Chinese Take Out My Way

I was exhausted from the 4 day weekend for some reason. Too much binging most likely. Usually when I come home from work and just want to be one with the sofa. That usually leads to going out for a cheap quick meal or ordering greasy, unhealthy take out. In order to cut back on spending money I decided to cook at least three meals at home for at least a few weeks. After all last week's carb kick and Thanksgiving binge of mainly American fare and yes, more carbs, I was craving some salty, sweet & comforting Chinese food. Instead I decided to make some Chinese "Take Out" dishes at home.

Beef w. Broccoli adapted from this recipe. Complete with Pan-Fried Frozen Dumplings





Chicken w. Ginger & Scallions adapted from this recipe.



Oh let's not forget my pride and joy for Thanksgiving. For my Roast Ham I ended up combining processes from two recipes as I was undecided on how to proceed. The diamond slits were cut on the ham and the dry rub of Emeril Essence & Cayenne pepper was massaged on and cloves added while I was bringing it to room temperature. I coated the ham with a simmered mixture of Coke, Jack Daniels, Thyme, Brown Sugar and Orange Zest. Then added more Jack & Coke to the bottom of the roasting pan. The Ham was basted every 30 min in its drippings until done. For the last 30 minutes the ham was glazed with the remaining coating base boiled down further with orange marmalade.



The result was a crust that was a combination of sticky and crispy and the meat oh so succulent. I managed to keep the ham bone for next day's lunch and turned it into more comfort food. Mmmm.... too bad there were no leftovers past the next day.