Sweet Asian Chicken

Sweet Asian Chicken

There are several recipes out there for good Asian chicken. While I will not pretend that this is the exact same recipe from your favorite local Chinese restaurant, I will promise that it is good. It's a little like honey chicken, a little like sesame chicken and a little like General Tso's chicken. I can't really describe it past that.
This is a collaboration of about 3-4 different recipes. So, I can not take all the credit, only the credit for putting the different pieces together and adding a few things.

Here's what you'll need:

1lb chicken cut in large cubes
1 egg beaten
1 cup flour
1 tbsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp ginger
1tbsp minced garlic
2 scallions/green onions diced
3-4 tbsp sesame seeds (more or less as desired)
1 cup chicken broth
2 tbsp corn starch
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp duck sauce
2 tbsp vinegar
1 tbsp soy sauce (and 1tsp at the end)
1tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp sesame oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

Line a pan with tin foil and spray with cooking spray

Stir flour, paprika salt and pepper in a bowl

Dip chicken in beaten egg then toss chicken in the flour coating

Place on baking sheet (they can be very close just not touching-cram those suckers on there!) spray top of chicken with cooking spray-or drizzle with oil, which ever you prefer. Spraying them is so easy though!

Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown and cooked through

While the chicken is cooking:
In a bowl stir corn starch into chicken broth until there are no lumps. Add soy sauce, duck sauce and honey until well combined  then add vinegar and stir-set aside

In large skillet over medium high heat add oil, garlic, ginger and scallions to pan stir fry for about 2-5 min and fragrant.

Stir corn starch sauce mixture well before adding to skillet to make sure the corn starch has not settled. bring to boil.

Continue to boil and stir vigorously for about 5 minutes until sauce has thickened.

Add sugar, sesame seeds, sesame oil and an additional tsp of soy sauce. Stir until completely smooth and combined.

Add chicken and toss until everything is well Coated. Top with fresh scallions if you desire.

You'll Never Want Lasagna Noodles Again...

If you are looking for an AMAZING new way to make lasagna that not only tastes great but is good for you  and EASY to make, I suggest you check this out:

Ridiculously Good Crock-Pot Lasagna 
(This is for a 6qt crock pot and will feed about 6-8 depending on portion sizes)

What You Will Need:
1.5-2lbs hamburger (pretty lean) anywhere in the 90/10 range and up!
1 jar pizza sauce (store brand usually has less sugar!)
1 Tbsp garlic powder (or to taste)
1 Tbsp dried  Parsley
1 Tbsp dried Basil
2 medium Zucchini, shredded (about 8-10″ long)
10oz bag of fresh spinach, stems optional (or more if desired!)
1/2 cup chopped yellow or white onion
2 cups ricotta cheese (or you can use small curd cottage but the ricotta really brings out the Italian flavors nicely!)
3 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
1 cup of Italian blend (provolone, Romano, Parmesan etc) cheese or just Parmesan
2 medium eggs
Oil to grease crock-pot


Instructions:

-Cook hamburger meat in pan along with the garlic, parsley, basil and onion
-You shouldn't need to drain your meat if it's lean! (you want just a little of the grease), set to the side.
-Oil the inside of your slow cooker.
-Spoon a very THIN layer of pizza sauce on the bottom of the slow cooker.
-Spread almost half of your hamburger mixture over the pizza sauce in the bottom of the crock-pot-DO NOT STIR!
-Mix the remaining pizza sauce witht the rest of the hamburger mixture, set aside.
-Mix the ricotta cheese with the 2 eggs, stir until well blended

Finish your layers:
-Layer 1/2 of the zuccini over the hamburger mixture in the crock-pot
-Layer 1/2 of your spinach leaves on top of zuccini layer (I like to press it down gently during this layer to sort of pack it all in)
**Remember that the spinach will cook down greatly so you can really bulk this up with as much spinach as you like!**
-Spread half  of the ricotta (or cottage) cheese mix over spinach
-Sprinkle with 1.5 cups of mozzerella
-Add the other half of your hamburger mixture and repeat; zuccini, spinach, ricotta, mozzella
-After the Mozzerella on top, spread the Italian blend or parmesean evenly as your last layer!

Cook on low for about 4-5 hours, until it starts browning around the edges, let it sit for a few minutes and then ENJOY that hot mess!

Tips:
*Try to fill each layer to the edge so that it will be pretty solid
*Pack down the spinach layers pretty good in orger to get a smoother spread of the ricotta cheese mix!

Nutrition Stats:  around only 150 cal, 4g net carbs, 13g protien and 8g fat PER PERSON! (This is an estimate based on a 8 oz serving and calculated by what was put in, actual grams and calories may vary SLIGHTLY.) I'm not a math matician but I can do basic addition and division haha

Enjoy my friends and please let me know if you have any questions or how it turned out!

Breakfast Egg Muffins Recipe

I was supposed to proved this recipe online quite a while ago and I took so long getting this whole thing up that I forgot to post it anywhere, so here is as good as place as any...

This recipe will yeild 12 egg muffins 

What You Need:

-10 Eggs

-Any Chopped Veggies (onions, green onions, mushrooms, jalpenos, bell peppers etc)

-1-2 Pouches of Real Bacon Pieces Bacon Bits (found where regular bacon bits are)

(You could also just cook whatever meat you wanted to use and then chop it up

or use left over meat from last nights dinner but I find the pouches of bacon bits not only

taste just like fresh bacon but it keeps this recipe simple and QUICK!)

-1/2 Cup of Milk (I think 2% works best)

-Oil To Grease Muffin Pan

-2 Teaspoon Garlic Powder

-1 Teaspoon Dried or Chopped Basil

-1 Teaspoon Onion powder

(increase or decrease these according to taste preferences!)

-Shredded Cheddar or mozerella cheese (to taste)

Directions:

-Preheat Oven to 375

-Grease muffin pan

-In large bowl lightly scramble the eggs and add garlic powder, onion powder, basil, salt, pepper and milk.

-Stir until everything is blended nicely.

-Laddle egg mix into muffin tins filling to about half way

-Put desired toppings in each muffin tin (great thing about this is the way you can customize!)

-Top each with choice of cheese (and a dash of pepper)

-Place in oven and bake check after 15 minutes. If not done, keep checking at 5-10 minute intervals. Should take no longer than 30 minutes

-You should pull them out when they are just about done and let them finish cooking as they sit to cool

-Serve immediately or reheat later or the next day. refrigerate over night and they are even tasty cold for a breakfast on the go!

Let me know how they turn out!

What's That All About?

Some of you may wonder why I named my blog what I did, some of you may not care at all, but regardless, I'll tell you.
There is an old Broadway play called, 70 Girls 70, about a bunch of elderly people who steal from high end department stores and use the money from selling the stolen goods in an effort to purchase a posh Upper West Side hotel for their retirement. In the play there is a song called "Coffee in a Cardboard Cup." This song is about how no one has time today to stop an exchange pleasantries, or even offer a genuine greeting. We are all too busy buying our coffee's to go and have given up the classic cultural pastime of sitting in a diner chatting it up with the servers or other patrons while we slowly consume a cup of liquid awesomeness. (Ok, so I like coffee...)
I thoroughly enjoy the song and often when I hear it, I am reminded about how I don't have time for anything, or how I don't make time for anything. I can't remember the last time I just sat and enjoyed a cup of coffee in the place where I bought it unless I was busy utilizing the free WiFi access, which I don't believe counts as quite the same thing.
So what is my blog about? It's about me reflecting on life, taking a moment to stop and share with you something encouraging, something fun, maybe a new recipe I found that I think is amazing and want you to enjoy it too. Perhaps I'll find something that is funny or neat and would like to pass it on. Regardless, this is a place to slow down, take a breath and smile for a moment in a day. I hope you will feel the same way too.

So Coffee In a Plastic Cup is a reflection that while we're still on the go, we don't have to rush quite as fast. I also wanted to avoid copyright infringement. ;)

Happy Day!