Mel's Sausage n Peppers.

I learned to make sausage n peppers when I lived in a house with a bunch of my good friends.  I've taken the original recipe and tweaked it and made into my own. The sauce that is made with it is a sesame sauce made for Chinese Sesame Chicken. So if you ever want to make that particular dish try it with this sauce.

Ingredients:

1 pound good smoked kielbasa sausage.
1/2 sweet yellow onion sliced
1 bell pepper sliced

Sauce:
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup water
1/8 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon chile paste
3 cloves garlic, minced or grated
1/4 inch of ginger root grated

1. Slice sausage on a bias. Slice onion and bell pepper as well.
2. In a large skillet brown sausage. Then add onion and bell pepper and cook until fragrant yet firm
3. In a separate sauce pan, make sauce by mixing together sugar and cornstarch. 
4. Stir in chicken broth, water, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, chile paste, garlic and ginger.  
5. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. 
6. Pour sauce over sausage and veggie mixture and serve immediately. I recommend with rice.
   

Orange Chicken

I miss Hong Kong. The "Chinese Food" we have here in the states is nothing in comparison to the food that I've eaten in Hong Kong. I've have fab. dim sum in Chicago's China Town and Egg Foo Young... Again I've had nothing that compares to what my palate had experienced in China.

Now that we live in Rockford which is 20 mins away from the Wisconsin boarder, I am at a loss. There is no good places to get Chinese food here. I know that my fellow Rockford people think that standard fare is delicious... I can not say the same. Oh Chicago I miss you. China, I miss you more.

Here is a simple orange chicken recipe that you can make at home. I think it tastes better that what you can get round' these parts. This is very versatile recipe, that can be changed around to make other restaurant style dishes. If you don't want your chicken fried, saute it without any batter on it. I assure you that its still just as tasty!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups orange juice

1/3 cup rice vinegar

2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce

zest of 1 orange

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root

1 teaspoon minced garlic

2 tablespoons chopped green onion

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes or 3 hot dried chinese chilies smashed, tablespoon of Saracha works too!

2 cups veggies of your choice.

3 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons water

Chicken:

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut

into 1/2 inch pieces

1 teaspoons rice vinegar 

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 egg beaten

 Cut fat off chicken breast and cut into 1/2 inch pieces, place in a bowl with salt pepper.

 Add rice vinegar and egg.

• 
  
  
  In another bowl mix the flour and cornstarch then add to the chicken and mix the set aside for 20 mins.
  • Preheat oil to 375 degrees, cook chicken until golden brown, be careful not to over cook it or they will be dry.

•  Prep your veggies and cook in wok until veggies turn  a bright color yet still crisp and set aside. 

• Mix water and cornstarch together to make a slurry and set aside.

In wok saute garlic and ginger until fragrant. Add orange juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar and bring to a boil. Add chilies and orange zest.  Add cornstarch slurry until thickened.

 Mix chicken and veggies together. 

 Pour sauce over them and serve with fresh hot rice! mmmmmm!

Enjoy!