Sesame Chicken and Vegetable Stir-Fry

It was Monday night, and was deciding on what to prepare for dinner when I realized that I love stir-fry and hadn’t made it in a while. Don’t worry if you don’t have a wok, just a large frying pan will do fine. I used my large frying pan. It’s not an exact science but you will need certain key ingredients. I decided to make it and foraged through my pantry, I was missing a few things but substituted a few other things and it worked out just fine. It was delicious .I would have liked bok choy and some other chinese vegetables but used what I had. I had a little red pepper, a few mushrooms and broccoli. Onions would be fine too. Almost any veggies you like, and obviously tofu can be substituted for chicken. This is what I did. If using tofu, use the extra firm type.

Ingredients:

5 Tbsp. soy sauce ( I always use reduced sodium)

2 tsp. toasted sesame oil

5 tsp. honey

1 1/4 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, I had butcher cut it into strips or you can do it yourself

4 Tbsp. Canola Oil possible . you will need about 2 to cook chicken and then another 2 to cook vegetables, but you may need a bit more, I try to use as little as possible to start you can always add

2 green onions, white parts only thinly sliced and reserve the green tops

1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger ( which I didn’t have , so I used powdered ginger, not as good but it will do)

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 cup chicken broth ( again you may need a little more but I was able to make it work with 1 cup)

2-4 tsp. cornstarch ( I didn’t have this either so I used 3 tsp. flour and it worked)

1 Tbsp. rice vinegar

vegetables ( whatever you like) broccoli, cut into florets, bok choy, baby corn, onions, red peppers, mushrooms, snap peas, etc.

1 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds ( just put sesame seeds in a small frying pan and brown up, watch them it happens quickly)

*1 tsp. chili paste (optional) but adds great flavor

Directions:

in a medium bowl whisk together 3 Tbsp. soy sauce, 1 tsp. sesame oil and 2 tsp. honey , add cut up chicken , toss then marinate for about 1/2 hour

In a seperate small bowl, whisk together broth, remaining soy sauce, 1 tsp. sesame oil,  remaining honey,   vinegar and *chili paste. After whisking together I put in a small saucepan and heated it up till it thickened , I started with 2 tsp. of corn starch and added as it needed to thicken,  cook and stir for about 4 minutes till it darkens in color and gets thick. I let it just sit on stovetop till I needed it.( just stir it occasionally)

Heat up 2 tsp. canola oil in large skillet/wok  and cook chicken in hot oil until browned through about 6 minutes depending on the size of your chicken pieces. Transfer to serving plate

In same skillet as chicken heat 2 more tsp. canola oil add white parts of onions, ginger, and garlic. Cook and stir for a few minutes at medium high without burning. Adjust heat. Then add remaining vegetables and stir fry till they begin to cook , when vegetables are cooked, add chicken and pour sauce over chicken . Cook for a few minutes, and I served over brown rice. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onion tops.

This is a re-blog of a really light, tasty recipe. Just when you’ve had enough of all the heavy stuff from holidays and vacations. Give this a go, it’s very simple and very tasty.

cookingwithcandi's avatarCooking with Candi

I have archives upon archives of saved recipes. Some days I just go through to see what I’d like to make next. I often come upon old ones which I’ve totally forgotten about. Other times, I cut out new recipes that I’m eager to try. But this one came to me through our friend, Drew (Susan’s husband). He got into cooking a few years back, found this recipe and turned me on to it. It is light and flavorful. What a ringing endorsement. For a while, it was very much a part of my repertoire. Then, for no apparent reason, I just stopped making it. But recently, while going through some older chicken recipes, I came across this one again. It really is simple–very few ingredients, and a perfect dinner served with rice and a vegetable. It is originally from Rachael Ray with a few changes on my part. If you’re not fond of rosemary…

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Oatmeal Raisin Cookies – Old Fashioned Goodness

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Misc. dinners and New Years Eve 054Misc. dinners and New Years Eve 061Oatmeal Raisin 002

I have made many oatmeal raisin cookies in my day, but this one just suited me perfectly. I like a crispy cookie and I really think the secret behind this one was refrigerating the dough. This is a combination of many years of baking oatmeal raisin cookies. No chocolate in this one and no nuts, I do it differently when I add chocolate to my oatmeal cookies. I made this for New Years Eve because if you just want a little something sweet , it’s perfect. Who doesn’t like a cookie? I actually had this dough in my freezer from another time. I just put dough into a freezer bag, if you put it in smaller amounts you’ll be able to take dough out for a dozen cookies at a time. If you would like you can double this recipe ( this recipe should make 2 dozen) This cookie bakes up in about 12 minutes, but you’ll have to check after 10 minutes. Edges are crispy and cookie is soft at the same time. Perfection!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup ( 1 stick) unsalted butter softened

2/3 cup light brown sugar , I have to admit I only had dark brown sugar and they were perfectly fine. I think they look better with light brown sugar though.

1 large egg ( room temperature)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon table salt ( I know it’s a lot but I like how it comes out)

1 1/2 cups rolled oats ( not instant)

3/4 cup raisins

*optional 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

In bowl of mixer, (or electric hand beater) cream together the butter, brown sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth. In another bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Add to the butter/sugar mixture, and stir in the oats , raisins and walnuts with a spoon by hand.

I usually chill my dough for a while at this point, clean up the kitchen and go about my business. When I’m ready I scoop cookies using a small ice cream scooper , and I am now addicted to the Silpat liners which I use for baking . If you haven’t bought these use parchment paper. ( I highly recommend making the investment in Silpat liners they are worth every penny)  Preheat oven to 350 degrees and when oven is ready bake for 10 – 12 minutes. I baked for about 12 minutes actually. You’ll have to check at 10 minutes depending on your oven and how cold the dough was when it went into the oven.

Cookies should be at least 2 inches apart, or they will melt into one another. They should be golden at the edges but still a little undercooked on the tops. Let them sit on the baking sheet till they cool down ( at least 5 minutes) .

Yummy! Joel loves Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, and he loved these. Great with a glass of milk, tea or coffee.

Goodbye 2012 and Hello 2013

photo (3)It’s that time of year again when we look back with fond and sometimes not so fond memories of the year behind us. I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of my followers a very happy and healthy New Year , looking forward to sharing my cooking with all of you in 2013.  These are some of the moments I remember:

Sandy Hook -Newtown Tragedy. There are just no words that can express the level of sadness that this tragedy fills me with.  Aurora, Colorado this past summer, senseless acts of violence.  My hope is for a future that never has another tragedy like this, with some new gun reforms in place, please.

Superstorm Sandy. Unfortunately, I was in NY for this one.  It was no fun and #sandysucks was my motto throughout. My heart goes out to all the families who lost so very much due to this storm.  Shout out to Chris Christie for just being one hell of a guy during those days.

Our 44th President, Barack Obama.

Locking Jerry Sandusky up for good. Good riddance.

12/12/12 concert

Say bye-bye to TomKat but Rhea and Danny??? Really???

My new TV loves: The Newsroom and Girls. And I finally got to catch up with Downton Abbey and can’t wait for the new season.

David Petraeus, are you kidding me??  You threw it all away for what???

Mazel tov to Princess Kate and Prince William on the pregnancy.

2012 Olympics – breakout stars Gabby Douglas and Ryan Lochte and how wonderful it was to watch them in action.

Psy and his Gangnam Style (how do they think this stuff up?).

Farewell to Andy Griffith, Larry Hagman, Ernest Borgnine, Donna Summer, Whitney Houston, Nora Ephron, Robin Gibb, Dick Clark, Neil Armstrong,  Mike Wallace, Davy Jones, and Ben Gazzara. These were just some of the celebrity deaths that touched me.

Welcome Back to Broadway Annie!

My three most favorite movies of the year: The Intouchables, Lincoln and my personal favorite to win Best Picture, Zero Dark Thirty.

Lindsay is still a red hot mess, won’t someone help that girl clean up?

Linsanity, YOLO, and Fiscal Cliff , some new words to add to the vernacular.

Lance stripped of all his titles, so very sad for me and the sport, I loved that guy.

Giants winning the Superbowl.

A new wonderful James Bond movie with Adele singing the title song “Skyfall”.

Last but not least, my husband, Joel turning the big 60 – Happy Birthday to the love of my life.

This is a reblog of my Chicken Marsala Recipe. Perfection on a plate. You add a salad, rice , orzo or noodles and a beautiful green vegetable and you have a perfect meal. This really is delicious if you’re looking for something new to make. Enjoy!

cookingwithcandi's avatarCooking with Candi

One night last week I prepared a version of Chicken Marsala which came out totally delicious, and worthy of posting this recipe. I am always trying out new recipes for this dish. I combined about 3 recipes and I must say this final recipe worked out just perfectly. It would have been more perfect with a green vegetable served alongside, like brussel sprouts but it was sort of last minute and didn’t have the veggies, which was just fine with Joel. I served it with a plain brown rice which worked out nicely.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup all purpose flour for coating

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

I used 1 package thin chicken cutlets ( 5 pieces ) about 1 1/2 lbs.

4 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup olive oil

8 ounces Cremini Mushrooms sliced (stemmed)

1/2 cup Marsala ( you can buy in…

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Pantry Soup aka Pumpkin Bean Soup (can be vegetarian)

Colorado Winter '12 004Colorado Winter '12 006Colorado Winter '12 008We just got out to Colorado and I looked at the shelves of my pantry and they’re overflowing with cans of Pumpkin . I don’t know what I was thinking but I am going to start using those cans of Pumpkin albeit in some creative ways. I love pumpkin as you already know by now. Since you can only really buy it through the Christmas Season I stocked up for my muffins, soups, etc. So I pulled out some cans of Black Beans, a can of Pinto Beans, and a can of Diced Tomatoes. This is the soup I made and it was pretty tasty. The spices I used are key, and you’ll have to check for Salt and Pepper towards the end . It wasn’t that difficult to make , I did use a lot of different ingredients but it was a good feeling to clean out the pantry at the same time! This is a warm wonderful soup, perfect for a cold winter day or evening. I did use a tablespoon of butter but you can easily substitute with all olive oil. I also love the way the Sherry Vinegar adds kick but if you don’t have it use Apple Cider Vinegar it’ll be just fine. There is no real right or wrong with this recipe, make it your way, use what you like and enjoy it!

Ingredients:

2 15 oz. cans black beans, rinsed and drained

1 15 oz. can Pinto beans, rinsed and drained

1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes, or chef’s cut tomatoes

1 10 oz. can Rotel diced tomatoes with green chilies ( this is optional, I had it and threw it in)

1 15 oz. can of Corn ( I used low sodium)

1 tbsp. Butter ( unsalted)

1 medium onion chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

2 teaspoons kosher salt ( divided)

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 bay leaf

1 tsp. ground cumin

1/4 tsp. Cayenne Pepper

4 cups Beef Broth ( feel free to substitute Vegetable Broth)

1  15 oz. can Pumpkin Puree

2 Tablespoons Sherry Vinegar ( or Apple Cider Vinegar)

Directions:

Pour 2 cans of the drained black beans into a food processor or blender, along with the can of tomatoes. Puree until smooth. Set aside.

Melt butter and olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, and season with 1 teaspoon salt and some of the pepper. Cook and stir until the onions are softened and translucent. Stir in the bean puree, remaining can of beans, beef broth, pumpkin puree, and corn, tomatoes with green chilies, spices, and sherry vinegar. Mix until well blended,  I simmered for about an hour on a very low flame. Soup will thicken up nicely , if it is too thick you can add beef broth to thin out a bit.  Taste for Salt and Pepper, I added additional teaspoon of salt and pepper.

Carrot Souffle

I was looking for a carrot souffle recipe that would be perfect for the holidays and came across quite a few, I settled on this one and I was very happy I did.  Original recipe comes from Emeril Lagasse, and if you can believe it, it had more butter and more brown sugar than it does, I took a few liberties with the recipe and it was just delicious. The orange flavor is very strong, so if you like you can cut that a bit but I love the fresh flavor of orange so I kept it at a full tablespoon.  It is not difficult to make, just takes some time and a lot of ingredients. I peeled the carrots, and just cut them in thirds to boil, because they were getting thrown in the food processor anyway. You need a food processor for this, and a large one at that. I literally put all ingredients into it and gave it a few whirls. . It is a most perfect  holiday dish, perfect for Christmas, Jewish New Year and Thanksgiving, really any time you are making dinner for a big group. If you’d like you can cut this recipe in 1/2 for a smaller gathering.   I also didn’t use a 9 x 13 but used a deeper casserole dish, which was fine, you can use whatever pretty baking dish you like.  I cooked it for 1/2 the time the day before and then just put in oven again day we were eating it for another 45 minutes or so. The deeper the dish , the longer it will take to fully cook through. It was light like a souffle should be and the topping is crunchy and sweet. This goes to any holiday meal, and really any time. Good news is carrots are always readily available no excuse not to eat them.

*this recipe can easily be cut in half

Ingredients:

3 pounds carrots, I peeled them and cut them into thirds

6 large eggs – beat before adding to processor

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup milk ( I used skim plus)

1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice

1 tablespoon orange zest ( use the orange that you will juice)

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg ( or 1 teaspoon powder)

pinch of salt ( regular table salt)

Topping:

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 cup chopped pecans/walnuts whichever you prefer

1/2 cup all-purpose  flour

4 tablespoon ( 1/2 stick) unsalted butter , at room temperature

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a casserole pan ( up to 9 x 13 ) . Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add the peeled cut up carrots, and cook until tender, app. 15 minutes and drain. Combine the carrots with the remaining ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. I was able to put all ingredients in a large processor, if not you will have to work in batches.  Spoon the mixture into the prepared casserole dish.

Combine the topping ingredients, brown sugar, pecans, flour and butter in a medium size bowl , stir to blend. Scatter the mixture over the top of the casserole and bake until the topping is lightly browned, 55 minutes to 1 hour. I baked for 35 minutes the day I made it, and will re – heat it for another 45 minutes before serving. You’ll want it a little bubbly around edges.

If you’re needing a quick dessert which almost never fails to win over new fans here you go. Cooks up quickly and easily , no real heavy lifting here, just gather up all the ingredients and bake! Perfect for the holidays! and they freeze up wonderfully!

cookingwithcandi's avatarCooking with Candi

These bars are truly divine. They are, quite simply, a very small bit of heaven on Earth. Superbly sweet and gooey. Perfect for when you need to make a dessert quickly. Buy these ingredients and keep them in your pantry and then when you need to make something quickly, here you go. These bars don’t require any real baking skills and you can’t really screw them up unless you burn them (but you won’t do that!) My daughter, Jennifer, bakes these. She makes a crust first with the graham crackers and butter then layers the other ingredients. These bars are always her go-to dessert and are always welcome around our family. In doing some research for these bars (which aren’t gentle on the thighs), I found that you can dump all the ingredients in a bowl, except for the sweet condensed milk, and it works! So sweet indeed. Simple and delicious!

View original post 207 more words

Zucchini Bolognese

This doesn’t really require a whole recipe page but it is such an amazing vegetable dish to make I figured why not. It’s super easy, especially if you can buy the zucchini already shredded ( Iavorone and Van Sise Farms in Woodbury to name a few) it’s packaged and ready to go. Or just buy about 4 zucchini or however many you feel you’ll need and put them through the food processor with the shredding blade ( leave skin on) . After you shred you must wring out any extra moisture, so use a towel and literally wring the zucchini out and allow it to dry out for a bit .  I used my Turkey Bolognese sauce and baked it in the oven.  Prior to putting in gratin dish, I mixed zucchini with turkey Bolognese sauce in a large bowl, placed it in a well sprayed gratin dish and baked in oven for about 1/2 hour till bubbly.  My friend Karyn gave me the tip not to cook zucchini down first, it will just cook in gratin dish in oven, so super easy.  I didn’t add parmesan cheese and left it on the table for everyone to use at their own discretion. It is awesome, and perfect for people not wanting to indulge in pasta . Super satisfying and healthy! Of course you can make this with meatless sauce and it’s vegetarian for those who would prefer meatless. It’s wonderful either way. For Bolognese Recipe just put into my blog Turkey Bolognese and it should come up. Enjoy!

Chanukah 042

Joy’s Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

Fall NY 2012 020Fall NY 2012 022Fall NY 2012 023Fall NY 2012 026One of the best things to come out of my writing this blog has been a connection to all the people in my life who truly love to cook . Joy is one of those people, she has been a loyal subscriber and has supported me since I started this blog. She also has wonderful recipes that she’s willing to share . This recipe was sent to me on the heels of Hurricane Sandy. Joy was going to make them for me but then Hurricane Sandy hit and she had no power etc. I decided to make these for my family since they are coming to me for dinner this Sunday night. I will make ahead and freeze them. Joy says they are so good she eats them right out of the freezer! My plan is to make a few days ahead and serve for dessert. I must do something with the rotten bananas and I want to do something new! Thanks again to Joy for your endless support and recipes.  I know Joel will love them.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup shortening ( Crisco)

2 over ripe bananas, mashed

1 large egg ( room temperature always best for baking)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 1/4 cup rolled oats

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips ( app. 1/2 of the 12 ounce bag)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a large mixing bowl cream sugar and shortening until light and fluffy. ( Electric Mixer like Kitchen Aid with paddle attachment) Mix in bananas and egg and mix well, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Mix in vanilla . In a separate bowl combine oats, flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt , nutmeg and chips. Mix until thoroughly combined. Add wet ingredients and mix until combined. It will be a wet cookie dough. Using a small ice cream scooper or spoon to spoon dough on to greased cookie sheets ( I use Silpat on my cookie sheets, they make it oh so easy) make sure they are even proportions. If not even sized they will not cook at the same time, this is very important. So whatever size you prefer just make them all the same. Bake until golden brown about 30 – 40 minutes. Joy likes them well done so she usually cooks for 40 minutes. When baking on 2 sheets swap the sheets halfway through the cooking so they cook evenly. Great to freeze!

* I only cooked for about 30 minutes, I would set timer for 40 and check them at 30 minutes depending on the size of your cookies.