bulgogi!!!!!

holy mother of pearl! this recipe was pretty easy, and oh my...really good.

bulgogi!!!!!

i made mine with lo mein noodles, and sauted mushrooms with the marinade. oh, i steamed some brocolli too. hell yeah!

ingredients:
2 ½ pounds of thinly sliced beef
3 tbsp white wine
2 ½ tbsp brown sugar
½ tsp black pepper
½ cup soy sauce
1/3 cup sesame oil
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/3 cup sprite

mix all ingredients, marinade several hours and grill.

husband seal of approval........

everything's better with cilantro & cumin!!!

ok, i tried out a new recipe and loved it. it's actually a combination of 2 recipes i found on a great website, that i tweaked and combined into one. (check out the simply recipes website for tons of great recipes. it's put together really well and easy to navigate.)

Moroccan Spiced Grilled Chicken Breasts
Ingredients:
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts

Method:
1. Mix the marinade ingredients (yogurt, cilantro, olive oil, garlic, paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper) together in a medium sized bowl. Add the chicken pieces to the bowl and thoroughly coat with the marinade. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator from 6 to 10 hours.
2. Heat your grill on high heat. Grill the chicken breasts a few minutes on each side, until cooked through. Take care not to overcook, as chicken breasts can easily dry out.


Grilled Corn Salad Recipe

Ingredients:
4 ears of corn in husks
1 large red bell pepper
1 5-inch long zucchini, sliced in half lengthwise
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 Serrano chili pepper, seeded and minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup feta
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp cider vinegar/ or lime juice/ or champagne vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

*some ingrediants are optional, like feta and serrano pepper. i used both. i also used a balsamic vinegar (bought by mistake, thought it was champagne vinegar) and a squeeze of fresh lime. the grilled veggies (red pepper, zuccini, etc..) can be replaced with anything you like. i added some yellow squash.

Method:
1. Prepare your grill for high, direct heat. Oil the grill grates. Rub a little olive oil over the bell pepper. Place the corn (in their husks) and red bell pepper directly on the grill grates. Cover the grill. Turn corn occasionally, so that every part of the husk is blackened. Turn the red bell pepper occasionally until the skin has blistered up all around it. This should take 15 to 20 minutes. For the last 5 minutes or so, rub olive oil over the zucchini pieces and place the zucchini pieces directly on the grill grate, cut side down. Turn them over after a few minutes when they have some nice grill marks on them. Let them cook for just a minute or two on the other side.

2. Let the corn cool down for a few minutes and pull back the husks. Use a sharp knife to make long, downward strokes, removing the kernels from the cob, as you work your way around the cob. Once the bell pepper has cooled a bit, remove the outer peel. Cut open the pepper, remove the seeds and stem. Chop the bell pepper into small pieces.
Slice the slightly browned zucchini again lengthwise and chop into small pieces.

3. Place grilled corn kernels, chopped bell pepper, chopped zucchini, red onion, cilantro, and Serrano (if using) into a large bowl. Add the cumin, olive oil, vinegar or lime juice, and crumbly cheese (if using). Mix gently. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve cold.



this made a great meal, but the leftovers were even better. i cut up the chicken and mixed it into the corn salad, and it tasted even better. combining it all into a cold salad kicked ass and was actually quite healthy. it was a bit of work, but i would make this again.

i didn't get any photos of my own, go i'll grab some from google image search. :)

smoked sausage & bean soup- crockpot style!

(this is different soup then below, but it's the only soup pic i have taken recently, so shut it!)

Ingredients:
1 lb small red potatoes (each cut into about 8 pieces, about 3 cups)
4 medium carrots, chopped (about 2 cups)
1 medium Bermuda onion chopped
1 medium stalk of celery, sliced (about ½ cup)
2 cans (15 oz each) of cannelloni beans (rinsed and drained)
2 cans (14 oz each) of chicken broth
1 large can cream of chicken soup (this is my addition)
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
½ teaspoon of lawry’s season salt
1 lb fully cooked kielbasa, cut in half lengthwise, then into ¼ inch pieces
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsely

1. Spray 3 to 4 quart slow cooker with cooking spray.
2. Add all ingredients except sausage and parsley
3. Cover and cook on low setting for 8 to 9 hours
4. Stir in sausage and parsley, as well as cream of chicken soup to thicken.
5. Cover and cook on low setting for 30 minutes longer, or until sausage is hot.

the cream of chicken can be added to make it as thick or thin as you want it. i also use more carrots and pototoes then the recipe calls for. it's really easy to make.

now for the usual random dog, house & boyfriend pics.........

the dogs, the house, groundcat looking crabby, these are a few of my favorite things! (although how can someone looks so cranky with starbucks right there!?!?!?!)

perfect stuffed chicken breast recipe and other thoughts on food...

ingredients:
olive oil cooking spray
4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
10 ounce bag of frozen spinach, thawed
4 ounce log of goat cheese (cut into 8 rounds)
8 oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
salt & fresh ground pepper to taste

preheat oven to 400 degrees, line baking sheet with tinfoil and spray with cooking spray.

slice chicken breasts in 1/2 horizontally, leaving them attached at the top by about 1/2 an inch.

spritz chicken with olive oil cooking spray and lay on baking sheet (covered in foil and spray oil.)

take thawed spinach and squeeze paper towels into it until spinach is as "dry" as possible.

open the breast in 1/2 (like a clam shell) and add a layer of spinach, then 2 rounds of goat cheese and 2 sun dried tomatoes. flip top 1/2 of chicken over the fillings, spritz again with olive oil and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

after 20 minutes, increase over to broil and watch carefully. it should become lightly browned in 5 minutes. be extra careful if using a stove from 1950.

i served this with cavatelli pasta and a tomato & basil sauce on the side. YUMMY!

here's a bad meal and why i am a sucker for packaging....


these spiral flank steaks look so pretty in the butcher case at giant eagle, but BLECH!

i am also a sucker for packaging and buy this POM juice even though it's way too expensive. i add it to diet ginger ale and it's pretty good. also, my friend amy tells me lemons are poopy and gross, & i just bought a huge bag! DAMMIT!

rosemary lemon chicken

ingredients:
2-3 chicken breasts (skin on, bone in) rinsed and patted dry
juice of 1 lemon
3 sprigs of fresh rosemary
2-3 tablespoons of *smoked paprika
salt and freshly ground pepper

*i couldn't find smoked paprika so i used regular stuff. i went online to see if smoked paprika exists and it does. it's the spanish version of paprika as opposed to normal paprika which is hungarian. weird.

place chicken into crockpot (2 quart small size). pour lemon juice over chicken and sprinkle with paprika, salt and pepper. top with rosemary sprigs. cook on low for 4 hours or high for 3 1/2 (temp should reach 180 degrees.) serves 6. real damn good.

favorite new recipe: southwestern pork burritos

ingredients:
1 boneless pork should roast (2 ½ pounds) trimmed of fat
1 can of diced tomatoes & green chilies (don’t drain)
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon of honey
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon of salt
flour tortillas
assorted burrito toppings (cheese, lettuce, sour cream, fresh cilantro, beans, etc..)

my version:
(use raw honey- 2 tablespoons, kaboom chili powder, large spoonful of extra hot salsa)

directions:
1. spray 3-4 quart slow cooker with cooking spray
2. place meat in cooker
3. in blender, add tomatoes & chilies, tomato paste, honey, garlic, chili powder and salt. cover and blend on medium speed for 10 seconds.
4. pour mixture over pork
5. cover and cook on low setting for 8-10 hours
6. once done, shred with forks
7. serve shredded pork on tortilla, add toppings and EAT

seriously, this is the best crock pot recipe ever!!!!! and "boston butt roast" is gonna be the title of my next album!!!

pork chop bubble gum

questions for the cooks out there:

why is it, sometimes my pork chops come out chewy? am i over or under cooking them?

i use shake-n-bake and stick them in the oven, and sometimes they turn out perfect, and sometimes they end up tough and chewy. is there some secret pork cooking trick i don't know?

another question: is it ok to take a hot frying pan and stick it in the sink with cold water? it makes a lot of noise (sizzle and pop) but seems to do no harm.

and finally, why does the coffee creamer sometimes not dissolve and float to the top of my cup of coffee? it happens when i put creamer and splenda in the cup first, then pour the hot coffee.

the mysteries of the kitchen...........

healthy low cal smoothie

this one is simple and you can vary it to make it vegan by replacing dairy yogurt with soy yogurt.  or make it with protein powder.  honey give it a nice flavor too.

start with fat free vanilla yogurt.  add some splenda.  then ice and fruit.  frozen fruit is even better and you can skip the ice that way.

fruit variations:

the orange julius:  frozen pineapple, banana and OJ

berry blast:  frozen blue berries, strawberries, etc...

classic:  banana and strawberry

breakfast sandwiches

when my super sweet boyfriend got word from the doc that his cholesterol was similar to "a 90 year old man who lived on a dairy farm and ate butter like it was going out of style", i decided to come up with some healthy crap we could eat and not be miserable. he was my guinea pig and helped me come up with these delicious, healthy and easy to prepare breakfast sanGwiches. (enjoy!)

#1 breakfast sangwich: "the patty-pepper suprise"

Toast an "everything" bagel, add fat free american cheese and allow it to melt. fry 2 morning star veggie sausage patties in a pan with a small amount of olive oil on medium heat. allow them to get crispy on the outside, and add to bagel w/cheese. then scramble egg beaters (i prefer plain, but the boyfriend likes the "garden vegtable".) scramble in a pan sprayed with a light oil spray (like pam.) add seasoning (salt & pepper or season salt like herbamare if you have the high BP). and finally, add a few mild banana peppers. YUMMY!

#2 breakfast sangwich: "the i ain't fakin', it's not bacon!!!"

toast 2 pieces of white bread (italian with sesame seeds), add swiss cheese and allow to melt. fry 3-4 pieces of morning star's veggie bacon in a pan with a small amount of olive oil. be careful to not over cook (blech!) but allow to get crispy. follow the same egg beaters & seasoning advice above. add a few splashes of hot sauce and ENJOY!!!

#3 breakfast sangwich: "the i'm too tired to care what i name the damn thing!"

ok. blah blah, similar to the 2 above. this one involves a toasted english muffin and morning star breakfast links. use the same egg beaters (or maybe try the chive and cheese kind that i might try someday), fat free american cheese and hot sauce. see how it's a combo of the first 2? do the same crap i said above and eat it and shut up.

ok, it's 4pm, time to go home. i think i need a vacation. he he he.....