Asian Inspiration

Chicken Drumsticks with Sweet Ginger Soy Sauce over Orzo

Drumsticks
Orzo
Sweet Ginger Soy Sauce from Williams-Sonoma


This dish was very easy. First, I marinated the chicken drumsticks in the Sweet Ginger Soy Sauce and added some more to a baking pan. Then, I baked them in the oven at 425 degrees for about 45 mins. After boiling and straining the orzo, I served the drumsticks over the orzo and drizzled some extra sauce over both. DH devoured this dish!




Turkey and Vegetable Stir Fry over White Rice

Turkey Breast Tenderloins
4 garlic cloves minced
5 mushrooms sliced
1 cup of matchstick carrots
1 cup of chopped broccoli
1/4 red onion sliced
olive oil
s&p
Sweet Ginger Soy Sauce
rice

First, I started by setting the rice cooker with just basic white rice with a bit of salt and olive oil. While the rice cooked, I chopped my veggies and cut the tenderloins into smaller strips. To make the stir fry, I added some olive and the minced garlic to a wok with the stove set on high. Then, I added the turkey tenderloins.

Once the turkey started to brown, I added the sweet ginger soy sauce and all of the veggies. I let that fry until all the veggies had absorbed the sauce (about 5-10 mins.)
When the rice was done, I served the stir-fry over a bed of white rice. The result was delicious!

Meatballs

Hello everyone... long time no add any new recipes. Last week I attempted at some meatballs, and to my surprise, they were amazing! Even DH was super impressed by my skills. So, I thought I'd share. I wanted to take pics, but DH took camera, and left it at work.

Ingredients
1 egg, slightly beaten
3/4 cup soft bread crumbs (1 slice)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons parsley
1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 pound lean ground beef

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine egg, bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, onion, parsley, garlic, Italian seasoning or rosemary, salt, and pepper. Add ground beef; mix well. Shape into 28 meatballs about 1-1/2 inches in diameter.
• 2. Arrange meatballs in a 15x10x1-inch baking pan. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 15 to 20 minutes or till done (no pink remains, 160 degrees F). Drain off fat. Makes 4 to 6 servings.
  

Tip 1 - I didn't have any onions or garlic at home, and didn't want to run to the store to get some. So I substituted them for the powered version... and to my surprise, there is actually a converstion table on the bottle! No need to purchase real onions / garlic anymore. =)

Tip 2 - I made 6 large meatballs, about the size of tennis balls. Just insert thermometer in meatball and wait until internal temp reaches 160 degrees (approximately 25 min).

First Anniversary Dinner

Since our first anniversary landed on a Monday night, we decided to make dinner at home. It was very intimate and romantic. We started the night with a seafood pasta and lobster tails, followed by some Perrier-Jouet Champagne. For desert, we had a few slices from the top layer of our wedding cake. Everything was DELISH! The cake was surprisingly moist and sweet.



I started off by caramelizing some onions in olive oil and grating some garlic over that. I threw in the scallops and shrimp, added some sauvignon blanc,basil, parsley, s&p, a sprinkle of lemon juice and LOTS of butter (smart balance).

The lobster tails were really easy to make. First, I removed the little legs and cracked them open. I put a cube of butter on each one and baked them for about 10 mins at 400 degrees. They were incredibly tender and juicy.

I then served the scallops and shrimp over a bed of angel hair pasta and poured on the wine/buttery sauce! The lobster tails were placed next to the pasta. The lobster was delicious all on its own or dipped in the buttery sauce from the pasta.

Here I am munching on the lobster, trying to savor every last morsel! Mmmmmmm....

Here's a pic of our wedding champagne flutes and the top layer of our wedding cake. We were a bit scared at first, but it was delicious! It seems that the fondant really preserved the cake b/c it was really moist and sweet!

Now.... I think I'm going to go for some leftovers!

Herbs!

For Christmas, Davey (my fiance) bought me an indoor herb garden. It's this bizarre aeroponic gorwing system. It sounded like snake's oil but so far it's working great. I "planted" the herbs on 1-1 and just as promised they started to sprout immediately. These are pictures of day 4. Enjoy!