Poetry Saturday . . . The Cherry Now

Loveliest of trees, the cherry now
Is hung with bloom along the bough,
And stands about the woodland ride
Wearing white for Eastertide.



Now, of my threescore years and ten
Twenty will not come again,
And take from seventy springs a score,
It only leaves me fifty more.



And since to look at things in bloom
Fifty springs are little room,
About the woodlands I will go
To see the cherry hung with snow.
-A E Houseman (Loveliest of Trees, The Cherry Now)



The old Post Office in a village very near to where we lived down in Kent used to be surrounded by beautiful cherry trees in bloom about this time of year each spring. Can there possibly be a more beautiful sight to behold??? I think not!

My Step by Step program went well yesterday. I managed to keep up with most of the exercises, despite my bad knee, so that was good! It was mostly low impact, and I don't mind saying that I was perspiring at the end of the 60 minutes too! Then the best thing of all, I managed to lose three pounds in a week. Amazing. Go me! (I don't expect that kind of success every week though!)

We are off to the dog groomers with Mitzie early this morning. She is a digger we have discovered. She likes to dig in the dirt, and has taken to digging up our Jerusalem Artichokes. We have had to try to figure out a way to keep her out of that bed. We have to keep one step ahead of the little madame all the time! It's a good thing we love her!

A lot of people over here in the UK go for a Curry or a Chinese on Saturday evenings. We have a chippie down the end of the road that does really great Chinese. I love their Beef in Black Bean Sauce. Back home we often went to the Chinese Buffet place. I always adored the chicken wings and the Lemon Chicken. It's probably not very good for you, but once in a while it's ok to treat yourself just so long as you don't go overboard!



*Chinese Lemon Chicken*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

This has always been my favourite kind of chicken. I just love the tanginess of the lemon sauce.

2 pounds skinless chicken breasts, sliced
1 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
3 cups peanut or vegetable oil
Lemon slices (optional)
White sesame seeds (optional)

Marinade:
3 tablespoons dark soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

Sauce:
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2-inch piece of ginger, minced
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1/4 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in 1/4 cup water

Whisk together the soy sauce and sesame oil for the marinade. Coat the chicken with the marinade, cover and then place in the refrigerator to marinate for at least half an hour.

Combine the cornstarch and white pepper in a shallow bowl. Remove the chicken from the marinade, allowing any excess to drip off. Roll the chicken pieces in the cornstatch mixture, shaking off any excess before frying.

Heat the three cups of oil in a large pan, until just smoking, then add the first batch of chicken pieces and deep-fry until cooked through. This will take about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove chicken with a slotted spoon to drain on paper towels. Repeat with the rest of the chicken.

Turn off the pan with the oil in it, removing 1 tablespoon of the oil into a medium-sized pot and heat over medium-high. (You can save the used oil for later use by allowing it to cool, then straining into an aluminum can or other container.)

Add the garlic and ginger to the 1 tablespoon of the oil, and cook briefly until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the lemon juice, lemon zest, chicken stock, and sugar. Stir until the sugar is dissolved and simmer until the liquid is reduced by half. Stir in the cornstarch mixture and cook to thicken.

Remove the sauce from the heat. Add the fried chicken pieces and toss them in the sauce. Garnish with lemon slices and white sesame seeds, if desired. Serve with white rice and maybe some steamed broccoli or snow peas on the side.

There's a delicious Roly Poly Rhubarb Pudding waiting for you in The English Kitchen this morning! Have a wonderful Saturday everyone!