Mini Corn Dog Muffins

In my opinion you can not have chili without cornbread.  Since my husband was bringing chili (see post below) his potluck at work,  I wanted to make something with cornbread to accompany it.  I searched the internet and found the great idea of putting a piece of hotdog in corn muffins.  What genius can up with this idea, I don't know but I would like to thank them!  I love sweet corn bread so that is what I used for my mini corn dog muffins.  I found a great recipe here http://saffronstreaks.com/recipes/southern-honey-cornbread-muffins/  for sweet corn bread muffins.  I doubled the recipe and I got about 18 mini muffins.  Cut each hotdog into six pieces, fill each mini muffin tin with a 1 1/2 tablespoon cookie scoop of corn bread mixture then press one piece of hotdog in the middle of each muffin. Bake and enjoy!

Recipe: Southern honeyed corn muffins

Summary: Sweet and tender cornbread muffins in southern style, with honey and sour cream results in more tender crumbs.

The recipe has been adapted from foodnetwork

Ingredients

• Yellow cornmeal : 1/2 cup
• All-purpose flour : 1/2 cup
• Baking powder : 1/2 tsp
• Baking soda : 1/2 tsp
• Brown sugar : 1/4 cup
• Honey : 1/4 cup
• Salt : 1/8 tsp
• Sour cream : 1/2 cup
• Egg : 1
• Butter : 3 tbsp melted

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven at 400 F.
2. Grease and flour mini muffin pan.
3. In a bowl sift the flour, cornmeal, salt, baking powder, baking soda.
4. In a separate bowl, beat the egg and add the melted butter, honey, sugar and sour cream and mix it well.
5. Add the egg-butter-sugar-cream mixture into the flour-cornmeal mixture.
6. With a cutting action mix the dry and wet ingredients together until well incorporated.
7. Do not over mix the batter, it should be lumpy.
8. Divide and spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin pan.
9. Bake in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes or until done.

Preparation time: 10 minute(s)
Cooking time: 15 minutes

Award Winning Chili

My husband was having a pot luck for Super bowl at his work and he signed up to bring chili.  I turned to the internet of course and found this recipe http://www.food.com/recipe/award-winning-chili-105865 It uses both black beans and kidney beans so I decided to try it out.  It didn't hurt that it got really great reviews.  Everyone at my husband's work LOVED it, I must say it is the best chili that I have had! 

Ingredients:
 

1 lb ground venison or 1 lb ground beef or 1 lb ground turkey  (I used 85% lean 15% fat ground beef)
2 onions, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 tablespoon jalapeno, finely chopped
1 (14 ounce) can Mexican-style tomatoes (like Rotel)
2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
2 tablespoons cumin
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika (smoked if you can find it)
1 (14 ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (14 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup water (I substituted beef stock & only added about 3/4 cup because we like our chili a bit thick)

 

Toppings

sour cream
cheddar cheese
green onion

Directions:

1.  Cook ground meat with onions and peppers in dutch oven.
2.  Drain excess grease and add tomatoes, seasonings, and beef stock, bring to a boil.
3.  Add beans, cover and simmer 1-2 hours. (I like to cook mine for about 4 hours)
4.  Serve with toppings.

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!

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!

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!

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!

Mongolian Beef

Ingredients:

* 1 lb sirloin or flank steak

* Marinade:
* 1 egg white
* Pinch of salt
* 1 teaspoon sesame oil
* 1 tablespoon cornstarch

* Vegetables:
* 4 green onions, sliced on the diagonal into 1-inch pieces
* 1 8-ounce can baby corn
* 1 garlic clove, minced

* Sauce:
* 3 TB hoisin sauce
* 2 TB water
* 1 TB dark soy sauce
* 2 tsp rice vinegar, or 1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
* 1/4 tsp chile paste, or to taste

* Other:
* 1 tsp sugar
* 1 cup oil for frying beef
* 2 TB oil for stir-frying

Preparation:
Slice the beef across the grain into thin strips. Add the marinade ingredients in the order given and marinate the beef for thirty minutes. To prepare the vegetables, wash the green onions and slice on the diagonal into 1-inch pieces. Peel and mince the garlic. Rinse the can of baby corn with warm running water. Drain thoroughly. Mix together the sauce ingredients and set aside.

When the beef has finished marinating, heat the wok and add 1 cup oil. When oil is ready, add the beef and fry until it changes color. Remove the beef from the wok and drain on paper towels.

Clean out the wok with a paper towel, and add 2 tablespoons of oil for stir-frying. When the oil is ready, add the garlic. Stir-fry briefly, and add the baby corn. Add the green onions.

Make a well in the middle of the wok by pushing the vegetables up to the side. Add the sauce and bring to a boil, stirring to thicken.
Stir in the sugar. Add the beef and combine with the sauce and vegetables. Serve hot. Serves 4.

Spaghetti With Meat Sauce

You will need:

28 oz. can pureed tomatoes
28 oz. can tomato sauce
1 large red onion, quartered then sliced
5 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
Fresh basil
6 Thin sliced boneless pork chops, fat trimmed
2 Rib eye steaks, fat trimmed
Olive oil
Red pepper flakes
Salt & Pepper

~ For a thicker sauce, use 2 cans of puree and omit the tomato sauce.

* Begin by chopping the onion, garlic, basil, and trimming the fat off the meat
* In a large pot heat the pan, add oil, when the pan is hot add onion and cook
on medium heat until caramelized, 4-5 minutes. Add garlic and basil, cook for an additional minute until the garlic and basil becomes fragrant.
* Add tomato puree, sauce, red pepper flakes to your liking of hotness, salt & pepper
* Stir to mix and start simmering
* In a skillet, heat pan and add oil.
* Season meat with salt and pepper.
* When oil is hot on high heat sear meat on each side and place in the sauce pot.
* Simmer sauce for a minimum of 2 hours, the longer the better.
* Serve over your favorite pasta.

Enjoy!

Quiche

My dear husband attended a Superbowl party this year, so I made a couple of quiche for him to bring. Since we live in Japan the Superbowl was shown at 8 a.m. I am not an egg eater (I know it is weird) so I have no clue how to make quiche. I turned to the internet as I often do and ended up on http://allrecipes.com/Default.aspx . I found this one recipe in particular that got great reviews http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Clarks-Quiche/Detail.aspx. I made the following changes to the recipe.
1. Changed the servings from 16 to 8
2. I used light sour cream, fat free cheddar cheese, half egg beaters/half eggs, light Parmesan, and fat free half and half. I also left out the olive oil and used cooking spray.
3. I didn't layer it as the recipe states, instead I went with the suggestions of others. I mixed all of the filling together, then divided it up between (2) 9 inch regular pie crusts. Finally I put the egg, half & half, and parsley mixture on top and baked.

*Next time I think I would make this with Turkey Bacon

The quiche was liked by all that tried it. My husband especially liked it but I think that is because his wife made it. (wink)

BBQ Baby Back Ribs

I had to share these ribs that I made the other day with everyone. My friend gave me the instructions that had been given to her by her mother-in-law. I suggest you try these out you will not be disappointed!

Baby Back Ribs - cut into fours or threes (I got mine individually cut)
Sweet Baby Rays Honey BBQ Sauce
Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil (must be the heavy kind)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
Cut a big piece of foil and smoother the ribs with barbecue sauce using a brush
Place ribs so the arch is facing down
Pull the top and bottom of the foil and fold down then fold each side to the center
Place on a lined baking sheet

Bake @ 350 degrees F for 45 minutes
then
Decrease the oven to 250 degrees F & continue to cook for another 3 hours

Enjoy!

Not A Sweet... But Still My Hobby

I normally only post my sweet creations on here, but what I made for dinner tonight was so good I had to share it. I had some boneless short ribs that I have never tried to cook before, so the search for a recipe began. I found a recipe which I had all of the ingredients for so I decided to go with it.

http://www.latimes.com/features/custom/holidays/la-fo-hanukkahrec5bdec05,0,6642536.story

*The only change I made was using beef stock instead of veal stock. *

I served it with steamed broccoli and

My husband was so pleased and said this was a definite do over. He also mentioned this was like an anniversary dinner! I hope you all enjoy this recipe as much as we did.

Bon Appetit...