Sweet & Sour Chicken

This is a dinner I make often and it never goes wrong. It's simple, satisfying, and fast.

5 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (I usually use 2 chicken breasts cut in half length-wise)
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 egg
Dip thawed chicken breasts in cornstarch, then in egg. Fry in pan to a golden brown.

Sauce:
1/3 cup vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
4 T. ketchup
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 T. soy sauce
1 T. cornstarch
Combine sauce ingredients in sauce pan. Bring to a rolling boil while stirring constantly.

Place chicken in 9x13 pan and pour sauce over chicken breasts. Bake chicken and sauce uncovered for 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve over rice.

Garden Fresh

I can't wait to have my very own garden. I am fortunate, though, in that my parents and Josh's parents have gardens and they are both very generous in sharing the fruits of their labors. This week I've been enjoying fresh yellow tomatoes on toast with cheese and some salt and pepper. A favorite from my childhood and now adulthood.

AND some juicy cucumbers with ranch. They taste so good I ate an entire cucumber (not a giant one, but a still, a whole cucumber) all by myself last night while I was preparing dinner. Oops! But yum! Fall has it's perks! These pictures are pretty fuzzy, but it's all I've got for the moment.

Ultimate Nachos

The best restaurant style nachos are, in my opinion, made by the Porcupine Grill. I inhale them every time I order them. Well, I decided I wanted to recreate them for myself at home and I think I discovered the secret: cilantro and lime juice. These two ingredients always seem to make food better. I've already made these nachos twice this week and I'll probably make them again soon. They are easy and delicious.


Tortilla chips
Cheddar Jack cheese (lots of it!)
Cilantro, chopped
Green onions, chopped
Black olives, chopped
Limes, quartered
Salsa

I layer these ingredients a couple times on the tortilla chips on a pan. Place in oven until cheese is melted (watch closely, it happens fast!). Then serve yourself up a plate and squeeze some fresh lime juice over the nachos, dip in salsa, take a bite, and let the burst of flavor roll over your tongue.

Lake Powell Marinade Chicken

My mom got this recipe from one of our neighbors long, long ago. We usually marinade whole chicken breasts, cook them, and then use them in foil dinners when we go to Lake Powell, thus the name. But you can use it on chicken for a whole variety of ways. I like BBQ the marinated chicken, or make incredible kabobs with them, as shown below. Whichever you choose, your palate will be very satisfied.


6-8 chicken breasts
juice of 2 lemons (1/3 cup)
1 cup soy sauce
1 cup olive oil
1/2 - 1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 - 1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4- 1/2 tsp pepper

Mix all ingredients thoroughly. Pour over thawed chicken. Let sit for 30 minutes or overnight. Cook chicken in oven or on the BBQ until no longer pink in the middle.

Welcome!

Welcome to my new recipe blog! Since I was little I have always loved to bake and cook delectable food. I started compiling my favorite recipes on May 26, 1998, to be exact, in a book I entitled "Heather's First Resipes." Yes, at the time I didn't realize that the word recipes is spelled with a "c" instead of an "s" :) It wasn't until I got married to my wonderful husband that I realized that this recipe book I thought would be a great resource to feed us contained mostly cookie, cake and quick bread recipes. Now that I have been married for a couple years, I have added to my collection other satiable treats and more substantial meals. I've decided to keep this blog to document the delicious dishes I make and to simply share the love. I am particularly fond of chicken dishes and treats, but as I am always trying new recipes and improving the ones I have, I will likely post a variety of foods on this blog. Happy Eating!