Sriracha Chicken Strips With Garlic Noodles

I bought some Sriracha at the grocery store and looked up some recipes for it and found these on this blog: http://jennsfoodjourney.blogspot.com/2010/04/sriracha-chicken-strips.html. They are very yummy and spicy but not too spicy! I will be making these again and paired with the garlic noodles this meal was a hit! The garlic noodles can be found here: http://budgetbytes.blogspot.com/2009/12/garlic-noodles-168-recipe-042-serving.html

Sriracha Chicken Strips
Adapted from Life's Ambrosia
Ingredients:
1/3 cup sriracha
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about a pound or a little more)
1 egg
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:

In a bowl combine sriracha, rice vinegar and ginger. Stir in chicken pieces and coat completely. Cover and marinate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place baking sheet you will be using in oven as it preheats. (this will help keep the bottom of the chicken crispy). Spray a wire rack with cooking spray and set aside.

In one bowl beat an egg. In another bowl combine panko, kosher salt, pepper and garlic powder.

Remove chicken from marinade, dip into egg and then dredge into bread crumbs. Place breaded chicken on prepared wire rack. Repeat process until all chicken is coated.

Once all chicken is breaded bake for 20 minutes. Turn on the broiler and broil for 3 minutes, the bread crumbs will brown slightly. Remove from oven, allow to cool slightly.
Enjoy!


Garlic Noodles
Ingredients:

8 oz. (1/2 lb.) angel hair pasta
4 cloves minced garlic
1/2 bunch green onions chopped
4 tablespoons butter (I used 2 tablespoons of I Can't Believe Its Not Butter but would use 3 tablespoons next time)
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar (I used 1 tablespoon of Splenda brown sugar blend)
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons oyster sauce (I didn't have any so I just put one tablespoon of Sriracha)

Directions:

• In a large pot, bring water to a boil to cook the noodles according to the directions on the box (enough water to cover noodles, boil for approximately 5 minutes)
• While the pasta cooks, mince the garlic and chop the green onions. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the butter is melted and bubbly, add the garlic and onions and saute until they are soft but not browned.
• While the pasta, garlic and onions are cooking, mix the oyster sauce, brown sugar, soy sauce and sesame oil together in a bowl.
• Once the pasta is done cooking, drain it in a colander. Remove the skillet with the sauteed garlic and green onions from the heat. Add the drained pasta and oyster sauce mixture to the skillet and stir well to coat the pasta. If your pasta is stiff or sticky making it hard to stir, mix in a small amount (1/4 cup or less) of hot water to loosen them up.

Enjoy!

Sweet & Spicy Baked Chicken Wings

I saw this recipe on another food blog that I follow and had to try it. I loved the fact that they were baked so that was an added bonus for me! These are a must try and a great idea for a Super Bowl party. You can find this and more great recipes on this blog: http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/sweet-and-spicy-chicken-wings/

Sweet and Spicy Baked Chicken Wings

Yield: about 6 servings

Ingredients:

3 pounds chicken wings and drums
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 cup honey, divided
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup Frank’s Red Hot
2 teaspoons Sriracha
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large jellyroll or broiler pan with foil and place a metal rack on top of the foil. Spray rack with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Rinse the wings in cold water and pat dry with paper towels.

3. Arrange wings on metal rack and season with pepper.

4. Place wings in oven and set timer for 15 minutes. When the timer goes off, remove the wings from the oven and brush the wings with ½ cup honey. Be sure to glaze both side of the wings, using metal tongs to turn.

5. Place wings back into the oven, set the timer for 30 minutes, and prepare the sauce.

6. In a medium bowl, combine melted butter, remaining 1/2 cup of honey, Frank’s Red Hot, Sriracha, cayenne, and garlic powder; whisk to combine.

7. While the wings are baking, periodically baste both sides of the wings with the sauce (about every ten minutes). Once the timer goes off, crank the heat up to 400 degrees F and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

Notes:

- Lining your pan with foil will save you a lot of work, trust me, you don’t want to skip this step. Baked honey and a pan equals a hot mess!
- Control the level of heat by increasing or decreasing the amount of amount of cayenne and Sriracha.
- Things may get a little smoky during the last 15 minutes of cooking, so be sure to turn your ventilation system on.
- Sriracha is typically found in the ethnic aisle of the grocery store.

Enjoy.

Cream Sauce Pasta With Pancetta

I had leftover pancetta from making the green beans so I thought I would try another one of Laura Vitale's pasta recipes that used pancetta in it. This was very yummy and the leftovers were just as good! Here is the link to her website: http://www.laurainthekitchen.com/arch/pasta_cream_pancetta.html

Ingredients:

Serves 4

8 oz of Pancetta, cut into small pieces
2 Cloves of Garlic, minced
1 Carton Chopped Tomatoes
1 lb of Pasta, preferably a tube shaped pasta
1 Tbsp of Fresh Parsley, chopped
½ cup of Heavy Cream
½ cup of Parmiggiano Reggiano, freshly grated

Directions:

1) Fill a large pot with water and give it a generous sprinkling of salt, bring to a boil.

2) In a large skillet with high sides over medium high heat, add the pancetta and cook for about 5 minutes or until golden and crispy around the edges, add the garlic and cook for 30 more seconds. Add the tomatoes and cook for about 10 to 15 minutes or until the sauce has thickened (this is the perfect time to add the pasta to the boiling water and cook according to packaged instructions, drain a set aside.)

3) Once the sauce has thickened, add the heavy cream and cook for a couple more minutes.

4) Taste the sauce and season with a bit of salt and pepper, add the parsley and parmiggiano and give astir, add the cooked pasta and stir until the pasta is all coated with the creamy sauce.

Enjoy!

Banana Nut Bread

What do you do when you have ripe bananas in the house, you make banana nut bread of course! This was a great way to make sure my husband had breakfast in the morning. I found this recipe from a food blog that I follow: http://www.joyofbaking.com/breakfast/BananaBread.html

Banana Nut Bread

Ingredients:

1 cup (115 grams) walnuts or pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped (optional)

1 3/4 cups (230 grams) all-purpose flour

3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated white sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

3 ripe large bananas (approximately 1 pound or 454 grams), mashed well (about 1-1/2 cups)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and place oven rack to middle position. Butter and flour (or spray with a non stick vegetable/flour spray) the bottom and sides of a 9 x 5 x 3 inch (23 x 13 x 8 cm) loaf pan. Set aside.

Place the nuts on a baking sheet and bake for about 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly toasted. Let cool and then chop coarsely.

In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nuts. Set aside.

In a medium-sized bowl combine the mashed bananas, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla. With a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, lightly fold the wet ingredients (banana mixture) into the dry ingredients just until combined and the batter is thick and chunky. (The important thing is not to over mix the batter. You do not want it smooth. Over mixing the batter will yield tough, rubbery bread.) Scrape batter into prepared pan. Bake until bread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 55 to 60 minutes. Place on a wire rack to cool and then remove the bread from the pan. Serve warm or at room temperature. This bread can be frozen.

Makes 1 - 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf.

Tuna Onigiri

One of my husband's favorite snacks in Okinawa was onigiri with tuna inside, that he would get from the convenient store. He hasn't had them since we have been here in Korea; which I am sure they have something similar but he isn't familiar with them here. I decided to try and make them for him. He liked them, which made me very happy! :)

Ingredients:
One small can of tuna
Mayo or Miracle Whip (in our house)
One cup and a half of white sticky rice, still warm
Two large sheets of seaweed
Salt
Rice seasoning (dried vegetables and seaweed) if desired

Directions:

• Make your rice and measure out the rice (sprinkle your seasoning at this point) and divide it in half.
  
• Make your tuna to your desired taste of mayo, salt, and if you want spice you can add cayenne pepper.
• Get a bowl of water and place it at your work station.
• Lay out one sheet of seaweed.
• Get your hand wet so the rice doesn't stick to them. Grab half of the rice in one hand press down so it is a thin layer and make a well in the middle, put half the tuna in this well.
• Start folding the rice over the tuna so you have the tuna in the middle and the rice on the outside.
• Keep wetting your hands as needed.
• Press the ball into a triangle shape by making a triangle with your first fingers and thumbs and shaping it.
• Place your triangle on the sheet of seaweed on the top middle with the tip of the triangle at the top of the seaweed.
• Fold the left corner down towards the right bottom and the right side towards the left bottom.
  
• Pull the bottom up and tuck the sides in on each side.
• Repeat these steps with the remaining rice, tuna, and seaweed.
  

Enjoy!!!

Meatloaf

I remember back in 2006 watching the Oprah show when Billy Joel's then wife Katie made this recipe. I was never a huge meatloaf fan but, after trying it I was hooked! I normally cut the recipe in half and make a one pound meatloaf but you may want to just make the recipe as is. The leftovers can be frozen or you can make a meatloaf sandwiches! The recipe can be found on Oprah's site as well. http://www.oprah.com/food/Katie-Joels-Meat-Loaf

Meatloaf

Servings: Serves 6

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 medium yellow onion , diced (about 3/4 cup)
• 1 clove garlic , minced (this time I roasted a head of garlic & used that instead of this step)
  
• 1 medium red pepper , finely diced (about 1 cup)
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
• 2 pounds lean ground beef
• 2 large eggs , lightly beaten
• 3/4 cup dry breadcrumbs or panko
  
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spray lightly with oil.

Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Sauté the onions, garlic and bay leaf until the onions are tender, about 3 minutes. Add the red pepper and cook until the red pepper is tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the parsley and thyme and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove pan from the heat and let the onion mixture cool. Discard the bay leaf.

In a large bowl, combine the beef, eggs, bread crumbs, 1/2 cup of ketchup, the Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper and the cooled vegetables. Use your hands to mix everything together.

Transfer the mixture to the center of the baking sheet and form into a loaf. Coat the meat loaf with the remaining 1/2 cup ketchup.

Bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours (depending on the shape of your loaf), until the meat loaf is firm. Let set for about 5 minutes before slicing.

Enjoy!

Fettuccine Alfredo with Chicken & Balsamic Green Beans with Pancetta & Garlic

Fettuccine Alfredo

Serves 2

Ingredients
8 oz Fettuccine
2 Thin Pieces of Chicken Cutlets
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Onion Powder
Salt and Pepper to taste
4 Tbsp of Butter (I used I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Light)
1 cup Heavy Cream
1 cup Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese

Instructions:

1) Bring a large pot filled with water up to a boil and sprinkle with a generous pinch of salt. Add fettuccine and cook according to packaged directions. Drain the pasta once cooked and set aside.

2) Season both sides of the chicken with the garlic powder, onion powder and salt and pepper to taste.

3) In a medium non stick sauté pan with high sides, over medium high heat, melt the butter. Add the seasoned chicken and cook for a few minutes on each side until golden brown and cooked through. Remove chicken from the pan and cut into bite size pieces.

4) In the same pan add the heavy cream and reduce it for 5 minutes. Add the parmigiano and stir. Season with salt and pepper to taste and add the cut chicken and drained pasta. Give everything a big toss and dig in right away!

If you thought you could not get that rich and delicious restaurant quality fettuccine alfredo at home, you were so wrong! Fettuccine Alfredo is probably one of the easiest and inexpensive things to make and it always taste so much better when you make it yourself, that way you can control the quality of ingredients and the quantity of salt.

I think the next time I make this I will add peas.

Balsamic Green Beans with Pancetta & Garlic

Ingredients:

Fresh or frozen whole green beans, boiled for 3 minutes in salted water then drained
3 oz. pancetta chopped, it is easier to work with if you put it in the freezer for 30 mins. before cutting.
2 cloves sliced garlic
Red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Salt & Pepper
1 teaspoon olive oil

Instructions:

• In a big skillet heat olive oil and add pancetta, cook for 3-4 minutes or until brown
• Add red pepper flakes to taste and garlic, cook until the garlic is a golden color
• Add 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and it get thicker.
• Add green beans and stir
• Season with salt and pepper and top with additional balsamic vinegar if desired.

Enjoy!

Crepes

I love finding new recipes on Youtube because you can see people actually cooking things. I made these crepes on Christmas Eve after finding a great channel there. I have since made two other recipes from her channel that I will be posting and everything I have made has been amazing! Please do yourself a favor and check out her channel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIc2E3uvBMA

Crepes:

Ingredients

1 cup of All Purpose Flour
1 Tbsp Granulated Sugar
¼ tsp Salt
2 Eggs
2 Tbsp Melted Butter
1 cup Whole Milk

Preparation

1) Place the first 6 ingredients into a blender, and blend until smooth and no lumps appear.

2) Preheat a 9 inch non stick skillet (or a crepe pan) on medium heat and spray with the nonstick cooking spray. Using a ¼ cup measuring cup scoop the batter into the pan tilting the pan in a circular motion coating the surface evenly .(the crepes take about 30 seconds a side to cook) Continue the same process with the rest of the batter.

3) Once the crepes are all done, top with your favorite toppings.

Enjoy!

Cheeseburger Topped with Korean Sauce & Served with Sweet Potato Fries

My husband and I wanted something different for our cheeseburgers. I love the sauce that I make for the Korean Fried Chicken and thought it might be good on a burger. I was not disappointed and would try it again.

Korean Sauce:

Ingredients:

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:

Combine all the ingredients and bring to a boil in a small saucepan. Once it starts to boil turn it down a little and cook until thickened.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Pancakes Tipped with Homemade Caramel Sauce & Chopped Pecans

I have a recipe for pumpkin pancakes and it calls for using the pancake mix in the box where you just add water. On Saturday morning my husband and I were so excited for these pancakes. I open the box and measure out one cup of mix, to my horror there are bugs!!!!! I was so upset but I was also so determined to make these pancakes. I saw that my new favorite place to get recipes, Laura In The Kitchen http://www.laurainthekitchen.com/arch/pumpkin_pancakes.html had a recipe for them and they were made from scratch. I did like this recipe very much and I paired it with my topping I normally make with my pumpkin pancakes, caramel sauce with chopped pecans. I am not a pumpkin fan but I do like these very much and it is awesome year round but especially during the holidays!

Pumpkin Pancakes: Serves 3-4 Ingredients 1 cup of Flour 1 Tbsp Brown Sugar 1 Tbsp Regular Sugar ½ tsp Baking Soda 1 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice ½ tsp Salt ½ cup of Evaporated Milk (you can use regular milk, just omit the water, this is what I did) ¼ cup of Water 1 egg 1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil ½ cup Pumpkin Puree Preparation, 1) Preheat a griddle or a non stick skillet over medium heat and spray it with non stick cooking spray or brush it with melted butter. 2) In a large bowl mix together all of the dry ingredients and set aside. 3) In a medium bowl whisk together the wet ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix together to make sure everything is well combined. 4) Using a ¼ cup measuring cup, pour your pancake batter on the preheated and greased griddle. 5) Cook for about a couple minutes on each side or until cooked through. 6) Serve warm drizzled with homemade caramel sauce with chopped pecans. Caramel Pecan Topping: Ingredients: 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream 1/4 cup light corn syrup 2 tablespoons butter 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/4 chopped pecans Instructions: Put all of the ingredient except the pecans in a saucepan. When all the pancakes are done put them on individual plates. Heat the sauce until it boils. Remove from the heat and add the pecans. Drizzle over pancakes. Enjoy!

Skirt Steak In Galbi Marinade with Corn Tomalito & Vigo Spanish Rice

Recipe Coming Soon...

Homemade Pepperoni Pizza

I have been on a quest for the PERFECT pizza dough. I do have to say that this is the best I have tasted so far. The pizza that we made with this was delicious! I have one other one that I am going to be trying and I will share how that one is once I try it. I would recommend this one for sure! I can't believe it has taken me this long to make pizza at home. I will be doing it much more now that I know how easy it is and how much better than ones you order it is.
I found this dough recipe on Youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KH1j7IwiTvw , this is great because you can see a video on exactly how to do it.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups warm water
2 tsp dried yeast (1 pkg.)
pinch of sugar
4 cups plain flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup olive oil
extra oil for brushing

Directions:

1. In a bowl put the warm water & add a pinch of sugar then, add the yeast. Mix the yeast and water together and set aside for 5 minutes.
2. In a separate bowl add flour and salt, mix. Make a well in the middle of the flour and into the well add the olive oil then, the yeast mixture.
3. Don't stir the mixture but take a butter knife and drag it back and forth cutting into the mixture until it is mixed. (Until your ingredients are blended together, it will not be smooth)
4. Take your hands and mix the dough
5. Flour a working surface and knead your dough until it is soft.
6. In the bottom of a clean bowl coat with a light layer of olive oil and place your kneaded dough in the bowl and brush the ball of dough with some olive oil so you do not form a skin on it.
7. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave it for 30 minutes in a warm area. I like to put mine in the oven with only the light on.
8. Roll your dough out and add your favorite sauce and toppings!

Enjoy!

Shepherd's Pie

I had some leftover mashed potatoes from Thanksgiving and used them to make this. I came across a new recipe for mashed potatoes and here is the link to the blog where I found it . http://www.mylifeasamrs.com/2011/10/creamy-mashed-red-potatoes.html/img_2686 I normally just use butter, heavy cream, and salt & pepper but his new recipe called for sour cream. They were very good and I would use this recipe again. Check out the blog above, she has some really yummy looking recipes!

Creamy Mashed Red Potatoes

Ingredients:

3 pounds petite red potatoes
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) salted butter
8 ounces light sour cream (may sub regular)
4 tablespoons skim milk (may sub whole milk)
1-2 teaspoons salt
black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Rinse potatoes and add them to the bottom of a large pot (Note: if some of much bigger than the others, cut them in half). Cover with cold water and salt the water with 2-3 teaspoons of salt. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil until fork tender (a fork should pierce them easily). Cooking time will vary depending on the size of the potatoes.

Drain potatoes and them place into a large bowl. Add butter and beat with a hand mixer until potatoes are nice and crumbled. Add milk and sour cream and continue to mix until smooth, adding salt and pepper to taste. Make sure you salt them well - there is nothing worse than bland potatoes!

Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients:

Mashed potatoes prepared with the recipe above
1 white onion, peeled and diced
2 tsp garlic minced
1 pound ground beef
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 gravy pack
1 cup water

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup frozen corn
1 cup frozen peas

*sorry for the spaces, blogger was giving me problems!

Directions:

1. Heat a little oil in a pan and saute the onion and garlic for a few minutes
2. Add the carrot and the ground beef (broken up)
3. Cook for a couple minutes and season with salt and pepper
4. Once the beef has browned add the gravy package with the amount of water it recommends on the back of the package.
5. Mix very well and bring to a boil then reduce the heat to low and cook until it is thickened
6. Add the frozen peas and corn
7. In a 9 x 9 casserole or glass dish put the beef mixture and top with mashed potatoes so there is a good thick layer. With a fork run it across horizontally and vertically on the top of the mashed potatoes.
8. Top with cheese and bake in a 425 degree oven for about 15 or 20 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

Enjoy!

Chicken Enchilada Soup

As I have gotten older I have a new found love for soups. I also love the ease of cooking in a crock pot. I came across this recipe while searching for soups for Winter here in Korea. I am so glad I tried it, and I will definitely be making this again.
Here is the website I found it on http://realmomkitchen.com/463/chicken-enchilada-soup-and-my-top-10-soup-recipes/. I will also put the recipe below.

Chicken Enchilada Soup

1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes (I used the kind with sweet onion in it)
1 10-ounce package frozen whole kernel corn
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped yellow, green, or red bell pepper (I used red, which is my favorite pepper)
1 10-ounce can enchilada sauce (I used mild)
1 10.75-ounce can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 cups milk (I used skim)
1 cup shredded Pepper jack cheese (4 ounces)
2 chicken breasts

In a 3 1/2 to 5 quart slow cooker, combine drained beans, tomatoes, corn, onion, and bell pepper. Place 2 chicken breasts on top of mixture. In a large bowl, whisk together enchilada sauce and soup. Gradually whisk in milk until smooth. Pour sauce mixture over ingredients in cooker.Cover; cook on low heat for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours. Remove chicken and cut or shred into bite sized pieces. Add chicken back into soup. Top with pepper jack cheese and serve. Can also be topped with avocado, sour cream, or crushed tortilla chips. Note: if the soup is too thick for you, just add a little more milk after it’s all cooked.

Enjoy!

Tonkatsu

My husband and I miss Japan very much. Lucky for us we have friends who live there and they send us things that we miss. We love the curry chain CoCo Curry. If you are ever in Japan you need to try them! They also have a restaurant chain all around the world. Our friends sent us some CoCo Curry instant curry that you can purchase in the restaurant. I paired it with some Tonkatsu (Panko Breaded Pork Cutlet). You can also eat Tonkatsu with a special sauce they make for it which is a Japanese Worcestershire Sauce. We like the Bulldog Brand the best.

Ingredients:

Pork Cutlets (1/4 inch in thickness)
Egg
Flour
Garlic Powder
Onion Power
Salt & Pepper
Panko Bread Crumbs
Vegetable or Canola Oil

Directions:

1. Trip fat off the the pork cutlets and season them on both sides with salt, pepper, onion & garlic powder.
2. Start heating your oil.
3. Put your flour, beaten egg, and panko in separate dishes. Season flour and egg with salt, pepper, garlic & onion powder.
4. With each piece of pork, dip it first in flour (shake off the excess), egg, then panko.
5. Fry each piece until golden brown and place on a paper towel to soak up any excess oil.
6. Top with Tonkatsu sauce or eat with curry.

Enjoy!