Posted on by Mark Linton

Food Log

Breakfast was a bowl of cold cereal, a glass of orange juice, and two cups of coffee. I weighed 155 pounds.

I walked over to the HUB at lunch with some of the guys from the office — also about three miles, round trip — and had Panda Express mandarin chicken and kung pao chicken with chow mein noodles and a fortune cookie.

Your life will be happy

and peaceful.

Lucky Numbers 6, 8, 12, 14, 36, 43

After work, Gretchen and I sat on the porch and had two bottles of Saranac Pale Ale.

Dinner was chicken and snow peas — made with the first harvest of our own garden sugar snap peas — and a spinach salad with cucumber (from the CSA), grated Parmesan cheese, and a red wine vinegar and oil salad dressing (recipe below). We had another bottle of Saranac Pale Ale with dinner.

Chicken and Snow Peas

This recipe is one that we apparently made up in June of 2001 by surveying and then combining all of the parts we liked from all of the chicken and snow pea recipes we could find. This one turns out to produce a quite authentic version that you may find difficult to distinguish from Chinese take out. (★★★★☆)

Makes two servings.

  • 1 Boneless Chicken Breast, cut into small, bite sized pieces
  • 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
  • ½ Onion, chopped
  • 1 cup Celery, sliced
  • 1¼ cup Snow Peas
Marinade
  • ¼ cup Soy Sauce
  • 2 tablespoons Sherry
  • 1 clove Garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon Ginger
  • 2 tablespoons Rice Wine Vinegar
  • ¼ teaspoon Crushed Chili Peppers
  • 1 tablespoon Sesame Oil
Cooking Sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Sherry
  • 2 tablespoons Oyster Sauce
  • 1 teaspoon Sugar
  • 1 tablespoon Sesame Oil
  • 1 tablespoon Corn Starch
  1. In a bowl, combine all of the marinade ingredients except the sesame oil. Add the chicken and toss to coat, then stir in one tablespoon of sesame oil and let marinate for two hours.
  2. In another bowl, combine the cooking sauce ingredients. Set aside.
  3. Place wok over high heat. Add two tablespoons olive oil and heat to smoking.
  4. Remove the chicken from the marinade and reserve the marinade.
  5. Add the chicken to the wok and stir-fry until it is opaque and pieces have some nice color on them (about three minutes).
  6. Remove the chicken from the wok.
  7. Add the celery and onion to the wok and stir-fry until the onions are translucent (about five minutes).
  8. Add the snow peas and stir-fry for another 1½ minutes.
  9. Return the chicken to the wok.
  10. Stir in the reserved marinade and the cooking sauce and heat until thickened.

Divide into two servings and serve over white rice.

Basic Vinaigrette

This Red Wine Vinegar and Oil Salad Dressing Recipe makes a nice, light basic vinaigrette, courtesy of Susan Chance-Rainwater and the kitchen of the Rainwater Reptile Ranch. Not ambrosia, but quite good. (★★★★☆)

  • ½ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • ¼ cup Red Wine Vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
  • ½ teaspoon Oregano
  • ½ teaspoon Thyme
  • ½ teaspoon Mustard Powder
  • ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon Garlic Powder
  • 1 dash Cayenne Pepper
  • 1 dash Salt

Combine all of the ingredients in a shaker. Shake, chill, and serve.