The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook

Recently Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen published her first cookbook and I'm tickled pink to be able to share with ya'll how wonderful this book is. :) I received it a few weeks ago and have since made 5 recipes from it. Out of the 5 there was only 1 that didn't thrill us, but other than the Cooking Light cookbooks that I constantly cooked out of a few years back, and Dorie's Baking: From My Home to Yours, no other cookbook has given me consistent results until I started cooking from The Steamy Kitchen cookbook. Seriously. Jaden's recipes are easy to follow, and for people like us, who live in a pretty metro area, ingredients are not hard to find. I can see a few being hard to find for those who aren't lucky enough to have an Asian grocery near-by, but honestly most ingredients you can find in the ethnic aisles of your local mega-mart. Regardless though, those extra hard to find ingredients can be left out or substituted and I'm sure you'll still get great results. The photography is phenomenal. Each dish is styled so perfectly and makes you not only "want" to cook the recipe, but makes you NEED to cook it. The biggest bonus is each recipe, although looking and tasting as if you have to spend hours preparing it, can all be made in less than 1 hour. Again, for people like us, who are more than exhausted after each day of work, these recipes are a Godsend. I'll start off with my absolute favorites and those were the Asian Style Brussels Sprouts on page 123. Holy Christmas. I could eat this side dish every day. Hubbs agreed. This simple dish was super easy to make, and it was like fancy for us! Who ever would have thought to shred wee Brussels spouts?? I felt like a giant grating huge heads of cabbage. :P No seriously, the flavor is amazing.. TRY IT! Secondly is her Crab and Pork Wonton Noodle Soup on pgs. 60 & 61. Easily and unarguably my most favorite Wonton soup EVER. Hey, I'm an Italian who loves Asian food.. add extra noodles to an Asian dish and well, we've got a winner. The wontons were super easy to make.. they take a lil time, but once you make a whole batch, there are plenty left over to freeze. So the next time you've got a hankerin' for the stuff, all you have to do is drop them in the hot broth and cook until they're done. Another great thing, and this is just specifically for us because we have a great Asian grocery store not too far away - is that the egg noodles are sold in their freezer section and they are packaged into little "nests" about 5 to a bag.. so all I need to do is take out two noodle nests and drop them into the hot broth as well. The baby bok choy is another favorite. I think I like this green leafy vegetable in a soup even better than spinach. Add the green onions and yeah, the best wonton soup you can imagine. I just served this again to friends this past weekend at my sushi party and they LOVED it. Taking third place was Mom's Famous Crispy Eggrolls on pgs. 50 & 51. These are the exact kind of eggrolls that I enjoy the most. Not too fat, not too thin and crispedy with just a tiny chew towards the center when you bite into one. I fried and baked these eggrolls and they were equally delicious. Fourth was the popular Garlic Butter Noodles on page 134. I didn't make this dish, my husband did. He decided to follow Jaden's suggestion of turning this simple side dish into a main course by adding shrimp. He did a great job cooking it and it was just what I needed that night (I had the sniffles). The garlic really came through, and it had that sweet/salty flavor that I love. For such a quick preparation for the shrimp - first you fry in butter, then take them out leaving as much butter as you can in the wok, then using that butter to saute the onions, garlic and noodles before adding the shrimp back in - the shrimp really took on the garlicky flavor and I thought were the perfect addition to an amazing noodle dish. Finally, our least favorite was the Grilled Steak with Balsamic Teriyaki on page 90. First off we didn't have steak in the house that day. Instead of running out to buy one, I decided to try it on thick pork chops. I know pork is great with both balsamic and teriyaki, so I figured they'd be great in this sauce. We felt the sauce needed something else. Not sure exactly what.. maybe more garlic? Maybe rosemary or thyme? Something to give the sauce more oomph. The glaze was nice and thick and covered the meat well. We got the char on the chops that we love.. it was good, just not great. Course I served it with the Asian Style Brussels Sprouts, so I was still more than happy with the meal when it was all said and done. ;) A couple other features of the book I think should be mentioned is that Jaden took the time to add a Tools section. Each tool is given a description of why it's important to Asian cooking and just gave me another excuse to add gadgets onto my already long list of "must-haves". ;) The other section that I think is just brilliant, is "The Basics". Full of recipes for basic sauces, salts, pestos, pickles, and stock. She also includes step by step photo tutorials in this section, as well as a tutorial here and there in each recipe page throughout the book. Very helpful when you are so dang tired that text just isn't seeping through to your brain matter, if yanno what I mean? :) One last thing I want to mention is this.. the night I was sick, when Hubbs made the Garlic Shrimp Noodles? He told me that he had book marked about 20 recipes he wants to try. Did you hear that people? I'm going to be on the receiving end of 20 recipes in the near future. That means I won't be lifting a finger. Hello? Now that's the mark of a great cookbook. ;) In a nutshell, if you buy this book and give it a good run through, sure you're going to end up running into a recipe here or there that doesn't do it for you. That's not unusual. What's unusual is finding so many recipes that are appealing, that you really, really like. And all of them are fast enough to make after a grueling day in the dungeon.. or with the kids.. or on the crew.. or even after a day of being lazy when even making dinner sounds like too much effort. Open this book and you'll find something that's quick, easy and delicious. xoxo

Some Schtuff... and Shrimp Fried "Rice"

*Long Ass Ranting and Raving Post - Prepare Yourselves!* Hold on to your chairs! I don't want anyone falling off because I'm actually posting something non-Daring Kitchen-y! :D As I mentioned in my last failure to get my Daring Baker challenge done, I spent some time in the hospital last month. I'm fine now - actually I feel fantastic! But I have a long road ahead of me and frankly, I'm scared shitless. :) Without going into the gory details, and in a semi-small nutshell, I was in congestive heart failure. I was retaining water like nobody's business and it was suffocating my heart/lungs. It's been over 3 weeks and I've lost FORTY pounds in water/fluid weight. Hello? I didn't think that could be possible, but apparently it is. Jebus. So now I'm working on living a low-carb lifestyle. Which is to say, I think it would be easier to cut out oxygen in my life. Kidding? Anyhoo, I've joined Weight Watchers and so far am doing pretty well. Their online tools keep me focused and I've kind of enjoyed lurking on low-carb blogs and recipe sites. It's been quite an eye-opener to read about alternatives to white sugar and white flour. I've purchased Stevia powder, erythritol, xantham gum and coconut flour and although I about had to take a loan out to pay for these items, I am looking forward to getting back into the baking thing once in a while. I've also "met" a new friend who has been sooooooooooo helpful in giving me tips and suggestions on how to stay on track. Thanks Michele! *hugs* And if all of this wasn't enough.. yesterday I went in for a bronchoscopy to make sure my tubes were open and to take a biopsy of the lymph nodes on my lungs. It seems that they are enlarged. When they were first discovered in this state, I was told it was pretty common in pneumonia patients, so to be safe, I was scheduled for another CT-scan 3 mos. later - which was the Friday before I went into the hospital for the CHF. Unfortch, the test results showed they were more enlarged than they were before, so the next step was a biopsy. *sigh* I'm not too worried about this. I mean, I'll know for sure on Thursday - but my pulmonary doctor (who is reportedly one of the best in these parts) and the doctor that admitted me to the hospital with the CHF both feel that this isn't c-word related. So I'm very optimistic. :) But I can't just let it go at that.. I must vent on how this bronchoscopy went down yesterday. I was told numerous times that I'd be put out and wouldn't feel anything or remember anything. This was very important to me. I can deal with pain, that wasn't my concern. My concern was my delightful gag reflex. It's horrible. Touch the tip of my tongue and I start to gag sometimes. It's quite sensitive and highly embarrassing when I'm at the dentist. Boo. So this "twilight sleep" they were going to put me under was suppose to just keep me slightly conscious so that my gag reflex would work, as I guess that's important when they shove a 50 foot hose down your throat. But I won't feel a thing! I won't remember anything that happened afterwards! BULLSHIT. I felt every fucking thing and I remember most of it. Bastards. I had two nurses, both under 5' 2" and 110 pounds. One of them comes at me with these 2 lil cups of "numbing medicine" so I won't feel the scope. "Uhh.. why do I need numbing medicine if I'll be out??" She stammered some and then said, "It helps the scope go down." :Uhh.. okay?" So I gargle with this stuff that tastes like bleach and lay back down. Then the doc comes in and asks if I've got any questions.. you'd think that I might have said.. "Dude, WTF is up with the numbing medicine if I'm going to be put the fuck out??" But noooo.. I just looked up into Ohio's version of McDreamy and smiled pretty and nodded my head. Gah. Then I hear tiny nurse no. 1 ask how much medication should she give me.. and he gives her 2 numbers.. there are 2 meds they mix together.. a highly potent narcotic for pain and for putting me into that "twilight" state and another medicine that will help me not to remember anything (I think?).. and then I heard him give her the two numbers. But then tiny nurse no. 2 says, "Are you sure? She'll need at least 120 to 140" and he then said, "Okay, 120 but that's it" and tiny nurse no. 2 says, "That's not going to be enough." and he said, "Shhhh." Again, at this point, wouldn't you sit up and say "Dude, I agree with tiny nurse no. 2, 120 isn't enough GIMME MORE GODDAMMIT" But.. nooooooo.. I don't say one fakking word. Now granted, I do not feel or remember him actually putting the cable in. But I DO feel and I DO remember him pushing it past my vocal cords and I DO remember just about shooting 10 feet up in the air when I felt that. I remember trying to say, "THIS HURTS" but I had some kind of plug thing in my mouth that prevented me from biting down on the cable, so it came out more like "cough - cough - gaggggg - cough - cough - OOD! GAHAMMIT!!!" Well that must have pissed off the tiny nurses, because the next thing I know, I've got one on each side gripping my lower JAWFUCKINGBONE and pulling down on it with all of their weight. I wanted to so give them both the evil "curses" eye but they had a towel over my face. How rude is that? The rest of it went pretty quickly, I'd say the bulk of time during this test is the actual prep and the nurses trying to figure out how to get the computer to work before 'he' gets there "or 'he' will be pissed.". I didn't feel the actual biopsy being taken, thank the baby Jebus. I am also proud to say that I did not projectile vomit at any point of the procedure. All in all, it wasn't THAT horribly bad.. but it wasn't THAT horribly good either. When it was finished, my friend Cindy (who got to babysit me all day, bless her cotton socks) came in and I could hear him talking to her and then she appeared at my side and the first thing I said was, "they lied to me." and she asked how and I said, "I FELT IT" and tiny nurse no. 1 said, "you did great!" and I'm like, "I'm so Delvecchio cursing you as soon as I can get this death grip off the bed rail." She laughed. Obviously, she has no idea how powerful the Delvecchio curse is. tisk tisk for her. Recovery was quick, after all I wasn't put to sleep AS PROMISED, so I came outta the fog after 15 min. or so and was allowed to leave. Next stop was a frosty beverage to cool the burning pipes and then back to my house, where we sat and laughed over the whole thing, then we put a movie in and I FINALLY passed out. Always a day late and a dollar short. Today the mild sore throat is gone, but I'm sporting a rather large face and neck. My cheeks are swollen as if I've been foraging for nuts and my neck is swollen quite like what a bullfrog looks like when he's offering his mating call to the sexy frogette on the next lily pad. That's hott. So what lessons have I learned from this experience? NEVER trust 2 tiny nurses and ALWAYS wear barbed wire around your neck when going in for a bronchoscopy, so they can't get to your jaw bone. Also? McDreamy or not.. always be prepared to administer the Delvecchio curse and DO NOT get lost in his sexy brown eyes, for he and his minions can be evil. Oh and I did find out why I couldn't be put under completely (had to do with low blood-ox levels).. and I understand that.. but maybe a lil heads up would have been nice? :P So anyhoo.. I've vented and I feel better. Back to the low-carb goodies! I found this recipe on a new blog for me. It's Healthy Indulgences written by Lauren. Lauren has taken so many high carb/high fat/high caloric dessert recipes and turned them into delicious looking low carb/low fat/lower caloric desserts that have just astounded me. So much so that I went and bought those alternative natural sugars and flours that I mentioned above. No more white sugar or regular all purpose flour for me! But I am not ready, quite yet (soon though.. very soon! hee!), to bake a dessert. I want to stay with my fruits and sugar free pudding for a bit longer. So when I found this vegetable recipe that was suppose to taste just like shrimp fried rice, I couldn't resist! And seriously, this stuff rocks. I'm not just saying it to make myself believe that CAULIFLOWER can taste like rice - it can! Actually it was better than the last batch of carry-out fried rice we had. It was super easy and super quick to put together and it's definitely going to stay on rotation often. Give it a whirl! Recipe is below with my minor changes, basically out of necessity than anything else. Thanks so much, Lauren! I'm looking forward to this being the first of many recipes from your blog that I will be enjoying in the future - guilt free! :)       Shrimp Fried "Rice" Adapted from this recipe by Lauren at Healthy Indulgences Makes 3 servings Ingredients: 2 heapings cups of grated fresh cauliflower 2 tablespoons coconut oil (any cooking oil is fine) - I used EVOO 1/2 cup sugar snap pea pods - I omitted these and used diced zucchini instead 1/3 cup onion, chopped 4 tablespoons wheat-free tamari or soy sauce - I used low-sodium soy sauce 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil 1/2 teaspoon sea salt dash of garlic powder 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 1-4 oz can of baby shrimp, or protein of choice 1/4 cup of green peas - I upped the amount to 1/2 c. since we like peas 1 cup of sliced baby portobello mushrooms since I needed to use them up! Not in original recipe 2 eggs, beaten green onion, for garnish (optional) Preparation: Grate cauliflower using a fine cheese grater. Heat up pan with 1 tablespoon of coconut oil. Mix together sesame oil, tamari, and seasonings in a bowl. Sautee onions (I also threw in the zucchini & mushrooms at this stage) for 3 minutes (I went for about 5 minutes to give the zucchini & mushrooms good coloring) over medium heat, or until translucent. Remove from pan and set aside. Sauté sugar snap peas until tender. Add more oil if necessary and all of the cauliflower, stir frying for a couple of minutes. Pour in 1/2 of the soy sauce mixture and stir fry to coat the cauliflower evenly. When the cauliflower is tender (this didn't take long at all.. maybe 4-5 min.), add cooked vegetables, shrimp, and peas along with the rest of the soy sauce mixture. Push "rice" to the side of the pan and scramble eggs on the other side, moving spatula quickly to incorporate eggs with the "rice" mixture. 7 grams net carbs xoxo

101 Calorie Springrolls with a side of 3908 Calorie Fried Zucchini :)

I figured the goodness of the springrolls would certainly outweigh or equal out the badness of the fried zucchini. Yes? No? Too bad.. both were equally delicious :D We're on vacation this week! WOO HOO! We've done absolutely NOTHING! Not so woo hoo. We've had plans.. and then things have popped up totally destroying our plans.. we ended up doggie babysitting for 2 days, killing our plans to head out to some fresh air markets we've never been to. The weather has not cooperated, squashing our desire to get out on the lake.. BUT there has been no work so therefore, we are happy campers. heee! One thing we discussed at the beginning of our vacation was that we had been straying from our Cooking Light recipe list the past couple weeks and that we wanted to get back on schedule again. So I've picked 5 recipes for our dining pleasure this week and being Wednesday, we finally tried the first one. Gah. Okay so being on vacation kinda takes away the desire to prepare dinner every night. Who knew? Anyhoo, we did try one tonight and it was another winner from Cooking Light. Please try to contain your jealousy over my hot pink styrofoam plates :P Fresh Spring Rolls with Dipping Sauce was easy to prepare, I got to work with rice paper spring roll wrappers - something I've never done before, and they were incredibly good. Add to it, only 101 calories, 0.8 grams of fat and 16.8 grams of carbs for TWO rolls PLUS 2 teaspoons of the dipping sauce and I'd say this recipe is a keeper for sure! Following the measurements exactly, this recipe does not make 6 spring rolls as stated. I have no idea how they came up with that number, because I got 12 HUGE spring rolls and still threw the left over ingredients into a salad. Not to mention, they called it "6 appetizer servings" - at the size they ended up being, using 3 strips of this and that and 4 slices of halved shrimp, they turned out to be as big as your average eggroll from many Asian restaurants. I could not even finish ONE of them. Hubbs had 2. We had 9 left over. Thank goodness we had some unexpected company show up.. they took the 9 home with them. :) Crispedy carrots, cukes, bell peppers and bean sprouts.. I added a couple strips of spring onion as well.. decided against the lettuce and went with a small handful of baby spinach instead and 2 (size 26-31) shrimp sliced in half were piled into the middle of the spring roll wrapper that had been softened in warm water - then wrapped around the contents snugly. The dipping sauce was super easy as well.. a matter of juicing a lime and whisking in a few other ingredients. Once I got the hang of dealing with the sticky rice paper, the rolling went quickly and I had a dozen spring rolls in less than 30 minutes. Delish! As a side dish.. heh heh.. we took advantage of the first harvest of zucchini from our garden. Most gals living a lifestyle change, would steam or grill the zucchini. Thank GAWD I'm not most gals. Oh hells no. I dredged each zuke coin into an egg, then flour, salt and pepper.. then I dropped those beauties into a skillet containing sizzling hot canola oil and fried 'em up to golden brown perfection! teee! C'mon.. you can't fault me for that can you? I know Hubbs didn't.. if we weren't already an old married couple, I'd bet my last dollar that he would have proposed tonight by the look on his face when he ate the first fried slice of zucchini heaven. :) I've got 4 more recipes to go.. with 3 days left (can't count Saturday- we're headed out to my hometown for a slumber party at my soul sistah's house - I will not be held accountable for anything that passes these lips that night as I can guarantee after 3/4 of a bottle of vodka it will be a free for all) ***crickets*** Wait. That didn't sound right. Uhmm.. 'kay never mind. Anyhoo.. 4 recipes left - ya'll might see another post here again this month before the Daring Baker challenge. I KNOW! I'll be shocked too! heheee xoxo

Cooking to Combat Cancer 2

April and May bring two very important events that mean a lot to me. Two events that will bring awareness to many people. These two events are part of the effort to kick cancer's ass. Because seriously? Cancer's ass deserves to be kicked. Thoroughly. This first post is for Cooking to Combat Cancer 2 - an annual event held by one of the most beautiful souls I've ever met.. Chris. She's the author of Mele Cotte, a wonderful friend, and a cancer survivor. Thank you for doing this every year, sweetie.. your contribution to helping us to never forget is so very important. Love you!! In November of 2005 I was diagnosed with cervical cancer.. one radical hysterectomy later, and I was cancer free without much physical fuss. Meaning, I did not get sick. Mentally, there was fuss.. lots of it. When you've always taken for granted that you'd have kids one day.. and then are told it ain't gonna happen.. yeah, that kind of messes you up some. But, as I've said a million times over, I'm alive. I'm (relatively) healthy. I'm lucky. And I'm grateful for the chance I've been given. Six years before my own brush with cancer, I was introduced to it's devastation when my great uncle was diagnosed with lung cancer. Coming from a large Italian family, I had many, many aunts and uncles. My father was 1 of 14. Yes, you read that right.. my dad had 13 brothers and sisters. And although I did love my paternal aunts and uncles very, very much.. it was my mom's great aunt and great uncle, who I was closest to. My Auntie Ann and Uncle Sol. My Auntie was and still is my mom's best friend. They are only 10 years apart, and they grew up together more like sisters than an aunt and her niece. So we spent a lot of time with them. I consider my Auntie as my second mom.. for it was easier for me to talk to her than my own mother sometimes. And my uncle.. well.. he tortured me. har! My uncle never passed up the chance to pick on me, to annoy me, or to embarrass me. But this predicament I was in wasn't such a bad thing. No, for all of his fun had at my expense, the only thing that I took from all of it was how much attention he lavished on me. As I'm told often, I was the first girl in a family of boys. My uncle adored me. And I adored him. When such an amazing man was taken away from us so abruptly, it felt like a betrayal. How could this be?? This was a man who loved his family so much, he was loved by everyone he met and he was such a wonderful uncle to my sisters and I. Actually, he was known to my youngest sister as her grandpa.. as both sets of grandparents had passed years before she was born, he and my auntie took on the role. I rarely ever told my uncle how much I loved him. I assumed he always knew. As a matter of fact, the only time I can remember actually saying to him how much I loved him was right after he had the surgery to remove part of his lung.. he cried. I'd never seen him cry before. And he told me he loved me back. This was our first and only spoken exchange of our feelings for each other. He passed a couple days later. To say I was devastated is an understatement. I was wrecked. I still am.. several years have passed and the pain isn't as constant as it was before, but I still can't control the tears and the hurt inside when I think about him. Oh how I wish that I would have told him how much I loved him until he was sick of hearing it! How I hate that I just assumed he knew. Although he didn't say the words to me either, and even though I knew from earliest memory that he loved me very much.. I still wish that I would have said the words out loud to him more than once. Just as I always knew his unspoken feelings for me, I can only pray that he knew my unspoken feelings for him. The recipe I am about to share doesn't really remind me much of my Uncle Sol.. no, we were more of the pizza, soft pretzel, Twix bars kinda eaters. hee! But this recipe contains a few ingredients known to help cancer stay away, so I find it very fitting. I also find it very delicious and I'm glad we finally tried it. It's a simple recipe for Salad Niçoise, which comes to us from Nice, France. This is a salad made up of seared tuna, blanched green beans, tomatoes, steamed red potatoes, boiled eggs and of course, Niçoise olives. Everything but the tuna is tossed with a simple vinaigrette which adds just the perfect tang. And the tuna is usually seared quickly on each side, then placed on the salad in thin slices. Never being one to follow a recipe to the T (Other than Daring Baker challenges!!!), I decided to coat my tuna in toasted sesame seeds first. We fell in love with this salad immediately and it will become a common quick dinner in my repertoire. The tuna is rich in Omega 3 fatty acids, which are good for a healthy heart. The green beans have been shown to prevent or slow genetic damage to cells. The garlic and scallions in the vinaigrette contain a number of compounds believed to slow or stop the growth of tumors. And the tomatoes contain lycopene, which has been shown to be especially potent in combating prostate cancer. So all in all, this salad is not only delicious and quick, but very good for your body. Salad Niçoise Makes 2 generous servings, or 4 small servings 8 oz. fresh Ahi Tuna or Albacore - (try to find sushi grade - you won't be sorry) 1 TBS olive oil or cooking spray (recipe for sesame seared tuna below) 1/4 pound green beans, trimmed and blanched - (I suggest salting the boiling water) 3/4 pound of new red potatoes, quartered and steamed until fork tender - (My trick here is to put 2 crushed garlic cloves on the bottom of the steamer basket.. it gives the potatoes a light garlicy flavor that's delicious) 1/4 c. red onion, either thinly sliced or minced 1/4 c. pitted Niçoise olives 1/2 c. cherry tomatoes, halved 1-2 eggs, hard boiled, peeled and quartered Vinaigrette 2 TBS. Champagne vinegar - (I used Trader Joe's Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar) 1 TBS. fresh tarragon, chopped 1 tsp. Dijon mustard 1 small shallot, minced 3/4 c. olive oil sea salt, to taste ground black pepper, to taste Arrange salad ingredients in separate piles on a large serving platter. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad and then lay thinly sliced tuna on top. OR you can go non-traditional and put all ingredients in a large bowl with the vinaigrette and lightly toss (which is what we did). Serve alone, or with garlic toast. If you want to use the same tuna that we did the recipe is as follows (I cut the recipe in half for one 8 oz. tuna steak): Sesame Seared Tuna Courtesy of Allrecipes.com 1/8 c. soy sauce - (I used reduced sodium) 1.5 tsp. mirin (Japanese sweet wine) - (We omitted this because we didn't have any) 1.5 tsp. honey 1 TBS. sesame oil - (Sesame oil is VERY strong.. I cut this down to 1 tsp.) 1.5 tsp. rice wine vinegar 4 (6 oz.) tuna steaks 1/4 c. sesame seeds 1 TBS. olive oil In a small bowl, whisk together the soy, mirin, honey, sesame oil & the rice wine vinegar. Spread the seeds out on a plate or shallow bowl. Dip the tuna into the soy mixture, making sure the whole steak is coated and then press the tuna steak into the sesame seeds - coating both sides well. Heat the olive oil in a cast iron or other heavy skillet over high heat until it's VERY hot. Place tuna steaks in pan and sear for 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side. You can go longer, but you chance the possibility of burning the seeds and over cooking the fish. Slice thinly and place warm tuna over Salad Niçoise. And hey.. if the opportunity to share a Twix bar with someone you love arises afterwards.. why not take it? :) xoxo

Thai Food - It's a First!

Firstly.. thank you all for the wonderful support and well wishes in comments and e-mail - ya'll are the best, thanks so much for caring about myself and my Mommie. =) Secondly - FOOD. Let's get back to our favorite subject, shall we? Not too very long ago, one of my closest friends, Morven, sent me a recipe for Pad Thai. I'd never had it (hell, I've never had Thai food period) but her description of it sounded so good and the recipe looked like something I could pull off pretty easily. So I printed it out in hopes to make it as soon as I had bought the ingredients. Specifically the rice noodles, as my local "mega" mart doesn't carry them. Go figger. One day after a trip to the farmer's market, we headed to an area in Cleveland that is predominantly Asian, in hopes of finding a Asian market. Low and behold, we got lucky and struck pay dirt. We spent about 2 hours in there just looking around.. it was fabulous. Never before had I been in such a culturally rich environment. Seriously. The wonders of all the food items that I was not familiar with, the smells of so many spices, seafood and fresh produce. It was all new and fabulous. Needless to say, I found several varieties of rice noodles and picked up quite a few of them. We also bought all the ingredients we'll need to make our own sushi - which we are very much looking forward to (it's our new food passion). We left with bags and bags of items and were already looking forward to the next time we'd visit. A few nights later, I took my new Pad Thai recipe out and set to work.. it was quite easy to put together and the end result was what I now refer to as my most favorite noodle dish of all time. I could eat this dish several times a week and be quite happy. Hubbs enjoyed it very much too and requested that I don't wait too long before making it again. I chose to use a wider rice noodle than what the recipe called for, mainly because I pretty much closed my eyes, stuck my hand in the bottom of the pantry and just grabbed a random bag of newly aquired noodles. I made sure to have all of my ingredients measured out and ready to go next to the stove so all I had to do was dump while putting it all together. This particular recipe called for both chicken and shrimp so it was quite a substantial meal. The flavors of rice wine, lime juice and the shrimp was predominant and lovely. There was a background hit of the salty fish sauce and the sweet addition of some sugar. The noodles were soft but firm and I found I really enjoyed the texture of them. I finished the dish off with fresh cilantro and a drizzle of sesame oil - which gave it that fresh factor that really brought out the other flavors. This, to me, was heaven in a bowl. I loved it and I wanna say again - THANKS, MORV! YOU ROCK! =) *Update* I just found out about Ruth's Pesto Pasta Nights and because I think that it's such a great idea (I'll be submitting often!) I figured that the first submission should be a damn good one - and here it is, almost 2 weeks later and I'm still dreaming about this dish - just waiting for a night where I can relax and make it again! So Ruth, if you'll have me.. I'd like to share this recipe for Pad Thai! =) Pad Thai Courtesy of Morven and adapted from Dish It Up by Simon Holst 150-200 grams rice noodles 1 TBS. canola oil 1 large egg, lightly beaten 3 cloves garlic, crushed, peeled and chopped 2 (about 200 grams total) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced 1 tsp. minced red chile/chile paste 200 grams shrimp, thawed and drained if frozen 1 TBS. canola oil 4 spring onions, sliced diagonally 3 TBS. fish sauce 2 TBS. rice (or wine) vinegar 1 TBS. lime (or lemon) juice 2 TBS. sugar 1-2 c. bean sprouts (we couldn't find fresh that day so I used canned - very good) chopped fresh coriander (cilantro) and roasted peanuts to garnish (I omitted the nuts) Place the rice noodles in a large bowl, cover with boiling water and soak for 5-10 minutes or until soft and flexible, then drain well. (Check after 5 minutes as different brands seem to soften at different speeds and some get too soft if soaked for too long.) Heat about 1 tsp. of the oil in a large wok or frypan, then add the beaten egg and cook to form a thin omelette. As soon as the upper surface looks dry, roll or fold the omelette and remove from the pan. Cut into 1 cm. ribbons and set aside. Add the rest of the first measure of oil to the pan, then add the garlic, cook over high heat until it begins to brown, then add the chicken and stir-fry for 3-4 minutes until chicken has lost it's pink color and is beginning to brown. Stir in the chile and shrimp and stir-fry for a minute longer, then add the noodles, second measure of oil and the spring onion greens. Toss to combine, then add the fish sauce, vinegar, lime (or lemon) juice and sugar. Stir-fry until the liquid has almost disappeared then add the bean sprouts and cook for 1 minute longer. The recipe never did say what to do with that reserved omelette, so I just added it at this point as well. Serve immediately garnished with chopped cilantro and peanuts.

Honey-Gingered Pork Tenderloin

Hi! I apologize (again) for the lack of posts lately.. I'd like to blame it entirely on the upper respiratory infarction I was dealing with for a couple weeks, but alas, I can not. I just haven't been inspired much to cook new and exciting(to me) things lately.. I've got the culinary blahs. *sigh* Hubbs has become the chef and chief bottle washer of late and he's made some interesting dinners. He even attempted a "Dorie"! Unfortunately the crust got burned and that took away from the rest of the cake, but I give him a BIG A+ for effort! You have to give the man credit, he's terrified of baking and doesn't attempt it often. God love him. ;) In case you're wondering, it was his own creation of Dorie's Hidden Berry Cream Cheese Torte and her Quick Classic Berry Tart or Dorie's Hidden Berry Cream Cheese Classic Berry Tart-Torte. Mmm hmm.. Yeah, he wanted cheesecake and I wanted the berries I had bought to be used up.. so there ya have it. =) Slightly burnt but lovely none-the-less ;) Moving along.. Last night I decided to give him a break and got my arse in my lil kitchen. And although I have a huge fear of pork (yes, my dislike of most cuts of pork has turned into an all-out-terror because of this lil gem that about made me hurl.) I had pork tenderloin hanging out in the freezer so I figured I should use it up. After perusing Recipezaar, I found exactly what I was looking for - something sweet and savory with a lil Asian kick to it. This recipe boasts that it tastes like the lil BBQ ribs that many Asian restaurants serve. The author didn't lie. The sauce is very reminiscent of those BBQ ribs. And I even took a major shortcut by not marinating the tenderloin. I just seared the meat and threw it into the oven to finish cooking, while I made the sauce seperately so that I could spoon it over the tender pork medallions. I can just imagine how even more flavorful this dish would have been had I the time to marinate. So the good news is, if you don't have the time to marinate the pork you'll still end up with quite a delicious dinner. Honey Gingered Pork Tenderloin Courtesy of "FlemishMinx" and Recipezaar.com The recipe below reflects my changes. 2 (3/4 lb.) pork tenderloins Salt & Pepper 2 tsp. vegetable oil 1/4 c. honey 1/4 c. soy sauce 1/4 c. oyster sauce 2 TBS. packed brown sugar 1 TBS. fresh minced ginger 1 TBS. minced garlic 1 TBS. ketchup 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper 1/4 tsp. cinnamon 1/3 c. chicken stock 1 TBS. cornstarch (or enough as needed) (optional) Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 400º F. Sprinkle tenderloins evenly with salt and pepper; rub seasoning into meat. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until smoking. Place both tenderloins in skillet; cook until well browned, 3 minutes. Using tongs, rotate tenderloins 1/4 turn; cook until well browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Repeat until all sides are browned. Transfer tenderloins to rimmed baking sheet and place in oven (reserve skillet if making pan sauce); roast until internal temperature registers 135º to 140º on instant-read thermometer, 10 to 16 minutes. Once out of the oven, cover loosely with a foil tent and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing. In still hot skillet, combine the first 9 sauce ingredients with a wooden spoon, making sure to scrape up all the bits from the bottom of the pan. Simmer for 10 minutes and then add the chicken stock and cornstarch (if using). Continue to simmer until desired thickness. Slice well rested tenderloin into 1/4 to 1/2 inch medallions and arrange on plate. Drizzle sauce over medallions before serving. If serving this dish to guests, keep in mind the sauce is quite strong and might be best to be served on the side. My Notes: If you are going to marinate the tenderloin first - place pork into a large ziplock bag or a shallow baking dish, whisk together first 9 sauce ingredients in a bowl, and pour over pork. Close bag or cover dish and place in refrigerator to marinate at least 8 hours, but 24 is better. Turn at least twice during this time. When ready to cook, continue on with recipe as instructed above, using reserved marinade for sauce. No no!! Don't go anywhere yet, I'm not done! I need just another minute or two of your time to show off the bestest Valentine's Day card I've ever received before. Ya'll know how I love home made cards, right? Well feast your eyes on this masterpiece: @}`~,~~., My sweet friend and fellow monthly baking clubber (uhh girls? We really need to decide on that name), Brilynn, made me this V-day card, ya'll!! I cropped the top of it where she writes that this card should get her into the dork club (Which I am President, CEO and Queen of) - which made me chuckle and also confused me a bit.. As I had inducted her MONTHS ago and made her Vice President of All That Is Dorky - apparently she didn't get the memo. huh. Thank you, Bril! I heart my hearty homemade card! :D

Honey-Hoisin Pork Chops

Finally.. the last of the pork. *happy sigh* I think I might have mentioned it once before.. way back in April, Hubbs and I went to the local wholesale place to stock up on some items for him to take back with him to Arkansas. While checking out their meat section, Hubbs found a ginormous hunk o'pork. This loin was easily 16-20 pounds. But it was on sale! We can't pass up a damn sale! So it ended up in our cart.. and then ended up all over my kitchen by the time I cut that sucker up into chops and roasts. Ended up being a damn good hunk o'pork - very flavorful. But I'm not a huge pork fan so getting through all of it took, what? Close to 6 months! This was even after I sent back with him probably a good 8 lbs. of roasts and chops to Arkansas. heee! Anyhoo.. 4 lil chops left so I cooked 'em up last night. Got out the trusty Cooking Light Annual Recipes 2006 and found a quick and easy marinated/bbq'd recipe for chops. Honey and Hoisin were the main ingredients along with garlic, soy and onions. Quick marinade of 30 minutes and then a quick sear to be followed by a quick 20 minutes in the oven.. they came out juicy and very flavorful and all less than 1 hour from start to finish. Not bad at all ;) Especially when it was Grey's Anatomy season opener last night.. everything had to be done no later than 7:55!! Yeah.. hadda watch the lil special they aired first - any chance to drool over McDreamy, yanno. Although this might have been a mistake - hard to eat your dinner when you are crying and sniveling over Denny's death - AGAIN. He's been dead for like 5 months and I was still a puddle of tears by the time the actual first episode came on. Oh and then when Miranda said her goodbye to him I about exploded with grief. Sheesh. Where the hell was I? *sniff* Yes the chops.. quick, easy and mighty tasty.. give it a shot some night ;) Forgive me for the more than usual crap pictures.. I was inna hurry. Honey-Hoisin Pork Chops Courtesy of Cooking Light's Annual Recipes 2006 2 TBS. sliced green onions (Still out - so I used 1/4 c. Vidalia) 2 TBS. hoisin sauce 2 TBS. soy sauce (Recipe called for low-sodium but I only have the high-test) 2 TBS. sage honey (I used clover honey) 1 TBS. hot water 2 garlic cloves, minced 4 boneless pork chops, about 1" thick 1/4 tsp. salt Cooking spray 1/2 tsp. sesame seeds Combine first 6 ingredents in a small bowl. Pour 1/4 c. honey mixture into a large zip top plastic bag; reserve remaining honey mixture. Add pork to bag, seal and marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes, turning bag occasionally. Preheat oven to 400º F. Remove pork from bag; discard marinade. Sprinkle pork with salt. Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add pork; cook 2 minutes, browning on both sides. Brush 1 TBS. reserved honey mixture over pork; sprinkle with sesame seeds. Place skillet in oven. Bake at 400º for 15-20 minutes or until a thermometer registers 160º (slightly pink) or until desired degree of doneness. Place pork on platter, let stand 5 minutes. Drizzle with remaining honey mixture. Yield 4 servings.

Pepper Steak - Lisa Style

Yesterday, it was officially chilly! Party on! The leaves are starting to turn colors as well.. happy! happy! I think the cooler weather had something to do with the little extra energy I had left after another long day at work - so I decided to make a nice dinner. One of Hubbs' favorites, my pepper steak. Originally I made this with just beef, peppers and tomatoes. But one day I had quite a few veggies laying in my crisper drawer of the fridge and decided, "What the hell", and just chopped them all up and threw them in.. and then I discovered all the lil goodies in the ethnic aisle of my grocery store and dumped them in as well - so I don't know exactly what you'd call this dish now. It's more than a stir-fry because of the rich brown sauce, but it's definitely not just peppers and steak anymore! heeee! It's the best pepper steak we've ever had though - and it rivals any good Asian restaurant that Hubbs has had pepper steak in (it's all he'll order most times). The only bitch of it is all the chopping. At least it might be for someone.. chopping/dicing is very relaxing for me.. especially since I bought a good knife last year - now I don't mind mincing garlic and chopping onions anymore ;) If you have the means, I totally recommend the Füri Gusto Grip 7" East/West knife. I noticed Rachel using it on her shows and how she just whipped through everything she was chopping so I bought one and I'm glad I did.. it's a great knife, in my humble opinion. ;) This "pepper steak" needs no added soy or salt - the amount of soy used in the marinade for the steak and what's used for the sauce is plenty to season the dish - and I like that a lot as I'm not fond of adding extra sodium to Asian dishes which include soy. The sauce turns thick while it boils and the taste is just awesome.. rich and yummy! The veggies turn out perfectly cooked, slightly crisp and the beef is extremely tender. Now that would likely depend on which cut of beef you are going to use. The better the cut of meat the better your pepper steak will turn out. Duh. I use sirloin steak, but one day I discovered something called "Spencer steaks" - to this day, I'm not sure exactly what cut of beef this is, but it's economical and very tasty, and I'll use it when the store doesn't have a good selection of sirloin in the meat case (am so picky). I cut the fat off the little spencer steaks and then into bite sized chunks. You stir-fry the beef first - and at that point I just cook them to rare. You'll then add it back in after the veggies have cooked for a few minutes and while the sauce thickens, which will not allow your meat to cook to well done and get tough. Pepper Steak - Lisa Style 2 tsp. beef bouillon granules 1 c. boiling water 2 TBS. cornstarch 1/3 c. soy sauce + additional soy sauce 1 lb. boneless sirloin steak, cut into bite sized chunks 4 garlic cloves, minced 1 tsp. minced ginger 1 tsp. ground black pepper 2 TBS. vegetable oil, divided 3 bell peppers, cut into bite sized chunks 1 c. sliced carrots 1 c. sliced celery 5 green onions, sliced into bite sized pieces 1 c. sliced mushrooms (doesn't matter which kind, I use shitake) 1 can baby corn 1 can bamboo shoots 1 can diced tomatoes (or 2 fresh tomatoes, diced) Hot cooked rice Toss beef with garlic, ginger and enough soy sauce to coat. Set aside for 30 minutes to marinate. Dissolve bouillon in water. Combine cornstarch and soy sauce until smooth; add to bouillon. Set aside. In a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat, stir-fry beef in 1 TBS. of vegetable oil until cooked as desired. Remove from heat and keep warm. Heat remaining oil; stir-fry veggies until crisp-tender. Stir soy sauce mixture and add to the wok; bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Return beef to pan and heat through. Serve over rice. *Note: Add whatever veggies you like. For instance, the pepper steak last night also had one lonely little zucchini that needed to be used and I didn't have green onions so I subbed 1/2 of a vidalia. This will make a boat load of pepper steak - most definitely at least 4 generous servings. Since it's just the two of us, I freeze what's left over (sans rice) and heat up for a quick meal another night. It really freezes well.

Hand-Hacked Pot Stickers with Tangy Ginger Dipping Sauce

We're 3 for 4 in the Cooking Light Annual Recipes 2006 countdown. Actually, to be truthful, 4 for 4 as that first recipe was pretty darn tasty, just a tad too much vinegar for my tastes. Tonight's try-out was the above mentioned Asian dish. I've had pot stickers from a restaurant one time and I did not like them. Why did I try this recipe then? A.B. (Alton Brown) talked me into it after watching one of his episodes on wonton wrappers. Not to mention, the recipe in the book looked easy. These were simply delicious. Capital D little licious. I feared Hubbs would not agree, but he was very disappointed after he ate his dozen pot stickers because there were no more. The man even drank the rest of his dipping sauce. Now ya know he hadda like it, eh? Actually there are more. They are in my freezer for another night when we want something quick and super easy (yeah super easy then.. there will be no chopping and wrapping of lil dumpling goodness like there was tonight.) Really though, they weren't hard to make at all.. just time consuming. Thankfully, I made those other wonton appetizers for the 4th of July, so I knew what was in store and made myself a wrapping station at our dining room table so I could be comfortable for the long haul. After the chopping and wrapping of the dumplings, cooking was a breeze. You just brown them on each side for a few seconds and then cook them in some chicken stock for a few minutes more. They had fabulous flavor and the dipping sauce was both tangy and sweet, which accompanied the pot stickers perfectly - I so love the savory/sweet taste sensation. :D Hand Hacked Pot Stickers with Tangy Ginger Dipping Sauce Courtesy of Cooking Light's Annual Recipes 2006 1 c. chopped napa (Chinese) cabbage 1 c. chopped spinach (Recipe didn't say, so I used fresh spinach) 1/2 c. minced green onions 1 TBS. low-sodium soy sauce (I used regular soy sauce) 1 tsp. minched peeled fresh ginger 1/2 tsp. dark sesame oil Dash of white pepper 3 garlic cloves, minced 1/3 lb. lean ground pork 1/4 lb.peeled and deveined shrimp, chopped (I threw 'em in my processor and they were done in a jif) 24 round wonton wrappers or gyoza skins (See *Note below) 1 TBS. canola oil, divided 2 c. fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth, divided (I used a good chicken stock - full fat and full sodium. So apparently I suck at this eating light thing) Green onion strips (optional) Combine first 10 ingredients in a bowl. Working with 1 wonton wrapper at a time (cover remaining wrappers with a damp towel to prevent drying), spoon about 1 heaping teaspoon of filling into center of each wrapper. Moisten edges of wrapper with water. Fold in half, pinching sealed edges of pot sticker between thumb and first two fingers of each hand, form 3 or 4 pleats along seal. Place dumplings, seams sides up, on a platter. Heat 1 1/2 tsp. canola oil in a large nonstick skillet. Arrange 12 pot stickers, seam sides up, in pan, and cook 30 seconds or until browned (I did this for all 3 sides). Add 1 cup chicken broth to pan, cover and cook 5 minutes. Uncover and cook about 1 minute or until liquid evaporates. Remove pot stickers from pan, cover and keep warm. Repeat procedure with 1 1/2 tsp. canola oil, 12 pot stickers and 1 c. broth. Garnish with green onion strips, if desired. Serve immediately. Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 3 pot stickers) *Note: HA!! As if 3 pot stickers would serve Hubbs and I as one serving. Puh-lease. Regardless of that lil tid-bit, the amount of stuffing exceeds 24 wrappers, by quite a bit. I used a heaping teaspoon (sometimes more) in each of mine and I got a whole package of rectangular wontons (less 2 that ripped) filled. I made 18 tonight and froze the rest. Tangy Ginger Dipping Sauce Courtesy of Cooking Light's Annual Recipes 2006 1/2 c. chopped, peeled tomatoes (Oopsie didn't have any so I chopped up about 10 grape tomatoes) 1/3 c. chopped green onions 1/4 c. fresh lime juice 1/4 c. rice vinegar 1 1/2 TBS. white, granulated sugar 2 tsp. chopped, peeled ginger 2 garlic cloves, chopped 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped (I forgot, once again to buy a jalapeno, so it was omitted - I can't help it, I'm not use to buying hot peppers! hehe) Combine all ingredients in a small bowl, stir well with a whisk until sugar dissolves. Chill for at least an hour.. or several hours for maximum flavor melding. Yield: 1 cup. (serving size: 1 TBS.)

4th of July with a Lil Asian Twist

We had a loverly 4th of July this year, as I hope all of you did! This year we decided that because of work the next day (ugh) that dinner with the Cleavers would be the perfect way to celebrate the holiday. =) Yes.. the Cleavers. One of my closest friends in alla world, Mindy, has been dubbed June Cleaver. Her fabulous husband Dan, also known as Ward, and their beautiful little girl, Lily - better known as the "Beavette" are my Cleaver family. When Mindy and Dan first started dating they were so funny together as Mindy would ask Dan for a favor and Dan would always reply, "Yes, Dear." At first I thought it was for my benefit, but soon found out that this was Dan's (Ward's) constant reply to June, err, Mindy! They are the perfect couple ('kay they fight light cats and dogs, just like the rest of us) with the perfect child (she's 7, amazingly beautiful, and she's got a knack of getting herself in some predicaments, that end up being quite funny - such as, yesterday she accidentally slammed her finger in our slider door and howled as if she chopped the the damn thing off.. June took her to the bathroom for some first aid and when they made it back out to the kitchen Lily was still quite upset until she noticed me slicing the London Broil with my electric knife - she instantly stopped crying and in a very serious tone, commented that the knife was quite a nifty gadget.) So yes, we had dinner with the Cleavers and it was a fabulous day. =) For munchies before dinner, I prepared Mindy's Guacamole which I served in hollowed out cherry tomato halves such as Ilva of Lucullian Delights created with her Avocados & Cucumbers Thanks Ilva! :D Along with melon wrapped in prosciutto and these fabulous little wonton snackers, that everyone enjoyed, even the very picky Beavette =) I found the recipe on Recipzaar a few weeks ago and thought they'd be a nice addition to my appetizer repertoire. They were easy to make and delicious served with both sweet & sour and plum sauces. I was a little nervous while frying them as the wonton browned quickly, too quickly I thought, for the pork filling to cook completely - but I left them in the hot oil and happily saw that the wonton only got a bit more goldeny brown while the pork filling cooked completely. I had intended to make a dipping sauce of rice wine vinegar, freshly grated ginger and soy sauce, but somehow ended up not making it.. guess I had too much fun chit chatting with June, eh? =) Regardless, these were the perfect little snackers for just about any occasion. Chinese Wontons Courtesy of Cocoa and Recipezaar 1 lb. ground pork 3 cloves chopped garlic 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1 teaspoon sesame oil 3 carrots, finely diced 3 stalks celery, finely diced 6 green onions, finely diced 1 package wonton wrappers water oil (for deep frying) your favorite sweet and sour sauce or plum sauce Combine pork, garlic, ginger, soysauce, and vegetables in a bowl. Separate wonton skins. Place a heaping teaspoon of filling in the center of the wonton. Brush water on 2 borders of the skin, covering 1/4" from the edge. Fold skin over to form a triangle, sealing edges. Pinch the two long outside points together. Heat oil to 350 degrees and fry 4 to 5 at a time until golden. Drain and serve with sauce.

Japanese Wings

I realized that I haven't posted a new wing recipe in a while. So I decided to make a variety that I love and find totally addicting.. but Hubbs finds them a lil too sweet. (Even tho' he slathers them with a hotsauce that promises a firey bowel movement right on the label - eww. I just don't get the appeal of some of those hot sauces lol) These wings are scrumptious. The recipe includes ingredients that most have on hand in their pantries, they are super easy to fix and the flavor you get when they are done is outstanding. These are on the sweet side.. almost like a candied wing, but savory at the same time. The sauce reminds me of Orange Chicken that a lot of Asian restaurants offer. Yet there is no orange in the recipe. I also taste honey, where again, there is no honey in the recipe. Your wings turn out crispy and sticky at the same time, which for me, is heavenly. This sauce can be applied to all chicken pieces, not just the wings. I've used it on breasts and on tenderloins with great success. My only suggestion would be, if you try this sauce on larger pieces of chicken, double the sauce so that you can drizzle it over some rice to go with your chicken. Yum!! Japanese Wings 3 lbs. chicken wings - See Note Below 1 egg, lightly beaten 1 c. all-purpose flour for coating Salt & Pepper to taste 1 c. butter - I've never been able to bring myself to fry in that much butter, so I usually use canola or peanut oil and it works fine Sauce 3 TBS. soy sauce 3 TBS. water 1 c. white sugar 1/2 c. white vinegar - Apple cider vinegar works well too 1 tsp. minced garlic or 1/2 tsp. powdered garlic - or to taste 1 tsp. salt Preheat oven to 350º F. Line a roasting pan that has at least 2 inch sides with foil - you really don't want to skip this step as clean up is a true bitch if you don't line your pan and then IMMEDIATELY wash it when cooking is done. Seriously. You can keep your wings whole as I do, or cut them in half, then dip in egg and coat with flour, salt and pepper. I've skipped the egg part and just dredged the chicken in a mixture of flour, salt & pepper - you don't miss the egg at all. Heat butter or oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Fry wings until brown. Place in a shallow, foil lined, roasting pan. In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, water, sugar, vinegar, garlic and salt. Pour over wings. Bake in a preheated oven for 30 to 45 minutes, basting wings with sauce often - I usually baste every 5 to 10 minutes. I also bake them closer to 45 minutes to get that super carmelized sticky result. *Note: I normally cook about 8 whole wings, I have no idea what the poundage is. But for 8 whole wings, the sauce is just enough. I don't think those 8 equal out to 3 pounds, so if you were going to make more than that, double your sauce. The sauce will stay thin. If you prefer a thicker sauce then mix 1 TBS. cornstarch to the soy sauce and water before adding the sugar and other ingredients. Also.. when you open the oven to baste, the vinegar will take your breath away.. but don't be alarmed, these wings are not vinegary in the least.