Cookbook # 23 - Colorado Cache Cookbook

The Colorado Cache Cookbook (30th Anniversary Edition, 2008) was put out by the Junior League of Denver, and was a gift from the Colorado branch of my husband’s family. It’s typical of fundraiser cookbooks in having a wide range of typical American home cooking. The Almond Chicken recipe I chose fits that description, insofar as it’s an extremely bland 20th century white person’s version of Chinese food. While I’m actually very fond of Americanized Chinese food, this was so bland that even with my additions of an onion, a decent amount of salt, and generous grinds of pepper, we all had to add more soy sauce, salt, and hot sauce at the table to make it tolerable. I won’t be making it again, though I might use the same basic cooking techniques with a stronger sauce.

Almond chicken

• 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced

• 3 T peanut oil

• 2 5-oz cans bamboo shoots, drained

• 2 c celery, sliced diagonally

• 2 5-oz cans water chestnuts, drained

• ½ c slivered blanched almonds

• 2 T soy sauce

• 3 c chicken broth

• 3 T cornstarch

• ½ c water

Heat oil in wok over high heat. Add chicken and stir fry until browned. Add bamboo shoots, celery, water chestnuts, almonds, soy sauce, and chicken broth. Cover and cook gently for 5 minutes. Blend together cornstarch and water. Add to chicken mixture and cook, stirring, until thickened. Serve with rice.