Cashew Chicken

I have this thing for cookbooks. I really love them, but I rarely actually use them. See, I find hours of enjoyment looking though them, reading them, studying them. When it takes time to make a meal I usually go with what I know. Sometimes on special occasions I find a fun recipe. Usually that recipe is online and not from one of the dozens of cookbooks I own.

A few weeks ago I got a new cookbook in the mail. Food and Wine magazine has this little gem of a cookbook that showed up on my doorstep.

It turns out I'm also a sucker for a good roundup. I couldn't turn down a cookbook that had "the best recipes from the 25 best cookbooks of the year."As per my previously noted cookbook MO, I spent a few evenings looking over all of the recipes and thinking about all of the yummy things I could make.

After those few nights together, I set the book aside and there it sat on our coffee table for weeks. Today I was thinking about Chinese food and was bummed that every Chinese place around here that I've tried has disappointed me. Greatly.

I was mulling over the prospects of another bad Kung Pao Chicken when the cookbook caught my eye. I thought of two of those 25 books: Simply Ming One-Pot Meals and Stir Frying To the Sky's Edge and thought perhaps I could make my own, better Chinese meal.

Enter page 256. Cashew Chicken from Stir Frying To the Sky's Edge. I may never go out for Chinese again. And I might start using the cookbooks I've acquired over the years...

Cashew Chicken adapted only slightly from the cookbook pictured above.

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken thigh cubed
3 cloves minced garlic
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons corn starch
1 teaspoon plus 2 tablespoons cooking sherry
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 pinch of sugar
1/4 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1/2 cup sugar snap peas
1/2 cup julienned carrots
1/2 cup thinly sliced cllery
1/2 cup cashews (the recipe calls for unsalted, but I couldn't find any. I cut the salt back in the recipe and just used salted cashews)

First, I combined the chicken, garlic, 1 teaspoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon corn starch, 1 teaspoon sherry and the salt and sugar in a bowl.

In another bowl I combined the broth, remaining soy sauce, 2 tablespoons sherry and 1/2 teaspoon corn starch.

I set both of these bowls aside.

Next, I heated my wok and added a tablespoon of peanut oil and the ginger. I stir fried that until it was fragrant and pushed it to the sides of the wok. Then, I dumped the chicken concoction in the hot wok and spread it evenly across the bottom. I let it sit there for about a minute to sear and then stir fried for another minute until it was brown but not cooked through.

Last, I added the last of the oil, all of the veggies and the cashews. I stir fired that for a few minutes, stirred my broth mixture and poured that over the chicken and veggies. I was supposed to stir fry that for about a minute and serve, but it was at this point that I realized I hadn't made the rice. (Awesome rice cooker posted about here.)

Oops.

So, I turned down the heat, started the rice and fumed for about 14 minutes knowing that I ruined dinner. Well, it turns out that this meal doesn't have to be super precise. It was delicious even with an extra 13 minutes simmering at low heat.

I like low maintenance recipes that are hard to ruin. I always manage to do something that has the potential to screw up dinner, so it makes me happy when recipes are Amy-proof.

Needless to say, Number 7 Chinese will not be my I-don't-really-enjoy-it-but-I-want-Chinese go-to restaurant any more. I may not need a restaurant. Actually, I'll need to figure out crab rangoons before I swear off chinese places all together.

Are you a cookbook person? Or do they gather dust like mine?

Nutcracker

I don't think I've seen The Nutcracker since I was a little girl. I probably would have missed it this year if I hadn't got an email from a parent of one of my students. Her daughter Bryanna would be missing school on Thursday and Friday because she had a lead in The Nutcracker.

The first writing assignment I have my seniors do is their college admissions essay. Not only is this the most important essay many of them will write in their senior year, but because of it I also get to know my seniors really well really quickly. Bryanna wrote about dancing. She wrote about training with the Atlanta Ballet and how she was on the path to become a professional dancer. Then the pain started and increased. She could barely walk. She couldn't sit the length of a class. She certainly couldn't dance. In November of last year she had hip surgery. Serious, major hip surgery. Her mom calls her hip "bionic." The doctors told Bryanna she'd never dance again. In her essay she wrote about how she was going to prove them wrong.

(Image from Jackie Rueda via Flicker)

And so she did. I watched her dance this afternoon. Among other parts she played the Lead Angel. It was a stunning scene. It was entirely en pointe. I looked that term up. Dancing en pointe requires strength of legs and feet. It requires great strength, balance and agility. It requires strong hips, among other things.

Bryanna's mom said that for dancers the Christmas season stops being the Christmas season. It is Nutcracker season. When she said it I knew that this time she was so very happy that this Christmas is Nutcracker season Bryanna.

What season is it for you, dear readers?

Salted Caramel Pie

Thanksgiving was special this year. For the first time in a very long time, my stepbrother and his family drove down to my parents' house. Also, a very close family friend and her two sons joined us. We had a total of 13 people. This is the kind of meal preparation that would make some lesser folk cringe, but for my mom cooking for a large crowd is a dream come true.

She would have gladly shouldered the entire burden, but we are genetically bound and I love cooking for a crowd too. I wanted to help. Mom would only allow me to do so much, so I offered to bring a pie and the salad.

Now, this pie offer was for a few reasons: 1) I'm not a fan of traditional Thanksgiving pie flavors, 2) I can probably count on two fingers the pies I've baked in my life, and 3) I had an interestingly yummy looking recipe from my newest Food & Wine magazine.

Salted Caramel Pie

See? Yummy, huh?

For those of you who follow this blog (Two of you!!!! Thank you!!!!) you know that I often forget to photograph my projects.

This would be another instance of that. Fortunately, Food & Wine and The Constant Hunger had a few images I lifted from their websites.

(from Food &Wine)

I'll let your mouth stop watering.

And the cool thing is that it is way easier than it should be.

There are almost no ingredients.

1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 5 ounces)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup light brown sugar
Two 14-ounce cans sweetened condensed milk
Fleur de sel
2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

A pie, a crust and the whipped topping in seven ingredients? Perfect for a pie novice like me.

I won't give all of the step by step directions, because you can find them here.

I will tell you that baking condensed milk smells oddly like macaroni and cheese. I had my doubts about how it would all come together. I actually wondered if I was going to have to scrap the whole thing and pick up a pre-made pie on the way north. Fear not, the mac and cheese scent does not affect the taste at all. Not one tiny bit.

It is, in fact, deliciously caramel-y and not cheesy.

(From The Constant Hunger)

There was an abundance of desserts at Thanksgiving dinner, and all of them were delicious. I do have to say, though, that this one was pretty popular.

I'll be making this pie again and again, I'm sure. Aside from taking hours to make the caramel, it was really easy. (But please don't tell anyone how easy it was. I don't want mom to think I got off easy for turkey day.)

So, what was the best part of your Thanksgiving?  

New Crew from Fantasy Land

I love it when I get home from a long day at work and the mailbox is stuffed to the brim with magazines and catalogues. Obviously that means the papers that found their way home with me can be pushed to the side and I can enter Fantasy Land. Aaaah. One of my favorite places.

Tonight I opted for the new J. Crew catalogue over InStyle. Here's why:

The combined cost of these items is approximately a gazillion dollars, which is why I generally only do this kind of shopping when I am in Fantasy Land. The mall there is fan-tastic. 

If you had a gazillion dollars how would you spend it?



Guilt and Manipulation

I've mentioned before that my dear friend Cyndi and I share a Kindle account. Sometimes she accuses my tastes in literature of being a bit morbid. Or dark. Or depressing. Whatever.

When I purchased this month's book club book (The Lemon Tree: An Arab, A Jew and the Heart of the Middle East) I warned her that it might will be one of those sadly poignant books that she doesn't necessarily love to read. (Though I think this one might not be as dark and depressing as others I have recommended to her.)

For the record, this book was not my choice. I hadn't even heard of it. Any morbidity, darkness or depression is purely coincidental. (Geesh, C, that stuff sells.)

A few days later Cyndi had her own book recommendation for me. She even downloaded the sample.

Well, I started reading and had to purchase the book as soon as I finished the teaser that Kindle provides. Elizabeth Beckwith is funny. Funny in a way that I can really relate to. (Read= weird and quirky.)

I'm only about halfway done with it, but so far I recommend it to anyone who has a sense of humor. And since you read this blog I can only assume that you appreciate funny. Or those who think they are funny.

So if you had to choose between a snarky book about how parents can use guilt and manipulation to raise nerdy, neurotic (but innocent and not slutty) kids or a serious and moving text about religious strife in the Middle East, which would you turn to first?

I'll let you know how The Lemon Tree is right after I finish my mindless, light read.

Tile Makes Me Smile

It has been a very long time since I've written about the kitchen. Ok, so it has been a long time since I've written anything. Sorry about that. It is much easier to keep this little blog updated when I have all the free time in the world. I'm in the process of convincing beau that I need to quit my job and blog full time. Unfortunately for you, my five readers, beau is not entirely swayed. I'll keep working on it, you keep reading.

Back to the kitchen...

I got home from work the other day and saw this when I approached the kitchen:

What a mess. I wasn't quite sure why my kitchen exploded. Then I noticed that behind that mess was a glorious strip of tile. See it?

I turned to my left and...

Taaa-Daah! Beau had been busy. He was still hard at work, too.

(Isn't he the cutest?)

So, the next night when I got home from work we had a very romantic night of grouting. You know what they say about the couple that grouts together, right? Yep, they go for celebratory sushi after...

After a few days of wiping down tile to get the grout residue off and putting stuff back where it belongs, we have a kitchen that is one giant leap closer to being donezo.

The bullet list of things to do is getting much much shorter.

• Caulk window and door trim
• Caulk baseboards
• Caulk around new tile
• Extend outlets and replace faceplates
• Paint accent wall
• Touch-up paint on other walls
• Paint trim and baseboards

Had I not been a complete lump this long weekend the kitchen could have been done. But what fun is that? We'd just have to start the next project...

There has been some discussion about putting a bathroom in upstairs. Be still my heart.

Who out there thinks I should be a full time blogger? (Don't be shy...now is the time to comment!) 

Sushi Art

Yesterday at work I was accosted.

By yearbook reps.

They want my business.

And they trapped me in my classroom until 6:15.

School gets out at 2:00.

Yes, they length of my day was made 3/4 longer by yearbook reps trying to get me to switch companies. (By the way, if you are wondering why I would even allow this to happen it is because the rep showed up at my school unannounced two weeks ago. She had two district supervisors with her. They wouldn't leave until I scheduled a session where they could work with my kids and show me how they will "shower me with personalized attention and service." And, if you know me at all you know I am too nice to people. Oh, and she bought pizza for my girls.)

They did, however, leave me with a super cool cup like they have at Starbucks. You know, the clear one with the lids and the green straws. This one says "Yearbook Fuel" across it.

Sadly, I'm really excited about it. REALLY excited.

Don't tell my yearbook rep that I was almost swayed by a plastic cup. I don't want to leave my present company, but the one that is trying to break us up has way better swag. It's like in those Lifetime movies where the sweet girl is dating her nerdy but kind and adoring neighbor who borrows mom's mini van to take her on dates and then the leather jacket wearing, motorcycle (or Camaro) driving bad boy starts to pursue her. She knows the nerdy neighbor boy is the right match for her, but the other guy is so cool and so she entertains the thought.

Yeah, so that's what yesterday was like. Except the chase lasted four hours and it wasn't nearly as fun as being chased by two guys.

But, that's not the point of this tale. The point is that I was at school so much longer than I intended to be. I had high hopes for a lovely homemade dinner. It didn't happen.

I got home and beau was romancing Siri. That took a while. I love it when he gets a new Apple product.

All of a sudden it was 8:00 and I was famished. Beau was told it was time to go for sushi. (He doesn't mind orders like that; sushi is his favorite.)

More times than not we go to this little place right by the university. The sushi is quite good, it is inexpensive, and the staff has gotten accustomed to seeing us there so they are always friendly.

When it is quiet there the sushi chefs do an amazing job creating edible art.

Last night they gave me my favorite flower. Tulips. Beau doesn't even give me flowers...

Pretty, huh?

Beau's was lovely as well. (But I don't think the chefs liked him as much as me. mine is way more intricate.)



His does, though, have a real flower in the center. See it? It is a little rose bud. Maybe they were crushing on him a bit. Can't blame them. He's a cutie.

I really like it when it is quiet at the Sushi place. It makes me happy.

Do you think sushi chefs practice? Do they sit at home watching Real Housewives and sketch sauce designs? Are they art school dropouts? Are they instructors at art school? Is there a course in sushi sauce art? These are things that I wonder when I get to eat there and it is quiet and the artists are out to impress.

So, how dorky would you feel sipping from a cup that is labeled "yearbook fuel?" Do you think sushi chefs are wasting their artistic talent on plates that are just going to be smudged and then washed?