Sick and Sour.... :(

As you may have guessed it.... I'm sick. Not like have a cold sick but like sucky on the couch sleeping all day coughing my brains out until I puke sick. Good times!! And I am the first to admit that I am a GIANT baby when I am sick. I want blankets and tissues and white instant rice with just a tiny TINY bit of butter please.... and oh can I have some water?? I need an ice pop!! Baby.. I feel so sick... Whaaaaaaaa!! Grummble Grumble grouch GROUCH!!

The good news is I am almost never sick. Thank God! I don't think my poor hubby could take more than a few days of this kind of thing a year. Actually the last time I was sick was in early May 2010. Even this cold I was pretty stubborn succumbing to. I have my arsenal of vitamins and homeopathic remidies to repel you evil one!! You may have won this time but I will triumph in due time... Muahahahahahhhhh. I even managed to squeek out a new recipe last night (at which point I was certain it was just a head cold and needed a little soup, boy was I wrong).

This recipe is courtesy of Krazy for Kazu's, which is a Japanese sauce company. I bought their wares at Gosset's.. Surpise Surprise. And if you are reading Mr. Kazu man forgive me because at first I was just trying your free samples to be nice (and because I can't resist free samples). But after tasting the Ginger dressing and Ponzu Magic sauce, Big D and I realized.. Good God man you are bottling JOY and selling it for $7 a bottle. I was wrong and this recipe made with the Ponzu Magic is Oh.... so right. Enjoy!


Krazy for Kazu's Hot & Sour Soup
(I doubled this recipe to have left overs for lunches)
.5lt water
1 chicken thigh ( I used breast it was what I had handy, it was fine)
1tbsp corn starch (to coat chicken) I added a touch of garlic and chili powder to this for zip
2 large shiitake mushroom (thinly sliced)
2 oz onion (thinly sliced)
2 oz carrot (julienned)
3 oz tofu (bite-sized pieces)
1tsp red pepper
2 oz American Ponzu Magic
1 egg (beat breifly)
1tbsp corn starch (mixed with 1 oz water)
1tsp sesame oil
Any leafy green veggie (I used dried nori)
Scallion

Clean and cut chicken, cut veggies and tofu.
Put water in a pot, bring to boil. Coat chicken with corn starch, place chicken in boiling water. When the chicken is done (floating), put in mushroom, onion, carrot, tofu, red pepper and adjust heat to a simmer.
Add ponzu, egg, corn starch w/water, sesame oil, green veggie and scallion. Once veggies are tender it is ready to serve.

It didn't cure my cold but it cleared my sinuses for a few minutes. Two things the recipe above is pretty mild. Fell free to add more red pepper to taste. I also like mine really sour so I threw a little white wine vinegar in mine with a touch of soy sauce to top it off.

xoxo
Fast Alice

Lil' Bitty Bacon!!

I went to the Gossets Famer's Market on Saturday (as I do most Saturdays) and purchased the most beautiful Cheddar-Chili biscuits. They were just begging for an egg and some duck prosciutto bacon. They came out just sooooooo cute. Itty bitty baby bacon slices... almost too cute to eat. I stress almost because after a snapshot and a sigh this meal was devoured by Big D and I in no time flat.

Also..... our pancetta.. is done!!! I seriously can't wait until the 15th to blog about this. I don't think I have ever made anything I was quite so proud of. Making bacon comes with a satisfaction I just can't describe. I encourage you all to try it for yourself if you haven't already.

Valentine's day is just around the corner. Made up holidays always make me feel weird. Part of me wants to indulge and take advantage of any excuse to celebrate in February. The other part says.... Gross comercialism=lame. But at the end of the day I'm a sucker for those Russell-Stoffer chocolates (all dark if you are taking notes). I usually buy them for myself the day after Valentine's Day so I can get one of those HUGE boxes and eat them in bed and whisper.. I love you.. to myself in the mirror...lol. Only half of that is true buy it made me laugh thinking about it.

Happy Valentine's!!

xoxo
Fast Alice