The Best General Tso's Chicken

Dr. Sweetpea is a huge fan of General Tso's chicken. Whenever I'm feeling lazy and we order take-out for dinner, he always orders it and it's always greasy, salty, and the coating is not crisp at all. So I searched high and low for a great recipe that I can make for him at home. I finally found one from Cooks Country, it's parent company is America's Test Kitchen, so I knew it would turn out great the first time. It's definitely a little time consuming to make but the end result is FABULOUS! The chicken is perfectly crisp, sauce is flavorful, and wasn't super greasy! Dr. Sweetpea told me that this is definitely a keeper as he devoured two servings.

General Tso's Chicken

(Source: Cooks Country)

Marinade and Sauce

1/2 cup hoisin sauce

1/4 cup white vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar)

3 tablespoons soy sauce (I used reduced sodium soy sauce)

3 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 1/2 cups water

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds) cut into 1-inch pieces

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Coating and Frying

3 large egg whites

1 1/2 cups cornstarch

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

4 cups vegetable oil

For the marinade and sauce: Whisk hoisin, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, cornstarch, and water in bowl. Combine 6 tablespoons hoisin mixture and chicken in zipper-lock bag; refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Cook garlic, ginger, and pepper flakes until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add 2 cups hoisin mixture and simmer, whisking constantly, until dark brown and thickened, about 2 minutes. Cover and keep sauce warm.

For coating and frying: Whisk egg whites in shallow dish until foamy. Combine cornstarch, flour, baking soda, and remaining hoisin mixture in second shallow dish until mixture resembles coarse meal. Remove chicken from marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Toss half of chicken with egg whites until well coated, then dredge chicken in cornstarch mixture, pressing to adhere. Transfer coated chicken to plate and repeat with remaining chicken.

Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until oil registers 350 degrees. Fry half of chicken until golden brown, about 3 minutes, turning each piece halfway through cooking. Transfer chicken to paper towel-lined plate. Return oil to 350 degrees and repeat with remaining chicken.

To serve: Warm sauce over medium-low heat until simmering, about 1 minute. Add crispy chicken and toss to coat. Serve.

Beef with Broccoli

I'm leery of Pinterest recipes because they have either been a hit or a miss. There are a few recipes that looked amazing on Pinterest but turned out bad when I made it at home. So when I saw this recipe a few days ago I was quite hesitant, until I saw almost 1,000 people have pinned it. I'm SO glad I gave this recipe a chance! The Beef and Broccoli was AMAZING!! The best part? The meat was super tender and the sauce wasn't too oily. Dr. Sweetpea devoured a his plate in a few minutes and got a second serving.

Beef with Broccoli

(Source: rainydaygal.com)

First, marinate the meat:

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon water

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 1/2 lbs flank steak, sliced into thin strips (1 used a little over 1 3/4 pounds)**

Whisk together the baking soda, sugar, cornstarch, soy sauce, water, and vegetable oil in a large bowl. Toss the steak with the marinade to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour (I marinated overnight), then proceed below. 

1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce (Do NOT use regular. The final product will be salty)

2 tablespoons brown sugar

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons flour

1 tablespoon sherry (I used mirin)

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 heads broccoli, crowns only

In a small bowl, stir together the soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, flour and sherry until smooth. Set aside. In a large wok or saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil over high heat until shimmering. Add broccoli and saute 3 minutes, stirring often. Transfer broccoli to a plate. Reduce heat to medium-high. Carefully add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the hot pan. Add the marinated meat and half of the sauce mixture and saute for 3 - 4 minutes, stirring often, until the meat is cooked through and no longer pink. Stir in the broccoli and remaining sauce. Saute 1 minute more. Serve with rice. 

**I posted the original marinade recipe above, but doubled it for my meat mixture. 

Very Best Breakfast Potatoes

Dr. Sweetpea is such a manly man when it comes to what he eats. As much as he loves trying new types of food, he absolutely loves a basic meat and potato dinner. So instead of making the usual baked potato, I decided to try this recipe from Ree Drummond to switch it up. It's seriously the easiest side dish you can make and super tasty. Dr. Sweetpea gave these potatoes two thumbs up and these will remain in our regular rotation.

Best Breakfast Potatoes

(Source: Ree Drummond)

5 pounds red potatoes, roughly chopped/diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, seeded and roughly chopped

1 red bell pepper, seeded and roughly chopped

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 stick butter, melted

1 teaspoon seasoned salt

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. In a large bowl, toss together the potatoes, garlic, onion, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, olive oil, butter, seasoned salt, cayenne pepper and some kosher salt and pepper. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, shaking the pan twice. Raise the heat to 500 degrees and bake until crisp and brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Sprinkle with a little more salt and pepper before serving.

Pesto and Prosciutto Crostini

So who's guilty of going grocery shopping with a list but ended up not sticking to it? ME!!! I only had 3 things on my grocery list and would have spent $7...buuuut as soon as I walked in to the store I saw samples galore. I started tasting everything as I was walking through the aisles and was very good about not buying everything I tasted. Then I came across the crostini...I walked away after taking one sample thinking I wouldn't be tempted to buy all the ingredients to make this appetizer. Oh, how wrong I was. I kept thinking about how good the crostini was and ended up going back to the sample lady to get the recipe and grab the ingredients. These little two bite appetizers are seriously SO GOOD!! All it takes is 5 ingredients and a couple minutes of baking in the oven and you'll have a super tasty crostini. Dr. Sweetpea absolutely LOVED these appetizers too!

Pesto and Prosciutto Crostini

(Source: Lunds and Byerlys)

24 baguette slices

1/2 cup Il Forteto Pesto alla Genovese pesto, divided (You can use your favorite pesto)

3 ounce thinly sliced prosciutto

3/4 cup roasted tomatoes in olive oil, drained, diced, (from olive bar in deli)

1 cup shredded Trugole cheese (Shredded Mozzarella can be substituted)

Place baguette slices on baking sheet. Place on oven rack 4 inches below broiler. Broil slices until just golden (about 1 minute). Turn; broil just until golden. Spread each baguette slice with 1 teaspoon pesto. Slice prosciutto crosswise into 1/2 inch strips; arrange over pesto on each baguette slice. Evenly divide tomatoes over prosciutto; sprinkle with cheese. Broil until cheese is melted (1-2 minutes).

Oven BBQ Chicken

As a resident physician, Dr. Sweetpea has to work nights occasionally, and planning meals is usually hard because we're on different schedules for those 2 weeks. Which is why I always buy a ton of chicken thighs and cook a ton of quick yet hearty meals for both of us to eat while is on nights. I was watching Ree Drummond on the Foodnetwork not too long ago when she made Oven BBQ Chicken. Basically it's chicken thighs baked in the oven and smothered in BBQ sauce. I knew this would something that Dr. Sweetpea would love and I made this the next day. I absolutely loved that it didn't take a lot of work to make these and Dr. Sweetpea raved about them! Definitely will stay in our regular rotation.

Oven BBQ Chicken

(Source: Ree Drummond)

3 cups Your Favorite BBQ Sauce (I used Famous Dave’s Devil Spit)

1/2 cup Peach Preserves

1 clove Garlic

Hot Sauce, Optional

12 whole Chicken Thighs, Bone-in, Skin-on

Olive Oil For Brushing

Combine BBQ sauce, peach preserves, garlic, and hot sauce in a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat for 5-10 minutes, or until nice and hot. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Drizzle olive oil on 2 rimmed baking sheets and place chicken thighs skin side down in the pans. Roast for 25 minutes. Remove from oven briefly, brush sauce all over the thighs, then use a spatula to flip them over to the other side, being careful not to tear the skin. Brush the tops with more sauce and return to the oven for 7 minutes. Remove from oven, brush on more sauce, and return to the oven for another 7 minutes. Remove from oven, brush on sauce, and turn up the temperature to 425 degrees. Continue roasting for another 5 to 7 minutes, or until the sauce is starting to brown around the edges and the thighs are totally cooked through. Remove from the oven and let sit for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Dr. Sweetpea's New Favorite Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I was on the web a few weeks ago browsing Oatmeal Cookie recipes when I came across one that had raving reviews. Since Dr. Sweetpea wanted me to make a big batch of Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies for him, I gave it a try and was blown away! These cookies are suuuuuper chewy, just the way Dr. Sweetpea likes his cookies. The original recipe uses raisins, but I swapped them out with Chocolate Chips and don't have any regrets. Pretty sure this is the recipe I'll be following from now on. 

Chewy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

(Source: Food.com)

Whisk together and set aside

2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Cream wet ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

Then stir in

3 cups oats (not instant)

1 1⁄2 cups raisins (I used Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips)

Preheat oven to 350°. Whisk dry ingredients; set aside. Combine wet ingredients with a hand mixer on low. To cream, increase speed to high and beat until fluffy and the color lightens. Stir the flour mixture into the creamed mixture until no flour is visible. (Over mixing develops the gluten, making a tough cookie.) Now add the oats and raisins; stir to incorporate. Fill a #40 cookie scoop and press against side of bowl, pulling up to level dough (to measure 2 tablespoons of dough). Drop 2-inches apart onto baking sheet sprayed with nonstick spray. Bake 11-13 minutes (on center rack), until golden, but still moist beneath cracks on top. Remove from oven; let cookies sit on baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.