Cheesecake Factory's Spicy Cashew Chicken...Kind of

I recently saw on a friend's blog that she had made Cheesecake Factory's Spicy Cashew Chicken. I've never eaten their cashew chicken because I never deviate from my usual fish tacos and oreo cheesecake when I go there. However, the chicken looked good enough for me to try at home.

The recipe is a little extensive and in typical form, I didn't read through everything before skipping off to the store to do by usual uninformed shopping trip. So, of course when I got home and actually had to read the recipe, I only had half of the ingredients. I made it anyway...officially making it nothing like Cheesecake Factory's spicy cashew chicken.

The other problem I had was, this recipe is made per serving. The recipe kept calling for the measurement "FZ". I have no idea what that is. I had to estimate and make enough for my whole family.

Even with half of the ingredients, and skipping one major step, this chicken was fabulous! I couldn't keep my kids out of it long enough to get it served on the rice and set on the table. They absolutely loved it.

So, if you are brave enough to try this rather time consuming recipe, feel free to try my remade, shortened version or stick to Cheesecake's original version. I will definately be remaking this at some point, the right way.

The recipe called for spicy soy sherry sauce. I didn't notice the little star next to the ingredient which indicated that I had to make this sauce from scratch. I spent a long time browsing bottles of soy sauce for a spicy sherry version. I finally settled on this sesame soy.

Spicy Cashew Chicken

2 fz peanut oil (I just poured enough oil in my skillet to cook a bunch of chicken)

6 oz. chicken breast, cut into 1-2 inch pieces (I used 6 chicken breasts, keeping in mind you will have to adjust some of your measurements. I just guessed. This ended up being enough to feed my family and another family of 5.)

3 Tbs. seasoned rice flour *

4 fz rice flour batter *

5 fz spicy soy sherry sauce *

2 oz. cashews, roasted and unsalted

1 oz green onions, chopped into 1/4 inch pieces

1/2 tsp white sesame seeds, toasted (I didn't toast)

1/2 tsp. fresh parsley, finely chopped

10 oz steamed rice

Seasoned Rice Flour

(I doubled this and used all of it instead of the 3 Tbs that is called for, to coat the chicken)

1/4 lb. rice flour

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

1/4 tsp. paprika

1/4 tsp. bkg. powder

Place all of the ingredients into a bowl and mix together until evenly combined.

Rice Flour Batter

(I completely skipped this step..on accident and all was fine)

1 lb. rice flour

1/4 lb. all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

1 qt. water (ice cold)

Place all of the the dry ingredients into a bowl and mix together until evenly combined. Add the ice cold water into the bowl and stir the ingredients together until thoroughly and evenly combined. This batter must be held on ice or in the refrigerator at all times.

Spicy Soy Sherry Sauce

4 c. hoisin sauce (this is the ingredient I didn't buy and instead used the whole bottle of sesame soy)

1 c. soy sauce

1 c. sherry wine

1/2 c. red wine vinegar

1/4 c. chili garlic paste (I also left this out)

1 c. granulated sugar (I used about 1/4 c.)

1/2 lb. fresh garlic minced

1 tsp. crushed red chili flakes

Place hoisin sauce, soy sauce, sherry wine, red wine vinegar and chili garlic paste into a mixing bowl. Stir the ingredients together until evenly blended. Add the sugar, garlic, and crushed red pepper flakes into the bowl. Continue to stir the mix until the sugar has dissolved and all the ingredients are thoroughly and evenly combined.

Now for the chicken:

Place a wok or a saute pan (or just a skillet), on medium/high heat. Add peanut oil and allow to heat.

While oil is heating, place the chicken pieces into a small mixing bowl. Sprinkle the seasoned rice flour over the chicken. Gently toss the flour and chicken together until each piece of chicken is evenly coated with the flour. (Remember, I just coated the chicken with this rice flour, skipping the next step completely).

Ladle the rice flour batter into the bowl with the chicken. Using a small rubber spatula, gently fold the ingredients together until each piece of chicken is evenly coated with the batter.

Add the batter coated chicken pieces (a little at a time) into the skillet. Spread the chicken out so that they are not too close together. Allow chickn to cook undisturbed for approximately 3-4 minutes, or until it has turned golden brown and crispy on the bottom side. Carefully turn the chicken pieces over. Continue to cook for another 3-4 minutes or until chicken has again become golden brown, crispy and is cooked all the way through. Seperate pieces of chicken if necessary while they are cooking.

Add the spicy hoisin sauce and cashews into the skillet. Stir and toss all the ingredients together until each peace of chicken is evenly coated with the sauce. Add chopped green onions into skillet. Stir and toss all of the ingredients together until evenly combined and the sauce is thickened slightly.

Place the steamed white rice into a serving bowl. Pour the spicy chicken cashew into the bowl and over the rice. Garnish with a sprinkle of sesame seeds and chopped parsley.

Crockpot Tortilla Soup

We've had a lot of rain lately and even though it is still 90 degrees outside, I was in the mood for some warm comfort foods.

A friend gave me this recipe months ago. I've never tried it because I already have so many taco soup recipes that are good and this one looked to easy to be any better than what I have. It may actually be my favorite now. We loved it.

Crockpot Tortilla Soup

from Kim Perkins

Fajita seasoned chicken meat
2 cartons vegetable broth
1 can Rotel tomatoes (use two if you like your soup spicier)
3 limes
1/2 cup half and half


Put in a crockpot for 3 hours on low. After 3 hours, take chicken out and shred. Return to crockpot. Squeeze in 3 limes. Add your vegetables (corn, black beans etc.)
Let sit for 2 more hours. Add 1/2 cup half and half (I didn't notice this ingredient in her original recipe so, didn't use. I did put sour cream in as a garnish).

Garnish with avocado, cheese, chips and sour cream.

Sugar Cookie Bars

Excuse my cooking...I overcooked these and they were not nearly as moist as they should have been. They are much better than they look, I promise. A friend made these one day and I could have sat down and eaten the entire tray. I had my cousin's little girl do all the making of the icing and the decorating completely on her own, the whole time trying to invision my own daughter totally making icing on her own without supervision...it would have been a disaster.

Sugar Cookie Bars
Source: BreeAnn Fankhauser/The Girl Who Ate Everything

1 cup butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
5 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp lemon zest (optional)

Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing after each egg. Add vanilla and mix well. In a separate bowl combine flour, salt, baking soda and stir with a whisk to combine. Add to wet mixture and mix just until combined. Spread on a greased baking sheet (use a 13 x 18 pan). Bake at 375 degrees for 10-15 min, until light golden brown or until a toothpick comes out clean (they won't look done so do the toothpick test). Cool completely and frost.Frosting1/2 cup butter, room temperature4 ounces cream cheese (1/2 of an 8 oz block) softened 1 tsp vanilla (I used almond extract for half of the frosting)¼ tsp salt4 cups powdered sugar5 Tbsp milkfood coloring (if desired)For frosting combine butter and cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Add vanilla and salt. Add powdered sugar in 1-2 cup increments until combined, then add milk a little at a time and mix until smooth and spreading consistency. You may not need all the milk! Spread over cooled cookie bars.

Pizza Rolls

I found this recipe on The Girl Who Ate Everything. These were definate crowd pleasers. Darby had approximately 30 kids over and I could not keep the basket filled. The kids absolutely loved them.

Pizza Rolls
by Let's Dish

Pizza Dough (make her dough here)
1 teaspoon garlic salt
2 teaspoons basil
1 cup sliced pepperoni, chopped
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (or pepperjack)
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Divide pizza dough in half. Roll each half into a rectangle, about 1/4 inch thick and 12 inches long. Just think about the size of a piece of paper. Sprinkle each half with equal amounts of garlic salt, basil, cheeses and pepperoni. Starting at a short end, roll dough up tightly to form a log. Slice into 1-inch pieces. Place rolls on lightly greased baking sheets. Bake for 10 minutes or until browned on top. Serve with warm marinara sauce for dipping. Her recipe for dough makes enough dough for 2 pizzas. So if you just have one batch of dough half the recipe toppings. Makes 12 pizza rolls.

S'mores Bars

TGWAE is my absolute favorite blog. It's always yummy and usually fairly simple and stuff that everyone in my family eats. I love her!

These were no exception.

Smores Bars
Source: Lovin In the Oven

1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 king-sized Hershey's milk chocolate bars (if you want a more subtle chocolate flavor use regular sized chocolate bars; enough to fit)
1 1/2 cups marshmallow creme/fluff (7 1/2 oz jar)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.
2. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in egg and vanilla. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture and mix at a low speed until combined.
3. Divide dough in half and press half of dough into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan. Place chocolate bars over dough. 2 king-sized Hershey’s bars should fit perfectly side by side, but break the chocolate (if necessary) to get it to fit in a single layer no more than 1/4 inch thick. Spread chocolate with marshmallow creme or fluff. Place remaining dough in a single layer on top of the fluff. This part can be tricky. I made little disks with the dough and formed them into a sheet on some parchment paper then transferred it over. Spread it around gently.
4. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool completely before cutting into bars.
Makes 16 cookie bars.

Ramona's Green Sauce

My friend Ramona spent two days teaching me how to make tamales. I still have no idea how to make a tamale. Not because I'm stupid necessarily but, Ramona has been making tamales her entire life and I'm pretty sure she has never used a measuring cup or spoon, ever. She can even cup her hand and tell me exactly how much salt is in the cup of her hand. That's great for Ramona, and a talent I envy but, I need measurements!

So, of all tamale learning I did during that two days, the only thing I can remember and attempt to repeat, is the green sauce. No measurements but, I swear, you don't really need them. We made two trays here because we were making a lot of tamales but, one tray would probably be more than enough.

Place tomatillas, onions, garlic, jalapeno, banana peppers and serano peppers on a cookie sheet. You can look at the amount that we put on the tray, keep in mind how spicy you want your sauce. Drizzle with olive oil.

Bake in the oven at 350 or 375. Turning the vegetables over once they start browning and bubbling. Cook again. It really is beautiful!

Place all in blender and blend! Use on anything you can dream up. I've served with tamales, fajitas and even as salsa.

Ham and Cheese Sliders

I can't say enough about these. We loved them. I saved the extra poppyseed sauce and made the sandwiches again the next day for a quick after church, lunch. It's hard to find a sandwich that York actually likes so, the get him to eat these two days in a row, says a LOT.

Ham and Cheese Sliders
adapted slightly from the Recipe Club

24 good white dinner rolls

24 pieces good honey ham

24 small slices Swiss cheese

1/3 cup mayonnaise1/3 cup miracle whip

Poppy seed sauce

1 T poppyseeds

1 1/2 T yellow mustard

1 stick butter, melted

1 T minced onion

1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise and miracle whip. Spread onto both sides of the center of each roll. Place a slice of ham and a slice of Swiss inside of each roll. Close rolls and place them into a large baking dish or heavy cookie sheet. Place very close together.In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the poppy seed sauce ingredients. Pour evenly over all of the sandwiches. Let sit 10 minutes or until butter sets slightly. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until cheese is melted. Uncover and cook for 2 additional minutes. Serve warm.** sandwiches can be assembled a day ahead and kept in the fridge ready to bake.