Soba Noodles with Sweet Ginger Scallion Sauce

A.K.A one of the best things that has ever happened to me. (Seeing as I don't have a boyfriend/husband/any sort of significant other, I decided the next best thing is food! It might even trump a boyfriend..who knows? ;).
Confession: I have NO idea what soba noodles are. I tried to find them at my local grocery store and came home empty-handed. (Actually that's a lie, I came home with a whole load of groceries...ha). So I just used chow mein noodles which I cant imagine taste much different. BUT if you are one of those people who just HAVE to stick to the recipe 100%, have fun driving around town finding soba noodles. Let me know what they are when you find them k? :)
This recipe is so fast and easy, and tastes like it came from a restaurant. I hope you enjoy it just as much as I did!!
Once again, another foodgawker.com success!

What the sauce looks like....the more veggies the better!

Frying the noodles with the sauce

Add some sesame seeds for a garnish and wha-la! gobble it up fools! :)

Ingredients-

• Soba noodles
• Salt and Pepper as per taste.
• Sesame seeds – 2 Tbsp lightly toasted.
• Cucumber thinly julienned (optional)
• Lime wedges (optional)

Sauce-

• Scallions – 1 ½ cup finely chopped.
• Ginger – 2 Tbsp minced.
• Cilantro – ¼ cup chopped.
• Sesame oil/ grape seed oil/ any neutral oil – 2-3 Tbsp. 
• Chili oil – 2 tsp. (I didn’t have this, it’s fine to leave out)
• Soy sauce – 1Tbsp.
• Rice wine vinegar – 2 Tbsp.
• Honey – 2 Tbsp.
• Salt – 1 tsp, soy sauce is already salty, so be careful with this!
• Black pepper – 1 tsp.

Method-

1.       Mix all the ingredients for Sweet Ginger Scallion sauce in the bowl, check for the seasoning. Keep it aside for 10 -15 minutes for the flavors to develop.

2.       Boil the soba noodles as per the instruction on the package, If you need them cold drain well with the cold water once they are cooked or just drain the water in which they boiled if you like them hot.

3.       Add the sauce, sesame seeds and fry the noodles for a couple minutes in a wok, check for the seasoning one last time. Sprinkle lime juice if you like and also if you like add some julienne cucumber, give a final toss and Enjoy!!!

Happy Pi Day!

3/14/12. Aka Pi day!!!! The day that all of us amateur cooks need to take some chances and learn to make a real pie. Of course this day really has nothing to do with math WHATSOEVER....
Confession: I have NEVER even attempted to make a pie before. NEver...evereverever. I'm not sure why I put it off for so long, because after I made this one I realized its really not as difficult as everyone says. Just one more reason NOT to let others decisions influence your own. Anyway, after much thought and consideration I decided to make the good ol' classic apple pie. YUM. I made my own pie crust recipe for the bottom, and made a pecan crumble on the top. Confession #2: I spent $4 on a tiny bitty little bag of pecans. Shhhhh. They were SO worth it ;)

Overall this pie turned out FANTASTIC if I do say so myself. The only change I made was to add some cinnamon to the crumble topping as well as the apples. You can never have too much cinnamon right? ha.

Another idea is to buy some caramels (or make your own) melt them and drizzle over the top. Ohhhh so yummy!! :) 

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!! 

Before Baking

After roommates/friends devoured it! It was rather popular :)

Streusel Apple Pie: (I cut the recipe in half...I only needed one pie)

Ingredients

• 2 ounces butter
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 9 apple - peeled, cored and sliced
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 recipes unbaked pie shells

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 C).
2. Prepare the topping by combining the butter, brown sugar, flour and chopped pecans. Cut in all ingredients with pastry cutter until pea-sized. Set aside
3. Combine the apples, sugar, flour and cinnamon. Toss gently together and set aside.
4. Place apple mixture in unbaked pie shells. Heap the apples up high in each shell and fill completely. Sprinkle topping on top of each.
5. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 50 minutes. Do not allow topping to get too dark.

Easy Pie Crust:

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter, chilled and diced
• 1/4 cup ice water

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in water, a tablespoon at a time, until mixture forms a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
2. Roll dough out to fit a 9 inch pie plate. Place crust in pie plate. Press the dough evenly into the bottom and sides of the pie plate.

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Honey Bourbon Chicken

Yet another success if I do say so myself. For this meal I decided to step out of my comfort zone a little bit and use a crock pot. Not that I think using a crock pot is difficult...it just takes so LONG! You actually have to plan ahead what you want to eat, and I tend to not be the best planner in the world...or the most patient person for that matter. Both of which I am striving to be better at each day, however. But today, I had a little extra time before I headed off to school, so I decided to make this recipe that I found on foodgawker.com. (If you haven't heard of this website and you really enjoy cooking, don't go to it. It will take up every extra minute of your life.:) Anyway I turned it on at 11, came home at 3, cooked up some calrose rice in my cute little rice cooker and wha-la! Best lunch I have had in a long time. The only recommendation I have; use less soy sauce and more honey. I'm not big about my food tasting really salty. Plus, the less sodium the better, right? 

Whelp... Enjoy! If you are anything like me and hate using crock pots, I would try and get over it. Some of my favorite meals I have ever made have been in my crock pot:) I am slowly learning...

Happy Monday! Today is a great day :)

Our HUGE crock pot.

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, about 5

Salt and pepper

1 cup of honey

1/2 cup of low sodium soy sauce

1/4 cup ketchup

2 tbsp. vegetable oil

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 cup diced onion

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

Cornstarch

Sesame seeds

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Place the chicken thighs in the crockpot insert and sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides.
2. In a medium sized bowl, combine honey, soy sauce, ketchup, oil, garlic, onion, and red pepper flakes. Stir to combine well. Pour over the chicken in the crockpot.
3. Cook on low for 3-4 hours or high for 1 1/2-2 1/2 hours.
4. When done, remove chicken from stock pot and cut into chunks. Prior to putting the chicken back in the stockpot, combine some cornstarch in water and whisk it into the crockpot to thicken up the sauce a bit. Throw the chicken back in and stir around to recoat the chicken in the sauce.
5. Serve hot over a bed of white rice (optional) and sprinkle some sesame seeds on top.

Absolutely positively 100% fresh salsa!

 SO. today I really was in the mood to make something absolutely deliciously yummy. Oh wait, I am always in that mood. But seriously, today was sunny, and I was hungry, so I made a quick trip to Smith's (well, as quick as it could be with my own 2 legs..), bought a conglomeration of tasty vegetables, and threw them all in my food processor...quite literally :) Here is my new found recipe for absolutely positively 100% fresh salsa!!! Yum yum yum. I am SO in love with my food processor. Seriously, its kind of a problem. If that little beauty ever leaves me, it would take my heart right with it. I'm hoping our relationship lasts a good long time.
Anyway enjoy the salsa! Let me know of any suggestions you may have...I am always looking for new ideas.

All processed!!

Num num num. I could eat this all day long. Oh wait, I just did.

This is my very best friend. Seriously, it has saved my life many a time. Isn't it cute?? :)

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons finely chopped onion

2 small cloves garlic, minced

3 large ripe tomatoes, peeled and seeds removed, chopped

2 hot chile peppers, Serrano or Jalapeno, finely chopped

2 to 3 tablespoons minced cilantro

1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons lime juice (or lots more...whatever you prefer :)

salt and pepper

Preparation:

Put chopped onion and garlic in a strainer; pour 2 cups boiling water over them then let drain throughly. Discard water. Cool.

Combine onions and garlic with chopped tomatoes, peppers, cilantro, lime juice, salt, and pepper in food processor. Refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours to blend flavors.

Makes about 2 cups of salsa.

P.F. Chang's Lettuce Wrap Knock-Offs

So I have never actually been to P.F. Changs, BUT I hear that these lettuce wraps are basically better than the restaurant. I know you may not believe it, but I do because I will admit, they are DIVINE. My sister gave me the "recipe"..although it was more like "put a dash of this and a squirt of that"...So I will try to put some numbers to it. Really just taste it as you go along, and add more of any flavor that you like the most :)

Lettuce Wraps


Ingredients:

1 whole Yellow onion
1 large carrot
1 whole package Ground chicken, turkey, or pork (I used pork)
1 clove garlic (you can put 2 if you really like the garlic flavor)
3-4 TBSP Hoisin Sauce
1 TBSP oyster sauce ( I didn't use this because I don't like the flavor much)
2 TBSP soy sauce
1-2 tbsp lime/lemon juice ( I used lime)
Several shakes of chili powder
2 Tsp Chili powder
2 Tsp Ginger ( I put more like 4-5 tsp. I really like the flavor of ginger)
1-2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 small zucchini
1 red pepper
1 head iceberg lettuce



Directions:
1. Sautee diced onion and carrot until soft ( in about 1 tbsp of sesame oil)
2. Add ground meat and cook until almost done.
3. Add garlic, Hoisin sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, lime/lemon, chili powder, ginger, and brown sugar.
4. Food process zucchini and red pepper, add to meat, and cook until most of the water has boiled off (5-10 minutes) This adds color and texture.
5. Let sit for a few minutes for the meat to reabsorb the rest of the moisture before serving.
6. Wrap meat in a leaf of lettuce and enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Bars

Ever get tired of the ol’ chocolate chip cookie recipe? But don't really have any ingredients to make anything else more exciting? Try the new thick and chewy chocolate chip bars. They are almost like eating a chocolate chip cookie, but in brownie form!! Doesn't sound good enough yet? Mix in some peanut butter and you will be consuming a small bite of heaven :)

I made these on one of those Mondays where you don't feel like doing homework, but you don't feel like doing much else either. Since I actually had all the ingredients for this recipe, I thought I should try it, even though I really don’t need them :).

You don't want to bake them any more than this, otherwise they will be too crunchy,

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars:

2 1/8 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 sticks butter, melted and cooled slightly

1 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk (optional…I didn’t use it and they turned out great)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Adjust the oven rack to lower-middle position.
2. Grease a 9x13 baking pan
3. Mix the flour, salt, and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside. Whisk the melted butter and sugars in a large bowl until combined. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and mix well.
4. Using a rubber spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture until just combined; do not overmix. Fold in the chocolate chips and turn the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with the spatula.
5. Bake until the top of the bars is light golden brown, slightly firm to the touch (less is more, because they still cook in the hot pan even after you take them out of the oven) about 24-28 minutes. Cool on a wire rack to room temperature.
6.  Cut into 2-inch squares and serve.

Sunday Cinnamon Rolls!

One of my favorite (yet probably most unhealthy) family traditions is to make some sort of dessert every Sunday. My mom usually made crazy cake, but it really varied from time to time. I just feel like there can't be a normal Sunday without a scrumptious treat to warm you up on your most relaxing day of the week! (Or to keep you going if your day is stressful ;).  However, no matter how unhealthy this tradition is, I am going to continue with it because it seems to bring people together in ways I never would have ever imagined!! One of my most successful Sunday treats were these very cinnamon rolls I made a couple of weeks ago. So few ingredients, yet SO good! Enjoy!

Sorry I don't have the greatest camera, but I think you get the general idea ;)

Makes 12 cinnamon rolls (these don't have the glaze yet). I'm going to have to learn how to make them prettier :)

Ingredients

4 to 4-1/2 cups  all-purpose flour

1 package  fast-rising active dry yeast

2/3 cup  milk

2/3 cup  water

1/2 cup  sugar

1/2 cup  cooking oil

1/2 teaspoon  salt

2   egg yolks

1/4 cup  butter or margarine, softened

1/3 cup  sugar

4 teaspoons  ground cinnamon

 Cream Cheese Icing (see recipe below)

Directions

In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 cups flour and yeast. In small saucepan, combine milk, water, the 1/2 cup sugar, oil, and salt. Heat; stir over medium heat till just warm (120 degree F to 130 degree F).

Add milk mixture and egg yolks to dry mixture. Beat with an electric mixer on low to medium speed for 30 seconds, scraping sides of bowl often. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can.

Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead in enough remaining flour to make a moderately soft dough that's smooth and elastic (3 to 5 minutes). Cover and let rest 10 minutes.

Roll out dough to form a 14x12-inch rectangle. Spread with softened butter or margarine. Sprinkle with a mixture of 1/3 cup sugar and cinnamon.

Roll up, jelly-roll style, starting from long side. Seal seam. Slice into 12 pieces. Place in greased 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Cover; let rise in warm place till nearly doubled (20 minutes).

Bake in a 375 degree F oven for 20 minutes or until golden. Cool slightly; remove from pan. Frost warm rolls with Cream Cheese Icing. Serve rolls warm or cool on a wire rack. Makes 12 rolls.

CREAM CHEESE ICING (I didnt have any cream cheese so I just made a simple milk/powdered sugar icing with a hint of orange zest. It turned out really tasty, but if you have cream cheese, this would be even better!)

In a medium mixing bowl, beat one 3-oz. package cream cheese, softened; 3 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened; and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla until light and fluffy. Beat in 1 tablespoon milk. Gradually add 1-1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar until icing is spreading consistency.