South of Normal

Some of you have it.  That thing that keeps you south of normal. You focus everything you have on it; you become passionate about it. It consumes you. You have a hard time identifying yourself apart from it.

Until.

Until the one day when you are separated from it. You begin to see yourself apart from it. You begin to redefine your life without it being in the description.

And little by little, I come closer to normal.  I look forward to the next thing that pulls me south of normal.

Spicy Peanut Chicken

One of my very favorite, simple dinners to make. You can adjust the spiciness by adding more or less cayenne pepper.
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 TB cornstarch
1 TB sugar
2 TB soy sauce
1 TB white vinegar
1/4 TB cayenne pepper
1 TB vegetable oil
1 lb chicken; boneless, skinless cut into 3/4" pieces (breast or thighs)
1 garlic clove; finely chopped
1 tsp finely grated ginger root
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into 3/4" pieces
1/3 cup dry roasted peanuts
2 TB green onions, sliced
2 cups cooked rice

Mix broth, cornstarch, sugar, soy, vinegar and cayenne pepper. Set aside.

Heat wok (or 12" skillet) over high heat. Add oil, rotate wok to coat sides.

Add chicken, garlic and ginger root; stir fry for about 3 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.  Add bell pepper and stir fry for 1 minute.

Add broth mixture. Cook and stir until sauce is thickened. Stir in peanuts. Sprinkle with onions and serve over rice.