Try It!

I was excited about this meal from the beginning because we had yet to cook asian food for our blog. It's a funny thing about these two sisters. We are Swedish. Why is that funny? Well, because if you look at the majority of foods we have eaten as we've gotten older, it's anything but Swedish. It's Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Mexican...the list goes on. Aside from our blonde hair, you wouldn't know we are Swedish if you just looked at our food palette! "You'd never know my girls are Swedish!" my mom would say. I think it's exciting to try new ethnic dishes. And trying is the key word. Now, that doesn't mean you will like it or that you have to like it, but it's important to try. I once knew a guy who basically only liked ground beef (Plain, might I add. No seasoning at all!) and brownies. I think if he had at least taken one bite of something new, he could have discovered that he liked sushi, or hummus, or even....10 minute Szechuan Chicken! Now that I think about it, he had dark hair. I guess it's true what they say....blondes do have more fun, especially in the kitchen! Personally, I think the above food palette is much more exciting than a brown, monochromatic meat and brownie palette.

This meal was definitely a winner. It scored a rating of 4.95 out of 5 on my dad's food rating scale. "It's a keeper!" he exclaimed. Well, that's just what cook wants to hear! I'd say asian was a success this time. Go brighten your palette!

Not Your Typical Night

Cereal. Grilled cheese. Leftovers. The occasional egg sandwich. These, my friends, are the sorts of meals that I typically find myself eating when I am dining alone. My logic on these sorts of nights goes something like this: if I'm on my own for the evening, I might as well spend my time doing "me things," which usually consist of art, writing, blogging, reading, knitting, and the like. As I said, that's typically what happens Last night, however, was not your typical kind of night (in more ways than just my eating habits). Last night was the last evening of March, the month that supposedly "comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb." Well, March decided to get the last laugh, it seems, for it was snowing on this lovely Spring night. Quite atypical, un-lamb-like behavior, if you ask me. I decided to follow suit.

With the babe sleeping soundly and the husband working a late-shift, I found myself all alone with lots of ingredients in the refrigerator but few actual finished products. This week's recipe, Szechuan Chicken, was yet to be made. And, I also had a huge loaf of bread that had seen better days. So, instead of an art-making evening, I turned my creative pursuits toward the kitchen. My plan was to start with the chicken and follow-up with a bread pudding, if I still had enough energy.

Now, let me just state that prior to my making of the Szechuan Chicken, I had already been given glowing reports from both my sister and my dad. I, therefore, went into the cooking process with high expectations. This can be rather dangerous for me, because what typically happens in such cases is that I build things up beyond perfection. Then, of course, I am disappointed when the reality doesn't exactly match my inflated expectations. But, last night, as we've already stated, was an atypical night. Even in the face of my high hopes, this recipe held its ground and proved its worth. Upon a first perusal of the ingredients, it seemed too simple to be good. But, it was better than good. Admittedly, I did take it upon myself to tweak things ever so slightly. I doubled the sauce ingredients to ensure that my chicken could be saucy enough to be served over rice.

After enjoying a delicious (albeit quiet) dinner, I found myself with a continued surge of baking motivation. My atypical night continued with the baking of a bread pudding and then an earlier-than-usual bedtime.

Tonight, however, order was restored. Finding myself with another evening alone, I decided it was time to return to the typical...typical, of course, not being at all a bad thing. So, after putting the little one to bed and doing the normal end-of-the-day cleanup, I sat myself down on the couch, a blog post brewing in my brain and a bowl of cereal in my hand.

The Recipe: Szechuan Chicken

"Ten Minute Szechuan Chicken"
from allrecipes.com

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
5 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon white sugar
3 green onions, sliced diagonally into 1/2 inch pieces
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste

Place the chicken and cornstarch into a bag or bowl, and toss to coat. Heat oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the chicken pieces and garlic, stirring constantly until lightly browned.

Stir in the soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and water. Cover, and cook until the chicken pieces are no longer pink inside, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the green onion, and cayenne pepper, cook uncovered for about 2 more minutes.

Serve over white or brown rice.