Review: Hot & Sour Soup Recipe

Hot & Sour Soup along with General Tso's Chicken are the two recipes that I judge all Chinese restaurants by. Yes, I understand that the General's chicken is not true Chinese food, but when I want deep-fried chicken pieces in a savory sauce over rice, all of which I try not to eat, this is my go-to dish. Hot & Sour Soup on the other hand, isn't that bad, just don't look at the milligrams of salt. Luckily at this point in my life, the only reason I watch my salt intake is so I don't feel puffy the next day.

I ran across this recipe from Wegman's for Hot & Sour Soup, and thought I'd give it a whirl. If it's easy AND good, I could skip the restaurant version and simply whip it up at home. I cooked it yesterday and it is YUMMY, but took a bit more prep time and dirty dishes than I had hoped. I'll share some time cutting tips below, keep in mind I'm just too cheap sometimes to buy pre-minced, diced and cut products. In this case, it worked out well, my son wanted to help, so I put him to work. My counters and stove top were messier than usual, I really need to work with him on his stirring and measuring skills, but it was quality time spent with him. He even said it smelled great, but wouldn't try it because of the mushrooms. I told him that someday, he'll like them, lol.

Ingredients:

1 tbs Vegetable Oil (I actually used flavorless coconut oil) 
1 lb Ground Pork 
2 tbs minced Garlic (time saver = purchase a jar of pre-minced garlic)
2 tbs peeled, minced fresh ginger (time saver = purchase pre-minced ginger)
2 pkgs (5 oz each) Sliced Shiitake Mushrooms (I used baby 'Bellas)
64 oz Chicken Broth (time saver = purchase pre-made)
3 tbs Cornstarch 
4 tbs water 
1/2 cup  Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce 
2 tsp ground white pepper 
1 tsp salt 
1/2 cup Rice Vinegar 
1 1/2 tsp sesame oil 
1 Large Egg, beaten 
3-4  green onions, thinly sliced on bias, for garnish

Directions:

Prep first - got out everything needed ingredients, knife, mincer, grater, cutting board, large spoon, stockpot, 2 small bowls, measuring cups and spoons.

Cleaned and minced the garlic. Cleaning is the most time consuming part. First I smash the clove a bit to crack the outside, then I peel, then mince. Peeled the ginger (BIG pain), then minced. If you've ever minced ginger, it's a stringy root that takes a bit of muscle. Plus it gets juicy, making it hard to hold. I managed to snag my fingertips a couple times. In the famous words of Monty Python's the Black Knight, "It's just a flesh wound." 

Beating the egg (easiest part of the whole prep).

1. Heat oil in stockpot on MED-HIGH. Add pork; cook, stirring to break up large pieces, 2-3 min, until browned. Add garlic, ginger, and mushrooms. Cook, stirring, 3-4 min.

2. Add broth; bring to simmer. Cook 10 min. Add cornstarch and water to small bowl; stir to combine. Set aside.

3. Add soy sauce, pepper, salt, rice vinegar, and sesame oil to pot; stir to combine. Add cornstarch mixture, stirring constantly. Drizzle egg into soup, stirring constantly. Garnish soup with green onions before serving.

I ended up letting it simmer for about 15 min while I cleaned up. Once the prep is done, the cooking is really easy. Ladled the soup into the bowl then sat down to watch some Hawaii 5-0. The soup has great flavor, I'm going to add a bit more pepper next time to increase the heat a tad and the baby 'Bellas didn't change the flavor. I would have liked a bit more pork, so I'll probably bump the quantity up to 1.5 lbs. Also, if you don't want pork, tofu could be added, bits of chicken or other protein, just as easily. As you can tell from the recipe, it makes a lot of soup. I'm planning on freezing part for future eating.

Bottom line, I'll be making this again. Nothing beats a good cup of soup, especially on a cold winter's day. Enjoy!

Snap, Crackle & Pop in the Morning

Old TV Commercial

For those of you in your 40s and older, I'm sure you remember these guys from Saturday morning cartoons and the commercials companies played aimed directly at us. Yes, at one point cartoons were only on Saturdays and right after school. Now I enjoy these sounds every morning walking down the stairs for the first time and throughout the day, as I traverse the many stairwells at work. Many of you know what I'm talking about and if you don't yet, it's coming. It's the sounds your various joints make when being used the first time that day. For me, it's my knees that ring out in alarm saying, "Lady, what the heck are you thinking moving us like that? Are you an idiot? We're not warmed up yet!" And as the years pass, my knees become more and more vocal AND they like to get their friends, my hips, ankles and elbows, to sing along. While it may be music to them, anyone that has the pleasure of walking along side me when they start their chorus always asks, "What was that?! Are you ok?" I just chuckle and keep moving, they pipe down shortly anyway.

So anyone who has joints that Snap, Crackle & Pop...welcome to the Backside of Forty!

Is Cam Newton an A$$ or Just Young?

Folks, I'm not a sports enthusiast, although I do like a good game regardless of the sport, nor am I a football aficionado, but I'm a mother raising a son and know good and bad behavior when I see it. And no I don't consider farting and fart noises bad behavior, annoying...yes, in church...embarrassing. Cam Newton's recent behavior after the Super Bowl and all the hype from the harpies that call themselves reporters, has me thinking about this topic. It's actually not just Cam we should be talking about, it's all childish behavior displayed by purported adults, especially those who are public figures and role models. But that topic would go on endlessly.

My immediate reaction to Cam's behavior was, "What a childish a-hole he is, how embarrassing for the Panthers." It was a knee-jerk reaction that many of us felt. The reaction he had to losing the Super Bowl is along the same lines as my son losing at a game of Life or Monopoly. And no, I don't let my son win anymore just to let him, if he beats me it's fair and square. Then I stopped to think about things. Cam Newton is 26 years old and a QB for an NFL team, that's the top of the heap, the elite, the best football has to offer (we won't get into the college versus pro debate). At 26, I was working and going out drinking and partying every night. He's only been in the NFL since 2011 (I believe, don't quote me), five teeny, tiny years. I've been working in the IT industry for over 15 years and I'm still learning to be a leader and a manager, plus I'm in my late 40's, I've had more life experience than he has. As much as I try, I still get passionate from time to time, my humanness gets the best of me. With all that said, is Cam really the a$$hole he's made out to be?

Honestly after looking at my life, where I was at that age and the fact he just lost the Super Bowl, the BIGGEST game of the year for football, I think I'd be upset too and I sure as heck wouldn't want to talk about the details of how I lost ad nauseum to news vultures, asking the same question a different way, over and over. I did see that he went over to Peyton Manning and congratulated him I also saw a grown man cry from the Panthers. Winning or losing is a big deal to these guys, it's their job to be passionate about their work. With that being said though...when my son pouts and acts like a sore loser after a game, I work on correcting his behavior, because no one likes being around someone who can't lose gracefully and for that matter, I don't let him be a gloating jerk when he wins. For some it takes years to master the art of winning and losing with grace. Cam Newton isn't there yet. I'm not sure if he's close to his mom, but I would hope she would tell him not to display that kind of behavior, he's better than that. Explain to him how to be a leader to his team, and leading by example when losing, will be something that he'll have to learn.

Cam is definitely a talented ball player, he couldn't have gotten where he is at age 26 if he wasn't. And in professional sports, there's nothing wrong with confidence in yourself and your team, you have to have that. If I was part of the Panther's organization, I'd hire a coach to help teach Cam leadership, how to put on a "game face" even after you lost the big game, how to answer the myriad of questions being fired at you to elicit a reaction, to teach him to be a graceful winner and loser. If the Panther's won't do it for him, he should consider doing it for himself. He's a public figure and role model to many aspiring athletes. They will be looking to him at critical points in his career and want to emulate his behavior on and off the field. Do the right thing Cam and let this be an exception and not a rule. We are human and make mistakes, let it be a one-time thing and move on. Be everything you can be...and more.

First Paleo Recipe Review - Lemon & Artichoke Chicken

I've gotta tell ya, my parents are great! Why? Because they have been and always will be my guinea pigs when it comes to trying new recipes. It could be they enjoy supporting my hobbies, it could be they have no desire to cook this stuff at home or it could be they simply love to eat. I don't care what reason is, they are there at the dinner table enjoying good food (most of the time) with lots of laughs, who could ask for more?

I invited them to dinner this past week, it was going to be a quiet Sunday, no sports practice, no plans, I would get to whip something up and why not try something from the Paleo cookbook they got me for Christmas? However, I didn't clue them in until they arrived at my door, didn't want them to chicken out (pun intended). Now, the decision on what was going to be cooked is another thing entirely. I had my son leaf through the cookbook and pick out 5 recipes (always good to get buy-in from the kiddo). From there we picked out Lemon & Artichoke Chicken & Brussels Sprouts with Fennel as a side. Both appeared to be easy to make. My folks came along as I was chopping up the veggies for the side. They had never tried fennel before, so I gave them each a piece to nibble on. For those that don't know, fennel is a bulb shaped veggie that has stalks and texture similar to celery and fronds that look like fresh dill. The taste is a super mild black licorice or anise flavor, not enough to overwhelm, more of a hint with lots of crunch.

I had already put the chicken in by this time and cleaned up the dishes so my mom wouldn't see the mess. Both dishes were easy to cook and I have some suggestions for you as we go through each recipe, hopefully you can make it even easier by learning what went right and what went wrong. Bottom line, both dishes turned out great and were gobbled down.

Lemon & Artichoke Chicken

Ingredients

4 tbs butter, ghee or coconut oil divided into 2 tbs each

2 shallots, 1/4 c onion, sliced or a 1/4 c of chopped green onion

2 c artichoke hearts, thawed and/or drained and rinsed

1/4 c capers, drained

Juice or 2 lemons

2 lbs bone-in, skin on chicken

Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Prep - 15 min / Dishes Count - 2 plates, 2 knives, 1 place mats (cut veggies first then chicken, not the other way around), 1 strainer, 1 measuring cup, 1 oven-proof skillet, 1 fork, 1 spatula, 1 spoon

Began preheating my oven to 375 degrees. Measured my butter out and put on a small plate, one of the 2 tbs cut into small pats. Rinsed and chopped the onions, putting them on the plate with the butter. Dumped 2 - 14 oz can of quartered artichoke hearts in a strainer, rinsed and let them sit. Drained a 3.5 oz jar of capers into the sink and put them in a measuring cup, it was about 1/4 c. Next time, I'll drain and keep them in the jar to save dirtying the measuring cup. Rolled the lemons until they were soft (makes juicing them a whole heck of a lot easier), cut both in half and juiced, making sure no seeds sneak in. I have a cheap juicer that strains the seeds out, one of the best Dollar Store purchases ever. And now the fun part...I purchased a whole chicken that I knew I'd have to cut apart. Well, it turned into a battle, "Sid Versus the Dead Chicken." There was chicken juice on my counter and mangled pieces of meat on the plate and luckily my fingers still intact. It was an ugly battle, but I won. Personally I'm just thankful I remembered to take the innards out prior to the butchering. That would have been just dandy, gizzards and what not cooked in.

Directions

In the large, oven-proof skillet melt 2 tbs of the butter and add the shallots or onion and saute until translucent. Add the artichoke hearts, capers and lemon juice. Stir to combine and heat up, but not to boiling. Turn off heat, place the chicken pieces on top, put the remaining butter, cut into pats, on top of the chicken and salt & pepper to taste. Pop in the oven and begin baking for 45-50 min.

Brussels Sprouts with Fennel

While the chicken is cooking, get started on your side. It cooks at the same temp as the chicken and takes 20 min to cook, so you'll have approximately 25 min to prepare and pop it in the oven so both are ready at the same time.

Ingredients

4 c Brussels sprouts, quartered (1 - 16 oz bag did the trick)

1/2 c fennel (about 1 bulb), thinly sliced, cut the stalks off first

2 tbs melted bacon fat, butter or coconut oil (I used butter, the bacon fat was tempting)

2 tbs chopped fennel fronds (the stuff at the top that looks like fresh dill)

Sea salt & black pepper

Prep time - 15 min / Dishes count - 1 baking sheet (no cleaning if you cover with tin foil), 1 knife, 1 spatula

Put tin foil on the baking sheet to save cleanup. Melted the butter. Washed and cut the bottoms off the Brussels sprouts, then quartered placing them evenly on the baking sheet. Sliced the fennel bulb (round objects are tricky to slice, I always cut a flat area and put that side down, then cut, it adds stability to the veggie, also keep your fingers pulled back from the knife when cutting to prevent mishap and ruining the food) and place slices over the Brussels sprouts. Top with chopped fennel fronds and drizzle butter over the top. Salt and pepper to taste. Pop them in the oven when there is 20 min left for the chicken to cook. Reminder - don't touch the skillet handle without a mitt, lol. Yes, I bumped the skillet handle when putting in the veggies and profanity came out. I said, "F...F...F..." and realized everyone was looking at me. My son pipes in and goes, "Mom, you sounded like a chicken, cluck, cluck, cluck. Better get some cold water on that." We all just started laughing as I put my finger under the cold water. Only my son could make me smile when I'm in pain, gotta love him.

While I'm waiting, I clean up the dishes, counters and set the table. My mom is just itching to help, but I just have her relax and enjoy her coffee. My dad is off having a Nerf gun war with my son, they are competing to see who has better aim. Of course mom and I have to join in. It comes down to my dad and I in the battle for the championship, who can hit the ball off the ladder...winner...tie. Those darn Nerf gun bullets certainly don't shoot straight. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Oven timer goes off, I open the oven and and pull out the dishes. Veggies are tender and chicken juice is running clear, we're good to go. I dish up everyone not forgetting to spoon sauce from the pan over the chicken. We sit down to enjoy our first Paleo meal and each other's company. I love family dinners.

Left is Brussels Sprouts with Fennel. Right is Lemon & Artichoke Chicken. Bottom are the two dished up. Voila! My first Paleo meal.

Recipes used found in:

Practical Paleo, Diane Sanfilippo, Victory Belt Publishing, Inc. 2012

Oven Dried Strawberries - Not So Dried

I decided to try and make oven dried strawberries the other day, my son had the store-bought kind and loved them, but it's hard to find ones not covered in sugar and other crap. So I went online and found a recipe to make them at home in the oven. Looked simple enough so I gave it a whirl.

Preheated my oven to 210 degrees, found my largest cookie sheet, covered it in parchment paper so the berries wouldn't stick and proceeded to wash and quarter the larger berries and halve the smaller berries placing them on the cookie sheet. I spaced them apart to provide air flow as the recipe recommended. This all took approximately 15 minutes.

Put them in the oven for two hours. Checked on them at the two hour mark, they clearly weren't done. Put them back in for another hour. Oven timer goes off, check on my berries and still disappointed, most of them were still mushy/moist. I pulled them out and checked different recipes and decided to let them sit and cool down. Knowing the cats had zero interest in berries, I left them sit for about an hour. 

Unfortunately most were still mushy/moist, not anything I could put in a bag in the pantry with out the fear of mold taking over the inside of the bag. I put them in a container in the fridge instead. They ended up being "super strawberry-ie" as my son put it. I thought they were super tart. I ate a couple fresh ones to "sample the goods" prior to cooking and they tasted great. They will be ok for adding to oatmeal or yogurt.

Will I try it again? Actually, I'm going to try a mango next with different temp and cooking time...will let you know the results. In the meantime, if any of you have been successful with oven dried strawberries, I'd love to hear from you.

Dirty Dishes: 1 cookie tray (strawberry juice leaked through parchment paper, but the paper did keep them from sticking), 1 knife, 1 cutting mat

Time Spent: 30 min total, 15 on prep, 15 on cleanup/put away

Recipe Ease: Super easy

 

Is It Love at First Sight or Do They Only Want...

...your DATA? Picture this, you're sitting at the local coffee shop, sipping a half-caf, skim, sugar-free mochawhosiwhatsit and this hot guy or gal is giving you "the look" across their laptop. Wow! This really is your lucky day. You continue sipping and doing your banking on the tablet you carry everywhere, making every effort to flirt with your soon-to-be soulmate. Suddenly, they jump up and head out the door. Your heart drops knowing you'll probably never see them again. Ugh, why didn't you say hi? Later that day your bank calls with some very bad news, somehow your account has been closed and you now have no money. WTF! And this is just the beginning of the bad news. Before you know it you're up to your elbows in attorney fees trying to get your identity back, all because you used the public wi-fi to pay your bills.

Luckily this scenario has not happened to me. What did happen was my purse was stolen once and the thieves cleaned out my checking account and ran up my credit cards purchasing gift certificates to spend later, all within an hour of the theft. Luckily they threw away my keys, drivers license and other identifying items that were in my purse. Because of fraud protection and my speed at reporting the loss, I was not liable for the purchases and I got my checking account money back. It was a painful incident and I learned to never hang my purse off the back of a chair, ANYWHERE. Still to this day I put my purse between my feet when at restaurants and only bring the bare necessities that fit in my pants pockets to bars.

So how do you protect yourself if you want to use the public wi-fi? You could simply not use electronic devices and read the paper or your book. You could make sure to bring a friend everywhere you go so you have someone to talk to at all times. Or if you really must use electronics, keep these things in mind:

• Avoid visiting sites that require you to log in with a username and password such as banking, email and social media sites.
• Look around you, is someone watching you intently? They are probably trying to see what you're typing and on what site. Sit in a way where observers can't see what you're typing and if you are in public places a lot, invest in a privacy screen.
• Use a VPN or virtual private network. This allows you to browse the internet and not be "seen" by the bad guys/gals.

Be smart and protect yourself, then just maybe that hot guy/gal will really turn out to be your soulmate.

How to Set Up a VPN

Let's Try That Recipe Out

Was there ever a recipe that looked great in the picture but you weren't quite sure if you should cook it? Maybe it has ingredients you've never used before or you think your kids would demand pizza if you told them what was in it. Maybe it's marked as "gluten-free" or "Paleo" and don't know what that really means. Maybe it even calls for too many pots and pans and you don't want the mess to clean up. Trust me, I'm there with you.

Here's an offer for you. If you send me the recipe, I'll cook it and then give you the low-down on what it's really all about. I'll tell you how long prep and cook time really took - most times that's completed by a professional chef that works like a machine slicing and dicing, I'm always wary that I'll cut my finger off. How many pots, dishes and utensils you'll have to clean - I can't stand recipes that end up using 3 or more pans, multiple plates and bowls and 50 spoons - what the heck, I don't have a maid and I'm sure most of you don't either. And most importantly - does it taste ok or will you be ordering a pizza?

Now you may be thinking why would I do this, it's simple...I get new recipes to try and write about, you get a review from someone you know who won't blow smoke up your...nose ;-) Now to be honest, there are some things "I'll do for love, but I won't do that." To quote Meatloaf of course, he really does have a great voice, but then I digress. I won't try deep fried anything, I'm HORRIBLE at frying (except bacon), it's not healthy and it makes my house stink. Recipes that require expensive cuts of meat, probably not, unless it's around the holidays and I can sucker my folks into paying for it (just kidding). They actually have always been great guinea pigs, I can't complain there. And recipes with lots of sugar, sorry, that's one ingredient I'm trying to cut back/eliminate. But feel free to send them along, I may surprise you once in a while, but will probably stick to main meals.

So there you have it, let me be your recipe tester. Just send along the link, an email or put it in the comments and we'll give it a whirl. Ok...who's up first?