Crack Bread and Sweet & Sour Chicken

Dinner at Tiff's is always yummy. She made us one of her specialties. It's her mom's recipe for deep fried chicken bites with homemade sweet & sour sauce over rice. Homemade is the way to go and this stuff is so much better than that goop you get at the grocery store Asian marketplace. It's not an easy thing to make but Tiff has it perfected.
We are also excited to announce Cassie & her husband Johnny are expecting their 1st baby in September. Congrats you two!! Here we are with Cass at her wedding last year. Loving that we're adding another little one to the group!

Here are your recipes for the week...

Appetizer: CRACK BREAD:

1 unsliced loaf of (round is preferable) sourdough bread
8-12 oz cheddar cheese, thinly sliced
3 oz bag Oscar Mayer Real Bacon bits
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 Tbsp Ranch dressing mix (we like Uncle Dan's)

Using a sharp bread knife cut the bread going both directions. Do not cut through the bottom crust. Place slices of cheese in between cuts. Sprinkle bacon bits on bread, making sure to get in between cuts. Mix together butter and Ranch dressing mix. Pour over bread. Wrap in foil the entire loaf in foil and place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Unwrap. Bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

This recipe courtesy of http://www.plainchicken.com/. Found via Pinterest.com
Sweet & Sour Chicken

Tempura:
1/2 c flour
1/2 c corn starch
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 c cold water

Whisk together. Dip bite size chicken pieces in batter. Immediately add them to oil that has been heated for 5 mins over medium heat. Leave them in until golden brown. Test one to make sure the chicken has cooked all the way through before removing them all.

Sweet & Sour Sauce:
3/4 c sugar
2 Tbs rice vinegar
3 Tbs ketchup
2 Tbs corn starch
3/4 c water

Combine and heat on low until ready to serve. Serve over your choice of rice...brown if you're feeling guilty about deep frying. :)

Congrats again to Cassie!

~AK