A friend got some vinegar in his ear, now he suffers from pickled hearing.

Do chickens think rubber humans are funny?

Each day I try to enjoy something from each of the four food groups: the bonbon group, the salty-snack group, the caffeine group, and the “whatever-the-thing-in-the-tinfoil-in-the-back-of-the-fridge-is” group.

Chinese Chicken Salad

Simple to do:

• Baked the chicken thighs (removed the skin to save on some calories) with some salt and pepper in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes.
• Blanched the asparagus for two minutes in boiling water, then drained and set in ice cold water to keep crisp.
• Cut the orange into segments.
• Everything else was “as is”.

Keeping with the “Kitchen Sink Style”, I made the dressing with the fabulous TORTURED ORCHARD ‘S Lemon Ginger Twist I had on hand, and other products I keep in my pantry.

Dressing:

• 1 tablespoon Tortured Orchard Lemon Ginger Twist
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil

Try this or look in your fridge and pantry for your personal twist on Chinese Chicken Salad, “Kitchen Sink Style”.

Let me know what you come up with.

FYI:

Tortured Orchard’s Lemon Ginger Twist Details:

Ingredients: organic evaporated cane juice, water, lemon puree, dried currants, white wine vinegar, sweet vidalia onion, ginger, lemon peel, lemon juice, jalapeño peppers

Amount: 9 oz
Calories: 40
Total Fat: 0g, 0%
Sodium: 0mg, 0%

Total Carbohydrate: 10g, 4%
Sugars: 9g
Protein: 0g
Vitamin C: 2%

For more information on Tortured Orchard’s sauces and to purchase, please visit http://torturedorchard.com/.

Tonight I had a craving for ice cream…nothing new there, but I wanted something different to top my good old vanilla flavor.  I’ve been harboring TORTURED ORCHARD’s SWEET APPLE BLUSH for quite a while now because I wanted to first try it in crepes, however, I am not a milk drinker and you need milk to make crepes so I constantly forgot to add that to the grocery list in my mind (don’t try this at home…doesn’t work), so what’s a girl to do but break out the ice cream!  Oh yeah!  Vanilla ice cream and TORTURED ORCHARD’s Sweet Apple Blush get along just fine!  Oh yeah!

TORUTURED ORCHARD also suggests using their Sweet Apple Blush with pancakes, waffles, on toast, or with veal, chicken or pork.  I plan to try them all, and of course with crepes.   I will get back to you soon with more delicious ways to use this great sauce.

For more information on TORTURED ORCHARD sauces and to purchase, please visit http://torturedorchard.com/.

I’m not big on marinating for hours and hours because I feel
it changes the integrity of the protein, and whenever there is an acid involved
(vinegar here), it actually will begin to “cook” your protein.  Not everyone agrees with that but it is what
I was taught many years ago and still believe it to be true.  (Okay, okay, there are exceptions such as
Thai Beef, but very few.  My opinion.)

**Always discard left over marinade, or bring to a boil if
you are using it for a sauce to eliminate any chance of contamination from the
protein.

Here are two ideas for TORTURED ORCHARD’S GOLDEN SAUCE:

• Talapia

Marinate a 6 ounce fillet of Talapia in 1 ½ tablespoon of
Golden Sauce for 30 minutes.

Spray grill pan with non-stick spray and heat to medium
high.

Cook on each side for 3-4 minutes.

Serve with vegetables of your choice.   In the picture is sautéed kale and steamed
carrots.

And now an obvious choice for mustard and pepper, but I just
couldn’t help myself.

• Boneless Pork Loin

Marinate a 2 pound boneless pork loin for 2-3 hours with
ample Golden Sauce, approximately 1/3 cup.

Pre-heat your oven to 250 degrees.  Yes, we are doing this low and slow.

Bake for 1 hour, then check pork temperature.  The desired temp as per the US government is
145 degrees.  If needed return the pork
to the oven and cook 10 more minutes then check temp again.

(Usually I would cook it to a lower internal temp because I
don’t ever like my meat more than medium, but when it’s cooked at such a low temperature
it really stays very moist.)

Let pork stand for 3-5 minutes before slicing.

Serve with vegetables of choice.

Can it be any easier??
I don’t think so!

For more information on these sauces and to purchase, please
visit http://torturedorchard.com/.

This is my Minnie Mouse cake

These are my Minnie Mouse Cupcakes    

Should I?

It’s called quality control, Uncle Jared. 

Here, you try.

Mommy!  Carson!  Why are you setting fire to my Minnie Mouse cake?

Ah, this looks yummy!

Mmmm…tastes yummy, too.  

Who needs a spoon?  
 

What do you mean no ice cream!!!  

Careful daddy, I just ate! 

Hey, cousin Tonk!

Wanna come to my party, Tonk?

I’ll get you some cake if you come.  

Here’s the plan, keep your head down, don’t look
anybody in the eye.

Happy Birthday to me!

Photos by Aunt Sara