Thanksgiving, New Recipe, I'm a Cheeseball

I hope you all had a happy Thanksgiving!! Thank you so much for your sweet comments about little Remy! And you cracked me up with your comments on the hot chicken salad. I actually never thought about it being "warm mayonnaise" - it just seemed more like a comfort sauce! LOL Our Thanksgiving was really nice - great to sleep in, spend time with the pups and then spend time with Austin's family at the lake house. Beautiful weather, great food and good times. We stayed out there until about 5:30, then it was time to get home and feed our babies. I didn't take any pictures. LOSER, I know.

When we got home I decided it was time for me to whip up some new recipes for the remainder of our holidays! Austin took some pictures of me in the kitchen - i'm such a cheeseball:

I mean really, could my smile be any wider? LOL (for those who recognized that Chandler from Friends syllable stress). Yes, i'm cooking in sweat pants - LOVE IT. My thanksgiving holidays are definitely being sponsored by J.Crew's cozy pants. hehe

Here's one I made last night... amazing. Seriously, the best Asian-inspired recipe I've EVER made! For those of you who are 'over' "Thanksgiving food" already, make this!

Szechuan Chicken and Rice
Makes 4 Servings
Recipe adapted from a Stephanie Cooks recipe (from Blog Chef)

16 ounces chicken
½ cup water
¼ cup ketchup
2 tbsp light soy sauce
4 tsp cornstarch
2 tsp honey
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
½ teaspoon minced ginger, jarred
1.5 tbsp canola oil
4 tsp minced garlic, jarred

3 cups white rice, cooked per box instructions, divided

In a small bowl mix together water, ketchup, soy sauce, cornstarch, honey, crushed red pepper flakes and ginger. Heat oil in a wok over medium heat. Add garlic and stir fry for 30 seconds. Add chicken and toss to coat with oil. Heat for 3-4 minutes. While it’s still a bit pink, pour in sauce. Heat until sauce is thick and bubbly, 3-4 minutes, then reduce heat to simmer and cook until chicken is no longer pink. Serve over white rice.

Nutritional Information: 457 calories, 66 carbs, 7 fat grams and 27 protein grams.

Review: Amazing. Seriously. Austin had one bite and said it tasted ‘for real restaurant style.’ High praise. It’s spicy, but not too spicy, and I loved how thick it was and how much sauce it made. I felt like if it had been jarred this way it would have had way more calories. The recipe originally called for shrimp, which I’m sure would be great too. It also called for green onions which I would have used had I had some on hand. Great recipe, will make this again for sure. Could reduce oil to 1 tbsp if you wan to lower calories a bit. This seriously may be my best Asian-inspired recipe yet!

I mean it - high praise, friends! After cooking this and two other recipes, it was time to go visit with Katie and Cush. We headed to their place around 9, had a couple of drinks then headed home around midnight. Great Thanksgiving day!!! I loved being able to relax and not having to rush around, travel, etc. I'm VERY thankful for that, and for our family and friends we got to spend time with - lovely day indeed.

Today is the Iron Bowl... I'm about to hit the grocery store and gym - then it's time to cook and get today going - woo!

Q: Any plans for today? Mine is football + relaxation!

Q: Have you ever had szechuan chicken? I never had! I'd always stayed away from recipes like this with thick sauces. So happy to know I can make this at home, on my own, so inexpensively!