MOVIE REVIEW: Tron Legacy

GRADE: A

The hubby and I went to see Tron-Legacy this weekend.
Let me tell you, this movie was fantastic! We saw it at the Imax and had the full "3-D experience". I am now a firm believer that the original Tron was made before its time. The computer graphics were top notch as the main characters merged from the "real world" which showed in regular 2-D cinematics to the Tron world which showed amazingly in 3-D.


For those of you who remember, the original Tron movie was made in 1982. So, it did not come as a surprise to us that the movie theater was packed with viewers in the 30+ range. I don't think I saw a single teeny-bopper at the 7:00 Saturday night showing! Trust me when I say that I was not upset by the lack of adolescent hormones in the theater. [LOL!] Most of the teeny-bopper nation probably couldn't truly appreciate the evolution of the new movie from the old anyway.

The movie was full of beautiful graphics and was jam-packed with lots of action. We thought that the story flowed well from the old to the new and the actors did a superb job of keeping our interest without seeming too trite or overplayed.

All in all, both the hubby and I give this movie two thumbs up. As a matter of fact, we are trying to figure out a way to go see it again! [LOL!] I say that if you even vaguely remember the original movie and would like to see a good futuristic movie full of action and great CGI, then I recommend going to see this movie. Don't be afraid to spend the extra money to see it in 3-D and if your city has an IMAX theater nearby, go go go!

KITCHEN KREATIONS: Chicken Alfredo Pizza

MIDWEEK FEAST: Chicken Alfredo Pizza

One of the blogs that I follow is named "Cooking with Cynthia". I have been eyeballing one of her recipes for a homemade pizza and I finally decided to make it tonight.

Of course, I had to change and adapt the recipe just a little bit (that's what I do). Let me tell you, I think that Cynthia has made me a convert from the store-bought and restaurant pizza lover to a home-made pizza lover. On top of knowing exactly what is going on my pizza, the amount of salt, etc., I feel like it is a lot healthier. That is probably just a delusion considering the amount of cheese I layered on this thing, but at least I did good and only ate one slice. Hmm, as of this exact moment, I have only had one slice... [LOL]

This pizza is really easy to make and let me tell you, it was delicious! Cynthia's original version can be found here on her Chicken Alfredo Pizza page. For my version of her recipe, here are the ingredients and directions:

Ingredients
4-5 boneless skinless chicken tenderloins (thawed, cleaned, and cut into chunks)
1 can Pillsbury pizza crust
8 oz. bag of shredded cheese (I used the mixed Pizza blend)
1/2 cup Ragu Alfredo sauce
1/2 package frozen chopped spinach (thawed)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
Pam cooking spray
Seasoning - to taste
(I used Tony Chachere's creole seasoning, Italian seasonings, black pepper, garlic powder, & onion powder - approximately 1/2 to 1 tsp each.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Directions

1. Place chopped spinach in microwaveable bowl. Microwave on high for 4 minutes.
2. Season chicken with whatever seasonings you prefer.
   
3. Saute onion and garlic in vegetable oil until soft and tender.
4. Add chicken and saute in skillet until lightly browned.
5. While chicken, onion, and garlic are cooking, hand roll pizza crust into pizza pan.
   
6. (Optional) Spray pizza crust lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle a light dusting of garlic salt & Italian seasonings onto pizza crust.
7. Poke holes in pizza crust with fork.
8. Spread the alfredo sauce on pizza crust evenly.
9. Add 1/2 bag of cheese (approximately 1 cup).
10. Squeeze moisture out of chopped spinach and use approximately 1/2 of package. Place onto pizza.
11. Add onion, garlic, and chicken mixture to pizza, spreading evenly.
12. Add remaining cheese to pizza (approximately 1 cup).
    
13. Place in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese has melted.
14. Enjoy!

Again, I repeat, this was super easy to make and came out delicious. Disclaimer: if you aren't a garlic lover, feel free to decrease the amount or omit it all together. My happily-stuffed lab rat (aka my dear hubby) gives this two thumbs and a big toe up! LOL
Hope you enjoy it.

Midweek Music Blast: Beyoncé - All I Could Do Was Cry

For whatever reason, I woke up this morning with this song in my head.
I could literally hear Beyonce pouring her heart out in song and so I had to post this.

Here are a few lyrics:
I heard, church bells ringing
I heard, a choir singing
I saw my love walk down the aisle
On her finger, he placed a ring
Ohhh

I saw them, holding hands
She was standing there, with my man
I heard them promise, til death do us part
Each word was a pain in my heart.

Now aren't those some painful words? This song was from the movie, Cadillac Records, and showcases the rise of Chess Records and its recording artists. The movie featured Beyonce Knowles as Etta James, and I have to say I was truly impressed by how her acting skills are evolving and getting better. I thought she played a very earthy and "real" Etta James and I highly recommend seeing this movie if you haven't seen it already.
Happy Hump Day, everyone!

KITCHEN KREATIONS: Gingerbread Cheesecake Dessert

I found this recipe on the back of the Gingerbread Cookie mix. It can also be found on the Betty Crocker website.
Let me tell you, if you are a fan of gingerbread, either as a cookie or in cake form and you love cheesecake like I do, then you will LOVE LOVE LOVE this dessert! It is so yummy. I give it a definite two thumbs up and will definitely be making it again.

Ingredients

1 pouch Betty Crocker gingerbread cookie mix
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened
1 Tbsp water
1 egg

14 oz. sweetened condensed milk
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
2 cups frozen whipped topping, thawed

1. Heat oven to 375°. Spray bottom and sides of 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray. In large bowl, stir cookie mix, butter, water and egg until soft dough forms.
2. Make 5 cookies by shaping dough into 5 (1-inch) balls. Place balls 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten slightly with bottom of glass dipped in sugar. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are set. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack.
3. Meanwhile, press remaining dough in pan. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until set. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
4. In large bowl, beat milk, cream cheese and lemon juice with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Fold in whipped topping. Spread over cooled cookie base.
5. Crumble 5 baked cookies; sprinkle over cream cheese mixture. Cover; refrigerate about 1 hour or until chilled. Store covered in refrigerator.

KITCHEN KREATIONS: Crock pot Meatballs with Grape Jelly Sauce

The other night the hubby and I were talking about our Superbowl menu. I told him that I had been thinking about making meatballs but I wanted to try this sauce that I found online. The sauce uses chili sauce and grape jelly. Sounds gross, right? That's what he thought too, but I had already tried it before so I knew that as disgusting a combination as that sounds, it actually makes for a really good sauce. Of course I had to modify the recipe a little bit because I am big on seasoning everything, but I have to say it came out really good. For the actual Superbowl party, I plan on making my own meatballs, but since we were mainly trying out the sauce, we used frozen ones that were already cooked. Here is the recipe, hope you enjoy!

Ingredients
1 bag frozen “home-style” beef meatballs
12 oz. bottle chili sauce
1 cup grape jelly
½ cup barbecue sauce
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp garlic powder

Directions
1. Place frozen meatballs in crock pot on high.
2. Combine all remaining ingredients in pot and bring to boil.
3. Pour over meatballs and let cook in crock pot for 2-3 hours on low to incorporate flavors.
4. Enjoy!

TGIF Music Blast: Willow Smith - Whip My Hair

Ok, so this has got to be one of the catchiest songs out right now. I can't seem to get the little refrain out of my head. Last night this song came on and I tried to "whip my hair". LOL!
Let me just say that my neck has gotten old and the hair? Yeah, it didn't whip...
So, I'll leave this new craze to the youngsters with good joints and I'll just enjoy the beat.
Happy Friday, everyone!

Here's one of my favorite parts:
Don't let haters keep me off my grind
Keep my head up, I know I'll be fine
Keep fighting until I get there
When I'm down and I feel like giving up
I think again.

KITCHEN KREATIONS: Chicken Stir-Fry with Rice

MIDWEEK FEAST: Chicken & Vegetable Stir-Fry with Rice

So today, I was in the mood to try my hand at making my own Chinese food again. So, off to Youtube I went to search for the perfect recipe. I found one with my girl Lila from AsianCookingMadeEasy. I actually combined her Chicken and Vegetable Stir-Fry recipe with her Chicken in Garlic Sauce recipe. Let me tell you, it came out really good. You should try it. Here’s my recipe.

Ingredients
2-3 chicken breasts
Frozen stir-fry vegetables
½ medium onion
½ tsp garlic salt
2 tsp cornstarch
4 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp cooking oil

Sauce Ingredients
1 cup chicken broth
4 Tbsp soy sauce
4 Tbsp oyster sauce
2 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp cornstarch with water (thickener)

Directions:

1. Remove all of the fat from the chicken and then cut each breast into 1 inch pieces.
2. Sprinkle these pieces with the garlic salt and cornstarch and mix it in thoroughly. Then set the pieces aside while preparing the other ingredients.
3. In a large cup, mix together all of the ingredients for the sauce and set this mixture aside.
4. In a small cup, make the thickener by mixing the cornstarch with a little water just until it dissolves and set it aside.
5. Heat a non stick wok on high. Once the wok is hot add the cooking oil and let it get hot.
6. When the oil is hot, add the onions and garlic. Cook for 1-2 minutes to soften.
7. Add the chicken and stir fry it until it browns, about 6 to 8 minutes. To help the chicken brown quickly, let it sit for about 2 minutes on one side, then stir it, flipping it over. Let it sit again for another 2 minutes before stirring once more.
8. Once the chicken browns, add in the vegetables and saute until tender.
9. Add the sauce mixture. Mix everything up together and let the sauce come to a boil.
10. Once the sauce boils, add in the cornstarch mixture and stir until it becomes thick.
11. Then remove it from the heat and serve. This is great with both fried rice and white steamed rice.
12. Eat and enjoy!

KITCHEN KREATIONS: Crock Pot BBQ Pulled Pork sandwiches with Coleslaw

WEEKEND FEAST: Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork sandwiches with coleslaw

So this morning I was messing around on foodnetwork.com's website and came across a Bobby Flay Throw Down video. He was making pulled pork sandwiches in this episode. Hmmm...
I've been on this mission for the hubby and I to start eating healthier by making more things at home and limiting ourselves to only going out to eat once per week. I watched the video and thought, I can do that. Then, I went to my 2nd favorite cooking site, Youtube, and typed in slow cooker pulled pork. You wouldn't believe the number of people with videos on how to cook pulled pork in a crock pot. So, I watched a few videos and dashed off to the grocery store. The results were amazing. Don't try this recipe if you are in a hurry or are starving. The pork cooks for hours on high in the crock pot, so we left to run some errands and when we got back, the house smelled heavenly. Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:
Slow cooker and disposable liner (works wonderfully!)
Cooking spray
Pork tenderloin
Meat rub seasoning (your preference - we used the Sweet and Spicy flavor)
1/2 cup apple juice
cole slaw package mix

Sauce: (I haven't learned how to make my own from scratch yet, so bear with me...)
2 bottles of BBQ sauce (again, the flavor is your preference - we used Sweet Baby Rays, Regular
& Honey BBQ)
2 Tbs brown sugar
1 Tbs ketchup
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp yellow mustard
2 Tbs olive oil
1 cap full of Apple Cider vinegar
1/2 cup water

1. Line slow cooker with disposable liner and spray with cooking spray.
2. Rinse pork tenderloin well with water and place in slow cooker
3. Apply rub seasonings to meat. Coat well.
4. Pour apple juice into crock pot around the meat being careful to not pour over the meat and rinse the seasoning off.
   
5. Cover and cook pork in crock pot on high for 5 hours.
6. Make cole slaw according to package directions. Refrigerate while meat is cooking.
   
7. (If applicable) After cooked, pull pork from bone. Discard bone.
8. Make BBQ sauce.
   

a. Mix all sauce ingredients in a pot and bring to boil.

b. Let boil for 2-3 minutes, then simmer on low heat until meat is ready.

9. Pour in BBQ sauce. Cook meat and sauce in crock pot for an additional hour to let flavors
integrate.
10. Make sandwich being sure to place coleslaw on top.

Enjoy!!!

Thanks for the inspiration, Bobby!!!

TGIF Music Blast: Cee Lo Green 'Bright Lights Bigger City'

So, this was my song of the week, family.
This is Bright Lights, Bigger City by Cee Lo Green from the LadyKiller album.
Here are just a few of the lyrics from this cool song:
Yes I need it
Everybody does
Cocktails and conversation
Music and making love

And it's alright
It's alright [x5]
Bright lights and the big city
It belongs to us tonight

I don't know why, but this is just such a feel good song to me. I just can't listen to it without bobbing my head or swaying to the beat or something. I seriously listened to this song at least 5 times today. [LOL - obsessive much???]
So anyway, just take a listen to Cee Lo. This is a great song. I'm thinking it is now my favorite song from his LadyKiller album. Hope you enjoy!

TGIF Music Blast: Bruno Mars - "Grenade" LIVE

So, I heard this song on 106.1fm last night. The radio version is a bit faster, but the words are wonderful, so this is the song that I'm feeling for this week. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

I'd catch a grenade for ya
Throw my hand on a blade for ya
I’d jump in front of a train for ya
You know I'd do anything for ya
Oh, oh
I would go through all this pain
Take a bullet straight through my brain,
Yes, I would die for ya, baby
But you won't do the same.

Those are some powerful words. Is it just me or does anyone else hear a little Mike in there???
Have a wonderfully blessed Friday and enjoy your weekend!

KITCHEN KREATIONS: Chicken with creamed spinach sauce over rice

Sunday Dinner:

So, for tonight's dinner, I thought I would try experimenting on the hubby, my self-proclaimed "happily stuffed lab rat"... [LOL]

A few weeks ago, I was watching my girl Ateyaaa's channel on youtube again and saw a video that she did on Basa fish with Creamed spinach sauce. I watched the video and thought, hmm, that would probably be really tasty with chicken. I modified the recipe quite a bit and made it my own. I'm quite pleased and proud of myself because this is the first time that I have deviated from the recipes given to make my own recipe. So here you go, the first Kesha's Kitchen Kreations recipe. Hope you enjoy! Let me know how it came out...

Ingredients

1 pound chicken tenderloins

1 cup rice

1 can Cream of Chicken & Mushroom soup

Milk

1 box frozen creamed spinach

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

4 oz. cream cheese (½ block)

½ cup chopped onions

1 tsp minced garlic

1 Tbs butter

Nutmeg

Cayenne pepper

Parsley

Preheat oven to 400^o.

1. Wash and season the chicken according to your taste. [I used approx 2 tsp Tony Cachere’s creole seasoning, 2 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, & 2 pinches of parsley.]
2. Place chicken in oven-safe baking dish and bake for approximately 15-20 minutes.
3. While chicken is baking, cook rice according to directions.
4. Prepare the frozen creamed spinach according to package directions.
5. Prepare sauce.
1. Melt butter in pot.
2. Add garlic and onions. Saute until tender.
3. Add can of Cream of Chicken & Mushroom soup.
4. Add milk (fill empty soup can with milk and pour in pot).
5. Stir well until integrated.
6. Add the cooked creamed spinach to mixture and stir well.
7. Add ½ of the mozzarella cheese to sauce.
8. Cut up cream cheese into cubes and add to mixture.
9. Add 1 dash of cayenne pepper and 2 dashes of nutmeg to sauce.
10. Stir well until integrated and bring to boil.
6. After 15-20 minutes in the oven, remove chicken and pour sauce over chicken.
7. Place chicken and sauce mixture back in the oven for an additional 15-20 minutes.
8. After done, remove from oven, and add the remaining half of the mozzarella cheese on top.
9. Place over cooked rice and enjoy!

Sweet Potato Pie recipe

Ok, so I must give credit where credit is due. Thanks, Aunt Niecy for a fabulous sweet potato pie recipe. The hubby was just saying the other day that he really misses his grandma's sweet potato pie now that she has passed on. So, I was on a mission to find a good recipe that would help to ease the ache a little as well as one that I could pass down to my nieces and nephews and eventually my grandbabies (Lord willing). So here you go, a wonderful pretty darned easy to make sweet potato pie recipe that is fool-proof! Your folks will think that you slaved away in the kitchen all day! LOL!!!


Ingredients

Sweet potatoes (2 medium-sized potatoes per pie)
1/2 cup white granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 stick butter - melted
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla flavoring
2 large eggs
1/2 cup evaporated milk

*NOTE:  ALWAYS taste test your pie filling BEFORE adding the eggs to see if you would like to add more sugar.  If you want to make 2 pies, then just double the amounts!

1 store-bought pie crust (normally comes with two per package)

Preheat oven to 375^o.

Directions

1. Bake (or boil) potatoes until tender. [I bake my potatoes at 400^o for approximately 1 hour.]
2. When done, let the potatoes cool and peel them.
3. Place potatoes in a large mixing bowl and roughly mash with a potato masher or fork.
4. Melt the butter and pour it and remaining ingredients into bowl of potatoes.
5. Mix on low with mixer until well blended and smooth.
6. Pour the potato mixture into pie crusts and place into preheated oven.
7. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry.
8. (Optional) Sprinkle a couple dashes of paprika for decoration
9. Enjoy!

KITCHEN KREATIONS: Beef stew with vegetables and Sweet Potato Pie for dessert

Sunday Dinner:

So, for tonight's dinner, the hubby and I had home-style beef stew. You know, the kind where you have to let the meat cook for some hours in the crock pot before adding your veggies and seasonings. The stew that I make is really more of a thick vegetable soup because I like a lot of broth, but the DH assures me that the stew gets two thumbs up and we can't wait to eat more of it tomorrow after it has sat and marinated in the refrigerator overnight. I will probably make a batch of cornbread to go with it tomorrow.
For dessert, I made sweet potato pie. I had to call my aunt in Little Rock for a good recipe because my mama had already left for church this morning. I got up early, washed a load of clothes, and ran to the grocery store all before getting cleaned up and dressed for church this morning. Yaayyy for daylight savings time! (LOL) Well, I have to admit, that pie turned out to be the absolute best sweet potato pie that I have EVER made in my life and I do like to experiment with the recipes. The hubby has proclaimed himself to be my "happily stuffed lab rat". LOL!
He says that he does not mind if I experiment on him because so far, everything has come out really good. I think that the sweet potato pie has become #1 in his affections of kitchen creations. Will post a picture of the pie in the next post.

Beefy Vegetable Stew
1 pound beef stew meat
2 bags frozen mixed vegetables
1 8oz can tomato sauce
2 packages of McCormick's Beef Stew Seasoning
1/2 chopped onion
3 medium sized diced potatoes
1 can diced tomatoes and chiles (I used Rotel brand, but any kind should work)
3-4 cups beef broth

Dump everything into your slow cooker (crock pot) and cook on high for 3-4 hours.
Enjoy!

Midweek Feast: Taste of Asia night

So today I was sitting at work wondering what we were going to have for dinner. Since I've been on this Asian kick lately, I thought I would try to make some Chinese at home.
On tonight's menu: Pork lo mein with vegetables and egg rolls.
Both recipes came out absolutely delicious. The only problem is that since I am still recovering health wise from this summer, by the time I got done actually cooking, I was too tired to eat. The hubby assures me that everything came out great. He's actually (literally) in the kitchen getting seconds as I am typing this. LOL!!!
For the egg rolls, I combined a couple of recipes obtained on YouTube from different people that I subscribe to. So, here you go. I hope that you enjoy.

Pork Egg Rolls
Package of egg roll wrappers (found at your local grocery store in the produce section)
Package of coleslaw mix (I used 1/2 of the package since it was just the two of us)
Half pound of ground pork
1/2 cup thinly sliced onion
1 1/2 Tbs. stir fry oil
3/4 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp ground ginger
2 Tbs. soy sauce
1/4 cup Hoisin sauce
couple of dashes of cayenne pepper
couple of dashes of paprika
1 tsp cornstarch
2 Tbs. water

1. Mix together the coleslaw mix with stir fry oil, garlic salt, ground ginger, cayenne pepper, paprika and onions. Stir well.
2. Microwave mixture on high for 4-5 minutes. Stir again.
3. Add raw pork, Hoisin sauce and soy sauce to cabbage mixture. Stir well until everything is well integrated.
4. Mix the cornstarch and water in a small bowl until it forms a slurry with no lumps present. This acts as the "glue" to hold your egg roll together.
5. Wrap the egg roll.
- Place egg roll wrapper at diagonal with corner facing you.
- Place approximately 2 Tbs of pork/cabbage mixture on wrapper.
- Fold the bottom corner over mixture and roll tightly.
- Fold over the left, then the right corners.
- Wet your finger with the cornstarch "glue" and apply it to the top corner of the wrapper.
- Continue rolling the egg roll until complete.
- Set it aside with the egg roll sitting on the seam of the wrapper, sealed side down.
6. Place carefully in cooking oil and cook until golden brown. Oil should be 375-390 degrees.
7. After done, egg rolls will float to the top of the oil. Remove from the grease and set on a plate covered with paper towels to dry.
8. Enjoy!

For the pork lo mein, it came out really good, but it wasn't quite the taste that I was looking for. So, I will continue on my search for a fabulous lo mein recipe.

Midweek Music Blast: Destiny's Child - Happy Face

I woke up this morning, the sunshine was shining, I put on my happy face.

I'm living, I'm able, I'm breathing, I'm grateful, to put on my happy face!

Sometimes we just have to be reminded of how good God is. I was sitting here reading my husband's blog about how he was terrified this summer when things got really bad for me with my health. I sat here almost in tears just remembering how far He has brought me; from a broken body and broken spirit to a life full of joy and laughter. I tell you, God is good. Lord knows, I am not worthy of His continued blessings, His grace, and His mercy, but I am so incredibly grateful. This song just resonated in my spirit this afternoon, so I will try to get through the rest of my work day without humming or skipping through the office. (LOL)

Be blessed today, people. Enjoy the life you were blessed to have.

Chim's Thai Kitchen: Jefferson City, MO

Location: 103 East High Street
Jefferson City, MO 65101

So today after a long day at work, I anxiously await my hubby coming home with dinner.
I know I know, but I just didn't feel like cooking. My back and my feet both hurt and my stomach is seriously trying to eat it's way to my back. LOL!
Anyway, the place that I am talking about is Chim's Thai Restaurant here in Jefferson City. We always order either the pork Pad Thai or the pork Pad See Ewe with egg rolls. Both are extremely delicious and everything is made fresh to order. No matter what we order though, we HAVE to get the egg rolls because they are so doggoned fabulous! I seriously could eat them every week.
So if you are in the Jefferson City area and are in the mood for some delicious Thai food, try Chim's. You won't be disappointed! Be sure to order the egg rolls, they are addictive!

KITCHEN KREATIONS: Smothered pork chops with rice & gravy with southern-style green beans

Sunday Dinner:

So, for tonight's Sunday dinner, I didn't feel like trying any new recipes. I have been so worn out from being back at work on a full schedule, that I just wanted some old fashioned comfort food.
Tonight's menu consisted of smothered pork chops with rice & gravy and southern-style green beans. The hubby made us pina colada drinks to go with our meal.
Everything turned out delicious. As usual, when I started off cooking, I was incredibly hungry, but by the time the food was done, I could barely eat what was on my plate because I am so tired. So, I have my plate ready to eat in a little bit once I finish sipping on my pina colada and my stomach realizes that this rum does not make a meal. :-)
Well, I hope you enjoy the picture.

Live your life like it's golden and be blessed!

KITCHEN KREATIONS: Chinese Bourbon Chicken with Rice

Sunday Dinner:

Last Sunday, the hubby and I made Bourbon Chicken with white rice.
I am a big Food Network and YouTube food cooking channel fan, so when I came across this recipe via divascancook and on YouTube at Ateyaaa, I had to try it. Let me say that it turned out so good. The sauce was delicious (savory & sweet), the chicken was tender, and the smells coming from my kitchen were amazing!
Definitely check it out, you won't be disappointed!

[Disclaimer: If you follow the recipe exactly as they make it, it doesn't have Bourbon in it, but it is my understanding that you can substitute the water for actual Bourbon.]

Ingredients

3 large chicken breasts

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 teaspoon ginger

3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 cup of apple juice

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 Tablespoon ketchup

1 Tablespoon cider vinegar

1/4 -1/2 cup water

1/3 cup soy sauce

1. Cut up 3 large chicken breast into cubes
2. Heat 2 T. of olive oil in a large sauce pan.
3. Add chicken into the pan and cook until almost done (white on the outside). Remove chicken from pan and set aside.

Let's make the yummy sauce!

4. Now in a large saucepan add:

1 clove of minced garlic

¼ tsp. ginger

¾ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

¼ c. apple juice

¹/₃ c. brown sugar

2 Tbs. ketchup

1 Tbs. cider vinegar

¹/₃ c. soy sauce

¼ or ½ c. of water.

(If you want the sauce to be thin like in the Chinese restaurants use 1/2 c. If you want a glaze-like texture use 1/4 c.)

5. Heat over medium heat until sugar has dissolved and everything has combined.
6. Now add the chicken in and bring it to a hard boil.
7. Reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes.

Serve chicken & sauce over hot rice!