15w2d... Food...

That about sums it up... how can a person spend so much time thinking about FOOD?! Food and sleeping... my two favorite past times lately! :)

The Chinese cravings continue - last night I had an eggroll, potstickers with lots of that fabulous tangy dipping sauce and we tried out one of those P.F. Chang's frozen dinners - Garlic Chicken and Noodles. It wasn't fantastic and I don't think I'd buy it again but it still hit the spot... mmm...

So, what are we going to have for dinner tonight? I have been craving my favorite Better Homes & Garden Sweet & Sour recipe. It comes out of probably my oldest cookbook I have - probably a wedding gift! I adapted it to remove the frying step and I think the original recipe calls for pork but I use chicken, I also add way more fresh veggies than it calls for but it is one of my favorite recipes. The thing that stinks is neither Kenneth or Kent really like it! They have NO taste I tell you! So, I am going to make myself a big batch of it tonight and make Kent suffer through one dinner then I'll eat the rest for leftovers. I'm a mean mom. What can I say? I haven't cooked pretty much since Kenneth left last week so I'm excited about cooking tonight and can't wait to eat some of one of my favorite dinners! I haven't made it in forever, since the boys informed me they didn't really like it much - but I am going to enjoy bringing it back tonight! I just need to pick up some celery on the way home and I'll be all set.

I am also having a nostalgic craving for my mom's "irresistable double chocolate oatmeal cookies" that we all used to love and enjoy making growing up. We ALWAYS took big baggies of them anytime we went on a road trip or camping. I remember making a batch with my brother when we were going on a vacation with friends and the entire bag of cookies crumbled - so we had choclatey granola to enjoy instead of cookies! :) I am pretty sure I have the recipe somewhere - I just have to dig it out and see if I can get my kitchen helper to assist in whipping up a batch this evening... we're about 6 weeks out from the 2-year anniversary of mom's passing and I definitely have been thinking about her a lot lately and missing her like crazy.

No-Fry Sweet & Sour Chicken

1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast, diced into bite sized pieces

1 16-oz can pineapple chunks in juice

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup vinegar

4 TBS cornstarch

4 TBS soy sauce

2 tsp chicken bouillon

2 TBS cooking oil

1 cup bias sliced carrot (2 medium)

2 tsp minced garlic

1/2 green bell pepper, in 1/2" pieces

1/2 red bell pepper, in 1/2" pieces

1 large celery stalk, bias sliced

1/2 medium white onion, in 1/2" pieces

3 cups hot cooked rice

Create sauce by draining pineapple, reserving juice (set pineapple aside). Add enough water to the juice to equal 3 cups. Add sugar, vinegar, cornstarch, soy sauce and bouillon. Set aside.

Pour 1 TBS oil in wok or large skillet (add more if necessary during cooking), heat over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook 5-10 minutes or until no longer pink and cooked through, remove from skillet and set aside. Add more oil to skillet (enough to equal about 1 TBS total). Stir-fry carrots and garlic in hot oil for 1 minute, add remaining vegetables and stir fry for 3-5 minutes or until desired crisp-tenderness. Add chicken back to wok and push mixture out from the center.

Stir sauce and make sure ingredients are evenly combined. Pour sauce into center of mixture and cook and stir until thickened and bubbly (you will see the color start to darken as it thickens). Continue cooking and stirring for one more minute after it begins to bubble. Add in at least half of the reserved pineapple, or all of it if desired, depending on your taste preference (I usually add half).