We didn't do a great deal of decorating this year, just a few lights inside, no tree, but a few decorations. In my house, it is too dangerous to have many pretties out and about. My cats delight themselves in mischief, and anything that rolls, tips, hangs down or has a new smell is fair game for their shenanigans. I received a ceramic pot with 3 amaryllis for my birthday earlier this month. The pot was very nice - the flowers just starting to grow. Alas, a cat decided the pot was where he wanted to sit. I'm not sure how it happened, but the pot is no more. I had to rescue the 3 flowers and re-pot them. I think they will be OK, but the pot is beyond repair.
I made the oreo truffels with white almond bark trimmed with chocolate. And just dipped in chocolate almond bark.
They were a huge hit. That recipe is a keeper. Also made fudge and peanut brittle - both from recipes my Home Ec teacher gave us waaaaaaayyyyy back in junior high.
I found a recipe for Sriacha -glazed chicken with onions on recipeezaar and thought it sounded very good. But I had to find a recipe for sriracha sauce, as I've never seen it in a store around here. There are several recipes out there, but I decided to try one listed on whiteonricecouple blog. I have modified their recipe a bit to fit what I had on hand. If you would like to find their recipe on the link above, search for Chili Garlic Hot Sauce - Cult Sriracha Style.
Sriracha Glazed Chicken
This sauce is both hot - depending on your sriracha sauce - and sweet. If you want a hotter sauce, you might serve hot peppers or extra sriracha on the side. This serves 4. Cooking is fairly quick, prep time is about 20 minutes.
2c cooked rice
3T hoison sauce - I prefer to double the sauce part of recipe. That is the hoison, catsup and sriracha
1T catsup
11/4tsp sriracha sauce - or more if you like. Know how hot your sauce is before adding even the 11/2tsp. I have some peppers that are HOT to hot-mild. Depending on the amounts of each I use, the sauce can vary wildly in scoville units!
11/2tsp oil
11/2c thinly sliced onion rings
1T fresh minced ginger or 1tsp dried/powdered ginger
1T minced garlic or 1tsp garlic granules
3/4tsp curry powder - optional. The curry adds a nice note, I think. I made this with and without the curry. My family preferred less curry.
1# boneless, skinless chicken cut into 1" cubes, or into thin slices or single servings. Cooking times will vary, obviously, depending on thickness. If using a single portion size, partially cook the meat first. Reason - you don't really want to overcook the sauce.
parsley or chopped nuts - of your choice - for a garnish
Prepare rice without oil, salt or seasonings.
Combine the hoison sauce, catsup and sriracha sauce in a small bowl
Heat the oil in a non-stick pan over high heat. When shimmering, reduce heat to medium-high
Add onions, stir for about 1 minute and reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and sweat the onions for about 5 minutes. Uncover and increase heat to medium high. Cook and stir onions until slightly golden. I add this step because I prefer the taste of the onions this way.
Agg ginger, garlic and curry. tir well. Add chicken and saute about 6 minutes until chicken is done. Adjust cooking time for thickness of meat.
Stir in the hoison mixture and stir well.
Serve sauce with garnishes, if using.
Sriracha Sauce ala whiteonricecouple
1c thai chili peppers. I use what I have on hand. Generally I have Aji limon, and several other Aji species,
Jalapenos, Habanero, etc. The flavor of the sauce is not "authentic" with these - but I can't find thai chilis
here, and I have never raised them. For a milder sauce, use milder chilis.
4-5 med cloves garlic, minced
2 med shallots Again, in my area I can't always find shallots. I generally substitute green onions - a poor
substitute, but it's what I can find. ( a story - all my shallots were accidentally tossed when I had to get a
new refrigerator this fall. How I cried to lose all my fresh, beautiful garlic and shallots)
1T oil
2-8 oz tomato sauce. Flavor will vary with less or more. Start with the lesser amount. If you find the sauce is
a little "off", add a bit more and taste again, until you find the amount you like.
1T Fish Sauce. Spy sauce is a recommended substitute, but I really recommend trying to find and use Fish
Sauce.
3T Rice Vinegar
3T sugar
Rinse chilis and stem. You can seed them, which is supposed to reduce their heat. ***REMEMBER - always wear gloves when working with chilis. Mince chilis - mincing will make for a smoother sauce.
In a small saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat and add garlic and shallots.Saute about 1 minute - don't burn the garlic.Reduce heat slightly if you are afraid you might.
Add tomato sauce and peppers. Bring to a simmer and maintain. Add fish sauce, vinegar and sugar. Stir well.
Simmer about 5 minutes to soften peppers.
Remove from heat and cool completely.
Reansfer to a blender and blend until smooth or as close to smooth as possible. Use liquefy mode if your blender has one.
Taste, and adjust seasonings. This may be tomato sauce, vinegar, sugar or water. Blend after additions. Pour into a clean glass jar. Tighten lid securely. Store in refrigerator and use within 1 week.
I hope you enjoy these recipes and the variations possible, just by changing a few ingredients or amounts.
And thanks to the whiteonricecouple for a great sriracha recipe.
