Sesame Chicken Noodles with Bok Choy

This is adapted from a Blue Apron recipe from Chrissy Tiegen.  It was delicious and even loved by a picky 3 year old.  Takes 30-40 minutes.  Serves 4-6

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 lb fettuccine pasta
4 scallions
4 Tbsp Sesame Oil
4 Tbsp Tahini
4 Tbsp Soy Sauce
6 cloves garlic
1.5 lb Baby Bok Choy
4 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
2 Tbsp Honey
1 Tbsp Sambal Oelek

1. Prepare the ingredients:

• Wash and dry produce
• Rough chop the bok choy
• Chop the garlic
• Thinly slice scallions separating whites and greens
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil 

2. Season chicken with salt and pepper and saute for 6-7 minutes per side (med-high, nonstick)

3. Whisk tahini, soy sauce, vinegar, honey, half the Sesame Oil (2 T.)  and as much Sambal Oelek as you like.  Season with salt and pepper.

4.   Boil the noodles while the chicken cooks 8-10 minutes.  Reserve 1 cup of Cooking Water.  Coat drained noodles with remaining sesame oil.

5.  Stirfry bok choy, garlic, and white scallions in the pan with the chicken fond with S&P, 1-2 min.

6. Add chopped chicken, cooked veggies, sauce, half the reserved cooking water to the large pan with the dressed noodles.  Cook medium high 1-2 minutes.  Add remaining cooking water to your desired consistency.  Season S&P to taste.

7.  Garnish with Scallions and serve.

Swiss Mushroom Spinach Salad

I remember this from childhood.  It's a delicious high calorie salad.  Nice with a ham.

2 bunches Spinach - washed and de-stemmed
1/2 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/2 lb swiss cheese
1/3 cup cottage cheese
5 strips bacon - cooked and crumbled
1 red onion, diced (you can soak prior to take the edge off the raw onion)

Hard Boiled Egg (optional)

Dressing (can be made a day prior)
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup Olive oil
1/2 cup Red Cider vinegar
1 T Poppy Seed
1 T minced Red Onion
1 tsp salt
1/2 t. Dry Mustard

Blend all of the dressing ingredients together in a blender. Marinate mushrooms in dressing for 15 minutes. Combine all of the ingredients for the salad and toss with dressing just before serving to prevent wilting.

Cherry Coke Ham

I had this ham first at my friends, Dicy and Joey's home.  Apparently this is Elvis's favorite ham, which explains a lot about the later years...  I like making this ham to simultaneously honor Dicy, and find new and innovative ways to consume Cherry Coke.

5 lb pre-cooked ham (shank or butt, preferably bone in--or spiral cut ham)
4 cans Cherry Coke (NOT Diet)
1 onion, quartered
1 jar cherry jam (NOT jelly)
Cloves

Bring ham onion and coke to a boil on stove in large covered stockpot.  Transfer to oven and bake at 10 minutes per pound at 325 degrees.

Remove from oven and place 1/2 remaining liquid in medium size fry pan and reduce by half.  Add jam to fry pan and reduce to taste.  Score top of ham with diagonal crisscross incisions, and insert cloves into cross crosses.  Spoon half of glaze onto the ham.

Return to the oven for 20 minutes uncovered.  Slice and serve with remaining glaze.