J is for the Joy of Cooking

Much like our "H" topic brought to us by Apple Jacs, my topic is J is for the Joy that has to do with cooking meals for others. So I'm no Julia Child's but I love to cook for other people! I love hosting people at my house and making them feel loved and cared for! This week and next are special weeks in my household. My husband is a Band Director for a high school and these two weeks are Band Camp! Yes, Band Camp is real! Anyways every night the group takes a dinner break and last year (being our first year of marriage) I made dinner for him every night and took it to him at work. It was really just an excuse to see him since he's gone from 9am to 9pm. The other staff swore that I was only doing this since we were newlyweds and commented on how they remembered when their wives used to cook for them. I didn't plan on switching my course of action this year just because we were no longer newlyweds. What it's turned into is a joyous ocassion for me to get to take care of his friends. I started cooking for two other staff members that were staying with us. This year I get to cook again, except the number has grown. It seems there is always another staff member who doesn't have something to eat, or thinks that our dinner looks better. I get so excited when I serve them! The other night I didn't think there would even be enough for my husband and our 2 friends staying with us, but the Lord multiplied the loaves and 6 people ate! I've gotten creative with a budget and a shorter amount of time to cook this year but I just keep thinking it's great practice for having a family. Off to think about next weeks menu...

Quick & Easy Sweet & Sour Chicken

This is a great, easy, quick recipe I tried recently. We picked up some steamed rice for it since we were bringing it to my in-laws house and Leo came out with fried rice as well. I knew that meant he doubted my meal and we were all pleasantly surprised as it was delicious!

Ingredients

2 Cups Instant Brown Rice

1/4 Cup Seasoned Rice Vinegar

2 Tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

2 Tablespoons apricot preserves (I used orange marmalade which was good)

2 Tablespoons canola oil, divided

1 lb. Chicken tenders, cut into bite-size pieces

4 Cloves Garlic, minced

2 Tsp. finely grated or minced ginger

1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth

6 cups bite-size pieces of vegetables, such as snow peas, broccoli, & bell peppers (I used frozen stir fry veggie medley to save time and it lasts in freezer to save shopping)

1 5 oz. can sliced water chestnuts, drained (These were already in frozen mix)

Directions

1. Prepare rice according to package directions.
   
2. Meanwhile, whisk vinegar, soy sauce, cornstarch & apricot preserves in a small bown. Set aside.
   
3. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken & cook, undisturbed, for 2 minutes. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink on the outside and just starting to brown in spots, about 2 minutes more. Transfer to a plate.
   
4. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, garlic, & ginger to the pan & cook, stirring, until fragrant (20-30 seconds).
   
5. Add broth & bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
   
6. Add vegetables, reduce heat to a simmer, cover & cook until the vegetables are tender-crisp (4-6 min.) Stir in the water chestnuts & chicken.
   
7. Whisk the reserved sauce & add to the pan. Simmer, stirring constantly, until the sauce is thickened & the chicken heated through, about one min. Serve with rice & enjoy!

Cook Time: 5 min. Yields: 4 Servings

To edit serving size and recipe, go to: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/eating-well/sweet-amp-sour-chicken-with-brown-rice-recipe/index.html