It's been waaaaay too long since I posted here folks. I know, I know, there was a baby involved in this giant delay. But actually my excuse for not getting back to this blog was simply I was lazy (GASP!). Lucky for you though, yes you, I enjoy this writing stuff. and cooking stuff. Just the whole technology thing kind of throws me off. It's probably safe to say I am somewhere in between Old Granny level and Totally Inept. Think, got Facebook six months ago and is still trying to figure out how it works type.

During these past few months dinners have been kind of boring. I haven't been experimenting that much, mostly cause getting used to two kids has been a handful. A good handful, but a handful just the same. What I have been doing is going back to old recipes I created a while back and seeing how they taste, fixing them up and making them better. In a way its like me being my own tester for a cookbook I wrote. It's only possible because I have the memory of a goldfish. It's only possible because I have the memory of a goldfish. It's only possible because I have the memory of a goldfish, which is about three seconds btw. Fun little fact there for ya. Anyway, one of my favorite recipes was this Sticky Ginger Chicken. It's great because it fills my weirdly obsessive obsession with Asian food, allows me to candy coat a chicken and call it healthy because well, its chicken and it has green stuff on top, and also it tastes good which is always a plus.

(BTW. This is for you grammar geeks out there. Yes, my grammar is terrible. So is my spelling but luckily there is spell check. I just decided to write this little aside to you so you know I am not trying to annoy the pants off of you with my misplaced commas and run on sentences. If any of you is volunteering right now to be my editor step right up for the challenge of a life-time. Please note, you will not be paid if you take this position. The only reason you would take this position is because you are so annoyed at this grammar you have to fix it. END RANT)

Back to chicken: The other night I tried this recipe again but I doubled the spices and halved the marinade, thereby making it even healthier *insert thumbs up emoji here* and making it taste even better *double thumbs up emoji* (Good thing I don't totally stink at math otherwise I would be in a real bind.)I then patted myself on the back for a job well done and proceeded to devour the entire pan (Because I was hungry and also because as I mentioned earlier, this chicken tastes good!)

For your viewing pleasure, I have included the recipe before and after. And no, these recipes are not actors, they are real recipes! And these are real results! (As a side note, I should probably stoop watching the infomercial channel....) Either way, I thought it would be fun for you all to see how even when a recipe looks and tastes great, theres always room for improvement the second time around. The work of a blogger is never done.

PS. To make this recipe Kid Friendly remove the chilies before baking and cooking down the marinade.

New Recipe

Sticky Ginger Chicken

1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp mustard powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1 inch piece of ginger julienned
1 red chili sliced
juice of 1 medium lemon
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
3 garlic cloves, minced or grated
8 chicken thighs
2 Tbsp. sesame seeds
2 scallions thinly sliced
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped

Mix together the spices and sprinkle on top of the chicken.
Combine the lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, honey, brown sugar, soy sauce and garlic cloves, red chilies, and ginger in a large resealable bag. Add the chicken to the bag and seal. Marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 12 hours.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Remove the chicken from the bag, reserving the marinade, and arrange the thighs on the baking sheet. Bake until the skin is caramelized and dark in spots, about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, place the leftover marinade in a small saucepan, uncovered. Bring the marinade to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook over low heat until thick, about 15 minutes. Use a pastry brush to brush the cooked marinade on the chicken. Return to the oven for 10 more minutes.
Place the chicken on a serving platter and sprinkle with the sesame seeds, sliced scallion and cilantro.

Old Recipe

Sticky Ginger Chicken

1/4 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp mustard powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1 inch piece of ginger julienned
1 red chili sliced
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 chicken legs cut by the joint to separate thigh and drumstick
2 Tbsp. sesame seeds
4 scallions thinly sliced

Mix together the spices and sprinkle on top of the chicken.
Combine the balsamic vinegar, honey, brown sugar, soy sauce and garlic cloves, red chilies, and ginger in a large resealable bag. Add the chicken to the bag and seal. Marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Top with a cooling rack. Remove the chicken from the bag, reserving the marinade, and arrange the drumsticks on the cooling rack. Bake until the skin is caramelized and dark in spots, about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, place the leftover marinade in a small saucepan, uncovered. Bring the marinade to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook over low heat until thick, about 15 minutes. Use a pastry brush to brush the cooked marinade on the chicken. Return to the oven for 10 more minutes.
Place the chicken on a serving platter and sprinkle with the sesame seeds and the sliced scallion.