Sweet & Sour Chicken

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Sweet and Sour Chicken

We’ve been on a little bit of a seafood binge lately. Between all the crab related dishes, and that bag of clams – I feel like we haven’t had a chance to have any landlubber favorites. So, when I came across this dish on Pinterest last week, I knew I couldn’t wait a whole week to make it – and rearranged my menu plans a bit to accommodate having this for dinner one evening.

I have so many take-out favorites that I make here at home, but sweet & sour chicken was one that’d I’d not gotten around to trying out in my own kitchen. Which is surprising, because it’s one of our favorites to order. But so often it’s disappointing. The dreaded tub of orange sauce and some frozen breaded chicken pieces – and I just paid $8 for this? Ain’t nobody got time for that!

The chicken pieces are lightly breaded in cornstarch (which is great for maintaining crispiness) and quickly fried. They are then layered with red and green peppers and fresh pineapple on a baking sheet, and doused with an awesome sweet and sour sauce that’s made from ingredients you probably already have in your pantry. The whole thing goes into the oven for a bit to finish up cooking and merry all those delicious flavors together. Served over a bed of rice, with a green vegetable – like snow peas or steamed broccoli, it’s a delicious dinner that you can feel good about serving to your family. And chances are, it also kicks the pants off of any sweet & sour chicken you’ve had in the past!

Sweet & Sour Chicken

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs
1 cup cornstarch
2 eggs, lightly beaten
kosher salt
freshly ground pepper
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 green pepper, cut into 1″ chunks
1 red pepper, cut into 1″ chunks
1 cup fresh pineapple chunks

For the sauce:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup ketchup
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1 1/2 Tbsp Worstershire sauce
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place cornstarch in a shallow dish (I like to use pie plates) and place the beaten egg int another shallow dish.

Season chicken with kosher salt and black pepper, and cut into 1-inch pieces. Dip each piece of chicken into the egg, and then into the cornstarch – moving around to cover the pieces completely.

Heat the vegetable oil in a cast iron skillet (or another skillet with high-sided walls) over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the chicken pieces on at a time, being careful to not overcrowd the pan. Fry, turning occasionally, until chicken is starting to brown. Remove chicken to a rimmed baking sheet lined with paper towels to drain while you fry the remainder of the chicken.

Remove paper towels from under the chicken, and add the chopped peppers and pineapple to the baking sheet.

To prepare the sauce, combine all the ingredients in a medium sized bowl and whisk well to combine. Pour about 3/4 of the sauce over the chicken, peppers, and pineapple. Gently toss to combine.

Place in preheated oven and bake for about 40 minutes, until peppers are tender and sauce has thickened up and is starting to carmalize.

Serve over rice with remaining sauce, if desired.

Source: adapted from The Center Cut Cook

Spaghetti with Clams

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Spaghetti with Clams

I’ve mentioned before that we live in a small town in a rural area, full of small towns just like ours. And in these small towns, it’s not uncommon for someone to have 2 professions. Like, the chief of police also owns the only extermination company for a 50-mile radius. Or the mayor of the town, who also owns an electric supply company. Or Jon’s boss at NASA, who farms cultured clams in his spare time…

We’ve been wanting to get a bag of “littlenecks”, the smallest and tenderest of clams, for quite some time now, but Jon would always forget to mention it to Scott for some reason or another. Finally last week, he remembered to remember, and a big bag of these guys were waiting for him in the office refrigerator on Monday morning. I knew I wanted to do a pasta with clam sauce, but all the other ones I had tried in the past were kind of lackluster. So, I turned to Giada. I’d found both of her cookbooks in the thrift shop for $1/piece (one man’s trash is another man’s comeup!) and there was a recipe that looked great, yet had a simple ingredient list – precisely what this dish should be.

And, I’m pleased to report that this recipe fully lived up to my expectations. A punch of garlic, a little bite from the addition of white wine, and then just an awesome brininess from the clams that rounds out all the flavors and brings everything together. So quick, too. Dinner is literally done in the time that it takes to boil the pasta! Winner, winner – clam and pasta dinner. Have a great weekend, kids!

Spaghetti With Clams

1 pound dried spaghetti
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 small red onion, finely diced
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 1/2 pounds (about 25) Manila or Littleneck clams, scrubbed clean
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons butter, diced into small cubes
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lemon, zested, for garnish

In a large pot, bring to a boil 6 quarts of salted water. Add pasta, stirring constantly in the beginning to prevent it from sticking together. Cook until al dente, about 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large saute pan. When almost smoking, add shallots and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes, being careful not to burn the garlic. Add the clams and wine. Cover and simmer for 6 to 8 minutes or until most clams have opened. Add 2 tablespoons chopped parsley. Whisk in butter to thicken sauce slightly.

Drain pasta in a colander. Do not rinse pasta with water. Place pasta into the clam saute pan and mix thoroughly. Season with to taste with salt and pepper.

Pour pasta into large serving bowl. Zest lemon over the dish. Garnish with remaining parsley. Serve immediately.

Source: adapted from Everyday Italian by Giada De Laurentiis

Black Forest Tart

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Black Forest Tart

Cherries. Glorious cherries. It’s rare that I get to actually make anything with them, as they usually get eaten within hours of bringing them home from the grocery store. But on rare occasions it does happen, and the results that ensue are usually out of this world.

Case in point? This Black Forest Tart. A rich chocolate crust, a light fluffy whipped cream filling, and plenty of delicious roasted cherries. Roasting fruit is a great way to reduce the water content, and intensifying flavor at the same time. That way you don’t end up with a waterlogged tart!

For as decadent and over-the-top as it looks, it was surprisingly light to the palette. Which, is perfect for these hot summer evenings when you want something sweet – but don’t want something that’s sure to weigh you down. And, let me just advise to go ahead and make the homemade chocolate syrup. It’s pure perfection drizzled over this dessert. You won’t regret it, I promise.

Black Forest Tart

For the tart shell:
1 large egg yolk
1 tbsp. heavy cream
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the work surface
1/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
8 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

For the filling:
4 cups fresh cherries, pitted and halved
3-4 tbsp. sugar
1 cup heavy cream
3 tbsp. confectioners’ sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
chocolate syrup, for drizzle

To make the tart shell, whisk together the egg yolk, cream and vanilla in a small bowl; set aside. Place the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Process briefly to combine. Scatter the butter pieces over the flour mixture; process to cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse meal, about fifteen 1-second pulses. (Note: This can just as easily be done with a stand mixer or by hand with a pastry cutter.) With the machine running, add the egg mixture and process until the dough just comes together, about 12 seconds. Turn the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and press into a 6-inch disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 48 hours.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator. (If refrigerated for more than an hour, let stand at room temperature until malleable.) Unwrap and roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to a 13-inch round. Transfer the dough to a 9-inch tart pan. Mold the dough to the sides of the tart pan and remove the excess off the top. Set the dough-lined tart pan on a large plate and freeze for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, adjust an oven rack to middle position. Preheat the oven to 375° F. Set the dough-lined tart pan on a baking sheet, press a 12-inch square of foil into the frozen shell and over the edge, and fill with pie weights. Bake for 30 minutes, rotating halfway through the baking time. Remove from the oven and carefully remove the foil and weights. Continue to bake until deep golden brown, 5-8 minutes longer. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Increase the oven temperature to 450 F. Combine the cherries and sugar in a baking dish. Toss to combine. Bake for about 10 minutes, until the cherries have softened slightly and start to release their juices. Let the cherries cool completely before assembling the tart.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the heavy cream and confectioners’ sugar. Whip on medium-high speed until medium-stiff peaks form. Blend in the vanilla. Spoon about two-thirds of the roasted cherries into the cooled tart shell to form an even layer. Top with the whipped cream and smooth into an even layer over the cherries. Spoon the remaining cherries over the top of the whipped cream. If desired, drizzle a bit of chocolate syrup over the top. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Source: Annie’s Eats

Lemon Berry Cheesecake Trifles

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Blueberry Lemon Cheesecake Trifles

Can you believe the 4th of July is almost here? I feel like the summer is just flying by. Our local fireman’s carnival opens up this weekend – we’re anxiously awaiting oyster and clam fritters, flaked ice in our soda, and the freshly made caramel corn that we’ll feast on Friday night. It’s a right of passage of summer around these parts…

One thing that is a lifesaver in the summertime is no-bake desserts. It doesn’t do anyone any good to heat up the oven for hours on end when it’s over 100 degrees outside. Well, anyone except your electric company I suppose… So, it’s good to have a little trick like this delicious trifle up your sleeve. Not to mention it’s quick – giving you more time to play outside in the sunshine!

I used blueberries, but  would be equally good with raspberries, strawberries, or blackberries. Or a combo..how cute would they be decorated for the 4th with strawberries and blueberries? I loved the addition of almonds into the streusel topping too, really deepened the flavor and gave it a nice nutty quality. And the lemon cheesecake filling was perfect – a nice lemon flavor from the Lucky Leaf pie filling, but not too sweet.

I layered them in mason jars – because, I’m just obsessed with them lately. This would also make for great portability to a potluck or barbeque. I will admit it makes for a large portion. I’ll probably try them in half-pint size next time. Or, couples could always share – just offer 2 spoons! A delicious, beautiful dessert for any warm summer night. 

Lemon Berry Cheesecake Trifles

1 store-bought pound cake, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 cups fresh blueberries

For the graham cracker streusel:
6 cinnamon graham crackers, crushed to crumbs in a food processor
1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup finely chopped almonds
4 Tbsp butter, melted
pinch salt

For the cheesecake filling:
16 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup Lucky Leaf Premium Lemon Pie Filling

To make the graham cracker streusel, toss all ingredients in a medium bowl until the butter is evenly distributed.

Beat cream cheese and granulated sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy – set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the whipping cream at medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Slowly add the powdered sugar and vanilla, and increase speed to high. Beat until stiff peaks form, about 30 seconds more. Carefully fold the whipped cream and lemon pie filling into the cream cheese mixture until thoroughly combined.

Layer the graham cracker streusel, blueberries, lemon cheesecake mixture, and pound cake cubes in a medium mason jar until filled. Repeat with remaining jars, garnish with leftover strusel topping, blueberries, and lemon sliceds.

Makes about 6 servings, depending on the size of your jars.

Source: adapted from A Bitchin’ Kitchen via Lucky Leaf

Disclaimer: Lucky Leaf provided me with products to sample. As always, all opinions and thoughts are my own.