Hawaiian Chicken

After spending a few years The South, we just moved back to the Midwest.

In the middle of winter. 

Brrr!!!

Have you ever been to the Midwest in the middle of winter?!?  The wind blows, the snow piles up, and the temperatures hover around zero degrees.

In our little corner of The South, winter lasted about a month, and IF the temps dropped into the teens, people would hardly leave their houses.  Here in the Midwest, people solider on, no matter what the temp is outside.  It will take me some time to re-acclimate myself.

In the meantime, I made this Hawaiian Chicken to remind me that there are warm times ahead.  The combination of the savory teriyaki and the mandarin oranges & fresh pineapple makes it a perfect winter's-day-comfort-food, while at the same time being light enough to be enjoyed in the middle of summer.

A big thanks goes to my friend, Rebecca, for sharing this recipe with me.

Hawaiian Chicken
(Source: Rebecca Greenwood)

2 1/2 lbs. Boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup teriyaki sauce (We like SoyVay Veri Veri Teriyaki--or some other low-sodium teriyaki sauce)
1/4 cup soy sauce (We use low-sodium, otherwise it's too salty)
1 package onion soup mix
1 20 oz. can pineapple chunks or tidbits
1-2 11 oz. can(s) mandarin oranges
1 fresh pineapple, cut into bite sized pieces, divided

Heat oil in wok over medium high heat.
Add chicken and let simmer till mostly cooked, about 7 minutes.
Add sauces, soup mix, canned pineapple with juice, and 1/4 of fresh pineapple pieces.
Mix together well..
Cover wok loosely, turn down heat to medium and let simmer for 15-20 minutes or until chicken is glazed.
Serve over rice and top with remaining pineapple and mandarin oranges.

Soft & Chewy Ginger Snaps

Like Whitney said, our lives have been a bit hectic over the past few months.  I am ashamed to admit that for a while there, I think we only ate food that:

a) Came from a restaurant, or

b)Came from the frozen foods section and simply had to be put in the oven

Thankfully, we are finished with that stage and I'm ready to spend some time in the kitchen again.

A friend gave me the recipe for these cookies several years ago and they deserve their time in the baking-spotlight.  After a cold afternoon spent playing in the snow, the cinnamon-molasses scent of these cookies instantly warms you before you even take the first bite.  Perfect cookies for all winter long.

Soft and Chewy Ginger Snaps

Source: Sara Seifert

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1/4 cup molasses

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon ginger

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 1/2 cups flour

white sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Cream together butter, brown sugar, egg, molasses, and vanilla.  In a separate bowl, combine cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, and flour.  Add dry ingredients to the creamed mixture, mix until combined.  Form dough into 1" balls.  Roll each ball in white sugar.  Place on ungreased cookie sheet, bake for 7-9 minutes.  Remove from cookie sheet immediately and allow to cool on a wire rack.

Makes about 4 1/2 dozen cookies.

Kielbasa with Onions and Apples

After a splurge buy on polish sausage, I had to come up with some way to use it. I found this recipe and was happily surprised. It will be a permanent addition to my fall and winter meal repertoire. We served it with mashed potatoes, but I think diced potatoes, rice, or egg noodles would go as well, or better, with this rich, spicy- sweet dish.

Kielbasa with Onions and Apples adapted from Gourmet Dec.2006

Ingredients:
2 -2.5 pounds smoked kielbasa (preferably beef and pork), cut crosswise into rounds
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 large onions, chopped (6 cups)
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
3 large Granny Smith apples
1 3/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth (14 fluid ounces)

Directions:

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then brown half of sausage, turning occasionally, until golden, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and cover to keep warm. Pour off fat from skillet and wipe skillet clean. Add remaining tablespoon oil to skillet and brown remaining sausage in same manner, transferring to bowl as cooked.

Wipe skillet clean again, then cook onions with salt and pepper in butter over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Meanwhile, peel, core, and dice apple. Stir apple and broth into onion mixture and simmer briskly, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until apple is tender, 6 to 7 minutes. Add sausage and simmer, stirring, until heated through, about 1 minute.