BLT+

So this has no specific recipe. I just saw this way of cooking the bacon and decided to try it. So here it is a sandwich that always seems to help those midnight cravings.

Here they are the basic ingredients to the BLT we all enjoy. I would have liked to use bigger tomatoes but there isn't a great selection of ripe ones this time of year.

This used 6 slices of regular center cut bacon. I thought about using the thick cut but with the way its laid out I wasn't sure how well the center pieces would cook before the rest got too crispy.

I decide with a heartier bread than just plain white box bread. I wanted something that would hold up to all that bacon flavor.

 After the bacon was done cooking I had to trim the edges so it fit perfectly on the oval slice of bread. Okay I didn't trim it. I bit them off. One the perks of cooking. So here it is. Ready to slice and eat. Or is it? What could I do to make make this better?

Yes! A fried egg on top makes everything better. The fried egg is the plus in BLT+

Jalepeno Poppers Part II

This is a follow up to Alex’s earlier post. Let me preface this to say, never go to the grocery store hungry. Today, I found myself wandering the aisles without a list and thinking about these poppers Alex made earlier this week and his idea of wrapping them in bacon. The saying “snack attack” became real to me as I found myself gathering the ingredients for these… as if I didn’t have a choice! ATTACKED!

Mix cream cheese with salt and pepper until smooth. I used a little trick here by taking a quart sized plastic bag and turning it inside out. Scoop the cheese mixture into your hand that’s inside the plastic bag and then turn bag right side out. It’s just a little less messy that way.

I used gloves! Cut your peppers open in a T shape with the top of the T near the stem. Dig the rib and seeds out as best you can.

Squeeze some cheese mixture in like this. It’s easy!

Wrap jalepenos in bacon. Everything is better with bacon right?? I was a little concerned that the bacon wouldn’t crisp up but it was perfect! I was thinking that I wouldn’t need toothpicks because the bacon would hold it together. I was wrong… some of the cheese did leak out. Next time I’ll use toothpicks to keep it all together (and yes, there WILL be a next time!) I dipped them in Bolthouse Farms Chunky Blue Cheese dressing. These were really good!!

Lemonade (Fresh Squeezed)

Here is a quick easy one. Fresh squeezed lemonade. For all you Florida types, put those lemons in your backyard to a delicious use.

Three simple ingredients: Water, lemons and sugar

I used 10 lemons and that gave me 2 cups of juice. To get the most juice out of them I poked with a couple of holes and microwaved it for about 15 seconds. This helps break up the cell walls.....I think.

I'm sure you already know this but in case you have never used one of these before. Here is the proper way to use this type of lemon press. You can get it in green also to match the color of limes. 

The problem with using granulated sugar is trying to get it all dissolved into the solution without having to stir for 20 minutes. I made a simple syrup using 1 cup of water and 2 cups of sugar. Heat it on the stove until dissolved. Do not let it boil or you'll end up with rock candy. Once this is done add one gallon of water to a pitcher along with the simple syrup and lemon juice. Stir and serve it cold.

I used 1 Gallon + 1 cup (used in to dissolve sugar) of filtered water, 2 cups of lemon juice and 2 cups of sugar. I like mine on the tart side.

General Tso's Chicken

One of my favorite kinds of food is Asian. It's really too bad I'm the only one in my family who really likes it. Yes, I am really the only "foodie" in the household. My oldest daughter Jordan likes dishes like this, however, so I made this with her in mind. Everyone else had leftovers!

I found the original recipe on From Away: Cooking and Eating in Maine. Despite the long list of ingredients, it didn't look too involved. Most of those ingredients went into one mixing bowl for the sauce.

Oops! Looks like I'm getting low on some things. I'll have to add Sriracha sauce and sesame oil to Grocery IQ! I really like how you can sync lists... that way if my husband happens to be at the store, he can check our shared list and see what he could pick up since he's already out. What are your favorite grocery apps?

Combine chicken stock, hoisin sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, sriracha sauce,  sugar and 2 teaspoons of cornstarch in a medium bowl.

Cut chicken up into bite sized chunks and mix with sherry and a pinch of salt. Let marinate for at least 15 minutes. Coat the chicken pieces in cornstarch. I tried to take a shortcut here when I made this. I dumped my measured amount of cornstarch into a ziplock bag and then added my chicken into it and tossed it around. There was a little too much moisture on the chicken and the cornstarch started to gum up into little balls. It will take extra time, but put the cornstarch into a bowl and coat the chicken that way.

Mince garlic, grate ginger and slice scallions. Do yourself a huge favor and use fresh garlic and ginger and not stuff that comes in a bottle. I used bottled stuff for years because it was convenient. Fresh really tastes so much better!

Heat oil in a skillet and add chicken. Brown on all sides, about 4-5 minutes. Drain on paper towel. With a little oil left in the skillet, add garlic and ginger and stir until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add chicken pieces, chilies and onions and toss to combine. I omitted the chilies in case it was too spicy for the kids. Add sauce and simmer, stirring constantly until it thickens. You can kind of see the little cornstarch gummy balls in the photo above. It didn't affect the taste any, it just looked weird.

Serve over rice (I used Basmati) and top with some more scallions. I'll definitely make this again. My oldest daughter Jordan really liked it! 

General Tso’s Chicken

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 2 teaspoon Sriracha sauce
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/3 cup + 2 teaspoons cornstarch, divided
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, but into bite-sized chunks
• 2 tablespoons dry white sherry
• Peanut oil, for frying
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
• 6-8 “Japonese” dried red whole chilis
• 3 scallions, white and green parts, cut into half inch chunks

Method:

1.  In a small bowl, combine chicken stock, soy sauce, vinegar, hoisin, Sriracha, sesame oil, sugar, and 2 teaspoons of the cornstarch. Stir until smooth.
2. In another bowl, toss chicken chunks with sherry and a pinch of salt, and set aside to marinate for 15 minutes.
3. When ready to cook, toss chicken to coat evenly with remaining 1/3 cup of cornstarch. Chicken should have a dry coating of cornstarch; add a little more if coating seems moist. In a large skillet over medium heat, bring peanut oil to 325 degrees. Add chicken and cook, stirring often, until chicken is brown on all sides, about 4-5 minutes. Remove from skillet and drain on paper towels.
4. Pour most of the oil out of the skillet, until only a thin coating remains in the pan. Add garlic and ginger to pan and stir until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add whole chilies, chicken pieces, and scallion pieces, and toss to combine. Add sauce and simmer, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens, becomes shiny, and evenly coats chicken. Top with more sliced scallions and serve immediately with steamed rice.

Read more: http://www.fromaway.com/cooking/chinese-new-year-general-tsos-chicken#ixzz273yItSY3

Jalapeno Poppers

This was a last minute recipe. I got an email with an easy Jalapeno Popper recipe yesterday while in the gym of all places. I'd made them in the past using the fryer method with mixed results. Most times I'd have the cheese ooze out all over and leave a mostly empty breaded fried jalapeno. This recipe uses the broiler instead of a deep dryer.

Here are all the ingredients. I grabbed the light cream cheese. I was at the gym after all and trying to make it at least a little healthier so I don't undo to much of the effort I'd put in working out. And yes, I'm working out so I can fully enjoy the variety of dishes I plan on making.

Slice the peppers open being careful not to completely split them open removing the rib and seeds. USE GLOVES. I washed my hands several times after doing this and this morning I still managed to get some of the hot stuff in my eye.

Fill them using a plastic baggie with the corner cut off. Then slide a toothpick through it to keep them from opening up too much and I also found it helped keep them cheese side up.

I but them under the broiler middle oven rack for about 12 minutes. The recipe said around 8 but they were still a little crunchy. Next attempt will involve a bacon wrap.