Fluffy Pancakes

Ingredients

•     3/4 cup milk
•     2 tablespoons white vinegar
•     1 cup all-purpose flour
•     2 tablespoons white sugar
•     1 teaspoon baking powder
•     1/2 teaspoon baking soda
•     1/2 teaspoon salt
•     1 egg
•     2 tablespoons butter, melted
•     cooking spray

Directions

1.
Combine milk with vinegar in a medium bowl and set aside for 5 minutes to "sour".

2.
Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk egg and butter into "soured" milk. Pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and whisk until lumps are gone.

3.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and coat with cooking spray. Pour 1/4 cupfuls of batter onto the skillet, and cook until bubbles appear on the surface. Flip with a spatula, and cook until browned on the other side.

Lasagna

Ingredients

•     1 pound sweet Italian sausage
•     3/4 pound lean ground beef
•     1/2 cup minced onion
•     2 cloves garlic, crushed
•     1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
•     2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
•     2 (6.5 ounce) cans canned tomato sauce
•     1/2 cup water
•     2 tablespoons white sugar
•     1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
•     1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
•     1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
•     1 tablespoon salt
•     1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
•     4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
•     12 lasagna noodles
•     16 ounces ricotta cheese
•     1 egg
•     1/2 teaspoon salt
•     3/4 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced
•     3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1.
In a Dutch oven, cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.

2.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

3.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

4.
To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with a third of mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese.

5.
Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

General Tsao's Chicken

Ingredients

•     4 cups vegetable oil for frying
•     1 egg
•     1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
•     1 teaspoon salt
•     1 teaspoon white sugar
•     1 pinch white pepper
•     1 cup cornstarch
•     2 tablespoons vegetable oil
•     3 tablespoons chopped green onion
•     1 clove garlic, minced
•     6 dried whole red chilies
•     1 strip orange zest
•     1/2 cup white sugar
•     1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
•     3 tablespoons chicken broth
•     1 tablespoon rice vinegar
•     1/4 cup soy sauce
•     2 teaspoons sesame oil
•     2 tablespoons peanut oil
•     2 teaspoons cornstarch
•     1/4 cup water

Directions

1.
Heat 4 cups vegetable oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

2.
Beat the egg in a mixing bowl. Add the chicken cubes; sprinkle with salt, 1 teaspoon sugar, and white pepper; mix well. Mix in 1 cup of cornstarch a little bit at a time until the chicken cubes are well coated.

3.
In batches, carefully drop the chicken cubes into the hot oil one by one, cooking until they turns golden brown and begin to float, about 3 minutes. Remove the chicken and allow to cool as you fry the next batch. Once all of the chicken has been fried, refry the chicken, starting with the batch that was cooked first. Cook until the chicken turns deep golden brown, about 2 minutes more. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate.

4.
Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Stir in the green onion, garlic, whole chiles, and orange zest. Cook and stir a minute or two until the garlic has turned golden and the chiles brighten. Add 1/2 cup sugar, the ginger, chicken broth, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and peanut oil; bring to a boil and cook for 3 minutes.

5.
Dissolve 2 teaspoons of cornstarch into the water, and stir into the boiling sauce. Return to a boil and cook until the sauce thickens and is no longer cloudy from the cornstarch, about 1 minute. Stir the chicken into the boiling sauce. Reduce heat to low and cook for a few minutes until the chicken absorbs some of the sauce.

Caramels

Ingredients

•     2 cups white sugar
•     1 cup packed brown sugar
•     1 cup corn syrup
•     1 cup evaporated milk
•     1 pint heavy whipping cream
•     1 cup butter
•     1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

1.
Grease a 12x15 inch pan.

2.
In a medium-size pot, combine sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup, evaporated milk, whipping cream, and butter. Monitor the heat of the mixture with a candy thermometer while stirring. When the thermometer reaches 250 degrees F (120 degrees C) remove the pot from the heat.

3.
Stir in vanilla. Transfer mixture to the prepared pan and let the mixture cool completely. When cooled cut the Carmel into small squares and wrap them in wax paper for storage.

Ginger Cookies

Ingredients

•    3/4 cup butter
•     1 cup packed brown sugar
•     1 egg
•     1/4 cup molasses
•     2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
•     2 teaspoons ground ginger
•     2 teaspoons baking soda
•     1/2 teaspoon salt
•     1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger root
•     1/2 cup chopped crystallized ginger

Directions

1.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg and molasses. Combine the flour, ground ginger, baking soda, and salt; stir into the molasses mixture using a wooden spoon. Mix in the fresh and crystallized gingers. Cover, and refrigerate dough for at least 2 hours, or overnight.

2.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Shape dough into 1 inch balls, and place about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet.

3.
Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly browned. Cool on wire racks.