If I could bear the thought of storing a picture on my iPhone of my front yard so I could post it for you, I would. But looking outside makes me figuratively ill. Realizing my truck's gas gauge was on 'E' and needing to make a late night gas run in the middle of an almost-blizzard... that made me literally ill.
I've lived in upstate New York all of my life. I should be fairly proficient at shoveling snow and walking on ice and all of those talents that all good northerners should have. You would think. Unfortunately, every year, as much as I enjoy the snow on occasion, I spend about 90% of the time either ignoring or fighting with winter.
Don't get me wrong. There are tons of fun things to do in winter if you just look for them. I'm all for ice skating, snowmobiling, fishing and sledding. And yes, I'm 26 but sledding is still a hobby of mine. The trouble is, when you're done with the snow, the snow is not done with you. It doesn't care that you're boots have no traction, or your tires for that matter. It doesn't care that the Vitamin D in your system is virtually depleted and you're on the brink of a nasty case of Seasonal Affective Disorder. It doesn't care if your pipes burst, or if your power goes out, or if an icicle-covered tree branch falls on your most important possessions. As much as New Yorkers love the stuff, we readily admit that it's a pain in the butt about 90% of the time.
So where am I going with this? Well, thanks for asking. When winter comes, I invariably become a huge hermit by where I don't leave me house unless someone is paying me to. It also means I have to be a little bit more creative because the things I take for granted in the summertime are no longer in reach for me. That includes my snack shop and coffee shop stops. In fact, if you look back through some other posts, you might notice a trend where my fast food copycats are more commonly posted in winter months. That's no coincidence when you consider there's about 10 miles of below zero weather separating me from my favorite foods.
So, in honor of my newfound hermit status for 2014, I am sharing a list of some of my favorite copycat recipes from restaurants I love.
This is a recipe that I adapted from one of my favorite sandwiches ever made. One of my favorite combinations is bourbon and pineapple. I got the idea from a sandwich that I first tried at in college. This sauce tastes very similar to the Bourbon Chicken that you find in Chinese restaurants, but with this sandwich, the chicken comes shredded. So, I decided to just post the sauce recipe, so you can decide how you want to cook your chicken.
This sauce is spicy and sticky with an almost-barbecue sauce finish. And, trust me, it's perfect for the sandwich I'm going to be serving up to you later!
Bourbon Chicken Sauce
| 1 tbsp. olive oil 1 tbsp. minced garlic 1/3 cup soy sauce 1/4 cup bourbon whiskey 1/4 cup light brown sugar 2 tbsp. honey mustard 2 tbsp. ketchup 1/2 tsp onion powder 1/2 tsp ground ginger 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes 1-2 tsp cornstarch, if needed Salt & Pepper to taste In a sauté pan over medium heat, sauté garlic in olive oil for one minute. Add soy sauce, bourbon, brown sugar, honey mustard and ketchup. Stir until smooth. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Continue to simmer for 10-15 minutes. Stir in onion powder, ground ginger and pepper flakes. Sauce should be thickened, but you can add cornstarch if you like it a bit thicker. Cook an additional 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and season to taste. |
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