Sweet & Sour Chicken

Sorry this food didn't pose very well for the camera, but I thought a bad picture was better than no picture. I wanted to post this recipe because it's super easy and also because if you take out the chicken, pineapple and bell pepper, it's your regular run of the mill sweet and sour sauce served in chinese restaurants, so you could make it for dipping wontons or eggrolls too.

1 3/4 Cups Water, divided
3/4 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Distilled White Vinegar
1/4 Cup Cornstarch
1 (8 oz.) Can Pineapple Tidbits. drained (juice reserved)
Yellow (1 drop) & Red (2 drops) Food Coloring
4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, cooked and cut into bite size pieces

1 Bell Pepper, cut into bite size pieces

1. In a saucepan, combine 1 1/2 cups water, sugar, vinegar, reserved pineapple juice and food coloring. Heat to boiling, then turn off heat.

2. Combine cornstarch and 1/4 cup water, slowly stir into saucepan. Continue stirring until mixture thickens.

3. Add cooked chicken pieces, bell pepper and pineapple. Heat until warmed through.

Serve over rice or chow mein noodles.

Easy & Delicious Chicken

This is a really easy meal, especially when you don't have a lot of time, because it cooks in the crockpot. It's sort of like a chicken stroganoff. I always take this to neighbors when I make dinner for them. Everyone loves it.

6 Chicken Breasts
1 (8 oz.) Bottle Italian Salad Dressing
1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 Cup Chicken Broth
1 (8 oz.) Package Cream Cheese
1/2 Teaspoon Basil, dried
1/2 Teaspoon Thyme, dried
Salt & Pepper, to taste
1 Package Bowtie Pasta

1. In a slow cooker, combine the chicken and italian dressing. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
2. When chicken is tender, drain most (not all) of the dressing and discard. Shred the chicken and return to slow cooker.
3. In a medium bowl combine the soup, broth, cream cheese, basil, thyme, salt and pepper.
4. Mix well and pour mixture over the chicken in the slow cooker.
5. Cook on low for 1 hour and serve over bowtie pasta (or any kind you like).

Iron Chef Part I

On Monday at work, we had a manager's retreat and did Iron Chef. It was so fun. My team was in charge of salad and dessert and the other team was in charge of the main dish and beverage. Our secret ingredient was fruit. The team that cooked at my house came up with this. And here I go with the method again, rather than the recipe.

Mix Mayonnaise with curry powder to taste. Cut up rotisserie chicken and mix with mayonnaise mixture. Serve over a bed of greens and top with coconut, toasted almonds and an assortment of tropical fruits. We used mango, pineapple and grapes (and just a couple strawberries for color). The salad would've been fine for a main dish in itself. It was delicious.