An unsuccessful trip to Thailand

It has happened everyone, the first 'not my favorite' (to put it nicely) Asian dish! Unfortunately you take this risk when trying multiple new recipes. 

Tonight's dish was "Thai noodles with a spicy peanut sauce". 

I would like to try this again with a few tweaks. The dish all together was really dry; the flavor was there just not as intense as I would like it to be.

We did have some success with tonight's dinner. To accompany the noodles I also made "Crab Rangoon's".  These came out awesome!  Dip them in a little sweet & sour sauce...perfection :) 

Thai Noodles w/ spicy peanut sauce

Noodles:

12 oz linguine

4 tbsp sesame oil

Sauce:

1/2 cup green onion, chopped

1 cup finely shredded carrot

2 cups frozen stir fry veggies

3 tbsp minced fresh garlic

1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup creamy PB

1/4 cup soy sauce

3 tbsp rice vinegar

1/2 tbsp chili-garlic sauce

Directions:

Cook pasta in a large pot of salted water according to package directions.

Drain and return to pot.

Add 2 TBSP sesame oil and toss to coat.

Set aside.

Heat remaining 2 TBSP sesame oil in heavy pot over medium-high heat.

Add green onions, carrots, stir-fry veggies, garlic and ginger.

Saute until vegetables soften, about 4 minutes.

Add honey, peanut butter, soy sauce, vinegar and chili-garlic sauce and mix well.

Simmer sauce 2 minutes.

Pour sauce over pasta and toss well.

Transfer to platter and serve warm.

Crab Rangoon's

1 garlic clove, minced

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese

1 (6 oz) can of crab meat, drained and flaked

2 green onions with tops, sliced thinly

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp light soy sauce

48 wonton wrappers

Directions:

Preheat an oven to 425 degrees. Lightly spray baking sheet with cooking spray.

Combine garlic, cream cheese, crab, green onions, Worcestershire sauce, and soy sauce in a bowl. To prevent wonton skins from drying, prepare only 1 or 2 Rangoon at a time. Place 1 teaspoon of filling onto the center of each wonton skin. Moisten the edges with water and fold the wonton skin diagonally to form a triangle, pressing edges to seal. Moisten one of the bottom corners. Create a crown by pulling both bottom corners together and sealing. Arrange the rangoon on the baking sheet and lightly spray with cooking spray.

Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes.

Try them out and see what you think.

Until next time!

Get cooking :)

Day 8 adds a little kick!

You know, I've realized i'm not the best at 'food blogs' (or blogs for that matter, hah) Why do I keep doing it you ask? Well, I'm not really sure. You could say that I like having my opinion out there in the world, or just the simple fact of me liking to communicate.  Either way, here I am rambling/writing!

SO, I'm going to try and explain the recipe a bit more & see how that does! Thanks for sticking with me :) 

Our dish of the day = Kung Pao Chicken

This dish came out well, it was my first time attempting it & the recipe I used was fantastic.  

(side note: When it comes to the amount of red pepper flakes, I used 1 tsp & the spice level was really high.  It calls for 1/4 up to 1 1/2, so decide according to your tolerance)

Ingredients: 

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 tbsp cornstarch

2 tsp sesame oil (or veggie oil)

3 tbsp green onions, chopped with tops

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4- 1 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes 

1/2 tsp powdered ginger (can use fresh grated if you'd like, that is what I used)

2 tbsp rice wine vinegar (if you can't find 'rice wine' you can use 'rice vinegar)

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tsp sugar

1/3 cup dry roasted peanuts (I roasted them in a skillet first to bring out the flavor)

4 cups cooked rice, hot

Directions:

Combine chicken & cornstarch in a small bowl, toss to coat.  Heat oil on medium heat, add chicken and stir fry 5-7 minutes until the centers are no longer pink.

Remove Chicken from pan & set aside.  In the same pan add onions, garlic, red pepper and ginger; stir fry for 15 seconds. Remove from heat. Combine vinegar, soy sauce and sugar in a bowl. Whisk together. Add to skillet, return chicken to skillet.  Stir until chicken is well coated.  Stir in nuts, heat thoroughly, stirring occasionally.

For the rice, I had a friend teach me how to make it perfectly the day she screwed it up :) Gotta love when that happens!

In a pot melt about 3 tbsp of butter over medium heat, once melted add 3 cups of rice. Stir until rice in completely coated.  Once coated add 6 cups of water (when making rice it is always 1 part rice 2 parts water). Stir slightly until even and let cook. You do not want to stir it while it is cooking.  Once all the water has cooked out & rice is done stir slightly and serve!

Place a good amount of rice on a plate and top with the Kung Pao chicken :)

This is how it looks when you know...it's done :)

(Thanks for reading)

感谢您的阅读 Gǎnxiè nín de yuèdú

[ I got this off of google...don't judge me :) ]

Day 4567 ...Why not make it one :)

I will be honest, I've been slacking on ze Asian foods yes. 

Day 4, 5 and 6 have been well...you know :) Today will make up those days though! I made the Tocino that has been marinating since the 1st! Oh my goodness, it tastes better than I expected! 

I boiled the pork down with some of the marinade and little bit of the water until all the liquid was gone and the meat was caramelized! The flavor is phenomenal! 

Pile it atop some white rice & "bazinga" 

(I have no idea why I just said that, but hey we'll go with it)

Keep Calm & Cook Asian :)

Day 3: Sam and Dean come first.

As the cool people know, today is the premier of Supernatural season 8! This my dears is a very very special day; you gotta love the Winchester brothers! So in honor of this occasion I decided to skip one day of Asian and go Supernatural style.  My menu: Deans favorite burger, chicken taquitos, tater tots & of course PIE! 

Don't judge me :)

Dean's Burger:

Ground Turkey (a little healthier)

BBQ Sauce

Mix together & grill until cooked the way you like

Top with Cheddar cheese, a fried egg & a little more BBQ Sauce!

Chicken Taquito's 

3 Cups of Shredded Chicken

1 1/2 Tbsp Sriracha

1 package Taco seasoning

3 Tbsp Taco sauce

2 cups shredded sharp cheddar 

Package of small tortilla's

Mix together chicken, sriracha, seasoning & sauce.  Fry each tortilla in a frying pan for about 30 seconds on each side, until warmed all the way through.  Top the tortilla with a spoonful of the chicken mixture & a pinch of cheese. Roll up and place seam side down on a sheet pan. Repeat until everything is used up.  Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or until slightly browned on top. Serve warm with sour cream and salsa :) YUM!

Eat in front of the TV while watching America's favorite Brothers!

Day 2 & my mouth is on fire!

Day 2 of Asian month definitely didn't lack flavor, or fire for that matter.  We decided on Lumpia (Filipino style egg rolls) and 'spicy' sriracha fried rice.

To make things even better, I made a spicy mayo dipping sauce for the Lumpia; man was my mouth on fire! (in a good way)

Lumpia

                                                             Sriracha Fried Rice

Lumpia

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 pound ground pork
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup minced carrots
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced green cabbage
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 30 lumpia wrappers
• 2 cups vegetable oil for frying

Directions

Place a wok or large skillet over high heat, and pour in 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Cook pork, stirring frequently, until no pink is showing. Remove pork from pan and set aside. Drain grease from pan, leaving a thin coating. 

Cook garlic and onion in the same pan for 2 minutes. Stir in the cooked pork, carrots, green onions, and cabbage. Season with pepper, salt, garlic powder, and soy sauce. Remove from heat, and set aside until cool enough to handle.

Place three heaping tablespoons of the filling diagonally near one corner of each wrapper, leaving a 1 1/2 inch space at both ends. Fold the side along the length of the filling over the filling, tuck in both ends, and roll neatly. Keep the roll tight as you assemble. Moisten the other side of the wrapper with water to seal the edge. Cover the rolls with plastic wrap to retain moisture.

Heat a heavy skillet over medium heat, add oil to 1/2 inch depth, and heat for 5 minutes. Slide 3 or 4 lumpia into the oil. Fry the rolls for 1 to 2 minutes, until all sides are golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve immediately.

October = Asian Month

I am so excited to kick off our first 'themed' month; ASIAN! I will be posting daily on what we are doing.  Today, October 1st, we got our shopping done. Stocked up on all of our Asian-y needs! (side note: I was also stopped in the meat section by the butcher letting me know

if I need anything 'special' he can prepare it at home and bring it in the next day, hmmm) 

Once our shopping was done we lugged it home and sprawled it out! This is what our kitchen looked like.

Now, seeing as it's 11:30PM and I'm all hopped up on Red Bull, I figured i'd get some prep out of the way.  First up "Tocino", its a common Filipino pork dish, best served over white rice.  This dish requires marination for at least 5 days, so we better'd get it going :) 

Pork Tocino

3 lb. boneless pork shoulder roast
1¼ cups pineapple juice
½ cup ketchup
½ cup lemon-lime soda
1/3 cup light soy sauce
2 cups brown sugar
1 Tablespoon garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

1. Freeze pork shoulder roast for an hour or so to firm it up so that it’s easier to slice. Cut 1/4-inch slices of pork shoulder and place in a one gallon zipper-lock plastic bag.
2. Mix the rest of the ingredients in bowl and then add to the meat. Seal the bag, doing your best to remove excess air. Let the pork cure in the refrigerator for a 4-5 days, flipping over the bag every day or so.
3. After curing, you can either cook the meat or portion them off into smaller bags and freeze them.
4. To cook the tocino, add a little water, marinade and a few slices of meat to a skillet. Over medium heat, let the liquid boil off and then fry the meat for a couple more minutes to caramelize it. There’s a lot of sugar in the marinade so make sure you don’t burn the meat.