Bourbon Chicken

I made a delicious bourbon chicken a few hours ago.

2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into pieces
olive oil
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1/4 teaspoon ginger
3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup apple juice
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup soy sauce

First brown the chicken in the olive oil, then remove and set aside the chiken. Add the rest of the ingredients and heat through. Add the chicken, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer about 20 minutes. Serve over rice.

I actually used a little less soy sauce, having heard this recipe comes out a little salty. I thickened the sauce with a bit of corn starch, too. The results were excellent–one caution, though: the sauce is quite strong, so you don’t want to put too much with each serving.

Peanut Brittle

Just made some peanut brittle using a lovely recipe for microwave 10-minute peanut brittle. Very simple:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 1 to 1-1/2 cups peanuts
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 tsp soda
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tbsp butter

1. Mix sugar, salt, and corn syrup. Microwave on high for 5 minutes in 2 qt. casserole or similar.
2. Stir in peanuts. Microwave an additional 2-5 minutes, stirring at 2 and 4 minutes, until sugar and peanuts are lightly browned.
3. Stir in vanilla, soda, and butter until the peanut brittle is light and fluffy.
4. Pour out onto a well-buttered cookie sheet and spread to 1/4 inch thickness.
5. Cool, crack, and eat.

I had only honey roasted peanuts to use this time, but I imagine it’ll still taste the same. I’ve made this recipe twice before and it came out perfect each time–a testament to a good recipe if the candy comes out right on the first try.