Sesame Chicken

 

Ingredients:

3 whole boneless chicken breasts

Marinade:

2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 tablespoon cooking wine or dry sherry
a few drops of sesame oil
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch (corn flour)
2 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vegetable oil

Sauce for Sesame Chicken:

1/2 cup water
1 cup chicken broth
1/8 cup vinegar (Guide notes: I find that a little low. It all depends on how sweet you want the sauce; for a sweeter sauce use less vinegar)
1/4 cup cornstarch (corn flour)
1 cup sugar
2 TB dark soy sauce
2 TB sesame oil
1 tsp chili paste, or more if desired
1 clove garlic (minced)

2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

3 1/2 - 4 cups peanut oil for deep-frying


Directions:

Cut the chicken into 1-inch cubes. Mix the marinade ingredients and marinate the chicken for 20 minutes.

To prepare the sauce: mix together all of the sauce ingredients. Pour them into a small pot and bring to a boil, stirring continuously. Turn the heat down to low and keep warm while you are deep-frying the chicken.

To deep-fry the chicken: add the marinated chicken pieces a few at a time, and deep-fry until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with the remainder of the chicken.

Just before you are finished deep-frying, bring the sauce back up to a boil.

Place the chicken on a large platter and pour the sauce over. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve the Sesame Chicken with rice.




Lisa C. . . . .

Grilled Asian Wings

 

Ingredients:

24 chicken wings

Marinade:

1 Tbsp fresh ginger, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 Tbsp brown sugar
6 Tbsp soy sauce
4 Tbsp sesame oil


Directions:

1. Combine the marinade ingredients and stir to blend. Reserve a small amount to use for basting.

2. Place wings in the rest of the marinade and turn to coat them.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, turning the wings several times.

3. Remove wings from marinade and grill them at medium heat, basting often with the reserved marinade.


Cook thoroughly for about 20 minutes or until the meat is tender.

Lisa C. . . . .

Crusty French Bread

Ingredients:

• 2 cups very warm water
• 1 packet yeast
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3-4 cups flour

 Directions:


Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
In a large bowl, whisk together the warm water, yeast, and sugar.
Set the bowl on top of your preheating oven for ten minutes.
Stir in the salt and add the flour a half-cup at a time, until the dough becomes soft but not sticky.  Knead the dough until elastic.
Cut the dough into four even pieces.
Roll each of them into four long, thin ropes.
Twist together two of the ropes to form one loaf.
Twist the other two ropes together to form a second loaf.
Transfer both onto a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
You can now bake the loaf right away (if you’re in a hurry) or allow it to rise for an additional 15-30 minutes on top of your warm oven.

Tip: Fill a large bowl with 3-4 cups of ice.  Open your hot oven and place the baking sheet with the baguettes inside, then toss the ice cubes on the bottom of the oven and quickly shut the door.  Do NOT open your oven for 15 minutes.  Bake until golden brown, about 15-18 minutes. 


Lisa C. . . . .

Honey Lemon Cough Drops

Thanks to Hearts Hands and Home

Ingredients:


2 C. sugar
1/2 C. honey
3/4 C. water
juice of 1/2 lemon
1-2 Zinc tablets, crushed (optional)
1-2 Vitamin C tablets, crushed (optional)






Directions:

























Butter an 8"x8" pan. Set aside.

Place sugar, honey and water in medium saucepan. Place pan over medium heat.  Cook and stir until mixture boils, stirring constantly to dissolve the sugar. 

Turn the heat down to med.-low and continue to lightly boil , stirring occasionally until a candy thermometer reads 285 degrees (soft crack). Approx. 20 minutes total.

Remove from heat, stir in lemon juice. Add zinc and Vitamin C (if desired), letting mixture cool for 1-2 minutes. 

Pour into prepared pan.  Cool for 10 minutes, score top of mixture.  If not cool enough to score, wait a few minutes and try again.

Cool completely.  Break into pieces using score lines. 

You can wrap pieces individually or store in a baggie or other container until ready to use.

Store in a cool dark place.

Lisa C. . . . .

Stuffed Shells

Ingredients

• Salt
• 8 pieces jumbo pasta shells
• 1 1/2 pounds ricotta cheese (can use reduced fat or skim)
• 1 white onion, finely chopped
• 1 pound mozzarella, grated
• 1/2 cup fresh grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 6 leaves fresh basil, torn 
• 1 cup shredded Asiago
• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, Crushed
• 1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 Egg Beaten

Directions

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Pasta:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. 
• Add pasta and cook according to the directions on the package for Al Dente.   Drain pasta and cool.

Filling: 

• Combine ricotta, with 1/2 of the other cheeses (Mozzarella, Asiago, and Parmasiano.) Add parsley salt, pepper, and egg to the cheeses and stir to combine.

Sauce:

• Over moderate heat add oil, garlic and onions. Saute onions and garlic 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and season sauce with salt and pepper ( I like to add a little red pepper flakes for an extra kick).
• Simmer sauce 5 minutes and stir in basil leave. 

• * If you have a little Marinara Sauce or prefer Meat sauce, that can ALSO be used.

Assemble:

• Pour a little sauce into the bottom of a shallow medium sized casserole dish. 
• Fill shells with filling  and arrange them seam side. 
• Top shells with remaining sauce and remaining cheeses. 
• Cook 6 to 8 minutes uncovered, to melt cheeses , or till you see the sauce bubble.

 **Feel free to get inventive with these.  I have added spinach, ham,  to the cheese filling, filled with meat, added a layer of sliced Italian sausage to the bottom of the pan, etc.  Get creative, and ENJOY!!! (BTW.  They freeze WONDERFULLY, I usually make two or three pans and freeze for later..)



Lisa C. . . . .