Homesick Chinese Takeout

This recipe is for everyone, who, like me, gets inexplicably homesick for the kind of bad Chinese food you get at Chinese takeout. This tastes exactly like the "Bourbon Chicken" you get at food courts all across the US.

It's reprinted here directly from food.com - I can't take any credit for the recipe. I just copy and pasted. I have attached a few of my own notes in parentheses.

2 lbs boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces (aka one kilo)
1 -2 tablespoon olive oil (any vegetable oil is fine and makes no flavor difference)
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/4 tsp ginger
3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup apple juice
1/3 cup light brown sugar (I suspect white sugar would be fine but I haven't tried it)
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup soy sauce

Directions:
Prep Time: 15 mins
Total Time:35 mins

• Heat oil in a large skillet.
• Add chicken pieces and cook until lightly browned.
• Remove chicken.
• Add remaining ingredients, heating over medium Heat until well mixed and dissolved.
• Add chicken and bring to a hard boil. (I bring to a boil and then add the chicken)
• Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
• Serve over hot rice and ENJOY.

Note: I like to add frozen veggies during the simmer period. Broccoli or green beans are both nice. I also recommend adding a mix of 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 1 tablespoon water to the sauce toward the end of the simmer to thicken it.

Read more: http://www.food.com/recipe/bourbon-chicken-45809#ixzz1CR0fKLfK

Recipe: Vaguely Turkish Soup

I love this soup. It's light and refreshing served lukewarm or room temperature in the summer, and it's savory and warming in the winter. It's so easy to make than I am faintly embarrassed to serve it and so good that we had it as part of our Christmas dinner this year.

Ingredients:

2 cups chicken broth (vegetable if you prefer, just pick broth you like the taste of)
1 cup full fat plain yogurt (I make my own, but it doesn't matter much)
2/3 cup of cooked rice
2 tablespoons finely diced fresh mint (or two teaspoons dried)

Instructions:

1. Bring broth to a boil.
2. Turn heat down to a low simmer and stir in the yogurt and rice.
3. Add half the mint, and bring back to simmer.
4. Taste. If you like it, you're done. If it needs more mint, add the remaining mint to taste.
5. That's it!

Notes:

1. Too much mint will ruin the soup, so add it slowly and taste.
2. As the name implies, this soup is based on one of my favorite Turkish soups. I bought it in packets for a year before I thought to duplicate it at home. An actual Turkish recipe blogger has a recipe here.