chinese chicken salad, please!

dressing:
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons peanut butter
2 teaspoons brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon hot chile paste
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
*dressing is pretty thick, I add a little juice from the mandarin oranges to thin it.

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
16 (3.5 inch square) wonton wrappers, shredded
4 cups romaine lettuce - torn, washed and dried
shredded carrots
1 bunch green onions, chopped

*I hardly ever use green onions or the wonton wrappers, but I almost always add corn and mandarin oranges

To prepare the dressing, whisk together the hoisin sauce, peanut butter, brown sugar, chili paste, ginger, vinegar and sesame oil.
Grill or broil chicken until cooked, slice
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a large shallow pan and arrange shredded wontons in a single layer. Bake 20 minutes or until golden brown.
In a large bowl, combine the chicken, wontons, lettuce, carrots and green onions. Toss with dressing and serve.

My Favorite Kitchen Tools

Admittedly, I love to cook.  This fact has necessitated better cooking tools, and let me just say, it makes ALL the difference.  Invest.  You won't know how you lived without them.
  (My apologies on the formatting of this.  New Blogger is not very cooperative).

The Garlic Press

Mine is from The Pampered Chef.  Note:  If you put it through the dishwasher, don't run the dry cycle because it is hard on the finish.  I use garlic in almost everything and it's so cheap if you buy it in the produce section.  Plus, you CAN'T beat the flavor of fresh garlic.  So much better than the powder.

Meat Mallet

I got mine at T.J. Maxx for under $5.  Make sure you get a metal one, the plastic ones just don't suffice.  I pound out all my chicken breasts, yes every one, and here is why. They are just too darn thick!  If you pound them out they are more tender, it seems like you have more meat, and it cooks more quickly.  Using a meat mallet is essential if you are grilling.  There's nothing worse than eating a big thick piece of chicken. As an aside: no, I don't know this fellow but I couldn't pass up using this swell picture.

 A couple of good knives:
I have one from The Pampered Chef and two made by Wusthof.  They were an investment but so worth it.  They make cutting so much easier.

Amazing Chex Mix

My friend Mandy makes this and we request it for every gathering.  It is soooooo good.  Kind of reminds me of cereal treat with a twist.  Not a low calorie food, but great for a party.

1 box of golden grahams


1 box chex cereal

3 cups of shredded coconut

2 cups of cashews (I think it would be delicious with almonds)

mix together in a large bowl

2 1/2 cups of sugar

2 1/4 cups of karo syrup

3 cubes of butter

boil together for 4 min

remove from heat and add

2 1/4 tsp vanilla

pour over chex mixture and mix until coated. place ingredients spread out on wax paper to cool.

warning it makes a ton!