Cashew Chicken (87 of 150)

I'm a fan of making Chinese food instead of ordering it out. I haven't found a great Chinese food restaurant here in Lynnwood, so when I have a craving I just make it. 

I'm quickly discovering that there's some special ingredient in Chinese food from a restaurant that I can't quite figure out. Maybe it's the fact you don't have to do the dishes that makes it taste so great. 

This recipe sounded like a winner. And it very well could be. I'm not really sure what it was about it that I didn't like, but there was something. I think maybe it's because it was too sweet. The honey and the hoisin really set this to the sweeter side, where as I prefer a more savory cashew chicken.

I also didn't have green onions. I swear I did, but apparently I did not. So I tossed in some water chestnuts instead. They have a nice crunch to it. 

Cashew Chicken

Recipe from Closet Cooking

Serves 4

• 3 T honey
• 3 T (low sodium) soy sauce
• 2 T rice vinegar
• 1 T hoisin sauce
• 1 tsp chill sauce (such as sambal oelek or sriracha)
• 1/4 c (low sodium) chicken broth (JW note: I used regular old water)
• 1 T cornstarch
• 1 T oil
• 1 pound boneless and skinless chicken, cut into bite sized pieces
• 4 green onions, thinly sliced and divided between white and green
• 1 T garlic, grated
• 1 T ginger, grated
• 1 c cashews, lightly toasted
• 1 T sesame oil
• 1 T toasted sesame seeds

Mix the honey, soy sauce, vinegar, hoisin sauce, chili sauce, broth and cornstarch and set aside.

Heat the oil in a large skillet/wok over medium-high heat, add the chicken and sauté, about 6 minutes.

Add the whites of the onions, garlic and ginger to the pan and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add the sauce mixture and sauté, until the sauce thickens a bit, about 1-2 minutes.

Mix in the cashews, sesame oil, sesame seeds and the greens of the onions and enjoy!

Option: Add vegetables such as bell pepper, snap peas, broccoli, edamame, etc. In general add them to the pan after the chicken is cooked and sauté, until just tender before moving on to adding the onions, garlic and ginger.

Broccoli with Brown Butter, Paremsan and Walnuts

OMG this recipe was not only easy, but so darn good. Make this side dish. 

I'm not kidding, this recipe really takes broccoli to a nice new level.

Broccoli with Brown Butter, Parmesan and Walnuts
Recipe from Cooking for Two - 2011
Serves 2

2 T unsalted butter
2 T walnuts, coarsely chopped
1/2 bunch broccoli florets, cut into bit size pieces, stalks trimmed
Salt and pepper
2 T grated Parmesan cheese

Microwave butter in a microwave-safe bowl until melted, about 1 minute. Add nuts and continue to microwave until butter is well browned and walnuts are toasted, 2 to 3 minutes longer.

Meanwhile, bring 2 quarts water to boil in large saucepan.  Add broccoli and 2 tsp salt and cook until just tender, about 2 minutes.  Drain broccoli, pat dry with paper towels and transfer to bowl. Toss broccoli with butter-nut mixture and parmesan and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

Chocolate Chip Hazelnut Cookies

I'm not a person who has a sweet tooth, mostly. I'm more the carb, bread, cheese, deep fried craver.  Once in a great while though I like to make cookies.  I only make them when I can take them somewhere otherwise I'll have two or three the first day and be done with them.  I had an occasion to make some cookies this week and opted for these Chocolate Chip Hazelnut Cookies.

Interesting cookies. Flavor wise, they're delicious.  Texture wise they were odd.  The photo shows the cookies more flat which makes them more crunchy type of cookie, which I love. My cookies turned out a bit more puffier and had a consistency of meringue. Which is fine, just not what I was expecting. Still they're good cookies and quick and easy to make.

Chocolate Chip Hazelnut Cookies
Makes 3 dozen

• 1 c flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 1/3 c butter
• 1 1/2 c sugar
• 1/3 c brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2/3 c chocolate chips
• 1/2 c chopped hazelnuts

Preheat oven to 350F.

Sift dry ingredients into a small bowl; set aside.

Cream together butter and sugars. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Add flour mixture on low speed. Once combined add the chocolate chips and half the hazelnuts.

Drop tsp size balls of the dough onto a prepared cookie sheet. Flatten each with a fork or your hand and top with remaining hazelnuts and press lightly into the surface.

Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Buttescotch Peanut Bars

By far, of the desserts I made this weekend, this was the best.   It reminded me of a PayDay bar, which happens to be one of my favorites...just a tad sweeter.  When I make these again, I might consider using peanut butter chips instead of butterscotch, though I'm not sure how that would set up. Either way, make these bars.  You'll love them.  They're quick and easy, so what's stopping you.

Photo by Taste of Home

Btterscotch Peanut Bars
Recipe from Taste of Home
Yields: 4 dozen

• 1/2 c butter
• 3/4 c packed brown sugar
• 1 1/2 c flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 c salted peanuts

TOPPING

• 1 package Hershey Butterscotch chips
• 1/2 c light corn syrup
• 2 T butter
• 1 T Water

 
Line a 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan with aluminum foil. Coat the foil with cooking spray; set aside.

In a small bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Combine flour and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well.

Press into prepared pan. Bake at 350° for 6 minutes. Sprinkle with peanuts.

In a large saucepan, combine topping ingredients. Cook and stir over medium heat until chips and butter are melted. Spread over hot crust. Bake for 12-15 minutes longer or until topping is bubbly. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars.

Asian Ragu

I wasn't 100% sure how this recipe would turn out. Skeptical of its nature, but I knew I liked all of the ingredients, so I figured it couldn't miss.

And it mostly didn't.

I'm not sure I'd ever make it again. Good, for the most part, but it was lacking something. I think if I ever do this again I'd toss in some water chestnuts.  The meat sauce needed a crunch of some sort.

Asian Ragu
Serves 4

• 2 T Peanut Oil
• 1 cup diced shallots
• 2 T minced garlic
• 2 T minced ginger
• 1-2 tsp red curry paste or garlic chili sauce ( I used red curry paste, but as it cooked it started to smell and taste more like the garlic chili sauce.)
• 1 lb ground beef sirloin
• 3/4 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 2 T Fish sauce or low sodium soy sauce
• 1 tsp light brown sugar
• 1 cup torn basil leaves
• 1 cup torn mint leaves
• Chopped dry roasted peanuts

Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add shallots, garlic and ginger root. Saute until shallots are translucent, 3-4 minutes. Be careful not to burn the garlic, so watch your heat.

Stir in curry sauce until combined with shallot mixture, 1 minute.

Add ground beef. Break apart and cook until browned, about 5 minutes.

Whisk together broth, fish sauce and brown sugar until sugar is dissolved. Stir mixture into meat mixture.  Bring mixture a simmer; cook uncovered, until liquid is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Serve ragu over cooked rice or rice noodles. Garnish with basil, mint and peanuts.

Macadamia Nut Pesto Fettuccini

I don't know why every time I try a new recipe I'm "surprised" its good. I mean, I am the one saving these recipes. I most likely wouldn't save something I think would taste bad.

Still, here's another recipe that's quite tasty. I changed it up a bit.

For starters I added some chicken. I had some left over from last nights BBQ Chicken Pizza so I decided to just cook it up and add it.

Second, I had already made pesto some time ago and froze it. Now my normal pesto recipe has pine nuts in it - which this had as well. So all I did was ground up some macadamia nuts, add all the other ingredients and voila! It was nutty and good.


Macadamia Nut Pesto Fettuccini
Serves 3 (what? serves 3? Weird. You could totally just add more pasta for 4 or take some out for 2.)

• 1 package Fresh fettuccine (9oz)
• 3 cups Fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 cup Half and half
• 3 tablespoons Roasted Macadamia nuts
• 3 tablespoons Grated fresh Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons Fresh lemon juice
• 3/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Pepper

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.

2. While pasta cooks, place basil and remaining ingredients in a food processor; process until smooth. Combine basil mixture and pasta in a large bowl, tossing to coat.

If I did this again, I'd add some olive oil when making the pesto. It doesn't call for it, but I can't imagine making pesto without olive oil.

Pistacio Covered Cheese Log

It's Christmas. I've been asked to bring an appetizer to my BigBro's house for our Christmas celebration. I didn't want to bring to old stand by. Or one I've made before. I looked at this as an opportunity to try a new appetizer.

It couldn't require being cooked (the oven would be in use). Or it couldn't need to be re-heated. I wanted to make it something simple, inexpensive, and good. Enter Pistachio Covered Cheese Log.

I love pistachios. Love the flavor and texture of them. They add a nice little added texture to this cheese log.

Pistachio Covered Cheese Log

Serves 8

• 1 bar (8 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup coarsely grated sharp white cheddar (4 ounces)
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 cup shelled unsalted pistachios, coarsely chopped - I couldn't get unsalted. I love my salt.
• Crackers, for serving

In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese, cheddar, Dijon, and Worcestershire until well combined; season with salt and pepper. Cover, and refrigerate until slightly firm, 1 to 2 hours. 

Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, toast pistachios over medium, stirring frequently, until fragrant and golden, about 7 minutes. Transfer to a plate; let cool. 

Transfer cheese mixture to a piece of waxed paper; using paper, shape into a 6-inch-long log. Cover with pistachios, pressing to adhere. Wrap log in a fresh piece of waxed paper; chill until firm, 1 to 2 hours (or up to 1 day). Serve with crackers.