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!

Chocolatey Oreo Pudding Trifle

Cool, creamy, and chocolate-y, and requires almost no baking.

1 unfrosted chocolate cake (use your own recipe or prepare your favorite boxed mix)
4 packages instant chocolate pudding, prepared
1 16 oz. package of Cool Whip Lite (or your favorite whipped cream)
1 package Oreo cookies, chopped and ground in a food processor to make crumbs

Break the chocolate cake into crumbly, bite-sized pieces. On the bottom of a large glass bowl, spread 1/3 of the cake pieces. Top with 1/3 of the chocolate pudding, spreading with spatula. Top pudding with 1/3 of the Cool Whip or whipped cream, spreading with spatula. Sprinkle Cool Whip with 1/3 of the Oreo crumbs. Continue to alternate the layers in this order for a total of two more times, finish off with a final layer of Oreo crumbs to garnish. Chill in refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight before serving.

Delicious Apple Crumb Cake

I came across this apple cake on AllRecipes when looking for non-chocolate dessert recipe for my non-chocolate loving dad on Christmas Eve. It turned out absolutely delicious...moist and cinnamon-y, perfect for winter. It would be great served with vanilla bean ice cream.

1/4 cup butter-flavored shortening
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sour cream
1 chopped, peeled tart apple

For topping:
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon cold butter
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream the shortening and sugar together in a large bowl with electric mixer. Add egg and vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and then add to the creamed mixture. Add sour cream and continue to mix. Stir in chopped apple, and transfer batter into greased 8" square or 9" round baking dish. For topping, combine brown sugar and cinnamon and then cut in butter till crumbly. Mix in nuts and sprinkle topping mixture over batter. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.

Egg nog Recipe!!

MM, it's the most wonderful time of the year for Egg Nog!! I got this recipe from my grandmother, who has been making it for many many years, and it's soooo good! Definitely a crowd pleaser :)
This particular recipe will always make me think of all the wonderful Christmases I had during my childhood.


Eggnog recipe - makes 5 Bottles.

4 cans of condensed milk
5 cans of evaporated milk
1 dozen raw eggs
vanilla - 1-2 tbsp
nutmeg - 1 tsp
bacardi 1 small bottle (to taste)

Blend together all ingredients except for condensed milk. Pour condensed milk in while evaporated milk, eggs, vanilla, rum and nutmeg are mixing. Chill for one hour and serve cold.

Leg of Lamb and Manchego Cheese Smashed Potatos

This was a huge hit at my dinner party last night!
Ingredients:

Leg of Lamb
2 cups red wine (pinot noir)
2 cups beef broth
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup onions
1/2 cup chives
1/3 cup of rosemary
1/3 cup of chive
1/4 cup of thyme
salt and pepper to taste

Manchego Cheese Smashed Potatos
cups of Manchego cheese (shredded)
Baby red potatos (cut in halves or fourths)
butter
milk
salt and pepper to taste



First, mix all the ingredients for the leg of lamb and marinade for 2-3 hours before baking. Bake at about 400 degrees for about 30-45 mins wiht marinade. Then, boil the red potatos until somewhat tender (you'll see the skin beginning to peel off), drain the water, and set aside. Shred the entire manchego cheese wedge, like below. Then mix all ingredients for the smashed potatos in a large pot and smash it altogether. No need to puree, leave some potato chunks.

Voila! Dinner is served!

Breaded Tilapia with Buttery Angel Hair and Mushrooms

There were quite a few steps for this one, so I'll just go in order. I decided to make this out of stuff I had in my fridge and pantry. It was very yummy!

Ingredients:

Tilapia Fillets

Italian Bread Crumbs

Angel Hair Pasta (multigrain or whole wheat)

Butter

Olive Oil

1 Egg

Wine (pinot grigio or chardonnay)

onions

lemon juice

garlic powder

cilantro

basil

salt

pepper

First, I mixed the melted butter (about 1 tablespoon), egg, wine, lemon juice, and salt & pepper in a bowl. I dipped the Tilapia in the sauce and then covered with Italian bread crumbs.

Then, baked the Tilapia in the oven at 350 degrees for about 30 min and then broiled on low for a few more mins.

After boiling the pasta, I sauteed the mushrooms in the same mixture as above. But, this time, I added more butter (about 4 tablespoons), the onions, garlic powder, cilantro, and basil.

Once the tilapia was done, I placed it over the bed of angel hair pasta and just poured the mushroom and butter sauce over it. Then, sprinkled some parmesan.

It was a hit with the hubby!

First post!

Ok girls this is my first post and it is pictureless. So sorry! Ive been postponing posting because I never take pics since Im not sure if what I cooked was any good until it's all eaten!

Sorry that my recipes are a little sucky since I dont measure anything, but they are full of heart and love:)

So I hadnt been to the grocery store in a long time but I had to make dinner for Davey and I last night. (In case you dont know, I live in a small NYC apartment with my fiance. My kitchen is only big enough for myself and my stepstool. And while Im in there, I cant open the oven and the refrigerator at the same time. So cooking is more of a challenge for me than you would think!).

Anyway, I raided my freezer/fridge/pantry and found some stuff that I figured I could use for my chicken dish.

1 cup of olive oil
1 chopped onion
4/5 cloves of garlic
handfull of capers
salt and pepper to taste
chicken breast

I combined a cup of olive oil, 1 chopped onion, 4 or 5 cloves of garlic, a handfull of capers, salt and pepper.

I had frozen chicken breasts which I defrosted. I put them in a casserole dish and then I poured a mixture of olive oil over it. I baked it in the oven until it was cooked. It came out delicious!!!

Then I had to slap together a side dish, which for me usually consists of rice and whatever veggies are around. Unfortunately, I was out of rice and the only veggies I had were carrots. I hate the texture of carrots. I also found a box of elbow pasta.

about 4 carrots
1 can of tomato sauce
2 or 3 cloves of garlic
2 tbsp of Fage yogurt
box of elbow pasta
a few tbsp of olive oil

So I put some carrots in my mini food chopper and chopped them up as small as possible. I put those in a pot with some olive oil and chopped garlic and sauteed for a few minutes without burning the garlic. Then I added a can of tomato sauce and two tbsp of greek Fage yogurt. I let that simmer till it was just right. I poured that over the elbows and enjoyed:) This is a great way to get all those vitamins from veggies without having to taste them!