Are you ready for fall??

I was inspired by all the pumpkin carving pics I saw on Pinterest.com
So, here's my way of welcoming fall... And a step-by-step tutorial to my creation!!

1) Begin with a large pumpkin

2) Print off the letter of you choice in the font of your choice...make sure you fit the font size to the size of your pumpkin.  Trim your template so it's easier to work with.  If you can, tape it into place, otherwise just keep a firm grip so it doesn't move around.

3) Find something small and pokey to create an outline of the letter on your pumpkin.  The tool I'm using here came in one of my pumpkin carving kits. 

4) Your pumpkin should now look like this...(sorry, I know it's kind of hard to see)

5)  Using a tool of your choosing, begin carving out just the skin of the pumpkin to reveal the flesh underneath.  I used the small blunt blade on a pocket knife.  Try to use something that will scrap and not scoop.  And this is what you end up with!!

Happy Carving!!!

A New Favorite...

I don't really know how authentic or Americanized the far East dishes are that I eat; (I say far East because I like it all, Asian, Chinese, Japanese, Thai). Alas, I have always enjoyed far East food.  Who in Mongolia actually eats what we know to be Mongolian Beef, or who in Japan actually eats what we know as Japanese Pan Noodles, I think you get my point.  Anyway, I've been doing a lot of far East inspired cooking lately.

A favorite of mine has always been Cashew Chicken (not many places carry it) and I had never made it until recently.  I was given a new cookbook from my mother for Christmas, and this one had a recipe for it, so I gave it a whirl.  And now,I think make it about once a month! :)  So, if you feel so lead as to give it a try.  Here's the recipe (printable) and some pics...Bon Appetite!

Cashew Chicken

Ingredients:

            ¾  cup orange juice

            1/3 cup honey

            ¼ cup soy sauce

            1 Tablespoon cornstarch

            1 teaspoon ground ginger

            1 teaspoon garlic powder

            ½ teaspoon pepper

            2 Tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

4 green onions, chopped

2 large carrots, chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 cup cashews

Directions:

-       Whisk together juice, honey, soy sauce, cornstartch and seasonings.

-       In a wok, heat 1 tablespoon oil until smoking.  Stir-fry veggies until onions become fragrant.  Set aside.

-       In same skillet, heat the other tablespoon of oil until smoking.  Stir-fry the chicken until browned and center is no longer pink.

-       Add in veggies, cashews and sauce.  Cook until sauce is bubble and has thickened.

Serving suggestion: serve over jasmine rice and with green salad.

A New Inspiration

As I have found myself deeply engrossed in the world of pinterest, I of course find myself inspired to create.  However, what I find most regrettable, is that I have not been documenting my own creations.  I have had many a "good idea" and no one to share it with who might benefit from the knowledge.  So alas, I shall keep my camera handy, documenting step-by-step processes and unleash my creativity into the world wide web...and see if anything makes it onto pinterest! :)

where shall I begin...