Creamy Balsamic Vinaigrette

I was searching the internet for a balsamic vinaigrette and I came across this one here http://therecipesociety.blogspot.com/2009/09/creamy-balsamic-vinaigrette.html and thought it sounded good. It was very good but I ended up adding about a tablespoon and a half of honey to make it a little sweeter. I will definitely keep this one on hand but I am still in search of a balsamic vinaigrette that they serve here in Korea. The one here is sweet, garlicky, and salty. I will keep searching and reviewing them here.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
3/4 cup olive oil
2 tsp brown sugar
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp ground mustard
1 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp basic
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp parsley
1 1/2 Tbs. honey (I added this)

Directions:

Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. It if is too thick you can a add a few tsps of water until is is the desired consistency.
Store in airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
Enjoy!

Jello Pumpkin Spice Pudding Pie

I was grocery store yesterday and they have all of their Thanksgiving foods out. This and Christmas are my favorite times of the year to go grocery shopping. I love all of the different and seasonal foods. There was a set up of Jello puddings with a recipe for Pumpkin Spice Pudding Pie which uses their seasonal Pumpkin Spice Pudding. I had to try it and I am so glad I did. My husband and I enjoyed this and even using the fat free milk and cool whip it was a great dessert! I would be a great alternative for Pumpkin Pie on Thanksgiving if you are watching your calories.

Ingredients

• 2 cups cold milk (I used skim milk)
  
• 2 pkg. (4 serving size) JELL-O Pumpkin Spice Flavor Instant Pudding & Pie Filling
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 (8 ounce) tub COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed (I used fat free Cool Whip)
  
• 1 (6 ounce) HONEY MAID Graham Pie Crust
• 1/2 cup PLANTERS Pecan Halves
• 1 tablespoon honey

Directions

1. Beat milk, dry pudding mixes and cinnamon with wire whisk until well blended. Spread 1-1/2 cups onto bottom of crust.
2. Add 1-1/2 cups of the whipped topping to remaining pudding mixture; stir gently. Spoon over layer in crust; top with remaining whipped topping.
3. Refrigerate 1 hour. Meanwhile, cook pecans and honey in skillet on medium-low heat 2 to 4 min. or until pecans are caramelized, stirring frequently. Spread onto sheet of waxed paper, separating larger clusters. Cool. Sprinkle over pie just before serving. Store leftovers in refrigerator.

Enjoy!

Filet Mignon with Mushroom-Wine Sauce Served with Twice Baked Potatoes

Filet Mignon with Mushroom-Wine Sauce

Ingredients:

	1/2 lb Button mushrooms
	Vegetable cooking spray
	Cracked pepper
	1 1/2 c Dry red wine, divided
	2 ts Cornstarch
	Fresh thyme sprigs
	1 ts Dried thyme
	4 4-ozfilet Mignon steaks; about 1 inch thick
	1/3 c shallot; Finely chopped
	1 tb Margarine; divided
	1 tb Low-sodium soy sauce
	1 10.5-oz can beef consomme; undiluted and divided

Directions:

Melt 1-1/2 t margarine in a nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat. Add shallot and mushrooms; saute 4 minutes. Add 1 c wine and 3/4 c consomme; cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove mushrooms, and place in a bowl. Increase heat to high; cook wine mixture 5 minutes or until reduced to 1/2 c. Add to mushrooms in bowl; set aside. Wipe skillet with a paper towel.

Sprinkle pepper over steaks. Melt remaining margarine in skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat. Add steaks; cook 3 minutes on each side or until browned. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook 1-1/2 minutes on each side or until done. Place on a platter; keep warm.

Combine soy sauce and cornstarch; stir well. Add remaining wine and consomme to skillet; scrape skillet with a wooden spoon to loosen browned bits. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute. Add mushroom mixture, cornstarch mixture, and dried thyme; bring to a boil, and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Serve with steaks. Garnish with fresh thyme.

Twice Baked Potatoes

Ingredients:

• 1 large baking potatoes
• 2 slices bacon
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  
• 1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
  
• 2 green onions, sliced, divided

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Clean potatoes and pat dry.
3. Lightly coat the potatoes with olive oil and kosher salt
   
4. Bake potatoes in preheated oven for 1 hour.
5. Meanwhile, place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside. (I used Turkey Bacon and cooked it in the microwave).
   
6. When potatoes are done allow them to cool for 10 minutes. Slice potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop the flesh into a large bowl; save skins. To the potato flesh add sour cream, milk, butter, salt, pepper, 1/2 cup cheese and 1/2 the green onions. Mix with a hand mixer until well blended and creamy. Spoon the mixture into the potato skins. Top each with remaining cheese, green onions and bacon. (I used light sour cream, skim milk, and fat free cheese. I recommend using low fat cheese because the fat free is very hard to melt as you can see in the picture. I also didn't have green onion on hand but it is delicious in the recipe!)
   
7. Bake for another 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Adapted from:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Ultimate-Twice-Baked-Potatoes/Detail.aspx

Bistec De Palomilla

Being from South Florida, I miss Cuban food very much! Since there is no Cuban food in South Korea, I have to make my own. I made my favorite, Bistec de Palomilla and served it with Cuban style white rice and Cuban style black beans. You can find my recipe for black beans here on my blog. The recipe for the rice and steak are below. I hope you enjoy it as much as my husband and I did!

Bistec de Palomilla

Ingredients:

6-8 oz boneless steaks (top round) 1/4 inch thick
1/4 cup Naranja Agria or (substitute 2 parts lemon juice to 1 part orange juice)
2 tablespoons garlic minced
1/2 medium onion finely chopped
1-cup parsley, finely chopped
1/4 cup lime juice
Olive oil

Directions:

• In a mixing bowl combine the naranja agria, garlic, salt and pepper to make the marinade. Place the steaks in a deep baking dish in a single layer and sprinkle them with salt on both sides. Pour the marinade over the steaks, cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-hour.

• Option 1 for the onions, if you like raw onion: Prepare the garnish in a medium bowl. Combine the parsley, chopped onion, lime juice and drizzle a small amount of olive oil over the mixture. Do not add to much olive oil or the topping will be too soggy. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside
• Option 2 for the onions, which is what I did: Slice the onion and when you are done cooking the steaks, cook the onions with the leftover marinade. Cook until golden brown or your desired tenderness. I like mine cooked enough to take the bitterness out of the onion but still a bit crispy.
• To cook the meat on a grill: Heat grill to high heat. Remove the steaks from marinade and grill for 1 to 2 minutes per side. Because the steaks are so thin, they will cook very quickly.
• To cook the meat on the stove top: Heat skillet in between medium high and high heat, cook steaks about 2-3 minutes on each side.

Cuban Style White Rice

Ingredients:

1 cup extra long grain white rice, if you can find Goya brand that is great, I used Canilla which is a Goya product
2 cups water
1/2 Tbs. vegetable oil
1/2 tsp. salt

Directions:

While stirring, bring to a boil. Then reduce heat, cover and allow to simmer until water is absorbed. Normally 20-25 minutes.

Bring
Enjoy!

Bonless Porkchops with Homemade BBQ Sauce & Quinoa Fried Rice

I have been wanting to try Quinoa for the longest time. The last time I was at the grocery store I just bit the bullet and bought some, not knowing how to cook it! I came home and searched the internet for a recipe and found one that I thought would be great. The original recipe was for Chicken Quinoa Fried Rice but I omitted the chicken and just made Quinoa Fried Rice. The recipe is here:
http://www.noshtopia.com/2008/06/recipe-quinoa-c.html

I also had some pork chops so I made a batch of our favorite homemade BBQ sauce. I made Emeril's Baby Back Ribs once and loved the BBQ sauce so much that it is our go to BBQ sauce! It's easy to make so I make a batch and save it in a container to use for other recipes. I decided to try the boneless pork chops in the slow cooker. I trimmed the fat off the pork chops and put come BBQ sauce and cooked it for about 6-7 hours on low and then while I was cooking the Quinoa I turned it to high to thicken the sauce. If the sauce doesn't thicken up you, can put it on the stove in a saucepan and turn it to high heat while constantly stirring until it thickens. The BBQ Sauce Recipe is here:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/oven-barbecued-baby-back-ribs-recipe/index.html

Enjoy!

Spicy Thai Chicken Bites

If you remember back in May I made Korean Fried Chicken that had a delicious Korean sauce. The link to that is here:

http://onesweethobby.blogspot.com/2011/05/korean-fried-chicken-with-chicken-fried.html
I cooked the chicken the same way but changed the sauce. Here is what I did for the sauce: I used Sweet Thai Sauce and Hot Sauce (my favorite is actually Texas Pete and my husband's is Tabasco) but I used Louisiana Hot Sauce for this recipe.

• In a wok or large saute pan add about 1/2 cup or more depending on how much sauce you want on the chicken.
  
• Add as much of your favorite hot sauce to the your desired level of spicy.
• Stir them together while heating the sauce until it starts to bubble.
• Let it bubble for a couple minutes, turning down the heat if it starts to burn.
• When the sauce is thick, add the chicken and mix until the chicken is well coated.

Enjoy.

We enjoy this chicken with some cold potato salad!

Taco Rice

One of my favorite dishes while living in Okinawa was Taco Rice. It is a very popular dish there and you can find it all over the island. If you like tacos and you like rice you definitely need to try this dish! It is very quick and easy.

Ingredients:

Steamed white rice
1 pound ground beef
1 packet taco seasoning (I use Taco Bell)
1/2 cup warm water
Shredded cheese
Shredded lettuce
Diced tomatoes (I omitted because I don't like tomatoes)
Taco sauce

Directions:

• In a rice cooker or on the stove make steamed rice
• Brown the ground beef and drain
• Mix taco seasoning with 1/2 cup of warm water, do not follow the packet instructions
• Cook the beef until the taco seasoning is well absorbed
  
• Now you are ready to start layering: steamed rice, taco meat, shredded cheese, shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, and finally taco sauce.

* For the sauce:
In Okinawa they have a specific sauce they sell for Taco Rice (which I miss terribly). You can also use taco sauce or spicy ketchup if they have that where you live. Here in Korea they have Ketchup with Tabasco sauce in it. I personally prefer the taco rice sauce or spicy ketchup.

Enjoy!

Bibimbap (비빔밥)

Here is another recipe I tried from Aeri. All of my Korean recipes I have posted here have been from you wonderful Youtube channel. I also found out recently that she has a blog with all of her recipes as well as step by step pictures and instructions. Please give her site a look and see if there are any other recipes you might like.

http://aeriskitchen.com/2008/12/bibimbap-%eb%b9%84%eb%b9%94%eb%b0%a5/#more-1105

Main Ingredients:

I made mine with everything except the last three ingredients. I personally don't like Kimchi or radish and my grocery store didn't have bean sprouts. You can really add any other ingredients that you like as well.

• ⅓ Onion
• ⅓ Carrot
• ⅓ Zucchini
• ⅓ Cucumber
• 2-3 Leaves Lettuce
• ½ Green Onion
• 1 Egg
• 1 Dried Seaweed
• 2 Bowls Cooked Rice
• ¼ Cup MooSaengChae (Radish-sidedish) you can find the recipe for this here- http://aeriskitchen.com/2008/09/korean-radish-side-dish/
• ¼ Cup Kimchi
• 2 Handfulls Bean Sprouts

Meat Ingredients:

• ¼ Cup Ground Beef
• ½ tsp Soy Sauce
• ½ tsp Sugar
• ½ tsp Cooking Wine
• ½ tsp Sesame Oil
• 1 Clove Minced Garlic
• 1 Pinch Salt & Black Pepper

Sauce Ingredients:

• 3 Tbsp Red Pepper Paste
• ¼ tsp Soy Sauce
• 1 tsp Brown Rice Vinegar or Apple Vinegar
• 1 tsp Sugar
• ¾ tsp Sesame Seeds
• 1 tsp Sesame Oil
• ½ tsp Minced Garlic

The recipe also calls for Gosari but I omitted this because I do not like the taste. I am adding it here for those of you who want to know what traditional Bibimbap is made up of.

Gosari Ingredients:

• 1 Handfull Dried Fernbrake (GoSaRi)
• ¼ Onion
• 2 tsp Soy Sauce
• 1 tsp Sesame Oil
• ½ Tbsp Olive Oil
• ½ tsp Minced Garlic

Directions:

• In a bowl, mix ¼ cup of ground beef, ½ tsp of soy sauce, ½ tsp of sugar, ½ tsp of cooking wine, ½ tsp of sesame oil, 1 clove minced garlic, 1 pinch of salt, and 1 pinch black pepper all together. Set it aside while you are preparing the other ingredients.
• Add the boiled bean sprouts, ½ tsp of sesame oil, and 1 pinch of salt. Mix well.
• If you are using Gosari follow step 1. and 2., if you are not using it you can skip to the next step.

1. If you buy dried gosari, soak one handful of gosari in water over night. If the gosari is still not soft, then boil it in water until it becomes soft, before you fry it.
2. Cut it into 3 inch pieces. In a pan, add the gosari, ¼ of sliced onion, 2 tsp of soy sauce, 1 tsp of sesame oil, ½ tbsp of olive oil, and ½ tsp of minced garlic. Fry for 10 minutes.

• Julienne ⅓ of a carrot and ⅓ of a zucchini to the same size.
• Slice ⅓ of an onion thinly.
• Cut ½ of a green onion thinly. Fry the green onion with a little bit of salt for 5 seconds.
• In the same way, fry the onion with a pinch of salt for 20 seconds.
• Fry the zucchini for 1 minute with some salt.
• Fry the carrot for 30 second with some salt.
• Fry the marinated beef until the beef is completely cooked.
• Fry one flat egg with a pinch of salt. Slice it thinly.

If you are using Kimchi, follow the following two steps.

1. Cut ¼ cup of kimchi into small pieces.
2. Fry with a little bit of oil for 2 minutes. You can add a little bit of sugar if you want.

• Cut 1 sheet of dried seaweed into strips with scissors.
• Cut 2-3 leaves of lettuce thinly.
• Julienne ⅓ of a cucumber thinly.
• Add the radish side dish, MooSaengChae
• To make the sauce, mix 3 tbsp of red pepper paste, ¼ tsp of soy sauce, 1 tsp of vinegar, 1 tsp of sugar, 1 tsp of sesame oil, ¾ tsp of sesame seeds, and ½ tsp of minced garlic.
• In a large bowl, place 1 cup of cooked rice, all of the vegetables, kimchi, egg, and dried seaweed. Put the beef in the center. Then, pour 2-3 spoons of sauce on top of the beef. You can adjust the amount of the sauce, depending on how spicy you want it.
• Mix all the ingredients together until well blended.

Enjoy!

Beef GalBi 소갈비

This by far has been my favorite Korean dish. You can find the recipe along with step by step pictured instructions here: www.aeriskitchen.com. I find all of my Korean recipes on Aeris's website or her Youtube channel (aeriskitchen).

Main Ingredients:

• 2½ lb. Beef Ribs, also called Flanken Short Ribs (10 pieces)
  
• 1 Asian Pear (10 oz)
• ½ Onion

Sauce Ingredients

• ½ Cup Soup Soy Sauce
• 2 Tbsp Cooking Wine
• 1½ Tbsp Minced Garlic
• 1 tsp Minced Ginger
• 1½ Tbsp Sugar
• 1½ Tbsp Honey
• 1 Tbsp Sesame Oil
• ¼ tsp Black Pepper
• 3 Tbsp Finely Chopped Green Onions

Directions:

• Soak 2½ lb of beef ribs in water for about 2 or 3 hours to get rid of the blood.
• Change the water every hour when some of the blood leaches out. 2 or 3 hours later, rinse the ribs and drain the water.
• Cut 1 Asian pear and ½ of an onion.
• Grind the pear and onion together in a blender.
• Pour the pear and onion mixture on to the beef ribs.
• Mix the sauce with the ribs and set them aside for an hour. This will help get rid of the strong meat flavor and make the meat sweet and tender.
• In a bowl, combine ½ cup of soy sauce, 2 Tbsp of cooking wine, 1½ Tbsp of minced garlic, 1 tsp of minced ginger, 1½ Tbsp of sugar, 1½ Tbsp Honey, 1 Tbsp of sesame oil, ¼ tsp of black pepper, and 3 Tbsp of finely chopped green onions. Mix everything until the sugar and honey dissolves.
• 1 hour later, pour the sauce mixture on the beef ribs and mix again.
• Cover the ribs with plastic wrap and marinate them for a day in the refrigerator. Flip over all the ribs once or twice while it is marinating.
• The next day, grill some of the marinated beef ribs with a little of the extra sauce on a heated pan or grill.
• Cook them until the ribs are well done.
• After they are cooked I like to put them in a 350 degree oven for about 5 or 10 minutes.
• I also freeze half of them and reheat them in the oven. I actually like them the second time better. I like to cook them until they are really well done.

I LOVE this marinade and I am planning to try it on a different cut of beef. I will keep you all posted on how that works out.

Enjoy!

Beef Jap Chae (잡채)

I thought of my husband when I saw this recipe and thought he would really like it. I was right he LOVED this recipe and I will definitely be making it again. I am not a spinach eater nor an egg eater but I can eat the spinach in this recipe. I will just leave the egg out of my serving. If you are interested in seeing step by step instructions with pictures please visit aeriskitchen's blog at the link below :
http://aeriskitchen.com/2008/12/japchae-%EC%9E%A1%EC%B1%84/#more-1125

Main Ingredients

• ⅓ Carrot
• ½ Onion
• ⅓ Sweet Pepper (Optional)
• 2 Eggs (Optional)
• Olive Oil
• Salt & Black Pepper

Beef Ingredients

• 1 Cup Beef
• ½ Tbsp Soy Sauce
• ½ Tbsp Cooking Wine
• 1 tsp Garlic
• 1½ tsp Sugar
• A pinch of Black Pepper

Mushroom Ingredients

• 3 Dried Shiitake Mushrooms(I used button mushrooms)
• 1½ tsp Soy Sauce
• ½ tsp Sugar
• ¼ tsp Garlic

Spinach Ingredients

• 3 oz Spinach
• 1 tsp Soy Sauce
• ½ tsp Sugar

Noodle Ingredients

• 1 Handful (4.6 oz) Cellophane Noodles (Dang Myun)also called glass noodles
  
• 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
• ½ Tbsp Sugar
• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil

Seasoning Ingredients

• 1½ Tbsp Soy Sauce
• 2 Tbsp Sesame Oil
• 1 Tbsp Sugar
• 1 Tbsp Sesame Seeds
• ⅛ tsp Black Pepper

Directions

• Cut about 4.6 oz (1 cup) of beef thinly
• In a small bowl, mix the beef, ½ Tbsp of soy sauce, ½ Tbsp of cooking wine, 1 tsp of garlic, 1½ tsp of sugar, and 1 pinch of black pepper. Set it aside for at least 30 minutes. ( I left mine overnight)
• If you are using shiitake mushrooms:Soak 3 dried shiitake mushrooms in the water for 3 hours, and then squeeze out the water.
  
• Whether you are using the shiitake mushrooms or button mushrooms, remove the stems and slice the mushrooms thinly.
• In a bowl, mix the mushrooms, 1½ tsp of soy sauce, ½ tsp of sugar, and ¼ tsp of garlic.
• Add 3 oz of spinach in boiling water with some salt to keep the color green. Boil for about 30 seconds, and then rinse in cold water. (I used frozen leaf spinach and microwaved it)
• Squeeze out the water.
• Mix the cooked spinach, 1 tsp of soy sauce, and ½ tsp of sugar. Set it aside.
• Cut ½ of an onion thinly. Julienne ⅓ of a carrot thinly. Slice ⅓ of a sweet pepper thinly.
• In boiling water, add the noodles and boil for 3-4 minutes. Drain the water. The original recipe says to boil the noodles for 11 minutes but I was reading other recipes for Jap Chae and they all said to boil the noodles for 3-4 mins., and they came out good.
• Fry the carrot for 10 seconds with a little salt. (I cooked mine for about one minute)
• In a nonstick pan, add 2 Tbsp of olive oil, then add the noodles and stir them. Add 2 Tbsp of soy sauce, ½ Tbsp of sugar. Fry for 2 minutes or until the noodles are evenly colored by the soy sauce.
• Cool the noodles. This makes the combination of colors and flavors be good and the noodles will be shiny.
• To get better color for this dish: Separate the egg yokes and egg whites, and add 1 pinch of salt for each one. Beat the eggs. Fry and slice them thinly. (I just beat my yolk and egg whites together)
• Fry the marinated beef until it is completely cooked.
• Fry the marinated mushrooms until they are completely cooked.
• In a lightly oiled pan, fry the onion for 20 seconds on high with a little bit of salt. Fry the sweet pepper and carrot for 10 seconds with a little salt. (I cooked both the onions and the pepper for a couple of minutes because I like my veggies a little bit more well done)
• In a large bowl, mix all of the noodles, vegetables, and meat.
• Add 1½ Tbsp of soy sauce, 2 Tbsp of sesame oil, 1 Tbsp of sugar, 1 Tbsp of sesame seeds, and ⅛ tsp of black pepper.
• Mix all of the ingredients together, adding the egg last.

Enjoy!

Korean Beef Bulgogi (Korean BBQ) 불고기

I am love trying different Korean recipes. I want to make the best of my time here in South Korea. Everything that I have made so far has been really good. I am learning what the staples are in Korean cooking: Sesame oil, Soy Sauce, Garlic, Onion, Green Onion, Sugar,and Gochujang (red pepper paste) depending on the recipe. I picked a recipe from my favorite Korean cooking Youtube channel, aerieskitchen http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtVEasGxGpM&feature=relmfu . If you haven't check out her channel yet, you should really go take a look and try some of the recipes.

Meat Ingredients:

• 3 Cups Beef (Sirloin)
• 1 Onion
• ½ Carrot

Sauce Ingredients:

• 6 Tbsp Soy Sauce
• 3 Tbsp Sugar
• 3 Tbsp Asian Pear Juice
• 3 Tbsp Cooking Wine
• 3 Tbs Green Onion
• 1½ Tbsp Garlic
• 1 Pinch Ginger Powder
• 1 Tbsp Sesame Seeds
• ¼ tsp Black Pepper
• 1 Tbsp Sesame Oil

Directions:

• Cut 3 cups of beef thinly
• Julienne 2 carrots or 1/2 big carrot, mince 1½ Tbsp garlic, & chop the green onion
• Slice the onion
• In a bowl, combine: 6 Tbsp of soy sauce, 3 Tbsp of sugar, 3 Tbsp of Asian pear juice, 3 Tbsp of cooking wine, 3 Tbsp of green onion, 1½ Tbsp of garlic, 1 Pinch of ginger powder, 1 Tbsp of sesame seeds, ¼ tsp of black pepper, and 1 Tbsp of sesame oil. Mix everything together
• In a large bowl, combine meat and sauce mixture together
• Cover it with plastic wrap or put it in a container with a lid. Keep the container in the refrigerator for at least half a day or overnight
  
• The next day, cook the marinated beef in a pan on medium-high heat, until the beef has completely cooked

Serve with rice or wrap in leaf lettuce.

Enjoy!

Tuscan Style Chicken Marsala

I saw this in the spice isle of my grocery store and thought I would give it a try. It was great, very flavorful and the perfect amount of spice. I served it over No Yolk Egg Noodles but I am sure it would be great over spaghetti or angel hair pasta. I would not use the Egg Noodles again. I served the left overs with white rice and it was much better.

Penne A La Vodka With Chicken

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, once around the pan in a slow stream
1 tablespoon butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 shallots, minced
1 cup vodka
1 cup chicken stock
1 can crushed tomatoes (32 ounces)
Coarse salt and pepper
16 ounces pasta, such as penne rigate
1/2 cup heavy cream
20 leaves fresh basil, shredded or torn

Directions:

Heat a large skillet over moderate heat. Add oil, butter, garlic, and shallots. Gently saute shallots for 3 to 5 minutes to develop their sweetness. Add vodka to the pan, 3 turns around the pan in a steady stream will equal about 1 cup. Reduce vodka by half, this will take 2 or 3 minutes. Add chicken stock, tomatoes. Bring sauce to a bubble and reduce heat to simmer. Season with salt and pepper.

While sauce simmers, cook pasta in salted boiling water until cooked to al dente (with a bite to it). While pasta cooks, prepare your salad or other side dishes.

Stir cream into sauce. When sauce returns to a bubble, remove it from heat. Drain pasta. Toss hot pasta with sauce and basil leaves.

Mushroom Risotto

Recipe from The Best Ever Low Fat cookbook.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp dried porcini mushrooms
1 1/4 cups boiling water
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 fresh sage sprig, finely chopped (I omitted because I didn't have any sage)
generous 1 1/4 cups risotto rice
1/2 cup white wine
8 oz./ 225 g cremini mushrooms, sliced
3 cups hot vegetable stock
4 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
shavings of fresh Parmesan cheese for garnish

Instructions:

• Put the dried porcini mushrooms in a small bowl and pour in the boiling water to cover. let soak for 30 minutes, or until the mushrooms are soft. Drain, reserving the soaking liquid. Using a sharp knife, chop the mushrooms and strain the soaking liquid through a coffee filter paper or cheesecloth-lined strainer.
• Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottom pan. Add the onion, garlic, and sage and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Add the rice and cook over low heat, stirring constantly to coat the grains and with the oil, for 3 minutes. Add the white wine and cook, stirring constantly, until it has evaporated. Stir in the porcini and cremini mushrooms, the mushroom soaking liquid and a large laddleful of the hot Vegetable Stock. Let simmer, stirring constantly, until all the stock has been absorbed. Continue adding the Vegetable Stock and stirring in this way for 20 minutes, or until all the stock has been absorbed and the rice is tender but still firm to the bite.
  
• Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the Parmesan cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide the risotto between 4 warmed serving plates, garnish with shavings of Parmesan cheese and serve.

Enjoy!

Chicken Thighs In Mushroom Sauce

I found this recipe on The Food Network. Gotta love Rachael Ray!
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/rosemary-grilled-chicken-thighs-and-wild-mushroom-sauce-recipe/index.html

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
• Coarse salt and black pepper
• 3 stems fresh rosemary, leaves stripped and chopped
  
• 1 cup chicken
• 1-ounce dried porcini mushrooms
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 slices bacon, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 large shallot, chopped
• 2 portobello mushroom caps, halved and thinly sliced
  
• Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 cup dry red wine

Directions

Heat a grill pan over high heat. Drizzle chicken thighs with oil, season with salt, pepper and rosemary. Grill chicken 5 minutes on each side and remove from heat to rest for 5 minutes.

Place stock in a small bowl and cover. Heat in microwave on high for 2 minutes. Remove stock from microwave with oven mitt. Add dried porcini to the dish and replace the cover. Steep porcinis in stock 5 to 10 minutes to reconstitute mushrooms. This may also be done on the stovetop. Simmer broth, and mushrooms for 10 minutes over low heat.

In a medium skillet, add 2 tablespoons olive oil, saute pancetta, crushed garlic and chopped shallot over medium heat for 3 minutes, to crisp pancetta at edges. Add sliced portobello mushrooms to the pan and season with salt and pepper. Saute mushrooms 10 minutes, or until dark and tender. Add flour and cook 1 minute. Add red wine to the pan and reduce by 1/2, about 1 minute. Add reserved stock and porcini mushrooms to the pan and simmer together 1 to 2 minutes longer to combine.

Slice chicken thighs and fan out on a plate. Ladle thick mushroom sauce down over sliced chicken and serve.

Chicken Parmigiana

I use my homemade tomato sauce for everything Italian that I make. I had some sauce left over in the freezer so I decided to make Chicken Parmigiana. You can find my recipe for sauce under Meat Sauce Spaghetti here on my blog. Sometimes I make it with meat in it and sometimes I just omit the meat and make tomato sauce. Here is how I assemble my Chicken Parmigiana.

Ingredients:

Flour (I use whole wheat)
2 Eggs
Breadcrumbs I prefer an Italian seasoned (Vigo brand is the best). If you can't get them just add some Oregano & Parmesan cheese to them.
Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast pounded down to about 1/4 inch in thickness
Olive Oil
Spaghetti (I used linguini because that is all I had on hand)
Shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Put the flour, eggs (beaten with a little bit of water), breadcrumbs in individual containers.
Season flour and eggs with salt and pepper
Start to heat your oil on the stove over Medium-High heat
Also start heating your water for your spaghetti and cook it al dente
Take a piece of chicken and dip it in the flour (shake off excess)
Dip the floured chicken into the eggs
Finally dip the chicken in the breadcrumbs and make sure they are well coated
When your oil is hot, fry each piece of chicken until golden brown
Remove the chicken from the oil and place it on a rack with paper towels underneath
When all your chicken is cooked and your spaghetti is done, mix some tomato sauce to coat the spaghetti well.
Place spaghetti into a 13 X 9 greased (with cooking spray), top with tomato sauce
Put the chicken cutlets onto of the spaghetti and top each piece with tomato sauce, then cheese
Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-45 minutes or until the cheese is brown

Enjoy!

Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients:
4-6 Bell Peppers (color of your liking)
1 pound Ground Beef (in the picture the peppers are made with shredded chicken)
1 tablespoon Garlic Powder
1 cup Cooked Rice
1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper
1 tablespoon Grated Parmesan Cheese
2 tablespoon Grated Romano Cheese
2 Eggs
1 can Tomato Sauce (I use my own homemade sauce)
Bread Crumbs
Olive Oil

Directions:
* Cook rice and set it aside to cool off
* Cut peppers long ways & clean out the peppers
* Wash the peppers & let them dry
* Heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit
* Combine, ground beef, garlic powder, eggs, cooled rice, cheeses, and salt/pepper; mix well
* Stuff each pepper with the meat mixture
* Pour bread crumbs onto a plate
* Heat some olive oil in a skillet on medium/high
* Dip each pepper with the meat mixture side down into the bread crumbs
* Saute each pepper meat mixture side first in the skillet until golden brown
* Flip the peppers and saute on the outside for another minute
* In a 13 x 9 dish place the peppers breadcrumb side up and pour tomato sauce over them
* Fill the dish with water until it fills the pan halfway up the peppers
* Cover with aluminum foil and bake in your preheated 375 degree oven and bake until the peppers are fork tender, about 45 minutes to one hour.

Enjoy!

Korean Fried Chicken with Chicken Fried Rice

I saw this recipe on my favorite Korean food blog on You Tube and had to try it. I had some leftover chicken in the freezer that I wanted to use up so I made some Chicken Fried Rice to go with it.



Recipe from "aeriskitchen" on You Tube.
http://www.youtube.com/user/aeriskitchen#p/u/87/a4rbnr1a7qo

INGREDIENTS

For the Chicken:
1 Chicken Breast
1/2 Tbsp Cooking Wine
3 Pinches Salt
2 Pinches Black Pepper
Oil for Cooking

For the Batter:
1 Tbsp Corn Starch for covering
1 Egg White
4 Tbsp Corn Starch
1/2 Tbsp Water (I ended up having to add more water until the batter thins out like in the video)

For the Sauce:
2 Tbsp Ketchup
2 Tbsp Honey or Corn Syrup(I used Corn Syrup)
1 Tbsp (Sugar, Finely Chopped Onion, Cooking Wine)
1 tsp (Red Pepper Paste, Mayonnaise (I used Miracle Whip), Sesame seeds)
1/2 Tbsp (Minced Garlic, Olive Oil)
1/2 tsp Sesame Oil
1 Pinch Black Pepper

Directions:

*Cut the chicken breast into half-inch cubes.
*Mix 3 pinches of salt, 2 pinches of black pepper, and ½ Tbsp of cooking wine with the chicken. Set it aside for about 10 minutes.
*Add 1 Tbsp of cornstarch to cover the chicken. That will help the batter stick better to the chicken.
*To make the batter, combine 4 Tbsp of cornstarch, 1 egg white, and ½ Tbsp of water.
*Put the chicken into the batter and mix.
*To make the sauce, mix 2 Tbsp of ketchup, 2 Tbsp of honey or corn syrup, 1 Tbsp of sugar, 1 Tbsp of finely chopped onion, 1 Tbsp of cooking wine, ½ Tbsp of minced garlic, ½ Tbsp of olive oil, 1 tsp of red pepper paste, 1 tsp of mayonnaise, 1 tsp of sesame seeds, ½ tsp sesame oil, and 1 pinch black pepper.
*Fry the chicken twice to make it extra crispy.
*When the chicken pieces are light brown, remove them from the oil.
*Fry them once more.
*Fry until they become golden brown.
*Cook the sauce on medium heat. Once the sauce starts to boil, cook 1 more minute on medium heat.
*Add the fried chicken into the sauce, and mix it well.
*Add 1 tsp of sesame seeds. If you do not want sesame seeds, you can use chopped peanuts instead.

Yield: 2 Servings



Ingredients:

I will share both of the ways I cook my fried rice with you here. The first version is the one shown above.

4 cups Cooked White Rice "Sticky Rice"
(Just a little tip the older the rice the better the fried rice, usually I make rice in a rice cooker & then keep it in the refrigerator for a day or two) This time I made my rice and cooked the Fried Rice right away.
1 Large Onion (Sliced to your desired thickness)
3 Medium Carrots (Sliced on the diagonal)
Soy Sauce (I used low sodium)
Sesame Oil
Vegetable Oil
Salt
Pepper

Directions:

*Heat 1-2 Tablespoons of vegetable oil in wok or big skillet
*Saute onions and carrots until onions are soft and browning a little
*Add garlic and saute for another minute until the garlic is fragrant
*Add cooked chicken and cook for another minute until the chicken or whatever meat you are using is warm
*Little by little add the rice to the wok and stir all ingredients together well
*Add soy sauce and sesame oil little by little and mix well after each addition
*Keep adding soy sauce and sesame oil until desired flavor, some people like it more salty and some like it with more sesame oil
*Add salt and pepper as needed

~This fried rice was just thrown together with stuff I had on hand. Another version is below.

A childhood friend of mine is Korean-American and I used to love eating over her house because her mother who is Korean is such a great cook! Her mother's fried rice is the best. I learned how to cook it but of course like any recipe you get from someone, it NEVER tastes as good as theirs. Taste if for yourself and see what you think.

Ingredients:

Meat (Pork or Chicken)cut into small cubes
Soy sauce
Sugar
Garlic Salt or Powder
Sesame Oil
Vegetable oil

1 Large Onion chopped finely
2-3 Medium Carrots chopped very finely (I put them in my food processor)
2-3 Green onions chopped
4 cups Cooked Rice

In a small container that you can seal, add meat, garlic salt/powder, salt, pepper, sugar (one teaspoon per handful of meat), soy sauce, and sesame oil. Add enough soy sauce and sesame oil to coat the meat well. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes but up to a day.

Chop all of your vegetables and have them all ready to go. Also have your rice on hand. Heat a little bit of vegetable oil in a wok, add the onions and cook until translucent. Add carrots and cook about 2 minutes. Remove carrots and onions and set aside. Put a little bit more oil in the wok and heat oil until hot, add meat and cook until it is done. Add green onion and cook for one minute. Add onions and carrots back to the wok with the meat. Little by little add the rice mixing well after each addition. When the rice is fully mixed add soy sauce and sesame oil. Mix a little at a time. Add salt and pepper. Keep adding soy sauce and sesame oil until the desired taste.

Enjoy!

Cheesy Chicken Stuffed Shells

Adapted from Weight Watchers.

Ingredients:

12 shell(s) uncooked jumbo shells
1 1/2 cup(s) tomato sauce
(I make my own sauce,you can find the recipe on my blog under "Spaghetti & Meat Sauce" & omit the meat)
2 large egg white(s), lightly beaten
1 3/4 cup(s) part-skim cottage cheese
(original recipe calls for ricotta cheese but I don't care for ricotta cheese so I substitute with cottage cheese)
4 oz Chicken breast, I boiled mine & then shredded it
3/4 cup(s) chopped frozen spinach, thawed and drained of excess water
1 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp ground oregano, or other Italian seasoning
3/4 cup(s) part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded (shredded)
1/3 cup(s) grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Cook jumbo shells in boiling water according to the package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water to prevent them from cooking further. Set aside.

Coat a 9 x 13-inch pan with cooking spray. Spread 1/2 cup of sauce evenly over bottom of pan and set aside.

For filling, in a large bowl, stir together egg whites, cottage cheese, chicken, spinach, garlic powder and seasoning. Stir in 1/4 cup each of mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese.

To assemble, spoon cheese mixture into jumbo shells and place filled shells in a single layer in baking dish. Spread remaining sauce on top. Sprinkle with remaining cheeses and bake about 30 minutes.

Yields 3 shells per serving.