Broccoli Pad Thai

After tasting Mama Siri's awesome Pad Thai on a visit to North Carolina to visit my sister in law, I knew I couldn't wait till we went back down to eat this simple but yummy dish! This recipe is still a work in progress as I have combined four different recipes ... and I thank Thy Vong (a co-worker of mine) for helping acquire all the unique ingredients in this dish. They are easy to find at your local Asian market. It is fairly simple in that all you do is blanch the broccoli, boil the noodles, fry the egg, then make the sauce and combine it all. You can add chicken and other veggies to this recipe as well. You can double the sauce ingredients to make this extra flavorful - which is what I do.  The secret... is after you put the noodles in the sauce - turn off the heat and continue to toss the noodles occasionally until all the sauce is soaked up and then add the broccoli, eggs, scallions, and cilantro. YUM YUM!

Ingredients:

2 pounds broccoli, cut into florets (or any veggie mix)
1 package Linguine
2 eggs, slightly beaten

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

Sauce: 

1/2 Cup water

1/4 Cup soy sauce 

1 Tablespoon sesame oil 

1 Tablespoons fish sauce (optional)

1 Tablespoon chili garlic sauce (cayenne pepper and chili flakes will also work)

1 Tablespoon lime juice

1  Tablespoon Rice Vinegar

1  Teaspoon ground Ginger

1  Tablespoon minced garlic

2 Tablespoons sugar

1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar

Optional Garnishes:
Sprouts
Scallions
1/4 Cup Cilantro
Chicken
More chili sauce or soy sauce to taste!

Directions:

1. Blanch broccoli in boiling salted water, drain, set aside.
2. Cook noodles in boiling salted water, drain, set aside.
3. Add the oils to a skillet and cook eggs, stirring constantly until scrambled, set aside.
4. Add water, soy sauce, fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, ginger, chili-garlic sauce, garlic and cook until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes.  Turn off heat and add noodles, toss in the sauce occasionally until most of the sauce is absorbed.  Add broccoli and egg; toss to coat.  Add bean sprouts and top with 1/4 cup cilantro.

Chicken Spinach Pasta

I had chicken, spinach, and pasta. I googled a recipe and ended up with this yummy dish!  Even my "I don't like chicken" guys liked this one. Its a keeper!

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups uncooked medium pasta shells
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 large portobello mushroom, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 cup fat-free milk
• 1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 2-1/2 cups cubed cooked chicken breast
• 1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry (I used 2 cups of fresh)
• 6 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Directions

• Cook pasta according to package directions. 
• Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, saute the onion, mushroom and garlic in oil until tender. Stir in flour until blended; gradually add milk and broth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
• Add the chicken, spinach, 3 tablespoons cheese, lemon juice, pepper and pepper flakes; heat through.
• Drain pasta; toss with chicken mixture. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Yield: 4 servings.

Nutritional Facts1-1/2 cups equals 396 calories, 7 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 74 mg cholesterol, 337 mg sodium, 44 g carbohydrate, 5 g fiber, 40 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 5 lean meat, 2 starch, 1 vegetable, 1 fat.

Home Made Bread

After my first attempt at homemade bread (which turned into a think glue paste...I apparently killed the yeast). I did some google investigations, pulled my grandmothers recipe and went hard at it again.  This was the result. I am so thrilled I have tackled another "I can't do that" moment in the kitchen! 

Ingredients:Serves: Yield:  2 loaves

1 tablespoon active dry yeast
2 cups water, warmed
1 tbsp salt
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter (Room temp)
5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour or 5 1/2 cups bread flour
(beaten egg and tablespoon of water for egg wash)

Directions:
1.  In a large bowl, mix the yeast with the warm water and stir in salt/sugar/butter until dissolved.
2.  Add the flour, one cup at a time until dough comes together and chases the spoon around the bowl.
3.   Move to a floured surface and knead bread for about 5-10 minutes.
4.  Place bread in a large bowl sprayed with olive oil spray and turn to coat. Cover with a damp cloth and place in(inactive/not hot) oven to rise for one hour or hour and a half, until dough has doubled in size.
5.  Move to lightly floured surface, punch down the bread and shape into buns, or put it into two loaf pans. Score the top with a sharp knife. Brush with egg wash. Let the dough rise for another half hour/hour. 

6.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and bake for 25/30 minutes. 

Note: To store this bread, wrap very tightly in several layers of foil, or put in a large Ziploc bag and seal. But, it's best warm and served the same day -- however putting chunks in the microwave for 10 seconds if it's a day old helps, too. 
ENJOY!

Sausage Stuffed Jalapenos

Our non-cooking friend makes these for our gourmet parties and football parties. They are fun, easy and so damn good!

Sausage Stuffed Jalapenos

1 pound ground Italian sausage (or regular pork or whatever appeals to you)
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (original recipe used Parmesan)
1 pound jalapenos, halved lengthwise and seeded
1 green onion, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place sausage in a skillet over medium heat, and cook until evenly brown. Drain grease. In a bowl, mix the sausage, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and green onion. Spoon about 1 tablespoon sausage mixture into each jalapeno half. Arrange stuffed halves in a baking dish. Bake 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until bubbly and lightly browned.


***Tips on seeding the jalapenos. 1) Wear gloves throughout the entire process, then remove right after so you don't transfer to sink faucet, cabinet handles, etc. 2) I love my little lemon zester tool for seeding but a small melon baller works great too. 3) As you half and seed the jalapenos, put into a bowl of continuous running water. This helps soften to bake better and removes some heat.***

CINNAMON ROLL SWIRL CAKE

I decided to try this yummy looking cake that has been seen all over Facebook lately. It was very yummy!

CINNAMON ROLL SWIRL CAKE

BATTER:
3 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup butter, melted

Topping:
1 cup butter, soft to the point of almost melted*
1 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp flour
2 Tbsp cinnamon

In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients together except for the butter.
Once mixed; slowly pour in the butter. Stir into batter.
Pour into a greased 9x13 pan.
For the topping, mix all the ingredients together until well combined.
Drop evenly over the batter and swirl with a knife.
Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes.

Glaze:
2 cup powdered sugar
5 Tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla

While the cake is warm ~ drizzle the glaze over the cake. *This cake is outta this world!!!!!!*

Creamy Potato Soup

This soup is perfect to dunk the Beer n Gouda pretzels in!


Kartoffelsuppe (Potato Soup)

from Germany

5 potatoes; medium
1 onion; medium size
2 celery stalks & leaves
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 bay leaf; small
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp Chicken bouillon (powder form)
2 Tbsp. butter

2-1/2 cup milk
Handful each of Parmesan and cheddar cheese

Directions
Peel and cube potatoes, set aside. Chop onion and celery. Sauté celery and onion for 3 to 5 minutes in hot vegetable oil. In a large pot, add all of the vegetables and cover with with just enough boiling water to cover. Place bay leaf, salt, butter  and Chicken bouillon in pot and boil vegetables until tender. Drain vegetables and reserve liquid. Mash vegetables into vegetable stock; I used my blender. Thin soup with milk as desired; add in the hand fulls of cheese and heat until warm. (DO NOT boil).

Beer n Gouda Pretzels

Well, this is a first, the first recipe I have posted that required using yeast!  It is a direct result of our German Gourmet Night where I was required to make pretzels!  I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was and how quickly it went.  I would encourage anyone to try this recipe!


Ingredients

4-3/4 to 5-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 envelope (1/4 ounce) quick-rise yeast
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon caraway seeds ( I did not use these, I don't like the taste of rye bread)

1 cup milk
1/2 cup beer or nonalcoholic beer
2 tablespoons canola or veg oil

2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Gouda cheese
Coarse salt

Directions
1.  In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, sugar, yeast, salt and caraway seeds. In a small saucepan, heat the milk, beer and oil to 120°-130°; add to dry ingredients. Beat just until moistened. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. I only needed 4 1/2 cup of flour.

2.  Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 4-6 minutes. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Divide dough into 16 equal portions; roll each into a 14-in. rope. Cover and let rest 10 minutes longer.

3.  Twist into pretzel shapes. Place on greased baking sheets; brush with eggs. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes.
Brush again with eggs; sprinkle with Gouda and coarse salt. Bake 12-15 minutes longer or until golden brown. Remove to wire racks. Serve warm. Yield: 16 pretzels.

Nutritional Facts
1 pretzel (calculated without coarse salt) equals 233 calories, 6 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 41 mg cholesterol, 338 mg sodium, 36 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 8 g protein.

Bannister Breakfast Burritos

Breakfast Burritos

I came across an awesome recipe on Pinterest for On the Go Breakfast Burritos, however, the ingredients were not what I necessarily liked so as usual, I tweaked it! These are great to make on a weekend day and stash in the freezer for a months worth of yummy breakfasts. At the most you spend one hour in the kitchen for a months worth of saving money and not eating out! They are also great for an after school or midnight snack!



Ingredients:
1 lb. Pork Sausage
1 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup of salsa (or just add a tomato, a red/green pepper, & onion)
6 dashes of Chalula hot sauce (or whatever you prefer)- optional
2 cups shredded cheese (cheddar or Mexican blend)

12 large eggs
1/4 cup of milk
salt and pepper to taste

18-26 flour tortillas (I used the medium soft taco size tortillas Mission brand)

Saran wrap
ziploc baggies

Directions:

1. Brown sausage - drain on a paper towel if needed.
2. Add garlic powder, salt, pepper, salsa, hot sauce, and saute until veggies are tender or heated through.
3. add in the cheese, mix thoroughly.
4. Cover and set aside.


5. Whip together eggs, milk, and salt and pepper to taste.
6. Cook over medium heat until done.
7. Combine the egg mixture with the meat mixture.
8. Prepare to roll the burritos. Spoon desired amount onto the center of the tortilla.
9. Fold in left and right sides leaving the top more narrow than the bottom.
10. Fold and roll from the bottom up, tucking in excess.
11. Wrap the individual burritos in plastic wrap.
12. Place the wrapped burritos in freezer zip-lock bags and place in the freezer until ready to use.

REHEAT Directions:

1. Remove plastic wrap.
2. Wrap in a paper towel
3. Heat in microwave on high for 30 seconds.
4. Turn the burrito over, heat for 30 more seconds.
5. Unwrap and enjoy!

Grilled Cheeseburger Burritos

Grilled Cheeseburger Burritos

I had seen a Kraft recipe for this but I didn't like the ingredients because it was too close to a taco recipe I have. So I Googled some additional recipes and as usual combined three or four other recipes to make this very yummy and must I say ... restaurant style burrito! This is great for a quick meal as all the components can be made ahead an assembled and grilled when your ready to eat!

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon Adobo (or garlic powder and pepper)

2 tablespoons of hot sauce (I used Chalula)

1 tablespoon ketchup

1 tablespoon cumin

1 small onion

1 cup medium salsa

1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

pepper and salt to taste

1 pkg Knorr Fiesta Sides Mexican Rice (prepared per package instructions)

10 flour tortillas (the small ones)

Sliced tomatoes (optional)

Directions

Brown ground beef in large skillet with the Worcestershire sauce, Adobo, Chalula, ketchup, cumin, and onion. Once the beef is browned add the salsa, cheddar cheese and salt and pepper to the beef and simmer for 5 minutes.
 

Lay out a room temperature tortilla. Add a few heaping tablespoons of the beef mixture. Spread some of the rice on top of the beef along with some slices of tomato.  Roll up tortilla burrito-style and place wraps, seam down on preheated grill pan. Grill just long enough to seal the burrito and get a nice grill mark. Flip the burrito and grill the other side.  Remove from the grill and serve with salsa, sour cream, etc.

(Timesaver Tip: Mix the beef and rice together and place in the fridge until you are ready to prepare the burritos in order to save time. Warm up the mixture in the microwave before assembly).

(Wrapping Tip: When rolling your burrito, fold in the right and left sides first - creating a pseudo fan shape where the top of the tortilla is smaller than the bottom. Roll the burrito from the bottom up - tucking in the sides as needed. Roll the burrito around until the seam is down and then place on the grill. seam down.)

Hamburger Goulash

My mom made this a lot while we were growing up and we always called it Goulash. It was not until a couple years ago when I took leftovers of this yummy delish dish to work when someone mentioned that it was not Goulash but called Johnny Marzetti instead.  What ever you want to call it, go for it because it is one yummy dish not matter what! We like to add Chalula Hot Sauce and/or Ranch dressing!

INGREDIENTS

2 tbsp. olive oil
1 ½lb. ground beef 
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 small green pepper; seeded and chopped (optional)
2 medium yellow onions, roughly chopped
8 oz. white button mushrooms, thinly sliced (optional)
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 15.5 oz can of light red kidney beans; drained
1 28-oz. can whole peeled tomatoes in juice, crushed
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tbsp. finely chopped parsley
1lb. elbow macaroni
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
8 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded
3 oz. mozzarella, shredded
3 tbsp. bread crumbs (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat oil in a 12″ skillet over medium-high heat.  Brown beef; about 8 minutes. Add garlic, green pepper and onions; cook until soft, about 8 minutes. Add mushrooms; cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Add in oregano, kidney beans and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook until thickened, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat, season with salt and pepper, and stir in parsley; let sauce cool.

2. Heat oven to 325°. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat, and add macaroni; cook until al dente, about 7 minutes. Drain and toss with butter in a bowl; set aside. Mix the macaroni and meat mixture together  with the cheddar cheese and pour into a  sprayed 9″ × 13″ baking dish; cover with mozzarella and bread crumbs. Bake until browned on top, about 45 minutes.

Chicken Jambalaya

Recipe courtesy Sandra Lee

Show: Sandra's Money Saving Meals

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons canola oil , divided
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs , cut into bite-size pieces
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper , chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning 
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 
• 2 cups long grain rice
• 3 cups chicken broth 
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes , with juice
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, for garnish 

Directions

In a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon oil. Add the chicken, season lightly with salt and pepper, and brown on both sides, about 7 minutes, working in batches if necessary. Remove the chicken to a plate. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil and the onions, peppers, and celery, and cook until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, Cajun seasoning, cayenne, salt and pepper, and give it a stir. Stir in the rice. Add the chicken back to the pot, along with the broth and tomatoes, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender, about 30 minutes. (Reserve 3 cups rice mixture for Round 2 Recipe Cajun Quesadillas and Online Round 2 Recipe Cajun Red Bean  and Rice Soup.) Serve, garnished with parsley.

Italian Sausage Pasta

Italian Sausage Pasta

I turned my dads awesome bulk sausage into Italian sausage to make this yummy flavorful dish! You can do the same!

Ingredients

16 oz. pasta (any type of your choice)
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. mild Italian sausage, casings removed, or bulk sausage with an additional tablespoon each of garlic powder and oregeno
1 tblsp. olive oil
1 28oz. can diced tomatoes with juice
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
Salt to taste
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook the pasta (I used Penne)per the directions on the box. Brown the sausage with the olive oil, drain if necessary. Add in onions and garlic cook until tender. Add in the can of tomatoes including the juice, oregano, red pepper flakes and salt. Allow to simmer for about 5 minutes. Add in the cheese and then add the cooked/drained penne. Enjoy!

Black Bean and Corn Salsa

Description

This is an easy bean salsa I got from my friend Va! I had a PD recipe similar to this but this by far is the best recipe we have found to date for this yummy LO CAL salsa! It is very simple and delicious. Serve as a dip, or over fish or chicken, etc.

Ingredients

4 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
1 orange bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1/4 red onion, finely chopped
1 (16 ounce) package frozen corn, thawed
2/3 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce, or to taste

Directions

Stir the black beans, yellow bell pepper, orange bell pepper, green bell pepper, red onion, corn, olive oil, red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, apple cider vinegar, salt, cumin, cilantro, garlic, and hot sauce together in a non-reactive container. Chill in refrigerator overnight.

Nutritional Information

Servings Per Recipe: 16
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 115
Protein: 1.2g
Sodium: 149.9mg
Dietary Fiber: 1.0g
Carbohydrates: 8.2g
Fat: 9.3g
Cholesterol: 0.0mg