Candied Chicken Sticks

Happy Friday! If you're looking for something to toss on the grill this weekend here's a good recipe to try. Not only was it a great one to prep ahead of time when you're hosting a party, but it's easy to manage on the grill.

We weren't sold on the cabbage, so next time I'll just use a mixed green or spinach leaf instead. I also was lazy with the chicken so instead of cutting it up I just used tenders. I drizzled the sauce on top, but I think if you dipped the chicken in the sauce as soon as you take them off the grill it would give it a good finished coat. Can't wait to make these for our next party!

We leave on Monday for a trip to Boston and Maine so I'll have some post scheduled and then I'll share pictures when I get back. Can't wait to get my hands on some fresh lobster!

Candied Chicken Sticks
(Adapted from Practical Groumet - Small Plates For Sharing)
Serves 4

1/2 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons chili garlic sauce
2 tablespoons Indonesain sweet soy sauce
1/2 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut lengthwise into 1/4 inch thick slices
2 cups finely shredded suey choy (Chinese cabbage), lightly packed
2 green onions, cut into 3 inch lengths
1 tablespoon rice vinegar

Combine first 3 ingredients. Reserve 1/4 cup syrup mixture. Combine chicken and remaining syrup mixture in a medium resealable freezer bag. Marinate in refrigerator for at least 6 hours or overnight. Drain, discarding marinade.

Thread chicken onto skewers. Cook on a well-greased grill on medium for 1 to 2 minutes per side until chicken is glazed and no longer pink inside. Brush with 2 tablespoons reserved syrup mixture.

Toss cabbage and green onion together on a serving platter.

Stir vinegar into remaining syrup mixture and drizzle over cabbage mixture. Top with skewers. Garnish with seasome seeds.

Ginger Chicken Flowers

It's not often that I make Asian inspired meals, mainly because I don't have the ingredients or I can't make it taste as good as the restaurants or my friends do. I saw a recipe in my new cook book that look pretty simple so I thought I would give it a shot. Worse case it didn't make a whole lot so I didn't feel bad if we had to toss it out. Out of the 12 it make, I only had 3 by the time my hubby polished off the rest. To say the least I have found a good recipe that's a keeper.

As usual I had a couple of changes, but it's super easy to substitute anything you want. I didn't have fresh ginger so I used dried and I swapped the lean ground chicken with lean ground turkey. The recipe says it makes 8 dumplings, but I ended up with 12, which is because I didn't fill them as much as they did or else I had smaller dumpling wrappers, who knows. I also steamed them the alternative method instead of with the cabbage and bamboo steamer.

Ginger Chicken Flowers
(Adapted from Practical Gourmet - Small Plates For Sharing)

6 ounces lean ground chicken
1 tablespoon finely chopped green onion
1 tablespoon finely grated carrot
1 tablespoon minced red pepper
2 teaspoons oyster sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon finely grated ginger root
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon soy sauce
8 round dumpling wrappers
water
3 suey choy (Chinese cabbage) leave
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon water

Combine first 9 ingredients.

Spoon chicken mixture onto centers of dumpling wrappers. Dampen edges with water.

Gather up edges around filling, leaving tops open. Tap dumplings gently on work surface to flatten bottoms slightly.

Line bottom of a large bamboo steamer with suey choy leaves. Arrange dumplings so they do not touch each other or the sides of the steamer. Place steamer on a rack set over simmering water in a wok or dutch oven. Cook, covered, for about 15 minutes until filling is no longer pink and temperature reaches 175 degrees F.

Alternative method -
If you don't have a bamboo steamer, arrange dumplings in a parchment paper-lined 9x9 inch baking pan, making sure they do not touch the sides of the pan or each other. Place a wire rack in the bottom of a roasting pan, and pour in water until 1 inch deep. Bring to a boil on the stove top, then set the baking pan on the wire rack. Steam, covered, for about 15 minutes until the filling is no longer pink and temperature reaches 175 degrees F.

Cinnamon Pecan Sour Cream Coffee Cake

I've been itching to find a good coffee cake recipe and I think I finally found one. Barbara from Traveling Aprons posted a recipe a while back and I had the chance to make it and boy did we love it. My hubby isn't a big sweets person so instead of eating it for breakfast he had it as a dessert, but no matter when you eat it it's melt in your mouth good. It's moist and flavorful so I hope you give it a try.

Be sure to stop by Barbara's blog she has some yummy things. I didn't have a smaller angel food pan so I used a bunt pan which probably could have used a little less time in the oven since it was a dark pan, but lesson learned. It all worked out fine, but mine is no where near a pretty as hers!

Cinnamon Pecan Sour Cream Coffee Cake
(recipe by Barbara Hahn)

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar

2 eggs, unbeaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream

Topping-
1 cup chopped pecans
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 cup sugar

In small bowl, mix all topping ingredients together. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar.

Add eggs, one at a time; then the vanilla.

Add flour, baking powder, soda, and salt to creamed mixture; mix thoroughly.

Add sour cream last; mix well.

Spread half of batter in well greased tube pan.

Sprinkle half of topping over batter; then add the rest of the batter.

Top with remaining topping. Sprinkle lightly with water. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. (I got side tracked and forgot to add the rest of the topping so I baked it without and added it later, which worked with the type of pan I used.)

Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and invert onto serving dish. Sprinkle remaining topping over cake.

Since I need a little help to make the rest of the topping stick I mixed up a little icing to drizzle over the cake. I didn't measure, but it's powdered sugar and milk mixed until you get the right thickness you are looking for.

Bourbon Chicken Skewers

Good morning everyone! It was a busy weekend so I didn't get to put together my usual post for Monday so I'm changing up the days this week. First up is a Bourbon Chicken Skewer. This was super easy and tasted really good. I didn't put them on skewers and I didn't grill them, I baked them in the oven and they turned out really good. I think doing them in the oven made the orange juice stand out a little stronger, but otherwise they where a hit in my house. The recipe calls for chicken thighs, but I substituted some leftover chicken tenders and the sauce was just right for 10 tenders.

I am trying a few things out for the next party we have and these would be a winner for sure. Since I just made them for dinner I served them with some rice.

Bourbon Chicken Skewers

(Adapted from Practical Gourmet Small Plates for Sharing)

1 cup orange juice

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup bourbon whiskey

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 3 oz. each), cut in half lengthwise

8 bamboo skewers, soaked in water for 10 minutes

Combine first 5 ingredients in a medium resealable freezer bag.

Add chicken and marinate in refrigerator for at least 6 hours or overnight.

Drain marinade into a saucepan. Boil gently on medium for about 20 minutes until thickened and syrupy.

Thread chicken onto skewers. Cook on a greased grill on medium for about 8 minutes, turning once and brushing with marinade, until no longer pink inside. (I baked them in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. By the time the sauce thickened the chicken was done. Cooking them on the cookie drying rack gave them a fake grill mark and also kept them from sticking.)