Cheap Eats :: Sesame Chicken

I am back! I took a bit of a break from blogging last month because we decided to cram a bunch of summer into a couple of weeks and I wasn't planning my meals as much as I should have or even cooking at home as much as I could have.

School is back in session and cooking at home is a necessity again and the budget is as tight as ever.

The husband has been working nights and my little boy has been with his Dad, so it's just been me and Lucy for dinner time around here. I make enough for Tim, but he eats it when he gets home.

When it's just me and the baby, my motivation to make difficult meals wanes...especially when I have gotten out of the habit of making daily meals.

To jump back into the swing, I hit Pinterest, ya know, like I do. I pinned lots of inspirational recipes and began planning my next two weeks and did my shopping, all along crossing my fingers that I follow through and actually cook my planned meals.

I love Chinese food, I can't afford to eat take out often and it's certainly not as healthy or tasty as making it at home. I am often intimidated by making Asian-inspired foods but I've been trying to dip my toe in one recipe at a time.

Last night it was this recipe for Sesame Chicken I found here.

This recipe is easy, reasonably quick and above all it was really really delicious. Sooo good. I had to stop myself for gobbling up my husband's portion.

Sesame Chicken

 

Ingredients

 

Chicken

1 large egg
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 pinch each salt & pepper
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 Tbsp vegetable oil (for frying)

Sauce

2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp water
½ Tbsp toasted sesame oil
1½ Tbsp brown sugar (I used dark brown)
1½ Tbsp rice vinegar
1 inch fresh ginger, grated
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp sesame seeds
1 Tbsp cornstarch

Instructions

 

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, 2 Tbsp cornstarch, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Trim any excess fat from the chicken thighs, then cut them into small 1 inch pieces. Toss the chicken in the egg and cornstarch mixture.

 

2. Heat a large skillet with 2 Tbsp of vegetable oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is very hot (it should look wavy on the surface), add the chicken and all of the egg mixture. Cook the chicken, stirring only occasionally, until it is golden brown and cooked through (about 7-10 minutes). Drain off the excess oil, if desired.

 

3. While the chicken is cooking, prepare the sauce. In a small bowl stir together the soy sauce, water, sesame oil, brown sugar, rice vinegar, fresh ginger, minced garlic, cornstarch, and sesame seeds. (You can grate the ginger with a small-holed cheese grater).

 

4. Once the chicken is cooked through and golden brown, pour the sauce over top. Toss the chicken to coat in the sauce. The sauce will begin to thicken as soon as it hits the hot skillet. Once the chicken is coated and the sauce thickened, turn off the heat.

 

 5. Serve the chicken over a bed of rice and sprinkle the sliced green onions over top.

 

I love love loved this recipe and will definitely be adding it to the regular rotation. According to the author of this recipe, this will feed 4 and a grand total of $5.15. Not too shabby price-wise, eh?

 

Again, you can find the original recipe here.

Cheap Eats :: Peach Cobbler

Another summer treat I love is the almighty peach! Fresh summer peaches rock my world, but canned peaches have their own appeal to me. When I was pregnant with Lucy, I bought cans of peaches to munch. I loved slurping those slimy slices so much it was ridiculous!

I saw a can of peaches on one of my last shopping trips, and I admit, I bought this can because I loved the label.

Lady Elberta Brand Yellow Freestone Sliced Peaches (in heavy syrup) *Shortcake Style*. I loved the retro look and thought, for $.20 more, I'll go for it. I bought them at Winco by the way, if you want to find some. They were fabulous.

I decided to make cobbler. I have made crisps, but never a cobbler...so I went a-huntin' on the internet. I came across this recipe.

Let's just say...we killed the whole thing in one night. Yum.

Peach Cobbler

Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup + 2 tbsp sugar
1 stick of butter (cut in half and melted separately)
1 can (28 ounces) sliced peaches, undrained

Directions 
(preheat to 350F)
1. Mix dry ingredients in a medium bowl, pour in half a stick of melted butter and mix until butter is absorbed and the ingredients are crumbly.

 
2. Pour 1/3 of the mix onto the bottom of an 8x8 dish.
3. Add peaches and juice. There should be plenty of juice, but if it looks dry, add more water.
4. Top peaches with the remaining cobbler mix.

5. Pour the other half stick of melted butter over the top and then sprinkle with the 2 tbsp of sugar.
6. Bake 30-45 mins at 350F until brown and bubbly!
Serve warm with vanilla ice cream! Yum!!

Cheap Eats :: Greek Marinated Chicken

Hey guys! I'm back after needing to rush out of town for my Grandmother's funeral. I had this meal done before I left, but no time to blog it. Better late than never!

This is a recipe I got from Budget Bytes. It was quite good and a hit with the whole family. I served it with lemon and butter Orzo pasta and fruit.

I followed the recipe pretty much exactly, except I used actual Greek Yogurt instead of plain.

Greek Marinated Chicken

 

Ingredients

1 cup plain *Greek* yogurt
2 Tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ Tbsp dried oregano
1 medium lemon
½ tsp salt
freshly cracked pepper
¼ bunch fresh parsley
3½ to 4 lbs chicken pieces

Instructions

 

 

1. To make the marinade, combine the yogurt, olive oil, minced garlic, oregano, salt, and some freshly cracked pepper in a bowl. Use a fine holed cheese grater or a zester to scrape the thin layer of yellow zest from the lemon skin into the bowl. Also add the juice from half of the lemon (about 1-2 Tbsp). Stir until the ingredients are well combined. Roughly chop a big handful, or about ¼ bunch, of parsley and stir it into the marinade.
2. Add the chicken pieces and marinade to a gallon sized zip top bag. Remove as much air as possible, close the bag tightly, and massage the bag to mix the contents and make sure the chicken is well coated. Refrigerate the bag for 30 minutes.
3. After marinating for 30 minutes, either cook the chicken on a grill OR preheat the oven to 375 degrees in preparation to bake the chicken.
4. To bake the chicken, place the chicken pieces in a large casserole dish (9×13). Bake the chicken in the preheated 375 degree oven for 45-60 minutes, or until golden brown on top.

original recipe here