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Some Cool Moms Make Cashew Chicken.

By on October 28, 2013
cashew chicken

I think I’m a cool mom.

Other than letting my kids listen to Hits #1 on XM radio, I’m not really sure what else I do that makes me cool. But I am. I know it. I’ve got to be, because I certainly wasn’t the cool kid growing up. That’s a story for another time.

I’m also the mom who has no shame in embarrassing her kids every once and a while. The top 40 radio station I let them listen to whenever they want? I will turn it up and sing along. During carpool.

I’m also a smart mom. At least up until now. Unsubstantiated. But the little people believe it. And that’s all that matters.

Of course I know the day will come where my little people will out smart me. And when that happens, although I will hate it, I will be a little proud.

Until that day…

A few weeks ago I changed our internet plan so that we had unlimited download and upload limits. Here in Canada, our internet has limits. I’m not sure why, but it does. Anyone out there with teenagers, or kids who have figured out they can watch their favourite shows online knows about these limits, and the scorching charges you incur when you go over your limit.

So now we’ve got unlimited internet. I don’t tell the little people. I don’t really need to explain why, do I?

Beloved now wants us to get Netflix. We tried Netflix once. We lasted a day. The little people used up half of our allowable internet usage in one afternoon, streaming video on demand. I cancelled our free trial immediately.

I said I was cool, embarrassing and smart. I’m not perfect. Just ask Beloved.

My children watch too much tv. And it’s my fault.

Anyways.

Unlimited internet. Beloved is convinced we should try Netflix again. He is also smart. He casually mentions on front of our little boy person “did you tell them that we have unlimited internet now?”, which caused the little jaw to drop and eyes open wide with excitement. As I shoot Beloved daggers with my eyes, he also says “so I guess you didn’t tell them that we are going to get Netflix either then?” causing sofa jumping.

Beloved knows the best way to get me on board of a plan is to include the little people. Like I said, he too is smart.

Netflix reactivated, we abandon the hockey game as our team is losing anyways, and watch the Katy Perry movie, Part of Me.

Our little girl person returns home from her night on the town. I might be cool and smart, but at 12 years old, her social life is way more exciting than mine. A great night out at the hockey game with her bestie, she came home to discover all the exciting news about unlimited internet and Netflix.

It’s late. 11pm late. Everyone settling in to bed. Little girl person spends a bit of time exploring tv shows on Netflix and finds GLEE. I think she has seen a few episodes before, but it is not a show that she is able to watch on a regular basis. In general, we do early bedtimes in this house, and there is simply not enough time to watch everything that one needs wants to watch in one day.

She too is smart. She approaches Beloved to see if she is allowed to watch GLEE. A few years ago, while on a plane, Beloved let her watch an episode on demand. I had never seen it either so I also tuned in. If you think about being on a plane and watching on demand programming, it involves your own personal screen and earphones, key word, earphones. Little girl person is sitting in the row across the aisle with Beloved. I think little girl person is 9 years old at the time. Whatever her age it was too young for listening to the actors take about “abstaining” and “sexing you up”. Not wanting to make a big deal, I’m waving my hands in the air to get Beloved’s attention.

This. Is. Not. Appropriate. I try to communicate oh so calmly.

So last night, we say good night. Lights out, iPads off. Or so we thought.

Little boy person doesn’t get wifi in his room. So no worries there. Little girl person, she thinks she’s so sneaky.

Being an adult in the house, I can stay on my iPad for as long as I want. I know it’s not fair. Too bad.

I open up the Netflix app. Hmmm…the first episode of GLEE is half way done. ‘Maybe,’ I say to myself, ‘that’s as far as she got before we told her lights out.’

I check back in about 5 minutes later. Nope, it is further in the episode. Someone is not asleep.

I send the following iMessage:

Is there something you would like to share with me?
Or maybe you’d rather tell your father about it in the morning?

I hear the iPad get out down on the floor. I hear some quiet coughing. I hear the bedclothes being rustled about.

Then I hear floor boards creak and the bedroom door open.

And then beside me, a little face (because let’s face it…she is still my little girl).

LGP: “Is everything ok Mommy?”

ME: “you tell me”

LGP: “well, you sent me an iMessage”

ME: “you were watching GLEE”

I’m sure I could have blown her over with the smallest of breaths at that point.

LGP: “oh, sorry”

Back to bed she went. And yes I did check again to see if she went back online. She didn’t. And yes I checked this morning, and the episode was where she left it last night.

She admitted to me this morning that she had to come to see me last night because she felt so guilty. And she had no idea how on earth I knew she was watching GLEE. I would never divulge my secret, but she did quickly figure out how I knew.

One day she will figure out how to not get caught. But until then, I am still the smarter one.

 

Cashew Chicken

I found this recipe over at Pinterest. I’m not sure where the original recipe comes from but this is my take on the one I found. So delicious!

12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bit sized pieces
2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
¼ cup oil
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
3 green onions, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
toasted sesame seeds, do this in a frying pan
lightly or unsalted cashews.

sauce:
4 tbsp soy sauce
1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
4 tsp sugar
2 tsp white vinegar

Combine 1 tablespoon soy sauce and chicken pieces in a medium size bowl. Let sit while you prepare the other ingredients.

In a small bowl, whisk 4 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 1/2 tbsp corn starch, 4 tsp sugar, and 2 tsp vinegar. Set aside. Slice the green onions, and measure out the red pepper flakes and minced garlic.

Drain chicken in strainer to get the marinade off as much a possible.
Heat oil in a skillet or frying pan over high heat. Add red pepper flakes to oil,stir a couple times.
Add chicken all at once, let sit for a minute or two till golden,then turn chicken. Add garlic to chicken.
Cook chicken till golden on all sides and cooked through.
Drain oil if there is still an excessive amount. Add cashews.
Move pan off hot stove and immediately pour in sauce while constantly turning chicken over to cover everything in sauce. Sauce should thicken quite a bit, if you want it thicker put it back on medium heat until it is desired thickness.
Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds and add sliced green onions.

Serve with rice or add it to cooked vermicelli for a different take on peanut noodles.

 

Julie of By The Recipe says this about her food writing:

I’m not sure which came first: my sweet tooth, or my desire to bake.  Before I was a wife and a mother, I was a baker.  I love to bake.

Before kids, I wasn’t much of a cook. After kids, my cooking abilities improved, I guess because I needed to feed my family. Over the years I have come to enjoy cooking, almost as much as baking.  But let’s be honest, the best part of baking and cooking are the accolades of a great mouthful of food. That inspires me.

When I cook, I cook by the recipe. Almost always.

 

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