Chicken Stir Fry

When I went to "Big Bargain Store" with my boys the day before the Super Bowl, one of the things I bought was mammoth bags of frozen veggies. Score! 5 pounds of veggies is surely enough for 2 nights around here!

Anyway, one of my great finds was a Bird's Eye Stir Fry mix. The package espoused the idea that you should cook up the veggies as a side dish, but I thought I could make it a little more interesting.

CHICKEN VEGGIE STIR FRY

4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken pieces, cut in smallish pieces
2 to 3 pounds Bird's Eye Stir Fry Veggie Mix
Vegetable Oil
Salt and pepper
Ground Ginger
Sesame Seeds
1 cup chicken broth
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 cup cold water
2 tbsp cornstarch
3 cups cooked white rice

Cover the bottom of the broiler pan with a thin layer of vegetable oil. Arrange the chicken pieces in it, turn once, lightly salt, pepper and place under the broiler for 5 to 6 minutes. Meanwhile, in a skillet or wok, begin to prepare the vegetable mix (broccoli, snow peas, carrots, baby corn and red peppers, which I discarded) according to package directions: a bit of oil in the bottom of the pan, add the veggies, stir and cook until nearly done. Turn the chicken over after the first 5 minutes have elapsed, sprinkle generously with ground ginger and sesame seeds, and return to the broiler for another 5 minutes. When the chicken has cooked another 5 minutes, remove it from its pan, leaving the pan drippings behind, and add it to the vegetables. Add the sauce packet that came with the vegetables, stir to coat, and cook a few more minutes, until everything is done. Meanwhile, add the chicken broth and soy sauce to the chicken pan. Heat to boiling. Whisk together the cold water and cornstarch, and whisk into the chicken broth mixture. Cook until the mixture thickens, and add to the chicken and vegetable mixture. Stir well and serve at once over hot rice.
This fed 6 of us, 4 of whom are large and starving guys, so it would probably be plenty for 8 normal people. And I've been asked to make it again very soon, so you know it was good!

Garden Tuesday: Sunshine

Early morning sunshine sneaking through winter tree limbs is very pretty.

It doesn't make 17 degrees any warmer, however.

Happy Valentine's Day!

If you have a heart shaped pan, pretty cakes are so easy! Be sure to give someone an unexpected hug today.

Shortly after the New Year, I received a most exciting invitation: to be a judge at Mango Minster. I was honored to be selected to be part of such a wonderful event as Mango Minster. So, before I begin, let me thank Mango and his gracious scribe, the lovely and talented Mango Momma, for allowing me to participate in Mango Minster 2011.

I was chosen to judge the Good Old Boys/Gals category. Since there's no better Good Ol' Dog than a Mastiff, this was a perfect fit. And I found many wonderful contestants. There were dogs who are in service to others, dogs with farm animals, rabbits, and cats, and one Good Ol' Gal who is disliked by donkeys, although I fail to see why. Some dogs have Good Ol' Boy/Girl names, and some have genuine Good Ol' Dog accessories. As one might expect, all of you are called a Good Old Bor/Girl by your most perceptive humans. All were very helpful, including one who helped a tomato perfect its sit/stay. And, to a dog, all were able to nap wherever the mood struck them. So, judging this category was significantly more difficult than I could have anticipated.

Without further ado, I would like to introduce the winners in the Good Old Boy/Girl Category of Mango Minster 2011

Honorable Mention:

Charlie and Emma, whose most excellent skillset included fabulous sleeping skills, and having both a rabbit and a horse. Beyond the keeping of such animals, Charlie and Emma are a Good Old Boy AND a Good Old Girl in one entry! Excellent work, you two.

Honorable Mention also goes to El'bow. The English Mastiff is the epitome of Good Old Boy, and El'bow is a perfect Mastiff, even tolerating well (and appearing to love) his Bad Boy brother, Hauwii. I am delighted to acknowledge El'bow's entry, and happy to proclaim him a Good Old Boy Extraordinaire.

Third Place goes to Guinness, a Wolfhound from Novia Scotia. Not only does Guinness have his own personal farm animals, he shares a name with a most excellent beer, and he has a blind adopted sister, who he has helped to adapt to their world and he takes excellent care of her. Guinness, you are a Good Old Boy worthy of high praise, indeed.

Our Second Place Award goes to Sarge. Merely scanning Sarge's pictures confirms that he is the classic Good Ol' Boy who has a genuine Redneck truck, goes huntin', fishin', and campin', and sleeps wherever the need arises. Sarge is such a Good Ol' Boy that Jed and Abby (our esteemed Guardian of Judicial Ethics) from Merry Land have offered Sarge honorary Southern residency.
And now, the moment you've been waiting for:

First Place Good Ol' Boy in Mango Minster 2011:

Rudy. Rudy is a Labradude, which guarantees that he's a good ol' boy from the start. However, instead of being all hopping around, excited, high life Good Old Dog, Rudy is in training to be a Seeing Eye Dog, volunteering to spend his life being a calm, helpful Good Old Boy forever. Rudy, my boy, my hat is off to you for planning such a noble life.

I am truly sorry that I have been unable to acknowledge all of the fine contestants by name here in the Good Ol' Dog category at Mango Minster 2011. Just because I didn't post any comments on any of your blogs does not mean I didn't visit each and every one of you many times; I simply didn't want to appear partial to any of you. I have enjoyed getting to know all of you, and am proud to consider you a fellow Good Old Dog (even if you're still a youngster).

And now, I yield the floor to the next judge...

Deviled Eggs

Sue and Chan both requested that I publish my recipe for Deviled Eggs. Everyone has his or her own variation on them, and I really enjoy mine. Note that I can't stand raw onions, but if you love them, grate them finely and add them to the filling.

DEVILED EGGS

1 dozen hard boiled eggs
6 to 8 "cut & cleaned" baby carrots (or 1 large carrot, peeled)
1 handful dill pickle chips (or 2 to 3 spears)
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1/4 tsp salt
black pepper to taste
enough mayonnaise to hold the mix together
paprika

Cut the eggs in half lengthwise; pop the yolks out into a bowl and line up the whites on a plate. Mash the yolks with a fork. Grate the carrots and pickle chips and stir in with the egg yolks. Add the salt, some pepper and the mustard, then add the mayonnaise by spoonsful, until the mixture holds together; stir well. Mound the egg yolk mixture into the yolk holes in the whites, and over the top, using all filling; sprinkle the top with paprika and serve. Grab your own fast, because they won't last long. Oh, and keep these from your dog; eggs have much the same effect on your dog's contribution to air quality as broccoli does.

Garden Tuesday: Snow

It was still 35 degrees at 2AM, but by 7AM, the temperature had dropped to 29. A dusting of snow had fallen, and the high school had a 2 hour delay.

Meanwhile, in Thor's yard, a fresh dusting of snow lays atop the branches. And Thor sleeps inside. Smart boy, that one.

Super Bowl Food

I went the semi-lazy route for Super Bowl Sunday this year.

Dan, Jeff and I went on the Super Bowl Food Hunt on Saturday. You don't even want to know how much I spent, between food, staples and Thor's vitamins. But the boys had a terrific time, and the trunk of my little blue winter-beater Caddy was full; some things had to go in the back seat.

I made deviled eggs and dip, served with several kinds of chips for the first half. I made meatballs and marinara sauce, Dan pre-made quesadillas (filled with chicken and cheese), which I reheated and served them with mozarella sticks, egg rolls, and dinosaur shaped breaded chicken pieces. The boys were very excited about having dinosaurs for dinner; I think they're all about 5.

Dessert was cream puffs; easy and light after all that meat.

No Super Bowl report from my house would be complete without my "dumb broad" comment of the year: "Oh, how cute! They coordinated their outfits! They're both wearing yellow trousers!" I guess the game was good. Some of the commercials were awful, and some were pretty good. I especially enjoyed the one where the guy renovated the kitchen with Bud Light, the Bridgestone commercial with the beaver, the Chevy commercial where the Silverado truck keeps rescuing the kid ("I didn't even know there was a volcano in this town!") and the commercial for Detroit. Thor voted for the Party Dogs commercial.

What did you all think?

Mango Minster Update

Shortly after the New Year, I received a most exciting invitation: to be a judge at Mango Minster. I was honored to be selected to be part of such a wonderful event as Mango Minster. So, before I begin, let me thank Mango and his gracious scribe, the lovely and talented Mango Momma, for allowing me to participate in Mango Minster 2011.

I was chosen to judge the Good Old Boys/Gals category. Since there's no better Good Ol' Dog than a Mastiff, this was a perfect fit. And I found many wonderful contestants. There were dogs who are in service to others, dogs with farm animals, rabbits, and cats, and one Good Ol' Gal who is disliked by donkeys, although I fail to see why. Some dogs have Good Ol' Boy/Girl names, and some have genuine Good Ol' Dog accessories. As one might expect, all of you are called a Good Old Boy/Girl by your most perceptive humans. All were very helpful, including one who helped a tomato perfect its sit/stay. And, to a dog, all were able to nap wherever the mood struck them. So, judging this category was significantly more difficult than I could have anticipated.
What, you thought I was going to tell you my decisions? my category opens Tuesday; stay tuned for updates...

Western Chicken Sandwiches

This lunch was a no-brainer the day after I made my wheaten rolls. The microwave sure does make lunch easy, doesn't it?

WESTERN CHICKEN SANDWICHES

1 Wheaten roll for each sandwich
Leftover chicken, torn into bite sized pieces
swiss cheese
1 scallion per sandwich
barbecue sauce

Toast the rolls a little, if you like, or just warm for 10 seconds each in the microwave. Put the chicken in a microwave safe bowl, add barbecue sauce to taste, and microwave until hot. Place a slice of Swiss cheese on the bottom of each roll, spoon the chicken mixture over the top, and cut a scallion (I use kitchen shears) over the chicken. Top with another slice of Swiss cheese, and close the roll. Delicious lunch in about 3 minutes!

Do you like Craisins? We do. So, when trolling about amazon recently, I stumbled on a 10 pound box of them. I didn't know quite what to expect, because the picture was a brown cardboard box, so I eagerly awaited their arrival.

I was delighted. These Craisins were the softest, freshest, plumpest ones I've ever had. They are a bulk pack, meaning 10 pounds in a plastic bag inside a very sturdy cardboard box, but I just took a tightly sealing jar with a hinged lid, put a bunch in the jar, and everyone's snacking away - even those sons who claim to be not terribly fond of Craisins! I've refilled this jar once already since Wednesday. If you have the space for them, this is the best way to buy Craisins, IMHO.

Happy Weekend, everyone!

Snowy Thorsday

During a lull between the storms on Tuesday, Thor went outside with his boys.

There was a fair bit of snow.

We weren't sure we liked trudging through all of this.

Can I sit down for this dumb picture?
Happy Thorsday, everyone!

Batterway Wheaten Rolls

Well, we skated by on the edge of yet another killer storm. We got less than 1" of snow last night, and a glaze of ice. Of course, this meant another school cancellation for Ryan, and even a work cancellation for Jeff, but now it's 38 degrees outside, and things are melting. That doesn't mean it won't freeze over tonight, but I'm enjoying the relief my trees are getting from the weight of the snow and ice.

Some time ago, I made Batterway Yeast Rolls, and they were good. ) And yet, oddly, I don't appear to have posted them? What a dope. I'll rectify that soon.) My guys have really wanted dinner rolls instead of bread lately, so I came up on this variation on a great dinner roll.

BATTERWAY WHEATEN ROLLS

1 cup warm milk (around 100F)
1/3 cup warm water
2 tbsp (2 little packages) yeast
3 cups flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tbsp gluten powder
1 egg at room temperature (put in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes)
1/4 cup butter, cut into chunks
1/4 cup sugar
1-1/2 tsp salt

Pour the milk and water into your bread machine bucket or mixing bowl, and sprinkle the yeast over it. Add the remaining ingredients in the order given, and mix according to my bread tutorial directions (see side bar). When the dough has been mixed, risen and punched down, divide it into 12 or 18 pieces (for large or medium sized rolls), form each into a ball, and place on a greased baking sheet. Brush the tops with a combination of 2 tbsp warm milk and 1 tsp sugar, let rise until doubled in size, and bake at 400F for 14 to 18 minutes, depending upon the size of the rolls and how dark you want them.

And lest you think this is too many rolls for a normal sized family, bear in mind that I'm only feeding 6 people right now. These also make wonderful sandwiches, and are great sliced in half and toasted to be eaten with eggs. So, go ahead, you know you want these.

And, an aside from Thor:

Thank you all for your help in voting for the Griffin Pond Animal Shelter to win that $50,000 from Pepsi! Since Griffin Pond was #9 out of about 1000 in getting votes, they win! I'd give you all a big doggie slobbery hug if you were here!

Snowy Garden Tuesday

Why is no one surprised that my back yard looks like this? Maybe because this storm and the one following it covered half the country?

In round one of this set of storms, we only got about 3" of snow, according to my 11 year old weather reporter. That brings the total on the ground to 10", according to the same reporter. He's very handy, being willing to wander around in the snow and all.

This blue spruce really does look pretty in the snow, even though I wouldn't venture beyond my back step, and so had to zoom through the cherry tree to take the picture!

Here's hoping the second storm brings only the 2" to 4" of snow predicted, and not the 1/2" of ice that's supposed to follow the snow!