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When Elise asked me to be a guest writer for Simply Recipes, we decided to take Chinese favorites and make them better, lighter and easier to cook at home. So, I grabbed a take-out menu from the local Chinese restaurant and I will be working my way around those recipes for you. The first dish that popped out was Sweet and Sour Chicken.

If there’s one thing that I detest, it’s greasy fried food covered in goopy Chinese take-out sauce. Okay, so sometimes I like that stuff, but it usually those cravings come at 3 o’clock a.m. during a certain time of the month.

But, I digress.

This recipe for Sweet and Sour Chicken doesn’t deep fry, but instead uses a method for creating a delicate, smooth and succulent chicken that goes perfectly with a lighter sweet and sour sauce. The secret is in the chicken marinade, specifically using egg white and cornstarch, which creates a super-light coating all around the chicken. It won’t be a crunchy, deep fried coating, but I think it’s a nice alternative, both texture-wise and weight-wise!

Read the rest of the recipe for Sweet and Sour Chicken over at Simply Recipes

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My Spontaneous Los Angeles Trip

Last week, I took a spontaneous trip to LA to shoot a little video that was sent off to a television station. Got an email on Thursday and flew out Monday to see Diane and Todd of White on Rice Couple, two of the most generous and talented people I know. Big hugs to them as they are in Vietnam making a documentary at the moment. Diane is my date to a week in Ixtapa, Mexico to Club Med for their Food and Wine festival!!! Yes, our husbands are jealous.

It was one of my most memorable trips – dinner with Matt and his partner Adam of Matt Bites (who was on Martha Stewart yesterday — cooking with Martha herself! Did you see?) All the pics of that evening are on Diane’s camera…which is in the jungles of Vietnam at the moment…so we’ll have to wait til she gets back.

Also met up with my “sister-in-blog” RasaMalaysia and Sarah of The Delicious Life and Tastespotting. WHY DO WE NOT HAVE PHOTOS OF THIS AWESOME NIGHT??? All of us had cameras, but no pics? WTF!!!

And here’s my baby brother, Jay. He’s 32 years old, a doctor (cardiologist) and moving to Wichita, Kansas next year to take job at a clinic.

HE’S SINGLE. HANDSOME. A DOCTOR. NO ARREST RECORD.

To apply, please send $25 $100 (brother sez i’m too cheap) in a self addressed stamped envelope…haha…just kidding! oknoimnot

Jay