Tasty Tasty Tasty Lamb Stew

Oh my god.  I love this recipe.  It's easy.  It's tasty.  Kids like it, but it's also classy enough that when you serve it to company, you look like a friggin' culinary genius.

That said, it's likely a weekend dish, as it really does require a couple hours to simmer itself into melting tenderness.  Serve over rice (brown or white) with some kind of vegetable.  Hide the leftovers from your spouse.

This comes from A TASTE OF THE MEDITERRANEAN, by Jacqueline Clark and Joanna Farrow.  Last I looked, it seemed to be out of print, but this cookbook is so consistently good it would be worth it to hunt down a used copy and sell your Beamer to pay for it.

Tasty Lamb Stew

3 TBSP olive oil (divided)

3-3.5 lbs lamb fillet, cut into 2-inch cubes (I just use lamb stew meat.  It works dandy).

1 large onion, chopped

6 large garlic cloves, unpeeled

1 bay leaf

1 tsp paprika

1/2 cup dry sherry (I just use your generic cooking sherry.  Works dandy).

4 oz. fresh or frozen f-f-f-f-fava beans (sorry--you knew I was going to do that). 

2 TBSP chopped fresh parsley

Salt and fresh-ground black pepper  

1. Heat to medium high 2 TBSP of the oil in a heavy, flame proof casserole dish or dutch oven (now might be a good time to ask your mother for some Le Creuset . . . )
2. Heat the meat and brown on all sides.  Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels.  (I usually do the meat in two batches).  
3. Heat the remaining oil in the pan, then add the onions and cook for five minutes or so, until soft.  Return the meat to the pot. 
4. Add the garlic cloves, the bay leaf, the paprika, and the sherry.  Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer gently for 2 hours.  Feel free to stir it once or twice in that time to make sure all the meat is soaking in the juices. 
5. Test the meat.  At this point it should be fall-off-your fork tender.  If it's not, cook for another 10-20 minutes, still on low.  
6. When the meat is tender enough, add the fava beans.  Cover and cook for another 10 minutes.  
7. Stir in parsley and serve.  

Family Ratings

Lucy, who is likely the most culinarily adventurous 11-year-old you've ever met:  10

Jamie, who spends most of his meals trying to get Lucy to laugh:  8

Will, who's never liked meat he needs to pick from his teeth:  8

Ellen, who thinks baby sheep are cute and isn't much of a meat eater:  7

Paul, who thinks this is the tastiest stew he's ever encountered:  10

Grilled Chinese Chicken Burgers

My kids have a list of meals they call "The Week of Awesomeness."  It includes Mediterranean Pasta and Root Beer Sloppy Joes.  It also includes this recipe, which I'm finally posting because a friend who had them a few weeks ago has been bugging me to do so.

All of which makes me sound like the world's greatest cook, right?  The irony, though, is that this recipe emerged from a grand mistake:  I found the original version in the newspaper and it included the burgers themselves, a sauce, and a slaw (which I haven't included here, because it's not very good).  

Glancing at the recipe, I dug all of the ingredients out and started mixing, not realizing that I was actually adding components intended for the sauce into the burgers themselves.  

Yeah.  A Ph.D. in English, and I can't even read.  

Anyhow, the result was fantastic.  So that's what I've done ever since.  I've also added a couple things to give the burgers more texture and a bit more flavor.  If your kids don't like cilantro, you can always leave it out, although, frankly, you might want to just get new kids instead.  

One final note:  part of what makes these such a good meal for kids is that a lot of the spice is in the sauce.  That in mind, let the kids test the sauce first to see if they want any.  If they don't, no big deal--that just means more for the grownups.  

Grilled Chinese Chicken Burgers

Burgers

1 lb ground chicken breast

1 lb ground chicken (if you can't find both ground chicken and chicken breast, use two pounds of whatever you can find)  

2 TBSP soy sauce

2 TBSP hoisin sauce

1 TBSP sesame oil

1 TBSP sugar

6 cloves of garlic, minced

1 TBSP minced lemongrass

2 TBSP minced cilantro

1/3 cup green onions, thinly sliced

1 can water chestnuts, drained and chopped (sometimes I use slightly less)

3/4-1 cup store-bought bread crumbs 

6-8 hamburger buns, toasted (I usually split them and put them on the grill, face down, for 2-3 minutes as the grill is warming up)

Sauce

3/4 cup reduced fat mayonnaise

Juice and zest of 1 lime

1-2 TBSP Thai chili sauce

2TBSP hoisin sauce

1. Combine the first 12 ingredients (from ground chicken to bread crumbs).  Mix together well, using your hands.  If it's still sticky when well mixed, add another 1/4 cup of the bread crumbs
2. Fashion into 10-12 patties of moderate thickness.  I like to make them of varying sizes, so that the kids can pick and choose.  (Don't worry about leftovers:  these reheat really well, and are even good cold)
3. Now mix the sauce, adding the mayonnaise, the lime juice and zest, the chili sauce and the hoisin. 
4. Heat your grill, toasting the buns for a few minutes just to make them a little crispy.
5. Grill the burgers, roughly 10-15 minutes, turning frequently.  These cook quickly and throughly, so keep an eye on them.
6. Serve on the buns, with sauce (if desired). 

Family ratings: 

Will, who will request these by name and mock any of his friends who don't like them:  10

Lucy--really, you have to ask?:  10

Jamie, who's into being contrary:  9

Ellen, who's not much of a meat-eater, but loves these:  10

Paul, who's looking less like a former swimmer and more like a former linebacker:  11

To Hell with You Chili

I call this "To Hell with You Chili" because I know the moment I post it a bunch of people who REALLY care about chili will write to me and explain to me exactly why this chili is just so so so wrong.

I don't care.  I like this chili.  It tastes good.  It makes me happy.  And my kids like it too.

So . . . well, you get where this is going . . .

Some credit here goes to my friend Sarah who, years ago, told me that her secret for good chili was to use italian sausage instead of ground beef.  Way to go, Sarah!  From there on, it was just one broken rule after another for me.

Note that I kept the heat pretty low on this.  Feel free to add more chili powder or red pepper flakes, particularly if you're mad or your children have been acting sassy lately.  

To Hell with You Chili

2 14 oz. cans Mexican tomatoes (I mean that the tomatoes have Mexican-style spices in them, not that they're actually from south of the border)
1 6 oz. can tomato paste
1 carrot, sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks of celery, also chopped
1/3 cup dark beer
1/3 cup beef broth
1/3 cup steak sauce
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1 jar of fire-roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
1 lb. mild Italian sausage (or hot, if you prefer)
1/2 lb ground sirloin
5 slices of bacon
2 TBS chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. dried basil
1 15 oz. can kidney beans
1 TBS chopped fresh cilantro
1 TBS chopped fresh parsley

1. Combine tomatoes, tomato paste, onion, carrot, celery, beer, broth, wine, steak sauce, pepper flakes, bell peppers, and roasted pepper together in a large pot.  
2. Simmer over medium heat. 
3. Cook bacon in a frying pan until crunchy. 
4. Drain bacon on paper towels.  Cook sausage and beef in bacon grease.  Stir in the chili powder, basil, and cumin. 
5. Mix the beef/sausage mixture into the simmering vegetables, adding the bacon.  
6. Cover and continue to simmer for 20-30 minutes (or longer), until the veggies are tender and the flavors are tasty.  
7. Stir in the beans, cilantro, and parsley.  Simmer for another ten minutes. 
8. Serve with saltine crackers.  

Family ratings: 

Will, who almost likes this chili as much as fajitas but won't give it a higher score just out of principle: 9.5

Lucy, who pretty much loves everything:  10

Jamie, who can occasionally surprise himself with the things he likes: 9

Ellen, who much prefers the vegetarian chili recipe we've been using for twenty years:  6

Paul, who knows he's going to get in trouble with his mom for naming this chili what he did:  10

Salmon Pasta with Tarragon Sauce

Yeah, I know, I know:  whose kid eats salmon?  I mean, really, right?

Fair enough.  While Will and James will do due diligence and eat more or less most of the salmon that arrives on their plate in this dish, Lucy, my fearless go-to eater, pretty much refuses to eat more than one piece or two of the salmon, picking through the noodles instead.  She does this, I'm pretty sure, more out of principal than out of taste:  fish has always been the one food item at which she draws the line, and the more her older brother teases her about it, the more she insists she hates it.

So when I serve this, two of my kids do fairly well, one of my kids eats pretty much only the noodles and sauce, and Ellen and I CHOW DOWN!

Because you know what?  This dish tastes GREAT--so great that I'm not really bothered if my kids don't like it and/or don't eat that much of it.  Hell, serve them a couple carrot sticks to round off their appetites if that's what it takes.  This meal is delicious, and it deserves to be placed on the table at every possible opportunity.

Period.

And just for the record, tarragon is THE most underrated herb ever.

Period.

A few notes:

• Always used the thin sliced smoked salmon--also known as lox.  And if you can, get the hardwood apple smoked, as I find this adds a little extra sweetness and . . . um . . . smokiness . . .
• Use fresh tarragon.  And rather than plucking the leaves off the stem one by one, just hold the stem firmly in one hand, pinch the fingers of the other hand together, and pull along the stem in one smooth motion, tearing the leaves off that way.  Much faster. 

I took this recipe from the Betty Crocker Easy Italian book, pretty much word for word.  Betty rocks, even if she is just the imaginative product of an anonymous corporation.  

Salmon Pasta with Tarragon Sauce

16 oz. bow-tie or similar pasta
1 TBSP olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 TBSP chopped fresh tarragon leaves
1 TBSP chopped fresh parsley

1/4 cup dry white wine or chicken broth

1.5 cups half-and-half

2 tsp stone-ground mustard

1-2 packages (3-4 oz. each) of sliced smoked salmon lox

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Cook and drain your pasta following the directions on the package
2. Prepare your herbs
3. Pealing off each layer of the salmon separately, cut it into 1/2-inch wide strips using a cooking shears (this is to prevent the salmon from clumping together, something that will undoubtedly turn off any kid)
4. In a medium skillet, heat the oil over moderate heat.  Cook the onion, tarragon, and parsley for 3-4 minutes, until onion is tender.  
5. Add the wine
6. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until the wine has almost evaporated
7. Stir in the half-and-half and the mustard
8. Heat until just boiling, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 7-8 minutes, until the sauce has thickened
9. In a large serving dish, mix together the pasta, the salmon, the sauce, and 1/4 cup of the cheese, then toss gently until the pasta is coated
10. Serve with remaining cheese

Family Ratings: 

Lucy, who insists she hates fish even though she once gave a tuna steak a "10" before realizing what it was:  6

Jamie, who still kind of assumes all meat is chicken:  8

Will, who likes to like fish because his sister hates it:  8

Ellen, who herself isn't too crazy about smoked fish:  10

Paul, who never ate salmon until he was 35 and now loves it:  10

Wild Rice Salad with Chicken (or leftover Turkey)

This is one of those recipes that I found in the newspaper maybe three weeks ago.  Since then, we've made it approximately 26 times, and it's been gobbled down every time.

Obviously, it's intended for the efficient re-use of leftover chicken or turkey--you need about two cups of either.  Since I don't always have chicken laying around the house, I've also included a little coda that shows how to prepare chicken breasts specifically for this recipe.

Don't worry about either the onions or the hot pepper sauce bothering your fussy kids:  the grapes and apples will distract them, and I find that they also generally like the chewy-ishness (yes, that's a real word) of the wild rice.  But then, who doesn't?

Wild Rice Salad with Chicken (or Turkey)

1 cup uncooked brown rice

1 cup uncooked white rice

1 cup uncooked wild rice

3 cups chicken broth (more or less, depending on whether or not you're using a rice steamer)

3 cups water (again, more or less)

2 cups leftover chicken (or 1-1.5 lb. uncooked chicken breast--see note, below)

1 cup seedless grapes, halved

1/4 cup celery

1/4 cup green onion, sliced

1/4 cup walnut pieces

1/4 parsley, chopped

1/2 tsp. coarse salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 Granny Smith Apple, cut into wedges

1 cup chicken broth

For the dressing:

1/4 cup orange juice

2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar

2 tsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. coarse salt

1/2 tsp. hot pepper sauce

1. Rinse the three rices and mix them together.  If you have a rice steamer, pour them in to the steamer and measure in the appropriate amount of liquid, being sure to use equal parts chicken broth and water.  If you're NOT using a rice steamer, you'll likely need a total of six cups of liquid (or slightly less)--again, using equal parts chicken broth and water.  
2. Start the rice.  Go read a book or play with your kids or something.  (Obviously, this step can be done ahead of time).  
3. If you DON'T have any pre-cooked chicken, at this point follow the instructions in my note below.  
4. Once the rice is done, scrape it into a large bowl to cool.  Stir it on occasion to let the heat out. 
5. Taste the rice and add a little salt if it needs it. 
6. In a small sauce pan, heat up the chicken broth.  When it's just starting to boil, drop in your apple wedges.  Simmer for 10-15 minutes until just soft.  Remove apple wedges, get rid of the chicken broth. 
7. Chop your cooked chicken, the celery, the green onions, and the parsley.  Slice your grapes.  Mix all of this together with the walnut pieces and the salt and pepper.  When the apples have cooled, chop them into thirds and add them as well. 
8. Mix together the ingredients for the dressing.  
9. Combine the rice, the chicken mixture, and the dressing.  Add additional seasoning if necessary.  
10. Serve. 

NOTE:  If you don't have pre-cooked or leftover chicken, do this while the rice is cooking. 

1. Trim and separate 1-1.5 lbs. chicken breasts, then cut each breast in half again. 
2. Heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil and one Tbsp. butter in a small frying pan.  
3. Brown the chicken very very lightly.  You don't want to form a hard coating.  
4. Add roughly 1 cup chicken broth.  
5. Cover.  Bring to boil.  Cook on medium-low for 8-12 minutes.  (You can also throw in the apple wedges at this point, if you'd like.)
6. Once the chicken is done, chop and continue the recipe until completed.  

Family Ratings

Lucy, who pretty much loves everything:  10

Jamie, who's getting really fussy, but likes the grapes and wild rice:  10

Will, who's 13 and feeling kind of contrary:  8

Ellen, who's a little surprised I'm cooking something so healthy:  10

Paul, who's even more surprised:  10

Root Beer Sloppy Joes

This will come as no surprise to anyone, but as a kid growing up in Wisconsin, I wasn't really what you'd refer to as "normal."  I didn't like hamburgers, I hated McDonald's, Cheetos kind of freaked me out.  I refused to drink my milk and thought sloppy joes were disgusting.

I still hate milk.  Not sure why, other than it tastes very literally like something that just came out of the stomach of a large animal.  I've come around to sloppy joes, though, largely because of this recipe, which came out of the Roanoke Times.  The keys here are:  a) the dried thyme, which gives the whole dish a nice layered taste; and b) the toasted whole grain buns.  And no, I'm not usually one for whole grain buns, either.  But what can I say?  I think this is one of those dishes where you look at the ingredients separately and shake your head--but when you put them all together?  The kids absolutely love it.  

Root Beer Sloppy Joes

1 lb. ground sirloin or high grade Angus chuck

1 medium onion finely chopped

2 cloves minced garlic

1 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. dried thyme

1/2 tsp. dry mustard

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1 cup ketchup

1/2 cup root beer

4-6 whole-grain hamburger buns

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees.  Slice the buns in half, lay them face down on the rack, and toast for 4-6 minutes, until just crispy on the insides. 
2. In a large-nonstick skillet, cook ground sirloin for 4 minutes on medium until the pink is nearly gone.  Drain. 
3. Add the onion and garlic and cook for another 4 minutes, stirring regularly. 
4. Add the chili powder, thyme, mustard, salt and pepper.  Stir.  
5. Stir in ketchup and root beer.  Reduce heat to medium-low and cook 10 minutes or until the sauce thickens. 
6. Serve on the toasted buns.  

Family Ratings

Will, who really is becoming more easy-going as an eater:  10

Lucy, who thinks the root beer makes dinner taste like dessert (even though it really doesn't): 10

Jamie, who's taken to eating twelve snacks between 4:00 and 6:00, and then saying he doesn't like my cooking:  7

Ellen, who kind of rebels against anything that seems even vaguely midwestern:  7

Paul, who's not getting any skinnier:  10

Greek Lamb Sausages in Tomato Sauce

Okay, I'll be honest:  these are really more meatballs than sausages; I mean, they involve ground meat patted into more or less ball type things--so, meatballs.

But then, as I was writing the title of this post, I thought, "Meatballs.  If I say meatballs, no one will look at this recipe."  And at that moment I understood exactly what Jacqueline Clarke and Joanna Farrow were thinking in A TASTE OF THE MEDITERRANEAN when they decided on the whole "sausages" thing.  

And trust me:  these meatba--er, sausages deserve your attention.  They're stunningly flavorful, but mild enough that the kids will like them too.  They take a bit of time, so I'd recommend them for weekend meals, at least the first few times you try them.  After that, you'll be so addicted you'll make them on a weekday even if it means staying up until midnight to do it.  

Greek Lamb Sausages in Tomato Sauce

1 cup fresh bread crumbs*
2/3 cup milk

1.5 lbs. ground lamb

2 tablespoons grated onion (I know:  weird, right?)

3 garlic cloves, crushed

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Flour for dusting

1/4 cup olive oil

2.5 cups tomato sauce

1 teaspoon sugar

2 bay leaves

1 small onion, peeled (but NOT chopped!)

Salt and fresly-ground black pepper to taste

*Be sure to make your own:  basically, toss 2-4 slices of bread in the food processor and pulse until you've got fairly fine crumbs.  

1. Combine the bread crumbs and the milk. 
2. Add the lamb, onion, garlic, cumin, parsley, and salt and pepper.  Mix well with your hands. 
3. Shape the meat mixture into fat little ovals, about two inches long, rolling each one in the flour and setting aside. 
4. Mix the tomato sauce, sugar and bay leaves in a pan. 
5. Peel the onion and cut off the ends.  Put the whole onion in the tomato sauce.  Simmer for 20 minutes. 
6. Heat the oil in a separate frying pan to medium.  
7. Fry the sausages for about 8 minutes, turning occasionally until browned evenly. 
8. Remove sausages and place on paper town to drain. 
9. Add the sausages to the tomato sauce and cook on medium low for about 10 more minutes.  
10. Serve with a green salad and/or risotto.  

Family Ratings

Lucy, who increasingly likes anything, and the weirder the better:  10

Will, who still resists rating anything as highly as fajitas:  8

Jamie, who can sometimes surprise us by gobbling things down:  9

Ellen, who loves the taste of lamb but feels guilty . . . : 8

Paul, who loves the simplicity of the flavors in this dish:  10

Pan-Glazed Chicken with Basil

This is an old standard in our family:  it's about as easy as they come and very flavorful.  It comes from Cooking Light's 5 Ingredient, 15 Minute Cookbook.

Pan-Glazed Chicken with Basil

4 boned, skinned chicken breast halves

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon honey

4 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

1. Slice the chicken breasts in half, length-wise.  (If they're extra thick, you might want to slice them thickness-wise as well, just to make for more even cooking.)
2. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. 
3. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet at medium-high. 
4. Cook chicken for five minutes each side until lightly browned. 
5. While chicken is cooking, mix together the vinegar, honey, and basil
6. When chicken is ready, stir in the honey mixture and cook for one additional minute. 
7. Serve with rice, baby carrots, lime jell-o, and anything else your kids like.  

Family Ratings

Will, who has a habit of picking up a large chunk of meat and eating it off his fork, like the Asians do with chopsticks:  10

Lucy, who could probably already make this herself:  10

Jamie, who actually finishes it before we have to tell him to:  10

Ellen, who comes from the midwest and likes minimalist, fresh flavorings:  10

Paul, who's had this about 600 times in the last 17 years and is mildly sick of it:  9

Thai Pepper Steak

Yes, I know this is the second Thai recipe I've posted in a row.  I'd had plans to post recipes for gooey chocolate cake and balsamic vinegar chicken (two different dishes, just in case you were worried).  But then I made this for the first time tonight, took one bite, and went, "Well heck!  THAT'S good!"

(Actually, that's not what I said.  I said, "Well %$#@!  THAT'S &^%$ amazing!" but since this is a family oriented blog--unlike my other blog--I thought I'd keep it clean.  Just this once.)

Anyhow, this also comes from Thailand:  The Beautiful Cookbook, which, despite its awkward name, is rapidly becoming one of my favorites.  I messed a bit here with proportions (using less white pepper than they recommended) and cooking order/time (I prefer my red peppers not cooked into a mush), but other than that, this is straight from the book.

Excuse me:  the @#&% book.

The recipe below is for four servings, but this recipe doubles nicely.  It probably halves nicely, too, for that matter.

Thai Pepper Steak

Marinade: 

1 teaspoon fish sauce

1 Tablespoon cornstarch

1/8 teaspoon white pepper 

The rest: 

1-2 cups rice (I use jasmine) cooked per instructions

1 lb. tender beef (I use flank steak or flat iron steak)

2 tablespoons oil

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup thinly sliced onion

1/4 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper

1/4 cup thinly sliced green bell pepper

3 Tablespoons fish sauce

1 Tablespoon Maggi Seasoning *

2 Tablespoons sugar

1 Tablespoon sesame oil

* You should be able to get Maggi Seasoning in the foreign foods section of your grocery store; it's in a little yellow and red jar with a yellow cap.  If you can't find it, one site I visited recommended just using bacon bits . . . 

1. Start your rice, according to directions.  
2. Mix the marinade ingredients.  It'll be pretty pasty.  Don't worry.  
3. Slice the beef across the grain very thinly--say, 1/8 of an inch or less.  (An 8-inch French chef knife is best for this.  Just be sure to hide your thumb behind your other fingers).  
4. Place beef in the marinade and mix.  Set aside for at least 10 minutes.  
5. Chop the garlic, slice the onions, etc.  
6. Mix the fish sauce, Maggi Seasoning, sugar, and sesame oil together in a small bowl.  
7. Heat your wok or a large frying pan until hot.  Coat with the oil.  
8. Toss in the garlic.  Cook for five seconds. 
9. Add beef.  Stir fry for 1-2 minutes until still just barely pink.  
10. Add the onions and stir-fry for 30 seconds. 
11. Add green and red peppers.  Stir-fry for 30 seconds.  
12. Add the fish sauce, etc.  Stir-fry for 2 minutes.  
13. Serve over rice!

Family Ratings

Lucy, who's recovering from the flu and was cautious:  10

Will, who's something of a beef eater, even if he doesn't have one of those weird hats:  10

Jamie, who insisted on eating the meat with none of the sauce:  7

Ellen, who appreciates that her husband cooks for her, even if she's not crazy about beef:  8

Paul.  Seriously?  You have to ask?:  10

Thai Chicken with Young Corn

Okay, so maybe this seems a little funny right before Christmas--I mean, Thai food?  Where's the frosting?  Where's the cooked fruit?

Or maybe it's exactly what you need:  light, fast, a little sweet, a little tang on the tongue.  

It comes, unadulterated, from Thailand:  The Beautiful Cookbook.  It's a small-ish recipe, but doubles well. 

Thai Chicken with Young Corn

Enough cooked rice for your family (I usually do 2 cups for the five of us)

3 Tablespoons oil

1 lb. boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized slices

3 garlic cloves, crushed

1 cup baby corn

1/2 cup sliced mushrooms (straw or otherwise)

2 Tablespoons oyster sauce

2 Tablespoons fish sauce

2 Tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground peppercorns

2 green onions, cut into 1-inch pieces (or smaller, if you have fussy buggers)

1. Cook rice according to instructions. 
2. Cut up your chicken and slice your mushrooms.
3. Rinse the baby corn.  This helps give it a fresher taste
4. In a small bowl, mix together oyster sauce, fish sauce, sugar, and peppercorns. 
5. Heat your wok or skillet to high heat.  Add oil. 
6. Stir-fry chicken and garlic for 2 minutes. 
7. Add everything else.  Stir-fry for two more minutes.  
8. Serve hot over rice.  

Family Ratings: 

Will, who really is starting to develop an appetite:  10

Lucy, who was fighting the flu:  7

Jamie, who is becoming a fussy butt:  8

Ellen, who's not crazy about mushrooms:  10

Paul, who still resents the fact that he wasn't able to go to Thailand because of the red-shirt revolution:  10