The Squirrel Can Cook – Teriyaki Chicken Fried Noodles

Most of the time, recipes are planned in advance, and all the ingredients carefully chosen at the store. Most of the time, but not always.

This is one of those “What do I have in the pantry and fridge that I can fix for dinner?” meals. “Hmm, I’ve got a frozen chicken breast, some frozen tiny whole beans, a package of Somen noodles… I can work with this…” I think it turned out pretty good.


Our ingredients are:
1 - boneless, skinless chicken breast, thawed and sliced into thin strips
1 - medium onion, Frenched (cut in half and then into thin strips)
1 cup - frozen tiny whole beans
2 - “bundles” - Somen noodles (they come packaged in little bundles. It makes measuring easy. I have no idea how much is in a bundle, just use two…unless they’re, like, huge or something…)

And, for our sauce:
½ cup of chicken broth
2 tablespoons of Teriyaki sauce
2 tablespoons of olive oil (I used a garlic infused olive oil)
1 tablespoon of corn starch
¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper (Mrs. Squirrel said this was too much, so…)


Prepare the noodles according to the package’s directions. (“Bring 4-5 cups water to a boil and add Somen. Cook noodles for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Rinse with cold water and drain well.”) Set aside.

Preheat your cast iron skillet over medium-high heat & stir-fry your chicken pieces in 1 tablespoon of oil until white all the way through (about 3 to 4 minutes), remove from skillet and set aside. Add a bit more oil and stir-fry the onion (about 2 minutes). Add the green beans & cook for about another minute. Then return the chicken to the skillet, and give everything a good stir.


Now add your noodles to the skillet, and toss with a pair of tongs to get everything mixed in with the noodles. Take your time; you’re not in a big hurry, as you’re also frying the noodles at this point. The process should take about 1 to 1 ½ minutes.

Combine your sauce ingredients in a jar with a tight lid and shake well until combined. Pour the sauce into the skillet and stir until it thickens. Serves two. Enjoy!


The Squirrel shall not live by bread NUTS alone!

The Squirrel's Nut Cache - 4/15/2010

The Nut Cache - a collection of recent things I found interesting, or amusing, or nutworthy


Now I know that, typically, these sorts of things get blamed on squirrels. Well, not this time! No, this time it's birds! Big fish-eating birds! And, it seems, "It wasn't the birds' first offense." So, remember, birds and electricity don't mix. "We'll have people up there, trying to remove the sticks, and the osprey will literally dive at them..."

We've all heard of "wolves in sheep's' clothing" (Matthew 7:15 for example) but I'd always taken it to be metaphorical. But it seems that a pair of Argentinean escaped convicts have taken the whole "in sheep's clothing" thing very literally indeed. And, so far, it seems to be working for 'em. "300 officers are searching for the escaped pair, but officials said it would be 'almost impossible' to find them while they are hiding among thousands of sheep."

Here's a whole bunch of bad decisions all rolled into one. You're 18 years old and you decide to get drunk. You're 18 years old, decide to get drunk, and decide to steal a Ford Mustang. You're 18 years old, decide to get drunk, decide to steal a Ford Mustang, and decide to pull over to the side of the road and pass out. Here's the really bad news; the Ford Mustang you stole is a marked Marion County Sheriff's patrol car. Oops.

Time passes, popularity fades, the message gets stale, people tune in elsewhere, and start sending in those checks and donations to somebody else. These are the signs of a man-made "ministry" that is not centered on God and His Word. It seems that Robert Schuller's Crystal Cathedral owes 185 creditors more then $2 million. Joel Osteen, take heed and see your future.(2 Peter 2:1-3)

First, two statements of fact: 1) Westboro Baptist Church (I will not link to them) isn't a church, it is an ignorant hate group, a dangerous cult, and a tool of Satan that brings reproach on the cause of Christ 2) The Bible clearly teaches that homosexuality is a sin. Having said that, this cracks me up. I've always thought that ridicule was a more potent weapon against this sort of foolishness than outrage. And some of the signs are really funny, too. [caution: article contains photos and video of Westboro's distasteful signs)(h.t. dudeman)

Speaking of signs, pay attention to the "No Parking" signs, especially in South London. These guys don't want to hear your excuses, because you can't even come close to topping the excuses that they've already heard. "...UFOs... unfortunately do not count as legitimate reasons to overturn a ticket." But, they are worth study, I guess...

If I ever run for office, I want Carl Geary's campaign manager. He either did a really good job, or the incumbent mayor, Barbara Brock, was really incompetent. Geary received 76% of the vote to beat Brock for mayor of Tracy City, Tennessee... and Geary had been dead for exactly one month before the election! With only a total of 353 votes cast for mayor, it seems that Tracy City is a small town, so everybody most likely knew that Geary was deceased, so it seems that they really didn't want Brock for another term.

And the Nuttiness goes on and on...

The Squirrel's Nut Cache - 4/10/2010

A Saturday Nut Special!

I was busy this week, and wasn't able to deliver to you on Thursday all the Nuts I'd squirreled away, so here is your Saturday Nut Special! Enjoy

This first Nut is very close to my heart, as this is my all time favorite video game! I spent hours and hours playing Asteroids in the back room of the Frenchtown Café, at Little Big Man Pizza, and at Aladdin's Castle in Southgate Mall. I wonder how many quarters I spent? I used to have some pretty high scores, but nothing ever even close to this! Congrats, John McAllister! 41,338,740 points, beating a record which has stood for 28 years!

Driving 95 miles per hour is a criminal act, it is irresponsible. Any responsible parent would take action upon discovering that a 16-year-old minor child had driven that fast. I guess locking the little miscreant out of Facebook is excessive punishment... I really hope that this woman doesn't lose in court! "The rod and reproof give wisdom, But a child who gets his own way brings shame to his mother." -Proverbs 29:15

April Fools' jokes abound, and often cause confusion. The reactions are sometimes funny, like the Jordanian newspaper who's front page story about an alien invasion which caused widespread panic and a frantic search by security forces. But April Fools' jokes are usually not a good idea. Take this 911 dispatcher for example. Dumb dumb dumb...

Our next Nut sounds like a joke, but appears to be true. I applaud the man's compassion and willingness to help. I really do. Obviously, the man has a tender heart. But the road-killed opossum was beyond the reach of medical assistance. Yes, the opossum was dead. His erstwhile EMT was just dead drunk...

It seems that our British cousins "across the pond" are also concerned with the welfare of animals & they're strict about it. If this woman's story is an example and you own a pet shop, you'd better toe the line. Funny thing is, I bet there's no law against a 14-year-old buying live seafood from a fish monger...

And the Nuttiness goes on and on...

The Squirrel Can Cook - French Toast

As I said before, breakfast is one of my favorite meals. I like all different types of breakfast food, from the classic scrambled eggs with bacon and toast to coffee cakes and pastries. According to Wikipedia, at least as far back as the Middle Ages, Europeans were soaking bread in eggs and frying it up. We call this "French toast" and French toast has always been a favorite around our house.

One really nice thing about French toast is that it is fast and flexible. Once you know the secrets of French toast, it is easy to adjust the recipe to feed any number of people.

Our ingredients are:

Eggs
Milk
Vanilla extract
Cinnamon
Sliced bread (You’ll see that I’m using the same thick sliced French bread that I used in the sandwiches we cooked recently (here & here.) French toast is the real reason I buy this bread. Now you know.)

The secret is in knowing the proper proportions of ingredients, once you know the ratio, it’s easy to adjust the batch to the size of the crowd, and it all based on the number of eggs. Here’s my recipe: ¼ cup of milk, 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract, & a pinch of cinnamon per egg. A 2-egg mixture does about 4 regular sandwich-style slices of bread (when it’s just Mrs. Squirrel and I, I usually make a 3-egg recipe. With the thick-sliced French bread, I make a 4-egg recipe.) Some people add sugar, but you’re going to be putting maple syrup on the finished product, so there’s no need to add sugar to the egg mixture.

Preheat your griddle to about 375 degrees.

Crack your eggs into a large mixing bowl & beat well with a fork or wire whisk. Scramble them really well. Then whisk in the cinnamon and vanilla extract. Now, while still whisking, slowly pour in the milk & whisk it until slightly frothy.


Pour a portion of the egg mixture into a wide, flat bowl. (A pie pan or cake pan works well, also.) Soak both sides of each slice of bread for at least 10 seconds to allow the bread to absorb a good amount of the egg mixture, then arrange on the griddle. I can get 6 slices of regular sandwich bread on my griddle, but only 4 slices of the big French bread.


Cook for approximately 4 minutes on each side, top with butter and syrup. Enjoy!


The Squirrel shall not live by bread NUTS alone!