Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Kung Pao Chicken With broccoli





















Here's a dish I make quite often, Kung Pao chicken version with and without Broccoli. I always us broccoli unless I don't have any on hand. Recipe adapted from Cooking Light

Sauté Broccoli in 1 TB of Canola Oil and 1 TB of Ginger, add 2 TB of water let it get crisp then remove from pan.
Sauté chicken with some pepper flakes.
Mix together 2 TB Soy Sauce, Hoison Sauce, 1 TB Red Vin, 2 TB Garlic, 1 TB Cornstarch and 1 cup of Broth. Stir in peanuts if you like and add sauce and broccoli to the chicken. It's not that healthy because it is fried, but it's a good way to get your vegies in, especially if you are not a fan of broccoli.

Today my daily walk was interrupted by the men in black. I starred off into the distance noticing 2 men wearing ties, white shirt and black pants and my immediate thought was to turn around and go back the other way. They have already spotted me before I could react. I was cornered and then began the advertisement of God. I don't have any thing against any religion but I do have something against someone trying to impose their beliefs on me. There's limitations with what you can say to a stranger, religion and politics is off the table. Two topics that should be avoided with anyone you don't know.

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Pear Salad with blue cheese and vinaigrette dressing


My husband is not a salad fan, unless it is a side at dinner and even than he always goes for the soup option. So, when ever he's on a business trip I make salads, mac in cheese and turkey dishes for myself. Some of my favorites that I grew up on. I love fruit in my salad along with crumbled cheese if it be feta, cotija or blue cheese along side some sweet tasting vinaigrette. I had came across this Pear Salad with blue cheese and vinaigrette dressing in Bon Appetit and just had to try it along side a steak. I liked it so much that I can eat this salad as a main meal.

Slice up some pear, crumble some blue cheese, make your own vinaigrette by adding 2 TB of EVO, Sherry Vin, Honey, 1 Shallot and salt and pepper. Don't buy the bottled stuff at the grocery store it's loaded with junk that defeats the purpose of losing weight if that's what you are aiming for.

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Strawberry Sunrise Scones- Adapted from Baking Bites





So, I came across my favorite scone recipe yet. This tasty Strawberry Scone using orange yogurt and zest, many thanks to Baking Bites for this one. I was a bit worried when I came to a close of this recipe as the strawberries drew lots of moisture in my dough, but I added a little more flour and got it back to the "scone" consistency and I must say.... these are fabulous!

Friday, September 12, 2008

Texas Beef Brisket Chili



There is so much flavor in this dish and the meat is so tenderized that it literally flakes off in your mouth after the first bite. I found it time consuming to make, this delicious recipe was adapted from Bon Appetit. Be prepared for a 4 hour cook and prep time.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Baked Spicy Tilapia



I decided to bake up some spicy Tilapia fish fillets with a side of bruchetta. I had grabbed this fish taco recipe some time back and changed my mind at the last minute and wanted to do something healthy. Instead of heading back to the grocery store I turned that breaded fried fish recipe into a nice marinade by getting rid of the frying, the flour and egg mixture. I decided to let the spices of chili garlic sauce, red pepper flakes, honey, lemon juice, white vin, cumin and chili powder sit with the fish for 4 hours. Pop it in the oven and what a tasty fish this became.

Surprise.....It's On You.....

This is very interesting and I just had to share. Have you been invited to dinner with a group of people and ended up having to not only pay for your food but for those other people at the table that don't pull out their wallets as well? This is how I look at some of these situations. If I got invited to go out to eat with the same people all of the time I would not be a sponge and expect these people to pay, especially if it is an expensive restaurant. For one, there should be no assumption that someone should pay for your food and two that you should have to pay for anyone else. If someone is treating you out to eat, you should always offer to pay, it's the polite thing to do.

Click here to see some really rude and ridiculous stories.

Friday, September 5, 2008

Korean Sesame Beef With Lettuce Wraps




These are so good. Adapted from Cooking Light.

Scones using Sour Cream



I've been trying every kind of scone I come across, from the plain milk recipe to using buttermilk or sour cream. I'm tempted to experiment with my own version. It can either work out or prove to be disastrous. I have ideas though... :)

I adapted this yummy sour cream version from Joy The Baker.

Fish Curry


I tried for dinner last night fish curry, adapted from Spice and Curry. This is a flavorful dish, It actually reminded me of Thai curry because it had sweet and spicy combinations.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Chicken Lettuce Wraps









Recipe Adapted from Rachael Ray, this sweet tasty recipe put a smile on my little one's face. It also tastes very good if you add 2 TB of Red pepper flakes. The first time I had tasted lettuce wraps was at PF Chang's, it's on their appetizer section of the menu and I just loved the dish. That got me thinking lately about healthy ideas for cooking. I caught an episode of Rachael Ray's version and thought I'd give it a try. These are so good that my husband cleared the pan.

Fried Chicken- Marinated Over Night


I have a really good Fried Chicken Recipe....It requires the chicken to be marinaded overnight in buttermilk and spices. It really does make a big difference if you marinate it overnight vs. 4 hours as I once did with this recipe. Grape seed oil is what I found to be the most tasty when frying this chicken. I adapted the recipe from Simply Recipes.