1 1/4 c. heavy cream
3/4 c. milk
6 scallions, green part included, sliced diagonally
scant 1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 lb. dried fettuccine
chopped fresh flatleaf parsley, to garnish

1. Heat the oil and butter with the garlic in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook garlic until just beginning to color.
2. Add the chicken breasts and raise the heat to medium. Cook for 4-5 minutes on each side, or until the juices are no longer pink.
3. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat.
4. Remove the chicken, leaving the oil in the skillet.
5. Slice the chicken breasts diagonally into thin strips and set aside.
6. Reheat the oil in the skillet. Add the onion and gently cook for 5 minutes, or until soft.
7. Add the crumbled bouillon cube and the water. Bring to a boil and then simmer over a medium-low heat for 10 minutes.
8. Stir in the cream, milk, scallions, and Parmesan. Simmer until heated through and slightly thickened.
9. Cook the fettuccine in boiling salted water until al dente. Drain and transfer to a warm serving dish. Layer the chicken slices over the pasta. Pour on the sauce, then garnish with parsley and serve. Serves 4.

Basil Grilled Chicken

Do not adjust your computer monitor, the chicken really did look PINK!! This was a strange recipe, all I did was add some basil to some melted butter and brush it on the chicken. I baked it rather than grilled it, and it tasted only OK. The confusing part of this recipe was actually the addition of the flavored butter. Wasn't sure what to do with it!! I ended up dipping the chicken in the butter as I ate it!! I had leftover butter and chicken that I ended up using in a new dish the next day, creating more sauce for a pasta dish. This is not a keeper, though.

Basil Grilled Chicken

3/4 t. coarsely ground pepper
4 chicken breast halves, skinned
1/3 c. butter or margarine, melted
1/4 c. chopped fresh basil
1/2 c. butter or margarine, softened
2 T minced fresh basil
1 T grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 t. garlic powder
1/8 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
fresh basil sprigs (optional)

1. Press 3/4 teaspoon pepper into meaty sides of chicken breast halves.
2. Combine 1/3 cup melted butter and 1/4 cup chopped basil, stir well.
3. Brush chicken lightly with melted butter mixture.
4. Combine 1/2 cup softened butter, 2 Tablespoons basil, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Beat at low speed of an electric mixer until mixture is well blended and smooth. Transfer to a small serving bowl and set aside.
5. Grill chicken over medium coals for 8-10 minutes on each side, basting frequently with remaining melted butter mixture.
6. Serve grilled chicken with basil-butter mixture. Garnish with fresh basil sprigs, if desired. Serves 4.

Pasta with Gorgonzola & White Corn Sauce

I had some fresh basil and wanted to make a dish that I could eat with my Basil Grilled Chicken. I had most of the ingredients for this recipe, but had to go out and get some white corn and Gorgonzola cheese. I didn't realize how strong Gorgonzola cheese is, but the sweetness of the corn and the saltiness of the bacon helped to balance it out. I won't be keeping this recipe, though. There was not enough of the sauce for the pasta and I wasn't wild about the taste. I prepared a mix of the chicken and the pasta dish for leftovers, creating more sauce from the leftover evaporated milk, corn, and the flavored butter from the chicken recipe.

Pasta with Gorgonzola & White Corn Sauce

6 T minced red onion
1/4 c. olive oil
1/4 t. salt
1 1/4 c. evaporated skim milk
6 oz. sweet Gorgonzola, crumbled
dashes of Tabasco sauce
1 lb. fettuccine
1 1/4 t. grated lemon rind
12 large basil leaves, but into thin strips
1 1/2 - 1 3/4 c. white corn
8 thick slices bacon, fried crisp & crumbled

1. In a skillet on medium heat wilt onions in oil, stirring about 5 minutes.
2. Add salt and milk.
3. Add cheese and Tabasco.
4. Cook, stirring, until cheese melts and mixture thickens (do not boil).
5. Remove from heat.
6. Cook pasta.
7. Reheat sauce and add the other ingredients except bacon. Divide pasta to 8 warm bowls. Top with sauce and sprinkle with bacon. Serves 8.

Egg Rolls

I had bought some egg roll wrappers and decided to try out the recipe on the back of the packet. These were pretty good, and I will keep this recipe until I find a better one. I made the whole packet and froze half of them. I used peanut oil and baby bok choy, and a bit more than a pound of the pork. It is hard to do deep frying unless you have a deep fryer, I feel like I waste the oil or it spoils. Also, my egg rolls looked more like little burritos than the little egg rolls you get in restaurants!!

Egg Rolls

1 package of egg roll wraps
1 lb. lean ground pork
1 t. minced ginger
2 c. cabbage, finely chopped
1/4 lb. bean sprouts
1/2 c. carrot, shredded
3 green onions, finely chopped
2 T oyster sauce
oil for frying
sauce for dipping

1. Stir-fry meat and ginger in skillet over high heat until lightly browned, 2-3 minutes.
2. Add cabbage, bean sprouts, carrots, and green onions, cook 2 minutes.
3. Stir in oyster sauce and let mixture cool.
4. Use 2 Tablespoons filling for each egg roll. Fold bottom corner over filling, then fold in side corners. Brush top corner with water and roll up wrap tightly to enclose filling, sealing roll with top flap.
5. Fry in a 350º skillet, flap down a few at a time, turning when golden brown, 2-3 minutes. Drain on paper towels.
6. Or, bake in 400º oven, place rolls on greased cookie sheet, lightly brush tops with olive oil and bake until golden brown, 10-12 minutes.

Chicken Pot Pie

I created this pot pie recipe and have tweaked it until I was happy with the results. It is similar to the beef and the turkey recipe already on this site. I get three smaller pot pies by piecing together the pastry dough. I use vintage glass individual pie dishes and they are just the right size. I think if you wanted to use one large pie dish you should use a deep dish one so it doesn't overflow too much. I like using the pearl onions because, while I enjoy the onion flavor, I don't like eating the onions.

Chicken Pot Pie

1 pkg refrigerated ready-made pie dough (2 rounds)
1 T oil
2 chicken breasts, cooked and diced
1/2 c. frozen pearl onions
1/2 c. sliced carrots (about 4 medium)
1/4 c. sliced celery (about 2 ribs with leaves)
3/4 c. frozen peas
1 c. chicken broth
1/2 c. milk or half-and-half
3 T flour
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. poultry seasoning
1/8 t. pepper

1. Following the thawing directions of the pastry, unroll each disc and place one in the pie dish. Press down to remove any air pockets and prick the base with a fork in several places. Set aside the remaining pastry dough for later.
2.Preheat oven to 425º.
3. In large sauce pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and chicken. Saute until lightly browned (about 5 minutes). Transfer onions and chicken to separate bowl and set aside.
4. Add carrots and celery to pan and saute until slightly softened (about 5 minutes). Stir in peas and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for about 5 minutes.
5. Bake the bottom pie dish pastry for about 5-7 minutes, until lightly golden brown. Remove and set aside to fill later. Lower oven temperature to 450º.
6. While the bottom pie dish pastry is baking, in a 2-cup measuring cup stir together milk, flour, salt, poultry seasoning, and pepper. Whisk this mixture into the vegetable mixture in the pan, stirring until thickened. Stir in reserved chicken and onion mixture.
7. Spoon mixture into pie crust. Top with remaining top pastry with fork vents. Bake for 15 minutes, lower the temperature to 350º and bake for another 10 minutes until crust is golden and filling is bubbly. Let cool slightly before eating. Makes 1 large pie or 3 small pies.

Fajita Marinade

I love fajitas and, although there are over 10 Mexican restaurants in my small home town, I only like the fajitas at one!! Needless to say I am particular about my fajitas. I thought that this marinade had way too much vinegar taste for "authentic" fajitas, so I won't be keeping it. I didn't grill the chicken, rather I sliced it when raw and marinated the slices. I cooked them in a frying pan with the marinade. My mom makes fajitas at home and she slices up onions and bell peppers in them, I always pick the chicken out of the mix for my fajitas. I also feel the lime and cilantro overpowered this marinade. I think my favorite restaurant uses lemons or oranges, and perhaps wine. I will have to experiment with other recipes next time!!

Fajita Marinade

1/2 c. Italian dressing
1/2 c. salsa
1 t. finely shredded lime peel
2 T lime juice
1 T snipped fresh cilantro
1/4 t. bottled hot pepper sauce

1. For marinade, in a small mixing bowl stir together ingredients.
2. Pour the marinade over beef or chicken in a plastic bag in a large mixing bowl and seal bag.
3. Marinate in the refrigerator about 4 hours for chicken or overnight for beef, turning bag occasionally.
4. Remove meat from the bag, reserving marinade.
5. Grill meat, brushing occasionally with reserved marinade.
6. Slice to serve meat as a fajita filling. Enough for 1-2 pounds of meat.

Orange Chicken

I had some orange juice to use up, and couldn't find a recipe to try in my boxes. So I searched the Internet for a recipe for Orange Chicken that used a lot of orange juice. This one sounded good, and it was pretty good. I don't have a deep-fryer so I often just use a frying pan with about a 1/2-inch of oil. Sometimes this works, other times it doesn't work so well. This was one time it didn't work so well. The chicken didn't cook evenly and was either too "done" or not "done" enough. I liked the taste, despite all the soy sauce. I cut the recipe down by 3/4, except the sauce since there is rarely enough sauce!! This time I was wrong, if you cut this recipe down cut the sauce down, too. I didn't add the cooked chicken to the sauce, perhaps that would have improved it? I also served over rice, not on the side. I don't think I will keep this recipe, since I am trying only to keep the outstanding recipes from now on.

Orange Chicken

2 lb. chicken breast, cut unto 1-inch cubes
3 c. oil for frying
1 c. cornstarch (for coating chicken)
1 t. sesame seeds
some chopped green onions for topping

For the marinade:

1 c. orange juice
2 t. light soy sauce
a few drops sesame oil
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. baking soda

For the sauce:

1 1/2 c. chicken broth
1/4 c. orange juice
1/4 c. lemon juice
1/3 c. rice vinegar
a few drops sesame oil
2 1/2 T soy sauce
1 T orange zest (grated)
1 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 t. fresh ginger minced (can use powdered)
1/2 t. minced garlic
3 T cornstarch [with some water]
salt to taste

1. Combine marinade ingredients.
2. Add chicken and marinate for 15-20 minutes.
3. In a small to medium-sized pot add chicken broth, a few drops of sesame oil, lemon juice, orange juice, rice vinegar, and soy sauce.
4. Blend well over medium heat for a few minutes.
5. Stir in brown sugar, orange zest, ginger, and garlic.
6. Stir in cornstarch and water mixture until sauce thickens, then season with salt to taste.
7. Check sauce for the desired thickness. If it is too runny for you then you can add a bit more corn starch and water.
8. Set sauce aside and keep warm.
9. Take chicken out of marinade, shaking off the excess and toss cubes in the 1 cup cornstarch.
10. Shake of the excess cornstarch and place on a plate.
11. Heat up the 3 cups oil in a pot or wok.
12. When oil just begins to smoke, add the first batch of chicken cubes and deep-fry until cooked through, about 4-5 minutes.
13. Remove chicken with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
14. Repeat with the rest of the chicken cubes.
15. Reheat orange sauce and add fried chicken cubes.
16. Mix until well coated.
17. Place the chicken servings on two plates and sprinkle sesame seeds and green onion on top.
18. Serve with side of white rice and vegetables.

Almond Chicken

This recipe tricked me into thinking it was Asian because the name of the recipe was in Chinese next to the English!! I liked the taste of this chicken, in fact when I finished half of it I immediately ate the other half. However, it was not easy to execute. Although the recipe called for "paper-thin" slices of chicken, I just sliced it thin and when I got to the thick part I just cut it through the length to make two thin patties. I cut those patties up into smaller pieces. Also, it was really difficult to get the almonds to stick to the chicken. They kept coming off in the oil and I ended up using them as garnish. I fried them in about a quarter-inch of peanut oil. I made up some rice and the taste combination was great. I think next time I try this recipe I will use the larger sized slices and I will chop up the nuts a bit before I dip the chicken in them.

Follow-up: I tried this recipe with smaller-sized almonds and larger-sized chicken. There was just too much almond proportionally, which leads me to think that perhaps all the almonds were not intended to stick to the chicken. I ended up cutting up the left-overs and stirred them into some rice. I will NOT be keeping this recipe, after all.

Almond Chicken

2/3 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 1/2 T cornstarch
1/2 T cooking wine or sherry
1 t. sugar
1/2 t. salt
dash of pepper
1 egg white
1 1/2 c. sliced almonds
oil for frying

1. Cut the chicken into paper-thin slices and place in a bowl.
2. Whisk together all but almonds and oil. Place chicken in sauce and marinate for 20 minutes.
3. Place almonds in a dish and coat each slice of chicken with almonds.
4. Heat the oil over medium heat and deep-fry the chicken for 1 1/2 minutes. When it is cooked, the slices of chicken will rise to the surface. Remove and serve.

Sweet and Sour Sauce

So, I am always hoping to find a recipe for the take-out Chinese restaurant-style sweet and sour sauce. You know, the bright red unhealthy sauce in those packets!! I have never been able to find any brand at the grocery stores that compares. They are too savory for my tongue!! So, here are three recipes that I tried out with my wontons yesterday. The bright red one is a recipe I crafted using some red food coloring. It tasted horrible and was too thick. The one on the right is actually from McDonald's. I searched recipes online and found many recipes to replicate the McDonald's Sweet and Sour Sauce, so it must be popular. The ingredients list apricot jam, an unusual ingredient for sweet and sour sauce, but obviously Americans love it!! Today I found a jug of the red sauce at Smart and Final, didn't buy it but I took a pic of the ingredients and will work on another created recipe.

This is the best of the three I tried. I still can't believe that ketchup is an ingredient in sweet and sour sauce, but it is in most of them as well as an ingredient on the packages of sauce. This sauce was still a bit savory, but I will keep it in case it is the best I can find!! I might add a drop of red food coloring next time.

Sweet and Sour Sauce

1/4 c. pineapple juice
1/4 c. distilled white vinegar
3 T firmly packed brown sugar
1 1/2 T ketchup
1 t. cornstarch dissolved in 2 t. water

1. Combine juice, vinegar, brown sugar, and ketchup in small pan.
2. Bring to simmer over medium heat.
3. Add cornstarch solution and cook, stirring, until sauce boils and thickens.
4. Let cool before serving.

I find it ironic that this is called "Red" sweet and sour sauce, since it is so brown!! This sauce was too tomatoey for me, which could be due to the fact that I used some sun-dried tomato paste from a tube rather than plain tomato paste. I suspect it would still have been too tomatoey even if I had used the plain tomato paste. I used cornstarch. I won't be keeping this recipe.

Red Sweet & Sour Sauce

3/4 c. white sugar
3 t. tapioca starch or cornstarch
1/3 c. white vinegar
3/4 c. water
1/2 small can tomato paste

1. Mix the sugar and starch together, add the rest.
2. Cook, stirring constantly, until clear and thickened.

This sauce was way too thick, and much too savory. It might be good as a dip for meatballs, but I won't keep this recipe.

Pineapple Sweet and Sour Sauce

juice from a 4 oz. can of pineapple chunks or rings
1/4 c. tomato ketchup
1/4 c. distilled white vinegar
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 1/2 T cornstarch
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/4 t. mustard powder
1/2 t. ground ginger

1. Place all of the above ingredients together in a saucepan.
2. Mix together and cook over a medium-high heat, stirring continuously, until the sauce comes together and thickens.

Crispy Chicken Wontons

I appreciate that this recipe enabled me to learn how to hand-fold wontons, but this was the only thing this recipe was good for. I was unable to find a 16-ounce container of wonton skins, so I had a lot of filling left over. The filling was missing the texture and flavor of the wontons you find in restaurants, and the texture of the baked wonton was wrong. These might be better if deep-fried or boiled. I froze the extra wontons so I can try those preparations next time. The fact that the recipe called for you to bring the corners together didn't strike me as the proper way to fold a wonton, although it is certainly less time-consuming. I definitely recommend covering the pan of folded wontons with a damp towel while you fold the remaining wontons, otherwise they will dry out. Also, remove only a portion of the wonton skins at a time from the package or they will dry out.

Crispy Chicken Wontons

3 c. finely chopped cooked chicken
1/2 c. shredded carrot
1/4 c. finely chopped water chestnuts
2 t. cornstarch
1 T water
1 T soy sauce
1/2 to 1 t. ground ginger
16-ounce package of wonton wrappers
2 T butter, melted
1 t. vegetable oil
plum or sweet and sour sauce

1. In a bowl, combine chicken, carrot, and water chestnuts.
2. In another bowl, combine cornstarch, water, soy sauce, and ginger until smooth. Add to chicken mixture and toss to coat.
3. Spoon 1 teaspoon of filling in the center of each wonton wrapper. Moisten edges with water. Bring opposite points together and pinch to seal. Place on greased baking sheets.
4. combine butter and oil and brush over wontons.
5. Bake at 375º for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with plum or sweet and sour sauce. Makes about 4 dozen.

Cashew Chicken

I was very happy with this recipe, with the exception of the fact that the cashews were not as crunchy as I hope for. I replaced all of the vegetables with celery, carrots, peas, chopped water chestnuts, and chopped green onions. I used more chicken than the recipe called for, and would have liked slightly more sauce. I pretty much used this recipe more for technique than ingredients. I am not big on soy sauce so I cut it down to 1 teaspoon. I also used salted cashews, so I cut back on the salt in the recipe. I did use the MSG, since I don't have trouble, and don't know if that affected the final taste or not. I will keep this recipe for sure, perhaps I will substitute almonds next time.

Cashew Chicken

1 1/2 boneless chicken breast halves
1 t. cornstarch
5 T peanut oil, separated
3/4 c. unsalted cashew nuts
1/2 t. salt
1/2 c. chicken stock
1/2 c. button mushrooms, sliced
3/4 c. bamboo shoots, sliced
1 c. snow peas, stringed
dash pepper
1/2 t. Accent, optional
1/2 t. sugar
2 t. soy sauce
2 t. cornstarch dissolved in 2 t. water

1. Cut chicken into thin slices or 1 1/2-inch squares. Mix thoroughly with 1 teaspoon cornstarch and 1 Tablespoon peanut oil.
2. Saute nuts in 1 Tablespoon peanut oil until they are slightly brown. Remove from pan.
3. In an extremely hot frying pan, add 3 Tablespoons peanut oil and salt. Add chicken and saute over high fire until chicken meat turns white.
4. Add stock, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and snow peas. Cover and cook 1 minute before adding pepper, Accent, sugar, soy sauce, and cornstarch mixture. Stir gently until sauce thickens.
5. Pour in nuts and mix slightly.
6. Serve piping hot with rice. Serves 4.

Stir-Fry Velvet Chicken with Almonds

I am happy with this recipe, although I think I will try to stir fry the chicken to make it a bit less "velvety". I substituted carrots and celery for the bamboo shoots and mushrooms. I like that the green onions and water chestnuts were minced, they mixed better into the recipe. I had to put some sesame oil into the sauce mixture because I didn't have any oyster sauce. I might have to purchase some, since that might be the ingredient that would make my Almond Chicken taste more like a restaurant's recipe. At first I thought this was a bit too "soy saucy" but the flavor died down a bit as the dish sat on my plate for a bit, or perhaps my tongue just got used to it. I will keep these recipes and may end up combining some of the other chicken preparation techniques with the ingredients from this recipe.

Basic Velvet Chicken

ice water
1 1/2 lb. chicken breast, skinned, boned, and cut according to recipe (about 2 c.)
1 egg white, slightly beaten
2 T cornstarch
2 quarts water
1 t. soy sauce
1/2 t. salt

1. Pour ice water into a large bowl and set aside.
2. In a small bowl mix chicken with egg white and cornstarch. Set aside.
3. In a saucepan, bring 2 quarts water, soy sauce, and salt to a boil. Have a colander ready.
4. Add chicken to boiling water and stir gently to separate pieces. As soon as the water comes to a boil, remove pan from heat at once. Let chicken stand for 1 minute in hot water. Quickly drain in a colander and immediately plunge chicken into ice water. Remove and drain thoroughly.
5. Use as directed in recipe and cover well and refrigerate until ready to use. Refrigerated velvet chicken will keep up to two days. Bring to room temperature before using in recipe. Makes 2 cups.

Stir-Fry Velvet Chicken with Almonds

2 c. diced Velvet Chicken
1 t. cornstarch
2 T chicken broth or water
1 1/2 T soy sauce
1 T oyster sauce
1 T Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
1/2 t. sugar
1/2 c. green peas, fresh or frozen
1 clove garlic, smashed and minced
2 slices ginger root, smashed and minced
1/2 c. diced bamboo shoots
1/2 c. diced mushrooms, canned or fresh
4 water chestnuts, diced (about half a can of sliced)
1/4 c. chicken broth or water
1 green onion, minced or 1 T cilantro, minced
1/4 c. blanched almonds, stir-fried or canned (I used more)
peanut oil
sesame oil

1. Have prepared velvet chicken at hand.
2. In a small bowl, dissolve cornstarch in 2 T broth and add soy sauce, oyster sauce, wine, and sugar. Set aside.
3. If using fresh peas, blanch them for 1 minute; if frozen peas, defrost them.
4. On a platter, arrange prepared peas, garlic, ginger, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, and water chestnuts. Set aside.
5. Have other ingredients ready to add as needed.
6. Heat wok and add 2 1/2 T peanut oil. With spatula, swirl oil around to coat sides of wok and heat until oil just begins to smoke. Add ginger and garlic; stir-fry until golden brown.
7. Add bamboo shoots, mushrooms, and water chestnuts; stir-fry until heated through, about 1 to 2 minutes.
8. Spread vegetables in a thin layer in wok. Add 1/4 c. broth and bring to a simmer. Lay velvet chicken on top of vegetables, cover and steam for 1 minute. Remove cover, add peas and stir-fry to combine.
9. Make a well and add soy sauce mixture. Stir-fry until all ingredients are glazed. Add a few drops of sesame oil and top with green onions or cilantro. Remove to a serving plate and garnish with almonds. Serve at once.

Mandarin Chicken

Another in a seemly endless supply of Almond Chicken recipes to test!! I thought this recipe was a bit too salty for my taste. That is probably why I don't use recipes with too much soy sauce very often. This recipe also called for additional salt when stir-frying. I won't be keeping this recipe, my quest for the perfect Almond Chicken remains elusive. I substituted peas and carrots for the mushrooms and bamboo shoots. The sauce never thickened up very well, and I should have added the peas and green onions at the end when the dish was being heated through.

Mandarin Chicken

1 chicken breast, skinned, boned, and cubed
salt
2 t. cornstarch
1/2 egg white, slightly beaten
1/2 c. diced bamboo shoots
1/2 c. quartered water chestnuts
1/2 c. quartered fresh mushrooms, or a 4-oz. can mushrooms, well drained
1 rib celery, sliced diagonally into 1/2-inch pieces
3 green onions, minced
2 t. Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
1/2 c. oyster sauce or soy sauce
1/2 c. chicken broth or water
1/2 t. sugar
1/2 c. blanched almonds, stir-fried
peanut oil
water

1. In a small bowl, combine cubed chicken, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon cornstarch and egg white. Set aside for 15 to 20 minutes. On a platter, arrange prepared bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, mushrooms, celery and green onions. Set aside. Have wine measured and ready to add as needed. In a small bowl, combine oyster sauce, broth, 1 teaspoon cornstarch, and sugar. Set aside. Have cooked almonds, peanut oil, water, and sale ready to add as needed.
2. In wok heat 1 1/2 cups oil to 375ºF or until a cube of bread dropped in oil rises to the surface and browns quickly. Add chicken and stir gently with spatula to separate pieces. Cook until all pink color is gone. Remove and drain chicken on paper towel. Set aside.
3. Remove oil from wok and wipe wok with a paper towel. To wok add 1 Tablespoon oil and heat until oil just begins to smoke. Add celery and a pinch of salt. Stir-fry briefly. Sprinkle 1 Tablespoon water down the sides of wok and stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes. Add bamboo shoots and water chestnuts. Add a pinch of salt and stir-fry until vegetables are heated through. Remove from wok and set aside.
4. T wok add 1 Tablespoon oil and heat until oil just begins to smoke. Add mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Sprinkle 1 Tablespoon water down the sides of wok and stir-fry until mushrooms are heated through, about 30 seconds.
5. Return cooked vegetables to wok and drizzle with wine. Stir-fry briefly and return chicken to wok, stir-frying to combine. Make a well and add oyster sauce mixture. Stir-fry to heat through. Add green onions and stir-fry to combine. Remove to a serving platter and garnish with almonds. Serve at once. Serves 2 to 3 people.

3-Citrus Hollandaise Sauce

This recipe was a big FAIL, the lesson I learned is that one should never make hollandaise sauce in the microwave!! The concept of multiple citrus tastes was fine, but the execution was horrible. I couldn't even bring myself to eat the asparagus!!

3-Citrus Hollandaise Sauce

2 T butter
1 1/2 t. fresh lime juice
1/2 t. fresh lemon juice
pinch salt
1 large egg yolk
dash hot red pepper sauce
1 1/2 t. fresh orange juice

1. Place butter, lime juice, lemon juice, and salt in medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH power until butter melts, about 1 minute. Whisk to cool slightly.
2. Add egg yolk and whisk until well blended. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave on MEDIUM (50%) 15 minutes. Whisk until blended. Repeat twice until sauce is thickened. Whisk in red pepper sauce and orange juice. Serve warm with salmon.

Chocolate Mousse

This mousse was good, even though I was nervous that it would be too "flat". I had trouble folding the whipped cream into the chocolate and thought that I might have "flattened" the mousse. This recipe has a bit of coffee in it so it takes the edge off the sweetness. I will keep this recipe as a variation of the standard chocolate mousse.

Safety note: Studies have shown that there are possible health risks to using raw eggs. Instead, substitute a pasteurized egg product.

Chocolate Mousse

8 oz. semisweet chocolate
3 T powdered sugar
3 T strong brewed coffee
2-3 egg yolks
1 1/4 c. whipping cream
additional whipped cream for garnish

1. Melt chocolate in a double boiler.
2. Add sugar, coffee, and egg yolks, one at a time. Stir until mixture has thickened. Remove from heat. Let cool.
3. Whip cream. Add to slightly cooled chocolate mixture.
4. Spoon mousse into individual serving dishes. Cover. Let cool in refrigerator for 1 hour.
5. Garnish each serving with a spoonful of whipped cream.