Sweet n Sour Chicken: It's my birthday!

3-day weekends always seem to be the busiest for me. That is probably why I had to get up at 4 am (I left at 4:45 am) to drive back to school. I made good time and arrived on campus about 8:15 or so. I then had Environmental Sociology, which was interesting. We talked about nature and our relationship to it, our perceptions of nature, etc. It was something new that I hadn't ever thought about. I am currently waiting for my friend from Scotland who said he would be on at 11:30 am my time. Then again, scheduled times tend to be relative. So I shall just blog while I wait, haha. Oh, it's my birthday! Officially 22 o.o

An overview of my 3 day weekend.
Friday: too snowy to drive home, so I spent the night at the dorms.
Saturday: Had to be up at 5 am to go home. Roads were clear (thank goodness!). Dropped off my car to get new tires and later picked it up again. Played Plants vs. Zombies with my brother. Played Disney Quest with my brother and sister. My brother kept killing us!
Sunday: Slept in till noon. Went to Cheesecake Factory for my birthday dinner (no cheesecake allowed though!) and ordered the Fettuccine Alfredo with sundried tomatoes and chicken. It was alright, but I liked my moms' Thai Chicken Noodles better. Peanut sauce = mmmmm. Ate cake and opened my present. Played Plants vs. Zombies with my brother. Dropped my sister off for a sleepover.
Monday: Went to the doctor for a check up. Picked up my sister from her sleepover. Took a nap. Went to the grocery store. Made dinner. Cleaned up from dinner. Had leftover birthday cake. Took a shower and went to sleep.

That brings us up to date with my life right now. Of course, the Facebook birthday wishes keep rolling in. I wonder how many there will be at the end of the day, haha. I figured that all of you are probably ready for a break from all the sweets I've been posting, so I have the recipe that I made yesterday. Sweet and Sour Chicken! It was tasty, easy (it's done in the microwave!), and even though we didn't have pineapple, it was still delish. My brother had a double helping, while my dad and sister enjoyed their serving. I found out that my mom doesn't like sweet and sour chicken, but we still had leftover food, so she had steak and rice. I brought some of the leftover chicken with me, hehehehe. I hope you try this recipe out!

Sweet and Sour chicken (adapted from BBC Good Food)

Ingredients:

• 9 Tbsp. tomato ketchup
• 3 Tbsp. malt vinegar 
• 4 - 6 Tbsp. brown sugar (it depends how sweet you like your sauce. I added a little over 5 Tbsp.)
• 2 garlic cloves (2 of the "sections" of the garlic), crushed or finely chopped
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 peppers, seeded and chopped (I used one red and one green)
• 8 oz. can of pineapple chunks, drained (you can drink the juice!)
• 100 g sugar snap peas, roughly sliced, optional
• Handful of roasted cashew nuts, optional

Instructions:

1. In a large microwaveable dish, mix the ketchup, vinegar, sugar and garlic thoroughly. 
2. Add the chicken, onion and peppers and stir. 
3.  Microwave, uncovered,  for 8-10 minutes until the chicken is starting to cook and the sauce is sizzling.
4. Stir in the pineapple pieces and the peas if you are using them. 
5. Microwave for another 3-5 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked. 
6. Leave to stand for a few minutes and then stir in the cashews if you are using them.
7. Serve while warm. (I served this with white rice)

Malt vinegar is able to be found in the stores. It might have a British flag on it, though. The other ingredients are easy to find. You can personalize this dish with other vegetables that you enjoy, as well!

Love it? Hate it? Want to make it? Let me know what you think with a comment below!

As always...

Bon appétit!

P.S. : My current band obsession is The Wanted. If you haven't heard their music, check them out!