Three Teacup Chicken

Ok my darling readers, it’s recipe time. Aren’t you excited? You should be because I’ve been trying a ton of new things and I’d like to share one that has become a favorite. (I even drew a heart next to it in my recipe journal. Oh yeah!) It is the amazing Three Teacup Chicken. I originally decided to try the recipe because of the name…fun right? There can be something said for trying new things, because upon reading the ingredients, I was worried the sauce would be gross- most of them were things I’d never tasted before. But once everything is together….delightful! I have a really weird dislike of sauces; I’m super picky and opt to eat a lot of things dry because I so rarely like them. The thing I love about this recipe is that the “sauce” is so light and liquid; it in no way usurps the texture of the meal. So here is the recipe for Three Teacup Chicken. I found it on my favorite food site, Simplyrecipes.com. I changed a few things just for personal taste, so you can view the original recipe here.

Three Teacup Chicken

¼ cup soy sauce

¼ cup rice vinegar

¼ cup sugar

1 ½ teaspoons shaoxing wine or dry cooking sherry

1 tablespoon sesame oil

6 garlic cloves, smashed

6 scallions, chopped

2 red chili peppers, diced (don't use seeds)

2 pounds chicken thighs cut into bite sized pieces

½ cup water

To make the braising liquid:

Combine the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, and wine or sherry in a small bowl and mix well. Set aside.

Place the sesame oil in a stir fry pan over high heat and swirl until hot.

Add garlic, scallions, and chili peppers and stir fry until fragrant (about 30 seconds).

Add the chicken pieces and stir fry until no pink remains on the surface (you just want to sear the outside nicely at first)

Add the braising liquid and cook everything for 1 minute – make sure the chicken is well coated.

Add the water. Cover the pan and cook for about 4 more minutes (or until the chicken is fully cooked).

Serve over rice and pour some of the liquid over top.

Garnish with a little more of the chopped scallion.

A few notes:

Start the rice about the same time you start cooking the main dish, and they’ll be done close to the same time.

Scallions are the pro way to say "green onions."

The original recipe says this will serve six, but I must just be a fatty because each time I’ve made it, my mom and I devour it all between the two of us! It could be easily doubled though, so have no fear if you are cooking for more people.

On “smashing” the garlic: I’ve experimented a bit with the garlic and I think I finally got it right when I smashed the heck out of the cloves so that they actually fell apart. This way you’re not just getting a big chunk of garlic every other bite; it spreads out more evenly.

If you’re like me, rice vinegar, cooking sherry and sesame oil aren’t things you just have laying around. But they are worth the investment. The smell of the sesame oil on the stove is SO beautiful! It’s amazing how such a small amount can provide such flavor.

The first time I made this, I didn’t have a wok or stir fry pan, so I just made it in a pot and it was fine. I have since bought a stir fry pan though, and it is much easier making it in there. (I recommend getting a stir fry pan. It’s another great investment; you can use it for so many things.)

Cut up everything you need before you start and set it aside so it’s all good to go when you’re ready to throw it into the pan. I know it may sound obvious, but for a beginning cook like me, it may be overlooked and you don’t want one ingredient burning to death while you prep another.

And lastly, don’t be afraid to just try it! I had no idea what I was doing, and I’m so glad I gave it a shot; it’s not as hard as you may think.

Alright, now go eat!

A bit of sillyness really...

I promised a loyal reader that a new post would be up today. I haven't the time to write what I really want to but I can't break that promise. So, here are some things to hold you over and hopefully make you smile (or at least smirk). And I leave you with another promsise...there are much more substantial posts coming very soon. I have much to share!! Be well.


This is a train made of Guinness and Irish whiskey! The wheels are Kegs! I want to ride this train.



This is a bunny with a banana ear. Courtesy of my brother.




This is how I roll. The kick ass blades from my new Ninja Master Prep. More on this later...

(Mis)Adventures

It has been an interesting couple of days in my kitchen. First of all, let me list a few things I have learned recently:

1. Pumpkin Seeds Taste like Hay. Not good. How do I know what hay tastes like? I grew up around horses and that’s all I’m saying. I’ve got to figure out a better way to eat this ‘healthy little snack’ or it’s out! If you have suggestions, let me know in the comments.

2. When cooking Spanish rice, do NOT use the whole can of tomato paste! It will not all absorb and it will be disgusting. I made a re-batch using just a couple tablespoons of tomato sauce and it turned out good, but still not exactly like I wanted. I want to learn at the feet of a true Nana Mexicana.

3. Also, to prevent a rice cooker from bubbling up and spouting water all over the counter, rinse the rice before you put it in there. Apparently it’s the loose starch that makes that happen. Hmm.

4. If you are looking for Cooking Sherry, It is not at Wal-Mart, it is not at Sunflower market, it is on the very bottom shelf of the vinegar display at Fry’s. (but cooking sherry is NOT the same as sherry vinegar.)

Yesterday I made taco salad with aforementioned gringa rice and tried my hand at homemade horchata. I used whole wheat tortillas, but they didn’t seem to crisp as nicely as flour ones in the oven, so I don’t think I’ll be using them again. (I did use one to make a breakfast burrito this morning though and it was delicious.) Yesterday was the first time I used my new rice cooker. I was unsure about buying one; wasn’t sure if it was worth it…but it totally is! If you’re thinking about getting one, I would. They are actually not that expensive. I got just a really simple one for about $15. Anyway, I already mentioned the Spanish rice debacle. I dumped a whole pot full of soaking stinking rice in the trash before take two came out right. Then the horchata. Oh dear sweet delicious horchata! I thought I’d make a fun desert to go with the Mexican food. I made it, it turned out beautifully. I’m staying with my grandma for a few weeks, so a packed a little thermos to take over with me. Well, I forgot about it. Then I took it out of the fridge to take it with me and FORGOT IT AGAIN. Thought maybe I would just have it tonight. Nope, still sitting out on the counter when I got back to my grandma’s. Dear sweet delicious horchata, ruined before ever touching my lips. Defeat.

Today I decided to try out a tomato soup recipe that I found online. I fell in love with Paradise Bakery’s fire roasted tomato a few weeks ago and have been wanting to try making my own. It turned out ok…the taste is delicious, but I think I maybe need a more powerful blender? It was just really thick. I looked at two different stores and couldn’t find the fire roasted CRUSHED tomatoes it called for, so I just used two cans of the diced. I think that probably made it thicker than it should have been too. I kinda felt like I was eating marinara sauce instead of drinking soup. (I know, that sounds nasty) but I’m not going to give up on this recipe; I’ll try again if I can ever find the right tomatoes. Here’s a link if you want to try it out.

A small victory I am taking away from the past couple days is that I roasted garlic for the first time. It smells so good cooking. And it looks like some kind of beautifully creepy Nintendo flower when it’s done. All you do is peel the out skin off, cut a little off the tops of the cloves, cover with a little olive oil then cover with foil. Bake in the oven at 400 degrees for about 35 min. When it's soft to the touch, pop the cloves out of their skins and use as you like!

I’ll leave you with a quote from Bill from the show Freaks and Geeks. it's on as a write this post. A group of scrawny high school geeks are about to order from an all you can eat Chinese buffet before it closes:

“My mom says it takes a little while for your stomach to tell your head it’s full. So you should eat really fast!”

Classic.

Fighting the Food Nazi

I mentioned previously about driving to the bookstore. That’s often where I start a thing…looking in a book. I like to get an idea to go off. The first couple books I bought were You are What you Eat by Gillian McKeith and Food Rules by Michael Pollan. Both have proved very valuable in jump starting my new outlook on eating, especially Food Rules. Though they share basic fundamentals with each other, the two books, and two authors are pretty different. For one, Gillian McKeith is a Holistic Nutritionist while Pollan is a journalist. I am not all the way through You are What you Eat but so far, it is terrifying…uh, in a good way. She is brutally to the point, but it’s good information. Pollan is more of caring, gentle teacher, telling you the facts and leading you to make your own decisions.

The difference between these two authors illustrates a struggle I’ve had in my mind since the day I decided to make a change. I do not want to become a food nazi! I want to enjoy the delicious abundance on earth! But I also do not want to sweep important health concerns under the rug. I tell you the truth, I got hung up on one chapter I was reading in Gillian’s book about food combining. All foods fall into certain groups. According to her, to ensure proper digestion and nutrient absorption, proteins shouldn’t be eaten with carbohydrates, vegetables are ok to eat with either, and fruit should always be eaten alone. This blew my mind. No really. I mean, this means no chicken and rice, no meat and pasta; it seems to go against so much of traditional societies' staples. I am open minded here, I am but the learner. However, I just don’t know if I can buy this. Is this scientifically proven anywhere else? And is it totally necessary? Because if it’s only “recommended” I feel just fine ignoring it.

Pollan suggests something a little different; he suggests following the food habits of a traditional food culture, the French, the Japanese, the Greeks, whoever! The key he explains is not only to eat what they eat, but to eat how they eat. For example, the French: they eat plenty of fatty foods and white flour, but they eat small portions at a leisurely pace with no snacking or seconds, and are generally healthier than most Westerners. Interesting.

I am not a hippy. The first time I went into Sunflower market, I felt the need to take a shower afterward. However, man, I loved that store! The reason I bring it up is because, why is it so counter-culture to be a healthy eater? Why was nearly every female in that store wearing beaded purse? Pollan brings up an interesting point in his previous book which I am currently reading,

It does seem to me a symptom of our present confusion about food that people would feel the need to consult a journalist, or a nutritionist or doctor or government food pyramid, on so basic a question about the conduct of our everyday lives as humans. I mean, what other animal needs professional help in deciding what it should eat? –In Defense of Food pg 2

So true! And yet, I consulted a journalist AND a nutritionist haha. It is so true though; there are so many different voices; I came to a bit of a deadlock last week because I was almost afraid to buy one thing or another because I didn’t know enough facts…is this actually “good?” When did eating become so difficult?! Interesting that we have SO much dialogue about food and diet in the States, yet we are the most unhealthy. This is where Pollan really comforted me… Eat FOOD.

The key for me, right now, is to remember that the “Western Diet” is the enemy. Pollan and McKeith can both agree on that. I am trying to eat whole, real foods, and actually cook them into meals myself instead of buying prepackaged things full of weird preservatives. Not everything I’m eating will be considered “health food.” I am concentrating on just eating FOOD as opposed to “edible foodlike substances” as Pollan calls them. I think that in so doing, my body will get the nutrition it needs. How do we know what's real? Pollan gives a couple great rules of thumb...don't eat things that your great grandmother wouldn't recognize as food. And, question things that have ingredients a normal person wouldn't keep in their pantry. This is where cooking comes in as a huge health benefit: you know exactly what is going into your meal. Another easy to remember tip he gives is,

"If it came from a plant, eat it; if it was made in a plant, don't."

I will be referencing Michael Pollan a lot in this blog. He writes in a way I can totally connect with and understand. I highly recommend Food Rules to anyone…it’s a very quick read that gave me a great basis for what to eat and how to shop.

Please do not consider me an expert on nutrition. (Seriously, I feel the need to give a disclaimer. Haha) Many things I will be making would probably be shunned by nutritionist. But I do know this: it is FAR better than anything I’ve eaten in the past five years. Real-food-tastes-good! Who knew.

Hello. Hola. Bonjour.

Hello and welcome to my blog. It has been years since I have written something in a public arena. A few good friends have recently been urging me to reopen the keyboard and get at it, but I didn’t feel like there was anything I felt like sharing. Then an interesting thing happened. I decided I need to change my life. And so, a blog idea is born.

Let me start by saying that never before in my life would I have thought I would start a blog about “food, health, and falling in love with cooking utensils.” I am not an expert in…well, anything…but especially not the area of HEALTH nor FOOD. But that is precisely why I thought a blog would be an interesting idea. A food blog from a girl who knows nothing about food. Maybe my journey can teach, inspire, or at least entertain someone else.

So what’s this all about?

I am not a healthy person. Before a few weeks ago, I rarely ever ate real food. (We’ll get into what’s “real” soon enough.) It was not uncommon for me to eat fast food two or three times a day. For me, the desire to change the way I eat is more about health than it is about weight loss. I just got sick of feeling like my blood was turning to sludge every time I ate KFC. Of course, losing my gut is another desire, don’t get me wrong! But I am focusing on health, and hoping weight will follow soon after.

There were times in the past few years where I decided I wanted to “get healthy” but it never lasted long. “What makes this time any different?” I asked myself while driving to the bookstore a couple weeks back. And I realized…nothing. There will never be a time where a switch in my brain magically gets flipped and I become disciplined, determined, and willing to overhaul a huge part in my life. (This, by the way, applies to all areas of life.) One has to become disciplined- it is a matter of action, and not attitude alone. Amelia Earhart said,

“The most effective way to do it, is to do it.”

Well said Amelia. So, here I am. I am starting somewhere. I am trying. I am learning. I have promised myself grace for the times I will fail, and I have also told myself that I can do this and so shall hold myself to a certain standard.

This blog will be about sharing what I learn as I go: recipes, cooking methods, etc. etc. as well as questions and struggles I have along the way. It’s kind of scary putting your goals out there for others to read, but maybe this is another way to help keep me dedicated. I want this to be a true life change…one that will last with me forever. I promise not all entries will be this technical, but I wanted the first one to be more of an introduction. So, if you’re interested, feel free to follow along. Here’s to the future. Cheers!