Kicking store-bought sticks doesn't mean you have to stray too far from the familiar: Making them from scratch gives you way more control over quality, ingredients and fat.
My love of cooking started when I was trying to earn my Girl Scout cooking badge. My family savors the sweet sauce on these skewers. --Joanne Haldeman, Bainbridge, Pennsylvania
Tender chicken in a tangy sauce, topped with pretty pineapple, makes a mouthwatering main dish. The recipe comes from Jean Ecos of Waukesha, Wisconsin.
This recipe for ma po tofu, a Chinese stir-fry, is simple to make and good for you, too. Add a side of chilled melon and a cold glass of dry riesling for a satisfying supper.
Carrots and red and green bell peppers add lots of color to this classic sweet pineapple and sour soy-vinegar chicken stir fry with just a whiff of ginger.
Relates Debbie Terenzini Wilkerson of Lusby, Maryland, 'I love these tender pork chops smothered in a mouth-watering sauce. It's the perfect blend of mustard, soy sauce, ketchup and orange marmalade.'
Eggplant, ginger, garlic, shrimp and beef get sauteed and spiced-up, Szechuan style. Chicken stock and soy sauce provide the base for the thick, tasty sauce.
'People can't believe it when I tell them how little time it takes to fix this delicious chicken,' reports Mollie Hall of San Ramon, California. 'It's very moist inside and so pretty to serve with its lovely basil-flecked coating.'
