•BfrUncwter farming,- Satnrday,- Itenmber 3t, 1988 For holiday parties or family snacking there are many ready made foods to buy and simply micro-heat. But, there are also many homemade party and snack foods that micro-cook quickly. Today’s first recipe. Lemon Chicken Nibbles With Sweet- Sour Sauce, does take awhile to get ready to microwave, but once the preparation is done, cooking is very fast. To save on preparation time, buy skinned boned chicken breasts. (Or if you’re lucky, your supermarket will have them ready-cut into chunks.) Both chicken and the sauce are cooked on High power. It’s neces sary to give both some attention during microwaving. Stop micro waving chicken after about two thirds of cooking time to turn over and rearrange pieces otherwise some pieces will overcook and some remain undone. For the sauce, stop and stir after each minute of cooking otherwise a big lump of starch will form. In Zippy Cheese and Shrimp Dip, cream cheese can be softened on High power, but once the other ingredients are added it’s best to use a lower power and stir often. The lower power helps prevent shrimp from toughening and the Cheddar and cream cheeses from curdling. Both recipes can be made ahead. Several hours ahead, pre pare the chicken, coat with crumb mixture and arrange pieces on a microwavable plate. Leave uncooked, cover and refrigerate until cooking time. Add about a minute more cooking time. Or, a day ahead, cut chicken and pre pare crumb mixture; cover and MICROWAVE MINUTES By JOYCE BATTCHER refrigerate each in separate con tainers until ready to coat chicken. Cook and refrigerate Sweet-Sour Sauce; reheat before serving. To make Zippy Cheese and Shrimp Dip ahead, soften cream cheeses and stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Right before serving, re-heat on Medium pow er, adding a minute or two of extra time. Of course, if you really don’t want to do a lot of micro-cooking, you could buy some frozen breaded boneless chicken nuggets to heat and serve with the home made Sweet-Sour Sauce. And you could even buy prepared cheese dip in its own microwavable container! Chicken Nibbles With Sweet-Sour IVS -pounds chicken breasts (bone-in, skin-on) or V* pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts 6 tablespoons sugar VA tablespoons cpmstarch Vt cup chicken broth 6 tablespoons cider vinegar VA teaspoons soy sauce VA tablespoons catsup 3 tablespoons sugar (optional) 'A cup fine cornflake crumbs 1 teaspoon paprika 2 teaspoons grated fresh lemon peel* 'A teaspoon pepper* Green pepper strips Bone and skin chicken if neces sary. Cut into bite-size pieces (about 1 inch each); set aside. Make sauce in a microwave safe 1-quart measure. Stir together sugar and cornstarch; gradually stir in chicken broth, vinegar, soy Sauce sauce and catsup until smooth. Microwave (High) 4 to 5 minutes, stirring well after each 1% minutes, until mixture is thick and boiling. Taste and add more sugar as desired. Set aside. In a small dish, stir together crumbs, paprika, lemon peel and pepper. Dip chicken pieces in crumb mixture, coating all sides well. Place pieces on a microwave-safe serving plate, arranging larger pieces to outside edges of plate. Cover with waxed paper. Microwave (High) 2 minutes. Turn over pieces and rearrange so least-cooked pieces are to outside edges of plate. Re cover and microwave (High) 1 to 2 minutes or until done. If neces sary, re-heat sauce. Pour sauce into small bowl; set in center of plate of chicken. Garnish with green pepper strips. Makes about 48 appetizers. To double recipe: Double ingre dients. Divide chicken between 2 microwave-safe plates; cook each separately as above. Prepare sauce in a 2-quart measure, doubling cooking time and stirring after each 2 minutes of cooking. * You may substitute V* tsp. lemon pepper or a no-salt mixture containing lemon and pepper. Each serving 4 pieces and V/i tablespoons sauce: 67 calo ries, 6g protein, 0 fat, lOg car bohydrate, 105 mg sodium, 18mg cholesterol. Zippy Cheese and Shrimp Dip 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese 8 ounces (2 cups) shredded Ched dar cheese '/< cup white wine or milk 1 can (6 ounces) baby shrimp, drained 1 jar (2 ounces) chopped pimiento 'A -A teaspoon hot pepper sauce Place cream cheese in microwave-safe 2-quart casserole; microwave (High) 30 to 45 sec onds. Stir until smooth; stir in remaining ingredients. Micro- Lykens Valley Structures Cedar Lawn Furniture & Redwood Lawn Furniture Available 10'x14' Rectangle ready for shipping Lykens Valley Structures are built using all pressure tested (SYP .40). We Use All Galvanized Nails For Maximum Durability Gazebos Are Available in B’, 10’, 12’ & 14’ (Also Optional) Benches & Screening & Tables. Wishing Wells & Bird Feeders & Lawn Furniture & Mailboxes Also Available In Pre-Fab Kits. (Deluxe Model Only). B’, 10’, 12’, 14’, 18’ (Ready For Shipping) R.D. 2 Box 59 I Leave Message (717) 692-2645 Millersburg, Pennsylvania 17061 I No Sunday Calls Delivery Is Also Available I Also Dealer-Inquiries Welcome > , , ~ , ♦ . .»».> wave / = ,-IIiPH >«TflBPDff! *rop*i uit«»Rn T* esfISSSSSmZs* 10' Victorian Gazebo ♦ microwave cooking? Send it tc Microwave Minutes, % Extra Newspaper Features, P.O. Boa 6118, Rochester, MN 55903, Please include a self-addressed stamped, business-size envelope. Recipes in this column are tested in 600- and 650-watt micro wave ovens. With an oven of dif ferent wattage output, timings may need slight adjustment Joyce Battcher is on indepen dent home economist microwave specialist. She is author oj "Microwave Family Favorites' ’ and editor of "A Batch of Ideas’’ newsletter. © 1988 Extra Newspaper Features Engaged, ed Couples ing control and practices)- Febru ary 9, 9:30-11:30 a.m. or 7:00-9:00 p.m., Extension Office Meeting Room, 112 Pleasant Acres Road, York, PA. Credit, Building Wealth, Pro tecting Assets- February 16, 9:30-11:30 a.m. or 7:00-9:00 p.m. Extension Office Meeting Room, 112 Pleasant Acres Road, York. Since each session builds on the previous, plan to attend all three. Cost $5/couple. To register for the workshop call 757-9657. Advanced registra tion is required. ,