What's nice about this dish is that you can make it in your slowcooker or on the stove top.  If you choose the stove top then you'll get a more "crunchy" exterior coating on your chicken.  I've seen people say they can get a crunchy coating doing the same in a slowcooker - I don't agree.  A slowcooker or crockpot traps steam and you can't sustain a crunch with constant steam. In any case, when made in a slowcooker - skip the one extra step you'd do when making on the stove top because (as far as I am concerned) its a wasted step because of the aformentioned - steam.  Enjoy! Diane 

General Tso's Chicken 

Ingredients: 
3-4 chicken breasts, cut into 1" bite sized pieces 
1/2 Cup Hoisin Sauce 
2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce 
2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar 
3 Cloves Garlic, Minced
3 Tablespoons Rice Wine Vinegar 
1 teaspoon sesame oil 
2 teaspoons hot chili oil or 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flake 
1 small can water chestnuts 
ground pepper 
2 Tablespoons Cornstarch 

Garnish:
Green Scallions 
Toasted Sesame Seeds 

Extra Ingredients for Stove Top Version *see below:
1/4 Cup Cornstarch
1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil 


IF making on your stovetop: 

• In a mixing bowl add the chicken and cornstarch. Toss until the chicken is completely coated in the cornstarch. In a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat add oil and cook the chicken until the chicken is lightly browned.  Add in all your remaining ingredients (except for the garnich) and continue cooking until the chicken is cooked. Serve immediately to preserve the chicken coatings crunch.

IF making in slowcooker or crockpot: 

• In the bottom of your slowcooker or crockpot; whisk together hoisin sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, ginger and hot chili oil or crushed red pepper. Place the water chestnuts and the diced chicken in the slow cooker, lightly pepper. Stir everything together and let cook. 
• Cook on low heat for 3-4 hours or until chicken is cooked through.
• To thicken the sauce, use 2 Tablespoons cornstarch and take out an equal part sauce from crockpot - stir together well and add this slurry back into crockpot, stir well and let sauce thicken. 
• Serve over rice and garnish with green onions, sesame seeds.

        Having ground beef on hand that's already cooked is quite the thing!  Not only does it free up fridge/freezer space, its peace of mind that you have ready made meals in minutes!  I prefer to can mine in beef broth as I do believe that lends more flavor to the final product.  You want to cook the beef really well and make sure to drain and blot off as much grease as you can before canning.  Once canned there will still be a collection of grease at the top of the jar which you can remove with a spoon once you open the jar for consumption.  Some people save that grease and use it for cooking/baking (I do not.)  I follow the NCHFP Guidelines for Ground Beef - I will share their process below.  A pound of ground beef = one pint canned.  I had one pint of beef broth leftover so, canned that up too.   Enjoy! Diane 

Beef Ground Meat
Ingredients: 
Ground Beef (one pound per pint needed) 
Beef Broth 
Salt

Procedure: 
Choose fresh, chilled meat.
Cook ground beef in a skillet.
Remove excess fat.
Fill jars with cooked beef to 1-inch headspace.
Add boiling beef broth leaving 1-inch headspace.
(de-bubble jars and adjust headspace.) 
Add 1 teaspoon of salt per pint to the jars, if desired.

Process Pints in a Pressure Canner:  Pints 75 minutes. Pressure Psi according to your altitude.  

     I belong to a cooking Group and sadly one of everyones favorite members has passed away.  In her honor, we've been cooking and baking from her various recipes she had shared over the years. I decided to honor Sharon and bake her Snickerdoodle Cookies.  These cookies are excellent and please give them a try, I know you'll like them as much as we do.  Diane 

Cookie Ingredients:
1 Cup Butter, softened
1 1/2 Cup Sugar
2 eggs
2 3/4 Cups All Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
2 teaspoons Cream of Tartar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Salt

Topping Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons Sugar
2 Tablespoons Cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°
In medium bowl using a stand or hand mixer; cream together the butter and sugar.
Stir in the eggs.
Sift together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt.
Stir dry ingredients into creamed mixture, until well blended.
On a small plate, mix the Topping Ingredients (sugar and cinnamon)
Roll dough into walnut size balls (I use my cookie dough scoop), then roll the balls in the cinnamon sugar.
Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet..two inches apart.
Bake for 9-12 minutes.
Edges should be slightly brown.
Remove from sheet to cool on wire rack.

Photos by: Diane Baker 
​Recipe by: Sharon R.