Storms, Smor'es, and the Great Outdoors

Being from Missouri, I am used to violent storms (being in tornado valley and all), so when one comes through Athens once in a blue moon, I get totally excited. Stormy weather is not only cool to watch, it's perfect for naps and just cuddling up and watching a movie or reading a book. I LOVE it! One storm that came through Athens a few weeks ago was super intense, and I got a few beautiful pictures at our apartment right as the storm clouds were rolling in. 

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Since we have been getting so much rain lately, everything is very green and lush and beautiful here. Travis is still able to harvest lots of veggies from his garden, including some very HOT jalapenos. As a matter of fact, Travis dared me to eat one for 20 bucks. I thought, ok, I just used 5 of those jalapenos in this salsa I made and it was not spicy AT ALL. So I accepted the challenge because I thought it was going to be the easiest 20 bucks I've ever made in my life. 

The first bite was I was smiling, trash-talkin,' and crunching away, the second bite was eh, not bad, but by the time I had the whole jalapeno in my mouth, my whole body exploded into flames. I started crying, dry heaving, and drinking as much water and sucking on as many ice cubes as I could. I even shoved a handful of cookies in my mouth. This was the first time my whole life that I've considered chugging milk (and I HATE milk with a passion). 

Meanwhile Travis was filming me which made me even more mad because I had like no control over my body. It was so embarrassing, I literally did not know what to do because nothing was helping the fire I had set in my mouth. After I calmed down which seemed like 40 years later, Travis was like, "Uhhhhh, I did not think you were actually going to do that..." 

Next time I'm dared to do something like that, I'll probably think about it, and then say "Hmm, betta not" (in my best Fat Amy voice). If you don't know what I'm talking about, you need to watch this clip from Pitch Perfect. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uF0QXuzE2rE. You're welcome.

Anyyyyywaaaay, the garden also has a fire pit which we like to go to when we're in the s'more makin mood.

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Here are some flowers from the garden which I totally risked my life taking because there were bumble bees everywhere!!

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When we got home that night, we found this little gem chillin' on our rail on our balcony. 

You can't appreciate how small he was until you see the next picture...

!!!!

Until next time..

Springfield-Style Cashew Chicken

Cashew chicken is one of my most favorite meals ever, and it's the cashew chicken you can't get anywhere else other than southwest Missouri, where I'm from. If you order cashew chicken anywhere else it's totally different, I've had to learn that the hard way. Springfield-style cashew chicken is one-of-a-kind; it even has its own section on wikipedia. It's pretty legit. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cashew_chicken

This recipe comes from an older cookbook that my dad has from home. I have been unsuccessful finding a great recipe on the internet, so I stole this one last time I was home so that I could make it when I get homesick or so that I can make it for some nonnatives. My dad's made it a tradition to make cashew chicken every Christmas for dinner when we all get together. Although it doesn't quite have the total authentic taste that comes from an Asian restaurant, it definitely gets rid of my cashew chicken fix until I get to go home again.

The only thing missing in the picture are the cashews. I don't like them so I never buy them, but Travis always goes, "It's not cashew chicken without the cashews!" I get it, it's kind of an oxymoron, but I don't care =) 

Springfield-style Cashew Chicken

Servings: 4

Time: 30-45 minutes

Ingredients:

Chicken:

2 lbs. fresh or frozen chicken breasts, cubed (if frozen, make sure it's thawed out before cooking)

2 large eggs

1/2 cup milk

lots of flour

1-2 tsp salt

1-2 tsp pepper

peanut, vegetable, or canola oil

Cashew Sauce:

4 cubes chicken bouillon

4 cups water

1/2 cup diluted cornstarch (cornstarch + cold water)

6-8 TBS oyster-flavored sauce

Fried Rice:

2 cups water

2 1/2 cups Minute Rice

4-5 TBS butter

2 eggs

4-5 TBS soy sauce

**You can add whatever vegetables you would like, such as carrots, peas, onions, etc. 

Steamed Rice:

3 cups Minute Rice

3 cups water

1 tsp salt

Toppings:

chopped green onions

cashews

Directions:

1. Cube the fresh or thawed chicken into bite-size pieces. Dump some flour on a sheet of wax paper or a baking sheet and add the diced chicken. Mix the chicken around in the flour until they are all coated and let them sit for 15 minutes. 

2. Meanwhile, mix the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper in a bowl. You can also start the rice here. You can either fry or steam your rice. If you just want to steam your rice, just bring the water and the salt to a boil, then stir in the rice, remove from heat, and let it sit until it is ready to serve. SO easy! If you want to fry your rice, do the EXACT same thing as you would the steamed rice up the point where you let the cooked rice sit for 5 minutes. Then you scramble the eggs in a frying pan. Either in that pan or a different one, melt the butter over medium high heat, then add the scrambled eggs, cooked rice, soy sauce, and whatever veggies you want. Fry the mixture for about 5-10 minutes over medium-high heat. When done, cover, and set aside.

3. After the chicken has sit in the flour for 15 minutes, put the coated chicken into the egg mixture; let sit for an additional 10 minutes. In a separate bowl, dump in a few cups of flour; set aside.

4. Heat the oil to about 350 degrees in a deep fryer or dutch oven.

5. While the chicken is still sitting and the oil is heating up, start the cashew sauce. Boil water and dissolve chicken bouillon cubes. Remove from heat and let cool. When lukewarm, add the diluted cornstarch and oyster-flavored sauce. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly. Cook until thickened, adding more diluted cornstarch as needed to get the desired thickness. Depending on how much oyster-sauce you use, the sauce can be a light brown or dark brown color; the darker the color, the more rich it will taste. When it has reached the desired thickness and taste, keep it warm on medium low heat.

6. When the oil is heated, take the egg coated pieces of chicken and dip them in the bowl of flour to coat the chicken once more, then piece by piece, add the chicken to the oil. (This makes a lot of chicken, so you may have to do 3-4 different batches of chicken based on how much room their is in your fryer). Cook the chicken in the oil for about 3-4 minutes, or until golden brown. If you're not sure if it's cooked al the way, just take a piece out and pull it apart. The meat should be white all the way through, if it has a tint of pink or looks rubbery, it needs to cook longer. 

7. If the chicken is all done before the sauce and fried rice are done, just keep the chicken in a dish covered with tin foil. 

8. To assemble: I like to put the rice in the middle of the plate first, then top it with the chicken, then the sauce, then green onions and/or cashews. Serve and enjoy!!

Peach Crisp

One cool thing about going to Travis' garden is that there is also a "secret" garden right beside it hidden amongst a forest ring of bamboo trees. It's pretty sweet. And this is the entrance.

We go here when we want to build a bonfire and roast mallows, hotdogs, and just relax. This time, we thought we'd test out Trav's new dutch oven I got him for his birthday that I really just got for myself, which he now knows =) It's a lodge dutch oven/skillet that I purchased on Amazon.com for 30 bucks and I love it! You can also use the lid as a skillet.

Anyway, we decided to make peach crisp. I had never made it before, and actually just used tips from several different recipes. So in a sense, I kind of made up my own recipe. BOOM. Now the first few pictures for the directions start at the garden, until two hours passed and we were unable to start a fire (Travis never graduated Boy Scouts) and it started raining. Soooo, we packed up and I finished it here in our apartment. It still turned out great!

Peach Crisp

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Ingredients:

2 cans sliced peaches, drained

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, melted

1 TB cinnamon

1 cup oats

1 cup flour

1 cup brown sugar

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a bowl, mix oats, flour, sugar, and cinnamon.

2. Add the melted butter to the dry ingredients and mix until crumbles form.

3. Butter the dutch oven and add the drained peaches making an even layer.

4. Add the crumble mixture over the peaches.

5. Bake uncovered for 30-40 minutes, or until golden brown. If you're doing it camper style, cover the dutch oven and place it on the briquettes, and then put some briquettes on the lid, and let it cook for about an hour.

Authentic Mexican Salsa

Now that our garden is in full bloom, we are trying to take advantage of all the produce that we can. I can't take credit for any of it though, it's all Travis! Look at how green and luscious it is!

             

                                  Cilantro                                                       Broccoli

                           Jalapeno or Bell Pepper?                             Got him mid-bite, haha.

So with all these fresh veggies roamin' around in the garden, I had to make some garden-fresh authentic Mexican-like salsa. The only garden-fresh ingredient, however, is the cilantro. So the title is very deceiving, lol! But, it does taste garden-fresh, so nobody really needs to know the truth, right? This recipe is adapted from The Pioneer Woman. It tastes like and has the same consistency as the salsa you'd get at authentic Mexican restaurants. So, you're welcome =)

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Ingredients:

1 28 oz. can whole peeled tomatoes with juice

2 10 oz. cans rotel (diced tomatoes and green chiles)

1/4-1/2 cup diced onion (yellow or white)

1-2 jalapenos diced (with seeds)

1 TB minced garlic

1/4 t. sugar

1/4 t. salt

1/4 t. cumin

3/4-1 cup cilantro

1 1/2 TB lime juice

1.

    2.

Directions:

1. Add all the ingredients together in a big bowl, or if you have a blender big enough, just put them straight into the blender. Since my blender is not big enough, I have to actually divide the mixture in two and blend them separately and then stir them together at the end. 

2. In the blender, pulse the ingredients 10-15 times. Depending on how chunky or smooth you want it, you can adjust the number of times you want to pulse the salsa. Chill the salsa for at least an hour to incorporate the spices.

Taters and Broccoli

 I love roasted potatoes. Really I just love any carb in general, but definitely potatoes. It has taken me forever to figure out how to make them just the way I like them--crispy on the outside, and tender in the inside. I figured out it's not rocket science, you just have to cook them at the right temp and cook them for longer than 20 minutes =) Usually when I try to make roasted potatoes, I don't time it out right with whatever else I am making, so I end up being impatient and taking them out early. This time I actually planned ahead and gave them plenty of time. I have made these about 5 times now, each time a little different than before.  I love these potatoes, and they have even been approved by Trav. He is just like my dad; whenever I make something and ask him how he likes it, his response is always "Uh, it's ok" or "uh, it's alright". Come on!! It's kills me.

There are a million ways to do these, just like any other vegetable, but I'll share the way we like them. I do not use exact measurements for this recipe. It's one of those you just kind of get a "feel" for how much you want to sprinkle on. 

Roasted  Potatoes

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Ingredients:

5 Red Potatoes

extra virgin olive oil

seasoned salt

dried rosemary

pepper

1.

   

3.

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Slice and quarter some red potatoes. I use about 5 potatoes for just me and Travis (the portions though are enough for about 4 people, lol). 

2. Spray pam on a baking sheet and drizzle some oil on it as well. Place the potatoes evenly on the baking sheet. Drizzle some more olive oil over the potatoes and then sprinkle with seasoned salt, rosemary, and pepper.

3. Pop them in the oven for 50-60 minutes. Every 10-15 minutes, move the potatoes around because they tend to get stuck to the bottom. You do not have to worry about flipping them, but it wouldn't hurt. When they look nice and crispy and golden brown, they are done.

**If you do not like the outsides crispy and crunchy, you can wrap them up in ten foil for 15 minutes. They will definitely stay hot and and as they are sitting in the steam, the outsides will soften up. 

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Travis also came home with some fresh broccoli from the garden, so we decided to have that with our meal as well. I put him in charge of making it because I don't mess with fresh broccoli; I just always have frozen broccoli in the freezer and throw it in the microwave with some water for a few minutes. 

Travis usually nails whatever he makes, it infuriates me sometimes. I'm passionate about cooking and try really hard and I still suck. He, on the other hand, just whips stuff up and I swear it could be served in a restaurant. But whatever, I always win in rock, paper, scissors….

I love broccoli, but now I think I might be addicted to it. This turned out really yummy. 

Baked Broccoli

adapted from allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

2 heads fresh broccoli, separated into florets

2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 tsp minced garlic

1/2 tsp lemon juice

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees 

2. In a large bowl, toss broccoli florets with the extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, pepper and garlic. Spread the broccoli out in an even layer on a baking sheet/dish.

3. Bake until florets are tender enough to pierce the stems with a fork, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove and transfer to a serving platter. Squeeze lemon juice liberally over the broccoli before serving for a refreshing, tangy finish.