Delicious Lunch

A couple weeks ago I watched Sunny Anderson on Food Network make Airman Anderson's Chicken. It's her twist on Chinese chicken and since I love Chinese food I decided I would try it. Awesome choice! The sauce on the chicken is to DIE FOR! It was so good Ryan and I could not stop eating it.

Airman Anderson's Chicken

Ingredients

Vegetable oil, for frying

8 boneless skinless chicken thighs

2 eggs 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 cup all-purpose flour 1/4 cup cornstarch

1 orange, zested

1 1/2 cups orange juice 1/3 cup dark brown sugar 6 tablespoons butter

2 teaspoons hot pepper flakes 1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

In a large heavy-bottomed pot, pour in enough oil to fill the pot about a third of the way. Heat over medium heat until a deep-frying thermometer inserted into the oil reaches 350 degrees F.

Directions

Line a sheet tray with a wire cooling rack. Slice chicken into 2-inch pieces. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, cayenne, salt and black pepper to taste. In a paper bag, shake together salt, pepper, flour and cornstarch. Dip the chicken in batches, first in egg mixture, then in the flour mixture and shake to coat. Set on a wire rack and let sit 10 minutes. While chicken is resting, prepare sauce. In a large straight sided saute pan combine orange zest, orange juice, brown sugar, butter, hot pepper flakes and Worcestershire sauce. Stir, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until thickened, 5 to 8 minutes. Carefully place chicken in hot oil and fry until golden and crispy, 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer to the saute pan with the sauce and toss until evenly coated.

Bri's Tip: Instead of dark meat I used chicken breast and it was just as good!

With the Chinese theme I had to make my favorite Ham Fried Rice.

Ham Fried Rice

Ingredients

• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 3 1/2 to 4 tablespoons corn or peanut oil
• 3 1/2 cups cold cooked rice
• 2 to 3 ounces honey or sugar-cured ham (yielding 1/2 cup cubed ham)
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen peas or baby lima beans
• 1 to 1 1/4 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons green and white scallions Peanuts

Directions

Heat a wok or a small, heavy skillet over high heat. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons oil, swirl to coat the pan. Add eggs and scramble them. As soon as there is no more freely running egg, turn them out into a bowl and break them into small bits. They should be soft and a bit runny -- not brown.

Heat the wok or a large skillet and add 2 tablespoon oil to coat. Add the rice and toss briskly to coat and separate each grain, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the ham and peas. Toss to mix in the ingredients and allow the mixture to heat through, about 30 seconds. Return the eggs to the pan and toss to combine. Season with salt, scallions and peanuts, tossing another 5 to 10 seconds to let the eggs get hot.

Bri's Tip: I didn't have enough peas so I added corn as well, excellent choice! I also simply used lunch meat instead of cubed ham because that's what I had and that too was an excellent choice.

This meal was AWESOME! Ryan loved it, I loved it so try it!

Trollbeads

I had never even heard of Trollbeads until I started my new job. Trollbeads come from Denmark and most of them are handmade glass beads but there are also silver and gold beads. I found a new addiction, I love Trollbeads and would by a ton if they weren't so expensive. To get an idea how expensive they are they range from $30 to $500 a bead! To make a bracelet can get very pricey. So my plan is to make a wish list and slowly collect so that I can have a bracelet someday. I got my necklace today and I love it.

I love my silver bead it's called The Neither Fish Nor Bird Bead because it can look like a fish or a bird.

I also got 2 glass beads.

I love my necklace and can't wait to get a bracelet.

DYING to GO!

I recently got it in my head to go on a cruise for Ryan and mine's 2nd anniversary. But we don't want to go alone. We want to go with family or friends or both. I have been slowly killing my brain cells by searching for hours and hours for the best deals on flights and cruises. The flights are terrible! That's why it will be so dang expensive. Even though it would suck to pay for an expensive ticket I am determined to go on this trip in December whether friends come or not.

Plan of attack = donate plasma till my arm falls off.

OR

Someone could donate to my cruise fund.

www.briwantsacruise.com

I am going on this trip! I AM!

Desk

While I was home a couple weeks ago I found this desk that my parents were going to get rid of so I claimed it as my own. I should have gotten a before pic but I forgot. Before it was red and navy and very run down so I brightened it with a little paint. Now (temporarily) this desk is serving as a dinning table for me and Ryan because we left our old one in Powell and are planning on buying a new one.

Now looking at it it's a little sad that we are living this way. We only have one folding chair so one of us sits on the rubber made when we eat dinner. This is the only furniture we have besides our bed and Ryan's desk and office chair. Everywhere else you look is boxes boxes and more boxes. Only 2 more months of this and we will be in a new apartment with new furniture! For now we are just making wonderful memories.

Menu Day 1

Tonight I made Egg Drop Soup and Egg Rolls. The Egg Rolls were much easier than I thought it would be and there are endless ways to make them. For the Egg rolls I combined two recipes I found and mixed them to make one recipe.

My egg drop soup and egg rolls YUMMY!

EGG ROLLS

Ingredients

1 pound ground pork

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 quart peanut oil for frying

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons water

2 cups shredded cabbage

2 ounces shredded carrots

4-6 mushrooms diced

8 (7 inch square) egg roll wrappers

2 tablespoons sesame seeds (optional)

Directions

Season pork with ginger and garlic powder and mix thoroughly. Heat mixture in a medium skillet, stirring, until pork is cooked through and no longer pink. Set aside.

In another large skillet heat oil to about 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) or medium high heat. While oil is heating, Add cabbage, carrots, and mushrooms to the cooked meat and cook on low until vegetables are tender.

Lay out one egg roll skin with a corner pointed toward you. Place about a 1/4 to 1/3 cup of the cabbage, carrot and pork mixture on egg roll paper and fold corner up over the mixture. Fold left and right corners toward the center and continue to roll. Brush a bit of the flour paste on the final corner to help seal the egg roll.

Place egg rolls into heated oil and fry, turning occasionally, until golden brown. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels or rack. Put on serving plate and top with sesame seeds if desired.

Bri's TIP: Let the filling cool all the way down before rolling them in the wraps. If hot the egg roll will be soggy. Also I just used water to seal the end of the egg roll instead of the flour mixture and it worked fine. I recommend buying the Sweet Chili Sauce in the Asian section to dip the egg rolls in.

EGG DROP SOUP

Ingredients

6 cups chicken stock

1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions

1/2-1 cup Frozen Peas and Corn

4 shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, wiped clean, and thinly sliced

1 teaspoon soy sauce

Pinch finely ground white pepper

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Directions

In a medium saucepan, bring the stock to a simmer. Add 6 tablespoons of the green onions, the spinach, mushrooms, soy and white pepper. Return to a bare simmer and cook for 3 minutes. Stirring with a fork or chopstick, gradually add the eggs in a slow steady stream. Cook until the eggs are set, stirring to create shreds or ribbons of the eggs, 1 minute.

Remove from the heat. Ladle into bowls, garnish with the remaining 2 tablespoons of green onions, and serve immediately.

Both these recipes are delicious! I will be sharing all the recipes (if I like them) from my menu in future blog posts. Enjoy!

Menu

Ever since Ryan and I have moved we have eaten out A LOT! It is turning into a very bad and expensive habit. So today I decided to make a menu for the week and go grocery shopping. (Part of the eating out habit came from having an empty fridge.) Empty fridge= expensive shopping trip. This is what I came up with for my menu.

Chicken Empanadas

Corny Mango Salmon

Airman Anderson's Chicken (Chinese Chicken)

Egg Drop Soup

Ham and Cheese Roll Ups

Honey-Orange Chicken w/Sesame Sauce

Brown Sugar Meatloaf

I also came up with a few sides.

Bacon Fried Green Beans

Butter and Parm Squished Potatoes

Corny Salad

Egg Rolls

I started the menu tonight and made Egg Drop Soup and Egg Rolls. Yummy! I am really excited about cooking now because I have all the ingredients I need. Having what you need truly makes cooking a million times better.

She's a Graduate

Melissa graduated yesterday. Good job Mel! She even got to sing in the choir which was very good except for the soloist who should have been Melissa.

The gorgeous graduate.

Sisters!

Congratulations Melissa. I'm proud of you.

Stuck!