Saturday Lunch

I went grocery shopping today and the chicken legs were 24cents/lb, which was a steal. I bought a bunch of packages to freeze separately. Four large chicken legs only cost $2.40.
The following recipe is a great handsoff recipe because you can leave the chicken in the oven and basically forget it for 35 minutes.

I served the dish with a simple garden salad and a parmesan orzo. The tartness from the salad dressing added brightness to the tender chicken.

A little salad + a little chicken + a little orzo = the perfect bite!

Roasted Chicken with Herbs
Ingredients: 1 Chicken Leg, 1 tsp Thyme, 1 tsp Paprika, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper
(1) Preheat Oven to 375F
(2) Mix spices together
(3) Without pulling off the skin, separate the skin from the meat of the chicken with finger
(4) Season the meat with the spices (underneath the skin)
(5) Season the top of the skin
(7) Roast chicken for 35 min until juices run clear and skin is crispy

*You will see rendered fat in the pan so this dish is relatively low-fat. You can also eat the chicken without the skin but keep it on during the roasting process to keep the chicken tender

Sides to accompany the Chicken -->
Creamy Orzo with shaved Parmesan
Fresh Garden Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Other ideas for cheap chicken legs is roasting a large batch of them well seasoned with herbs and salt/pepper. Allow the chicken legs to cool, shred the chicken and save the chicken for later during the week for quick sandwiches, wraps, salads, or spring roll wraps!

These came out so tender and flavorful. I purposefully used the red plate to make the meat standout.

INGREDIENTS

1.5-2lbs Sirloin Steak (1" cubes)

1/2 thinly Onions (thinly sliced)

4 cloves Garlic (minced)

1/2 cup Soy Sauce

1/2 cup Rice Wine

1/4 cup Red Pepper Paste

1/2 cup White Sugar

1/2 cup Water

3 T Rice Wine Vinegar

Bamboo Skewers

Scallions (garnish)

STEPS
(1) Mix the onions, garlic, soy sauce, rice wine, red pepper paste, sugar, water and vinegar together in a bowl

(2) Add the cubed steak and massage the marinade into the meat (mmm...)

(3) Marinate 8-12 hrs. (It is slightly acidic so don't overmarinate or you'll cause the meat to start cooking like a ceviche lol)

(4) Soak skewers for 30 minutes in water

(5) Brush marinade off the beef and skewer 3-4 pieces per bamboo skewer

(6) Allow skewers to sit at room temperature for 20 min (allows for even cooking if the middle of the meat isn't ice cold)

(7) Heat a pan on high heat and grill 1-2 min on each side of the skewer (don't overcrowd the pan or it'll bring down the tempature of the pan. Caramelized skewers = flavorful skewers as opposed to boiled dry meat)

(8) Rest the skewers on a plate covered with foil to allow the juices to redistribute.

(9) Serve and garnish with thinly sliced scallions

TAH-DAH! ~

When a cheese meets a cake..

I was hosting a luncheon the other day so for a dessert I decided to bake a cheesecake from scratch.

Some people were asking me for the recipe I followed and this is what I came up with reading several sites with cheesecake recipes and putting together what I think will be disaster proof!

Some important tips before I write out the recipe.

@ Cream cheese should be at room temperature before you start creaming (to avoid lumps)

@ Wrap the bottom of the pan SECURELY with aluminum foil to avoid the water bath flowing into the cracks

@ Avoid opening/closing the oven door to peak at your creation. This messes up the even temperature. Leave it ALONE it will be FINE

@ Melting chocolate can be disasturous if you burn your chocolate. You can use a double boiler, boil hot water and melt the chocolate above the hot steam in another mixing bowl. Another option is melting the chocolate in a heatsafe container in the microwave. Heat in 10-15 sec intervals and stir the chocolate to get to desired consistency.

@ When slicing the cake, it's easier if you clean the knife with a clean towel after every slice so you don't make a mess and drag residue to another slice (I experienced this lol!)

INGREDIENTS
Crust
2 cups Crushed Graham Cracker
1/2 cup of Butter
1 9"-10" Springform Pan

Filling
4 (8-oz) Packaged Cream Cheese
1 1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
3/4 cup Whole Milk
4 Eggs
1 cup Sour Cream
1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
1/4 cup All-Purpose Flour
1/4 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1 T Cocoa Powder

STEPS

(1) Melt the butter in a microwave approx 30-40 sec at high (watch closely so not to burn the butter)
(2) With a fork, mix butter and graham cracker crumbs thoroughly
(3) Pour mix into pan and spread evenly (use the bottom of a measuring cup)
(4) Put the pan in the freezer until ready to use (I did it the day before and it was fine)

(5) Preheat oven to 350F
(6) Wrap the bottom of the pan with aluminum foil so water cannot seap in the bottom (double or triple layer if necessary)
(7) Allow creamcheese to get to room temperature
(8) Mix creamcheese in a mixing bowl until evenly whippped. Add sugar and mix until smooth.
(9) Use a rubber spatula to fold down the sides and mxi thoroughly for a no-lump cake
(10) Blend in milk and incorporate 1 egg at at time (just mix until smooth, no need to overbeat)
(11) Mix in vanilla, sourcream, and flour until smooth
(12) Set aside 2 cups of filling and pour the rest in the pre-made crust

(13) Melt semi-sweet chocolate using a double boiler or microwave
(14) Pour chocolate slowly into the filling you set aside. Add the cocoa powder and slowly mix until the batter is a chocolately color
(15) Pour the batter onto the cheesecake in small dollops or thin ringlets
(16) Using a skewer or chopstick, carefuly swirl a design on top of the cake. An easy way to get examples is youtubing videos of people doing it.

Note: I only wanted the design but not necessarly strong chocolately taste. If you want the proportions to be 40/60, feel free to set aside more batter and increase the amount of chocolate added.

(17) Set the cheesecake carefully into a larger pan (lasagna, casserole..etc) that allows room for a waterbath
(18) Place the cheesecake in the oven and carefully pour water in the outside pan until it immerses 3/4"-1" of the cheesecake.
(19) Close the oven and allow cheesecake to bake undisturbed for 60 minutes. Turn off the oven and allow the cheesecake to rest in the oven for 4-5 hours
(20) Chill the cheesecake for at least 3-4 hours before you attempt to remove it from the pan. (I baked the cake the day before and didn't touch it until the morning after). Cut along the sides of the cake with a clean knife before you remove it.

Revival

Hey everyone!

Wow, I haven't updated this thing in a LONG time.
I'm going to continue posting again so thank you for PATIENTLY waiting!

I'm actually hosting a luncheon tomorrow for 9 people (including myself) so I spent the whole week cleaning, organizing, shopping, prepping, planning ...

You will notice some of the things I am preparing are my favorites in previous posts and recipes.
I was going to cook completely new things never served to guests but I realized I should play it safe since it is my FIRST time cooking for these people. I will test my new dishes on smaller crowds :)

The Menu

Starters
Double Tomato Bruschetta
Tomato and Cucumber Salad

Main
Miso Glazed Salmon (Miso Yaki)
Korean Style Beef Skewers
Chicken Panang Curry

Sides
Roasted Butternut Squash with Thyme
White Rice (lol)
Sauteed Green Beans with Caramelized Onions

Dessert
Marbled Cheesecake (made from scratch)
Chocolate Chip Coconut Macaroons
Fresh Strawberries

I'll post pictures of everything once I am done!

Chinese Take-Out Craving?

I've been craving Chinese food so I decided to make my version of some common dishes!

Some common ingredients that I always have on hand for simple chinese cooking are
ginger, garlic, corn starch, flour, salt, pepper, onions (or green onions), rice wine, soy sauce

... with these ingredients you can spice up any dish as well as lay a foundation for many dishes

Chicken and Egg Stir Fry

Ingredients
2 large boneless chicken breasts, cubed
3 T rice wine
1 T corn starch
1/8 tsp flour
1 T soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste
4 eggs
2 scallions

1) Coat chicken breasts in rice wine and soy sauce
2) Mix flour and corn starch then sprinkle evenly over cubed chicken
3) Heat a wok on high heat and add 1-2 T vegetable oil (coat evenly)
4) Stir fry chicken 3-4 minutes until done. Remove from heat and set on plate.
5) Reheat wok and evenly coat with vegetable oil
6) Beat the 4 eggs and cook in wok over high heat.
7) Put chicken back into wok and space evenly. Add salt and pepper to taste
8) Scramble with egg. Garnish with sliced scallions

Sweet and Sour Chicken with Pineapple and Red Pepper

Ingredients
2 large chicken breasts, cubed
1 T corn starch
1 tsp flour

1/2 cup sliced pineapple
1 sweet red pepper, cut into 1" pieces
1 cup sliced mushrooms

Sauce:
2 T soy sauce
2 T rice wine
4 T rice wine vinegar
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 T corn starch

1) Cut chicken into equal pieces and sprinkle with cornstarch, flour mixture
2) Heat a wok on high heat. Coat evenly with vegetable oil
3) Cook off chicken on high heat for 4-5 minutes
4) Add in pineapples, mushrooms and red peppers
5) In a glass measuring cup, mix sauce ingredients evenly
6) Pour sauce over hot contents and allow to simmer until sauce thickens
7) Add salt and pepper to taste accordingly

Korean Perfection

We just had 2 days of flurries last week and it was really cold. Thankfully the ground wasn't cold enough to freeze over but we definitely saw our first round of snow.

I'm looking forward to my Vegas trip in November where it will be warmer! My flip-flops are on hold until then ...

I made Korean food last week to warm up our tummies from the cold weather.

Sirloin Bulgogi

Ingredients
1 lb sliced sirloin
2 T soy sauce
2 T rice wine
1 T granulated sugar
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 green onions
2 T red pepper paste

1) Beat the sirloin with a meat mallet to break down some of the connective tissue. Slice sirloin into smaller pieces
2) Marinate sirloin for 4-8 hours with the ingredients listed
3) Heat a hot pan on high and coat with vegetable oil
4) Cook off the beef for 1-2 minutes
5) Pour reserved marinade over beef, cover, allow to simmer for 3-4 minutes

Kimchi Jigae

Ingredients
1/2 lb thinly sliced pork
2 T rice wine
1-1.5 cup kimchi
2 tsp ginger, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, diced
2 zuccini, 1/4" slices
1 pkg firm tofu
1 box chicken stock
1/8 cup red pepper paste

1) Massage rice wine into thinly sliced pork
2) Heat a large pot (with lid) over high heat
3) Drizzle hot surface with 1-2 tsp vegetable oil
4) Add ginger, garlic and onion to hot oil. Saute until fragrant
5) Add sliced pork and cook for 2-3 minutes
6) Cut kimchi into smaller pieces Add kimchi, zuccini and tofu. Mix evenly with pork
7) Thin out red pepper paste with a little chicken stock. Pour remaining chicken stock and red pepper paste mixture into pot
8) Bring to a boil then lower heat allowing soup to simmer

Tip: Red pepper paste can be bought in most asian super markets. It is basically a paste made from red pepper, flour, corn syrup with a thick consistency. It isn't very spicy but brings some heat to a dish and gives Korean dishes the signature reddish color

Mango-a-go-go

I love mangoes especially when I'm back in Taipei during the summer.


One favorite dessert in Taiwan is my sweetened mango over shaved ice drizzled with sweetened condensed milk. This is an absolute indulgence




Recently, I bought some mangoes from the grocery store and decided to make a mango chutney to serve with my simply grilled ahi tuna.

Ahi Tuna with Mango Chutney

Ingredients
1 lb fresh ahi tuna
salt and pepper to taste

Mango Chutney
2 ripened mangoes, diced
1 serrano pepper
1/4 cup orange juice
2 T lime juice
1 tsp minced ginger
3 cloves garlic, minced

1) To make mango chutney, diced mangoes into small cubes
2) Heat a small saucepan over medium high heat
3) Add 1 tsp vegetable oil and add ginger & garlic
4) Remove seeds from serrano pepper and finely mince
5) Add pepper, mangoes and orange juice to saucepan
6) Allow to simmer for 5 minutes before removing from heat
7) Add lime juice to brighten up the chutney
8) Serve warm or cold

9) Sprinkle salt and pepper evenly over ahi tuna
10) Heat grill pan on high heat
11) Grill ahi tuna 2-3 minutes on each side (do not over cook)
12) Slice thinly and serve with mango chutney

Tip: To speed up ripening process of produce, put desired produce like avocado or mangos in brown bag with apples. The apples give off ethylene that encourage ripening in surrounding produce