Merry Christmas to all...

As usual, holidays go by so quickly.  Good thing I've been prepping for Christmas since, oh, November 1st.

It was our second year in our "new" house and we decided that we need to start making some traditions.  Christmas Eve church is a given, but our new thing will now be to have Chinese food afterwards.  You know, kind of an homage to Ralphie & family:



"Christmas Vacation" is another holiday must.  Here's a fun fact that might blow your mind as it did mine- you remember Rusty, the son, from the movie?

He grew up to be this guy:


Big Bang Theory whaaaaaaa?

But anyway, I am not super into Chinese takeout.  Too much fat.  Too much salt.  And way too much sauce.  So why not make my own version?

Sweet and Sour Chicken
1 pound boneless skinless chicken strips, cut into 2" chunks
1 cup all purpose flour
1 egg, lightly beaten
Pinch of pepper and salt
Cooking spray
2 bell peppers, cut into 1" chunks
1 cup pineapple chunks (reserve the juice from the can)- set this aside- you'll add this last
1 small yellow onion, diced

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with foil.  Coat with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Combine flour, pepper, and salt in a shallow bowl.
3. Dip chunk of chicken into egg, then into flour mixture. Lightly coat and set on the baking sheet.  Repeat with all the chicken chunks.  Bake approximately 30 minutes, flipping chunks occasionally.  Chicken is done when internal temp reads 160 degrees and it is golden and crispy.

Meanwhile, let's make the sauce:
3/4 cup white granulated sugar
1/3 cup white vinegar
3/4 cup pineapple juice
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons cornstarch

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, whisk all ingredients together.  Stir constantly until mixture comes to a boil.  Once it starts to thicken, remove from heat.

So at this point, we'll have time to prep the vegetables before the chicken is totally done.  I chose bell peppers and onions, but you could add whatever veggies you want.

1. Fill a large shallow pan with 1/4" water.  Bring to a boil.  Add veggies and place lid over pan to let them steam.  Cook for just a few minutes, until they're tender but not soggy.  Remove from heat and drain.

Thanks to my friend Shanna for the smiley face colander.  All kitchen accessories should have smiley faces.


Assembling it all:
-In a small crockpot, add cooked chicken, veggies, and pineapple.  Pour sauce over.  Cook on low until you are ready to eat.  You could eat this immediately, but it tastes best once the sauce has had time to soak into the chicken- at least an hour in the crock pot.

Serve with rice, and optional spicy sesame pea pods:

Spicy Sesame Pea Pods
8 oz fresh pea pods, rinsed and dried
2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons sesame oil (other oil would work fine too)

Using the same pan you used to steam the pepper and onion, bring another 1/4" water to boil.  Add pea pods and cover.  Cook for 1-2 minutes.  Pea pods will puff up a bit.  Drain.  Return to heat, adding oil and sauce.  Saute another 1-2 minutes.  Serve immediately.

Now it'll be another 11 months until Clark Griswold, "you'll shoot your eye out," Buddy the Elf, and nonstop Christmas music on the radio, however I don't think we'll be waiting that long to make this recipe.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!