Sweet and Sour Chicken

At one of my recent Scrumptious Sunday Link Parties, Mandy from Mandy's Recipe Box posted her Sweet and Sour Chicken recipe.  My husband loves Chinese food (I'm not a big fan) but her recipe spoke to me as one I should make as a treat for my husband. And since all the ingredients are items I normally stock in my pantry, it was easy to put together! 

Here is what I did:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (partially thawed)
1/2 cup cornstarch
2 eggs (beaten)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
salt and pepper, to taste

3/4 cup sugar
4 tablespoons ketchup
1/2 cup vinegar
1 tablespoon soya sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Preheat oven to 325F.

Prepare two bowls for dipping - one with cornstarch and one with the beaten eggs.

Heat vegetable oil in frying pan.

Clean chicken breasts and cut into pieces. Mandy recommended cutting the chicken while still partially frozen, which did make cutting the chicken easier.  Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Coat chicken in cornstarch by dipping in bowl.  After cornstarch, dip into the egg mixture, coating the chicken.  Place chicken in the heated oil and cook for a few minutes (but do not cook through).

While the chicken is cooking in the pan, prepare the sweet and sour mix.  Using a whisk, mix together the sugar, ketchup, vinegar, soya sauce and garlic powder.

Once the chicken is browned, place the chicken in an 8x8 baking dish.  Coat the chicken with the sauce.  Bake for 1 hour, turning the chicken every 15 minutes.

VERDICT:
Both my husband and oldest son were skeptical about what I was making for dinner.  We told our son that it was "plum sauce chicken" because he loves plum sauce and figured that would help to get him to eat it.  After their first bites, they both said "Yum!" My son said that the "Chicken was very good, Mommy" and my husband cleaned his plate!  We did both agree that we'd like to add a little more "crunch" to the chicken the next time we cook it, and as much I would like crushed almonds (but hunny is allergic) we both thought we should try adding panko to the recipe.

Toffee Crunch Lunch Box Cookies

For Christmas I received a new cookbook, "Whitewater Cooks with Friends".  I love the Whitewater Cooks series of books, for a whole bunch of reasons.  Any recipe that I've made out the books has been delicious, the books themselves are beautiful, and they are written by a BC resident - out of Nelson.  Now the third book (with Friends) is another great book, though I am having troubles with some of the recipes only because there are a lot of almonds or scallops in their recipes , and my hubby is allergic to both.  So, I'll need to get a little creative with the recipes to make some substitutions, and then all will be great!  If you have never seen these cookbooks before, I recommend you check them out.  So far there are three in the series.  Many thanks to my friend Jody who introduced them to me, and to my hubby who keeps fueling the recipe addiction by giving me the latest book!

My husband claims that he doesn't like chocolate, and when I make cookies, they are usually my Mom's chocolate chip cookies (they are my favourites!).  In the newest Whitewater book, there is a recipe for Toffee Crunch Lunch Box Cookies...complete with Skor bits, and my hubby loves Skor bits so I figured these cookies might be a hit.  Plus it's a pretty easy recipe, a perfect Mother-Son baking session (which was a lot of fun!).  Sure enough, these cookies were a big hit, with hubby and oldest son alike.  They LOVED them!  Here is the recipe:

2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoom baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 lb butter, room temperature
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 package (200g) Skor toffee bits
White sugar for sprinkling (though I left this step out)

Combine flour, baking powder and salt.

Beat together butter, sugars, and vanilla until light and fluffy in a large bowl.

Add eggs and blend thoroughly.

Add flour mixture in thirds, mixing well after each addition.

Stir in toffee bits.

Drop by rounded teaspoon onto a parchment lined baking sheet.

Sprinkle with white sugar (as mentioned, I left this step out).

Bake in a 350F oven until golden brown, for about 12 minutes.

Cool on rack when done.

Easy breezy, and a hit with the boys.  I enjoyed the cookies (I AM a cookie monster), though it is hard to beat my Mom's Chocolate Chip Cookies!  Thanks again, Whitewater Cooks!

Sweet and Spicy Double Cooked Baby Back Ribs

Tonight for dinner we had ribs.  Anyone who knows me, knows that I do not like ribs.  But my husband LOVES ribs and our eldest son now loves them too.  I found this recipe for ribs, and tonight my hubby told me that these were the best ever, and that even Gordon Ramsay would love them.  That says a lot! (and I'm certainly no Gordon Ramsay or MasterChef in the making). 

Note - Even though the recipe calls for garlic (and I normally love garlic), I didn't use any garlic this time for two reasons, one I am out of garlic and two, our baby doesn't like garlic in his milk. 

Here is the recipe:

Sweet and Spicy Double Cooked Ribs

These ribs are a 24 hour process, but they are so worth it!  The meat just falls off the bone, which makes my hubby very happy!

INGREDIENTS

Baby back pork ribs
2-4 garlic cloves, sliced (depending on your garlic preference)

Rub:
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin

Sauce:
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup thai chili sauce
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce (Lea and Perrins)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons onion, diced
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1 clove crushed garlic

DIRECTIONS:

1) Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.  Place ribs on tin foiled shallow roasting pan or cookie sheet(s), bone side down.  Scatter the sliced cloves of garlic over the ribs.  Cover and bake for 2.5 hours.  Cool slightly.

2) While the ribs are baking, in a small bowl, mix together the white sugar, paprika, salt, pepper, chili powder and ground cumin.  After the ribs have cooled, rub the spices all over.  Wrap tightly with cling wrap and refrigerate overnight.

3) Approximately 1 hour prior to serving, in a small saucepan, mix together the brown sugar, cider vinegar, kethup, chili sauce, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, diced onion, dry mustard and one clove of crushed garlic.  Simmer over medium-low heat, uncovered, for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.  Reserve enough for basting, the remainder will be your dipping sauce.

4) Preheat grill for medium heat.

5) Place ribs on grill.  Grill, covered, for about 12 minutes, basting with the reserved sauce, until nicely browned and glazed.  Serve with remaining sauce for dipping (and don't forget the finger bowls!).