save the date

this isn't about a recipe that i tried... i was just having a grand time on Pinterest and came across a bunch of cute "save the dates". so i thought i would share ours. its my favorite. :) my amazing photographer mother-in-law took it for us - but we wrote on each other's faces with eyeliner. ;)

lovin' some fake-out take-out - hot & sour soup

first of all - i love this woman's blog! she is part of my inspiration to start my own. she is adorable and has some great looking recipes. this is the first one i have tried, and i have to admit... at first i was skeptical that it would even taste similar - but it was SO good! now, i love me some hot & sour soup - the hubs... not so much. ;) so i made it for lunch today, and i am so glad i did! i am already craving it for dinner! it tastes similar to PF Changs. just a few notes: it calls for 1 cup of low sodium soy sauce - i ran out of the low sodium and regular at about 3/4 cup, but i substituted the last 1/4 cup with teriyaki sauce and it was still delicioso! :) also - i cut my chunks of chicken a bit too big... i would cut them really small next time. the last two changes were that i used a little less tofu, and i used a bit of sesame seed oil to fry the chicken to add flavor! ok, time to spill the beans! here is the recipe & link:

http://www.mylifeasamrs.com/2011/05/hot-and-sour-soup-fake-out-talk-out.html

This is how mine turned out :)

This is Tina's - she does wonderful food photography!

Hot & Sour Soup

Adapted from: Food.com

ingredients:

2 chicken breasts, sliced super thin (1/4-1/8 inch thick)
1 tsp canola or vegetable oil
2 pints of fresh shiitake mushrooms (roughly 3.5oz each) - cut into thin strips
1 quart low sodium chicken broth/stock
1 cup low sodium soy sauce
1 1/2-2 tsp white pepper (i used 2)
1 small can (roughly 6 oz) bamboo shoots, cut into matchsticks
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup water
2 eggs, beaten
6 oz of firm/extra firm tofu, cubed into 1/2" cubes
3 oz white vinegar

directions:

In a saucepan, heat the canola oil over medium high heat. Saute the chicken until cooked through. Add the mushrooms and saute for another 3 minutes.
Add chicken stock and bring to a boil. Mix in soy sauce, white pepper, and bamboo shoots. Allow to cook for about 2-3 minutes.
Mix together corn starch and water to make a slurry. Add the slurry into the boiling mixture until it thickens to desired consistency (may not need to use entire amount).
Add eggs, stirring until cooked through (only 30 seconds or so). Last, turn off heat and add the tofu along with the vinegar. Stir to combine and ladel into soup bowls.
Garnish with green onions and enjoy!

the best chicken in the world

ok so maybe you have seen the posts on pinterest for the "World's Best Chicken" - well i tried it the other night, and i have to say... it's delishent! :) however... i did it a little different. - i tried two chicken breasts in the oven and the hubs did two on the primo (grill) - the ones on the grill were to die for! the ones in the oven were good too, just not as good. i also put fresh rosemary on before grilling/baking. more flavor! ;) but here is the recipe & link: - you try and decide!

http://rachelschultz.com/2012/07/11/worlds-best-chicken/

Picture from the website. I didn't have time!

The World’s Best Chicken
Serves 4

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Salt & Pepper
Rosemary

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, mix together mustard, syrup, and vinegar. Place chicken breasts into 9×13 baking dish. Season with salt and pepper. - Pour mustard mixture over chicken. No need to marinate. I love that because I hate marinating/often forget to until it’s too late. - Bake for about 30-40 minutes or until meat thermometer reads 165 degrees. Season with rosemary. Prepare for people to ask you to make it again.

epic fail: orange muffins

i am pretty new to this wonderful world of culinary exploration... so when you are a rookie, you are bound to have a few epic fails. :) this is one of mine. of course it all started when i was Pinteresting... i found this little gem: http://annies-eats.com/2010/04/16/orange-muffins/ (see bottom of page)
it sounded delish and got raving reviews! i even read some of them, and took some of their advice. like one lady said to use 1 cup orange juice and 1/2 cup milk instead of the suggested visa versa. but mine turned out NASTY! they tasted like flour and they weren't fluffy at all. yuck. i am not sure which one of my rookie mistakes were the culprit, or if it was just a bum recipe. here are my rookie mistakes:


rookie mistake #1: i am not sure if this affected them, but my flour has been in a canister for the better part of a year. does flour expire or get stale?


rookie mistake #2:  i am not sure if this is a mistake or not... i used one stick unsalted butter (that had been un-refridgerated while i was painting my 'fridge, and then re-refridgerated.) and one stick regular sweet cream butter. it said "melted" in the recipe, but i went ahead and just "softened" it instead. 


rookie mistake #3:  this might have been the kicker. i didn't actually read the recipe - i just read the ingredients and dumped them all in my red kitchen aid mixer (maxine) in no particular order... fortunately i didn't add the glaze ingredients! :) by the way, the glaze was AMAZING! the glaze was the only good part. 

epic fail: orange muffins

this is what they were SUPPOSED to look like:

Orange Muffins

Yield: about 2 dozen muffins

Ingredients:

For the muffins:
1 cup milk
½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
½ cup sour cream
2 large eggs
2 sticks (16 tbsp.) unsalted butter, melted
3½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1½ tbsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
Zest of 1 orange (organic if possible)

For the glaze:
¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1½ cups confectioners’ sugar
1-2 tsp. orange zest (organic if possible)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Line 16 wells of a muffin pan (or pans) with paper liners.  In a medium mixing bowl, combine the milk, orange juice, sour cream, eggs and melted butter.  Whisk together to blend.  In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Stir to blend.  Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated.  Fold in the orange zest with a spatula.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared muffin cups.  Bake about 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let cool in the pan 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack placed over a baking sheet.

To make the glaze, combine the orange juice, confectioners’ sugar, and orange zest in a small bowl.  Whisk together until smooth, adding more juice if necessary to achieve your preferred consistency.  Drizzle the glaze over the muffins while they are still warm.  Allow the glaze to set before serving.  Store in an airtight container.

Source: The Pastry Queen by Rebecca Rather

the most delishent sticky balsamic ribs EVER!

it feels like it has been about an eternity since i've posted, even though it was only last week! maybe i should step up my game and do 2-3 new recipes a week! :) this week has been kind of insane-o though because we (the hubs and i) have started doing the P90X workout. wow. i haven't been this sore in... well that's why we're doing it! :) anyway. perhaps sometime i'll keep you updated on that, but now to the good part: last night i made delicious sticky balsamic ribs. the truth is, i kind of cheated... i found this recipe years ago on stumbleupon, but its practically new because i haven't made it in so long. :) so here's the scoop: i made a few rookie mistakes this time, but i'm learning!

rookie mistake #1: when i read 4 racks of baby back ribs on the recipe - i spent a fortune on 4 HUGE racks of baby back ribs. probably should have looked at the pictures... i really only needed half of 2 racks. so i froze the extra 2 racks, so now we can have ribs again soon! :)

rookie mistake #2: i now have a convection oven, which is SO AWESOME! but i forget that it cooks differently than a conventional oven... so typically after roasting the ribs (in a conventional oven) you would have some dark leftovers on the bottom of the pan to scrape off for the glaze - but my oven is so awesome at retaining the moisture, i had water and fat at the bottom of mine. the recipe says to strain the fat and put the scrapings in with balsamic vinegar and brown sugar for the glaze. i pooh poohed that. i dumped the fat water in and plopped a lid on. let me tell you - it boiled over and left a huge nasty, stinky mess on my glass stovetop. but even worse, it didn't make a very solid glaze... the good news is, i made up my own with just balsamic vinegar and brown sugar. :)

even with my rookie mistakes, they turned out so delish! i also made sautéed garlic zucchini, summer squash and mushrooms, and basmati wild rice to go with it. enjoy! :)

after marinating/pre-oven:

the finished result! minus the glaze. :)

one more little thing: the hubs has a Primo grill, and it is THE BEST GRILL EVER! i highly recommend it. it uses natural wood chips and gives food the most amazing flavor. i am so lucky to have married the hubs: master griller extraordinaire! :)

here is the recipe from: http://www.theparsleythief.com/2010/04/sticky-balsamic-ribs.html

Sticky Balsamic Ribs

Adapted from Gourmet magazine, July 2009
Serves 4-5

8 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary2 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar2 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper {or to taste}
4 racks baby back pork ribs
1 1/2 cups water {divided}kosher salt + freshly ground black pepper

Add the rosemary, 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar, 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar & the cayenne to a small mixing bowl. Mince the garlic, add 1 teaspoon of salt to it & mash with the side of a chef knife. Add it to the marinade, along with a 1/2 tablespoon of kosher salt & 1/2 teaspoon pepper & mix all the ingredients together. Rub evenly over the ribs & transfer to a storage container. Marinate, chilled, for 8-24 hours.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Arrange the ribs in a large roasting pan & pour a 1/2 cup water into the bottom. Cover tightly with foil & roast the ribs until the meat is very tender, about 1 3/4 hours. Remove from the oven & transfer the ribs to a platter. Add 1 cup of water to the pan & using a wooden spoon, scrape up all the brown bits. Strain the liquid into a measuring cup, or gravy separator & skim off the fat. Transfer to a skillet & add a 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar & 1/4 cup brown sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil & simmer gently until reduced to about 1 cup, about 15 minutes. Heat the grill. Brush some glaze over both sides of the ribs & grill, turning occasionally, until the ribs are hot & grill marks appear, about 6 minutes. Brush the ribs with some more glaze & serve.


Notes: To make ahead, roast the ribs and make the glaze up to one day ahead of time. Let them both cool to room temperature before wrapping and storing in the refrigerator until ready to use. Let them both come up to room temperature before grilling. As an alternative to grilling, these ribs can also be broiled about 4" from heat.

crockpot beer chicken & prosciutto-wrapped asparagus

week one:

ok i have been working different hours and my schedule is throwing me for a loop so i have been trying to find recipes that don't take 3 hours (pork tacos). while pinteresting of course i found a recipe for beer crockpot chicken! it's amazing how many uses you can come up with for cooking with beer! so i tried it out. ...except i decided to go all crazy and try mixing my own spices. the chicken turned out great! i put in 5 frozen chicken breasts with one bottle of fat tire beer and set the crockpot on low for about 9 hours. it was so tender and fell apart, but i probably wouldn't use the combo of spices i used again... :) i didn't measure, but i put in rotisserie seasoning, smoked paprika, kosher salt, fresh ground pepper, and rosemary. it smelled good, but was a little on the salty side... honestly i am being kind of hard on myself, it tasted good - i was just disappointed it wasn't a tastebud party/new amazing favorite recipe to post on Pinterest myself! :)

maybe i'll try the real recipe next time... here is the link:
http://www.mydailydish.com/2010/01/beer-crockpot-chicken.html

Beer Crockpot Chicken

4-6 Chicken Breasts or 1 Whole or cut up Chicken
1 Can of any kind of Beer
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp Basil
1/2 tsp Paprika
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
*You can use whatever spices you like

• Put all ingredients into crockpot
• If frozen cook on high 4-5 hours or low 8-10
• If fresh cook on high 3-4 hrs or low 7-8 hours if fresh

the good news is: i tried ANOTHER new recipe to go with it! :) this one was AMAZING. no improvisations to put my own unique twist on it unfortunately, but i highly recommend it! the downside is that it will give you stinky pee. ;) i made prosciutto-wrapped asparagus! so good and so easy! here is the link to that one:
http://www.slashfood.com/2008/03/25/prosciutto-wrapped-and-roasted-ill-never-eat-asparagus-anothe/
but you really don't even need to look it up... this is the extent of it:

just trim the woody ends, wrap 3-4 stems in prosciutto, and roast in a 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes. 

so... 1 out of 2. i'll take it! perhaps my culinary skills will improve at some point this year. ;)

shoot. forgot to take pictures again. my stomach gets ahead of me sometimes... next time. :)

best pulled pork tacos my tastebuds ever tasted.

my dear friend monica came to visit us and she made us THE BEST pulled pork tacos in the united states - possibly the world, but i haven't had the privilege of traveling much yet. ;) she stumbled upon the recipe on Pinterest of course. now, i am no julia childs, but i tried the same recipe a few weeks later and it turned out wonderfully! here is the link & recipe: http://www.healthyfoodforliving.com/?p=17245

Carnitas (Pulled Pork Tacos)

Ingredients for the pork:

• 3 lb boneless pork loin roast, cut into large (3-4 inch) pieces (do NOT trim away the small amount of fat)
• 2 tsp Kosher salt
• 4 tsp ancho chile powder
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
• 1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper
• 1-2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, or enough to cover the bottom of the pot
• 12 fluid oz beer, (or chicken stock), preferably with citrus notes
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

Accoutrements for the tacos:

• warmed corn tortillas
• avocado slices
• 2% plain Greek yogurt (or sour cream)
• fresh cilantro
• hot sauce (such as Tobasco Chipotle Pepper Sauce)
• lime wedges
• salsa (John tried salsa verde and said it was a great accompaniment)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Combine salt and rest of spices in a small bowl. Spread spice mixture onto a plate. Evenly coat the pork pieces on all sides with the dry rub.
3. Heat oil in a dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add in the seasoned pork pieces, and sear all sides until browned (about 1 minute per side). Remove pork from the dutch oven.
4. Pour in the beer (or chicken stock) and scrape the bottom of the dutch oven to deglaze and release the browned bits of pork. Add in the orange juice, and bring mixture to a boil.
5. Add in the seared pork. Cover dutch oven and place in oven for 1/2 hour.
6. Remove lid, turn pork pieces over, and return to oven–uncovered–for about 1 1/2 hours, or until the pork is fork-tender, turning the pork pieces 1-2 times during the cooking process.
7. Shred pork right into the sauce using two forks. Toss the pulled pork with the reduced sauce. There will be less sauce than there is for BBQ pulled pork (or mySpicy Pulled Chicken), so don’t expect a super saucy end result.
8. Serve with accoutrements.

boy lauren sure knows her stuff! :)
try it! i dare you. i couldn't find the ancho chile powder or the particular brew of beer she used, but i used regular chile powder and a little bit of chipotle chile powder, and fat tire beer. it still tasted delish! :) but my mother-in-law found ancho chile powder at walmart! of all places...

next time i'll take pictures of mine.